“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.)” (Romans 8:9 NLT)
In yesterday’s post we looked at evidence that a person is a believer, but the fact is if the Spirit of God living in us doesn’t express Himself in and through our life, there’s a strong probability that He isn’t living in us. How so? If we’ve been made right with God Paul says that same Spirit will live within us enabling us to bear witness to His presence through the way we think, act, and live.
The strongest evidence of a person being saved from sin and filled with God’s Spirit is the presence of the fruit of God’s Spirit being demonstrated in and through our lives. The fact is that if we want to know what our life will look like in 5 years, we need look no further than the people with whom we spend the most time. We become what we think about and that is largely determined by those who are the most consistent influencers in our life.
Nearness to God grows out of an inward conviction and desire of our heart, coupled with a decision of our will. We have to want God’s closeness and take steps to create an environment in our heart and life where that will happen. The Spirit of God does not go where He isn’t invited. We aren’t filled by God’s presence by accident, it’s the result of a series of decisions we make on an ongoing basis.
Salvation isn’t a “one and done” process, in the sense the Lord forgives us, fills us, then forgets us. Being saved is a decision we renew nearly every second we live. Our usefulness to God is an act of obedience, a continual desire to live a life of worship, adoration, and submission to His authority in and over our life. And, yes, of course this takes time and effort on our part, but it’s not unlike any other relationship. We pursue the relationships that we want to maintain.
Love longs for companionship with those with whom we desire to be close. I may not see my children very often in person, but I think of them and have ongoing conversations with them as often as they will allow. To profess faith in Jesus, but never think about Him or speak with Him is a contradiction. We’re as near to God as we want to be, so, if we’re sensing God isn’t as close as He used to be, who do you think has moved?
He’s closer than the air we breathe and He’s not going anywhere. He’s always available, always desiring to be close to us, guiding, teaching, loving, caring, sharing His life with us as much and as often as we’ll allow. The longer we walk with Him the more critical it becomes to maintain intimacy with Him. In this season of my life, it’s more important to sense and know the Lord is with me than for me to eat. (and I love to eat 😊).
And this isn’t about being afraid He’ll leave me, or I’ll drift away from Him, it’s about freshness in our love and a willingness on my part to be proactive in maintaining our closeness. I can’t hear His voice as clearly if I’m not continually seeking Him. It’s not unlike people in the Bible wanting to be close to Jesus. And yes, of course, some of them had ulterior motives, but the Disciples wanted to continually be in His presence, and so do I. How about you?
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 