Nations1

I have been thinking lately about people and our walk with God in the life of the church.  We talk a lot about walking with God and many times the remedy is something we make up.  Accountability groups, quiet times,  attendance at an event are all things we do in order to get closer to God. These are not bad and we should do them.  But… I see people all the time who do these things and their walk is stale and cold. We can do all the ritual we want but this does not bring us closer to Him. Until we are hungry beggars we will not  be able to understand the power of Christ in our lives.

I ran across this devo in My Utmost for His Highest that I thought was really good.

“You cannot bring yourself to the point of spiritual reality anytime you choose. The best thing to do, once you realize you are not spiritually real, is to ask God for the Holy Spirit, basing your request on the promise of Jesus Christ (see Luke 11:13 ). The Holy Spirit is the one who makes everything that Jesus did for you real in your life.
“Everyone who asks receives … .” This does not mean that you will not get if you do not ask, but it means that until you come to the point of asking, you will not receive from God (see Matthew 5:45 ). To be able to receive means that you have to come into the relationship of a child of God, and then you comprehend and appreciate mentally, morally, and with spiritual understanding, that these things come from God.
“If any of you lacks wisdom … .” If you realize that you are lacking, it is because you have come in contact with spiritual reality—do not put the blinders of reason on again. The word ask actually means “beg.” Some people are poor enough to be interested in their poverty, and some of us are poor enough spiritually to show our interest. Yet we will never receive if we ask with a certain result in mind, because we are asking out of our lust, not out of our poverty. A pauper does not ask out of any reason other than the completely hopeless and painful condition of his poverty. He is not ashamed to beg—blessed are the paupers in spirit (see Matthew 5:3 ).”