How to keep it simple?

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

I was driving to the hardware store yesterday and God told me to write a narrative about how to keep it simple for a believer. So here goes!

First of all, you have to recognize God is alive and desires to intervene in your life. He is not living in “never never land” and He wants to have a personal relationship with you.

God has a personality and feelings just like you and me. He is also a very jealous God and does not want to share you with other gods.

God is perfect and there is no evil in Him. He is a holy and pure God and will not get entangled in your sin. This is where the problem starts in understanding God.

You need a mediator to be able to approach God. This is why God sent His Son to the earth. Jesus died for sin and His blood is the only way you can find forgiveness and restoration to God. The blood cleanses you and allows you to draw close to God.

The foundation for walking with God is to make a decision for Jesus and to turn away from all other gods. This is the starting point and then you must then go before God every day and ask for His forgiveness. This is kind of simple but the road ahead gets sticky because Jesus will question the seriousness of your decision to follow Him by making you look at your life and your priorities.

When you make a decision for Jesus this changes the dynamics of how you think and react to your needs. You must now live by faith in God and trust Him for all your needs. You change from self sufficiency to trusting God for help in all circumstances. You trust God to bring what you cannot see into the reality of your life.

Jesus desires for you to have a pure heart and to live a life pleasing to Him. This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and enjoy life. He is not looking for you to become a religious zealot or give up the healthy desires of your life. You don’t have to try to become a spiritual guru or impress people with your faith and knowledge of the Bible.

The problem you face is the condition of your inner being. You were born with a spirit of rebellion against God and with a desire to live for self. So it is impossible to be a light for God and live with godly values unless “something” causes to change your inner being.

The “something” is the Spirit of God living inside you. He wants to teach you about Himself and create a new person within you. This is a lifelong process and only requires your openness to Him. He will do all the work to make you acceptable to God. You just need a willing heart.

The practical steps are to commit each day to God, pray for forgiveness, ask God for wisdom and protection, and be open to His voice. Spend a little time reading a good devotional or a chapter in the Bible.

This will put a smile on the face of Jesus!