Hinderances To A Relationship With God

Girls: what are complete turnoffs in guys

Guys: what are complete turnoffs in girls

Our relationship with God is illustrated by the human picture of marriage.

We can therefore take courtship as a picture of intimacy with God. Things that will hinder a guy/girl relationship, will also hinder our relationship with God.

1. Lack of discipline

a) I’ll phone her sometime

b) 2Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

2. No listening

a) Huh, yeah, (while reading a newspaper)

b) Zech 7:13 (niv) "`When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the LORD Almighty.

3. Unconfessed sin

a) Isai 59:2 (niv) But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

b) How would you feel if your partner is hiding really bad stuff from you … ? betrayed … How does God feel. The strange thing is that we actually think that we are hiding it.

c) Achan Josh 7:1ff

4. Idolatry & Religion

a) Isai 1:13 (niv) Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--I cannot bear your evil assemblies.14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.

b) Idolatry – admiring all the other girls

c) Religion – going through the motions

5. Wrong motives

a) Wanting to get close to God just so that you can have more anointing

b) Like someone getting married just for money

6. Not believing God wants to be intimate with us

a) The shy person who never asks anyone out.

b) Poor father image

c) He is the one who initiates the relationship

God longs to be intimate with us.

He has already made the first move. It’s now up to us. If we played tennis the way we live our Christian lives, our game would go something like this: the opponent would serve, and we would say, “come on, hit the ball over … I’ll hit it back to you …” meanwhile the ball is already in our court.