WHY DO YOU FOLLOW GOD?

Why do you follow God? Really. Ask yourself. Challenge yourself. Ask God to search out your heart and show you. We live in a VERY self-centered culture. Have you brought that mindset into your relationship with God? I am convinced, that when it all boils down, there are basically two "types" of believers.
The first "type" would be those who just simply live life. They make their own decisions, they choose their own direction and live life on their own path of "choice." They then pray and ask God to "bless" their decisions and choices and invite Him to be a part of their life. They try to do the Christian thing when it comes to making decisions. They are caught up in the "rights and wrongs" of everything. Does God love them? Absolutely. And not any more or less than the other "type" of believer we will describe. But let me ASSURE you. They are REALLY missing it and missing out. Their prayers are a list of wants and needs. "God I want this car, heal my body, may me children be good, etc." There is nothing wrong with this. God is our Father! He wants us to lay these things before Him. But if that's all there is...is there something wrong?
The second "type" of believer is a FULLY surrendered one. They simply live for God. They learn to hear Him and recognize His voice (John 10:4). Their life is not their own (1 Corinthians 6:19). They have "given up" on their dreams and goals...well, they have given them to Him. Their decisions and choices are based on OBEDIENCE to God. They follow the "path" that He shows them. They choose what He has chosen for them. These believers are partaking of the spiritual blessings that they have been freely given in Christ Jesus. There is intimacy with the Father. There is "true spirituality" if you will. Rather than asking God to be a part of their life, they ask to be a part of what God's doing in this world. They actually take the Bible for what it says. They actually read it and obey it. They seek to be purified and allow God into those "secret" places of their hearts and minds. No holding on to secret sins. God has complete access.
Can you be a "believer" and live as the first type? Can you be an unbeliever and live as the first type...but not really be a believer? Sure you can. I'm not saying they're not a believer...but I'm also not saying they are. People can be deceived into thinking they are living for God when, unfortunately, in reality they just want God to bless their life. They're not really interested in living for Him. Please do not think I TOTALLY live as the second "type" of believer. But that is my desire. Is it yours? Why do you follow God? Have you counted the cost of following Him? Enough of my opinion on this matter...let's just read what Jesus said. He says it much more boldly, bluntly and seriously that I think I ever could. I have too much "people pleasing" in me. Here's what He says about following Him...

Luke 14:26-28 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he CANNOT be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me CANNOT be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?" (emphasis mine)

Matthew 10:37-39 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it."

1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, who you have from God, and that you are not your own?"

1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world, nor the THINGS in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is NOT in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the WILL OF GOD abides forever." (emphasis mine)

WARNING: We tend to always give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and we justify ourselves and tell ourselves things like "well, I definitely don't love the world and I know life here is short and...." so on and so forth. Let me challenge you to, rather than make yourself sound good in your head, to say "Lord, there is so much of me that loves this world...I am so focused on myself...I live life my own way...HELP ME LORD!" Don't puff yourself up before the Lord. Humble yourself before Him. That is the way of the true disciple. Remember the Pharisee puffed himself up before the Lord in prayer, the tax collector repented and was broken over his sin. Which are you? Jesus is coming back and your days are much fewer than you think. Sense the urgency. Live for eternity. You will be standing before Him before you know it.
I love you so much. I am praying for you. Pray for me too.

Your sis,
Rach