Connecting With God - Fail Sures
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CONNECTING WITH GOD - FAIL SURES
The Lord Jesus Christ came to bridge the Gap between us and God - why then are you not connecting?
Before you give yourself over to disillusionment here are some things you might consider:
-PRIDE "God Resist the Proud - The proud He knows afar off" James 4:6, Psalm138:6
Is your pride getting in the way? When we come to God it is imperative that we humble ourselves. The Scriptures say that the universe cannot contain Him, so who are we to exalt ourselves before our Creator? If we attempt to approach Him on the basis of 'how righteous, how holy, how good' we think we are, expect a closed door. "Two men went up into the temple to pray. .." Luke 18:10-14
-IF I REGARD INIQUITY IN MY HEART, the Lord will not hear me." Psalm 66:18
Are you hiding or entertaining sin? The Scriptures say that it is our sins that separate us from Him, so if we are walking in willful, deliberate disobedience, it is complete presumption to expect Him to regard our prayers or attempts to approach Him. Jeremiah 7:9-11
- NOT WHOLE HEARTED "Blessed are the pure in Heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8
If we are not wholehearted or sincere (for God alone knows our heart), you will be blinded to Him. The Scriptures say "Deep calls unto deep...." Psalm 42:7 ,When we cry out to God from the depths of our heart, forsaking all else, He Hears us! "Out of the depths I cried unto You, O Lord"
Psalm 130:1 "And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart; and I will be found of you, says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:13-14 "
- DOUBLEMINDED "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he will receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8
- "REBELLION is as the sin of witchcraft, and STUBBORNESS is as iniquity and idolatry."1 Samuel 15:23
If we are living in deliberate defiance and rebellion, why assume He will respond to any requests of ours? We approach God on His terms, not ours. He is the Potter and we are the clay. It is our sin that separates us from Him, and His terms for reconciliation are; "...Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 20:21
God is more concerned about our attitudes and motives than our methods and "I the Lord search the heart, and test the mind, to give to every man according to His ways." Jeremiah 17:10
An Attitude of Unbelief is very different from someone struggling with doubts. Jesus healed the son of a man that was vexed with an evil spirit even though he admittedly struggled with doubts. He said, "Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief." Mark 9:24
- ULTERIOR MOTIVES - "You ask and you receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume them upon your lusts." James 4:3 Thankfully, God our Heavenly Father is not in the business of catering to our appetites and ambitions, nor is He a slave to our wishes and desires. Again, this is another thing to be so grateful to Him for.
- RELIGION AND NOT FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - Jesus said, "I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Me." John 14:6, "...neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12 The Scriptures teach that we need to be saved from our sins that separate us from God and that evil/sin will not dwell with Him, and that He is too Pure to look upon sin. Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 5:4, Habakkuk 1:13. Adam and Eve's sin not only brought about death into their lives, but also cost them the intimate walk with God that they had. Furthermore the Word of God also teaches us that, "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23 for all of us, which is why we die. Clearly all our good deeds and religious efforts cannot remove the stain of our many sins, let alone the price of just one sin - death. Only the Son of God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for us in payment for our sins can remove your sin, my sin, and the sin of the whole world for all time. This is the only Sacrifice that God Almighty will accept and respond intimately to.
So, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9-10 And you will have connected with God - you can be sure.
CONCLUSION - Please understand that God, our Heavenly Father is more gracious, merciful, and understanding, than we realize, and He so often overrides our faults, failures... and sometimes simply reaches out even "to those who sought not for Me." But when we know better, as a good parent, He expects us to live up to what we already know.
CONNECTING WITH GOD - FAIL SURES
The Lord Jesus Christ came to bridge the Gap between us and God - why then are you not connecting?
Before you give yourself over to disillusionment here are some things you might consider:
-PRIDE "God Resist the Proud - The proud He knows afar off" James 4:6, Psalm138:6
Is your pride getting in the way? When we come to God it is imperative that we humble ourselves. The Scriptures say that the universe cannot contain Him, so who are we to exalt ourselves before our Creator? If we attempt to approach Him on the basis of 'how righteous, how holy, how good' we think we are, expect a closed door. "Two men went up into the temple to pray. .." Luke 18:10-14
-IF I REGARD INIQUITY IN MY HEART, the Lord will not hear me." Psalm 66:18
Are you hiding or entertaining sin? The Scriptures say that it is our sins that separate us from Him, so if we are walking in willful, deliberate disobedience, it is complete presumption to expect Him to regard our prayers or attempts to approach Him. Jeremiah 7:9-11
- NOT WHOLE HEARTED "Blessed are the pure in Heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8
If we are not wholehearted or sincere (for God alone knows our heart), you will be blinded to Him. The Scriptures say "Deep calls unto deep...." Psalm 42:7 ,When we cry out to God from the depths of our heart, forsaking all else, He Hears us! "Out of the depths I cried unto You, O Lord"
Psalm 130:1 "And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart; and I will be found of you, says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:13-14 "
- DOUBLEMINDED "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he will receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8
- "REBELLION is as the sin of witchcraft, and STUBBORNESS is as iniquity and idolatry."1 Samuel 15:23
If we are living in deliberate defiance and rebellion, why assume He will respond to any requests of ours? We approach God on His terms, not ours. He is the Potter and we are the clay. It is our sin that separates us from Him, and His terms for reconciliation are; "...Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 20:21
God is more concerned about our attitudes and motives than our methods and "I the Lord search the heart, and test the mind, to give to every man according to His ways." Jeremiah 17:10
An Attitude of Unbelief is very different from someone struggling with doubts. Jesus healed the son of a man that was vexed with an evil spirit even though he admittedly struggled with doubts. He said, "Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief." Mark 9:24
- ULTERIOR MOTIVES - "You ask and you receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume them upon your lusts." James 4:3 Thankfully, God our Heavenly Father is not in the business of catering to our appetites and ambitions, nor is He a slave to our wishes and desires. Again, this is another thing to be so grateful to Him for.
- RELIGION AND NOT FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - Jesus said, "I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Me." John 14:6, "...neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12 The Scriptures teach that we need to be saved from our sins that separate us from God and that evil/sin will not dwell with Him, and that He is too Pure to look upon sin. Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 5:4, Habakkuk 1:13. Adam and Eve's sin not only brought about death into their lives, but also cost them the intimate walk with God that they had. Furthermore the Word of God also teaches us that, "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23 for all of us, which is why we die. Clearly all our good deeds and religious efforts cannot remove the stain of our many sins, let alone the price of just one sin - death. Only the Son of God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for us in payment for our sins can remove your sin, my sin, and the sin of the whole world for all time. This is the only Sacrifice that God Almighty will accept and respond intimately to.
So, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9-10 And you will have connected with God - you can be sure.
CONCLUSION - Please understand that God, our Heavenly Father is more gracious, merciful, and understanding, than we realize, and He so often overrides our faults, failures... and sometimes simply reaches out even "to those who sought not for Me." But when we know better, as a good parent, He expects us to live up to what we already know.
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