A Renewed Heart; A Soul-Changing Relationship
A deep love of the Savior couched in an ever-deepening joining with Him is an intimate knowing of the One loved. One is drawn close in an ever-growing intimacy with Him. Intimacy, bred from a heart, bound in a living, loving relationship with God, in this way, supersedes any religious boundaries.
When it happens to you, dear Christ-follower, you are never the same. You have entered a hallowed place, a distinct living relationship that breathes life into your soul as you lean your being into God: Father, Son, and Spirit. From then on –should you remain fully focused on Christ and sensitive to His ways– you will freely partake in the joy of your salvation.
The Deep Healing Changes You
Those who fall away from the faith most likely have have not known Christ in this way. Knowing Him is to love Him. Once He is an intimate friend and your loving Savior, you will know a love incomparable to anything the world or religious institutions have to offer. To know Christ in close fellowship is to know the mind of Christ; to know the mind of Christ is to do His will; to do His will is to do the will of His father, God the Father.
Scripture informs and speaks God’s words to us. The enlivening of the soul through active communing comes through Spirit-led holy ministering in us. Reading Scripture, praying, fasting, and meditating are stepping stones that lead to its acquisition. If you want to go to ‘further still,’ you will have to employ great intention.
Eventually you come to the door. Ask, seek, knock, and the door will be opened to you. Do you want to know Christ? Do you want to pursue knowing Him? Do you want to live in freedom? Do you want to risk it?
You can open or shut that door. Opening the door means you have to go all in.
Let me explain.
You Have to Walk with God
How so? you may ask again. There is more than I already know? Let’s look at a few limitations first. Although Christian practices are all good and needful, spiritual living can become habit forming without liveliness in a person’s inner being. A dullness may set in. Preachy attitudes can arise and superior attitudes can inflict damage that blocks genuine spirituality and that falls short in many ways.
In addition, problems, troubles, emotional injuries, hurts, painful happenings, lingering pockets of sin, and areas of bondage that have their hooks in you, can be silent things that corrupt or dismay the unsuspecting believer, those whom have believed a lie that says all should be hunky dory when you’re a Christian, and to think otherwise is your fault. You’re living a semi-defeated Christian existence but not for want of trying to live it right.
Doubt assails you. Why is it so hard? I’m trying to do all the right things, but it isn’t cutting it. Where’s the abundant life I’ve been promised? All I know is disappointment, heartache, and pain. I fail more than I like to admit. Why do I miss the mark so often? How come I don’t have answers that work in real life? What’s wrong with me? These are honest questions that should be answered in order to be genuine in your faith.
You don’t have to live that way. God’s promises are real. They can be accessed and lived. This isn’t just a mental game, praying game, or practicing the faith game. This is a heart game. You feed the body, mind, heart, and soul with God’s living truth and His living presence. He is as real and living as real and living can be. God’s cleansing power renews, rejuvenates, sets free, and invigorates. We need to tap that resource to deal with all those questions that need qualified answers. Christ is the answer.
Let’s discover a new path that builds on your prior spiritual knowledge and well-intentioned religous experiences. Here is the first step to a personal and enlivening structure that will facilitate the beginnings of your accessing of the deep healing (God at work in you). Try these on for size.
Spiritual Exercises
Before next week’s post, I would like you to complete three spiritual exercises for me. I’m serious. I will do the same. I believe (promise) you that some movement will begin wiggling, jarring, emoting, in you, as you work through these spiritual exercises. They may even bring forth some amazing thoughts and understandings. Forward ho…
- Examine your heart. Ask God to show you whatever He wants to show you. Write down your reflections and any interesting thoughts that come to you. Repeat each day of the week.
- Let God highlight scripture verses for you. Select one of the gospels to read, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, and notice which verses cause you to pause and reread them.
- Consider and ponder these verses. What strikes you as significant about them? Their connotation? Their implied actions or meaning? What are they saying? Why is this meaningful? What is your takeaway? Can you apply it to you, your ministry, circumstance, or other?
Psalm 19:14 (KJV)
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Take these spiritual exercises seriously. Do the hard work. Let God quicken your soul and enliven your being. Open your mind to God. Let Him fill it with truth. Allow Him to minister to you.
More about this next week. I’m going to tell you a story.
God richly bless you.
Part 6 is here.
