25/09/2022
TRANSFORMATION –
From Who You Are To Who You Ought To Be
Episode 5: How to get closer to God.
You are welcome to another episode of our Life Discovery Gathering. Today we will be discussing on how to get closer to God.
Transformation helps you become all that God wants you to be. The further away you get from God, the more troubles and stress you will have in your life. The closer you are to God, the more transformed you become. It’s important to know how to get close to God, stay close to God and get back to God.
Luke 15:11-22 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12.The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So, he divided his property between them. 13."Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14.After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that
whole country, and he began to be in need. 15.So he went and hired himself out to
a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16.He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17."When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
The story of the prodigal son sometimes called the story of the loving father tells
of how we sometimes wander away from God. Notwithstanding how far away
you have gone, you still can get back to God and it’s important to know how to get
back to God.
Four Things You need to do to get back to God.
1. Get fed up. You need to get fed up with the way you’ve been living. Nothing changes until you are dissatisfied, until you say to yourself: “I
don’t like this” You need to be fed up, be desperate for a change in your life.
Luke 15:13-14, 17. “he wasted it all… he had nothing left… he got desperate and hungry… he finally came to his senses…. God loves you the way you are but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.
2. Own up. You own up to your own sins and shortcomings.
Luke 15:17-18. “When he came to his senses, he said…... I have sinned against God and you…. To live without God is insane, it doesn’t make
sense. It’s important that you own up to the fact that you’ve been doing things your own way. Isaiah 59: 2. “Your sins have separated you from God, and have hidden His face from you. Remember that you’re as close
to God as you choose to be. God’s response when you own up is that He warmly and gladly receives you.
3. Offer up. You offer up yourself. Luke 15:12 “The son drifted away saying, give me my share… Luke 15:19 “He returned to the Father saying, make me a servant”. There’s a change in attitude from “Give me” to
“Make me”. True transformation happens when your heart moves from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. 2 Corinthians 3:18 “We…. Reflect the Lord’s glory and are being transformed into His likeness with ever-
increasing glory which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit.
Luke 15:20,22 “Filled with love and compassion, he ran out to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him…”
4. Lift up. You lift up your praise to God saying thank you for your grace,
thank you for your love, thank you for your goodness. Luke 15:23-24
“We’re going to celebrate with a feast of eating and drinking… He was lost but now he’s found! So, the party begin! Life becomes a party when transformation happens within you. Psalms 68:4 (ESV) Sing to God, sing praises to his name, lift up a song to Him…. His name is the Lord!
This series was adapted from the Saddleback’s 50 Days of Transformation.
