But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in Him. 1John 2:27 (ESV)
There are a few definitions regarding the word abide: to continue in a place, to live, to dwell. To abide with God and be in His presence is to seek to spiritually be near Him on a daily basis.
We all live here on planet Earth. We are not presently in Heaven next to God, or His Holy Angels. However, as we dwell here on Earth, we can still be near Him and, we can abide with Him.
God desperately longs to be close to all of us His children, on a constant basis. He wants us to adopt His ways and be in constant connection with Him through prayer and Bible study. Now, there will be many times you may not feel Him near you or, when you pray, you do not feel He hears nor answers your prayers. Despite your “feelings”, understand and believe, He is near, and He hears you when you call to Him.
Will He always give us what we want when we pray? Maybe not. And when He says no or is silent, with our limited human understanding we may feel He is ignoring us. We may feel He is distant and does not care about what we are going through. Realize this however, He cares deeply for His children. What causes us pain also causes Him pain and grief. Just like a good parent, He hurts when we hurt.
I personally can attest to God being there for me when I was in my darkest moments. There were times when I did not feel He heard me, nor did I feel Him near. During those times, I felt utterly alone. But after I cried, screamed, and called out to God numerous times, I made a final decision to trust and believe He was there, and that He would bring me through. I chose to believe without physical evidence or really knowing my future outcome. Essentially, I chose to have faith. And, true to His word, He brought me through those very dark, lonely, and challenging times.
As I write this, I know there are those who have called out to God for their prayers to be answered but, the answers they have received were not what they had hoped. Trust me when I say I have had that situation as well. Even if we may not understand why God did not answer our prayers, we still need to have complete faith and trust, that He knows what is best. That He knows what must happen overall, as it concerns us, and this world.
Remember the enemy of all mankind is Satan and his evil angels. They will do whatever they can to physically, as well as emotionally and mentally, distract you. They will work to make you and I believe that God does not care, and He is not working everything out for good.
Seek to abide with God and His precepts. Do not look to the world or others, (who do not fully follow God) but look to draw close to Him and remain as close as possible. There will be ups and downs in life but the closer you are to Him, the more you will seek to abide in His presence. As you abide with God, you will feel His protection and shield all around you, no matter what this life throws your way. You will grow stronger and be able to handle all aspects of your life.
Blessings,
Angélique
To contact: Angelique@21stcenturygodlyliving.com
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