For most people it’s not the fact that it’s hard for them to develop a relationship with God; it’s the fact that they have a hard time developing any relationship. Our modern culture is desperately deficient in the capacity to build loving, lasting relationships. We want relationships, but have little time or tolerance for what it takes!
The first and possibly most important aspects of building any kind of relationship are intention and choices. Will you choose to trust God’s love and what do you intend to give in return? With God, as well as with people, most of us hold others at arm’s distance. We put them on trial to see if they give us what we want before we open our heart or run risks. If they don’t give us what we want pretty quickly we bail and look for other sources. What we can’t seem to grasp is the fact that we cannot receive what we are not willing to give. We want to be “takers” and still have the experience of a loving relationship. But taking, i.e. selfishness, is the antithesis of love, which is giving!
Maybe you should start with this intention: “I’m all in; I’m holding nothing back! I intend to give my heart fully to God!” It is that intention that opens our heart to recognize and receive the kind of love He is offering! In fact, the quality of love God is offering can only be experienced in a heart that chooses to love fully.
The choice we must make is to take God at His Word, starting with Jesus taking all the punishment for sin and purchasing our reconciliation with God. If we don’t trust all the ways He has already expressed His love, we will never know His love on an experiential level and we’ll never hear His voice in our heart when He speaks. JOIN ME this week and we will begin to explore the possibilities of experiencing perfect love.
How can I “give my heart fully” to someone I’ve never met?
How can I do anything with my heart? How can I change or control my heart? What do people mean by “open your heart?
I went forward and prayed for salvation, (several times), I was told that something wonderous happened and I believe it was true but I experienced nothing.
I try, (with mixed results), to live how god wants me to but again I experience nothing. Taking God at His word and/or trusting God’s love does not equal experiencing God’s love, (something that would provoke a response), because believing something is true is not the same as experiencing it, although it seems that it might lead to it. You can certainly believe that being shot in the chest with a twelve gauge is painfull but if you’ve never experienced it you have no Idea. You can read about a rollercoaster and believe what you’ve read but until you experience it you have no Idea. Until you experience love in a way that is real and personal
Recieving it by faith is pretty much the same as doing without. Things like knowledge, beliefe, identity and/or truth seem nothing more than technicalities if there is no first hand experience of them.
I want to love and worship God but words just don’t touch me. Please help
I’m just going to make one suggestion. If words don’t touch you think about and decide what you really need to experience God’s love, and then ask Him for that. God does love you and He could be doing all sorts of things to express His love for you – but until you decide what you need to experience His love you will not receive His acts of love. So, decide what you need, ask God specifically for that and expect – look for it.