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| PentecostalTheology.com
Maintaining a Vibrant Relationship with Jesus – Ray E Horton
We all need a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ, our source. You get there by choice – He is waiting for you with outstretched arms. And, below are some pointers for maintaining that relationship.
The worldly life has nothing comparable to offer – surely not the joy and peace that can be yours in Him
For those believers who have become discouraged, God isn’t nor has ever been your problem, and it is He who will help you to overcome. Come back to a vibrant relationship with Jesus. He loves you and wants to fellowship with you. It is He who will empower you to walk the walk. What you must do is bite the bullet and decide to come back. You will never regret it. The worldly life has nothing comparable to offer – surely not the joy and peace that can be yours in Him.
And, once you have returned home to a rich relationship with the Lord, there are several keys to staying there:
1) Communing with Him in prayer and allowing Him to show you His love for you, listening for His voice. How do you know it is Him? By faith! If you are in prayer, with right motives, not pushing your own agenda, that thought that witnesses to your spirit may indeed come through your mind, but you can be confident it is Him. Remember, though, for it to be Him, it will never contradict His Word, and the inward witness of the spirit is important.
2) The Word of God is so important. When read with prayer and faith, it becomes a living Word to you. Don’t just read it out of some false sense of duty. There is no life in that – that’s just self-righteous works of trying to gain the favor of God, who already has given you His favor. Yes, it is good to read through the whole Bible one time or another. But focus on the New Testament for now and meditate on the truths of God’s Word and His wonderful promises. Read it in the context of who you know God to be – a good God who loves you, wants to build you up, and empower you to bear much fruit.
No Tarrying – Just Ask and Receive
3) You have the Holy Spirit as a believer, but you need His power in your life. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, as they experienced at Pentecost, is available to all believers, and makes a huge difference for encouragement and for reaching out to others. You receive simply by asking, and, if you like, ask another spirit-filled believer to lay hands on you when you pray. And, there is no tarrying, no need to wait, simply receive by faith. If you have the Baptism operating in your life, don’t take for granted and neglect your prayer language. Use it all the time. Using the wonderful gift of tongues builds you up and refreshes you in spirit as the Holy Spirit, who knows all things, prays through you:
“Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Rom 8:26-27). Praying in tongues is also a powerful tool for intercession. It equips you for ministry to others and brings great joy.
Keeps You Aware of God’s Love
“But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God…” (Jude 1:20-21). As we pray in the Spirit, using our prayer language, we are built up in our faith – see, it calls our faith “your most holy faith.” Your faith isn’t something you have to work up; it is there within you, and it is holy because it is a gift from God. And, praying in the Spirit in faith keeps you in the love of God. That doesn’t mean He loves you more, it means it keeps you aware of and experiencing God’s love.
It’s all about Jesus and His grace. Not something you must do, but what He did. Some promises to ponder:
“He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8).
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Phil. 2:13 NLT).
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).
