[Faith-talk] FW: [URCTCPrayerGroup2] teaching by Joyce Meyer

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "Donna" <whitedove57 at att.net>
To: <URCTCPrayerGroup2 at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [URCTCPrayerGroup2] teaching by Joyce Meyer
Date: 
Thu, 4 Feb 2010 16:31:34 -0500

 
The Beauty of a Real Relationship with God 
by Joyce Meyer 

When you think of religion, what comes to your mind-a set of rules,
regulations and obligations or a deep, intimate relationship with God? 

I like to consider myself someone who has a personal relationship with
God through Jesus Christ. I believe He died so we could have a living,
vital relationship with God, not just a bunch of rules and regulations
we're forced to follow. 

Yes, there are certain guidelines God wants us to follow, but His purpose
in giving them is to protect us from the consequences of sin. 

When we have a real relationship with God through Christ, life gets
exciting because He stirs up a passion inside us to love people-and we
don't have to struggle to do the things He calls us to do. It just happens
naturally. 

God Is Not Mad at You 
If there's one thing people need to hear over and over again, it's this:
God loves you. That's all there is to it. He may not like everything you
do, but He's never going to stop loving you. 

God is not impressed with your works at all. What He cares about is your
heart. 

I believe the greatest thing God wants to hear from us is, "I love You,
Lord. Thank You for everything You've done in my life. I want to do what's
right. Keep teaching me." 


Many of us don't pray and ask God for what we need because we don't think
we have a right to ask. But the Bible says God wants us to learn how to
receive His mercy. 

Hebrews 4:15 says we have a High Priest, a perfect Savior, who
understands our weaknesses. He's been tempted just like we are, yet He
never sinned. 

Verse 16 says we can come fearlessly and confidently before God in prayer
to receive His mercy and be forgiven. 

New Creature, New Features 
"Legally" you become a Christian when you make the decision to receive
Jesus Christ as your Savior. And after you receive Him, God begins to
change you into a brand-new creation.

We shouldn't be making up religious rules to live by, like having to read
our Bible every single day; nor should we do whatever we want to because we
know we're going to heaven when we die. 

Christianity is about living a vibrant, exciting life in Christ, and it
goes hand in hand with developing a personal relationship with Him. Jesus
wants us to be in love with Him. 

Know What Really Matters 
I was thinking one day about how judgmental I used to be about the way
some people dressed. Not long ago, I might have thought that I couldn't
wear jeans and teach, but my son said to me, "Do you really think that God
anoints polyester more than denim?" 

It took some things like that to shock me into the realization that I was
just holding on to a religious attitude, when God wanted us to freshen up
our look in order to reach more people. 

Sure, it's good to dress nicely when we go to church. But the bottom line
is, we shouldn't be so focused on our outward appearance that we lose sight
of our main goal: developing a close, personal relationship with God. 

Living Your Life with God 
God wants to be involved in everything we do. He wants us to fellowship
with Him, which means communicating with Him throughout our day just like
we do with someone who's our close friend or family member. 

Knowing God loves us, loving Him, spending time with Him, and being
grateful for what He's done and is doing in our lives can help us have a
real relationship with Him. 



Hugs,
Donna
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty. Ps 91:1