Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Until we empty ourselves and withhold nothing, there will be no space for God to operate in our hearts. He hates competition; He wants to be the centre of attention in our lives. Our relationship with God requires that we surrender all to him to lay hold of eternal life. Many today are holding back something precious to them. Many may not even be aware that they are withholding something. God searches the heart, and that is why He said we should give our hearts. He wants everything about you; every space in your heart; He does not want to share the space in your heart with anyone or anything. Until we resolve this issue of space with God, our relationship with Him will not bear fruit. You may not be engaging in any active sin, and praying regularly and not missing church, yet He is not close. Friends, I want you to know that it is very easy to miss God without knowing. It may not be intentional, and you may not even be aware that He is no longer as close as he used to be. One may ask, but Nene, I have surrendered everything. You are right, if that is how you feel, but it goes beyond your feelings. I used to think the same until recently, when there was a trigger, and I realised that my fellowship with Jesus is no longer as before. The painful part of it was that I didn't even realize that I had drifted away from Him.
Thank God for His mercy that woke me from my slumber. There are so many things that could create a distance between God and us; it may be a relationship that we cherish so much and hold on to too tightly, but may not be in alignment with the plan of God for us; it may be a feeling, it may be pain of loss, or grief. Recently, when I began writing on this subject, the Lord began to work with me. I found myself weeping in the middle of writing. He said, " My daughter, you can't publish this topic without practicing what you are preaching. He said to me you need to let go of some pain you are nursing, and give me everything. I lost my Dad on the 26th September, 2025, and God has been working on me since then to let go. I actually thought I had let it go because I had that discussion with him before, but not knowing that deep inside me, I was still holding on to the feeling and nursing it. My Dad went to be with the Lord. I wasn't prepared for his departure; he promised to stay a little while, but he left. He left a message saying he was tired of staying and couldn't wait any longer, and also said I shouldn't be told until he was gone. I thought that was fair enough because I believe that in every relationship, there should be closure. But I think that was not enough for me. I had a deep connection with my Dad; he was a nobleman and a loving father. He dedicated his life and nurtured me into the woman I am now. The fear of him leaving one day has been my worry, and it has happened.
Friends, you need to check yourself and see if you are withholding something that needs to be laid down on the altar as a sacrifice for your love for God. God said to me, give me everything. Lay them down on the altar as a sacrifice; I said what? He said, " Those deep feelings, let them go. It is causing a problem; it is interfering with our relationship. It is becoming an idol; you have to let it go. After weeping, I said to God, whatever I had, you gave them to me as a gift. My Dad was a gift, and I cannot cherish the gift more than the one who gave it. The mistake we often make is focusing on the gift and forgetting the giver, forgetting that there is more to where it comes from. In the case of Abraham, Isaac was becoming an idol, and God said I want to collect your Isaac back. Thank God Abraham did not resist; that would have created a serious wedge between him and God.
Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Friends, I want you to know that whatever you sacrifice on the altar to God for your love for Him, He will always give you back a hundredfold. Peter said, Lord, we have emptied ourselves for you, and what is our reward? Jesus responds by saying a hundredfold and a throne, both here on earth and in heaven. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Whatever you let go of for your relationship with Him, He will give it back to you in multiple forms.
Friend, I appeal to you to have a conversation with the Holy Spirit right now, tell him to help you bring out whatever is hidden in your heart that is interfering with your relationship with him. Then begin to ask God for mercy, tell him you are sorry, and that you did not realize that you have drifted far away from him. Surrender all, empty yourself of everything so that he can use it as his vessel. Don't let pride deprive you of eternity with Christ; withhold nothing from him, and you will see his glory begin to manifest in your life.
It is risky to assume salvation. Friends, begin your journey with God by praying the salvation prayer below and be blessed, in Jesus name.
Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and accept You as my Lord and Saviour. I believe you died for me so that I could become a new man/woman. Forgive me all my sins, wash me with your blood, and give me a new heart. Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Now I believe I am born again. And I am a child of God. Amen!
NENE ISAH,
#womanyouarefree; Twitter: @woyouarefree; Email: neneisahoc@gmail.com
WhatsApp or call: +234 7054505123
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