HINDRANCES TO GOD’S COMPANIONSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 13, 2023.

SUBJECT: HINDRANCES TO GOD’S COMPANIONSHIP!

Memory verse: "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27 vs 4.)

READ: Deuteronomy 31 vs 6; Psalm 23 vs 6; 27 vs 4 - 5: 

Deuteronomy 31:6: Be strong and of a good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He he is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. 

Psalm 23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

INTIMATION:

I have a friend who loves to take long walks with me. We talk and laugh and enjoy each other’s company as we stroll along. The exercise is beneficial, and so is the conversation. The Lord is a lot like my friend. He enjoys walking with us as our companion on life’s pathway. And He brings blessing into our lives when we walk closely with Him.

The awareness of God’s presence with us is encouraging and heartwarming. The Bible in James 4 vs 8 promises, ‘Come near to God and He will come near to you.’ 

Even when we are surrounded by family and friends, some problems seem to double in size of their own accord. If we toss and turn in the early morning hours thinking about them, they become ten times as large. But remember, the Bible is full of encouragement. The Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you,” if you walk in companionship with Him. Though it seems the whole world has gone wrong around us, we are not alone — God is with us!

When we walk with the Lord, wherever we go, we cannot step outside the boundaries of God’s love and care. We can have fellowship “with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ” wherever we are. All we need to do is trust in God’s loving companionship and walk the path He has placed before us.

One of the hindrances to having God as our constant companion may lie in our desire to be independent. We may submit to Him as Father because we see no other choice. But to invite Him into a closer relationship that culminates into having Him as a constant companion—His being actively involved in every area of our lives, and giving His seal of approval to all we do—is found by many as too intimidating and threatening, apparently because they like their space. 

There are some people who want to be independent and not have others, even God, tell or suggest what they should do. We can be certain if we have any of these tendencies, that the adversary is going to use our weaknesses—our mistrust and self-centeredness—to try to keep us separated from God. 

Sometimes our lives are clustered that we have a hard time letting the Lord have control. David’s greatest desire was to live in God’s presence each day of his life. Sadly, this is not the greatest desire of many who claim to be believers. What do you most desire? Do you look forward to being in the presence of the Lord? 

Go to God in prayer asking Him to bring you back to basics with Him. Ask Him to strip from you anything which is not from Him and which is not absolutely necessary for your relationship with Him. Demand that He adds anything He wish and ask Him to be first in your life. 

If you are sincere in this prayer, you will notice that He will start changing you, taking away your desire for things you do not need right now, or at least giving you the ability to resist their attraction. If God is showing you that there a problem for you in an area, pray something similar to the model of prayer below. Make certain it expresses what you want to say to God:

"Lord, I tend to be independent and want to do things on my own without others interfering, not even You. I know this is wrong, but I will need to give up a lifetime habit of being in control of my life. Help me, Holy Spirit, not only to want to do things Your way, but to have the courage to do whatever You show me to do. Help me submit every area of my life to You. Show me where I have not trusted in You fully and how to resist such doubts from now on. Give me Scripture to counter any enemy attack. Then help me to be happy in releasing all of this to You, in order to keep the enemy from making me feel bitter or resentful. Let me see it as a positive thing. I love You and trust You."

God will begin to fine tune your life in order to strip away small hindrances. These things, even though so insignificant, and may not bother many, are definite barriers to your developing companionship with the Lord. A wise person once said, "When God measures you, He puts the tape around your heart, not your head." So how is your heart doing with God? At the level of having God as your faithful companion, you should have a more intense desire to spend quality time with the Lord both in prayer and in the Word. 

Becoming a companion of the Lord will give you a hunger for the Word, in part, because that is how to get to know God better. Scripture will become an important resource through difficult situations as He leads you to specific promises to claim in each circumstance. Studying His Word will touch your emotions and give you a greater sense of His care and your security in Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, one thing that I desire; that You may be my companion all the days of my life. Give me the grace to be steadfast in my trust in You, to have unhindered fellowship with You, and that I may walk in the light of Your presence all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!