What is holding you back from knowing God?
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- November 2, 2009
- 826
Too often, we find ourselves going through the motions in life, always seeking happiness, but never finding it. When happiness is attained, it is albeit brief.
Yet, when we do not find the feelings of joy that we seek, we often question why, and that discussion inevitably leads to God.
Without question, most of us believe we are spiritual people. We go to church, and pray before meals, and read the Bible occasionally.
Yet, even in the midst of such practices, we may still feel like we are in a rut, spiritually. Something is missing, but what?
Ask yourself, how well does your child know your voice? If they were to stand in a crowded room, could they pinpoint your voice over the others?
Likewise, if you were in a public square, rubbing shoulders with thousands of people, and heard the voice of your spouse, there would be no confusion, because you are familiar with each other.
The bottom line is that many of us have not encountered God as He would desire us to because we are distracted by the voices around us. Maybe they are voices of temptation.
Maybe they are voices of business, idleness, or vanities. Possibly, anxieties of everyday living separate us from the presence of God.
Marriage, family, work, school, anger, grudges, or an endless list of possibilities cripple our relationship with the Father, until finally our faith is reduced to a guarded hope that one day things will be better, that God will intervene. Meanwhile, we maneuver through the trepidations of life, going through the motions in our marriages, parenting, work, and the like.
God is more than an intellectual idea. We must encounter him both intellectually and beyond. He is more than an emotional entity.
We must not restrict our relationship and understanding of God to the emotional realm. You and I were created in the image of God, therefore, every fiber of our being is designed to worship him.
So, when we hold any one part of our lives back from him, we are placing a wall between ourselves and God. We cannot only give the Lord intellectual consent without embracing him emotionally and spiritually as well. Likewise, we cannot always chase a manufactured feeling without engaging him also in the truth of his word.
When we make a decision to follow Christ, we have decided to follow him fully, completely, with every facet of our heart. When we hold something back from him, or fail to pursue him wholly, we will encounter emptiness. Nothing will feel right. Nothing should feel right if we hold back from him time and time again.
However, when we succeed at fully embracing the Father with everything we have, we will see a difference. Emotions may come in check, marriages are revived, and relationships are restored when you or I individually seek out the face of God with everything we have. When we set aside the distractions of our busy lives and pursue God, the emptiness fades away.
When you feel empty, give everything. When you feel distracted, stop and reflect. When you want more, take less. When you pursue God, do it with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength and discover what you have been missing all along.
Trevor Littleton is the Lead Minister at Millersburg Christian Church. Comments may be sent to trevor littleton@yahoo.com.