Relationship Tips: Time with the Father

I'm so glad you're here! Welcome to a transformative journey of relationship with God that reveals purpose! In this exclusive sample from Relationship Tips: Time with the Father, you’re invited to take the first step toward a deeper, more intimate walk with God. Take a deep breath, open your heart, and let these words fuel your relationship with the Father.

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Published in the United States of America

Relationship Tip 1:

Expect

Years ago, my sister, Karen, was a teacher in Texas. Although we lived in Louisiana, each morning she drove 45 minutes to her teaching assignment, a school in a small independent school district in Texas. One day as she drove her Ford Mustang GT to work, she encountered a heavy thunderstorm. It was raining cats, dogs, sheep, cows, and horses. You get the picture? It looked like the end of the world.

She explained that as she drove on the interstate in the pouring rain, she had trouble seeing because of the dark sky and sheets of rain pouring on her windshield.There was so much water on the road she had to drive slower, more carefully to avoid hydroplaning in a sports car. As she approached the Texas Bridge, the inevitable happened, she hydroplaned! Her tires lost contact with the ground because of the water puddles in the rain storm and her car began to spin in 360° motions in moving traffic. She knew she was in trouble. The car was trying to regain its traction and as a result, she lost control of the car.

Can you imagine it? A 20-something year old; driving in a thunderstorm; doing donuts on the interstate; in moving traffic; in a sports car. What should she do? What would you have done?

Karen began to call on Jesus. With eyes closed and a tight grip on the steering wheel she yelled out, “JESUS! JESUS! JESUUUUUUS!” A cry for help to the only one who could help her, the God who hears us when we call out to Him. She knew only He had the power to save her! She knew about the power of God.

You see, Karen’s assurance was based on her experiences, the testimonies of others close to her, and the stories of those she learned about in scripture (God is a consistent miracle worker). My sister knew she could call out to Jesus! She knew He would hear her when she called Him.

All at once, she felt a sudden and powerful jolt. With her heart pounding and eyes closed, she began to hear the sounds of speeding cars passing by, zoom… zoom… zoom… one after the other. Once she was oriented, she realized her car had stopped. Thank God! But was she ok? Still dizzy and disoriented, she opened her eyes to realize she was safe…it was still raining and she was still afraid, but she was safe. Miraculously, her car was parked safely on the shoulder of the interstate, a few feet from the entrance of the Texas bridge. Not only was she out of harm's way, but her car was facing the right direction with no damage.

A miracle!!

All of the conditions for fatal results were present and active in that situation and nothing but divine intervention could have stopped such a fatal progression. But, Jesus saved her life.

The hand of God’s protection was evident in Karen’s life. She accessed the power of God by calling out to Him and expecting Him to hear her when she prayed. She knew the power of calling the name, Jesus.

The same is true for you!

When you pray expect results! This is one reason we pray. We pray before we eat because we expect Him to bless our food. We petition God for protection because we expect His protection everywhere we travel. We pray over our families because we expect divine care over the people who are most important to us.

Daniel prayed and God shut the mouth of a lion and saved his life. Hannah prayed and God granted her request for a son. David prayed and God forgave him of sin, restoring their relationship. Esther prayed and God granted her the strength to save a nation. Oprah Winfrey prayed and God was her advocate in a very public, nation-wide court case. My grandmother prayed and God protected my father in heavy combat during the war. My mother prayed and God granted her request of healing my sick body - against what the doctor diagnosed.

Prayer is powerful. It changes everything. Prayer can be for 5 minutes or for one hour. Regardless of the length of the prayer, we must understand the power of prayer to a God who loves us and wants to hear from us. If He answered Karen, Daniel, Oprah and my mom in their time of need, He will certainly be a listening ear for you.

Lastly, and most importantly, prayer is a consistent honest expectant conversation between you and your Father. Your Heavenly Father God says He will hear you when you pray; especially when you pray to Him in faith. He guarantees it!

A Guarantee from Jesus

Matthew 7:7 tells us about praying. This passage teaches us about expectant, persistent prayer. It assures us that if we ask, we will receive. If we seek, Jesus says we will find. If we knock, He promises the door will be opened. Isn’t it interesting that the first letters of the words Ask, Seek and Knock are A-S-K? ASK. You think about that. Jesus is calling us to Him and He is telling us to simply A.S.K. He is willing, all He wants is for us to expect and persist. Expectation is what allows us to go to God. Persistence is meant to build our spiritual muscles- one of which is faith.

After asking, seek. After seeking, knock. Don’t stop until you receive what you have been praying for. This is the nature of being expectant.

Sadly, many of us don’t maintain our expectancy nor our persistence. We are too afraid to be expectant and persistent because we don’t believe. WE don’t want to A-S-K (and keep asking). We don’t seek and keep seeking. We don’t attempt to access this promise of God. Why? Is it because of failed attempts? Is it doubt? Do we simply not believe? Have unfulfilled promises overshadowed our faith? Have people in our lives or traumatic experiences ruined our ability to accept promises at face value. Consider this however, God is not like “people”. As a matter of fact, He is not a man. The Bible tells us that God is not like man, He will never lie to us. (Numbers 23:19). This means, WHATEVER God says, He can back it up…under ALL circumstances. What He says, He means. Period.

This is the reason, we have assurance when we A.S.K. If He said you will receive when you A.S.K. then you can bank on it. You. WILL. receive.

Last thing…

You are not praying into oblivion, a dark space of spoken prayers with no response or resolution. No. Call out to Jesus. Speak to Him in faith and expectation.

With this fact in mind, remember, Jesus is not a genie. You must respect His timing and His decisions according to His will not your own.

Relationship Tip 2:

Stay...

In 2007, I was a young single christian navigating life. I was really passionate about defining who I was and becoming the best version of “me”... blah blah blah. Though I had been born and raised in Church, christened by my pastor, raised in a Godly home and given principles for successful life, I was in search of what that meant and how I wanted it to apply to my life. Although my life was far from perfect (very far from perfect), I had a pretty good “set up” and foundation on which to build. But how did this “set up'' translate to the life I want? And, did I even want it?

One day heading to a class on engineering drafting, I remember a very familiar tug in my spirit. It was the same tug and familiarity I felt when I was playing the video game with my cousins (... and winning by the way! Chapter 1 if you missed it). In the midst of a busy day walking from building to building, God said “Kristen you need to fast”. Again this was NOT the best time to make this request since I was already hungry and tired from a long day. I did not want to oblige this request because I know how difficult it is to deny yourself – to deny your flesh from what it needs and most desires.

Here’s the best part, God didn’t say fast for one day or even skip a meal. The instruction was to skip every meal (no food, only water) for three days.

Three days?! Oh, no no no! Why? And WHY NOW, God?

I knew I needed it, but I didn’t want it. Have you ever known you needed a breakthrough or longed for change but not ready to face the work and effort required for true change?

Fasting was the solution to what I needed. But I wanted to do a fast on my own time, when I decided. After all, breakthrough wasn’t on my mind. I wasn’t at a church service. I wasn’t in morning devotion. I was walking along a random street at a random time, minding my own business. Then BAM ,“Kristen you need to torture yourself for 3 days”. OK, God...ok.

This seemed like a whimsical request during a random moment in time. HOWEVER, by this point in my life, I was smart enough to know that when the Creator of all living and dead, the one who separated the Red Sea to bring His people to safety on dry ground, the one who is everywhere at all times…when He calls for me to complete a task, it must be important - even if I don’t understand it.

So, for three days I did not eat anything nor indulge in television or time with friends. My time was spent reading, praying, meditating and singing to God. With lots of questions and no answers, I was obedient and followed Him on this unexpected detour.

Was it easy? Not at all. He gave me the grace to do what He asked me to do though. Grace carried the load even though I still had to walk the path. He filled in the void. God will provide us with the grace and the ability to do what He calls us to do. That’s why we don’t have to be afraid or worried about getting it “right” or “finishing” the task. Grace will empower us to do the will of God.

Here’s the progression in a nutshell: God gives us the task. Then we bring back to Him (in prayer) what He is calling us to do. Lastly He provides the grace, the wisdom and the resources to be successful, to get it right and to finish. That’s it. Everytime. Though it may not look the same way every time for every task, trust and believe, if He is involved, you WILL have the grace and you WILL finish strong.

At the end of 3 excruciating days of school, work and time with God, I had reached my goal. Although I wanted to run to the kitchen and eat to end the fast, I stayed the course. God said do this, and I wanted Him to be pleased and receive this sacrifice…so, it had to be done right. I had to end the fast “right”. On the last night of the three days, exhausted and hungry, I sat on the floor in my room completing my routine of praying, reading the bible, meditating and singing.

At around 11:30 PM, sitting on the warm carpet floor, I heard God say, “Kristen you can eat”. As He said this, I noticed a closer connection between Him and me, immediately followed by an intense rush of His presence in my room. The presence of God was in my room! Something bigger than me and bigger than anything I’d ever known or experienced filled the atmosphere. Nothing tangible could contain it. It consumed my attention and eclipsed everything my body had screamed for in the moments before. I was consumed by “big”! Yet I was liberated in the presence of love and peace. It was wonderful.

At that moment in time, I sat in the presence of God with a free pass to end this time of discomfort. God said I could eat. But despite my hunger and the great anticipation of ending the discomfort, I not only chose to stay but I longed to stay. I longed to be in the presence of God.

Stay and Listen

What God began to tell me changed how I identify myself, how I understand Him and how I love others. Something new was introduced to my understanding. Interestingly, I did not hear any audible words. Rather, it was a “knowing” or impression. More like an absolute truth that resonated in my heart and soul.

What God communicated to my heart in the most impactful way was, “Kristen, I love you”. Kristen. I. Love. You.

These four words translated to, “Kristen I see everything, I know everything about you, I understand it all and I love you.” That’s what I knew was true as He spoke to my heart. That’s what was sealed and fixed in my heart and soul. Kristen, I Love You.

Love means I understand everything about you and I still choose to deny myself for you. I see the inner workings of who you are (good and bad), what you need, and what you can offer Me (God) and I still choose to deny myself for you. I know your heart’s desire, I know your past, what no one else knows, what you are too ashamed to disclose, or too afraid to address, and without judgment I still choose to deny myself for you. I now know the meaning of “I love you”.

“Kristen, I love you!”

Not only was this statement firm but it was sure. There was no uncertainty or caution in what God said. What He had to offer me at that time was pure unbridled, unhindered, totally biased love.

This life-changing moment was possible not only because of a breakthrough in fasting or simple obedience but because of a gracious God who had something He needed to say…and who knew what He said would change how I live for Him and how I love others. He wanted to change my life.

I tell you this story not to boast or display something great that I’ve done. However, I believe God allowed me to experience this so that you would have an example to follow, knowing a close relationship with Him is attainable in your daily life. Yes, you should know that some days will be difficult, maybe even excruciating, but His grace will help you... and the results will be life-changing.

Stay...

Prayer is a conversation. It is not simply a time to submit a list of needs nor is it a dutiful Christian pastime. Prayer is your time to sit and commune with God. Communing with someone is never one way. It is never a monologue. It is rarely a time to pour and not receive. Commune is where we get the term community.

It is where we are able to share and receive; to be in close proximity for the purpose of exchange. When you engage in prayer, remember to stay... stay and listen. Sit and soak in His presence. Remember to sit and “feel after him”. This means without saying a word, let your mind and your intention be to Him only. With an open mind and heart, with no agenda, listen to what God has to say.

Last thing…

After talking to God in a dedicated time of prayer, whether 10 minutes or 60 minutes, stay and listen for His voice. Sit and soak in His presence, feeling after Him in your heart and mind. Read the Bible and let it minister to you while you are in the presence of God. Much of what God has to say is already imprinted in the Bible. Let it now be imprinted on the tablet of your heart as you commune with Him.

Relationship Tips: Time with the Father

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