I have to say that the challenge was not easy at the beginning but now I am really glad that I decided to do this. Day 1 was actually a turning point for me because after doing some praise and worship I asked God to show me His heart I took my Bible and I opened it with my eyes closed and I landed on Matthew 16:24

I was so convinced that that was not what God wanted me to read so once again I took my Bible and landed on  

Those two Scriptures together were definitely God teaching me what true salvation is. Many of us have been to churches where were told to just pray the prayer of repentance and we would be saved. I personally believe that that is the first step but real salvation really comes when we really deny ourselves and let Jesus be the lord over our lives. This means that we let Jesus renew our minds and in doing so we become more like Him. This reminds me of the story of Jesus and the young rich man in Mark 10 this man had kept all Ten Commandments but still Jesus told him that he had to give up his entire possessions take up his cross and follow him; this man was not willing to do so and was not able to follow Jesus.

I learnt that I have to give God all of me at all times because He wants to be lord over my life and everything that concerns me. 

 Thanks for reading and God bless you

Joanne

Spending time with God is very important for Christians who want to know God’s heart for them, their families, their friends and those around them. God loves us and He yearns for us to spend time with Him. 

In Genesis we learn that God created us in His own image so it shouldn’t come as a surprise why we need relationships with others. When we meet people we like to spend time getting to know them by actually talking to them and with time a relationship is built. We become sensitized to our friends’ likes and dislikes, we know when they are sad and happy, and we trust them with our innermost secrets and so on. In the same way God wants us to have a relationship with Him. James 4:8 says that if you draw near to God He will draw near to you and the best way to draw near to God is by spending time with Him. God wants to reveal Himself to you and He canonly do that if you become intimate with Him.

If you are reading this and you would like to start spending time with your father in heaven but you feel like you are so far away from Him then I encourage you to take this opportunity to run into the arms of love. God is love and He is your father. There is nothing that could ever separate you from the love of God and this is why he sacrificed His best, Jesus Christ to die for you and me on the cross. No matter what your life looks like God loves you and He is always there for you.

For the next 21 days I will challenge myself to spend at least one hour in the presence of God by praising and worshipping Him, praying and reading God’s word and you are more than welcome to join me.

Scripture Reference

James 4:8 (NKJV)

Thanks for reading & stay blessed!
Joanne