God is highly relational and he has created us all to have a deep relationship with him. We see this throughout the Scriptures. God is three-in-one; Father, Son, and the Spirit. Then God, in Genesis 1:26-28, made us in his image. There would be much to unpack in that statement, but we can see that the God of the universe created us in his image and likeness to relate to him and to know him. We then later see terms like “sons” or “bride” to describe our relationship and how we relate to the Lord.
So how is your relationship with the Lord? Are you feeling like your heart is alive being fully present and intimate with the Lord in your daily experience? My guess is that this is a place of tremendous warfare in your life. The goal of the enemy is to keep you from experiencing love and connection. This is his great strategy because if he gets you blocked, then he knows that you will turn to anything and it will keep you blocked. The goal of the enemy is to keep you distant from the Lord. Sin, pain, trauma, and brokenness of all kinds will keep you from then going to the Lord in your heart.
Imagine going to the ATM knowing that you have money in the bank but are unable to withdraw the money from your account. This is what sin and pain do. It blocks our relationship and keeps us from then approaching the Lord.
One specific tactic of the enemy is then to create shame. When we struggle with sin, we feel embarrassed and guilty, and our instinct is to hide and cover it up. When Adam and Eve ate from the wrong tree they hid from God and covered themselves up with fig leaves. While they were made to be vulnerable with God, their sin caused their vulnerability to be magnified.
What do we do when we fall into sin and shame? We tend to hide to try and cover it up and bury it deep. We may turn to more sin to comfort us or distractions like food, media, and relationships. Or the best option is to run instantly to the Lord to receive his mercy. Therein lies our dilemma. When we have sin and shame built up, the very place of our comfort seems to be the last place we want to turn to.
Perhaps lies come like these: I can’t trust the Lord; He won’t accept me; I have failed too much; He won’t listen to me; I tried the Lord, but he didn’t come through. And on and on. But the truth is this following scripture always runs true. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The Lord is teaching me in this season to draw near to him every time I feel that distance in my heart. How many times do we do that in a day? Well as much as we need. If we turn our hearts to him, we will find that he is always present. He will never turn you away.
In the future on this blog, I will write and introduce how I two-way journal to hear the Lord’s voice. It’s a powerful tool, but for now, I will simply share what I sensed the Lord saying to close.
My child, I see your discouragement. I see that you have come to me but that you feel you have let me down over and over again. That just isn’t possible. You can never let me down. You can never reach a max of where your sin has so increased or so outdistanced how I feel for you. I have a provision for every problem, for every sin, for every pain you have felt. It is the purity of my blood. My blood is always available for you to come to me. Turn your heart and turn over your sin to me. I will cleanse, I will renew, and I will refresh. I won’t tire of this process. I want to clean up your heart. I want to meet you deep in your life. Today just approach me again, and I will come to you. I know you will fall again. I know that you are weak and you get nervous thinking, “if I come, what happens in 3 hours or in 3 days.” Well, I have provision for that. I will renew you over and over. I don’t want any distance between us. I want you to run into my arms and into my mercy. I will accept you.
