How To GROW Closer To The Lord
Once Jesus saves us from our sins and Hell, we need to continue to GROW our relationship with Him. As newly born Christians, we are like a baby that first lives on milk.
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto BABES in Christ. I have fed you with MILK, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." (I Corinthians 3:1 - 2)
"As NEWBORN BABES, desire the sincere MILK of the Word, that YE MAY GROW thereby: If so be ye have TASTED that the Lord is gracious." (I Peter 2:2 - 3)
We need to grow our relationship with Jesus Christ, in order to mature enough, spiritually, to eat our spiritual meat. He needs to become LORD of our lives. He needs to be invited to walk with us throughout our days and nights. How can we do this?
When we first wake up in the mornings, we need to greet the Lord with "Good Morning, Lord!" (not "Good Lord, it's morning!") After greeting Him, we need to tell Him how much we love, thank and praise Him for all He does for us. We need to ask Him to guide us and show us what all He wants us to do throughout the day. Pray for His guidance before doing whatever all that we do.
We need to spend some PRIVATE time with the Lord EVERY DAY - a "special time" ALONE with Him. God is not a job or school, where we should only spend time with Him during the days of the week. We also are not supposed to spend church days and nights, only, with Him. He never takes off time from watching out for us, either. He is ALWAYS there for us. We can begin each special time with the Lord by asking Him to draw us closely into His Presence. There is NO other place that could be more AWESOME, than for us to be drawn closely INTO the Presence of Jesus Christ, and in the center of His will!
Suggestions For Your "Special Time" With the Lord, Daily
1. Pray
My suggestion is to start each daily "special time" with the Lord by praying or talking to Him. Of course, we need to pray at other times during the day and night, too. Always be in a prayerful attitude. Prayer is a PRIORITY in growing our relationship with Christ. We do not have to use fancy words, or keep repeating everything. (Read Matthew 6:5 - 9)
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and PRAY and SEEK my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)
"ASK and it will be given to you; SEEK and you will find; KNOCK and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who ASKS receives; he who SEEKS finds; and to him who KNOCKS the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7 - 8)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by PRAYER and PETITION, with thanksgiving, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS to GOD." (Philippians 4:6)
"Let us then APPROACH the THRONE OF GRACE with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4;16)
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and PRAY for EACH OTHER so that you may be healed. The PRAYER of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16)
"CALL to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3) "Again, I tell you that if two of you on Earth agree about anything you ASK for, it WILL BE DONE for you by my Father in Heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in PRAYER." (Matthew 21:22)
How should we conduct our private prayer to Jesus?
Praise and Worship Our Lord! - Layer One or Top Third of the Prayer
I would highly recommend that you have a "sandwich prayer." That is, begin by telling the Lord how much you love, thank and praise Him for everything He does.
"Let them give THANKS to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." (Psalm 107:8 - 9)
"SING JOYFULLY to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to PRAISE Him." (Psalm 33:1)
"He who sacrifices THANK offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." (Psalm 50:23)
"REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS. I will say it again: REJOICE!" (Philippians 4:4)
Pray For Needs - the Middle Meat or Body of the Prayer
Get into the meat or body of your prayer. Perhaps you can keep an updated prayer request list with your Bible, consisting of people's names, forthcoming events, and whatever other concerns you need to pray about. Needs are everywhere in this world. Every Christian has lost relatives and friends that need salvation from Jesus Christ. Some Christians need our prayers for them to grow closer to the Lord, and/or to become sanctified or filled with the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost. The sick and afflicted people need prayers for the Lord's will about possible healing. Several people have financial problems, children or parent problems, and the list goes on. You can also join our international Team of Prayer Warriors at the Respond international prayer ministry web site. You could help us pray for daily or weekly prayer requests that come in. If you are interested in doing that, .you can go to http://www.responda.co.uk/member.php There you can fill out a form for David Clark of the international Respond prayer ministry web site.) Do not forget to pray for your personal needs, too.
Praise and Worship the Lord Again - Layer Two or Bottom of the Prayer
Again, praise and worship the Lord for all that He does for all of us. Do not be bashful about telling Him how very much you love Him. Doesn't it make us and our loved ones feel good when we tell them that we love them? Doesn't it do both of us well when we thank someone for doing things for us? Everyone enjoys a little praise for things we do for others. Jesus has done the ultimate in everything He does for us. He loves to hear us tell Him how much we love, thank and praise Him for everything! If you feel like worshiping the Lord by singing a song to Him, do it! A beautiful voice isn't even a requirement.
Prayer is a two-way communication, also. We talk to the Lord, Who always hears us. We need to listen to Him when He communicates with us, as well. Of course, we do not usually close our prayer with "10 - 4" or "goodbye." We say, "Amen," which means it is the end of that prayer, or "so be it" when we may say it at church or elsewhere.
Jesus has given us a sample prayer to follow, to help guide us on what to say to Him. You can read and study it in Matthew 6:9 - 13.
2. Read God's Word, the Bible, Every Day
Next, during our daily "special time" with the Lord, we need to read and listen to God's Word, the Bible.
"Do not let this BOOK OF THE LAW depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8)
"Consequently, faith comes from HEARING the message, and the message is heard through the WORD of Christ." (Romans 10:17)
"But the WORD of the Lord stands forever. And this is the WORD that was preached to you." (I Peter 1:25)
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)
"All SCRIPTURE is given by INSPIRATION OF GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (II Timothy 3:16 - 17)
Our concentration must be on reading, hearing, and truly LISTENING to what all God wants to say to us in His Word. It is quite possible to READ the Bible's words, without listening or hearing what message the Lord has for us.
I suggest that you first ask the Lord to show you whatever message He has for you, before you read the Bible each time. He will guide you along if you want Him to. It is HIS WORD you are personally reading. Allow it to speak to you.
It is not important as to which book you read first. Some people begin by reading the book of John. Others might decide to start with Matthew, in the New Testament, and gradually read all the New Testament. Then others prefer to start with Genesis, in the Old Testament, and gradually go on through the whole Bible. Regardless of where you start, I highly recommend that you gradually read the books in the order presented. I prefer to read my King James Version during my daily special times with the Lord. I like to read from some other versions out of interest, comparison, and further understandings of some Scriptures.
Focus your attention on Christ and His Word as you read the Bible. This is no time for falling asleep, or worrying about the green beans cooking on the stove. Do not allow yourself to simply read words, and let your mind concentrate on the cares of this world. Listen and HEAR what His Word says to you. Even more importantly, OBEY His Word! Share it and memorize some of the Scriptures.
3. End Your Special Time With Another Prayer
End your daily special time with the Lord with prayer again. How long should our daily special times be with the Lord? Each person is different. Some people might spend hours with the Lord. On the average, probably most people spend from ten minutes to 30 minutes daily alone with Him. If your time is too short, He will let you know. Believe me! I know that from past experiences!
Regularly Attend a Bible-Believing/Teaching Church
It is important to find a Bible-Believing/Teaching Church of your choice, and attend it regularly. Get involved in it. We need that extra fellowship with other Christians in God's House. A car must refuel every so often. Spiritually, we need to do the same thing. We can get spiritual fuel at all of our church services, to help keep us going throughout the week.
"And let us consider how we may spur another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up MEETING TOGETHER, as some are in the HABIT of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24 - 25)
"For where TWO or THREE come TOGETHER in MY NAME, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)
"Just as each of us has one body WITH MANY MEMBERS, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many, form ONE BODY, and each member belongs to all the others." (Romans 12:4 - 5)
"Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the COUNCIL of the UPRIGHT and in the ASSEMBLY." (Psalm 111:1)
We Must Witness and Share Jesus With Others
It is important that we witness and share Jesus with others after we are born again/saved. We are not supposed to keep our new experience quiet. Share experiences that we have had with Jesus Christ. We would not want to buy some product without first hearing about someone's positive sharing of his/her experiences with that product. People need told about how Jesus will save them, but also need to hear Christians who will share about their positive experiences with Jesus Christ.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN, that they may see your good deeds and PRAISE YOUR FATHER in Heaven." (Matthew 5:14 - 16) "But thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and THROUGH US spreads everywhere the fragrance of the KNOWLEDGE of Him." (II Corinthians 2:14)
He said to them, 'GO into ALL THE WORLD and PREACH the GOOD NEWS to ALL creation." (Mark 16:15) "We are therefore CHRIST'S AMBASSADORS, as though God were making His appeal THROUGH US. We implore you on Christ's behalf: BE RECONCILED to GOD." (II Corinthians 5:20)
"But you are a CHOSEN PEOPLE, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people BELONGING TO GOD, that you may DECLARE the praises of HIM Who called you out of darkness into His WONDERFUL LIGHT." (I Peter 2:9) "And this gospel of the kingdom will be PREACHED in the whole world as a TESTIMONY to ALL NATIONS, and then the end will come."" (Matthew 24:14)
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to PREACH THE GOSPEL to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to PREACH the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18)
"Pray also for me, that whenever I OPEN MY MOUTH, words may be given so that I will fearlessly MAKE KNOWN the mystery of the gospel." (Ephesians 6:19)
Some people will say that they are too bashful to witness for Christ. God can still use us. The Lord will open a door for us to witness. He will also lead us on what to say to people. The more we witness, the easier it becomes to share Jesus with others.
Be Baptized With Water and In the Holy Spirit
Another thing we need to do is baptism with water, like Jesus was, as well as with the Holy Spirit.
"Peter replied, 'Repent and BE BAPTIZED, EVERY ONE OF YOU, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT." (Acts 2:38)
"Therefore we are BURIED WITH HIM by BAPTISM into death: that like as Christ was RAISED UP FROM THE DEAD by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life." (Romans 6:4)
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be FILLED WITH the SPIRIT." (Ephesians 5:18)
"I indeed BAPTIZE you with WATER unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall BAPTIZE you WITH the HOLY GHOST [Holy Spirit], and WITH FIRE." (Matthew 3:11)
When we get baptized with water, it is an outward witness to others of our new inward born again experience from within, with Jesus. We go under water, representing when Jesus died for us. We come up out of the water, representing when Jesus resurrected from the dead. This experience should come about AFTER we are saved or born again. When you find a church of your choice, the pastor will further discuss baptism with you, I am sure.
We also need to be baptized or filled with the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost. (This is further discussed, if you want to click on "About Sanctification," under "Faith Issues.")
Before going to sleep for the night, I would highly recommend some more private time with the Lord. We can never read too much of His Word, or OVER-pray. We could never spend TOO MUCH time with our Lord and Savior. Before going to sleep, I also recommend that you pray, and within that prayer, ask the Lord to help you sleep well. He will.
GROW your relationship with Jesus Christ. Start tasting your spiritual meat. Never go anywhere or do anything WITHOUT Jesus!
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