You must place God first
A question that has been on my heart lately is: How do we experience true spiritual growth and a deeper relationship with God? The answer to this question is by being so desperate for more of God in our lives because we simply can’t do it alone, a long season of suffering drove me to seek Him more and cling to His truth. But how do we experience more of God? honestly it’s by reading God's word and setting aside intentional time to get in His presence and His word, it’s there with a humble heart, and childlike wonder and awe that I started to learn more about God’s character, I appreciated his sacrifice so much more as I read through the pages of the Old Testament the story of Moses and the Israelites and how God led them out of the wilderness and into the promised land. Throughout all the generations God has been faithful, how He blessed His people and how much He is still blessing us today, even when we miss the mark, he is ALWAYS there, he is not looking for perfection, what he wants is your whole heart. In my season of intense suffering he never left my side, this is how slowly I have learned to give God absolute respect and authority. I have come to adore God as my heavenly father, when I was a little girl I loved spending time with my dad I would jump at the chance to spend time with him. This is how I feel about spending time with God. If this is not you right now, I want to encourage you to keep going one day at a time.
Let’s explore how we can allow God to become the centre of our lives, rely on Him for daily nourishment, and experience the freedom that comes from forgiveness and deliverance.
Place God First
Each day as soon as we wake up we must praise Him, for He truly is worthy of our trust. Pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; pray for His kingdom to come. By doing this, we are placing Him first in our lives. This can be scary because you are still learning to trust in Him. It is not easy—
In my own life, I have faced countless setbacks and discouragements and am in no way wanting to fool you by saying trusting is easy. Yet, every time I look back, I see God’s faithfulness, through out my entire life. When you take that first step of faith and trust God with your life, God’s love and faithfulness sustains us every step of the way.
If you are going through a storm, make note that things may not improve right away but keep trusting and do not worry as it always leads to growth. In my life, He has lifted me up when I was at my lowest, He has provided for me and sustained me through agonizing suffering. I know He will do the same for you—because He truly LOVES YOU!
BREAD: Daily Spiritual Nourishment
When Jesus teaches us to “give us this day our daily bread,” it is less about physical food, although He does provide for us daily. Bread symbolizes the nourishment of His word found in the Bible, which we need daily. In fact Jesus calls himself the bread of life (John 6:35).
Spiritual nourishment requires surrendering to His will daily, however, this is a process that requires the practice of surrendering, to His will. Our flesh will always try to pull us away from God.
Being obedient to God is not easy, and He knows that. That is exactly why you need to be in a relationship with him, so that He can guide you, correct you, grieve with you, celebrate with you and point you to any deep wounds that need healing.
I don’t know about you, but every now and then I don’t like it when people tell me what to do; however, when it’s God guiding me, I have learned to listen because it is much better to obey than it is to sacrifice, I can’t even think of how many blessings have been blocked because I did not obey right away. I sat on things and doubted. But do not worry if this is you right now, remember God offers us His grace every day, renewing us and guiding us back when we fail and actually making mistakes is so refreshing because he will never leave our side, there are certain habits or beliefs we may have that He doesn’t agree with but as long as we are always practicing surrendering and repentance, He will always be there. This does not mean we should continue on with our sin but that we give everything over to him. Perhaps you have deep rooted wounds or false beliefs that are causing you to miss the mark, God just wants you to take his hand and let him lead you to healing and restoration within your heart. Going beyond the surface. I know it’s scary, annoying and I know you don’t want to, but let me tell you that there is so much freedom and peace that comes from a fully surrendered life.
God has seen me struggle and procrastinate on many things, and He has always sweetly guided me back to a place of peace, with a gentle “let’s try that again” prompting. So we fall, but He is always there to catch us with His mighty right hand.
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ”
FORGIVENESS: A Difficult but Necessary Step
With the help of the Holy Spirit you can overcome this difficult task of forgiving those who have wronged you and also yourself. I understand just how hard it can be, and I can assure you it won’t be easy at times. But He is with you wherever you go, and He will never leave your side, choose everyday to forgive and let go, a tip that helped me forgive was asking God to allow me to see the people who have wronged me the way He sees them, this prayer is so powerful and works amazingly, try it! ask him how he sees you too! — It’s so good!
But I know, easier said than done right? this will be difficult for you—it was for me, too!—but again God knows this, so it’s important to share your weaknesses with Him. He likes it when we are real and honest with ourselves and Him. God recently asked me to forgive quickly, and here I thought I was a pro at this already. I was having a hard time letting go, so I held a grudge for a few hours and guess what?! The issue got worse. Learn from me and forgive quickly. But if your in a season when you just can’t, keep trusting for God to lead to a road of forgiveness and restoration.
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. ”
DELIVERANCE: Freedom Through God’s Power
Deliverance from Evil… this sounds intense, right? Evil simply means out of God’s will, missing the mark. This world is one big arrow pointing in the wrong direction. Thankfully, you can go to God who will deliver you from evil when you all but ask Him. He is always ready to guide us back to Him.
Deliverance may take time, and you may not know what is evil (or off) in your life. You may not immediately recognize the areas of your life that need healing or freedom. Deliverance is a releasing of bondage, imprisonment or captivity. Pray about it and ask God to show you the areas of your life that need deliverance. He will gently lead you; God is all-powerful, and when you choose to trust Him with your life, that’s when you can start to use the authority He has freely given you over the enemy: the devil. Yep, that guy is real and he hates us. However, when we start to learn about the little lies he has filled us with and addressing them as such, we can replace those lies with the truth of God’s truth and who God says we are. For example deeply rooted feelings of unworthiness, stemming from rejection at an early age can be replaced with worthiness because you were created by God. (Psalm 139:13-14)
Remember the enemy has already been defeated by Jesus, who chose to die and shed his blood on the cross, so that we can be redeemed. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
But I get it, it’s hard sometimes to remember all these things or to identify the lies or strongholds that have you bound, which is why having a prayer journal is beneficial. In a journal, you can write out Bible verses that speak to a problem you are having, you can ask God questions like “why can’t I let this go?” or “I thought I was over that? and then wait and pause to hear what God has to say. Journaling takes practice, but if you are interested in learning more about it check out this blog post.
Encouragement for the Journey
The journey of placing God first, seeking daily nourishment, forgiving others, and finding deliverance is not always easy.
But God’s Word and His promises are our greatest tools.
Practical Tips to Keep You Encouraged:
Write down Bible verses on sticky notes and place them somewhere you will see often. Think of places to post like a bathroom mirror, on the fridge, in your sock drawer, or in your car. The goal is to arm yourself with truth because, in this life, we will have many trials yet God’s word, as written in scripture, is our weapon. Study His word and keep an open communication with Him through daily prayer—even if it’s just for a few moments.
Encouraging BIBLE VERSES:
“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
“What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
Final Thoughts
Remember to enjoy your prayer life, because that is the meeting place where we begin to flourish! Prayer is not meant to be a chore or a formality. Yes, I am saying that prayer should not be all doom and gloom. God is there to help us heal, celebrate with us, grieve and mourn with us as well. He is there to meet you with open arms, for He is a good, good father!
Start today by placing God first in your prayers. Ask for His nourishment, seek His will, and trust Him to guide you through forgiveness and deliverance. As you do, you’ll experience the peace and freedom that only He can give.
If you’d like to deepen your prayer life, try journaling as a way to reflect on God’s Word and hear His voice. For more encouragement and inspiration, here is a blog post on journaling to strengthen your relationship with God.