The Blessing of Our Relationship with God

Like many of us, my friend, Omar, is very disappointed by the state of our world today, but his pessimism seems to be increasing. He often talks about how cruel and wicked some people are, and he says he just doesn’t like dealing with people anymore. He’s not the only person I’ve heard make comments like this, but the difference between them and Omar is that he once had such passion for God. He was the most carefree person I knew and never worried about anything. His response to any adversity or obstacle was always, “God will take care of it.” Now, he mostly keeps to himself. He goes to work and then home and says that withdrawing from everyone and everything is what the Lord wants him to do.

When we give our lives to Christ initially, many of us are captivated by the euphoria of his peace and power, but actually living or walking in his peace and power daily requires increasing knowledge about him. If a person’s relationship with God isn’t grounded in the reality of who He says He is in His Word, that person can become vulnerable to the fear of what may be happening around them. Fear can be very persuasive, and if we’re not growing in the Word by reading and studying it as much as possible, fear might out pace our faith in our Heavenly Father. We need to prevent this from happening. It starts by realizing that our relationship with our Heavenly Father is the greatest blessing of our lives. Living in Him each day is also the greatest joy we could ever hope to experience, and He wants this joy to increase, not diminish.

When situations occur in our lives that cause sadness and disappointment, some of us latch on to these feelings and don’t let them go. The condition of our world can add to this, and in many cases, these feelings of sadness and disappointment become heavier and heavier in our souls. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must understand that our calling, purpose, and right standing with God is such an awesome treasure that it transcends anything the enemy throws our way. Romans 5:1-2(The Message) says, “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.”

Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is brilliant, vibrant, loving, and alive! It does not cower in a corner, but it is out in the open and transparent for all to see. Our light is bright through Christ. He tells us in Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT), “14 You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Light is meant to shine, and not to be hidden. We have a responsibility to let others see the Christ in us, so that the people we know and connect with will glorify our Heavenly Father.

2Timothy 1:7(NLT) declares, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” God’s Holy Spirit lives in us, and because he does, we can live with power and not be shy or timid, but bold in our faith which gives us victory! 1John 4:18 tells us that God’s love has no fear, and this is so incredibly important for us to understand. Fear will try to persuade us to abandon what God says in His Word, but it’s dangerous to try to develop our own doctrine. We should never attribute to God characteristics that are not in His nature and words that He did not speak. We cannot do this without a heavy price to pay, and we will not like the outcome. The truth is that if we are hearing words that do not match God’s written Word, it’s not from Him. It’s from satan.

When Jesus Christ was being tempted by satan in the wilderness, after having fasted for 40 days and nights, Matthew 4:4(NLT) tells us, “But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” This is how every born-again believer is required to live, not by our own opinions, speculations, and summations, but by the Word of God! Psalm 138:2 tells us that He has magnified His Word above His name, and His name and Word are above all things. So, we must be careful to give honor to God and to the blessed relationship He has established with us through Christ. It should be the joy of our rejoicing continually.

It’s true that there are seasons where God will bring us closer to Him. During these times, we may need to reign ourselves in and withdraw from any distractions, but God’s purpose in calling upon us in this way is not to keep us in a perpetual state of isolation. It’s almost always to build us up so that we can be an even greater ambassador for Christ and witness His Word to others more boldly. God’s anointing and gifts are too powerful to keep to ourselves. He has called us to be beacons of light in this dark world and to let our lights shine. Because of all He’s done for us, we owe it to our Heavenly Father to do this. Our relationship with Him is the greatest treasure we will ever have in all of eternity. He’s made us His sons and daughters, and no matter how perilous the times, we should want to spend the rest of our days telling others about His goodness and love. ■

The Blessing of Our Relationship with God

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