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Feeling Distant from God? Change Your Thoughts!
“Finally, brother and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9, NIV
Recently, a student reached out to me, sharing that they felt distant with God. The student explained that they are reading their Bible and praying, yet they still struggle to feel close to God. I asked a few questions to get a better understanding of how they were approaching the Bible and what their prayer life looked like. Once they answered my questions, I gave them my best advice, told them I’d be praying for them and would check back in a couple of weeks.
Now, this Daily Word isn’t all about my conversation with this student, but what the conversation reminded me of. It took me back to when I felt so distant from God and felt like He couldn’t even love me. I sought help in those dark times. I reached out to my pastor. We began to have discussions over coffee and meals on what I needed to change in my life to help me.
One way to change my approach was by memorizing Scripture. To help with this, I wrote verses onto note cards. Throughout my day, anytime I could, I would pull them out and read them repeatedly. It was only about 10 note cards and I tried memorizing one of them each week. One of the note cards contained Philippians 4:8-9.
If I ever had a bad thought, I would quote Philippians 4:8-9 and then do what it said. I would try to think about things that were true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Then I would worship and praise God for my life and being able to know Him. I began practicing what the Word said and what my pastor told me to do. And just how my pastor advised me, I shared the same counsel with the student who confided in me. I told them to make God their first priority in everything they do, especially in their thoughts!
Are you feeling distant from God? What are your thoughts like? Put into practice what the Bible tells us and what Christ has shown us, and know that God is with you always!
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