This is a reply to the brother who has lost His joy. Get to know Jesus Christ as the person He is.I have been where you are at.Do not give up your faith in Christ. He is still very much alive & He loves YOU very much. We can become legalistic in our relationship with Christ ,if we see it as a duty,and we are trying to earn grace. Grace is a free gift,that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died to give us .It is the greatest priviledge to know
jesus Christ !!!!!!!!!!!!! I have read books about Abraham Lincoln,and I have seen his picture in them. But I can not get to know him personally. Mr. Lincoln has been dead for some years. We can have a living relationship with Jesus Christ,because He walked out of the tomb ,victorious over death ,hell,and the grave. He is very much ALIVE. You can get to know Him through His Word. You can also get to know Him through praise & worship & prayer. If you recieve the baptism in the Holy Spirit,you can have even a deeper walk with God. Then if you want to know Him in His fullness,start to share His LOVE with others.If you will press into Him by faith,He will pour out His love on you in marvelous ways that you never thought possible. Just remember that you are in a relationship with a living person.It takes time on your part & energy to build any meaningful relationship. Our society wants Gods kingdom to be like a microwave,pop the popcorn in, and presto 1 & half minutes later you got popcorn.It does not work that way with God. It takes time to learn to hear His still small voice.You will have to pull away from the hustle & bustle of every day life to get to know Him.But any thing you lose for Him ,will be well worth it ,to get to hear Him speak to you. He is still the alpha & the omega.He has great plans for you,stay in the boat with Him. God is allowing you to get to know Him.1 John says that He is love.Get to know Him you will be glad you did. He is not only interested in your physical needs,but He is in the process of conforming you into His (JESUS) image. It takes time to mold clay into a beautiful vase fit for the masters use. Sometimes it is painful when we are learning to choose His will,above our own.But Our heavenly Fathers will is always the best way to go !!! Jesus is still the good shepard & He takes great care of His sheep.God bless you and I hope these bits of wisdom help you in your relationship with God. Remember He is in the process of taking you somewhere (heaven),enjoy the journey.

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Neil