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How to talk with God
To talk with God we've got to seek Him. To "seek Him" means to make a special effort to find Him.
Seek Him
The Bible , teaches us...
"If you seek him, he will be found by you" (1 Chronicles 28:9)
"The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God." (Psalm 14:2)
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD..." (Jeremiah 29:13-14)
God definitely wants to get this point across to us, it's repeated many times throughout the bible. I first discovered God when I seeked Him, God was pleased with my sincere effort to find Him and He graciously revealed Himself to me (checkout my testimony).
To Talk with God, the first thing we need to do, is set aside some time and go somewhere quiet, where we can be alone with Him.
 Alone with God
We need to find a suitable place...
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." (Matthew 6:5)
Jesus tells us to seek Him at home, in our room alone. But if you can't get privacy in a room by yourself, it doesn't matter, just find somewhere else where you can be alone with Him.
Finding a Suitable Place
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)
How are we going to talk with God if there are people, noise and distractions around us?
Here's some solitary places, you could try:
- Parks & cemetery's often have quite areas and benches to sit on.
- Out in the countryside there are plenty of quiet places.
- We could walk into the middle of a field.
- Go out in the car and park somewhere away from people and noise.
- Out in a boat.
- Up a mountain or hill (like Jesus did)
"After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone." (Mark 9:2)
Right Attitude
If we want to talk with God, then we must seek Him with the right attitude. God is not a fool. If we set out to talk with Him with a half hearted attitude, then we can't expect Him to turn up, can we?
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked." (Galatians 6:7)
Openness and Honesty
There's no point trying to talk with God, if were not speaking the truth. Nothing is hidden from Him, He knows absolutely everything, including our thoughts! So lets be completely honest and open, and speak to Him truthfully from our hearts
The Bible, teaches us...
"the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts" (1 Chronicles 28: 9)
"The LORD knows the thoughts of man;" (Psalm 94:11)
(I know from first hand experience that God can read thoughts, He read mine once and did something special for me, this shocked me and I learnt this lesson very quickly, you've been warned!)
Confessing and Repentance
I think It's best to start our talk with God by thanking Him (for creating us, giving us life and thanking Him for who He is and what He stands for etc). Soon after this, we should confess our sins. We need to tell Him about specific sins we've committed and ask Him to forgive us. We must also be willing to turn from these sinful ways (repentance).
If you've done something wrong and it's on your mind, tell God and ask Him for forgiveness (remember God knows everything, so trying to hide anything is pointless).
Confessing isn't just saying sorry, it's saying - I did it, I admit it, I shouldn't have, it was wrong, I'm guilty.
Repentance is basically saying - "I'm going to try my hardest, not to do that again"
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Don't make Promises
Don't make promises to God. How many of us make promises and then regret it? or break them? It's not a good idea making promises to God. Instead of saying "I promise not to do that again", its better to say "I'll try not, to do that again".
Speak Out
When you talk with God, speak out loud (not so everyone else can hear though). If it's not possible to speak out, then pray in your mind, as God can read your mind (He knows your thoughts remember), but it's much better for you to speak out if you can.
Tell God everything that's on your mind, if you need help about something, ask Him for help. If something or someone is bothering you, just tell Him, He wants to hear.
 Thank Him
Talking with God is a great honour, meeting with Him a great privilege, lets thank Him respectfully.
God made us to know Him, He wants us to seek Him and develop a relationship with Him. This is How to talk with God!
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