How I Cling to God (8 Ways)

[Music] it's one of my favorite words in the Bible you probably know it Kling I talk about it teach Bible studies around it wrote a book about it but I don't typically share how I clean other than study the word pray because it's not really about what I do I never wanted that to be the focus but as I prayed about upcoming videos this is what came to mind because it is God's will for us to cling to him God told his people through Moses in Deuteronomy 10 20 you shall fear the Lord your God you shall serve Him and cling to him and you shall swear by his name and in Deuteronomy 13 4 you shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him and you shall keep his Commandments listen to his voice serve him and cling to him we were created to cling to him to have a closeness and intimacy with God Adam and Eve had it but sin separated them from God then we were all born into sin thus separated from God but through Christ we are forgiven and brought into fellowship with the Lord we are his his Spirit dwells within us we have everything we need to actually have an intimate relationship with him it boggles my mind that he wants that but here's the thing we still have a flesh daily it is at war with the spirit Galatians 5:17 for the flesh sets its desire against the spirit the spirit against the flesh but these are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please the spirit within us wants to cling to God our flesh will resist it the enemy actively opposes it so we have to be intentional and prayerful about clinging to God I move to share what I do praying that it's helpful and hoping it will inspire you to look to God for ways in which you can cling to him more closely two caveats number one there is nothing on this list that I do apart from the grace of God let me put that another way anything that I do that helps me cling to God is only by the grace of God if he can give me grace to cling to him he can and will give you grace to cling to him because it's his will he will show you what that looks like in your life second caveat this is not a perfect list it's only my list and I'm a work in progress you will not see fasting on this list it should be but I couldn't say with all honesty that I fast enough to include it on my list I was convicted by that I used too fast once a week got away from it I need to give back I love to say I use my prayer journal regularly I've started and stopped a hundred times awesome way to cling to God not on my list all that said let's jump in here are eight ways that I cling to God number one I study the Word of God could you grow in intimacy with a spouse a best friend a loved one without knowing him or her we have to know God to cling to him and we can't know him apart from his work the Bible is 66 books of Revelation about God we learn his plans and purposes his likes and dislikes his thoughts and emotions we learn who he is what he's done what he's able to do we get to open the book and discover what God has made known about himself what he wants us to know about himself and listen it's a process I didn't know the Lord until I was 27 I knew next to nothing about the Bible I am NOT coming to you with some lifelong habit in place but I was saved 24 years ago 18 years ago I went from reading my Bible to studying my Bible every day line upon line chapter upon chapter book upon book just taking my time I might spend days on one chapter I might focus in on one verse that's got me shaking my head in awe of God studying my Bible became the part of the day that I cherished the most because of all that I was learning about God too often we see Bible time as a checkmark on a to-do list look at it as something you get to do you get to meet with God in the pages of his word you get to know him be in all of that it's God's will that we grow in our knowledge of him Paul prayed in Colossians 1 that believers be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Peter said and second Peter 1:2 grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord then he says seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence that is astounding he has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him you need to be in his word to understand to grasp what he's already given you one of those things is the ability to cling to him to have an intimate relationship with him as we grow in our knowledge of God we can't help but grow closer to him number two I talk to God I could have said I pray but sometimes people have ideas about prayer that make it seem complicated and formal the Lord is in me with me all the time I talk to him all the time clean started with a prayer I was studying Deuteronomy and saw those verses the Holy Spirit put that word cling in neon and made it stand out it captured me so i pray lord help me to cling to you i said what does that even mean lord what does that look like in my life show me what to do through the years in storms and trials okay lord I can't do this without you show me how to clean in this but I talked to God about any and everything as I'm studying the word Lord I do not know this means please give me understanding when I'm weary Lord I'm tired I know I'm supposed to do X Y & Z and you know I don't feel like it please give me strength when somebody's getting on my nerves and don't act like I'm the only one I'm like really and then I'm like okay lord I know my attitude is poor please give me patience and humility when I need wisdom somebody might be talking to me and I'm talking to God Lord I don't know what to say I don't know how to respond please give me the words interceding for others you hear that somebody needs prayer pray right then and continue lifting them up before the Lord praying for others is clinging to God but it's not just petitions or requests I talked to God as I think and praise Him I love clinging to God in that way Wow Lord I just knew that was gonna be a difficult conversation your grace was totally at work thank you Lord that sunset is amazing I praise you for your beauty in creation what's happening in all of this is you're aware of God's presence you're aware of his friendship that he cares about every facet of your day you're seeing him respond throughout the day and that fosters a closeness and we are called to pray first Thessalonians 5:16 through 18 rejoice always pray without ceasing in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus did you notice pray without ceasing is sandwiched between rejoicing and giving thanks crazy Klingon going on when you're living like that number three I'm quick to repent I don't say this as a boast I'm quick to repent I say it as an acknowledgment that I'm always needing to repent the closer you walk with God the more conviction you feel because you're more sensitive to God's will and God's ways two years ago you got convicted when you said the wrong thing now you get convicted when you think about saying the wrong thing and when you feel that conviction you need to go ahead and repent unconfessed sin creates distance between us and God and why even go there we have this promise first John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness we repent with sincere hearts and keep clinging sometimes sin is lurking somewhere in our hearts and we don't really realize it maybe a hidden motive a pride issue there are all kinds of sneaky sins the thing about clinging to God he will be faithful to bring it to life it's not to condemn he wants you dwelling closely with him and sin gets in the way when he convicts His grace is always there thank the Lord for his conviction ask for forgiveness and enjoy the sweetness of his presence number four I listen to his voice in that verse in Deuteronomy 13 for it not only said cling to him but also listen to his voice we read that it sounds kind of mysterious and we say yes I want that if it's audible all the better that word listening is closely associated with obedience he wants us to listen hearken to obey what he has said in his word when I say I listen to his voice I am NOT saying that I have anywhere near a perfect walk with God if you don't hear anything else in this video hear me when I say I sin every day and something I think say or do if clinging to God were about a perfect walk we would all be doomed what I'm saying is that by the grace of God I have a reverential fear of God and what he has commanded us to do if you have the Spirit of God within you he gives you that reverential fear as well Jesus said in John 14:15 if you love me you will keep my Commandments and John 15:10 if you keep my Commandments you will abide in my love intimacy with God growing closer to God means walking in his will by His grace we grow in this and in this sinful flesh it's not easy here's an example I could read a verse like love your enemies and I know the Holy Spirit is bringing to mind the person that I am not loving if I immediately call to mind all the reasons why I'm not loving this person rehearsing what she's done justifying my heart attitude toward her and remain in the same place I am not listening to his voice but if I say man I really do have an issue with this person Lord you know what she's done I would be fine if I could write her off forever but Lord you've called me to love her forgive me for my heart attitude to what her I can't love her apart from you help me love her with your love now I'm listening to his voice calling to him for help now I'm clinging I want to add this to another aspect of listening to his voice often the Holy Spirit will call to mind something from the Word of God that applies to a situation you'll hear that still small voice of God be anxious for nothing or trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding but we won't hear if our lives are filled with unnecessary distractions so for me part of listening to his voice is being able to hear his voice when I'm home the television is seldom on if I want to watch something I turn it on when it's time to watch and then I turn it back off when I'm in the car I just can't with random radio stations I love quiet because I want that space of talking to God and being able to hear his voice number five I stay mindful of the sinfulness of my flesh when I first studied passages like Romans six and seven I was rocked by what I'm dealing with with this flesh I mean I already know my flesh was crazy but to have it confirmed through the Word of God that this is the state of things the Bible says nothing good dwells in my flesh and as long as I'm in this body my flesh will be at war with the spirit I love that the Lord wants us to know this I don't have to live in condemnation when wrong thoughts enter my mind of course wrong thoughts will enter my mind when I stay mindful of this I also stay mindful of my desperate need of God I know the ugliness that's in me but the spirit is also in me and God is greater Galatians 5:16 tells us but I say walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh in Galatians 5:24 and 25 now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live by the spirit let us also walk by the spirit we have the reality of our flesh to contend with but in Christ we have everything we need to conquer it we have the spirit of Almighty God this is why I'm desperate to cling to God so that by the power of God I can put this flesh to death daily several times a day if need be number six I memorize the Word of God one of my favorite chapters in the Bible is John 15 where Jesus says he is the vine and we are the branches and because he's the vine and we are the branches he says abide in me you can't do anything apart from me and he not only says abide in me he says his words should abide in us what words this word the Bible how do his words abide in us how do they stay remain go down deep Colossians 3:16 gives similar direction let the word of Christ dwell richly within you when I went from reading the Bible to studying the Bible all those years ago it was life-changing and as I studied the book of Ephesians I said this is so rich and deep I need it to go deep deep I suddenly had this hunger to memorize the book as a way to meditate on the truths in the book and grasp them it took a good while but that's what I did and it was amazing to have the word abiding in me like that I was clinging to God in a whole new way so that's what I've been doing from maybe 15 years now memorizing books and passages in the Bible not every day not even every week when things get busy but for the most part steadily for the past few years now I've been in the book of John and I can't even begin to describe what the walk with Jesus has been like this is not just wrote scripture memory some people don't want to memorize the Bible because they have memories of growing up when it was a forest requirement this is Lord I want to know you in this way I want your words on my mind in my heart abiding in me scripture speaks to meditating on God's word Joshua 1:8 this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it but then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success Psalm 1 how the lest is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season and it's leaf does not wither and in whatever he does he prospers you certainly do not have to memorize long passages or books of the Bible but ask the Lord how you can meditate on his word how you can have his words abiding in you if you do want to memorize Scripture I have a video on my channel with tips on how to do that number seven I listen to worship music worship music keeps me clean in the morning I like to listen first thing you know how you can wake up with everything on your mind what's going on that day what's troubling you all the cares and concerns I don't want those things setting the tone so when I'm in my kitchen making coffee I've got my earbuds in listening to my favorite worship songs throughout the day life comes at you emotions rise flesh kicks in I get my earbuds out I need to redirect those thoughts and emotions with worship music that speaks to the character of God and the truths of God's Word next thing you know I'm praising him and the praise puts those cares and concerns in proper perspective Philippians 4:8 whatever is true whatever is honorable whatever is right whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is of good repute if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise dwell on these worship music can help us do that number eight I stand on who God is I don't think a day goes by when I'm not standing on some aspect of who God is as my strength my refuge as a sovereign God that's always on my mind knowing that God is in control working all things for good you will cling to him when you're standing on that truth I stand on the truth that God is loving and he cares it makes a world of difference when that is not up for debate in your mind I stand on his goodness and faithfulness every day let me tell you when you know God is faithful because circumstances will scream the opposite the enemy will scream the opposite why because the enemy doesn't want you to trust God in Hebrew the language of the Old Testament trust is a word that's closely associated with clean when you're not trusting God you're not clinging to God and the enemy doesn't want you trusting clinging to God way too many blessings there so when you can stand firm and say I don't know why this is happening I don't even like what's happening but this I know God is sovereign he is faithful he is loving and he cares I am standing on that I will trust him that's the place of power and blessing that's clinging we study the word to know our God and then we stand on who he is this list is about vertical living cultivating a deep and abiding relationship with the one who knew you and loved you before time began now in Christ we get to know and love him he wants you close he wants you to cling to him and he can show you what that looks like in your own life season to season he can even give you a heart to clean if you're not quite there ask him whatever the need right now trust that you will grow in closeness to the Lord be mindful it does take effort and discipline on your part being in the word takes discipline but he gives grace for that and it is beyond worth it we put much effort toward things that don't have near the impact and don't yield anywhere near the blessing I am praying that God will meet you just where you are and show you how to cling to him and I'm praying his richest blessings upon you as you clean you

Channel: kimcashtate

Views: 61,744

Rating: 4.9420934 out of 5

Keywords: cling, CLINGbook, Cling to Him, Cling to God, Cling series, kimcashtate, Kim Cash Tate, intimacy with God, close walk with God, bible study, women's bible study, prayer, scripture memorization, Leahs Essence, THE BEAT by Allen Parr, Heather Lindsey, She Reads Truth, Christian, Chrisitan women, Christian walk, faith

Id: hnyC-G0swWc

Length: 26min 14sec (1574 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 17 2018