Eager to Follow

The past few days I have been so eager and ready to read my Bible. I have just really had a desire to be close to God. However, in having this "desire" I was questioned by the Holy Spirit, "where was that desire last week or the week before when you didn't grab your Bible for 3 days in a row? Did you not have the desire to serve me then?" The answers to these questions cut me deep. Have you ever noticed that when you say something out loud or write it down the thing you confess always sounds worse? I can remember when I was in college at ASU and I was involved with MBSF (missionary baptist student fellowship) that Bro Chad(the college minister) encouraged all of us to find a prayer partner. Me being one of the older students had the responsibility of spending time discipling some of the younger girls. I can remember having prayer with them, talking about what God was doing in their lives, and rejoicing at answered prayers.

One of the "girls" I was discipling back then became one of my very best friends, Ashley Loftis. Her husband, Heath is a MBSF director at the University of Central Arkansas. Ashley and I shared many times of crying, mourning, and sorrowing of our sins, and we noticed a trend. The accountability is so important because when you confess your sins as James says then it truly helps you to understand why it hurts God so much when we sin. So why don't we do that? If sin is the barrier between us and God why do we often take so long and try to "hide" our sins from an "all knowing" God? Many times it is pride, denial, or lack of time. Whatever the reason we must be reminded of 1 John 1;8-9 that "If we confess our sins that he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Then that opens the gate WIDE open for us to a right relationship with God again.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that you can lose your salvation. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as the son of God and believe he is who his word proclaims then you are free, indeed. However, we still have to wrestle with our sin nature. This means ups and downs in our relationship with Christ just like in a marriage or even a close friendship. So, back to my desire. It is a direct link to my unconfessed sin. Unconfessed sin=no desire to serve Christ. Do you want to desire him? Then confess your sins before him and before a prayer partner whether that is your husband/wife or even a friend. When you truly are repentant Christ loves to give you more "meat to chew on". Until you confess, you cannot have an open line of communication as stated in the Psalms, David said, " you did not hear me because I had unconfessed sin in my life".

An example of someone who had a thirst for God is Peter from the New Testament. Peter was a spontaneous kind of guy. He usually said things before thinking about them, but he also invested ALL of himself into whatever he was doing at that point in his life. We know that Peter was a disciple of Christ and in John 13 Jesus demonstrated his servanthood to his disciples by washing their feet. In verse 6 Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, are you washi"ng my feet? The he told Jesus that he did not want him to wash his feet, and we see that Jesus told Peter if he didn't wash his feet that he wouldn't be a part with him. Peter says in verse 9, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." We see that Peter was very eager to follow Christ which simply means obedience. Peter was joyful about letting Jesus wash his feet because he wanted so badly to be with Jesus. He knew that without that acceptance he couldn't be with him.

In my life I go through these times where I am not willing to be a part with Jesus in everything he wants to do in my life, but Christ wants us to be consistent. He desires for us to desire HIM, and to do it with all we have like Peter did. What are you going to do today? Are you going to continue to live your life in dullness, and ocassional Bible Reading when you get "on fire" for Jesus, or are you going to confess your sins to Jesus and be eager to follow him?

Lord, give me the strength and the courage to follow you with Joy and Gladness because you have made me Glad!