The best and truest measure of intimacy with God is when we see him move in answer to a prayer.
Faith is hard because when we believe, we enter the spiritual world where the most consequential battles are fought. Progress here is even more difficult than progress in the physical world.
The degree to which we are willing to let our emotions control us will determine our capacity to trust God. Simply put, trusting our emotions over God and his Word will lead us into a state of unbelief.
As Christians we have to learn to seek God’s help; otherwise, we will stop having Quiet Times with God.
Pray about your lack of trust in God. What areas of your life are you unwilling to trust God with, and how has this affected your desire to pray? How has it affected your desire to read your Bible?
When Christians are not experiencing the personal joy and inspiration of Bible reading, then something will be missing in them as well as the community of believers with whom they fellowship. There will be a lack of energy, interest, faith, hope, and love.
Once our faith in God is strong, it becomes easy to overcome the temptation to be cynical in human relationships.
We need to learn what we need to do to become a calming rather than contentious influence, so that the John 17:20-23 prayer of Jesus’ can become a reality in our lives.
One of the most distinctive qualities of Jesus’s teaching is his ability to bring clarity out of complexity.
The next time you feel like you are foolish and don’t understand something, remember Jesus, like God, is patient and will work you through things until they are clear. He will comfort you along the way, easing your anxiety and bringing clarity to the complexity.
Jesus was sent by God to be the chief persuader. He was on a mission to convince, and in John 11:32-44 he is faced with grief, one of the most traumatic afflictions of faith any human being can experience. The sisters of Lazarus had watched their brother die when Jesus failed to arrive, and were plunged into deep grief accompanied by doubt. This grieving doubt had an emotional effect on Jesus as Scripture says he was “deeply moved” (John 11:33,38).
Jesus and anyone who chooses to live like him will be controversial, and that isn’t a negative thing. Unless we decide to live in a society where everyone believes and thinks the same thing controversies will abound.