Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Expand (07/18/13)
-
TITLE: Lord of The Box | Previous Challenge Entry
By Richard Hicks
07/25/13 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
For a long time I felt I had to go to church to find God. It was the only time I seemed to sense Him near me. This was one of the reasons I loved to go to church so much as a young child. The other reason was compared to my dysfunctional home life; church seemed so pure and clean. Going to church was a valuable outlet for me, but it also taught me to be too religious, closing myself in a box, and not dealing with what was going on at home. Just because I went to church every time the doors are open, and I listened to preaching for an hour didn’t make me a better Christian. Like the great singer / songwriter Keith Green used to say, “Going to church no more makes you a Christian, than going to MacDonald’s makes you a hamburger.” I needed to receive His full grace to apply the whole truth of who God really was to my heart so that I could bring love to my dysfunctional home life.
Little did I know that God was in the process of changing my boxed up perspective. As a Christian adult, I thought I could go to church, get touched by God and then go home and do what I wanted. Sunday is way more than a day to dress up and walk through the church doors and walk out unchanged. We cannot hide forever, we must be found in Christ and Him alone. Yet we confine Him by hiding and closing off our hearts. One thing that I realized I was missing out on as an adult was fellowship with other believers. God uses us and touches us through others. When we close off or box ourselves away from our Christian brothers and sisters, we miss out on the amazing blessing of having Godly relationships.
What I began to learn is that living in a box for so much of my life also caused me to put God in that same box. God had to really expand my mind by showing me His healing grace that transpires beyond any box. I was becoming delivered from myself as He revealed Himself to me line upon line and precept upon precept.
God was teaching me not to say to Him, “You can do this and that in my life, but you can’t do the other.” I was learning to let Him be “Lord of my box,” both the good and ugly in my life.
Several years ago a sister in Christ had been interceding for me. She told me she’d seen a dove flying in the air toward me with a message for me in His mouth. She then told me that God was going to send me a revelation of His grace. A couple of days later, I was driving in my truck and God came forth in a powerful way. I felt a tangible Presence of God as I cried out to Him and worshiped in song. It was as if I floated on cloud nine the rest of the day.
The healing grace of God has greatly expanded in my life since then. It has been many years since that experience, but God’s message is still very clear to me. I can experience God not only at church, in my vehicle, in my den, but even at my computer. My whole perspective has changed regarding church. I have learned that it’s all about having a relationship with our Father in Heaven, it’s not about being religious.
Now I am sharing this word and vision with you. God is with you wherever you go, expanding the knowledge of His grace in every place.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Good testimony.
Yes, our lives are better when we follow Paul's thoughts found in Phil. 3:7-11
Praise YHWH. Hebrews 10:26-31, Revelation 12:17
Thanks for sharing your testimony.