SESSION SUMMARY

People do not seek God on their own initiative. God always takes the lead in pursuing a love relationship with you. This love relationship is real, personal, and extremely practical. More than anything else you might do, God wants you to love Him with your total being. He created you for that purpose. If your love relationship with Him is not close, everything else related to knowing and doing the will of God will be out of focus. When you find God is not working through your life to accomplish His purposes, focus on your love relationship with Him. God may be waiting until you respond to His loving invitation to a relationship before He works through your life to bless others.

Your love relationship with God prepares you to be involved in His work by developing in you a God-centered life. Focusing your attention on God's plans, purposes, and ways—rather than your own—is essential. With any other focus, you will be misguided in your involvement in God's work. Like George Mueller, you need to reach a point where you have no will of your own. Then the Holy Spirit will cause you to desire God's will above everything else. God Himself is the One who initiates your involvement in His work. He does not ask you to dream up something you can do for Him. You need to know what He is doing—or is about to do—where you are.

He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38) 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• What stood out or impacted you from the chapters?
• How did you feel as you walked and talked with God?
• What aspects of your love relationship with God became clear to you?
• If this was a difficult or an emotionally uneasy time, why do you think it was?
• Do you desire more than anything else to know and do the will of God? If your honest answer is “no,” what must happen before you can reach the place where your will is replaced by God's?
• Do you have some plans that God has not been blessing? If so, why might that be?
• Have you been faithfully waiting on the Lord? Are you good at waiting for God? Why or why not?

EXPERIENCING GOD TODAY

Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Take some time to walk with God and cultivate a more intimate relationship with Him this week. If possible, find a place outside to walk. Use this time to get out of your routine. You may even want to plan a special outing for part of a day just to be alone with God. Spend the time talking with Him. If the location permits, you may even want to talk to Him out loud. Praise Him for His love and mercy. Thank Him for expressions of His love to you. Be specific. Express to God your love for Him. Take time to worship Him. Then simply spend time with Him. Talk to Him about your concerns, and listen to what He wants to say to you.

Take an inventory of where your life efforts are being spent. How are you investing your time? What are your priorities? Then ask yourself, “What am I presently doing that can only be explained by God's activity in my life?” If you cannot think of anything, spend time with your Lord and ask Him why.

*This content is a condensed and consolidated version ends of chapters 7 and 8. This is in no way original content to Fellowship Greenville. This content is from the book Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude King (copyright 2008). We are thankful for the use of the content and the impact it has had.