BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIER TO APPROACHING GOD

BIBLE PASSAGE:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, 
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that 
He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.  
(Hebrews 11:6)

MEDITATION:
Why would we want to please anyone who doesn’t exist?
The truth is, we wouldn’t, would we?
However, if we truly believe in the existence of God 
and we want to have a close relationship with Him,
then we will have a natural desire to do the things that please Him. 

Our faith in Him pleases God.
Faith is our statement to God that we believe in His existence, 
we believe in His promises, we want a close relationship with Him, 
and we want to do the things that please Him. 
The Christian life is dependent upon faith; 
we stand on faith; we live on faith. 

Faith is loved and honored by God. 
The Bible teaches that faith is the only way we can approach God. 
No man has sins forgiven, no man has assurance of peace and happiness, 
and no man goes to heaven, until he has faith in Jesus Christ.
 
You may be saying, “God, I believe you exist, but I do not accept all 
of Your Word; I do not have a desire to obey all of Your commands.” 
That doesn’t sound like someone who wants to please God, does it?
In order to please God, 
we must believe in Him and we must obey His commands. 

ACTION:
Rather than focusing on how much faith you have, 
think more about the target of your faith.
If our faith is in God and His Son, then we are on the right track,
and it is important for us to feed and nourish that faith.

We cannot ‘grow our faith’ as long as we 
absolutely refuse to obey some of His commands.
Some may say that they don’t kill, steal, lie, commit adultery, gossip, etc.
but how are they doing with His commands to meet together with other 
believers, bringing Him “His” tithes and offerings, considering the 
importance of others and making efforts to encourage them, developing 
gentleness, kindness, self-control, etc.

God wants us to have a total commitment of faith that is willing 
to make whatever changes are necessary for us to please Him.
He wants His faithful followers to live a ‘walking’ faith 
as opposed to a ‘talking’ faith.
Our ‘talk’ might convince others that we are Christians, but God sees 
our heart, our actions, our obedience, and our level of commitment.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I am thankful that You do exist, and that I can have 
faith in the One who loves me, is concerned about my welfare, forgives 
me of my failures, gives me hope, hears my prayers, guides me, showers 
me with blessings, and gives me special gifts and talents to be used in 
pleasing You. I pray that my faith in You and Your abundant promises 
will increase daily, as I learn more about You and cultivate my 
relationship with You.”

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