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Transcript:
Hello, welcome to Walking in Step with God. I am Steve McDonald. As we kick off our series about Devotion, today we explore the topic “Find Your Faith Language”.
Have you heard of the concept of love languages? It describes how we express and receive love from others. Experts say there are 5 love languages when it comes to our human relationships. Words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts. I think the love languages that I align with most are acts of service and words of affirmation.
What about our -faith- language? How do each of us find ways to express and receive love from God? Our relationship with God is at the foundation of our faith, so naturally, each of us will be inclined to a particular way that we connect with God. Each of us will have a way we show love to God and a way we feel intimacy and closeness with God.
Today, we discuss 4 ways we can connect with God as we seek to find our faith language.
Before we dive in, why don’t we take a quick break? I will be right back.
Welcome back. Let’s continue in our discussion 4 ways we can connect with God as we seek to find our faith language. How you connect with God may be very different from your peers, friends, or family. The most important thing in my opinion is to seek out ways that help you feel closest to God. I believe that God will adapt how He speaks to you to use the ways that you feel closest to Him.
While these 4 ways are common, they are by no means a complete list. The most important thing is to find the ways that work best for you to connect with God.
#1 Journaling
How do you best express your thoughts? If it is writing, you may find journaling to be a powerful way to connect with God. Journaling allows you to reflect on your day-to-day experiences and even write to God. If you enjoy writing letters or writing your thoughts down in journals, I encourage you to journal about your faith and even use writing as a way to communicate with God.
#2 Reflection
If you have been walking with God for a significant amount of time, you will most certainly have memories of how God has shown up for you in your life. You will recall the blessings in your life and how He has provided for you in times of need. You will remember how He has comforted you in times of pain. One way we can connect with God is to reflect on our walk with Him, to reflect on the moments in our lives where we know He was near – even if we didn’t realize it at the time.
I believe we can feel a true closeness to God as we reflect on the moments in our lives He has been near and praise Him as we reflect.
#3 Silence
I can tell you from my own experience that silence can be a very powerful way to connect with God. I admit, when I first learned of it, I did not understand, but I do now. Taking the time in our day to be silent with God can be an incredibly intimate experience with Him.
Shutting out the man-made sounds and distractions around us and finding a space to simply be still with Him shows God our desire to prioritize Him in our lives. How long you have silent time is up to you, but for me, 25 minutes feels just right. I place myself in a quiet room, early in the morning and I do my best to ignore racing thoughts. You may find, as I have, that in the stillness and quiet, you can not only sense His presence but even sense His speaking to you. Not in the way humans speak to one another, but in a way that only He can.
#4 Nature
I don’t know about you, but I love the beauty and marvels of nature. Nature is perhaps one of the most powerful ways I connect with God because I am simply blown away by the beauty of what I know He created.
Nature can be an amazing way to disconnect from the man-made reality in our lives and immerse ourselves in God-made reality. There is so much diversity in nature that each of us may have a very specific aspect of nature that lifts our spirits more than others.
I am fortunate to live in an area that has strong natural diversity – oceans, forests, rolling mountains, and plains are all a short drive from my home. Immersing yourself in nature on a walk or hike in the woods, a stroll by the ocean or even a drive through the mountains can leave you feeling speechless as you take in the awe of God’s creation in nature.
Wrap Up
Today, we discussed 4 ways to connect with God and discover our faith language. By no means are these 4 ways the only ways, but we explored some of the popular ways that many of us use to experience God and express ourselves to God.
We discussed journaling. If you are someone who enjoys writing, journaling can be an excellent way to help you feel close to God and express your love to Him. We discussed how reflection can be a powerful tool to feel close to God as we recall all of the ways God has been present in our lives. We discussed the power of silence. Making time to simply be still with God is a powerful way to shut out the noise of the world around us and bring ourselves fully and completely before Him. Lastly, we discussed how immersing ourselves in nature can be a powerful way to connect with God. Being in nature can whisk us away from the man-made challenges of the world and give us the space to praise Him among God-made beauty.
Discover your unique way to connect with God through journaling, reflection, silence, nature, or another activity, and find your faith language today.
Are you interested in discovering more about the guidance offered in this message? Learn more in the companion article Going Deeper with the Word: Find Your Faith Language
