Chapter 03: How Can I Love God?
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Distracting thoughts exercize
Last modified on 2008-03-18 23:41:43 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
How does your heart get distracted and thus your prayers become heartless?
I have an idea for tracking distracting thoughts so we can ruthlessly get rid of them. My theory is that if we know which distractions are most prevelant, we can be on the guard against them and therefore overcome them.
So, would you participate with me in jotting down the topic of your distracting thoughts every day this week and then report here on what you found out? Are there some that come back continually? How can you deal with them?
Please share ideas for helping to involve your heart in your prayers.
Application: really seeking God
Last modified on 2008-03-18 23:29:20 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
I find myself most often, not finding God because I”m not really praying or seeking Him in prayer. Remember the charge in this chapter, “do not be slothful in your search for the Lord…” We really will not know God unless we invest time spent seeking Him in prayer.
I find, during times of prayer when I know I’m not really seeking God, that instead I’m just there reading off my list of requests. If I really set my heart to seek Him before I pray, and then enter into it with that as my focus, I have much more success.
How about you?
Application: what’s beside God in my life?
Last modified on 2008-03-18 23:31:33 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
What desires may be sitting on the “top shelf” along with God in my life?
When I seek to answer that question, I am challenged to search priorities, desires, and motives. I think one of my other loves that often climbs to the top in my life is my love for my family (my wonderful husband and cute little daughter).
Exhortation: ask God
Last modified on 2008-03-18 23:35:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
On page 44, we read, “Ask yourself, ‘do I love Christ with true love, or do I only see in my heart, as Much-Afraid did, the desire to be loved and the natural human love?’ If so, do not shrink from the iron hand of the HOly Spirit in pulling the root of natural human love out of your heart.”
We need to ask God to plant that all-important seed of His own love in our hearts!
Looking for suggestions…
Last modified on 2008-03-18 23:33:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Did you get lost at the end of this chapter during the discussion on the different parts of men’s hearts? The goal was to show how we must love God with every tiny bit of our hearts and lives, but I think it drags on a little and have been considering ways to shorten this part.
I may even move some of this section (esp. the place with the diagram of the conception of sin) to another chapter (maybe chapter 5: The Sin Problem).
Please give me any suggestions!