Talking To God - mike fitzpatrick, michael fitzpatrick, mike fitzpatrick, mike fitzpatrick (life books to read TXT) 📗

had with God when you were first saved.

 

In the beginning you were fresh out the womb, God revealed to you in so many ways that He was there. Now that you are getting older in Christ, He’s still by your side, but now you have to walk by faith. You’re not a baby anymore. Now you have to walk on His Word. When I was first saved I didn’t think I was that bad of a sinner. Now daily I’m seeing my sin and it burdens me and it drives me to prayer.

 

 

 

Sometimes I feel backsliden. The devil tries to condemn you. We are saved by faith. This is not for the person who has no care in their bones and wants to live in sin. This is for those who struggle with sin and want to be more. Just because you don’t pray like you used to and you don’t see victory in that particular sin that doesn’t mean that God is not working in you.

 

Sometimes you never realize it. Sometimes you are going to be in a situation and God is going to bring out fruit in you that shows He was working. Sometimes the continuous thirst for righteousness and a passion for Christ shows that He is working.

 

 

 

 

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

 

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

 

First, we must understand that there is a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. A worldly sorrow never leads to change. The Bible makes it clear that you can’t lose your salvation, but many were never saved to begin with. There is no such thing as a Christian who lives a life of sin. There is a difference between struggling and taking advantage of God’s grace and rebelling.

 

There are many professing Christians who say, “it’s my life.” No! It’s never been your life. Jesus is the Lord of your life whether you like it or not. There is a difference between a Christian and a non-Christian. It doesn’t matter how much someone claims to be a Christian if they are bearing bad fruit that shows that they are not born again. Christians have a new relationship with sin. Sin affects us now. We have new desires for Christ and His Word.

 

If you are living a lifestyle of sin. If the blood of Christ hasn’t changed the center of your life that is evidence that you are deceiving yourself. I believe most church goers believe they are Christian when they are not. They have never repented of their wickedness.

 

Many people think they are growing spiritually because of their godly activities. They go to church, they are in the choir, they go to Bible study, they preach, they evangelize, etc. The Pharisees did the same thing, but they weren’t saved. I know preachers who died, but they didn’t know the Lord. Have you repented?

 

 

 

 

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

1 John 3:9-10 “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

 

Galatians 5:22-24 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

 

 

 

Some people grow slower than others.

 

Never look at someone else’s growth and become discouraged. Some believers grow faster than others and some grow slower than others. It’s not about how fast you grow. The question is are you going to get up and keep moving?

 

 

Are you going to let discouragement and your failures keep you down? Evidence of true faith is that you keep on fighting. Sometimes a believer goes three steps forward and one step back. Sometimes a believer goes two steps back and one step forward.

 

There are ups and downs, but a believer will grow. A believer will press on. Sometimes we can become dull and be overwhelmed. Sometimes a true believer backslides, but if they are truly for the Lord out of love God will bring them to repentance.

 

Job 17:9 “The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.”

Proverbs 24:16 “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he will rise again, but the wicked stumble into calamity.”

 

Psalm 37:24 “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”

 

 

 

Hebrews 12:5-7 “And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives. Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?”

 

Everything that you go through God uses to conform you into the image of Christ.

 

Do you have an unsubmissive wife? Glory to God. Do you have an inconsiderate husband? Glory to God. Do you have a bad boss? Glory to God. These are all opportunities that God has blessed you with to grow. God’s great goal is to conform you into the image of Christ and nothing will thwart His plans.

 

How can we expect to grow in the fruits of the Spirit such as patience, kindness, and joy when we are not put in a situation that requires these things? There is something about trials and pain that makes us change. Even in weightlifting more weights equals more pain and more pain from more weights results in more muscles. God uses trials for His glory.

 

When you’re growing spiritually you want to give God more glory. You want to give Him glory in the trials. You become more patient when you are waiting on an answered prayer. You become more merciful when you have to give mercy to someone who doesn’t deserve it. Through these things you become just like the God you worship.

Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

 

 

 

James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

 

Romans 5:3-5 “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

 

 

If you mean business God means business.

 

God is going to do some pruning in your life. Sometimes God takes away things because it served its purpose and He has something better in mind. When God takes away know that He is building you. Whenever you lose a relationship, job, etc. know that God works through that to conform us into the image of Christ.

 

John 15:2 “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

 

 

John 13:7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

 

You have to get closer to the Lord. You have to remove things that are distracting you and align your heart back to Christ. You have to take your Bible and shut yourself away with the Lord. You have to be alone with Him in prayer. You’re as spiritual as you want to be. Do you hunger for Christ? Find a lonely place and pray for more of His presence. Seek His face. Focus on Him.

 

Sometimes we have to say, “God I want to know you.” You must build an intimate relationship with Christ. This relationship is built on special alone time. There are some people who have killed themselves praying 10 hours a day. They know God in ways that we will never know Him. How do you think John The Baptist was able to raise a dead nation? He was alone with God for years.

When you’re alone with God for years the presence of God will be on your life. You will be more bold. If you’re not reading the Bible and praying daily you will die spiritually and you will have no power against sin.

 

 

 

I was afraid to pray together in groups and I was afraid to witness. After a long time with God alone, leading prayer was easy for me. I had more of a burden for the lost to witness and I wasn’t afraid. Sometimes I can still be a little nervous, but the Holy Spirit drives me.

 

 

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

Mark 1:35 “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.”

 

Romans 15:4-5 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.”

God’s not done with you yet.

 

For those who have repented and put their trust in Jesus Christ alone, their salvation is sealed by the Holy Spirit. God will continue to work in your life until the end. Don’t look back, move on, and don’t give up because God hasn’t given up on you. You will see His glory and you will see how God used different situations for good.

 

 

Bonus

 

John 15:4-5 “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”