“Building a Personal Relationship with God”

Reflective Facts

The more time we spend with God the more we strengthen our spiritual understanding and weaken our worldly addictions. Do you crave God as much as you crave everything else in life? Is He your first thought when awaking to a new dawn? Is He your last thought when you lay your head upon your pillow for a good night’s rest? Is God on your mind and in your heart while you enjoy the gift of life? How many honest answers will these questions bring? Only you and God will know the truth.

I’m not going to talk about religious interactions and activates, for many of you have already been taught theology, works, and doctrines. Spiritual history provides insight that no religion has ever surpassed its own idea – of God. It is time to go beyond the general practices of men and seek out the true principles of God.

As NASA explores the outer reaches of space and tries to comprehend from a scientific point of view how everything came into existence, men’s theologies, doctrines, and general practices continue to inhabit their own comprehension of God’s Will. Throughout the history of God’s Word, the Bible has provided significant insight toward the true principles of God and His nature.

God is not a "PART" of anything; He is the “ALL” of everything. To limit our understanding to religious theologies, doctrines, and the general practices of different denominations, would be like placing God in a box, He won't fit!

God is not a pie that can be sliced into pieces. He is, and always shall be, one creator unto all things. He creates life before He sets it into place (Jeremiah 1:5). He provides provision unto each life He creates (2 Pet 1:2-3). He instills His will, but yet, a free will; unto each life that He brings fourth and continues to guide those who seek Him (Romans 1:19), (Proverbs 16:9), (Proverbs 3:5-6).

God’s Word clearly explains that we should never confine ourselves to any one theology, and or philosophy, as we can be easily mislead by human interpretation and spiritual elements of the world (Colossians 2:8) and that many of these traditions, theologies and doctrines; are not of sound teaching.

God says; people come close to Him with their mouth and honor Him with their words, but their hearts are far from Him. He says; their worship is based merely on human rules and what they have been taught. (Isaiah 29:13)

Jesus warned us about false prophets and how they will rise up and deceive many (Matthew 24:11). Given the fact that there are various false teachers within the world and that many have already been deceived, should be conformation enough for us to heed the Word of Christ.

In the Book of Philippians Paul writes; this is my prayer: that your love may flourish more and more in knowledge and in depth, so that you can discern what is best, that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, and be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

It is Gods desire for us to be successful in all things (Genesis 39:2-6) and He wants us to flourish in love and knowledge. He wants us to dwell deep into our understanding of both, so that we will be able to discern for ourselves what is right, what is true, what is pure, and not become misled by a false representation of His Word.

Discernment is a gift from God; if we don’t possess the gift, then do we place our trust in the minister behind the pulpit? There are many who believe that just because a man stands behind the pulpit, God has blessed him with a greater knowledge – than their own. I will tell you this; there are those who are called by appointment, and serve God well. There are those who appoint themselves, and rob you of your time, and money. Lacking the gift of discernment; grants no excuse for ignorance.

Proverbs 3:35; Says; the wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Scripture says; be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

 As a child of God we should always crave more than just the common theologies, doctrines, and traditional practices of man’s religion. We need to seek and establish our own personal relationship with the Lord. A teacher, who has been appointed by God, will lead you to the Lord, but it’s up to “YOU" to establish your personal relationship with God. It is up to “YOU” to study and show yourself approved, not to the world, but to God!”

Every relationship takes time, work, and commitment. Every relationship has its up’s and down’s, highs and lows, gratitude’s and disappointments.

In every storm we need to heed the promises of God’s word. Before we can build; we must allow God to establish our foundation so that our temple and its spirit within will be of a greater service to many!

In closing; God’s Word provides a clear voice unto a passage which every one of us should strive to live by:

Put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 

Posted in Sermons.