Devotion: September 30Th, 2010

I am with you and all around you, encircling you in golden rays of light. I always behold you Face to face. Not only of your thoughts escape My notice. Because I am infinite, I am able to love you as if you and I were the only ones in the universe. Walk with Me in intimate Love-steps, but do not lose sight of My Majesty. I desire to be your closet friend, yet I am also your sovereign Lord. I created your brain with capacity to know Me as a Friend and Lord simultaneously. The human mind is the pinnacle of My creation, but so few use it for its primary purpose - knowing Me. I communicate continually through My Spirit, My Word, and My creation. Only humans are capable of receiving Me and responding to My Presence. Truly you are fearfully and wonderfully made! -Christ

Response to the Beginning:

We are so important and special to God! He put His best creativity into creating each one of us. We're so incredibly loved by Him that He calls us Friends...The Lord God of the universe, calls me His close and beloved friend! To truly accept this is His desire for each one of us, but with accepting His friendship, we must also accept His Lordship and sovereignty. To only accept His offer of love and companionship would lead to the lack of the fear of God and the honor and worship He deserves. To only accept His sovereignty without knowing His love and daily friendship, disconnects us from the closest, most fulfilling, romantic, adventurous, loving relationship possible - the relationships Christ wants us to have with Him!

Response to the End:
In each season and stage of life, new opportunities arrive to learn, grow, mature, and change in our relationship with God the Father. in these same times, however, new opportunities and new ways to be tempted by Satan present themselves.
College, I believe, presents us all with more diversity of each of these than almost any other season of our lives. This is incredibly exciting considering the growth and experiences God has available for us during this time! Along with this excitement should also be a caution and a righteous concern. Satan is indeed the enemy of our souls and a lion - smart, quick, strong, sneaky, and very deceptive! There are so many ways to silently plant his seeds of evil and deception into our hearts, and I believe the college campus is a favorite location for his deeds.
We must not forget what our minds were created for -above and beyond knowledge and education. Our minds were first created to know and to love the Lord.
The enemy will try everything he can to get you to become wrapped up in studying -although in itself a very good thing - and try to push your time spent knowing and loving God to second place in your priorities.
Once the priority of knowing and loving our Savior is no longer our first and foremost action with our minds, we no longer carry His Spirit's convictions or wisdom, and our opportunity to grow and mature during this time is forgotten - for an idol has been carelessly picked up in our mind, and He no longer remains first in our lives.
This leads to compromise, mistakes, sin, addictions, and rebellion from God completely. Consider the following sentence and check your way of thinking when it comes to studying and spending intimate time with your Savior:
"I'm just focusing on my education right now. Once I graduate I'll have more time to focus on God."
Don't let Satan have one of the most important and crucial seasons of life! Remember, he will push you, Christ is a gentleman, He wants you to come to Him, but He will not push you past your own free will.