Hebrews 11:6 tells us that in order to draw near to God and have a relationship with Him, we need to understand and conform to three very specific criteria.
First, we need faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God! But what is faith? (Read Hebrews 11:1) Where does it come from? (Read Romans 10:17) How can we apply faith to our lives? (Read Hebrews 11:1-40) I have always loved reading Hebrews 11 in its entirety. It is a very powerful chapter in the Bible that proudly lists the great men and women of the Old Testament who held firm to their faith in God. If you want to know more about what faith can accomplish, read Hebrews 11 in the New Testament, and then find and study each of those accounts in more detail in the Old Testament! Build your faith!
The second criteria necessary for us to have a relationship with God is to believe that He exists, which takes faith! How can we have a relationship with someone if they aren’t real? If this is an issue for you, spend time in the Word and in prayer every day, and never miss an opportunity to attend church or to have godly fellowship with believers! Increase your faith to believe that GOD IS!
Lastly, Hebrews 11:6 says that it isn’t enough to just believe that GOD IS. We also must believe WHO He is! We need to understand the nature of God.
…spend time in the Word and in prayer every day, and never miss an opportunity to attend church or to have godly fellowship with believers!
Recently, I had a conversation with someone who was raised Catholic. They told me that their idea of God was that He was always watching, ready to strike with lighting and brimstone if they ever did anything wrong. They had a false perception of WHO God is! Then a Christian friend of theirs explained to them that we serve a loving God who desires to know us intimately and have a personal relationship with each and every one of us. This conversation changed this person’s life and put them on a path of building a long-lasting relationship with God, which has lasted 40 years and is still going strong!
What is the state of our faith? Do we believe that God IS? Do we understand WHO God is? The answers to these 3 questions are what define our walk and relationship with Him. Are we investing our time wisely in answering these questions and in getting to know God?
Fight the good fight of faith!
Jamie
