On the Edge of Life

Chapter 2

Letting Him In



“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also, with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2 NIV


Seeking to know God is pretty spectacular. One of the things high on the list is learning to let Him in. There are quiet times and there are some not so quiet times. It is liberating, nonetheless. He wants to help us work this out…Every day, every hour - and He is great at it! So, what are some reasons you don’t want to let Him in? Are you afraid He is not going to approve of what you are doing, thinking or saying? Is it that He has high expectations? His motives are pure…and He is working to bring you into the light.

He wants honesty. Is that really so hard? How can you be honest with Him today? He knows you love Him and He cares for you. Honesty is all about telling Him the truth. No matter what it is, He can handle it. You are not going to break Him down. He just wants to hear it from you. Nothing that you say is going to turn Him away. He WANTS you!

So, I’ve thought about this for a long time. There have been so many things in my life that I haven’t wanted to look at. Things that make me feel like I’m not worthy. I went to bed on this, but when I woke up the next morning and my husband left for work, I started thinking… “Do well.” The first thing that came to mind was, okay… I’ve been hurt by some people in my life and I found quickly that I was ready to move on from that. Later, I found myself thinking about the hurt again, and the emotion around it seemed to come back on me like glue.

So, I’m realizing that I really have to watch my thoughts. Have you ever watched what you were thinking? It reminds me of the passage that says, “…and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor 10:5 NIV. God gives us this ability. It requires your focus and it’s worth it. Why? Because we will no longer be trapped by the vagueness that seems to plague us when we are not filtering those thoughts and making sure only the right ones are being accepted.

When something comes to your mind, you must determine if it is of God or not – because thoughts can also come from you, the world, and the enemy, and a discerning mind will not allow anything that is not of God to take root in it. You must be resolute about this. This is what it means to have the mind of Christ.

Now, let’s talk about prayer. We know that prayer is our way of communicating with God. Talking with Him, asking Him for things we need, praying for others… Is this line of communication open? If not, how do you open it? I would start by thanking God for His resources. There is nothing that He withholds from His children and His resources are endless!

Wow! Now THAT’S something to think about! This will give you faith. Faith in His abundance! He is not lacking anything and He doesn’t want you to lack anything either. So, the more we thank God for, the more faith we will have in Him. The key here is to be specific. What else can you thank God for? Do you appreciate Him? Tell Him!

I thank you, Lord, for your grace, thank you for your infinite mercy, thank you for your faithfulness, thank you for your presence, thank you for your loving kindness, thank you for your compassion, thank you for saving me, thank you for loving me, thank you for hearing me, thank you for knowing me, thank you for prayer, thank you for teaching me, thank you for pursuing me, thank you for who you are, thank you for what you are doing in my life, thank you for what you are going to do, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

When you are going through something hard, it is even more important to thank God, so you don’t lose sight of Him. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thes 5:18 NIV. In doing this, we are lifting Him up - exalting God over everything else in our lives. This is what makes life so precious. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15 ESV.

One of the things I want you to remember is that we NEED Him! We absolutely NEED Him. I have needs, you have needs, we all have needs…and Jesus is there, waiting for us to ask. Remember, He is the God of abundance! All we have to do is ask.