Explore a New Way of Life

Transcript:

Hello, welcome to Walking in Step with God, I am Steve McDonald. Welcome to today’s episode titled “Explore a New Way of Life” as we kick off a brand new series, “Daily Doses of Meaning”. 

This series is for those of you who are just getting started in living a life closer to God. You may be on the fence about God, or maybe you’ve heard about Him only through friends and family, and you would like to know more. Perhaps you have been in a routine of attending a place of worship, but you just aren’t connecting the dots. Whatever your experience or exposure to a life of faith, I hope that this series can help reveal the basics of what it’s like to live your life day by day with God.

In my opinion, there is so much information and misinformation out there that complicates a common truth: God loves you, He loves me, and He loves everyone on earth more than we can fathom. God wants a relationship with you no less and no more than He wants a relationship with me.

I hope I can share information in this series that will help you cultivate and nourish a relationship with God in the same way that I have, and in doing so, experience all the benefits of living an entirely new life. I hope you will find, as I have, that living a life that respects and honors God has far more benefits than a life that does not.

Personally, I wish I knew many decades ago what I know now. I wonder what life would be like if I had learned the information I will be sharing with you earlier. But I don’t harp on that because I have also learned that God’s timing is perfect and He makes good of any situation. God has transformed my life for the better even though I had my back turned to Him for the first 40 years of my life. If you haven’t learned what it is like to have a relationship with God, the best time to start learning is today.

So, let’s dive into the first message in this series, where we go over some of the basic building blocks of living a new life with God.

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Welcome back. Let’s continue in our discussion of how we can explore a new way of life and living with God.

Explore Creation

The first step that I’m going to recommend might seem a little peculiar, but I think it is the easiest way that you can become familiar with the works of God and how He impacts all of our lives day to day. Quite simply, my suggestion is to get out and explore God’s creation.

What do I mean by this? I mean removing yourself from your normal daily routine and finding some way to immerse yourself in nature that is all around you.

Obviously, we are all over the world coming from different environments. Some of us are in major city centers, some of us are in the suburbs, and some of us are already deeply immersed in nature. I think the majority of us, are typically exposed to man’s creation. That includes homes that we live in, the offices that we commute to, and the cars, buses, and trains that we travel in each day.

These were all created by man. I think a good way of getting to know God is to look at and experience what -He- created. What did He create? Not only did He create you and me, but He created this entire world—the entire universe, as a matter of fact. You need only find the time to take a stroll in a nearby park, or even a coastline of a lake or ocean, maybe even a national park—these are just a few examples. What I want to invite you to do is to make the time to surround yourself with what God created. 

When you find yourself in this place, I invite you to pause all of your thoughts about work, school, stressors, and to-dos. Do your very best to quiet your mind and simply listen and watch all that God has created around you. 

It is so easy to forget the complexity of God’s design and the beauty that it beholds. We become so caught up in our busyness that we lose sight of the gift of His creation that is all around us. As you consider a life that includes God, my first step for you is to make time to immerse yourself in His’ creation.

Examine Your Life

Now that you’ve had some time in God’s creation, the next step I have for you is to take out the time to examine the state of your life. This is not an exercise in being judgmental in any way, shape, or form; it is just you giving yourself time to reflect on what you consider being the good, the bad, the mediocre, and the goals that you have yet to achieve, whether you have a plan to achieve them or not.

Perhaps it would be a good exercise to write things down. Consider writing down your goals and the current state of your life in every way, shape, and form. For example, your relationships, your finances, your health, your occupation, your education, and whatever else you feel would be a snapshot of you.

I don’t think it’s terribly important to focus on the past. I do think it’s important for this exercise to be very transparent with yourself about the present and your vision for the future. Don’t try to filter your observations by what you think God sees in you; this is just your own analysis of yourself. This is an exercise to learn how you see yourself at this point in time, and where you’d like to see yourself in the future.

Be honest, be open, and be transparent. There is no one who will see this list but you and God, so don’t hold back. Take as much time as you need, whether it’s a single afternoon or many days and weeks. When you feel you’ve completed your life snapshot of the present and future, we can continue to the most important step.

Start the Conversation

The most important step in this episode of exploring a new way of life with God is to start the conversation with Him. So far, we’ve taken time out to see His work, how we show up in the world according to ourselves, and even how we would like to see ourselves in the future. Now, we can in earnest make the time and effort to start that conversation. 

By the way, He is delighted that you’ve taken these steps so far, and He is looking forward to starting this conversation with you. One of the most important things you will learn in a relationship with God is simply making that step toward Him. He is available anytime, 24/7, and He is always near when you call on Him.

Today, we start the conversation by presenting to Him what we’ve reviewed about our lives. Our state of affairs, our observations about ourselves, and the goals we have for the future.

Here is the great news: God knows you better than you know yourself. The things you’ve jotted down are not new to Him. In fact, there are many more things He already knows that you didn’t jot down, including details you have that you might be completely unaware of. 

In coming to Him sincerely with a purposeful examination of yourself, we posture ourselves with humility—explaining to God what we think we know, but yielding to Him to learn what He knows about us. I encourage you to start this conversation. This is often known as prayer. 

Don’t worry; there are no hard and fast rules with prayer. I certainly recommend, if possible, that you find a time and space to pray where you won’t be distracted. I personally like to pray early in the morning when the rest of the household is still asleep, because I can guarantee the quiet I want. However, God hears all of your words to Him, so do it at a time and place that feels right for you. You can pray in the quiet of your home and you can pray as you walk down a busy street full of noises all around. He hears every word.

This isn’t like a presentation to your employer or a professor; this is a conversation with your Creator. Be transparent and honest. Let Him know your concerns and observations. Ask Him the questions you have about your life and your future. Most importantly, ask Him to guide you and show you how to live a life that includes Him.

Ask Him to lead your steps and show you the way He knows is best for you. Ask Him to show you what it means to turn away from the things that don’t honor Him and toward the ways that do. 

How does God respond? That is a good question. God responds in many ways. You and I communicate with words and language. God speaks on a much deeper level. God may speak to you by placing thoughts in your mind that were previously not there. He may lead you to someone who can speak to you in very clear terms that you will understand. He may even allow you to have an understanding on a concept you did not have previously. I have experienced all of these and when it happens, you will know it is Him.

I promise you that God hears every word you speak. He knows everything you are capable of and all the gifts planted in you. He even has plans He has already perfected for you—plans you could have never dreamed of on your own. No matter where you are in your life, if you seek the plans God has in store for you, He will guide you back to them. You need only ask.

Wrap Up

In today’s episode, we go back to the basics of exploring a new way of life and approaching God for the very first time. I have laid out three steps that I think would be a great approach to learning about God.

First, let’s learn about God’s creation. We are all surrounded by and immersed in man’s creation: our homes, our cars, trains, buses, planes, workplaces, schools, and so forth. Part of getting to know God for the first time is exploring what -He- created. I think one of the best ways to do this is to find time to explore nature. Some of the most beautiful places on earth are completely untouched by man. When we immerse ourselves in these environments, we start to see the craftsmanship of God’s design. It allows us to take a break from ourselves and our busyness and wrap ourselves in the soul of the nature around us.

The next step in getting to know God is to take a personal inventory of our life.  This does not mean harping on the past; it means taking an honest look at our present and our aspirations for the future. It is actually okay if we don’t know what our goals are yet, because God knows exactly what gifts He has planted in each one of us, even if we haven’t found them ourselves. Taking out time to reflect on our day-to-day, our occupation, our social circles, and the questions we have about our lives is a great way to get organized in our thoughts.

The last and most important step we discussed today in getting to know God is starting the conversation. The good news is that there are no hard and fast rules for talking to God. He is available 24/7 and He hears every single word you speak to Him. Don’t worry—He’s heard it all before. When seeking a relationship with God, I suggest a posture of humility and respect. We take time to review our lives so that we can share these notes back to God; not because He doesn’t know, but because we can share what is top of mind for us.

In fact, God knows so much more than what you recorded for yourself. He knows every thought, every challenge you are facing, and the opportunities you may feel nervous to pursue. He also knows the perfect plan for your life. This plan may or may not be aligned with what you currently have in store for yourself, but the plans He has laid out for you are perfected.

The most important step in exploring a new way of life with God is to initiate that conversation and keep it going for the rest of your days. Let conversations with God be a constant and persistent part of your life, and He will accompany you in ways that you would have never imagined—step by step, day by day, and even moment to moment.

If you are new to a life with God, these are concrete steps you can take to begin an entirely new way of life and an adventure the likes of which you have never experienced to date. 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: Explore a New Way of Life.