Growing Closer To God Through Intentional Relationships Part 1 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. Heading into a new week, let’s start it the best way possible. Let’s spend some time with God.

And you know, opening the Bible, listening to what God says to us through His word, that’s how you spend time with Him. Let Him speak to you first through the Bible, and then you think about what he’s saying about your own life, what he’s saying to you personally, and talk to Him in prayer. That’s a relationship, and that’s what God wants with you. That’s why each weekday morning at this time.

We start by spending some time with God in the Bible, and this week I want to talk with you about a topic that, that is very dear to me because of the deep impact it’s had on my own spiritual life and walk with God, and that is this growing closer to God through intentional relationships.

Growing closer to God through intentional relationships. And each day I want to bring you a different principle about how to do that, and here’s the one for today.

Choose your people influences carefully

Choose carefully the people who will influence your life. Listen to what King David said in Psalm 101 in the Bible.

He said, “I will sing of steadfast love and justice to you, O Lord. I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless”.

“I hate the way of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me. I will know nothing of evil. Whoever slanders his neighbour secretly, I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart, I will not endure.

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“I will look with favour on the faithful in the land that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practises deceit shall dwell in my house. No one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. Morning by morning. I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord”.

Well, he says a few things in there as king about what he’s going to do, but did you notice what he said about his own personal relationships with people? “Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart, I will not endure. I will look with favour on the faithful in the land that they may dwell with me. He who walks in the way that is blameless is the one who will minister to me”.

Well, David chose carefully the people who would influence his life, who would get close to him.

Who would shape his own life and relationship with God, and you need to do the same in your life. Of course there’s people who are a part of your life, not because you chose them, but just because of the circumstances of your life, but there are also people who you actively look for personal time with because you want to be close friends with them, or because you want to learn and grow from them.

So be very intentional about this second group. Actively choose to spend time with people who are going to draw you closer to God.

As I think back over the years of my walking with God, names come to mind of these people in my own life: Steve and Glenn, Dean and Kent, Rob and Andy. The breakout group in my Bible study when I lived in Epping, Homer and Dave, Ed and Paul, Glenn and Gabby. I mean, these are the people that I’ve chosen to spend time with, who have really grown my relationship with God.

In Hebrews 10:23, it says, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful, and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Choose to get close to people who are going to help you get close to God.

I’m John North.

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