” . . . that’s exactly what we do to find more of God — we practice belief. We exercise it. We begin by transferring the faculty of belief from our feelings to our will. This takes some getting used to, but we employ a bit of benevolent detachment from our own emotional rollercoaster. Not dissociation, not denial, but the choice to believe despite whatever our current feelings may be.”- John Eldredge
John Eldredge concludes Chapter 12 of Get Your Life Back as he talks about three critical things to believe in order to make the search for more of God go well.
1. Exhibit confidence that God wants to give you more of Himself. Two things erode this confidence. The erosion of your soul by the world and the inconsistent effort most people put forth in the pursuit of God. As a result, over time these two processes sow seeds of doubt in your heart. Thus, you question whether God really desires to give you Himself.
Therefore, John encourages, choose to act confidently when asking God for a greater measure of Himself. Believe that He wants to!
2. Choose to believe that Christ already dwells within you. Hence, you’re not looking for God to fall on you from above. Rather, you look for God to updwell from inside your own being. Colossians 1:17 reminds us — “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
3. Choose to believe it’s happening. Consequently, John counsels, resist the urge to keep checking your experience to verify God’s cooperation. That’s like continually checking your heart to make sure it’s beating. Because paranoia soon follows. You begin to wonder when your heart will skip a beat, murmur, or even stop beating altogether.
In conclusion, John describes the proper posture to take:
“Thank you, Jesus, that you are giving me more and more of yourself is the posture to take; he likes being trusted. This posture of belief also opens your soul to let it happen.”
Today’s question: “How do you practice belief to find more of God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Pursuing a sustaining grace”