Fervent Faith to Pursue Him

F is for Fervent Faith

My focus this week centers on fulfilling my life goals for 2016.  When approaching goals and serving God, community, and family, I need fervent faith.

ROMANS 12:11    Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord

Yesterday, I wrote about endeavoring to reset New Year’s Resolution and refocusing on our One Little Words.

This year one of my major resolutions involves drawing closer to Him thus increasing my faith and love for Christ. Toward this goal, I decided to read a four-week devotional by my friend Asheritah Ciuciu, entitled, Walking With God: Enjoying God’s Presence from Morning to Night (**affiliate link). Devotionals encourage me to read God’s Holy Bible and to feast on applications for my daily life. Asheritah’s devotional helped me as I continued working on my New Year’s resolution to increase my faith by drawing closer to Him. You can see my full review of the book here.

She helped me to see that :

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@Maryandering”]Seeking Jesus is a daily, ongoing process of love, worship, and service.[/tweetthis] It is taking up my cross faithfully and following Him, fervently.

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@Maryandering”]I desire for my fervent faith to burn a hole in my soul if I miss a day with Jesus.[/tweetthis]

How do I spend my day with Him? It is as Asheritah writes:  I spend my time with Him in the garden of my mind, walking through His Word; worshiping in His Holy Sanctuary; and attending to prayer in my War Room.

To this end daily, I bound over roadblocks set in place to hinder me. Some of these obstacles come from Satan while others come from my own weak flesh and busyness. The most powerful quote from her study is her admonition that:

Time with God is not something we fit in between the chores and errands—it is a continual conversation as we bring the everyday stuff of life to Him.

Then she follows this admonition with a powerful exercise:

Write a prayer asking God to help you prioritize the one thing that is important in life and to become increasingly aware of His presence in your life.

I have struggled with this prayer, but my first draft read:

Dear Jesus,

Let faith in you become priority in my life this year. Increase in me a fervent desire to follow you daily. Jesus, I desire for my fervent faith to burn a hole in my soul if I miss a day with You. Let the emotions of love overwhelm me and bring me to my knees when I remember the sacrifice that you made for me. When I see your loving face in agony on a cross, dying for my sins.

Do not let me slip into apathy and neglect your great gifts of grace and love.  Emblazon them on my countenance that I might draw others to discover your truth and love.

I praise and worship, your Holy Name, as I seek to walk with you. Hold my hand and feel my heart to capacity with your light, grace, and mercies. Lord Jesus. Amen

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This post is for letter F in the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge. Learn more about it here.

I will also join several of the hops listed on my Link-up Parties page.

** If you purchase using this Amazon link, I will receive a small portion of the sale. I also received a PDF copy of Walking with God from the author in exchange for my honest review and reactions to her book.