He's Closer Than You Think

I love the change of seasons. I would not like to live where I could not look forward to spring and summer, flowers, fresh corn and tomatoes from the garden, and long, sunny, hot days. For me, life would be dull without the anticipation of fall with its changing leaves, pumpkins sitting everywhere, cool crisp mornings, evenings with a fire in the firepit. And then there is all the "getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas." I love it when my family gathers around the table. I enjoy decorating the tree, getting just the right gifts, the Christmas play at church, Luke chapter 2.

I've learned that my faith goes though seasons too. There is the season of fresh, new faith. Those sweet times of discovering God and all His splendor, just after we're saved. Those early years when He is building our faith by answering the smallest of prayers, revealing Himself to us as we read those first words from His Word, as we sing the old hymns with a new awareness of what they mean, and we hang onto every word the preacher says. There is nothing so sweet as fresh, new faith.

Then there are the middle years of our journey with the Savior, I call them the "busy years." We've reached a place of maturity, but we still have a lot of learning to do. Our family is growing and we're busy with raising kids, growing our relationship with our husband, helping with our parents, working in the church and all the countless other things that fill our lives. Our fellowship is sweet and comfortable, but not quite as intense as fresh, new faith.

Then there comes the season of feeling that God is not as close as He once was; He feels so far away. Our prayers are not as intense, they seem to be more "me" focused. My spiritual gifts that I excitedly used in the church during my fresh new faith season have become more of a "chore", not a pleasure. If you are in this season now, you don't have to stay there. We can never go back to "fresh new faith," but mature faith is an exciting faith as we look forward to Christ's return and an eternity in His presence. And the good news is this: God hasn't changed, and He never will. (Malachi 3:6) And when I draw near to God, He will draw near to me. (James 4:8)

So how do I get there? How do I draw near to God when I don't know how?

Here are 5 things that help me when I feel God is far away.

1. Confess that you have moved and tell Him you are sorry. God never changes. He has promised to always be with us, so if I feel He is far away, guess who moved? Me. The first step in getting closer to God is to admit that I have moved away, not Him.

2. Begin right now to thank Him for everything in your life. Giving thanks is an act of obedience. (1 Thess. 5:18) Start right where you are and thank Him for the good and the bad and He will bless your obedience. He will bless you with more of Himself and more faith.

3. Sing His praises. Whether it actually be in song or in your heart praise Him! Praise Him for Who He is: Praise Him for His goodness: Praise Him for His love: Praise Him for forgiveness of sin: Praise Him that You belong to Him. Get the idea? Praise Him for everything! Psalm 148:5 says it best; "Let them praise the name of the Lord for He created them."

4. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. Read it with hunger and let Him fill you up with Who He is. He will not disappoint you. The more you read it, the more you will crave it.

5. Pray without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17) Talk to God as if He is standing right there in the room because He is. He is your Father and whatever you are concerned about concerns Him too. You are His beloved child, and He will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5 and 6.)

James 4:8 is a promise from God; "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." He's closer than you think. He is only one step away and He's waiting for you to take that first step toward Him. 

I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment and share the blog with friends.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Penny

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Sing Like Paul and Silas!

 I love to sing......usually. It's easy to sing when life is good, the family is healthy and well fed, and all the bills are paid. But throw in a teenager making a bad decision, a large unexpected medical bill, a layoff at work, or no job at all and singing is not at the top of my list of fun things to do when my heart is hurting. But in Acts 16, that is exactly what Paul and Silas chose to do: sing as loud as they could sing.

Paul and Silas were preaching throughout Asia Minor, the churches were growing and people's lives were being changed. In v16, a young servant girl "with a spirit of divination" followed them and relentlessly distracted from the message they preached. Paul commanded the demon to leave her, it did, and he and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison. Bleeding and in much pain it would have been so easy to feel despair and rejection from God. After all, isn't that when satan delights to attack our feelings and emotions? He beats us up when we are down, he reminds us of our past when we feel good. He knows our weaknesses and he relentlessly uses them against us.

Does life seem overwhelming today? Are you anxious, fearful, lonely? Get ready: you have a song to sing!

When we sing a song of praise and thanksgiving in the midst of our turmoil we are saying, "Lord, I trust you. There is nothing in my life beyond your power to fix." 

When Paul and Silas began to sing and preach to the other inmates the Bible says the men listened. That says to me that when we go through difficult times and circumstances we are given an opportunity to work with God in our suffering and bring honor and glory to Him, or we can work against Him. When we sing praises to Christ, we work with Him and people listen. 

Ladies, it works! Singing songs of praise and thanks lifts me from the bottom of the pit and sits me at the feet of Jesus. So...folding laundry? Sing. Vacuuming? Sing. Changing a diaper? Sing. Feeling physical or emotional pain? Sing. It may be the LAST thing we want to do when we're hurting, but let's determine to make it the FIRST thing we do. 

Sing like Paul and Silas!

Death Could Not Make Him Stay

Happy Easter! 

The grave clothes are folded, the tomb is empty, there is no smell of death. 

There is no weeping only joy, He lives just as He said.

Friend, Jesus is alive today, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, He died for you. He loves you. He will accept you. If you have not repented of your sins, please do so now. In faith, cry out to Jesus, He loves you, He will save you.

Death Could Not Make Him Stay

They were scared, tired and cold

The day was long, the night longer

They had promised to be bold, 

They'd promised to be stronger

Huddled close together

As they watched the eastern sky

They waited for the morning

Why did He have to die?

Then Mary came and told them

"Come and see the empty tomb.

He is not there He is alive,

Come with me, see it too."

Oh Yes! The tomb was empty,

Just the way that Mary said

John went in, He was alive

John knew He was not dead

No grave could hold the Son of God

Death could not make Him stay

Praise God Christ won the victory!

He is alive today.

Happy Resurrection Morning!

Penny