Spiritually-connected Security

[Dr. Shane]

When our security is based on our spiritual connection with God we are not as dependent on other people or material things to get us through the crisis in life that we will inevitably face from time to time.  A crisis is defined by something that requires more from a person than the resources they have.  We are interdependent.  We need each other.  There is no getting away from that.  However, our connection with God keeps us from being overly dependent on others  - not because we are independent but because much of our dependence is on God.

There are many professed Christian that have a dry religion.  Dry religion is one with a set of rules which its adherents follow.  Of course, Christians do have a "set of rules" but the basis of our religion is forming and maintaining a relationship with Jesus.  Jesus inspires us not only to obey the rules but to see the rules as a loving set of principles to guide us to become loving people.  We don't obey the rules to try to earn favor with God or escape the fires of hell.  We are inspired to obey.  We are drawn into this love-based relationship that changes our hearts and we long to obey the love-based law of God.  Professed Christians that are simply "obeying the rules" do not have a relationship with God that works during a crisis.

So how does a person move from being a rules-based Christian to being a relationship-based Christian.  The start is prayer and meditation.  We need to pray more.  There are many forms of meditation.  A couple of the best are keeping a Bible-study journal and keeping a prayer journal.  These written journals are like letters to God.  In the Bible-study journal, one reads from the Bible and than writes down what he or she has learned from that passage.  In the prayer journal, one prays to God while writing the prayer.  The prayer includes a list of things to be grateful for.  It includes comments on positive things that happened that day.  It discusses character defects a person is struggling with.  It confesses sin.  It asks for forgiveness AND accepts forgiveness.  These journals are an interactive part of having a relationship with a living Savior.