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How to draw near to God
by saint701 » Fri May 02, 2014 1:09 pm
Hello Christianity Oasis, All!
Blessings!
http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-draw-near-to-god
How many years have you been a Christian? Do you feel close to God or far off? If a long-time Christian, do you attend church and listen to the same types of messages year after year? Of course pastors vary in the types of messages they present, but my concern is this. Do the messages you hear bring you closer to God? Or after 40 years of being a Christian are you just resigned to the fact going to church fulfills your obligation to remember our Lord, honor Him, give some money to His cause, and take communion? Such is all well and good, but are you any closer to God now than you were 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years ago…or longer?
You know Paul was concerned with a congregation of Christians that had been believers many years because their knowledge of God was pretty much the same as it was years before when they were converted. He let them know he wasn’t happy that they were still being suckled with milk. In fact some had become disillusioned with their Christian life and were considering leaving Christ and returning to the dead religion of the Jews. He warned them of the dangers of that and taught them a few very scary scenarios for those that turn back.
For those that wanted to be refreshed in the basic doctrines of Christianity he rebuked because of their need to have the foundation of Christ rebuilt within them. Paul mentioned the following list of beliefs and actions as baby food…mommy’s milk.
Heb.6
[1] Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
[2] Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Unfortunately for many around the world the above verses contain milk products that aren’t even among the foundational doctrines in their…what is supposed to be…their Christ centered belief system. In fact I dare say there are many of you content knowing little more than Jesus Christ and Him crucified as payment for your sins. In fact I dare say there are many of you stuck in the fear of the resurrection of the dead, and that, and that alone is your reason to attend church each Sunday. While the fear of the Lord is good, God your Heavenly Dad wants a closer relationship with you more than you want a closer relationship with Him. Fearing the Lord and giving Him glory is good, but you will have problems drawing near to God if the fear of Him keeps you from having the faith to grow closer to Him. He isn’t the evil ogre many portray Him as.
I admit there are some contradictory statements in the New Testament that tend to make it difficult to know God is love, that every good and perfect thing comes down to us from Him, that He makes us alive as He is alive, that He is light and good and there is no darkness in Him at all, and that if we desire to be closer to Him in love He has provided us the means to become so, through our faith in Him and His promises to us. As it is written, we become partakers of His divine nature through faith in those things He has promised us.
God hasn’t hidden His good promises from us. We’re just afraid to believe them. We’re told that He that has begun a good work in us will perform it to the end...that He is the author and finisher of our faith. How often have you thought in your heart, “If these scriptures be true, where is the Lord that I might experience His great work within me?” All I can say is this…It is through patience we gain experience, and experience strengthens our faith. Without experiencing the reality of so many promises of God to us I would not be here writing about these things to you. I know how to draw closer to God because of my experience in doing so. Do you? If not, read on…
Pss.34
1. [8] O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Pss.119
1. [103] How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
1Pet.2
1. [3] If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Rom.8
1. [28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God is great! God is good! Let us thank Him for our food! Our food is the Good Word of God. In Hebrews 6 verses 1 and 2 above the preceding paragraph we see the pathway of our beginning in the life of God. Following Hebrews 6 verses 1 and 2 comes 3, 4, and 5. We don’t often see the stark contrast that exists between verses 1 and 2, and 3-5, but verses 3, 4, and 5 speak of a mature Christian...He began drinking the milk of Hebrews 1 and 2 and continued on in the faith until he could eat meat…We aren’t talking of us falling away here…For our purposes we’re talking about growing closer to God, and the vast difference that exists with a baby on milk and one that has grown up. If it is God’s will for us to grow from that of a baby, a child…which we shall call point “A,” to that of a spiritual adult…which we shall call point “Z,” we must cultivate within ourselves a deep, deep yearning to have all of God’s promises fulfilled in us via experience. We can grow from faith to faith, and from experience to experience if we choose to do so…(God honors our eager longings to be closer to him.) Not that we are the one growing ourselves up, but digging deep into our heart and filling it with our faith in God, we create fertile soil for God to grow us up in…His Good Words to us…
Look at Hebrews verses 3,4, and 5 below.
[3] And this will we do, if God permit.
[4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
[5] And have tasted the Good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
[6] If they shall fall away…falling away is not the subject of this lesson…forget about it…99.9 % of you haven’t moved from point “A” to point “Z” yet. Repentance still belongs to you. I don’t care what you have done…if you are one of the 99.9% of Christians that haven’t matured to know, understand and experience verses 3-5 above, repentance still belongs to you. I’ve often heard stories of Christians that believe they have committed the unpardonable sin…God didn’t convict you of that…Satan did…you believed the lie and he robbed you of both your faith and the seed of God’s Good Word that was sewn in your heart…repent of your unbelief and believe God’s Good Words in your heart again. However, this time you must begin to grow in discerning good and evil and that is good.
Again…we aren’t talking about the possibility of us falling away here. Have you been enlightened? Have you tasted of the heavenly gift? Have you been made a partaker of the Holy Ghost? Have you tasted God’s Good Word? Have you experienced the powers of the world to come? (Really)? (Then write to me and explain each experience and how you have been transformed). Notwithstanding, at issue here is tasting the Good Word of God. Have you grabbed hold of it? Grabbing hold of the Good Word of God and holding it fast to your bosom anchors your soul to the Rock of our Salvation. Doing so helps you draw nearer to God.
1Tim.6
1. [12] Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
2. [19] Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Heb.6
1. [18] That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Just how do we lay hold onto eternal life? I dare say that it is by us tasting the Good Word of God! What is the Good Word of God? The Good Word of God is any scripture that moves you closer to God. The Good Word of God is all about who we have been made in Christ Jesus and how it is we have come to see ourselves as God’s workmanship, and how it is we came to understand the 2 immutable Laws of Life in Christ Jesus. (1) Jesus is ever before the Father making intercession for us…He is always for us. We must grab hold of that FACT! After all when we see Him as He is we will be like Him in Glory!!! Therein lies a great mountain full of the Good Word of God! Lay hold on Eternal Life! Grab hold of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! And do not ever let Him go! He belongs to you as much as you belong to Him…let your eye be single and your whole body will be full of light…DON’T LET OUR LORD JESUS BE ANYTHING ELSE TO YOU BUT THE LOVING SAVIOR THAT GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU. You are seated with Christ in heavenly places already! Forget, toss away, block, and cast down any and everything that would keep your eye from being single. God is love! Lay hold on Christ, our love and our Eternal Life! Taste and see that He is always to us and for us and you will have drawn closer to God.
(2) Lay hold on the Blood of Eternal Life! Here is how I do it…I enter the Holy of Holies…there I see our Heavenly Love Dad smiling at me as I enter. Seated next to Him on His right hand is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is also smiling at me. Between me and my Heavenly Dad, and our Lord, our Love Brother…there is the Blood of God. It is my guarantee that all God has promised me belongs to me, especially fellowship with the Father and the Son, the Eternal Life of God’s love…which is the origin and perfect essence of all that is love…and if I choose to love as God loves, that Blood of the Lamb continually cleanses me of all sin…I lay hold on that Blood of the Everlasting Covenant. It guarantees me that all God has promised me…including His love and glory are mine…and are mine forever…in the light of that blood…in the light of the Father and the Son…I can’t help but smile as God is smiling at me…and right now I can feel the bright glory of God’s radiating happiness spread all over my face…we rejoice in the great things God has done for us and give Him glory! I rejoice in the glory of God! Amen! Taste and see that God is good…Amen!
Suggested by the author
How to Achieve Christian Excellence
Blessings!
Love, In Christ Jesus, saint701
Blessings!
http://www.examiner.com/article/how-to-draw-near-to-god
How many years have you been a Christian? Do you feel close to God or far off? If a long-time Christian, do you attend church and listen to the same types of messages year after year? Of course pastors vary in the types of messages they present, but my concern is this. Do the messages you hear bring you closer to God? Or after 40 years of being a Christian are you just resigned to the fact going to church fulfills your obligation to remember our Lord, honor Him, give some money to His cause, and take communion? Such is all well and good, but are you any closer to God now than you were 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years ago…or longer?
You know Paul was concerned with a congregation of Christians that had been believers many years because their knowledge of God was pretty much the same as it was years before when they were converted. He let them know he wasn’t happy that they were still being suckled with milk. In fact some had become disillusioned with their Christian life and were considering leaving Christ and returning to the dead religion of the Jews. He warned them of the dangers of that and taught them a few very scary scenarios for those that turn back.
For those that wanted to be refreshed in the basic doctrines of Christianity he rebuked because of their need to have the foundation of Christ rebuilt within them. Paul mentioned the following list of beliefs and actions as baby food…mommy’s milk.
Heb.6
[1] Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
[2] Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Unfortunately for many around the world the above verses contain milk products that aren’t even among the foundational doctrines in their…what is supposed to be…their Christ centered belief system. In fact I dare say there are many of you content knowing little more than Jesus Christ and Him crucified as payment for your sins. In fact I dare say there are many of you stuck in the fear of the resurrection of the dead, and that, and that alone is your reason to attend church each Sunday. While the fear of the Lord is good, God your Heavenly Dad wants a closer relationship with you more than you want a closer relationship with Him. Fearing the Lord and giving Him glory is good, but you will have problems drawing near to God if the fear of Him keeps you from having the faith to grow closer to Him. He isn’t the evil ogre many portray Him as.
I admit there are some contradictory statements in the New Testament that tend to make it difficult to know God is love, that every good and perfect thing comes down to us from Him, that He makes us alive as He is alive, that He is light and good and there is no darkness in Him at all, and that if we desire to be closer to Him in love He has provided us the means to become so, through our faith in Him and His promises to us. As it is written, we become partakers of His divine nature through faith in those things He has promised us.
God hasn’t hidden His good promises from us. We’re just afraid to believe them. We’re told that He that has begun a good work in us will perform it to the end...that He is the author and finisher of our faith. How often have you thought in your heart, “If these scriptures be true, where is the Lord that I might experience His great work within me?” All I can say is this…It is through patience we gain experience, and experience strengthens our faith. Without experiencing the reality of so many promises of God to us I would not be here writing about these things to you. I know how to draw closer to God because of my experience in doing so. Do you? If not, read on…
Pss.34
1. [8] O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Pss.119
1. [103] How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
1Pet.2
1. [3] If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Rom.8
1. [28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God is great! God is good! Let us thank Him for our food! Our food is the Good Word of God. In Hebrews 6 verses 1 and 2 above the preceding paragraph we see the pathway of our beginning in the life of God. Following Hebrews 6 verses 1 and 2 comes 3, 4, and 5. We don’t often see the stark contrast that exists between verses 1 and 2, and 3-5, but verses 3, 4, and 5 speak of a mature Christian...He began drinking the milk of Hebrews 1 and 2 and continued on in the faith until he could eat meat…We aren’t talking of us falling away here…For our purposes we’re talking about growing closer to God, and the vast difference that exists with a baby on milk and one that has grown up. If it is God’s will for us to grow from that of a baby, a child…which we shall call point “A,” to that of a spiritual adult…which we shall call point “Z,” we must cultivate within ourselves a deep, deep yearning to have all of God’s promises fulfilled in us via experience. We can grow from faith to faith, and from experience to experience if we choose to do so…(God honors our eager longings to be closer to him.) Not that we are the one growing ourselves up, but digging deep into our heart and filling it with our faith in God, we create fertile soil for God to grow us up in…His Good Words to us…
Look at Hebrews verses 3,4, and 5 below.
[3] And this will we do, if God permit.
[4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
[5] And have tasted the Good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
[6] If they shall fall away…falling away is not the subject of this lesson…forget about it…99.9 % of you haven’t moved from point “A” to point “Z” yet. Repentance still belongs to you. I don’t care what you have done…if you are one of the 99.9% of Christians that haven’t matured to know, understand and experience verses 3-5 above, repentance still belongs to you. I’ve often heard stories of Christians that believe they have committed the unpardonable sin…God didn’t convict you of that…Satan did…you believed the lie and he robbed you of both your faith and the seed of God’s Good Word that was sewn in your heart…repent of your unbelief and believe God’s Good Words in your heart again. However, this time you must begin to grow in discerning good and evil and that is good.
Again…we aren’t talking about the possibility of us falling away here. Have you been enlightened? Have you tasted of the heavenly gift? Have you been made a partaker of the Holy Ghost? Have you tasted God’s Good Word? Have you experienced the powers of the world to come? (Really)? (Then write to me and explain each experience and how you have been transformed). Notwithstanding, at issue here is tasting the Good Word of God. Have you grabbed hold of it? Grabbing hold of the Good Word of God and holding it fast to your bosom anchors your soul to the Rock of our Salvation. Doing so helps you draw nearer to God.
1Tim.6
1. [12] Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
2. [19] Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Heb.6
1. [18] That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Just how do we lay hold onto eternal life? I dare say that it is by us tasting the Good Word of God! What is the Good Word of God? The Good Word of God is any scripture that moves you closer to God. The Good Word of God is all about who we have been made in Christ Jesus and how it is we have come to see ourselves as God’s workmanship, and how it is we came to understand the 2 immutable Laws of Life in Christ Jesus. (1) Jesus is ever before the Father making intercession for us…He is always for us. We must grab hold of that FACT! After all when we see Him as He is we will be like Him in Glory!!! Therein lies a great mountain full of the Good Word of God! Lay hold on Eternal Life! Grab hold of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! And do not ever let Him go! He belongs to you as much as you belong to Him…let your eye be single and your whole body will be full of light…DON’T LET OUR LORD JESUS BE ANYTHING ELSE TO YOU BUT THE LOVING SAVIOR THAT GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU. You are seated with Christ in heavenly places already! Forget, toss away, block, and cast down any and everything that would keep your eye from being single. God is love! Lay hold on Christ, our love and our Eternal Life! Taste and see that He is always to us and for us and you will have drawn closer to God.
(2) Lay hold on the Blood of Eternal Life! Here is how I do it…I enter the Holy of Holies…there I see our Heavenly Love Dad smiling at me as I enter. Seated next to Him on His right hand is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is also smiling at me. Between me and my Heavenly Dad, and our Lord, our Love Brother…there is the Blood of God. It is my guarantee that all God has promised me belongs to me, especially fellowship with the Father and the Son, the Eternal Life of God’s love…which is the origin and perfect essence of all that is love…and if I choose to love as God loves, that Blood of the Lamb continually cleanses me of all sin…I lay hold on that Blood of the Everlasting Covenant. It guarantees me that all God has promised me…including His love and glory are mine…and are mine forever…in the light of that blood…in the light of the Father and the Son…I can’t help but smile as God is smiling at me…and right now I can feel the bright glory of God’s radiating happiness spread all over my face…we rejoice in the great things God has done for us and give Him glory! I rejoice in the glory of God! Amen! Taste and see that God is good…Amen!
Suggested by the author
How to Achieve Christian Excellence
Blessings!
Love, In Christ Jesus, saint701
It is most certainly far better to die in faith believing, than it is to live in unbelief.
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saint701 
- Posts: 697
- Location: St. Louis, MO
- Marital Status: Waiting on God
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