Intentional God-Focused Living

BACKSTORY: I wrote these lessons and then taught them to an adult class in my church. The material was burning in me. I wanted to share these concepts with my church family as a way to help recharge their spiritual engines with a secondary motive to blaze a new trail, to help them take a look at the bigger picture of what it means to live “in Christ.”  Today I share with you, Lesson 1.

GOING DEEPER WITH GOD, LESSON 1

PREMISE: God has made us for relationship.

There is a need for us to go deeper with God, a need that is met through a process of active seeking. The need stems from a realization of a God-placed inner desire resident within us, a desire which creates a longing in our lives for something more fulfilling.

This “more” is found in the context of relationship, within the framework of close fellowship with God, the triune God Who genuinely and constantly cares for us, His people, created in His image and redeemed through His Son. Where and why have we missed this relationship piece, this integral element of Christian living?

Spiritual growth is indicative of a person’s closeness to God. Much of what may seem spiritual because of its theology and study, may be an academic exercise and in response to the need to know what we believe, which is important and essential, but will remain neutral to some degree if it fails to change the heart and the life. It is not enough to fill a mind with concepts about God, and it is not enough when Christians become routine in their faith-based living.

One must also let the truths of God penetrate below the surface of the mind to funnel down to the heart and then absorb into its very tissues. This will have everything to do with the functions of a healthy heart, mind, and soul, one that loves well and loves without expectation, self- promotion or self-protection.

To begin this process of growing closer to God, it works best to take a look inside our interior self. We must be honest with ourselves, completely and truly open with ourselves. This is a good time to ask God for some wisdom as we peer into His looking glass to look at our souls whereby He will reveal to us what is living, halting, or shaping us inside our hearts.

Question 1: Does love for God make a difference in your life?

Answer the question before going to the next post.

Next post: Spiritual Weakness continued: (Going Deeper with God Part 2)

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