19 Mar How To Please God

The sixth day in the month of November of the year 1996 is one I will never forget. On that day, the one man I loved with all of my young heart died. My father was only 64 when he died and I miss him today like I missed then.
You see, I was the last of six children and my father made me feel really special. He never really verbalized his love for me, but I saw, felt, and knew his love because of the many ways he showed me and from the things he said to me. He didn’t “love” me by not correcting or disciplining me, he especially never took it lightly with me when I disrespected his wife, my mom, but he did it in ways that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he still loved me.
As a result, I always wanted to please him, I always wanted to make him happy, I never liked it when I did anything to anger him. It often broke my heart when I did anything he didn’t like or cause him any form of pain.

Thoughts of God’s matchless love brings me to tears, even more than thoughts of my earthly father’s love does.

After I gave my life to Christ and gained a better understanding of His love for me, it became a motivation to live right. That and thinking how horrible it would be to spend forever with satan in hell.
In the beginning, I strove so hard to please God by myself and I failed all of those times. I wondered why I could not say no to the pulls to disobey God’s word, why I could not resist my flesh and its demands which were always contrary to God’s word. Until I learnt I could depend on The Holy Spirit to help me.

I know like me, the people you truly love and admire, you would love to please, especially those who you know love you in a way no other does.
If we would only apply that in our relationship with God, it would become easier for us to seek for and do only those things that please Him.
I am not speaking of perfection here, but of constant progress in our walk with God. Knowing that He loved us to the point of dying to prove it should stir in us a deep seated desire to seek to please Him in our thoughts, words and actions.                      

Two Ways We Can Please God

1. By Believing That He Exists And Lives
   The very first step to pleasing God is to believe that He exists and that He is God.But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NKJVSo you see that no one can please God unless they first believe that He is God and that He rewards those who seek and pursue after Him.
   Faith is not passive, faith is a verb and is not complete without actions. To believe He is God is one thing, to seek Him is another thing.
   When we just go through the motions; going to church, speaking the Christian language, being nice and all these kinds of things, without truly believing IN God, without earnestly seeking intimacy with Him, we do not please God.
   To seek Him means to have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. It means to pursue after Him in our everyday lives; to study His word in pursuit of knowing Him, to spend time in prayer and fellowship so we can get deeper and deeper in Him.
   Seeking God should come naturally as a result of our faith, our belief that He exists and that He is the one true and only God, our creator and Father who loves us so much and died to prove it.Seeking God should come naturally as a result of our faith. Click To TweetThe second part of the verse above states that we must also believe that He rewards us as we seek Him. We must believe that we are not seeking Him in vain. We must believe it because He says so.
   I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. Isaiah 45:19 NKJV
   There are blessings spelt out in scriptures for those who seek God; blessings on this side of eternity and heaven in the world to come. In order to please God, we must not allow any devil, man or situation convince us that our seeking God is a waste of time, useless or fruitless.
2. By Fearing Him And Obeying His Word
   The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Psalm 147:11  To fear God does not mean to dread Him; but it could mean to dread the consequences of sin so much so that we avoid sin and/or repent immediately we slip.
   To fear God means to refer Him,  to hold Him in such an awe that we do not go against His word. It means that we work hard at, obeying His command while depending solely On The Holy Spirit.There is no earthly parent who would not be pleased with a child that obeys his/her instructions. It is no different with our heavenly Father. He is super pleased and responds favourably to us if we do the things that please Him, and I can tell you, if you search scriptures you will understand that anyone that obeys God’s word gives Him great pleasure.
   You will find in God’s word that there are so many verses that tell of different things a man does that pleases God, but I am stopping at obedience to God because every other thing is encapsulated in obedience to His word. We Have The Help We Need
   Like I mentioned earlier, If we tried to please Him by ourselves we will never succeed.
   God has not asked us to do anything He has not equipped us to do. He does not expect us to please Him without His help, but we must ask for His help and be willing to yield to His leading.
   He has given us His Spirit as helper, counsellor, advocate, intercessor, strengthener…
   But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. John 14:26 AMPAll we need to do is depend on His leading us, guiding us and enabling us as we acknowledge that we cannot please The Father without His help. He will help us!Our love for God in response to His love for us should motivate us to desire to please Him. Click To Tweet

   Is pleasing God your heart’s desire?
   Do you think it is necessary and possible to please Him?

   Copyright© Ugochi Oritsejolomisan 2017
   Sharing With: Living Proverbs, Messes To Message