Journal note: \u201cFeeling thirsty for God\u2026like the deer panting for streams of water. \u2018My soul thirsts for God, for the living God\u2019\u201d (see Psalm 42:1-2).<\/p>\n
This thirst only God can quench. And that can only happen by spending time with him.<\/p>\n
The Lord instructed Moses to have the Israelites \u201cmake Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them\u201d (Exodus 25:8 Amplified).<\/p>\n
After laying out the construction plans, he said, \u201cThere, I will meet with you\u2026I will speak intimately with you\u2026\u201d (Exodus 25:22 Amplified). The same opportunity is available to us.<\/p>\n
I found this penetrating question in Jeremiah 30:21: \u201c\u2026who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus said, \u201c\u2026Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment\u2026\u201d (Matthew 22:37-38).<\/p>\n
This verse shows how I measure up. \u201c\u2026The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him\u201d (Deuteronomy 13:3b-4).<\/p>\n
Do I follow him? Do I revere him? Do I keep his commands and obey him? Do I serve him and hold fast to him?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a matter of devotion.<\/p>\n
David, the young giant-slayer who became king of Israel, wrote much about the benefits of heeding God\u2019s words.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward\u201d (Psalm 19:10-11).<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.\u00a0 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock\u201d (Matthew 7:24-25).<\/p>\n
\u201cBut everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.\u00a0 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash\u201d (Matthew 7:26-27).<\/p>\n
Picture a tsunami!<\/p>\n
Although I invited Christ into my life as Savior at age seven, I didn\u2019t begin growing my faith until young adulthood. As a new mom striving for perfection, I began seeking the Lord with all my heart, desiring wisdom for this awesome responsibility. Mature believers stressed the importance of memorizing Scripture.<\/p>\n
As I stored Bible promises in my heart, something amazing happened. I started believing God!<\/p>\nAs I stored Bible promises in my heart, something amazing happened. I started believing God! <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n \u201cAh, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you\u201d (Jeremiah 32:17).<\/p>\n Filling my life with truth compelled me to live it out\u2014to apply it to my daily walk.<\/p>\n \u201cBe kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you\u201d (Ephesians 4:32).<\/p>\n The more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to be in his presence.<\/p>\n Today, more than ever, my soul thirsts for God, for the living God!<\/p>\n (Scriptures from the NIV unless noted.)<\/p>\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2018<\/p>\n Please tell me how a Bible promise has impacted your life! And I’d appreciate your sharing this article with your friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Journal note: \u201cFeeling thirsty for God\u2026like the deer panting for streams of water. \u2018My soul thirsts for God, for the living God\u2019\u201d (see Psalm 42:1-2). This thirst only God can quench. And that can only happen by spending time with him. The Lord instructed Moses to have the Israelites \u201cmake Me a sanctuary, that I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[233,237,9,235,234,236],"class_list":["post-773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-commercial-for-spending-time-with-god","tag-devotion-to-christ","tag-dianne-barker","tag-how-to-grow-in-faith","tag-memorize-bible-promises","tag-putting-gods-word-into-practice"],"yoast_head":"\nBelieving God and applying his Word changed me.<\/strong><\/h3>\n