By Billy Holland
Are you confident that God is watching you, listening to your words, and searching your heart during times of difficulty or making a request? It’s not that uncommon to hear people say that sometimes they feel their prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and cannot explain why or how this could be happening.
These times of spiritual discouragement are fairly common, but it does not mean that our messages are going to voicemail. He is Omnipresent which means He sees and hears everything instantaneously. Others will testify at times they sense God’s tangible presence and believe He is actively intervening. So what makes the difference?
This is a popular question, but I can assure you if there is a communication problem, it’s not on God’s end. He sent His only Son Jesus to restore the relationship that Adam and Eve lost, and of all the blessings He has for us, He wants everyone to know and trust Him more than anything. God would never delete or block our messages because He is angry or disappointed with us. He just wants us to humbly and sincerely ask Him to forgive our sins which helps cleanse our heart and re-establish the intimacy of our relationship.
One reason why He might seem distant is because of our disingenuous attitude. He already knows if we are sincerely broken about our sins, but if we are just wanting His help without any intention of becoming more like Him, He is not impressed.
Earthly achievements, security, and relationships are a part of life, but according to His list of priorities for us, obeying His voice and abiding in His presence are at the top. If achieving this goal is not what we are passionate about, then no wonder we do not have His peace, joy, or the answers we seek.
Having a personal covenant with a Savior we cannot see can challenge our faith, but this does not mean He does not love you and desires to help you. All He has ever wanted from any of us is our heart. He waits for us to surrender our plans and follow His.
He wants to control our thoughts and for us to consult with Him in every decision. To be filled with His Spirit means that He longs to possess us, and sadly we do not hear a lot about this extreme way of thinking anymore. Instead of doing what He says, we have developed our own way of living for Him which includes us doing whatever we want and Him blessing it. We believe we have negotiated a sweet
deal, but in reality, we are betraying ourselves. When this is the case, we become victims of self-inflicted deception.
We are beginning a new year and I cannot think of a better time to make some changes. As a communicator I love sharing my thoughts about life and many of them are included in this column each week. I’m involved in a ministry at the detention center in my hometown, and I was telling the inmates this week about what a wonderful opportunity it is to allow Christ to guide you into His plans.
I realize we rarely think about our spiritual development, but if we do not make serious changes we will probably stay the same. Since we have free will to decide, change comes from the desires within the mind and having faith and courage to see them through.
Change the mind, change our destiny. Our mind decides how determined we are to love and serve God. The greatest goal and aspiration would be to know God’s will and to do everything we can to accomplish it.
I’ve been in the ministry since the early eighties and I feel comfortable in the church environment and being with God’s people. I’ve held different positions within the church such as associate pastor, music minister, elder, counselor, teacher, and evangelist, and I’m praying to discover what and where my new assignment will be. I’m currently involved with several local outreach ministry opportunities and I love helping others discover the love of Jesus.
I believe when we seek God’s kingdom first, we will find His perfect will for our lives. He works behind the scenes arranging places for all of us to accomplish His desires, and I’m excited to enter the next open door He is preparing for me. I’m convinced that He influences and persuades while creating divine appointments that serve His purpose for His glory.
Billy Holland is an ordained minister, certified chaplain, and Christian author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com
