Restoring Your Relationship
With Jesus
Psalm 42:1-2; Revelation 3:20
There are many things that do not operate on empty such as a car, a plane, a computer and our life. I learned in elementary school that a camel can do without water for many weeks but a deer cannot go with out water for a day. Our life is that way; we need basic nourishment each and every day. Even if we do an extended fast, we need fluids every day. Psalm 42:1-2 says, “As the deer pants for the water brook so my soul thirsts for the Lord”. If you are operating on empty from the refreshment of the Holy Spirit each day you will soon find yourself without vision, ministry and faith. Many Christians are perplexed and discouraged because they are dependent on another person or an organization for their vital needs and spiritual nourishment instead of the Lord. Do you meet with the Lord on a daily basis for fellowship and encouragement everyday? If not you will find yourself in a desert spiritually and become cynical and critical of others. It is so easy to slip into a meaningless state of just existing and becoming like everyone else. God has worked in your life before and the Word was alive as God was speaking to you. But perhaps now you find yourself running on empty. God desires to fill you and use your life to over flow on others. Your family and friends are longing for what you once had, yet you have lost your way and feel incapable to say anything because your life message has nothing to say and the devil has you in extortion. He is so good at accusing us of worthlessness and convinces us that we are to keep our mouths shut because of failure. Many times that occurs when a situations arises that is beyond our abilities where we cannot fix it and only God Himself is able to do anything to restore our joy and faith in Him. God designed us to thirst for him as we thirst for water. We were not made to live in the desert spiritually. In fact when we become dry we begin to shrivel and die in want of his refreshing presence. What do we need to do? Let me make some suggestions.
- Set aside an extended time (2 to 3 hours) of prayer and begin to write out a letter to the Lord expressing your sins of omission. Make notes of favorite passages that God has used in your life in the past. Pull out old notes or journals that were once regular sources of nourishment. Make a new list of prayer needs you now have that only God can answer. There is nothing that builds my faith more than specific answers to prayer that only God and I know about. This is a great place to begin and it has to start here.
- Seek out a small group of growing Christians to meet with each week. It can be a Sunday school class, a home cell group or a neighborhood Bible Study. There are many others that are in the same drought that you are in that need the same boat that you are experiencing.
- Begin to establish a consistent daily time alone with the Lord. Get a small notebook to write your experience. Date the page and that will hold you accountable. Write down your scripture passage. Take a short passage (10-20 verses) and read it two times. Then answer two questions: What is the Lord saying to me? What am I to do now? Then write out a prayer to the Lord expressing your desire to be obedient to Him today in every conversation, every business opportunity and relationship, asking Him for opportunities to share what God is doing in your life.
- Now make a list of individuals that you know need the Lord to work in their life. Be careful not to forget lost and unchurched individuals. The sick need our prayers but the spiritually sick need them more.
- Last spend 2-3 minutes just expressing to the Lord that you love Him and want Him to speak to you. Now sit quietly anxiously waiting for the Holy Spirit to speak. Listen carefully and write out anything that you feel He is saying to you. Do not be afraid, He loves you and desires to speak to you. John 10:27
