Connecting with God

Ok. So I lead bible studies every other and this week I really wanted to focus on reconnecting with God. After putting it off and putting it off because I "didn't have time," I realized when it comes to God the excuse "I don't have time" is just really, really sad. So this week, we're focusing on reconnecting, or for some of you, connecting with God in the first place.

Connecting with God

When you made the decision to receive Christ into your life, you made the most important decision of your life. Let’s talk about your new life and what you can expect.

Just because you invited Christ into your life, can you be sure that He is actually living in you? One reason why you can always be confident is the Bible, God’s Word, can be totally trusted. It has been proven accurate many times. As you look at Jesus’ promises in the Bible, you can be sure He will do just what He says.

There are 3 promises that Jesus Christ wants you to know and understand.

CHRIST IN YOU

When you invited Christ into your life, you depended on His promise and his promise only. It’s hard sometimes to remember this because we have so many people to turn to in our life that we sometimes forget who our biggest confider should be. About 10 months ago I read a quote on Pinterest that said “Are you praying about it as much as you’re talking about it?” And this simple post seriously has stuck with me through every single day or time I’m in trouble and turn to my best friend, my mom, or my brother. Then I think…God is the only one that can help me through this.

 

Look at verse Revelation 3:20-21 (Revelation is the last book in the Bible.)

 

"20. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne."

 

What has Christ promised you?

For me, God promises that if I knock, or if I ask to receive Him and for Him to be in my life He will be there. And He will be with you. God isn’t going to “magically” make you want Him. I believe Christ will truly put you in situations to where you almost are forced to falling into His arms and finding his Grace.

Exercise: Write down the top 5-10 most important things in your life.

Revelation 3:20 has a second promise from Jesus. He says that, in addition to coming into your life, you will also dine or have fellowship with Him. This actually means that you have begun a new relationship with Christ and He wants it to be the most important relationship of your entire life.

Based on the trustworthiness of Christ’s promise, where is He right now? In your life, or outside of your life? Is he the most important thing to you?

It may sound unusual that Christ is living in you. Actually, it is His Spirit who lives in you. You cannot see or touch Him, but as you grow in your new relationship with Him, you will become more keenly aware of His supernatural presence.

 

WILL CHRIST LEAVE YOU?

Now that you have invited Jesus Christ into your life, could He possibly leave you? Could you lose your relationship with Him and the assurance that your sins are forgiven? There is a second important promise for you in Hebrews 13:5-8.

 

"5. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6. So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" 7. Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

• What does God promise you in verse 5?

Now, looking back at your list of top 5-10 things in your life, how many of those are tangible, or superficial?  God says in verse 5 “keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have…” It’s hard to keep this in mind sometimes because our society is so money driven and now-a-days you need money to simply survive. I mean, man, if we could survive on God’s love alone, I think we’d all be pretty rich! But it’s important to note, that God blatantly says “Keep your lives free from the love of money” then goes on to saying “I will never leave you; never will I forsake you.” And then backs it up with saying “What can man do to me?” Think about it, so many people lose their jobs every day. I just read a statistic that said “Over the last year, the number of average WEEKLY mass layoff events for December increased by 6 to 493” That’s a boat load of people! That’s 26,129 people a year! If you focus all your life on making money rather than what's important (God), there’s a HUGE possibility you’re going to get let down at some point.

• Because of this promise, what should be your attitude? See verse 6.
• Is Jesus Christ consistent in keeping His promises? See verse 8.
• How do you know?

Look to John 6:35. I came across this by accident today. This is just another verse backing up that God is everything. If we have Him we will live a healthy, happy life. God is the nourishment of our lives and when we have Him we will never go hungry.

 

"35. Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."

When you trusted Christ as your Savior and invited Him into your life, you were born into God’s family. You can never lose your “birth,” so to speak. Christ will never leave you and you will always be a child of God. John 1:12 says,

 

 

 “12. But to all who received Him (Christ), He gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was trust Him to save them.”

LIVING ETERNALLY

The third promise Christ has for you relates to your destiny after this life. You no doubt have thought about death, and perhaps it has frightened you. I know for me, over the last few years I've really struggled with the concept of death and being "ok" with it. I know where I go but there's always that unsaid fear that I have when the thought comes to mind. So, if any of you are in the same situation or struggling with the same thoughts, maybe this will help. Christ has a special promise for you, now that you have received Him. It is found in 1 John 5:11-13. Explain the promise in these verses. (Don’t confuse 1 John with the Gospel of John. Check your Bible index.)

 

"11. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Through Jesus Christ, God has promised you eternal life. Physically, you will die one day but spiritually, you will never die. The real you will live eternally with God.

***I'm just going to share what I've been struggling with understanding more recently. Hopefully it helps you.***

WHAT ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS?

Suppose you wake up tomorrow morning and you don’t feel as if Christ is in your life. Does that mean that you are no longer a Christian?

Of course not! We as Christians do not depend on feelings or emotions, but we place our faith and trust in the trustworthiness of God and the promise of His Word. Feelings will always be a part of our lives, but feelings can be very inconsistent at times. That is why Jesus Christ has given us the facts of His promises. He is always consistent.

What facts about Christ have you learned from these scripture verses? These are good news, aren’t they? Take a moment right now and thank God for what He has promised you.

Listen to a song that really relates to this. Really try and listen to the words.
Stolen by Brandon Heath
Your Love by Brandon Heath