Moving Forward - Mark Cerfonteyn

In any healthy relationship there needs to be growth, and if we want to grow in our lives and in our faith then we need to prioritise growing in our relationship with God. The way we do that is by paying attention to the areas where He invites us into deeper relationship. God cares for you the way a close friend would. He cares about what’s on your heart and wants to have a relationship with you. Often in the season where we struggle on our own it’s because we have drifted away from Him. But He is still waiting in that place you left Him, ready to move forward with you again! Q - how would you describe your relationship with God to someone who has never had one? Matthew 7:24:-25 reminds us that we can have a relationship with God that can see us through even the toughest of times. And God wants this for each of us. He doesn’t just want us to know of Jesus, but he wants us to experience the life-changing power that a relationship with Jesus brings. So how can we continue to grow with God? 1️⃣ Spend time getting to know God Ephesians 3:12 reminds us that we can come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. That means you can know God is a very real and personal way. Spend time getting to know the person, the presence, and the power of Jesus (Romans 8:1-4). 2️⃣ Listen for His voice The power a relationship can have on us is only made real when we learn to listen. Matthew 7:24 says that anyone who “listens”… is wise. God has answers to the questions we live with, so we should listen to hear the heart of God (Romans 10:17). Start each day in conversation with God and in his word ready to listen for when he speaks to you. Q - how has listening for Gods voice grown your relationship with the Father? 3️⃣ Follow Jesus boldly Following is what should come from listening to God. In this world people follow many things, but what we follow matters. The only way to live in the freedom and victory that God offers is to follow Jesus. Romans 5:1-5 tells us what this life looks like when we accept the invitation from Jesus to follow him. 4️⃣ Learn to surrender to Him The change that God brings to our lives is always for the better. It’s always in our best interest. We need to allow God to shape us by surrendering to His will. We can trust in him because he is a good Father (Luke 11:10-13). He truly loves you and is inviting you to move forward in relationship with him!