Purpose Drive Life - Day 11 Becoming Best Friends with God

POINT TO PONDER:

God wants to be my best friend.

VERSE TO REMEMBER:

“Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him.”
PSALM 25:14A (LB)

QUESTION TO CONSIDER:

What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day?

God wants to be my best friend! Wow! I never heard it phrased that way. I never thought about God wanting to be my best friend - keeper of my secrets, hopes, and dreams. Whoa! I don't know if I can handle it. I don't know if I CAN be what is required to be God's best friend. This chapter later states we can't wrap our minds around that concept.

This chapter focuses on two ways to build the relationship to becoming friends and eventually best friends with God. First, I have to have constant conversations with God. Similar to what many women do with there girlfriends, I need to talk to God about any and everything. He wants to be part of every experience, activity, conversation, etc. God is not asking me to change what I do, but change my attitude to include Him.

Warren suggests having short conversational prayer with God. Many people (or maybe its just me) feels like you have to have all these holier than thou words and have to pray a certain way. In reality, God just wants us to spend time talking to Him. Another suggestion is to use "breath prayers" throughout the day. "Breath prayers" are statements you can say in one breath, such as "Order my steps", "I need you". I did not realize it, but I have already started doing it. When my students are working my nerves or I am trying to refrain for saying or doing something, I say "Jesus, be a fence."

The second way to build a relationship with God is to meditate. Meditate is another word "activity" I shied away from. Just sitting and thinking about God. I felt like I did not "hear His voice". I would question how would I know. This is heavy duty big time Christian living stuff. However, Warren made it plain. He poses the question, how many times have you sat around worried about something? Then, you meditated on that fear. Now, just change it to meditate on God.

Now to the question of the day. What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day? Earlier this year, I started waking up to the Contemporary Gospel station on Pandora in the morning. I noticed it started my day off upbeat. In the last week, I started listening to the gospel station again in the car. Listening and mediating on the Word brings me closer to God. This group is a way for me to develop a real friendship with God and discover my true purpose. The book suggests setting an alarm to remind me to have a conversation with God until it becomes natural. I might incorporate that too.