Simple tips on vastly improving your personal relationship with God.

2/5/2004 | jwh_Denver

[jwh_Denver]

James 4:8a Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

I have learned something recently in my walk with God some real simple tips that will help you establish a more personal relationship with Him. Upon learning these tips and doing them God has done things for me that have gone way past my thinking or imagination. (Eph 3:20)

Invite God to go places with you, especially work.

Lose or misplace something? Ask God where it is. Sometimes I will ask Him “where are my keys Lord?” They may be right in front of me but I believe He shows me and always always thank Him. One time He answered my prayer 2 weeks later on something I had put in a place I would never have dreamed that that was where it was. Simply awesome.

The suburb of Denver I live in has some really confusing roads and apartment complexes and I ask Him “where is this place Lord?” And even though I have no clue sometimes I will get that notion to turn left/right/so straight/turn around and there the place is. “Now, Lord, how do I get out of here?” “Well thank you Lord God Almighty!”

God loves little “quickie” prayers as much as He does the long ones.

God so wants us to rely on Him for the answers we need. Pour out you heart to God for the good and bad things that happen in your life.

Ask God a million questions. He will answer them and blow your mind. When? That’s His business.

As you do these things life will take on a new thrill because God wants to have a fantastic relationship with you. He wants to get real close and personal to you so He can show just how awesome, wise, loving, caring, and powerful He is. He wants to spark your life with Him so that you are genuinely thrilled and flooded with enlightenment with Him and about Him. God will carry the entire log but you have to have at least a hand on it. Draw near unto God and He will draw near unto you is a promise. If you do these simple things I cannot promise you that He will do exactly the same in you as me because He works in us in different ways. But I am sure you will be blessed beyond you wildest dreams.

Remember that spiritual gravity is always downward. You must be faithful to keep doing these little things in your life. I haven’t always been faithful and have seen what happens when I don’t. Spiritual doldrums. I hope you are more faithful than I because once the momentum gets going upward it will exhilarate you beyond belief. Just keep your hand on the log and move and God will take you to higher and higher ground.

[catholic]

very encouraging and I appreciate you writing it.It sounds like you have learned the awsome secret to praying always.God bless you and all of your endeavors.

[catholic]

very encouraging and I appreciate you writing it.It sounds like you have learned the awsome secret to praying always.God bless you and all of your endeavors.

[jwh_Denver]

Simple tips on vastly improving your personal relationship with God.

Any other tips or ways would be greatly appreciated!

[jwh_Denver]

Thank you! Learning about and with God has absolutely fabulous! He is our reward.

[Cboldt]

Any other tips or ways would be greatly appreciated!

Express your gratitude in prayer, as well.

Your essay is uplifting, thank you for sharing.

[jwh_Denver]

Express your gratitude in prayer, as well.

I continuely ask God to help me increase my thanksgiving for Him and the things He does for me and others. I believe he absolutely loves being thanked. There are tons of Scriptures that say we should be thankful and with His help, thankful down to the smallest fibers of our being.

[reagan_fanatic]

I always try to remember to thank God for the positive things He has given me - a wonderful family, a loving Mom & Dad (my Dad is with him now - Love ya, Dad!!) a home of my own and a good job to provide with.

Too many of us take so much of that for granted. We owe it all to God.

[Gamecock]

Joel Osteen/Easy Believism Alert

[jwh_Denver]

Too many of us take so much of that for granted. We owe it all to God.

True on both counts. But I wrote this thread because I found I wasn't taking God for granted (among other reasons) near as much as I was before. And when you feel His Prescence! Cowabunga! (I hope that's a good thing!) Haha!

[rwfromkansas]

aahh!

[Eccl 10:2]

Several years go, my darling wife bought me "The One Year Chronological Bible" (NIV). The editors have taken the entire Bible, leaving in every word of every verse with every reference, but rearranged it chronologically. Then they divided it up into daily readings, maintaining the chronological order.

I love this Bible for my daily reading because it reinforces the historicity of the Bible. Among all the other things the Bible is, it is an historical account of actual events.

When my faith is tested (every day it seems), reading the realities of the Bible always brings me back to a proper perspective.

[sheltonmac]

Simple tips on vastly improving your personal relationship with God

Sorry, but I happened to notice that spending time reading and studying the word of God wasn't included. I can think of no better way to draw nigh to Him.

[jwh_Denver]

reading the realities of the Bible always brings me back to a proper perspective.

Good post and I love the "realities" word, because the Scriptures are the real realities. There are illusions everywhere but by knowing Scriptures it sure helps in discernment between good and evil and good and best.

[jwh_Denver]

As a Bible student and teacher I have experienced the necessary work involved in searching the Scriptures for the competent preparation of a Bible study, Sunday school lesson, or a sermon. There are volumes of books available as study tools (and the Christian community is indebted to the various authors' perseverance and scholarship), but there is not enough time, money, or shelf space to properly take advantage of these resources. Computer software has changed the way we can study the Word of GOD. With a simple search or click of the mouse button, we now have access to these same volumes of scholarship within seconds!

This comes from http://www.e-sword.net/. It is free and you can download just tons of various resources from it. I use it all the time. Very user friendly. I love the Treasury of Scripural Knowledge (TSK) because you can read literally hundreds of verses in an hour just by putting your cursor over the verses it brings up.

[PleaseNoMore]

I have found that living a lifestyle of worship works. We are created to worship Him. I firmly believe that He inhabits the praises of His people. In that inhabitation when His presence is so present, you can't help but to be drawn closer to Him.

[jwh_Denver]

Sorry, but I happened to notice that spending time reading and studying the word of God wasn't included. I can think of no better way to draw nigh to Him.

You are right, I did not write this as a replacement for giving up reading the Scriptures but as an addition to that. I should have put that in there. Thank you and I hope everybody reads your post.

[jwh_Denver]

I have found that living a lifestyle of worship works. We are created to worship Him. I firmly believe that He inhabits the praises of His people. In that inhabitation when His presence is so present, you can't help but to be drawn closer to Him.

This is the pure essence of why I posted this thread. When your "lifestyle" of worship gains momentum "you can't help but to be drawn closer to Him."

Very beautifully and accurately stated.

[PleaseNoMore]

Is it at all ironic that I learned to be closest to Him during the times that it seemed that He was so far away? :o)

My experience is that learning to live a (true) life of worship is born out of the trials and tribulations that we all go through. It is so easy to feel close to God when all is rosey and the blessings are pouring out of the windows of heaven like rain and the ground of our life is saturated.

It is the deserts that we go through that we learn to worship Him and to draw close to Him. It is in these deserts that we set aside all of our theology, doctrines and religion and place out total dependency upon Him. This is where we learn His mercy, His grace and His total and complete love for us. It is when we allow "self" to end and Him to take over and consume us and our situation(s). It is when we learn to be still and know that He is God. I also believe that this is the place in our spiritual lives where we learn to pray and move upon the heart of God.

Just my .02 :o)

[VOA]

James 4:8a Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Just a counter-point for folks to keep in mind...the converse can happen.
A person can get depraved and sufficiently alienated from G-d that even
the Almighty will draw back and issue "walking papers". Although the Ephesians 4 passage
below speaks to this...I think there are other passages on this topic.

It sort of reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said (in "Mere Christianity"?)...in the final
analysis either the supplicant will have a spirit of "Thy will be done" or
G-d will say "Thy will be done" to the unrepentant sinner who made the wrong choices.


EPHESIANS 4
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not
as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all
uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: