Cultivating a Relationship with God

Transcription

1 Cultivating a Relationship with God Biblical Reference He makes me lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23:2a) MODULE 1 LESSON 2 1. To know what a devotional is. 2. Be able to apply the principles for having an effective devotional. 3. To understand the importance of having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ 4. To understand the place of prayer and the Word in a relationship with God. 5. To understand the power that there is in the Name of Jesus. 6. To realise that it is only through an intimate relationship with God that we can find all the provisions for our needs. 7. To create a book of dreams as a means of growing in faith. INTRODUCTION It is interesting to notice how David always worked hard to keep a devotional life committed to God. He loved God s house. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple (Psalm 27:4). He prayed at dawn. O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands (Psalm 63:1-5). He had times of praying through the night. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:6-8). He was a committed worshipper. He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God (Psalm 50:23). He admitted his own faults. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the guilt of my sin (Psalm 32:5; Psalm 51:10). He was always aware of God s presence. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (Psalm 145:18).

2 WHAT IS A DEVOTIONAL? We relate to God through prayer. We must set aside a specific time every day to be alone and in intimacy with God in order to develop this incredibly important habit we call this a devotional. During this time we can share what is in our hearts with Him and He reveals His will to us and expresses His great love toward us. To have an effective devotional, it is important to: Set a time and define how long your devotional will be. Look for and create space for privacy. Develop the habit of doing it in the morning, before starting your routine. Be sincere with yourself and with God. Have your Bible at hand, as well as a notebook to write down all the things that God speaks to you through His word. Make a list of all the requests that you will bring to the Lord in prayer. Strengthening our spiritual being in order to enter into His presence We should understand that there are two natures coexisting within us; the spiritual nature and the soulish or carnal nature. The apostle Paul said that the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature; they are both in conflict with each other. Therefore, an inner struggle takes place when you want to come into fellowship with God; moreover, your mind wanders constantly. However, the more we pray, the more our spiritual nature is strengthened, while the soulish nature becomes weaker. Beginning to pray with joy and thanksgiving Come before him with joyful songs... Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalm 100:2-4). Nothing can cause greater joy in our hearts than being in the presence of the Lord. The attitude of our hearts determines the success of our prayer life because you have to remain joyful under all circumstances in order to be perseverant with prayer. A grateful heart knows how to acknowledge God s work in every aspect of life. The door that will lead us to His Majesty s place is called gratitude. Think about everything you should be thanking God for. Even though Jesus had healed ten lepers, only one of them come back to thank Him. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked him and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? Then he said to him, Rise and go; your faith has made you well (Luke 17:15-19). And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17). Having an attitude of praise at all times God had entrusted Jonah with the mission to preach in the city of Nineveh. However, in his heart he did not want those people to be saved; instead, he wanted God s judgment to fall upon them. As a result, he ran away from God s presence, ending up being swallowed by a great fish. Whilst in the darkness of the creature s belly, he admitted his sin and asked for God s forgiveness. Jonah s words were, But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord. And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:9-10). Only when Jonah opened his mouth in thanks to God did the Lord command the great fish to vomit Jonah up on the shore.

3 Understanding the Word I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you (Psalm 32:8). Faith is something spiritual, not something intellectual, and so it is received in our spirit. The Word of God can only penetrate the deepest part of our being when we open our hearts with child-like innocence. We cannot hope to conquer with our mind, something that belongs to the spirit. The writer of Corinthians said, The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). When we understand the Word, a fire is lit in our hearts They asked each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? (Luke24:32). If we sincerely love Jesus, we will obey His Word; this is a golden rule in the life of all believers. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him (John 14:21). Knowing the Word of God brings us freedom. If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31b-32). JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY Prayer is the key that allows you to relate to God When you come home, you use the correct key to enter the house. There is only one path that leads us to communicate with God prayer. Prayer is the master key that opens the doors for us to relate directly to the Lord. Prayer is always answered God delights in listening to every word that comes out of our mouths. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24). The Lord wants us to enjoy intimacy with Him, just as a loving father enjoys his relationship with his children. He is eager to send His angels to work in our favour so that the desires of our hearts can be met. If we are able to ask with faith, He will do it. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). We should pray in the Name of Jesus And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:13-14). Jesus is the only Mediator For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). When you come to God in prayer, you should pray in the powerful Name of Jesus. In so doing, He becomes a bridge between you and God. You can pray: Lord, I come before You in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth to bring You these requests... (specify each one), trusting that by Your divine grace I will receive them.

4 God is our Provider And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want (Psalm 23:1). God is Lord of all things. Abundance resides in Him. He is always generous with every one of His children. His kindness and favour are unlimited. You can begin to enjoy every one of the blessings that He has already lovingly prepared for all His sons and daughters. Jesus said yes to the promises For no matter how many promises God has made, they are Yes in Christ. And so through him the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 1:20). God Himself takes charge of seeing everything He promises fulfilled. If God promised to supply all our needs, we should consider it done, because if He said it, He will do it. He also promised to carry our burdens. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). He promised to answer our prayers. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). 3. HAVE A BOOK OF DREAMS My wife and I have developed the habit of writing down our prayer requests. We have kept a notebook we used in our devotional times in We wrote our prayer requests in it and included the date we started praying for each miracle, and the date we received it. Within the same year, the Lord had already answered 70% of everything we had asked Him for, including financial provision and the salvation of our relatives. God is delighted when we outline our requests in detail or if we use visuals while praying. Our daughters have learnt this principle. Each of them has a notebook which they call their Book of Dreams, where they write down everything they desire. Many of the pictures of what they desire are taken from the internet and pasted into their book. The Lord always answers them; on many occasions, He does it faster than they think. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us (1 John 5:14). CONCLUSION A personal relationship with God is, without a doubt, an extraordinary source of life. Decide to begin a new stage in your life where you follow these simple steps. They will allow you to walk along a path of success and fulfilment where you will experience God s greatness in your life. Begin your devotional time tomorrow. With your leader s help, begin to organise your Book of Dreams; you will be able to enjoy the wonders of God daily.

5 Destiny Training Name: Module 1 Lesson 2 Pastor: Cultivating a relationship with God Date: Please hand in at your next training session ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Why is it important to have a personal devotional life in your walk with Christ? 2. Write down the six characteristics found in David s devotional life: