How Can I Know if God Is With Me?

Mar 12

How Can I Know If God Is With Me? Part 3

You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

St. Augustine of Hippo

We all want to be united by God. But practically, how do we know Jesus?

In the first article in this series, we concluded that “It is through Jesus, by Jesus, and in Jesus that we are united to every other believer and God.”

In the second article [link], we asked the question from a more personal angle, “But how do I know that Jesus has saved me?”

After looking at the Scriptures, we concluded:

We know that Jesus has saved us when we are being transformed into disciples of Jesus who put Jesus’ words into practice.

In today’s article, I want to address the next problem we face:

Why, if we want to follow Jesus, do we often fail to follow Jesus? Why can’t we overcome our sinful desires? Why is our spiritual progress so slow?

The solution comes when we realize this principle:

Just because we have a goal doesn’t mean we know how to achieve that goal.

For instance, in high school - and during my freshman year in college - I ran cross country. My coaches helped me set goals to improve my performance from race to race.

But it was no good to say, “Hey, Carson, you should run faster. Try harder next time!”

Because I was already trying my hardest to run as fast as possible.

I already knew what my goal was. I was already motivated to reach my goal.

But I needed a coach to show me how to reach my goal.

So, what did my coaches do?

Instead of yelling at us to try harder, they trained us so that we could run faster.

For instance, we ran short distances at high speeds, long distances at slow speeds, and lifted weights in the gym. We learned about nutrition, sleep, and rest.

As we improved how we trained for races, we inevitably improved our performance at our races.

The same principle explains how we grow spiritually.

If you tell me, “Love God more!” I might try harder for a little bit.

But before long, I’ll feel discouraged and guilty about not meeting your standards.

So what do we need to do?

We need to embark upon a training plan together.

It’s by training ourselves for godliness that we can become godly.

As the theologian Dallas Willard once explained, “A discipline is an activity within our power--something we can do--which brings us to a point where we can do what we at present cannot do by direct effort.”

So, what disciplines enable us to grow in love for God and our neighbor? What habits help us become like Jesus?

We could try and reinvent the wheel. But a better approach is to learn from the mistakes of others.

Throughout the sifting of church history, some practices have proven their value in deepening women and men into wise saints.

These disciplines include:

Prayer - sharing our hearts with God
Bible study - reading and understanding God’s word
Study - intentionally thinking about life from God’s perspective
Evangelism - inviting others to experience life with God
Stewardship - sharing what God has entrusted to us
Repentance - identifying and turning away from our sins
Fasting - abstaining from normal activity to deepen our dependence on God
Music - expressing our hearts to God with singing and dancing
Silence - experiencing quiet so that we can attentively listen to God

Do you want to know more about practicing the habits that help you mature in Jesus?

One resource we offer is 12 Steps to God. It provides an overview of the spiritual disciplines that have helped me grow in my walk with God.

It’s also why I created the Uncommon Pursuit community.

It’s rare to train for a marathon by yourself. There are so many challenges and obstacles that most people would give up.

But if you join a running group, you can get support along the way. How do you stretch that muscle? What brand of shoes should you buy? What training program should you follow? How do you recover when you’re sore?

Your community helps you overcome these challenges so you can run a marathon.

We need the exact same support in our relationship with God. That’s why I encourage you to become a Community Partner.

It gives you an environment to ask your questions and get support from other disciples of Jesus.

So, how can we know if God is with us?

If the Holy Spirit prompts us to intentionally deepen our relationship with God through spiritual disciplines, that should reassure our hearts.

As we read in 1 John 3:2-3,

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.
And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure.

In other words, anyone who partners with God to purify themselves, using the spiritual disciplines, demonstrates that they are God’s children.

Do you struggle to obey Jesus? You’re not alone.

Connect with your brothers and sisters in Christ in the Uncommon Pursuit community:

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