In every generation there are those who hunger for God and then there are those who put their security in religious rules and systems rather than in God, all the while thinking they are serving God.

I recently reread a great book by Mark Buchanan called “Holy Wild.” In one chapter he talks about our will power only having so much ability in our lives to change things, and in reality it’s not our will power that is lacking for so many of us but our “Won’t Power.” Let me explain by using my own life as an example.

Success in our walk with God often requires getting all the help we can because of the unseen world around us.  Yet, many believers never consider angels in that equation, including me. Why would we overlook such help in times of need? Many may believe that we are not important enough for such assistance.  Others may be discouraged because few pastors teach any kind of practical knowledge about angels.  Unfortunately, it seems that the average seminary that prepares pastors for ministry either doesn’t believe in the supernatural or they just have no experience with it….. or both.

I heard this statement in a sermon and although it was just a passing comment there is some real validity to it with regards to how so many professing Christians relate to Christ. Many people want to live “WITH” Jesus without the commitment of being married to him. Is this what the New Testament says? Do we have the option of being saved and not being committed? What should a relationship with Jesus look like?

One day Jesus was teaching people about various topics and he brought up the subject of “PRACTICING” a person’s faith, and how some people like to to brag about what they believe. Jesus here is attempting to get people to think about why they feel the need to boast about their faith rather than cultivating a walk with God in the depths of our soul. The pharisees, for one, liked to brag about their own piety when in fact they were just religious, often having very selfish hearts.

When reading the gospels, it seems Jesus is constantly having to “INTERPRET” what he had just said while teaching.  For the average listener, He spoke in parables.  However, for the common person who asked questions, they were not satisfied with what they heard in the nice stories even though he was sharing the depth and wisdom of God.

From the time we were babies we were taught and learned to depend on ourselves, even while we depended on parents and others. Coming into a relationship with God we often have to “UNLEARN” our self-dependency and learn to “LEAN INTO” God’s presence for guidance and values. Becoming a child of God happens when we surrender to Christ’s saving grace.However, learning to walk as a child of God is normally a huge learning curve, especially if you were not raised in a Christian home.

A few days ago I wrote on my Facebook page the idea that sometimes we need to forget in order to move forward into the things God has prepared for us. The example I used was how my wife, Susan, had to forget her natural family in order to walk in the new relationship God had prepared for her. This idea of forgetting should cover many other things in our lives, but unfortunately we keep repeating them and get stuck in our past.

I wonder how many believers even realize that this world is not our permanent home if we truly have given our hearts to Jesus? Let me unpack what I mean by this and what I don’t want to convey.

You would think sharing the love of God with others and telling how God sent his only Son into the world as a baby would be an easy thing to do, yet many believers never share Christ, even during the Christmas Season. I want to look at just a few of the reasons why so many Christians struggle with expressing their love for God even when the Holy Spirit sets the stage for communicating our own salvation experience.