I am ecstatic that I am growing spiritually, in faith in the last three years; the month of May 2016 was when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. It was when I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and also baptized in the Holy Ghost.
Every single time I look back I am extremely grateful for the darkness Jesus pulled me out from. I am so thankful for the light Jesus has called me into, the relationship I have with Him.
Thank you, Jesus, for the salvation of my soul!
But I know that it is one thing to be saved, it is another thing to remain saved. I have heard and read stories of people who lose their salvation. I always pray to God to keep helping in my walk with Him.
So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. Phillippians 2:12(AMP)
Listening to Joshua Selman over the weekend, I am reminded as I celebrate three years in my new life. To sustain my faith, to keep trusting and living the life of faith in Jesus Christ, I need to seek God with my whole heart, I need to desire private and secret encounters with God.
Because an encounter with God never leaves one the same way, it changes things about the person.
It is almost impossible for those who have encounters with God to waver, God becomes so real to such lives.
Imagine seeing a tornado or an earthquake, such events never leave the memory.
Moses never wavered, unlike the Israelites who always doubted God. They had the knowledge of God through the mouth and eyes of Moses. They saw God through the eyes and mouth of Moses.
For them, there was no relational knowledge of God, there was no secret seeking and finding of God.
They were not able to decipher when God was leading them through some kind of hardship so they could see Him in it. Only if they knew, they wouldn’t murmur and grumble, they probably would have just praised Him through the wilderness.
David sought God with His whole heart in the secret; He is described as the man after God’s heart, He wrote beautiful poems spurred from His secret seeking of the Lord.
Jesus retreated to a secret place to seek God; He is the King of Kings, seated at the right hand of the Lord, exalted above everything in this life.
Daniel sought after God in the secret; God gave him knowledge, skill, and wisdom. He was also able to Interpret all kinds of dreams and visions
Paul had an encounter with God on his way to Damascus and he never remained the same! He wrote about 13 books of the 27 books in the New Testament. He had experienced and seen God in ways only he could describe and he poured it all out into those books.
Esther sought the Lord in secret, praying and fasting and she found favor before King Xerxes.
It is great to fellowship with God’s people listen to men and women of God but it is the greatest if we encounter, see God for ourselves.
As I go ahead in my walk with God, as it is the most prized possession to me. I do not want to lose my relationship with God, I am reminded to seek God in the secret.
The secret seeking of the Lord leads to the public manifestation of God’s glory in our lives, spiritual and physical growth and many more….
I implore you to seek for a relationtional knowledge of God, Know how He speaks to you, seek Him secretly, spend time with Him.
Things to do
- In as much as we are immersed in so much work and things to achieve, we should make out time for God- A “me and you time with God” It is doable, It is achievable!
You could pick a Saturday to just lock yourself up alone in a room to spend with God or out of those leave days you get from work, select one or two days to spend with God.
You could select one or two days in a month to retreat to be by your self with God. Select the date and pray about it, ask God to help you, strengthen you to meet with Him on that date. Because the spirit is so willing but the flesh is so weak!
- Another thing that stood out for me in Joshua Selman’s sermon and I also see it in Philippians 2:12- with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].
Without a doubt God, God blesses us as we walk with Him, He uses us to do great things, to impact lives. Without a doubt, it is only human for one to feel really good as we receive accolades for these things. But we should be careful not to let pride, greed, evil-ambition, sin slide into our lives to eat up gently into our salvation.
Because losing salvation doesn’t happen in one day, it is little lapses here and there.
Hence, let us be careful, let us check and evaluate our lives with Jesus daily.
Let us always give credit to Jesus Christ for all the good things He does in us and through us.
That we may seek God with our all hearts and find Him in Jesus name. Jeremiah 29:13