Day 12: "Developing Your Friendship With God"
"Point to Ponder: I'm as close to God as I choose to be."
Daily Verse: "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." James 4:8A (NLT)
Daily Question: "What practical choices will I make today in order to grow closer to God?"
From my journal the day of reading: I will talk to Kyle (my husband) about my journey, so he understands me. I will plan a schedule to help me grow the gifts, talents, and blessings God has blessed me with.
I'm sitting here smiling because that journal entry doesn't come close to doing justice for the walk I've been walking with God, since reading it. I remember reading this chapter & thinking....I've got a lot to work on before I'm ready for a friendship with God....NOT SO MUCH PEEPS.... I mean, YES...I had to work on things (still do) & they were pretty intense for me, but I've done them & I am ALREADY developing my relationship with God.
I was talking to someone yesterday about an experience I had when praying over a tragedy of some VERY dear friends of mine. She was asking me questions about it & how we KNOW when a certain person needs to be prayed for. I started out by saying: "You know that gut feeling you get....or that AWARENESS you get sometimes when you just KNOW The Holy Spirit is guiding you?" They looked at me & said...."No...I can't say that I've really experienced that. I mean I'll read Bible verses & they will speak to me or be exactly what I need, but I can't say that I've ever experienced what you are talking about." The next question they asked me was: "How do you get that feeling? What do you do?" I'm sitting here tearing up because I am in AWE of God. COMPLETE AWE.... I wrote that post yesterday about the types of friendships I have with The Holy Spirit, Jesus, & God.... In the conversation I had yesterday evening I KNEW what I needed to say to answer that question. Here it is: "You have to INVITE God in. You have to STRIP your EGO & PRIDE (and I gave a few examples of extreme ego & what I think is ego, but you don't really look at it that way) & be able to HUMBLE yourself to whatever member of The Holy Trinity they are really speaking to." I explained that humbling yourself to them is SHOWING them ALL of it: your pain, your anger, your confusion, your stress, what you question....which I REMEMBER...I held back until I realized GOD KNOWS ALL OF IT ANYWAY. He wants the raw & honest TRUTH (good, bad, & the ugly) & he wants YOU to WANT to talk to Him. You don't have to go out and profess it to the world, but to God. Once you start being honest to got you start being honest with yourself too.
My friend gave me a new Bible that has several different translations in it. I have to tell you...I struggle with reading the Bible...not because I don't want to, but because I can't figure out how to really get the most out of it. I read 3 quarters through the Old Testament just page after page, but stopped because I wasn't grasping it the way I thought I would....it was more like a chore...kinda. I've tried that online Bible study.....I mean LONG readings & I found it easy for me to stop & not finish...then have a LONG one to catch up with the next day. This book has helped me verse by verse, to learn parts of the Bible. Since getting the new Bible from my friend....I've went to it twice. I just opened to a page. The first day it took me straight to a story of dealing with anger....I needed it.
Last night it took me to Acts 10-11. What I read discussed how the Apostles started FILLING people...ALL people...with The Holy Spirit & the BIRTH of Christianity. Again...I am in AWE. What do I KNOW? I know that we are supposed to INTRODUCE as many people as we can to The Holy Spirit, which I think is the SECOND step in developing a relationship with GOD. The FIRST is being willing to humble yourself & telling him you want him in your life. Guys remember...He will not give you more than you can handle. You can START right now. I have known the person I talked to yesterday ALL of their life & I know they BELIEVE in God & pray, BUT I think they are ready to GET TO KNOW GOD.
This book says 4 things about developing a relationship with God: "I must choose to be honest to God." "I must choose to obey God in faith." "I must choose to value what God values." "I must desire friendship with God more than anything else."
I REALLY do ENCOURAGE everyone to go get this book, if you haven't already & read this for yourself.
Looking at my journal entry & remembering what I was thinking I KNOW that I felt like I'd be 50 before I was even going to be "worthy" enough to have a TRUE friendship with God. Now I KNOW I am worthy right now.
I have to share another thing that this chapter revealed to me & I had been struggling with it for some time. I know someone that doesn't KNOW how to be authentic. (This chapter discussed being AUTHENTIC.) They sort of adapt to the personalities, wants, needs, thoughts of whoever they are around. Now guys....I LOVE making friends....LOVE IT! However...I was having a REALLY hard time gettin' there with this person...in fact...still haven't gotten there & it BOTHERED me BUT I couldn't MAKE myself invite them into my circle of friends. I don't mean my CLOSE friends...I mean just truly FULLY enjoy their company as any kind of friend. This sentence made the light bulb go off: "What may appear as audacity God views as authenticity." Now this was talking about how we should be frank with God & that he can handle our truth in any kind of way we give it to him. BUT what it revealed to me about my struggle with the person above is that I was struggling because THEY weren't being authentic. You can't MAKE someone be authentic. You can't MAKE someone invite you in, AND you can't build a relationship or a friendship with ANYONE if they aren't being AUTHENTIC. There will be NO trust. There will be NO common ground b/c you won't even know what it is. I think it's important for me to say that I'm not just ASSUMING that they aren't being authentic. I had (from my end) an OPEN & HONEST conversation about concerns of the other & offered guidance & support for whatever that person felt like THEY needed. The next week they were doing EXACTLY what they had such a problem with & I KNOW you can't make an AUTHENTIC decision in even a month's time (in this area) & quite frankly....what we discussed may have not been authentic. I KNOW they need the guidance of The Holy Spirit, but I'm not so sure that I am the person that can break through to them. I've tried twice. That is why it is EVER so important that WE HELP OTHERS. Sometimes the people someone is surrounded with can't give them what they need, no matter how much they WANT to.
Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!! Don't wait! Don't hesitate!! God Bless!
I've added the book to my list now :) I remember its name now that someone suggested me to a few years ago, but now I'll be reading it :)
ReplyDelete