Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."
Jeremiah 29:13 (Amplified Bible) “Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
EMPOWERMENT COMMENTARY BY JARRETT L. PERDUE SR.
In order to have a Daily Relationship with God, we have to believe that God exists. Not just what someone has told us about God. Not just what we have heard about God. Not just based on emotions and indoctrination. We really have to operate in faith that God exists if we call ourselves "Born Again Believers In Christ."
There are those that do not believe in the existence of God. Faith in God has to be consistent, whether people say they believe in the existence of God or not. One has to stand strong in their belief and empirical knowledge.
Look at some of the words in Hebrews 11:6 and their meaning in the Greek.
"Without" - Apart. Besides.
"Faith" - The conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things.
"It Is Impossible" - Unable to be done. Powerless.
"Cometh" - Draw near to. Approach.
"Believe" - Place confidence in. To trust in Jesus or God to aid either in obtaining or in doing something. To entrust a thing to one.
"Rewarder" - One who pays wages. A rewarder.
"Diligently Seek" - To seek out. Search for.
A Believer In Christ that has solid faith in God and His Word, not wavering, and actuate their faith consistently, will have a powerful relationship with God.
First, we need to define RELATIONSHIP. Then, we will make the application toward God.
There are those that do not believe in the existence of God. Faith in God has to be consistent, whether people say they believe in the existence of God or not. One has to stand strong in their belief and empirical knowledge.
Look at some of the words in Hebrews 11:6 and their meaning in the Greek.
"Without" - Apart. Besides.
"Faith" - The conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things.
"It Is Impossible" - Unable to be done. Powerless.
"Cometh" - Draw near to. Approach.
"Believe" - Place confidence in. To trust in Jesus or God to aid either in obtaining or in doing something. To entrust a thing to one.
"Rewarder" - One who pays wages. A rewarder.
"Diligently Seek" - To seek out. Search for.
A Believer In Christ that has solid faith in God and His Word, not wavering, and actuate their faith consistently, will have a powerful relationship with God.
First, we need to define RELATIONSHIP. Then, we will make the application toward God.
RELATIONSHIP
3.} An emotional or other connection between people. The relationship between teachers and students.
I define relationship as a CORRELATION CONNECTION. So relationship is about INTERCHANGE, which means the parties involved are reciprocal to each other and have mutual understanding.
When it comes to a Christian understanding about our Relationship with God we need to know the spiritual objective from the standpoint of scriptural acumen.The concept that people attend a building, go to weekly services, pray, preach, teach, pastor, evangelize, sing, worship, watch television ministries and read the Bible does not necessarily constitute a Relationship with God.
One can do all those things in action and never have a Relationship with God. Participation in all of the above can and will be very positive. There must be understanding of our spiritual substance in the things we do, not just action. (Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.")
If the only time you have interaction with God is when you are in a crisis, (911 emergency call to heaven), and need finances, healing and help, you do not have a Relationship with God. You are in a desperate situation and now you want God to bail you out. This is why we need to have a comprehensive understanding of relationship.
Relationship with God will give you acumen when it comes to your requests and interaction with God that will be expressed in daily living.
Relationship with God will give you acumen when it comes to your requests and interaction with God that will be expressed in daily living.
To translate that to God, here are the 3 areas we will discuss:
1) RELATIONSHIP INVOLVEMENT WITH GOD. 2) DAILY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. 3) TRUST RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
1) RELATIONSHIP INVOLVEMENT WITH GOD
To be involved in something means to be engaged and understand the operation and comprehension of the range of the involvement. You want to make sure you understand why you are involved in the first place.
What is a Relationship Involvement With God? We become involved with God when we understand that the Heavenly Father wants us to be joined with Him, and identify with Him.
JOINED WITH THE LORD
IDENTIFY WITH GOD
John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that HEARETH My Word, and BELIEVETH on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life.”
GOD wants to have a bond with us. That bond should never be broken!
Romans 8:35, 38-39
35) “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
38) “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,”
39) “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Our spirit should be in correlation with God's Spirit. We should have equivalence, correspondence, interaction and interconnection with our Heavenly Father. We gain that when we have Relationship Involvement with Him.
Our Relationship Involvement with God should be involving ourselves with gaining knowledge of scriptural principles. The Bible is the design and model which gives us the prototype for understanding our positive involvement with God. Relationship Involvement is the first of our 3 areas of Relationship with the Heavenly Father.
2) DAILY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
The second area of Relationship with our Heavenly Father is daily relationship. A Daily Relationship with God is defined as occurring every day, day-to-day. The relationship becomes commonplace. A great scripture for identifying a Daily Relationship with God is Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Here is what the Amplified Bible states. “But seek ([a]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([b]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [c]taken together will be given you besides.”
This can be said as “Seek ye first the DIRECTION OF GOD.” Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall DIRECT thy paths.”
The Greek translation for “kingdom” is the kingship, rule and the reign of the Messiah. We certainly want to follow the rule or direction of God in our lives. When you daily seek God, you acknowledge God. When you acknowledge God, He will direct your paths. “Paths” translated from the Hebrew to English is “WAY OF LIVING.”
When we seek God first (Matthew 6:33), and acknowledge God, (Proverbs 3:6), and actuate this on a daily basis, we then understand the direction of God for us.
Having a Daily Relationship with God is having daily dialogue with God which is what we call prayer. Read my exposition on “EMPOWERMENT & PRAYER.” http://perduespositiveempowermentprayer.blogspot.com/
Make your Daily Relationship with God positive. Listen to God in your spirit. The Heavenly Father will lead and guide you for the things in your life. John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
3) TRUST RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Trust is defined as reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing;
The Book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon approx., 900 B.C., which is 2,911 years prior to 2011.
There are 3 important words in this verse: Trust, Lean and Understanding. Here are the meaning of the words via translation from Hebrew to English.
TRUST - batach bä·takh' to have confidence, be confident to be secure.
LEAN - shä·an' shä·an' to lean, lean upon, support oneself.
UNDERSTANDING - biynah bē·nä' discernment.
Question: Does this Proverb written by King Solomon over 2,900 years ago still apply today or is there an expiration date?
This still applies today. We can look at a scripture that we can associate with Proverbs 3:5. The declaration scripture was written 1,946 years ago (65 A.D.), in the book of Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
The book of Hebrews was written 32 years after the Church was established in 33 A.D.
Here is the translation to our English language.
YESTERDAY – Of time just past.
TODAY – This very day.
We have to allow the Lord to work in our lives. We do that by actuating trust. Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
Question: How often should we put our trust in God? Answer: All the time! Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
The Heavenly Father is our shield when we trust in Him. Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”
Trusting God in every area of our lives brings us closer in relationship with Him.
Our Relationship with God should be Relationship Involvement, Daily Relationship and Trust Relationship. These 3 areas of relationship will bring us to the understanding of having excellence in the following 3 areas:
1) EXPECTATION FROM GOD
2) FAITH IN GOD
3) TO BE STRONG IN GOD
The prerequisite for having these 3 areas of excellence is to have Relationship Involvement, Daily Relationship and Trust Relationship with God. When Christians attempt to have Expectation, Faith and Strength in God without the 3 components of Relationship with God, it will be extremely difficult. Here is an arithmetical comparison. A person cannot process information on trigonometry and calculus without having a great understanding of algebra and geometry, which are the prerequisites.
The 3 areas of Relationship with God is so important as the prerequisites.
The 3 areas of Relationship with God is so important as the prerequisites.
EXPECTATION FROM GOD
1) When you have Relationship Involvement, Daily Relationship and Trust Relationship with God, you will then have EXPECTATION FROM GOD.
We cannot have Expectation From God if there is no Relationship with God. How can you expect something positive from anyone when you know nothing about them.
Hebrew translation – That ground of hope. Positive outcome.
Philippians 1:20 “According to my earnest EXPECTATION and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed ….......”
Expectation in this context from the Greek is - persistent expectation. To wait for with watchfulness.
FAITH IN GOD
2) When you have Relationship Involvement, Daily Relationship and Trust Relationship with God, you will then have FAITH IN GOD.
You really cannot have faith in someone if you do not trust them. This is why the 3 parts of Relationship with God are so important.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without FAITH it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
We need Relationship with God to fully understand how to process our faith.
STRONG IN GOD
3) When you have Relationship Involvement, Daily Relationship and Trust Relationship with God, you will be STRONG IN GOD.
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be STRONG IN THE LORD, and in the power of his might.”
The Greek translation is - to receive strength, be strengthened, increase in strength.
Relationship with God with allow you to be strong in God. Relationship with God gives you consistent strength in God. Joshua 14:11 “As yet I am as STRONG this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my STRENGTH was then, even so is my STRENGTH now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.”
Relationship with God with allow you to be strong in God. Relationship with God gives you consistent strength in God. Joshua 14:11 “As yet I am as STRONG this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my STRENGTH was then, even so is my STRENGTH now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.”
Notice the following scripture has strength and trust in the same verse. Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my STRENGTH, in whom I will TRUST; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
This relates to our third area of Relationship with God. Our Trust Relationship with God gives us our strength in God.
This relates to our third area of Relationship with God. Our Trust Relationship with God gives us our strength in God.
It is so important to let our Relationship with God have continuity. The more we express the relationship through important areas such as prayer, study, song, praise, and thanksgiving, the more we will have a greater understanding of God.
God wants us to have total relationship with Him. When we utilize the 3 areas of Relationship with God, (Involvement – Daily – Trust), we are in a position to receive all the wonderful blessings the Heavenly Father has for us.
We have access to God. Ephesians 3:12 “In whom we have boldness and ACCESS with confidence by the faith of him.”
ACCESS in the Greek language is defined as “that Relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favourably disposed towards us.”
We have access to God. Ephesians 3:12 “In whom we have boldness and ACCESS with confidence by the faith of him.”
ACCESS in the Greek language is defined as “that Relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favourably disposed towards us.”
Continue with a consistent Relationship with God in your lives and you will see the works and blessings the Heavenly Father has for you.
Jarrett L. Perdue Sr.
