Habitual Fellowship

In our last blog post, The Cure for Anxiety, we detailed Jesus's charge to seek first the kingdom of God. In this post, we will explore practical steps to obey that instruction.

One of the pertinent things discussed in the last blog was the meaning of righteousness. We described it as a two-fold word: being justified by Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and the dedication of oneself to live in habitual fellowship with God.

James 4:8 (AMPC)

Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].

James clarifies that we have a part to play in deepening our relationship with God. Drawing close to God has to be a desire for every believer. It is simply not enough to accept Jesus into our hearts and continue to live like we did before we knew him or have a half-hearted relationship with him.

Walking Habitually

Habit means "to form a routine of life that you stick to daily, a ritual, a pattern, a perpetual practice, a regular conduct, a fashion or custom." Essentially doing something until it becomes second nature... a thing you do almost without thinking.

Micah 6:8 (AMPC)

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?

So what practical steps can we take to grow closer to God? There are three we have learned from personal experience.

Obeying the Instructions from God's Word

The Bible is our daily guidebook, and all 66 chapters contain so much wisdom on how to live a godly and spirit-filled life. From Matthew 4 (the Three Temptations of Jesus), we learn that even the devil knows scripture, so we say Obey Gods' instructions because while it is good to read the Bible and even better to memorize and understand scripture, all of that would mean little if we do not obey the instructions we read.

John 14:21 (AMPC)

The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]

Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6 (AMP)

Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.

There are three facets to this:

1. Prayer: Biblestudy.org defines prayer as how "we acknowledge and strengthen our relationship with the Eternal and seek out His will for our lives. It is the avenue by which we can honestly confess our sins, ask forgiveness in Jesus' name and cry out to God for help overcoming them and the trials of life. It also is how we can petition our Creator for the benefit and blessing of others, even those who use and persecute us."

2. Supplication: this is a form of prayer where someone kneels or bows down and makes a humble petition or an entreaty to God. Here is an example of the difference: a person praying may say, 'Bless my family' or 'Thank you, God, for saving me.' But a person who is crying out to God for the cure of his ailing wife, injured friend, or similar is making a supplication. 3. Thanksgiving: Crosswalk explains that this kind of thanksgiving is rooted in the total belief of God's merciful providence and care in all things, in the constant faith that "God works in everything for good with those who love Him."

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (AMP)

17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; 18Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

Fast, Fast, and Fast More

Last but not least, in deepening our understanding of God and learning to walk habitually, it is essential that we practice fasting. We must maintain a close, personal relationship with our Father in Heaven if we can resist evil. Fasting, meaning abstaining from food and water, draws us closer to God and sharpens our focus to seek His perfect will in our daily lives. It forces you to find sustenance in God and go to him as your source of strength, even physical strength. It is also important to note the essence of a fast. Fasting is not an end unto itself; it is not just about waiting until a particular time of day and eating. It is also not just about food... it is about separating yourself from everything else, like social media. The best illustration on this explains that every time you feel physically hungry during a fast, feed your spirit instead. Read or recite a scripture, pray, worship... do something that helps you grow spiritually. That is the best way to maximize a fast. It was understanding that that even allowed some of us who had ulcers to participate. We drank water during that time, but we fed our spirits first before every gulp.

Charge

We all have incredibly intense schedules, obligations, and packed to-do lists, often hindering us from habitually walking with God. However, we see men in the Bible who still intently maintained their habitual fellowship despite all they had going on. In Daniel 6:10, Daniel still prayed despite the threat of death if anyone prayed to anyone besides the King. Psalm 55:17, we see that even as the King of an entire nation, David prayed three times every day.

Ask God to show you how to manage your little time better so you can begin to develop a habitual fellowship with him. He will show you how to cut off unnecessary things taking your time. Amen!

Keep in Touch!

If the Holy Spirit taught you something, please comment so we can all benefit.

God bless you. Jesus loves you!

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