It’s not very difficult to see that there is certainly a lot going on in our Society today. There is much international unrest and some very deep ideological divisions within our own country here in America that may cause some concerns and fears for many. As Christian people, it may seem very easy to become distracted and even fearful of all that may be taking place. But the one place of safety that we all have is our God and our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no safer place than to be at peace “in Him”. It’s during these times that we must take heed to the Scripture that says the following:
Hebrews 12:2 – NLT – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith, because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
As we run this race that God has set before us, we are encouraged to “keep our eyes on Jesus” so that we can continue to run and finish strong. But, for many, it is a tough journey and along the way, there are many challenges and discouragements. Some who started out this journey never finished it and sadly, have dropped out of the race entirely. So how can we continue to run this race and finish strong, so that at the end of our lives and we stand before the Lord, we can hear Him say, “Well done you good and faithful servant…”? (Matthew 25:21).
I believe that in the hour that we are living in, we as Christians must go deeper in our walks with God and we can start by building a stronger foundation in our lives in the following 4 areas:
1- Deeper in our personal relationship with the Lord
2- Deeper in the Word of God
3- Deeper in the love of God
4- Deeper planting in the local church of God’s choice
We will begin by looking at the first one, which is going deeper in our personal relationship with the Lord. Jesus said the following:
John 15:1-4- NIV – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples
Jesus describes Himself as the “Vine” and we who follow Him as the “branches”. As a branch cannot bear any fruit if it is not connected to the vine, so it is with our relationship with Him. We must stay vitally connected to Jesus Christ. The Scripture says that without Him, we can do nothing.
I cannot stress enough the importance of guarding our personal relationship with the Lord. It is the most important relationship that you will ever have as a Christian. While the prayers of others for you are important as well as church attendance, neither can be a substitute for your own personal time with God, where it is just you and Him. This is the place where you learn to develop intimacy and pure fellowship with Him. As you take time to spend before Him in prayer and in His Word, you learn to draw upon His strength and not your own. The Bible says this:
Psalms 91:1-2 – NKJV – He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
It’s in the “secret place”, that place of private time and prayer with the Lord where the weak are made strong, where your fears can be calmed and where the peace of God can permeate your heart, even if the world around you appears to be falling apart. It doesn’t mean that every situation that you face will come out perfect, but you will come out with perfect peace (read Isaiah 26:3).
So, my encouragement to everyone is to diligently guard your relationship with Him. Let nothing, no offense, no discouragement, no lie or misunderstanding keep you from developing your personal relationship with the Lord through prayer.
We will delve more into this next issue. God Bless!
