Have a Deeper Connection With God
By Glenda Ward
McDowell County
Make a daily habit of confessing your sin to God, our Heavenly Father. Our biggest hindrance to being close to God in relationship to Him is our sin! When sin is a barrier in our relationship with Father God, our confession of our sin to Him removes that barrier. God promises to forgive us when we confess our sins before Him, and that forgiveness is what restores a relationship that has been strained with our Heavenly Father.
Asking God to forgive you of your sins and trespasses simply isn’t enough! In the request for forgiveness, the sin needs to be stated specifically. It is the heartfelt feeling of a remorseful conscience and of those who recognize that their sin is offensive to our Holy God, realizing that their sin is what nailed Jesus Christ to the Cross at Calvary. “God I am sorry for the sin(s) I committed,” simply is NOT ENOUGH! Get serious about your condition in sin and seek, truly seek God’s promise of forgiveness.
1 John 1:9
Confession of your sin should free you to enjoy a restored fellowship with God our Father. It should ease your conscience so you can focus on a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father. Confessing our sins does not mean a shallow reciting of misdeeds and transgressions. It means owning up to your wrongdoing and bringing your life into alinement with God’s goodness and commandments, into a right relationship and deeper connection with Him. God can forgive and cleanse anyone from their transgressions and the most terrible of any sins.
Many Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive people for their sins. God allowed His beloved Son to die a cruel and agonizing death on the Cross at Calvary so He could pardon our very sins. We are still of this human body and we fall short of the Glory of God daily, therefore we are to continue confessing our sins daily. Our salvation in Jesus Christ is secure. It is we confess our sins so we can enjoy maximum fellowship with our God, our Heavenly Father.
Psalm 32:5
The confession of our sin brings us relief because God forgives the immorality of that sin committed. The quilt that is felt while in the depths of sin is not a subjective feeling but a liability for punishment in a legal sense. It is not the mere removal of the guilt feelings from sins committed since God brings the conviction on us. Forgiveness is what is needed and required. What is confession? To confess our sin is to agree with God, to acknowledge that He is right to declare that what we have done is a sin and that we are in the wrong to desire to commit the sin. It means affirming our intention to abandon sin to have a deeper connection with our Father God, and to be faithful to His leadership.
Acts 3:19
Peter called on his audience to repent and be forgiven based on who Jesus Christ was and is today, how He was treated by the Jewish people, and how God had vindicated Him by raising Him from the Dead.
John the Baptist had prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance. The first step leading to God’s forgiveness is to confess your sin and turn from it completely. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.” (Acts 3:19). The apostles’ call to salvation also included repentance. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38). When we repent, God promises not only to wipe away our sins but to bring Spiritual refreshment to us. Seek a deeper connection in your relationship to and with God and He will give you a better way.
James 4:8
Submit to God – is self-humbling. Resist the devil – is an active resistance against temptation. Following is a list of 5 statements for how you can have a deeper connection with God by drawing nigh (close) to Him.
- “Submit yourselves therefore to God,” (4:7). Realize that you need His forgiveness. Be willing to follow Him.
- “Resist the devil,” (4:7). Don’t allow him to entice you into temptation.
- “Cleans your hands, …and purify your hearts,” (4:8). Lead a pure life. Be cleansed from your sin. Replace it with God’s purity.
- Let there be tears, sorrow, and sincere grief for your sins. Don’t be afraid to express deep heartfelt sorrow for those sins. (Reference 4:9)
- “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up,” and draw you nigh unto Him. (4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).
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Glenda Ward is a member of Grand View Baptist Church in McDowell County and is a Christian writer/author of “Something to Think About” – weekly Christian Articles. She finds purpose and joy in writing Church Programs & Bulletins, VBS Material, Christmas and Easter Programs, Memorials, and now expanding to include weekly articles to other churches, as well as writings to include Christian-based articles on Relationships in Marriage; all material based on the KJV of the Bible. From personal experience, I hope to set an example of how to serve a risen Savior and live by the Holy Spirit with joy. My goal is to help people partake of the better option in life to experience the transforming power that is available in Christ Jesus today. You can read more, good, Christian news from Glenda HERE.
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