Tag: Bible verses about growing closer to God

Hebrews 4:2 (NKJV) 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

We can hear the gospel all day long, but that is not enough to save us. We have to believe what the Word of God is saying!

Are we stuck in a rut today?

We read our Bible, we attend church services, and we are taught. However, we are not growing.

Our heart has not changed, and our relationship with God is stagnant; never changing or growing.

Believing God’s word and taking steps to obey it is what will bring change to our hearts and all our situations.

Without believing in and walking out His word, we will continue to stay in the same place.

What we do will determine whether we grow or not.

Do we believe God parted the Red Sea, or is it just a great story to us?

Exodus 14:21 (NKJV) 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

Do we believe God restored Job and all his loss, giving him even more then he had to start off with?

Job 42:10 (NKJV) 10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Do we believe it rained for 40 days, and Noah built a huge Ark to hold him, his family, and two of every kind of animal?

Genesis 8:6 (NKJV) 6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.

Do we believe Jesus Christ suffered for us, died on the cross for our sins, and rose on the third day?

Luke 24:46-47 (NKJV) 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Remember, reading is not enough.

We must believe in our hearts that what we are reading is truth, and have faith that God will do mighty things in our life.

Amen.

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Philippians 2:12 (NKJV) 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Yesterday we discussed our initial salvation and the fact that we cannot earn that. It is a gift of God given freely to those who accept it by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.

We also discussed our transformation as we submit ourselves under the hand of God and obey His Spirit as He leads us down His path.

Today, let us look at the long-term ramifications of our faith in Christ and our walk with God as a whole.

As we mentioned yesterday, part of growing in Christ is changing as God leads us.

This is something that we should not ignore or take lightly.

As a new Christian, growth is implied. It is meant to be part of our walk and our relationship with God. Growing in Christ should never be considered optional, even though we are not forced to do so.

God’s design for us is a lifetime of growing closer and closer to Him, solely because we want to, not because He forces us to do so.

We need to recognize, though, that God not forcing us is not an indication of Him not wanting us to grow.

It is His gift of allowing us to exercise our free will.

On our end, we need to recognize the need for us to grow and mature. Not doing so will leave us as spiritual infants struggling to keep our faith alive, living a life of spiritual mediocrity, and constantly wrestling with temptation and sin in our lives.

And this sin will drive a wedge between us and God, creating a gap that will only grow wider if we fail to overcome it. This is where our lack of growth becomes dangerous.

And it is why Paul said that we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

Relationships that are one-sided or lopsided rarely succeed. Our relationship with God is no different.

We know that He is faithful to always hold up His end. The question is whether we will hold up ours.

So, let us be diligent to work out our salvation diligently, with sincerity of heart, making every effort to keep growing and moving closer to God, pushing aside mediocrity, and letting our faith be seen outwardly through the things we do and the words we speak.

Salvation is freely given, but we should never take it lightly.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Isaiah 12:2-3 (NKJV) “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” Therefore, you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.

Our spirit will let us know when we are missing Him. It will thirst for Him!

Sometimes we can get so busy in doing our work for the Lord that we will find ourselves just wanting to stop and rest in His presence.

But the question is, will we?

When we moved to NC back in December, it took a lot of our time and energy.

Thinking and preparing for the big move caused us to be very busy, 24/7. When night time rolled around and we hit that bed, we went out like lights! There was not one ounce of anything left in us.

After running like that for several weeks, I began to feel like something was wrong, even though everything was getting done. Every “I” was dotted and every “T” was crossed.

Everything was going just as planned and we knew God was in it all.

Then, I read the verse below. And it spoke to me for days after I read it.

John 19:28 (NKJV) 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

Jesus was done with His work here. It was finished; completed. All that He had to do, He did. He accomplished all that He had set out to do!

When He said, “I thirst!”, I believe His spirit was thirsting, longing for His Father. He was ready to go HOME.

I realized exactly what was happening; my spirit thirsted. It wanted quality time with Him. It wanted down time with Him. It wanted to rest in Him and lay there in His presence and soak up the renewing and refreshing fullness that He gives when we seek after Him; when we draw near to Him.

I needed my time with my God, My Lord, my song. I needed to draw water from the springs of salvation. I needed to be quiet, steadfast, listening, and loving on Him.

Oh, how we thirst for Him at times. We can’t allow ourselves to run dry. Go to the springs of salvation today and get quenched. Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!