“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly….” (Colossians 3:16)
Do you have a desire to connect with someone so intimately that the bond would be unbreakable?
I think most people, if not all of us have that desire, but the problem is we often look for it in the wrong place or person.
We have a loving Heavenly Father who desires to connect with us in every way but the catch is He does not need us, but He wants us. On the other hand, we may not always want Him but we need Him in every aspect of our lives. He is the One that can satisfy our needs and desires in a way no one else can—not even the closest person we have with us here on earth.
God has been saying to me and you and every other person for whom He sacrificed His own beloved Son, Jesus, to draw near.
We need to draw in to a more intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. If you don’t, you won’t make it. If you do, you will see more glorious outpourings of God than you can imagine.
Those who don’t follow the promptings of the Spirit, who don’t press in to the Lord, are going to go from disaster to disaster and find themselves in spots of bother which God never meant for them to encounter. But those who do draw near to Jesus will defeat the disasters and turn them into glory, in Jesus’ Name!
How do you draw near to God?
The starting point in drawing closer to God is to realise that you know God first in His Word. Time spent reading and meditating in the New Testament is time spent with Jesus.
Most people don’t realise that. We live in a society where spending quality time with our loved ones becomes a rare occasion instead of the drive for our existence. So, instead of getting to know the Lord through His Word, they try to know Him through their feelings and other people’s opinions. That just won’t work.
By spending time in God’s Word you allow His thoughts to become yours. You allow His ways to become yours as you continually give the Holy Spirit some playing time in the field of your life. As you do that, your feelings and emotions will no longer be potential obstacles on your journey but companions that provide you deeper and more intimate experiences with the Lover of your soul.
John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word. That means, when you spend time in it, you’re spending time with Jesus. The more time you spend with Him, the more you become acquainted with His ways and with His person. When His Word is dwelling in you richly, then Jesus is dwelling in you richly too!
Don’t go from one survival mode to the next, barely getting by on the fumes of a desperate prayer every now and then. Start becoming refreshed on a daily basis with Jesus so that you can start thriving wherever you are so that the truth of God’s continued presence in your life becomes your reality. As you get to know Him, the door on doubt and uncertainty will close for good. Press in to Jesus. Press in to the Word and you’ll stay connected to your Creator Who knows you in the deepest way, guiding you to discover the mysteries and wonders of Himself hidden in the midst of your being. You will find revelations only He can bring as you allow His Word to dwell in you.
Maretha Retief