the issue of love (part 2)

read part 1

I was really serious about learning how to love God, so I began to pray and just tell Him my heart. When you love someone, you spend time with them. When we pray, we spend time with God. Prayer is a two-way line of communication, so sometimes rather than speaking, I would sit in silence and allow God to minister to my heart. 

God says, 

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. (Jeremiah 24:7 NIV)

This is what He began to do in me. He was giving me a heart to know Him.

I began to make it a daily routine to read my Bible in the morning and to write down the verse that stood out to me the most that day. I asked the Holy Spirit to help me with this, and I began to see trends in what God was telling me over many days. In the beginning, I would read a lot of verses about coming back to God (Jeremiah 3:14 MSG), clothing myself in Christ (Romans 13:14 NIV), changing my heart (Ezekiel 36: 26-27), and bearing fruit (John 15:16 ESV). It’s amazing to go back and see how God was literally transforming me with His Word! 

He transformed me because I took my daily verses one step further, I added them to my prayers. I began to pray like this (using the scriptures above): 

Lord, I love you. I adore You, God. Lord, You said in Your Word that you would bring me to Zion, that I am to come back to You. Lord, clothe me in Your righteous so that I will not fall and gratify only the desires on my flesh. Take out my heart of stone and replace in me a heart of flesh! You said that You chose me and that anything I ask in Jesus’ name will be given to me. I ask that you help me to bear good fruit so that I may bring glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

God says, 

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

His Word was performing an operation on me and truly taking out my heart of stone (dead in sin) and giving me a heart of flesh (alive in Him with a heart to know Him and to love Him). 

So, back to this change in me. What’s happened? Well, I have been renewed by the Word of God. Now, I can’t imagine going a day without reading at least one scripture because everyday God gives me greater revelation about who He is and who I am in Him! I can now confidently say that I am in love with Him. I have a new heart!

To you, I ask: what’s your struggle? What haven’t given to God to work out in you? I didn’t love God, and He’s helped me fall in love with Him through His Word. I want to tell you that God’s Word can help you in whatever situation you’re currently in. It’s sharper than a double-edged sword! Be honest with Him. Tell Him your struggle and ask for His help to overcome it.

What do you have to lose that you haven’t already lost?