What do you do when you don’t sense the affirmation of God’s presence? In this talk from Dr. Crawford Loritts, he challenges us to look beyond our feelings and walk moment by moment with Christ—providing seven sources that will fuel our love for Jesus and help us finish strong.
Key Takeaway
The goal isn't spiritual performance or behavior—the goal is His Son. We have to love Jesus supremely.
What do you do when you don't sense the affirmation of God's presence? What do you do when you read your Bible and you don't feel anything?
There will be times when you will walk with God, and He will, on purpose, step back and veil a sense of His presence. Why?
He wants us to learn to walk by faith, step into things, trust Him, and be strong and resilient.
We are meant to walk with Christ moment by moment.
Here are seven sources that will fuel our love for Jesus that will help us finish strong and finish well:
1. The Word of God
Any believer who is going to have a sustained, vibrant walk with Jesus must give himself to the focused study of this Word for the rest of his life. We have to decide to make the Word of God our life.
Read Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV).
The psalmist decided to make the word of God his delight.
Love is not a contradiction to discipline. We choose to love. We must choose His Word to be the stabilizing force of our life.
Read Psalm 1:3 (ESV).
2. Worship
Read Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV).
Worship is the banner under which prayer takes place. It's ascribing value to our great God. It isn't about you—it's about bringing God glory and praise. It's spending time with God and nurturing intimacy with Him.
Our weaknesses and inadequacies are the greatest gifts that God will ever give us. They are the holy handicaps that keep us dependent on God. Our limitations are actually accelerators to the presence of God in and through us.
As we worship, our appetite will grow.
3. Repentance
God hates sin, but He doesn't hate us; He hates sin because He loves us. We all have a stain, but our primary preoccupation is not to be passive or accommodating with sin but to aggressively work on removing the stain, closing the gap between when we sin and when we repent.
Read 1 John 1:9 (ESV).
We must not justify or manage our sins; we must desire cleansing.
Read 1 John 1:7 (ESV).
You have sinned, so you should turn and confess your sin, but confession doesn't root it out—you must walk toward the light. If you turn toward the light, the shadow is behind you. If you don't turn to light, the darkness is before you.
The best disinfectant for sin is the light.
Read Psalm 51:10-12 (ESV).
Now is the time to reach out and get help—our wholeness is too important.
4. Obedience
Read 1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV).
Obedience is better than sacrifice.
What has God's Word told you to do? Don't think about it—do it.
5. Discipleship
Read Luke 14:27 (ESV).
You have to be willing to bear whatever reproach is necessary for being a follower of Jesus.
Our Christianity has to go beyond a cultural hobby, happening, or event. We are all in with Jesus, meaning we are willing to live and die for Him. We're willing to lose friends or stand alone if need be. Jesus isn't just a hobby—He is our life.
That's where discipleship begins. It's ordering your life around the person of Christ and subordinating all that you are to the mission of Christ.
6. Community
God has no independent contractors or Christians.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:13 (ESV).
The moment you said yes to Jesus, you were connected to the body of Christ.
We belong to each other. We need each other.
You're a dysfunctional Christian if you're doing Christianity in isolation.
Read Romans 12:15 (ESV).
We need peers that hold us accountable. But we also need multiple generations in our lives—this protects us from generational arrogance.
7. Service
You need to embrace your identity.
Read Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV).
Christianity was never meant to be extracted from the culture and society. We were never meant to be hostile toward nonbelievers. Christians are not our enemies; they are our mission field.
Inherent in your Christianity is gospel representation.
We carry the light of Christ and the preserving nature of Jesus wherever we are.
It's a statement of identity.
There is a passion to fulfill the great commission.
Read Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV).
There is an urgency in our walks with God—He wants to use us to be the light.
All we have is this one life, and if we want to leave footprints in the sands of time, we will have to wear work boots.
Discussion Questions
- Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you felt the absence of God's presence? What was your response to his absence?
- Have you ever pursued spiritual performance over intimacy with Jesus? How was your faith impacted if yes? If you don't feel as though you have done this, how have you seen it play out in the lives of other believers?
- Do you make it a point to be in the Word of God daily? How does studying Scripture shape your faith?
- Have you ever thought of worship as anything other than singing? What does worshipping God look like for you?
- When you sin and fall short, do you make the active decision to repent? If yes, how have you turned to Jesus following your repentance? If not, pray a prayer of repentance today and turn to the light of Jesus.
- What has God's Word told you to do recently? What has kept you from doing it?
- Are you willing to not just live for Jesus, but die for Him too? Do you fear death more than God? Reflect on this question for a few moments, and journal your thoughts.
- Do you have someone you mentor, a peer who keeps you accountable, and a mentor above you? If not, who are you missing in your life to keep you from generational arrogance?
- When evangelizing, do you find yourself getting hostile toward other nonbelievers? What would be a more effective way of sharing the Gospel?
- Do you feel a sense of urgency when telling others about Jesus? Why or why not?
Scripture References
