How are you?
Praying, praying, ever praying you are okay!
Responding to a request that I write about how I have a close relationship with God.
But first, let me preface this post with the idea that I write this for one reason and one reason only...
I will write about my relationship with God because I have hope and a prayer in my heart that this will help anyone, someone, or even just one. The help I hope and pray for is pointing a person in the direction of relief from any stress he or she may have. The pressure I talk about is the mental and emotional strain of fear, which is the opposite of love.
My relationship with God is based on a
DEEP DOWN IN MY HEART AND SOUL FAITH AND LOVE FOR GOD AND ALL MANKIND.
REALLY!!!
FAITH AND LOVE.
And this is not the superficial kind where I go to church on Sunday, feel and profess the Love of God, and then go about my business throughout the week, forgetting about this love and faith I have for the Divine and others.
In fact, there is no segregation between my personal life and my professional life. I believe we are all brothers and sisters in this world. I know we are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. I love no matter what, and I serve no matter what.
Jesus Christ said in Matthew Chapter 21, Verse 22, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
For most of the first half of my life, I suffered enormously, with profound moments of despair and confusion about my worth. There was always an asking God for a connection to Him in that despair and confusion. My continued, never-ending asking brought more and more connection.
In Mathew Chapter 22, Verses 37 through 40, Jesus answers the question, which is the great commandment in the law, and He says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and all the prophets."
I love these two scriptures because they are the way to a closeness with God.
Asking, faith and love.
Ask, have faith, and love!!!
Pretty good affirmations, mantras, and reminders, wouldn't you agree?
I know, without a doubt, that God loves me, and I am to ask, have faith, and love Him and others.
So, I have been asking, faithing, and loving.
I know, without any doubt, that my asking has brought me evidence, which has led to my knowing God is real.
I know, without a doubt, that my faith in God gives me confidence, happiness, energy, joy, and vitality; therefore, this knowledge is why I maintain and sustain my relationship with Him.
MY FAITH AND MY LOVE FOR EVERYTHING ON THIS EARTH, ABOVE IT AND BELOW IT, ENHANCE MY CLOSENESS, MY CONNECTION, AND MY COOPERATION WITH GOD.
Faith, love, closeness, connection, and cooperation with the Divine eliminate doubt, fear, and worry, which is what destressing yourself is all about.
In my journey thus far, I have discovered that there are two emotions: fear and love. Every emotion falls under one or the other.
I have also discovered that all negative emotions fall under fear. For the most part, I have released my fear and negative emotions, which is how and why I love so much.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."~ 1 John 4:18, New Testament, The Holy Bible, KJV
Please! Please! Please!
Understand, I have practiced this love over fear for many, many, many years, and I have pointed multiple people in the direction of finding their practice of destressing, i.e., overcoming fear and living in love.
Certainly, I am not perfect at it, so I continue to practice every day.
An important thing I have discovered is that years of conditioning are very powerful. My anger, anxiety, depression, and despair were practiced for years and were all very strong.
Without God, meditation, and study, I could not and would not know what I know about asking, faith, and love and continue to practice it.
Something else significant is that human conditioning trains us to beat ourselves up, which is not conducive to love and/or faith in ourselves. Love and faith in ourselves are part of the path to a genuine connection to God.
I practice the art and skill of NOT beating myself up or criticizing myself. This is a huge part of connecting to God and creating life's happiness, energy, and vitality.
I know I am not better than anyone, and my value and worth have everything to do with communicating, connecting, and cooperating with God.
I know we are all critical to God, and what is essential to God is vital to me. That is what life is about, knowing spiritual things and living that knowing.
That is the crux of my relationship with God.
Praying for your asking, faithing, and loving.
That's all I got, my friend.
God bless...
Speak soon...
Elizabeth Stanfill
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