Getting In Place With God! 8-17–25

Welcome to the word for the week. This week we are going to have a heart to heart talk. Everything will be based on the word of God of course and the real difference is just that we will be talking from a practical standpoint. There is a reality in growing in God and that is the need to be able to apply what we learn about Him. The bible says that in all of our getting we are to get an understanding. In other words, it does not matter how much or how little you may have just learned you still have to make sure you understand it all. That is why it is not important about how many verses or chapters one reads at a time. The important thing is to get something from it that you can live by. That is also why the bible is meant to be studied and not simply read. Once you discover something then you need to dig deeper for a greater understanding of it.

Getting in place with God simply means to get your life to a point where God is first. A married person has to also care for the things of their daily lives as they have a family but how can they do that if God is not first? You may go to work everyday but how can you find success in that if God is not first? You may want to be an excellent parent but how is that possible if God is not first? Getting in place with God also involves making some lifestyle changes. There is no way around the fact that walking with God means you have to let the things of the flesh go. You cannot halt between two opinions as the bible says. You cannot have one foot the kingdom of God and the other in the kingdom of hell at the same time. You will either love one or hate the other but you cannot love them both at the same time. We are in this world but we are not of this world. There is nothing this world can offer us other than a separation from God. This world is so wicked until one day it will be replaced with a new one. Let that sink in for a moment.

Getting in place with God also means being excited about God. It should bring you joy to be saved. It should be the thing that means the absolute most to you in your life. Knowing that you are a child of God NEEDS to matter to you. It is important and it is what changes the course of things in your life. When you are down you will find that being a child of God is why you have a promise to get back up. It is how you take care of your family. It is how you are able to keep your peace in this chaotic world. It is how you find favor to do things you never could have imagined. Being a child of God needs to be more important than being a spouse, a parent, a sibling, or anything else you can think of. Being saved is the most important thing to happen to you. It will take you having a relationship with God in order to fully understand that. Until then, you will make excuses to God for your spouse, children, work, and any other thing you can think of. Again, your salvation and keeping it needs to be the number one priority in your life. Period.

All of us face troubles and obstacles. All of of face difficulties that seem to be more than what we can handle when it happens. Over time, I have learned that God does not make mistakes with who He chooses to go through things. He knows who can handle what and He does all things for our good. It takes a while to realize that but once you do then you will discover what peace that surpasses all understanding really means. There are no days off on this journey. Every day that you are still alive and breathing is another day that needs to matter to you as far as your walk with God. Taking a Sunday off for the sake of it or because you cannot see yourself not having a break begs a question. What will you do in heaven with no days off? The joy of the Lord is our strength. There is something to be said about just knowing that God is on our side. Think about how priceless it is to know that the Holy Spirit dwells or lives within us. Think about how powerful that really is. The Lord loves us so much until He made sure there is not a day that we live without His Spirit in us. He never leaves us and He never forsakes us. The final question is what does that mean to you?

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you in His grace,
Bishop Carlos J. Lennon