AM I GROWING CLOSER TO THE LORD?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God.
(Psalm 38:21)

MEDITATION:
As we mature as human beings, we find new discoveries and our eyes
are opened to many new things. We may have had a misunderstanding
about some of things, but now we see them more clearly and we develop
a better understanding of the consequences of some decisions we might
make. Some of our new discoveries may be exciting, some may be
disappointing, and some may be confusing, but they all play a part
in our maturing process.

It just makes sense that we could have some of the same experiences
as we mature spiritually, doesn’t it. Think about this for a moment:
as we mature spiritually, we will discover new areas where we are
failing to live more righteously as followers of Jesus Christ. In fact,
we can develop the idea that “the closer we get to the Lord, the further
away we feel”.

When we have those feelings, we need to remember
that our Heavenly Father is not the author of confusion.
    For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as
    in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
    (1 Corinthians 14:33)

God is opening our eyes to sins we may have been overlooking,
or considering as ‘little and/or insignificant sins’. Why would He
do that? God does it because He loves us and when He opens
our eyes to these sins, He is doing it for our good as He matures
us spiritually.

However, at the same time, we need to remember that Satan is
the author of confusion and he will use any and all methods to
discourage us from maturing spiritually, and to ultimately drive
a wedge between us and a close relationship with the Lord.

Consequently he will try to fill out minds with ideas like,
    “You can see now that as you try to get closer to the Lord,
      you are really getting further away from Him, so stop
      wasting your time, you are good enough as you are already”.

ACTION:
We need to remember that ‘getting closer to the Lord’ is always,
always, always a good thing. Even if we are having ‘feelings’
that we are getting further from Him, we need to realize that
we are a ‘work in progress’ and He is continually ‘working’ to
mature us spiritually.

It makes sense doesn’t it? If we are maturing spiritually then
we should expect have some significant changes in our lives.
It means that our minds are being renewed and we could have
some level of confusion initially.

But we should ‘stay the course’ and not give up if we ‘feel’
discouraged, because we know that we are opening the
door for God to mature us, and we will be ultimately
rewarded for our efforts.
    Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
    transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
    you will be able to test and approve what God’s will
    is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Spiritually maturing means our life is being changed and
most of us do not embrace changes that take us out of our
comfort zones.
    You were taught, with regard to your former way of life,
    to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its
    deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your
    minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God
    in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-23)

But when we realize that ‘uncomfortable changes’ will bring
about a new level of spiritual maturity, then we know that
enduring ‘new feelings’ will be rewarding to us. Why is
that true? Because God in His mercy and grace is moving
us to a new level of maturity that we could never achieve
on our own (especially if we are still living in our ‘old self’).
    Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off
    your old self with its practices and have put on the
    new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in
    the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:9-10)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me enough
that You are helping me to mature spiritually, so
that I can live a more righteous life that is pleasing
to You. Father, You know the plans and schemes of
the ‘evil one’, so I pray that You would deflect any
negative thoughts he tries to plant in my mind to
discourage me from wanting to grow closer to You.”

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