Talk to Him

Talking to God is something most people only do when they are in need. However, the most freeing and personal time with Him comes when you talk to Him and you need nothing. His presence alone is your reward as you just thank Him for being Him. 

We sometimes get in that rut of treating God like a teenager treats his dad. "Dad, I'm going out with friends. Can I have some money?" We treat our Heavenly Father in that same manner. God isn't an ATM or a genie in a bottle or a priest that listens to all your confessions, He is a person that wants relationship. 

The Bible says love the Lord God first. It's the first commandment and Jesus even said this is the greatest commandment. Loving God requires selfless behavior. We can't go into a conversation with Him with a hidden agenda or selfish motives. It's like being married. Most only marry so each others needs can be met but if you go beyond the needs and truly have a sacrificial marriage where no matter what your spouse does, you still pour out love to them. We can create this idea in our head that God is always going to be the one supplying the miracles and the power and everything we need to walk as Christians and that is true but we cannot take advantage of Him by expecting those things. It's a difference between humility and arrogance. Humility is receiving His love and power and gifts with a grateful heart of thanksgiving. Arrogance is expecting it no matter how they act. 

Take Samson for instance. He was given a great gift of strength where no one could beat him and his arrogance got the better of him. It wasn't until he learned humility that he was able to get that strength back. His plight has a direct link to us. The Philistines represent everything about our flesh and we are given strength through God to beat our flesh and conquer it but as soon as we step out of faith in Him, we end up blind like Samson did, striped of our power that we had in God. If we come to God arrogantly assuming He will always be our strength, then we may one day wake up without His presence and we may not even know it. When the battle comes and we stand up to fight our flesh, we may end up succumbing to it instead. It's a grim tale that leaves us blind and weak and useless for the Kingdom of God.

David listened to God, fought with God, disobeyed and still he's known as the one after God's own heart. His heart was always in humility and faith. Yes he messed up and yes he disobeyed but there was always repentance. Read Psalms and you'll understand the heart David had and the heart we should have towards God. 

I often get up early or wake in the middle of the night and I seek God in those moments. I don't need Him for anything but His presence. It's like basking in the sun after a week of rain. I need His presence in my life because I cannot go back the way I came. I have so enjoyed Him that the thought of me leaving Him makes me cry. I cannot go back to what I was, struggling, limping along. His love for me has caused me to love Him and I cannot undo that. 

If your relationship with God is based on needs, then stop. Don't come to Him with a laundry list of requests. He knows your needs and He is a good, good Father and those needs will be met but faith must have its chance to work. We must come to Him without needs and just be in His presence. Some say, I don't feel Him. You don't need to feel Him to have faith in Him. You don't need to have a spectacular show in order to know He is in you and all around you. It is by humble faith that we come to Him and just like children, be excited and giddy for Him. Open your heart to Him and empty all doubt and He will fill you up. 

It is very hard to explain but I know coming to God in this manner didn't always work for me. I was coming to Him with great expectations and anticipation of some show of His presence and instead of just appreciating Him and trusting Him, I was coming to Him for self. I wanted to have Him show so I could have faith instead of having faith and Him being in me. I had the cart before the horse so to speak. 

Don't come wanting Him to prove Himself to you, come with a humble heart that is full of faith. Know He is good and thank Him for that. Know that He loves you and thank Him for that. Know that He is the one who is living in you and thank Him for that. Come to Him with a grateful and thankful heart with no expectations of reward and He will respond.

To God be the Glory!