relationship with God

Close Enough

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I saw this photo on Facebook, and, like you, I laughed. But a moment later, I heard a whisper in my spirit. It said, “That is some people’s attitude toward God.”

Some only attend a church service at Christmas and Easter. Others might go every time the doors are open, but neither put much more effort into their relationship with God than that. Lucky for us, God doesn’t take attendance! For the record, going to church alone doesn’t mean you will live in heaven for eternity after you die. And the only thing that can guarantee your final destination is believing in Jesus Christ and accepting him into your life and heart.

Having a good relationship with God goes further and much deeper. One must be intentional about spending time with God, which doesn’t mean being “religious” about it, like getting up at 5 AM every morning to pray and read the Bible. It means talking to God all the time about anything and everything. Your ups as well as your downs. And then taking time to see if there is anything, He would want to say to you. It’s like having a conversation with your best friend. It also means reading his Word regularly. This whole blog/website was started to encourage people to grow in God.

Having a close connection to God means having a full, adventurous, fun, and exciting life. Having an “abundant” life, as Jesus said, is one reason He came to this world.

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
John 10:10b (MSG)

“Close enough” really just doesn’t cut it. You will find yourself lacking and still in want. It may not take much effort, but it is not satisfying, just as those Christmas lights in the photo wouldn’t be as well. So try harder. Be purposeful in developing your relationship with God. Your efforts will be rewarded, and now is a great time to start. God accepts you as you are and loves you more than you will ever believe.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8a (NKJV)

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

“I’m Pregnant”

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Charlie 25I love the Virgin Mary’s story.  She was so brave.  You see the simple truth is, she loved God more than she feared what others thought.  There’s a whole sermon right there.  Pass the offering plate and call it Sunday!

Mary, a virgin, was a pure vessel for the Son of God to be placed in.  And because she first loved God, she had no problem loving and taking care of his Son, Jesus.

Oh may I always be a clean vessel for the Son of God to take full time residence in.  May I too be able to announce, “I’m pregnant!”  If you have ever seen me you know I look like I’m 8 months pregnant, but I’m trying to work on that.  May I always care about his words, his way of life, and his promise to live forever, more than I am concerned about what man thinks.

In this blog, I write the words I feel God has placed in my heart to help you, inspire you, to grow in your relationship with him.  A friend of mine once said,

“I don’t need to read your blog, because I don’t have a relationship with God.”  I responded, “Sure you do.  It’s just not a good one!”

Whether you believe in God or not today, I pray wherever you are in life, you start to.  Because ya know what?  God believes in you.  He made you, he loves you, and he wants to have a conversation with you, about you.  He cares so much for you, he gave you his only Son, to die so that you may live.  That’s what Christmas is all about.  All the other stuff is just a way to celebrate God’s perfect love.

Today is Christmas.  Merry Christmas to all of my regular, and irregular readers.  I’ll let you decide which you are.  I love you all, and appreciate you so very much.  You’re in my prayers. I mainly pray your relationship with God will grow.  (laughing) May you too, become pregnant.

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

God is Not Religious

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Charlie 230Satan is religious.  He loves churches that try to get you to follow a list of dos and don’ts knowing when you fail, you will probably hate yourself and possibly hate God.  Satan religiously tries to get you to believe the lie that you have to follow a list of rules.  The problem is simple:  you are trusting man to tell you what God desires from you instead of finding out for yourself.

If God wanted us to be religious, he would have not sent his Son, Jesus to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins, but instead would have stayed in the temple, behind a curtain.  When Jesus died that curtain ripped from top to bottom.  God doesn’t want religion from us, but a relationship with us.

When you get to know God for yourself, you’ll fall in love with him, and because you don’t want to hurt the One you love, you change your behavior.  Even if you slip up, out of love He forgives, comforts, encourages, and helps you.  This paradigm is a much better way to live.

A friend once said he didn’t have a relationship with God.  I said, “Sure you do!  It’s just not a good one.”  Everyone has a relationship with God.  He loves you, and if you haven’t talked to him in a while, then I’m sure he misses you!  God knows where you are, what you are going through, and he still knows your name.  Can you hear him whispering it?

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

IR

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Charlie 7I got remarried yesterday evening, after being divorced for twenty-three years.  I no longer have to check that dreaded little box, “Divorced”.  I married a wonderful woman of God who is a Filipino.  The only problem is, I’m an American, and she is not allowed to enter the United States without a Visa, which could take a year or longer to arrive.  When she said, “I do,” she became an “IR”.  Instant Relative.  This status gives her priority over everyone else trying to enter America by any other means.  Work Visa, Student Visa, Fiancé Visa, etc.  It also gives her access to a “Green Card” and two weeks after she arrives in America she will get her Social Security card.  Being an “IR” has instant privileges.

When one accepts God’s free gift of salvation, through his Son Jesus, they instantly become an “IR”.  They become a son or daughter to the God of the universe.  You will walk around, with a smile on your face, knowing whose you are, that you belong to God, and He is your Abba Father.  (Daddy God)  That status brings instant privileges as well.  Like having access to the throne of God.  Being able to walk with him and talk about anything.  God will guide you, Jesus will be with you, and the Holy Spirit will comfort you.  You have a free Attorney, Jesus, to defend you against Satan’s accusations.  Also, there will be free of charge, to you, accommodations in heaven that have no check out date or time, and who could argue with the blessing of eternal life?  Yes, being a child of God is good!

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better? (Mat. 7:11 MSG)

There are so many reasons to accept Jesus, mainly, because He first loved us.  If you are not currently, my prayer is that you will become an “IR” with God.

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

I Just Met God

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Do you remember what it’s like to meet someone for the first time?  Especially if that someone is of the opposite sex?  You begin to talk to them.  You find yourself wanting to know more and more about them.  You start thinking about them almost every waking moment.  You can’t wait to see them, and moments after you leave their presence you begin to immediately miss them.  You long within yourself to hear their voice again, and see their face.  This person has become important to you, and you to them.  Your heart screams with excitement.  When the phone rings you call out, “I hope it is them!”

As I have decided within the last year to start dating again, I have had this experience several times.  At least up until that point when one or the other makes a determination that the other is not the “one” for them.  That is not a good feeling.  Feeling rejected, or having to say, “I no longer want to pursue a relationship with you.”  Jerry Seinfeld so famously put it like this, “It’s not you it’s me!”

Couples who have been together a long time say things like, “Oh, we still love each other, but the fire is no longer there.”  That’s a sad statement.  Why can’t the fire be turned up year after year?  It does take work.  Hard work!  Someone has to go out and cut down a tree, and haul the wood to the home, and then add another log to the fire.  And then, and then there are times when the fire has to be stoked!  I really don’t know what “stoking” a fire is, but in a marriage relationship it sounds like it could be fun.

Then there is God, our relationship with him.  Is it new and exciting?  Or has the fire almost gone out?  Can you wait to see him again?  Do you get excited and long to be in his presence?  Or do you say, “I still love him, it’s just not the same as when I first got to know him.”  I want to stay excited about God.  I want my love and longing for him to grow year after year.  I want the fire to be roaring in my heart when it comes to God and the things of God.  I want to always act like I have just met God.

Today He Visited

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

The subject of being in the very presence of God has always intrigued me.  To think that God is in your midst; wow!  In the Old Testament whenever the priest would go into the portion of the temple known as the Holy of Holies he would tie a rope around his waist, and wear a bell, so if he was found “unclean” by God and died then the other priest could pull his body out from behind the thick curtain.  (By the way, the very moment that Jesus died on the cross that curtain was ripped from top to bottom! (See Mark 15:38)  That means there is nothing separating us from God now.)

I have strived to live a life worthy of having God in my midst.  I have accomplished that from time to time.  Fortunately, now that Jesus has died for our sins, I don’t have to tie a rope around my waist, or wear a bell!  Yesterday was one of those days.  I felt God’s presence all day long as I went about my day taking care of the things in life.  Each time I felt his presence I smiled, and prayed, and chatted with him.  This isn’t saying I consider myself super spiritual, but I desire his presence.  I seek it.  The presence of GodIt is in the presence of God I find comfort, strength, and direction.  There is nothing like talking to the one who loves you more than anything else!  The one big enough to create this earth, and everything in it, and then set it in order, but small enough to make you feel like you are the only one he has to talk to.  I’m glad yesterday I could say, “Today he visited.”

Who’s Waiting On Whom?

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Has God called you to live a particular life?  Is He asking you to take a risk and do something for Him?  Is there something you have been praying and asking God for?  In either case have you begin to wonder, “When is it going to come about?”

In my life I want to be a full-time author.  I would like to also be out there traveling and speaking to groups of people.  Encouraging them, ministering to them, helping them to have a deeper relationship with God.  Right now I have a blog, a couple of pen pals in prison, and I do my best to connect with people via emails, and other ways to be doing what I listed above.  I have been doing things in a way so when the life I want comes about I will be ready.  For instance yesterday I had a professional head shot taken to be used as a publicity photo.  At lunch yesterday I told my friend, “I don’t know what God is waiting on, but it’s not me!” Then as our conversation turned to my friend’s life and what he wants I asked him, “Is God waiting on you?”

So what about you?  Are you in the middle of God’s will right now?  If not, what do you want God to do in your life?  What does God want to do in your life?  Is one of you waiting on the other?