I know this may seem like old news coming from us, but hang in there for a minute! This is one way relationships with a new twist!
Have you ever tried to love someone who didn’t love you back? How many of us have ridden or are currently riding this emotional roller coaster and tragedy? The ups and downs can take your breath away! Hopes shattered, disappointment, frustration, fear, low self-esteem, self-hatred, a what’s wrong with me attitude, lies and deception, confusion and depression; this is satan’s playground and he loves to play when the opportunity is presented.
Sadly, this destructive scenario of one way relationships is quite common in the human family. Gerri and I first encountered this subject many years ago through our mentor, Al Ells. His book entitled, One Way Relationships – When You Love Them More Than They Love You, was eye opening and life changing for us both; a wonderful gift of revelation. Since then as we have ministered to many people we have repeatedly discovered the trauma of one way relationships. Naturally, freedom and healing are available in Jesus if and when the victim will receive the revelation and truth regarding their circumstance and require change of themselves and others involved.
I’m writing this because as I was reading Bill Johnson’s book The Power That Changes the World I had a flash regarding one way relationships. Bill quotes Luke 10:27 where we are commanded to “love God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength.” Then it hit me. Wow! How many of God’s kids feel like they are in a one way relationship with Him? We are commanded to love Him with everything we are. We are told He loves us, yet we pray and pray and pray and do all we know to do and we still seem to be left out in the experience of love returned for our effort. What is wrong with me that hinders God from loving me back? Do we begin to get the impression that only certain called and anointed people in leadership can experience a loving relationship with God? We listen to preachers and teachers. We go to Sunday school and Bible Studies. We read books and attend seminars and conferences, but the best we can say is ‘I believe God loves me because the Bible tells me so.’ But something is missing and it’s called relationship. We can spend our entire life studying about God and never develop a personal, intimate, conversational relationship with Him. We can know all ABOUT Him but never know HIM. What a tragedy! As far as the deception that only certain called and anointed people can hear from God, the truth is that is just deception. If you are born again, you are a Child of God and you are called and anointed for service to Him and you are called and anointed to have a love relationship with Him! So there! Put that truth in your taco and eat it! Let it change your life, your perception, and your truth about you and your Father, Jesus, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are all three available to you for a conversational, love relationship and it takes no hot sauce to spice it up!
Remember this. Your destiny in God is just as important to Him as anyone else’s. He does not prefer anyone else before you! James 4:8 says, “God is love.” To me that means that He doesn’t just love me, but He is love. He is the source of all love. Having a personal, intimate, conversational relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the ultimate treasure offered to mankind. This is what brings Heaven to earth in our life experience.
When you pray, where do you imagine God to be? Is He close to you or is He ‘out there somewhere’ in the Heavens? Before I met Father, I believed the latter. He was out there somewhere and I didn’t want to get close because I believed He was angry with me all the time and if Jesus didn’t stay between me and Father, I would be a crispy critter! Boy was I wrong; totally and completely wrong!! I was upside down and backwards wrong! I had experienced the love of Jesus and I loved Him. It was life-changing to say the least! Then many years later when I finally met Father and He imparted His love to me, the impact of His love in my mind and heart is nearly indescribable. The power of finally making connection with Father (Abba) and experiencing His love for me completely washed away my fear of Him and my misbelief that He is angry with me because of my failures. This is one of those life’s situations where you have to experience it to believe it.
Now answering the question ‘where is He when I pray’, I will quote Father Himself when He said to me, “Son, I am as close as your breath!” Talk about changing perception and experience, this did it for me! Obviously now when I talk to Him, there is no distance to overcome. A close, intimate, personal relationship is Father’s desire and design for you and every one of His kids. Any thought or believe, or past experience that hints of a one way relationship with God must be renounced and rejected as lies and deception. Then you must get in hot pursuit of Him. Get quite and private and ask Him if He has anything to say to you. Be ready to journal His response. You will want to write it down so you can refer back to His loving answer.
Now if you need help in your pursuit, we are here for you. You might want to visit our website and read the books we have written. They will give you insight that should be helpful. We also highly recommend Mark Virkler’s teaching on “Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice.”
Tacos anyone?
Blessings,
Roger
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