I Need More Of You

One of my favorite meditation songs is actually a beautiful promise being made to God sung by Shekinah Glory Ministries. The song's lyrical simplicity and the repetition of it allows for one to ponder upon the simple statements made to God.



"I need more of You. I need more of You. Whatever I need to do to get to you, I'll do!"


On an infinite number of occasions, I have bellowed these simple statements out to God through song, sobbed it in a prayer, or simply said it to Him as if He was physically sitting in the passenger seat of my vehicle. Knowing that I was messed up, even though I had God, I realized that I needed more of Him. What this statement actually means to me is that I need to be closer to Him.


I have reached a point in my Christianity that I desire to reach the next level with God. I desire to be so close to God that nothing else matters. I desire to be so close to God that my spirit will not wrestle with my flesh. I desire to be so close to God that I never again want to leave a church service feeling unfulfilled because I wasn't able to praise and worship on my own, and needed the congregation to pep me up to praise My God. I want more out of my Christian experience. I want to be with My Father, His Son (My Savior), and have my heart filled with The Holy Spirit! I want more! I want an authentic relationship!


All Christians reach a point in their lives that they must assess their current relationship status with God. I used three levels of status to assess my relationship with God.  I asked myself, "Are you on associate status, friend status, or are you literally in love with God?" (Yes, there are some in-between)

Note: The following is from my viewpoint only.
Christians on associate status simply associate with God. Think about what you would consider as an associate. Those that we associate with are those that we talk to every now and then. We may carry on a conversation if there is something that we can think of to talk about. We see each other occasionally, and that is about it. There is really no quality time spent with an associate.


Christians that are in friend status with God are those that know that God has been good to them. They may even tell someone every now and then. These Christians are those that work in the church, are dependable when it comes to doing the work of the Lord. These Christians read their Bibles and pray they way they were taught to do. These Christians recognize that without God they would be nothing and thank Him for His love.


Then, there is the higher status, a lover of Christ. This is where I desire to be. These Christians may do some or all things listed on the friend status, but they are not simply satisfied by this alone. Their fulfillment comes from seeking the face of God. These Christians meditate study, search, repent, and pray fervently. These Christians are literally in love with Christ because they realize that they are not worthy of God's love or Christ's blood, but recognizes that He supplies it to them in spite of their unworthiness. These Christians take their life on this earth with the seriousness that God intended. These Christians live a totally purpose driven life because they recognize the connection between their relationship, their purpose, and the reward of eternal life.


When I look upon each relationship status, I can vividly recognize my growth from associate status to friend status. I can even see some growth from friend status to lover status. I didn't know what it would take to get closer to God, but all I knew was that I wanted to! What lie ahead of me was simply unexpected.


I didn't expect the turmoil, the frustration, the darkness, the loneliness, or the sadness that would come my way. (At least these are some adjectives I would use to describe the things I was going through then.) You see, when we desire to be closer to God, we must endure a process. We get closer to Christ when we endure trials and tests. If everything in our lives were always perfect, and every time was a happy time, there would be no room for us to grow closer to God. When we go through a test or trial, we are put into a position where God is all we have to lean and depend upon. Why do you think your friends are never able to talk when you have a problem? God wants you to talk to Him! We spend more time with Him. We take off the things we put on to try and hide our true selves from Him. We pour out to Him, and He comforts us. When God is all you have, you have no other choice but to grow closer to Him!


I heard a preacher say once that we should not focus on what someone else has or is, because we don't know what they had to go through to get that something, or be that someone. This reminds me of Job. Job was an upright and righteous man. However, there came a time in Job's life where he had to grow closer to God. Job endured many tests, including losing his health, children, and wealth. God's purpose in this was to make Job closer to Him, and to prove to Satan that Job was indeed a faithful servant. Because Job was a lover of God, he became closer to God in this process and even received twice as much as he thought he lost. Isn't God amazing!!!


As I think about the power of positive thoughts, and the fact that my tests and trials make me closer to Christ, I rejoice. I rejoice because with each moment of my life, I have the opportunity to draw closer to God. I rejoice because when God knows that closeness is what I desire, He knows exactly what it will take to get me there. I rejoice because He is with me through the process. And, I rejoice because it is through Him that I have the strength and joy to keep pushing to the next level!


Thank You Lord! Thank You Lord! Thank You Lord!