These 5 tools are
integral in helping us build a stronger, closer relationship with God:
¨ Prayer:
God Wants to Hear from You!
If you were given the
opportunity to talk with the president or the queen of England, what would you
say? You would probably be a bit nervous, and would think a lot about what you
should talk about. But one far more powerful and important than the president
or queen wants you to talk to Him! And He doesn't want you to be nervous, but
to share what's on your mind and to pour out your heart to Him.
God loves us so much
and understands what we are going through. That's why we can "come boldly
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need"
Let us therefore come boldly
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need. Hebrews
4:16
How should we pray?
Christ's disciples wondered the same thing, and asked Him to teach them (Luke:11:1-4 and
Matthew:6:5-13).
He told them prayer wasn't for show, and
it wasn't about saying the same thing over and over again. But He did give us a
framework of the types of things to pray about:
ü Praising and thanking God.
ü Praying for God's Kingdom to come, and
for His will and work to be done today.
ü Requesting that our needs and the needs
of others be met, whether healing, food, wisdom or protection.
ü Seeking forgiveness and the help to
forgive others.
ü Asking for protection from temptation
and the evil tempter.
In addition to getting
on our knees in private; something that King David did,
Evening and morning and at
noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. Psalm 55:17
we can talk to God in
our minds throughout the day.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
King David's Psalms and
other heartfelt prayers of the Bible show us more about how this spiritual tool
can help you draw closer to our Creator.
Pray to God throughout
the day. Different types of formal prayers may help you, such as the Lord's
prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. However, also be personal with your prayers.
Use your own words to talk to God as freely as you would with your closest
friend. Approach prayer with humility
and respect.
¨ Meditation:
How Do I Apply This Today?
When we've prayed for
understanding and then carefully read the Bible, a natural next step is to
think about what we've read and how it relates to the situations in our life.
That's what biblical meditation is all about.
It's not about emptying
our minds or relaxation techniques or mystical experiences at all. It's
"directed thinking, reflection, contemplation or concentration" and
it helps make prayer and Bible study "meaningful instead of mechanical, inspiring
rather than superficial".
Beneficially, you will emerge with more clarity and more peaceful after spending time with
God.
Some meditations are
recorded for us in the Psalms. The psalmist said meditation helped make him
wiser than his enemies and led him to restrain his feet "from every evil
way"
Oh, how I love Your law! It
is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than
my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For
Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep
Your precepts. I have restrained my feet
from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, For You
Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than
honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore
I hate every false way. Psalm
119:97-104
Meditation helps us
know where we are going—"ponder the path of your feet," as Solomon
put it
Ponder the path of your
feet, And let all your ways be established. Proverbs
4:26
Some passages are worth
pondering:
For though we walk in the
flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians
10:3-5
Finally, brethren, whatever
things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever
things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good
report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate
on these things. Philippians 4:8
If then you were raised with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the
right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the
earth. Colossians 3:1-2
Once again, the key is
doing! God told Joshua to meditate on
the Book of the Law "day and night, that you may observe to do according
to all that is written in it"
This book of
the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day
and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have
good success. Joshua
1:8
Heed the counsel found
in
But his delight is in the
law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalm 1:2
where the psalmist says
to meditate (or think deeply about) day and night about the law of the Lord.
Take some time after reading from the scriptures to analyze what you just read.
Ask yourself what the Bible teaches us about God and His standards.
The Bible has many
examples of people of God who voluntarily went without food and drink for a time
to humble themselves and draw close to God
So we fasted
and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. Ezra 8:23;
Go, gather together all the
Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink
three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will
I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I
perish. Esther 4:16;
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. Psalm 35:13
Jesus
said His disciples should fast and explained that particularly vexing situations
can sometimes only be dealt with by prayer and fasting
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21
In that way, fasting can be looked on as a power tool for building our relationship with God. But there are some things to understand first:
ü Biblical fasting is not for show (Matthew 6:16-18).
ü It's not to be undertaken lightly.
ü It's not to try to get something from
others or to try to force God to do what we want (Isaiah 58:3-4).
ü Fasting should first and foremost be about personally drawing near to God. (James 4:7-10; 1 Peter:5:6-7).
ü It should also be about compassion and sharing with others (Isaiah 58:6-7).
Since God is the source
of all power, drawing closer to Him and casting our cares and worries on Him
will give us the spiritual strength we need, even while feeling physically
weak.
¨ Bible
Study: Listening to God
A person who does all
the talking and never listens ends up with a very one-sided friendship—or no
friendship at all. So besides talking to God, we need to hear what He has to
say.
Most of us are blessed
today to have a copy of or access to the Bible right in our own home. Why do we
read the Bible? It is as necessary for our spiritual life as food is physically
But He answered and said,
"It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.' " Matthew 4:4
Both the Old and New
Testaments show us how God thinks and how we can become like Him:
References:
Psalm 119:105; Luke 24:44-45; 1 Corinthians 10:11;
2
Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 3:15-18
We should pray that God
will open our understanding and help us grow and be "doers of the
word," because just reading is not enough:
Therefore lay aside all
filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted
word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a
doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately
forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and
continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one
will be blessed in what he does. James 1:21-25
Make it a habit to read
the scriptures daily.
Reinforced beliefs,
hope and comfort are benefits that come from building a foundation with God.
Strive to know God better and draw close to him by engaging
in daily Bible reading, meditation and prayer. Designate a convenient time of
day, such as after waking up or before going to sleep, to read from the
scriptures and pray. Following a consistent routine will help make God a daily
part of your life.
Read from the Bible to better learn about God. Galatians 5:19-24 teaches about the behavior God expects and the consequences of not cultivating the characteristics of his spirit. Examples of forgiveness are found in the account of the Baal worshiper, King Manasseh, of Judah in 2 Chronicles 33:2-17, or God's examples of patience when dealing with the Israelites found in Genesis and Exodus. Get to know God's personality by reading from the gospel accounts of Jesus, who himself said in
"He who has seen me
has seen the Father."
Designate
a space that is free of distractions such as phone calls or noisy house mates
so you may read and meditate on the Bible in silence.
It's a dangerous world
out there, and sometimes it's just good to know someone has "got your
back"—is watching out for you. God put His people in His Church to
support, encourage and learn from each other
That there
should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care
one for another. And whether one member
suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the
members rejoice with it. 1
Corinthians 12:25-26;
If there be therefore any
consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the
same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of
mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Philippians
2:1-5
Of course we also can
offend and hurt each other, but one of His goals is for us to learn to
reconcile and to get along. In that way, the Church is a workshop for living
His way of life.
Biblical fellowship is
a three-way relationship between us, God and His people:
that which we have seen and
heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly
our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
God puts us each in His
Church where He wants us, with our own specific part to play (1 Corinthians 12:18; Ephesians 4:16).
He listens lovingly to our conversations and records His precious people in a
book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16-17).
God warns us not to
"neglect our meeting together" because we so desperately need to encourage
each other to "outbursts of love and good deeds"
And let us
consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
We have so much given us from God to help us build a meaningful and lasting relationship with our Lord and Savior that we really have no excuse. Let us all strive through the tools given us to love God, be in His image at all times; not only loving ourselves but loving others.
Biblical Studies
03/07/22
