The great satisfaction that results from the passionate pursuit of God is IMPOSSIBLE without the soul and spirit first being born again by receiving the priceless gift of salvation. Why? Because before your spirit-man is born into God’s family, it is dead and unable to communicate with God. Being born again enables your spirit to communicate with God AND—His Word speaks to you personally. Paul explained,
“you, being DEAD in your trespasses…He has made ALIVE together with [Christ].”
Colossians 2:13
Thus, the first step to passionately pursuing God, is to ensure your spirit man is ALIVE in Christ.
Then, just like a newborn baby—you will have a great desire to GROW! My daughter, Grace, taught me a remarkable fact about newborns. If you lay a newborn baby on her mother’s belly, she can smell the breast milk and will “breast-crawl” to it!
I saw baby Claire breast-crawl within an hour of her birth and—it was amazing!
When we are born again, we have a voracious appetite for spiritual food! We are “as newborn babes, [who] desire the sincere milk of the Word, that [we] may grow thereby.” 1 Peter 2:2 So what is our source of spiritual “milk?” It is God’s Word. However, God’s Word not only contains MILK but it also contains MEAT. A baby’s system cannot digest meat until after they grow. Meat will choke a newborn. This is why a discipling church is so critical for newborn Christians! Paul wrote:
“And He Himself [Christ] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…that we should no longer be CHILDREN, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…”
Ephesians 4:11-15
A baby needs protection and nurture. The enemy wants to kill that sincere desire and starve the babe before he is strong and wise enough to combat his wiley ways. That is why it is so important for someone who is born again to immediately become part of a strong community of believers. The church is a nursery for babes in Christ. Furthermore, the church provides a hedge of protection and a special empowerment of God’s Spirit. Jesus said the gates of hell will NOT stand against HIS church. (Matthew 16:8)
Find a church that is carrying out the Great Commission of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20) and actively making disciples; that is, training baby Christians to become spiritual warriors! Effective discipleship is as intensive as caring for a new baby. Discipleship is not casual coffee-house Christianity; rather, it is more like basic training in the armed forces.
The right church is critical to your pursuit of God and thus, in leading a deeply satisfying life.
Although a good church is of critical importance to the pursuit of God; it is often difficult to find a church that both teaches the truth and nurtures with the intense love of a parent. But remember, being born into God’s family ALSO gives you a DIRECT connection to HIM!!! He has given every believer the gift of PRAYER! If you ask HIM for a good church home—He will provide. His answer may not look the way you think it should but…
God’s plan is always better than our plan!
In the next couple devotionals we will explore more of God’s gifts for living a fully satisfying life.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
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