Many believers want to develop a clear and distinct relationship and friendship with God. They desire to be close to God, recognize the sacrifices of Jesus Christ and follow the leading and inner voice of the Holy Spirit.
At times these good intentions get side tracked because the believer may not realize the obstacles and clearly understand the issue at hand.
Defining the issue:
Praying and spending time with God is the goal but at times there are some difficulties that must be overcome before the believer can fully experience the continual presence of God and enjoy the fellowship of the Son and Holy Spirit.
We should consider five main difficulties that must be faced and conquered:
A Sense of Guilt
A mind that wanders.
Boredom - distracted by any/everything
No words left.
The sense that God never speaks.
These are reasons why people will not pray or stay in God's presence.
This month we will consider two of the reasons.
1. Sense of guilt
To overcome this issue you must know who are you in Christ!
NKJ 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
NKJ Proverbs 15:29 "The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous."
NKJ James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
NKJ 1 John 5:15 "And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."
These simple four verses deal directly with any sense of guilt. This guilt may originate from many sources. Regardless of the root, it must be dealt with and beaten with the verses that clearly describe the believer's position in relation to God.
Fully understanding your position in the kingdom of God as a believer will free you from many of the anchors that have held you in one position and behind in your spiritual walk.
On the other hand, if you acknowledge and accept what the above verses outline, then guilt has no place in you and you have the confidence to approach God, knowing well He will answer you and lead you in your life.
2. Your mind wanders
This issue can be best framed in the concept of self-control. Believers are called 'disciples' and that implies having control of your life and directing it towards the things of God.
NKJ Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You."
NKJ Mark 12:30 "'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment."
NKJ 2 Corinthians 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 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, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
These verses state that believers are responsible for obtaining and maintaining control of their triune being. The believer is a spirit, has a soul and lives in a body. God will help the believer but the born-again person must ‘take control' of his or her own life.
Exercising your faith in this area; that is to control your own life, is the first step towards controlling your mind if it wants to drift. Our minds are to be a help to us, very much like a good tool. We are not to be subjected to our minds,our spirit is always to be in full control of the other two aspects of our makeup.
We will continue with the final issues next month. For now, remember to confess the following aloud so that you can hear yourself saying it, "I'm believing to be in the right place at the right time saying the right thing and the right thing to say is the Word of God."