For the next few days I will be posting an article by my lovely bride of almost 29 years, Colleen. Here's Part One.
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Several years ago, the Lord called me to go to our church building to pray. I thought I was starting a prayer ministry, but it turned out to be a season for me alone. The Lord touched me in the most intimate way, and at the same time I started feeling the weight of sin on my back. I asked the Lord, why is it that the more I come before you, the more I see all of the things that need to change within me? The Lord told me that he created our relationship to be this way.
Everyone needs to understand what sin is. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, the first two people God created were Adam and Eve. They had perfect unity with God, their creator. Until one day they made a decision behind God’s back and tried to hide it. When God confronted them they shifted the blame to each other. Their decision put a wall between them and God. Sin was born. Sin is turning our backs on God and doing our own thing. Sin separates us from God because God is sinless.
God can not tolerate sin, but he also wants a relationship with us so he created a unique way for allowing us to come before him. 1) God pours out his presence; 2) which produces a hunger for repentance (Repentance is turning and walking away from something that separates us from God’s presence); 3) that helps us to accept God’s leading in our lives.
When we experience the intimacy of God, we are changed forever. We no longer want our own desires to be fulfilled. We want what the Lord wants and we don’t care who gets the credit for it. Our focus changes from being on ourselves to being on Jesus. God’s presence causes a hunger so deep within us, that we want more and more. Entering God’s presence also creates a desire to get rid of any obstacle (sin) that can keep us from coming before him.
(Part Two Tomorrow).
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