How To Be Connected With God
Last week I started a series, How To Be Connected With God. Part 1 was, It’s Me Again Lord. The idea is, we have to stay after a relationship for it to work. I want you to always keep in mind that our relationship with God can very much parallel those we have with others.
Last week, I looked at our Desire and Direction, and how it helped our connection or relationship with the Lord. Today I want to look at Four Steps To A Weakened Condition.
This will examine the concept of…
Diminishing our connection/relationship
We do this by the…
Rousing of self-importance
We diminish our relationship because we get away from…
My Lord
My Savior
My leader
My protector
My duty
My tasks
My servanthood
We leave these behind to rouse up feelings of…
My life
My wants
My desires
My time
My goals
My way (Sinatra’s song…), etc.
When we have the attitudes of self-importance, we often see the WEEKEND CONNECTION – people who do not have time for our Lord during the week, but give Him a token amount of attention come Sunday.
When we practice self-importance, it leads to…
Refusal of submission
Attitude problem
Acceptance of His leadership goes by the wayside
Appropriate lifestyles are shunned and belittled
Arrangements promised are not honored
Arguments entail (with self)
When we refuse submission, it leads to…
Relaxing of sincerity
Do we not expect and hope our relationships are based on truth and sincerity?
We desire less of God’s ways
We depend less upon Him
We deceive ourselves through weak excuses
We doubt our worth
We disappoint ourselves, our Lord, our friends and family.
We damage our connection because we lose sincerity
Having lost our sincerity, destroyed trust in the process, we will often let go of our…
Resistance to sin
Sin’s allure catches our "eye"
Sin’s opinion changes our mind
Sin’s grip controls our deeds
Sin’s decadence corrodes our lifestyle
Sin’s harmful effects cause feelings of unworthiness
Sin’s effect cuts us off from God’s connection (separates)
But, there is good news!!!!
The Lord wants to have a close connection with us.
What can we do?
Renounce self-importance – place Him first in life
Reject a non-submissive life and heart – obey Him
Reinvent sincerity in your life – mean business with God
Resist sin to the MAXIMUM – flee youthful lusts and all that go with it.
Request of God a better connection and relationship in our life
Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 011203am