get closer to God

I’ve been a Christian all my life, yet when I think about it, I haven’t really been a Christian if you know what I mean. But lately, I feel a spiritual closeness with God and i’ve felt like this before, but its different this time and I just want to stay that way and get closer to God by reading my Bible and praying as often as I can.

My mom always says “man without God cannot be” well your suppose to fill in the blank after “be”, i guess…but when i think about it man is nothing wihtout GoD we need him….and I’ve always heard that if you keep God #1 then everything else will fall into place, when the time is right…

Keep God number 1 and everything else will fall into place in HIS time!...this is so true! I have def. gotten closer to God over the past year but I have found myself starting to slide. I have a friend who was so close to God, and he got me started reading my bible. Ive been a christian for a long time, but I didnt have that understanding of how important it is to have a relationship with God! My friend has since headed back in his old ways but its not my place to judge, God is in control and I continue to pray for him daily! I want to continue to keep God first! He is amazing and without him, who knows where I’d be. He has blessed me so much! I dont see how anyone makes it without believing in God! I would be so lost, in more than one way! My goals are to lose weight and get closer to God. I want to find the person I am supposed to spend my life with. I believe this will happen once I truly honestly let go of everything thats holding me back and let God stay number 1!

The last 2 years have been just horrible for me. Two years ago I began a separation and divorce from the only girl I had ever been in love with, which was very hard for me. While going through this, I had begun to become close to God again, I felt through some minor struggles, I was on the right track. I had a job at a place with fellow Christians, and did not feel out of place with my openness about my faith.

Then…...

Last year, I very foolishly abandoned my job I had for over 9 years for another job which has been nothing but a nightmare for me. I have tried to get my old job back, without success. This new job has a very high atheism rate. As of right now I have considered this the biggest mistake in my life. I became depressed, had run out of any energy to do things on my own time, my self confidence is completely lost, gained a lot of weight, and feel embarrassed to even leave the house. I have wanted to blame others who had encouraged me to go work at this awful place, even though I am the one who agreed to it, and could have just said no. I had begun drifting away from God, I questioned daily why he would ever allow me to end up in such a horrible place that has had such a negative effect on my life, and our relationship. Right now, I just do not understand why…

Lately I feel time is short, and I need to clean up my act before my time is up. I keep coming across what I feel are messages from God.

I want to become closer than ever to God. But it is so hard right now when there is much negatives in my life….

Well, today, I actually paid attention for the whole service, but I found out my church’s pastor is quitting. I’m making progress on this goal. I was talking to someone here, and I wondered… Can I ever really check this goal off? I’ll never be close ENOUGH to God, don’t you think? Interesting thought, interesting thought…

Okay, I was raised in a Christian home. I mean, REALLY Christian home. My parents are the kind of people that are so Christian, even a pastor would find them annoying. They kinda remind me of the pharisees in the Bible that stand on the street corners, so everyone can hear them praying…

Anyway, living with them, I got burnt out on my faith, and eventually, pretty much turned my back on God. I kinda stopped believing He even existed for a while.

I’m on my way back. I’ve sought help from a few Christian friends, and I’m trying to hang out more with people of faith. I just don’t really know how to come back completely after that. Anyone with any amazingly great advice for me?

I’m not sure how to get started. I somehow know that prayer and meditation should be involved. Should I read the Bible? I’m not even sure where it is. All I know is that I’ve been feeling apart from him and I don’t have much peace. I want this to change.

(His questions are regular font, my answers are in bold font)

Does god love ME, too? Love is a human emotion. God isn’t human so this question is obsolete. Don’t take this metaphor too literal, BUT…does the sun love every plant that it shines on each day? Of course not. The sun isn’t human and doesn’t feel love emotions as we do. However the sun is necessary for the plant to live. The God/human relationship is similar.

How do you know WHAT god thinks about ANYTHING? No one knows what God thinks and just as my answer to question 1 is merely a hypothesis and a best guess based on observation, anything else you hear about how God “thinks” or “feels” is merely the same.

Why should I care if god loves me or not?
You shouldn’t. You should care if you love God or not. First you should have a definition of God you understand though. To me God is pretty much one body. The body is known to you and me as the universe. So to me it is my responsibility to love the universe, and all of it’s contents and to do so is to love “God”. The difference is being connected with all things, being aware of that existence and loving all as you love yourself, ORRRR simply living selfishly believing you are entirely a self-contained unit separate from the rest.

To see this discussion in it’s entirety click here.

Have a blessed day! :)

The reason why I’m afraid to get closer to Him is because I’m afraid of what (who) I may lose. What sacrifices I will have to make. But you know what, if I lose them I never had them. I have to trust Him. I have to know that what He has is far better than anything I can get on my own. It will be hard, but in the end, it will be for the best.

I will start in Mathew 1 and Psalms 60