The Source of Life : Bishop Tony Samuels
One of the hardest things to convey as a minister to other believers is the importance of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Without this, there will be nothing in life that is sustainable. There will be initial blessing, but it will be short lived without one-on-one time with the Lord.
Our late Bishop Hank Furr realized that this was the missing component to the Faith Home program. Not just teaching principles, but directing people into their own personal relationship with Jesus. I think the word relationship has been diluted in our minds, so let’s take a look at the definition of the word. Relationship means: a connection, association, or involvement; connection between persons by blood or marriage. So when we talk about relationship, we are talking about a connection. To be in a relationship with someone means you have communication with that person; you spend time with that person; you speak, and then you give them a place to speak into your life.
The most important thing you can do in your life is to spend time with the Lord…you speaking to Him, and Him speaking to you. This is a connection that can never be broken; you have to protect it, and give in to it, just like you would your marriage.
Another benefit of a real relationship with the Lord is it will keep us living in true freedom. When we come into relationship with God, and the things of God, our desires begin to change. Why is this so important? If we don’t keep our desires in check, the enemy will use wrong desires to take us back into bondage. Look at James 1:13-15: When you are tempted don’t ever say, “God is tempting me,” for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he is never the source of temptation. Instead it is each person’s own desires and thoughts that drag them into evil and lure them away into darkness. Evil desires give birth to evil actions. And when sin is fully mature it can murder you! If we don’t cultivate a strong desire for God through a relationship with Him, then our old desires will begin to come alive and will begin to lead us back into bondage again. Our desire for the things of God must be greater than the desire we had for the things of the world. It’s our desires that are actually controlling the direction of our lives.
The Bible tells us how to control these desires in Colossians 3:1-2: Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor, and authority! Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.
When you are in relationship with God, you will begin to create boundaries, not out of law, but as an automatic byproduct of your relationship. You just start getting hungry for the things of the Holy Spirit. It affects the music you listen to, what you watch on TV, your associations in life…your whole life will always be going in the direction of your life in God. There is no life for us outside of a relationship with God. The Bible says, For in him we live, and move, and have our being. So protect and cultivate your relationship with the Lord. It is the needful thing, because it is our source of life.
