Hey, hey... Happy Sunday!
Getting closer to God is what I'd like to write about this day...
One thing I have desired all my life is closeness with my Heavenly Father.
I remember the very first time I learned about God, I was about four years old because it was before I was in kindergarten.
My Mom had a very good friend who had only one daughter, and we use to get together and play often. My MaMa's friend's daughter was an only child, and I had no sisters, so it was very nice to spend time with her.
One night, when I was sleeping over, my MaMa's friend peeked into the bedroom door, as we were going to bed, and said, "Don't forget to say your prayers." I was like, "What are prayers?"
That very question led to my first knowing about God, and I remember it like it was yesterday.
My friend explained to me that prayers are when we talk to God. I asked, "Who is God?"
My friend: He is the one who made everything you see, including you and me.
Me: Everything, including the air we breath?
My friend: Including the air.
Me: When we pray to Him does He answer, or talk back to us.
My friend: Yes, He always listens and always answers but it's real quiet, you have to listen.
In that very moment, at a young age of about four years old, I knew, deep inside my soul
that what she said to me was very real, that God, was/is in fact real.
Throughout my life, since that very young age, I have been asking to know God better, and asking to be closer to Him. It has been a long road thus far, but I am closer to Him than I could ever imagine.
All my life, since that very moment of learning, I have been asking to be closer to God. Whenever I saw a shooting star, my wish would always be, "Be closer to you God." Whenever I had a birthday cake, my wish would always be, "Be closer to you God." My prayers every evening, before bed, were the same in my asking.
Whenever someone would ask me to go to church with them, I'd go. When I was a young child in elementary school, I remember attending several different churches, searching for God.
It has been a long road. At this very writing, I am the young age of fifty-five, and I am closer to God than I could ever imagine. The long road has been one of severe suffering from anger, anxiety, depression, and deep, deep, deepest moments of despair.
I know, without a doubt in my heart and mind, I could not be as close to God as I am now if it weren't for the suffering. The suffering I speak of brought me to my knees, and the time on my knees has brought me closeness to God.
The greatest thing about getting close to God is the understanding of myself, and the understanding of my place in this world.
The suffering gave me closeness to God, but it could not have happened if I did not have the desire.
The reason I write the words I write, whether in this blog, or my books, is because I know there are so many of my brothers and sisters, in this world, who have the same desire as me, to get closer to God.
That very desire is what has lead me on an eternal search for the truth. This eternal treasure hunt for the truth to get closer to God, has brought me to a place where I know that spiritual expansion is the purpose of this human existence. Our spiritual expansion cannot be realized without a personal relationship with God.
When we move towards a personal relationship with God, we learn to hear, and see His guidance and inspiration. This guidance and inspiration gives greater testimony to our eternal soul that God, is in fact, very real.
This testimony gives way for a greater personal relationship with our eternal Father in Heaven. It takes desire, and work.
Do you have the same desire that I have? I know many people do, and therefore, I want to point a way in doing the work.
It takes desire to get closer to Heavenly Father. If you have the desire, I will give you some work.
In my last post, Standing in Your Power, I give the way to begin a very personal relationship with God, you can read it by clicking here, if you haven't read it already.
If we want a close, and personal relationship with God, we must do the work, and we can. Doing the work is homework for life. As human beings, we are given the gift of focusing ourselves into habitual behavior, which can help us or hurt us, depending on our power of desire versus giving up our power by default.
It's all about the desire my friend.
If we talk and walk with God on a regular basis, and we believe He is not answering, the best thing to do is begin the habit of listening.
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." ~ Book of Psalm 46:10, Holy Bible, KJV
Doesn't it make sense to listen for God? We are trained up in this human existence to beg God for answered prayers, yet are not trained to listen. At least, I wasn't trained, and I do not know of many people who are.
If you have the desire to get closer to our Heavenly Father, try the exercise given in my last post, Standing in Your Power. If you have been doing the exercise already, keep on doing it, and try this...
First thing, every morning, and last thing every evening, before closing your prayer, for five minutes, quiet your mind by focusing on your breathing, and heart beat. Your breath and heart beat are what God gives your life.This is a brilliant way to listen to God through quieting your mind. This is being still my friend.
If you add this to the exercise of talking and walking with God, and keeping God at the forefront of your mind, and in your heart, which was given in the last post, I believe you will level up immensely in your closeness to God.
The benefits and blessings of desiring a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father are guidance and inspiration to living by the fruit of the spirit.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." ~ Galatians 5:22-23, Holy Bible, KJV
Isn't that what everyone really wants? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance? These are all the things given to us from a close relationship with God. It is my humble opinion no one else but God, can give us these ways of being.
The human conditioning will have us think we get these things from what we have, what our title is, how much money we have, or by controlling other peoples' behaviors towards us. When all in all, it is an inside job between God and me, God and you.
I ramble much...
When I write these posts, I connect to God by prayer and listening, and I am guided, and inspired to write the words I write, as though I am talking to you personally, my dear sweet reader. I write these words for you. I write these words for me, and my dutiful relationship with God, which I will never ever ever take for granted.
My training is not in writing, and so I may not be a great writer, but my words about God are real, and if you are searching, you will find what is true for you...
I love you my dear sweet reader...
God loves you...
Seek Him in all things and you will receive benefits and blessings beyond anything you could, or would comprehend, or expect.
Speak soon...
Elizabeth
ps my How to Destress via Stress Test & Stress Relief eBook is being featured for free on Amazon this week, starting today, February 16 through the 19... get your free copy during that time by clicking here.
