These Three Things

What are some things we need to do to experience a new life that is exciting, fulfilling and worth fighting for?  Last week, we talked about what motivates us to change and what we need to do in order to begin that change.   In addition to what we discussed last week, there are three additional things we need to help achieve that goal? Conversation, communion, and union may seem like they are insignificant, but they are the foundation of everything.  We need a new conversation with God, pursue real communion and desire a new union with God.

I know that when we think of change, we are not thinking about these three things.  Close to fifteen years ago Sam and I were deep debt. We owed several thousands of dollars, our car had been repoed and we were losing our home.  Before we finally lost our home, I spent so many days having anxiety attacks that we would be homeless.  When you have a one-year-old and you are inches away from being homeless, the end of the year never looked so grim.  I could not wish my debt away, I couldn’t even pray them away.  Before God could remove my debt he used it to change me from the inside out.  Before God can change your situation he needs to change you from the inside out.

Let’s look at the first one.  What are your conversations with God like?  Do you even have one with him?  I don’t like saying “pray” much anymore because in this day and age prayer has become ritualistic, a one-sided recital of what we want and don’t want.  Prayer is supposed to be seen as one speaking honestly, openly and transparently; waiting patiently for a response from their Lord.  During this time we need to share our perception of our situation and ask God to give us his.  God is not intimidated by our perception.  He knows we are limited in our knowledge, abilities and that our perception of things is seen through tiny lenses.  I believe that God is excited when we come to him because we recognize our need of him and it provides the opportunity for him to blow us away with the truth of our situation.  Things may not always make sense, and it may seem like he’s not getting it, but—if we can continue to push through, we will see God do something amazing.

When I lost my home and my car I had an unfavorable view of God and God did not hold it against me.  He knew that I was more focused on what I lost than what he had in store for me and it would take for me to come to him completely transparent.

A New Mission

During our conversations with God, we need to go with a purpose—a new mission.  Are we going to God because we have to fulfill a quota or keep the boogiemen away?  When I go to God in prayer, it’s not just to get, but to learn.  For example, in my moment before the Lord, I let him know what is on my heart but I also take the opportunity to seek his wisdom in helping me learn how to handle situations I may be facing.  It is also in those times that God shows me how much he truly loves me and of how he hears every single prayer I pray.   If you truly seek to get close with God, create a realistic schedule that focuses around God and not one that fits him into everything else.  

The next foundational piece is communion.  Some people believe that communion is eating stale crackers and drinking grape-flavored water.  But the definition of communion means “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.”  God desires for you to exchange intimate thoughts and feelings.  We may pray to God, but when we are intimate with him—share a deeper side of ourselves that we don’t show often—we go from conversation to communion.

However, many fear true communion with God because it is this time he deals with real issues.  In my times of prayer, I can riddle of a line or two of things that I believe God wants to hear.  I will deal with surface things and speak to him as I would mask it with everyone else.   However, there are those moments where I feel a “push” to be real with him—so I take off the mask and stop the gibberish.  I can’t count the number of times, in true communion, where I have broken down crying in frustration and found myself asking God the “whys” and “how” of what was going on in my life.  It wasn’t how I intended to enter that time of communion, but it was his.  Real times of communion is too intimate for the fake us to exist, and it can be intimidating because we are all about keep up a façade’ and making people think we have it all together, but it’s time for something new.   God is not falling for the mask we enter with.  He demands authenticity and vulnerability.  So the question we need to ask our self is if we are willing to surrender the “false” us to God?

I know we have to let go of the fake us but what else keeps us from having true intimacy.  First, we have to admit that sometimes we seek intimacy to please ourselves.  We are more focused on gratifying ourselves and not having a better relationship with God.  Then we may attempt closeness with God so that we can feel significant.  At times we long to have this communion with God only so we can be seen in a certain way with others.  Lastly, we may do it so we can have a sense of security.  Many have a relationship with God out of fear that they will lose their spot in Heaven.  If we can be honest, we don’t want to go to hell, so we go through the motions so that we know we did what we needed to to make it through those pearly gates.

New Relationship

God wants to have a new relationship with us, but we have to admit that these things hinder sincere communion.  God’s deepest desire through fellowship is union.  What is the main thing that blocks union and keeps us from having that new life? Yes, we have spoken about it before, but it is worth saying over and over again. Un-forgiveness keeps us stuck in every single area of our life.  It is not unforgiveness that someone has against us, but it’s unforgiveness we have against others.

Today, we know Peter in the Bible as being the one who was instrumental in starting the church.  Before he could walk in confidence as he did in Acts and stand up against those that opposed the church, he needed first to forgive, not just others but himself.  Sadly, the three years Peter spent promising Christ that he would declare his name—follow him forever and wherever—ended when he denied having anything to do with Jesus.  Peter allowed his fear to make him turn his back on Jesus and didn’t know what to do with himself after Jesus’ death.  After Jesus resurrected, he went to Peter personally and gave him the opportunity to experience the new life that God had for him.

Take a minute to read John 21:15-25. Jesus is resurrected and is talking to Peter for the first time after he denied knowing Jesus three times.  Jesus asks Peter and he answered yes and with every yes Jesus replied fo him to feed Jesus’ sheep.  But while Jesus was giving him the opportunity to forgive himself, Peter questioned Christ about another disciple.  I love how the Lord answered, “What I do with him is my business, not yours.  Stay focused.”  God was trying to forgive Peter and give him an opportunity to have a new life, free of the chains of denying Christ, but Peter’s eyes were so focused on someone else.  So many times God is trying to have a new connection with us, but our eyes are locked on something old or other people.  How can God have a meaningful relationship with us when we are not willing to embrace what God is doing?

There are too many things in this world that we can’t control like war, homelessness, and nature but we can control something important – ourselves.  We can change the trajectory of our future.   While God was taking away my debt one penny at a time, I learned to love him more.  I was then given a new way to communicate, became more transparent and reconnect with him.   

Next week is the last part of this series, and we are going to talk about having a new future.  It’s going to be 2019 in a few days.  God has incredible things for us, but we have to be willing walk out of our prison, make the necessary changes and embrace new thinking; that way we can have a future that is better than we ever had it.  Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram @throughthewinters.com

**Some of this article comes from a lecture held by Dr. Gary W. Moon called, Spiritual Freedom Disarming Strongholds and Changing Habits at Liberty University.