Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Steven Furtick from his book, Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey intothe Presence of God Through the Last Words of Jesus (p. 86). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) He isn’t, he really isn’t! Steven says, “There’s a reason for everything he does—and everything he allows. “If you are going through a dark night of the soul, ask yourself, Why is God allowing me to go through this? I can’t tell you the reason for certain, but I can make some guesses.” He goes on, “Maybe he’s using it to exercise the muscles of your faith. If you keep trusting and being obedient even while God seems out of sight, you’ll come out on the other side of this dark night stronger than ever. “Maybe God wants you to focus on knowing him better rather than doing things for him, or him doing things for you. Sometimes a sense of distance can drive you to desperately seek God’s face.” He also says, “Or maybe there’s

A thought by Steven Furtick from his book, Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey into the Presence of God Through the Last Words of Jesus (p. 69). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) So is that what you are thinking?   Is that what you are feeling? Steven says, “If you are following Jesus, you are in the closest possible relationship with God. He is your Father. You are his son or daughter.” Now you might ask, “What can I do to increase the intimacy of my relationship with God?”   Maybe you want to be closer to him. Steven says, “The obvious answer also happens to be the right one in this case. You pray. You talk to him. It is impossible to have intimacy without conversation. “Jesus prayed often. When he was busy, Jesus prayed. (Matthew 14:23) When he had important decisions to make, he prayed. (Luke 6:12) When following the will of God seemed almost too much to bear, he prayed. (Matthew 26:36-46) Thr

A thought by Steven Furtick from his book, Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey into the Presence of God Through the Last Words of Jesus (p. 66). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Leading up to this thought Steven says, “The rest of Judaism in that era tended to focus on keeping rules . The disciples, however, knew they were engaged in a relationship with God in the flesh. So, however difficult or disturbing this relationship with the Savior could be on occasion, they wanted it. “I tell you this to assure you that appearances can be deceiving when it comes to having a relationship with God. Even though he may seem tough, that doesn’t mean he’s any less loving.” Steven goes on, “Maybe sometimes you read statements in the Bible about how people are sinners, or you come across commands that seem harder than you can handle, and you feel beaten down. How much would change if you started reading God’s Word as if