Many of you write in and comment on Elsie and her incredible faith!  Elsie had a very close relationship with God.  But how did she get there?
For one thing, Elsie's relationship with God was a top priority!  Elsie took time to seek God and be with Him. How tenacious are you when it comes to seeking God? Take a quick inventory of your life from last week. How often did you spend time in the Word? How often did you pray, and for what length of time? Were you involved in any Bible studies or casual group discussions about what God is doing in your life? Do you feel any more love for God as a result of your time spent with Him last week? As with any relationship, your relationship with God requires that you be an active participant. Surely you don't have any close friends with whom you never spend time!

Do you know that you can get as close to God as you want to? Elsie knew this, and she sought to develop a tight relationship with Him.  The question is: How close do you want to get? If you ever feel like God isn't near, read the following verse from Jeremiah 29:13: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." And James 4:8 offers us another wonderful truth: "Come near to God and He will come near to you."

God can be likened to a buried treasure. The casual seeker - someone who is half-hearted about really knowing Him will not easily find him. But for those who really hunger with all their hearts to know Him and love Him, He will reveal Himself. This is a lifetime process. Who can fully grasp and lay hold of the God of the universe? That's the adventure and excitement of it all! Like a field full of buried treasure, you will excavate piece by piece. You will always be learning something new about God.

LOVE, NOT LEGALISM

Simply put, getting closer to God is really learning to love and enjoy Him. It's all about a relationship, such as you have with your best friend or your parents. Cultivating a relationship requires you to spend time with that person. You want to get to know them, to know what they think, what they are like, how they act, etc. It is the same with God. We will discuss some activities that will help you grow in your relationship with God. But keep in mind that He does not want us to go through a bunch of activities as if we were fulfilling some kind of duty, and yet our hearts are far from Him. That just becomes religious rituals and leaves us empty and frustrated. God wants to have a relationship with us. In Isaiah 29:13, you can feel the longing of God's heart for a love relationship with His people. He says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." God wants our love. In all that you do, be it Bible study or prayer, let the goal be to know and love God more. If you find at any time that your walk with God is getting boring and it seems like you're just going through the motions, stop and ask God to rekindle your passion and love for Him.

Here are 10 important points that Elsie followed in her walk with God.  May they give insight into your own relationship with God, helping you grow closer to Him day by day. 

1. SAVED BY GOD'S GRACE, NOT BY OUR WORKS

To keep from falling into a trap of religious performance, you must first understand that Jesus has fulfilled all the requirements of the law for you. God does not require any kind of work from you other than to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is of utmost importance if you are going to get close to God. You MUST know that you do not need to earn God's approval. Jesus paid the penalty for all of our sins - past, present, and future - on the cross. He has become the righteousness of God. By accepting this and taking Jesus into your heart, you have now become righteous in God's eyes. You have obtained this position through your faith in Jesus. Isn't this great news? We can now trust God that we are acceptable to Him because of Jesus! Now we can invest our energies in learning to receive and give away God's love.

2. BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

God is Spirit. If we are to know Him, we must be led by the Spirit. Jesus said in John 4:23, "A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth." Jesus explains in John 14-16 that after His resurrection He would send His Holy Spirit to live in us. The Holy Spirit will guide us into truth and will reveal God to us (John 16:13-15). Therefore, we must be trusting in the Holy Spirit each day to lead and guide us and to be our helper, as Jesus promised. To be filled with the Holy Spirit, you only need to ask. Ask to be filled every day. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matt. 7: 7-11.

3. AWAKEN YOUR SPIRITUAL SENSES

Like a loving Father, God is longing to reveal Himself to us in so many ways, but we have to be watching, waiting, and expecting. We must be sensitive to things of the spirit. Let the eyes of your heart be opened to spiritual things. In Eph. 1:18, Paul prays that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. Let your spiritual ears be opened to hear the Lord. "The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious." Ask God to open your spiritual eyes and ears. Be alert and aware that God is everywhere. His glory fills the heavens and the earth. Take time to enjoy nature. Look up at the stars. Psalm 19 says the heavens are proclaiming and declaring the glory of God. The trees of the forest are singing for joy (Psalm 96:12). He makes the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. Jesus taught us to study the birds and the flowers. He is speaking to us through His handiwork.

4. QUIET YOUR SOUL TO LISTEN

It is so important for us to be awakened to see and hear God everyday, everywhere we go. He is always working, always speaking. The fast moving pace of our society will rob us of experiencing God. We must learn to be still and quiet our souls. Look for Him in the simple things. Elijah had an encounter with God on a mountain (1 Kings 19:11-13). God told Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain and He would pass by. A powerful, shattering wind came, an earthquake, and a fire, all passed through, but God was not in these. Then came the voice of God in a gentle whisper. He is speaking quietly and simply. If you are in an anxious rush you will miss Him. Try to set quiet times of meditation during your day. This is extremely difficult in our fast-pace society. You must be disciplined to carve out time for quite reflection. Make use of any quiet time. Turn off the radio in the car. Turn off the TV for an hour. Put up your heavenly antenna.

"Be still and know that I am God." says Psalm 46:10. Know that He is God. He is in control of your life! He loves and cares for you! Let this truth bring rest to your souls. Learn to rest in Him through faith and trust. This comes through humility. Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matt. 11:29) Humility trusts; pride worries. Anxiety says to God, "I don't believe you." Anxiety will create a whirlwind in your soul and prevent you from experiencing God.

5. PRAY OFTEN

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thes. 5:17). Prayer is fellowshipping with God. You can pray anywhere, anytime. You can be in the middle of a shopping mall and turn your soul to think on the Lord and have instant fellowship. Prayer can take on many styles, forms, and postures. You can pray with or without words. When you pray, tell God everything and anything. Pour out your sorrows, your joys, your problems, and your concerns. Cast it all on Him; He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Take time to be still and listen. You will not hear an audible voice (although some have). God speaks deep in your soul. It is like a feeling you get deep in your gut. It will always be accompanied with peace and always line up with His Word. You will get a sense of knowing what is right, what would please Him.

6. TAKE TIME TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

Praise Him for who He is and what He has done. A humble heart is a thankful heart. Take many opportunities to thank Him. "Taste and see that the Lord is good," (Psalm 34:8). Over and over again the Psalms speak of the goodness of the Lord. Acknowledge His goodness throughout the day. Don't forget all He has done for you. The Israelites were commanded to have special feasts and festivals to help them remember what awesome things God had done for them. They would make altars to serve as a reminder of a particular time God miraculously met them. We too must constantly remember the goodness of the Lord. In the midst of our trials and sorrows, it is easy to forget that God

is good; that His arm is not too short to save; that He does great and marvelous things. So when difficulties come, begin to praise and worship. This lifts our heads and we once again acknowledge where our help comes. It brings God back into the picture and releases His authority into the circumstance. When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned with their feet fastened in the stocks, they began to sing praises to God, which brought forth a miraculous deliverance (Acts 16:16-34). Praise will break down prison doors and cause chains of bondage to fall away. The Psalms were actually songs used for worship events in the temple in Jerusalem. Use them to express your praise to God. Praise and thanksgiving keeps our hearts in a place of humility so we can receive from God.

7. KNOW AND OBEY GOD'S WORD

Believe what God says. God's Word is true. God can not lie. "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19). God's Word is our solid rock. It abides forever (1 Peter 1:25). When the storms of life come, cling to it. It will be your compass when you can't find your way. It is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105). His Word is true regardless of how you feel or how your circumstances look. Know the promises. Be rooted and grounded in truth and you will never fall prey to Satan's lies and deception.

When you read your Bible, read to KNOW God, not just to have knowledge. There is a big difference. Having knowledge will only puff you up and make you proud and take you farther away from God. It never changes your life; never touches your heart. Read your Bible to understand who God is, what He is like, how He feels about things, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do, how He thinks, what He says, and what He promises. Read to get to know HIM. Read until you hear God speak something important or special to you. You may only read a few verses. You may read a few chapters. It doesn't matter. What matters is that your spirit has been enlightened, your heart has been touched, and your life is changed.

This brings us to obedience, which is your response to what you have heard from God through His Word. When He enlightens your heart concerning something in His Word, then know that He is also supplying grace for you to apply it to your life. Obedience says to God that you love Him and you want to be like Jesus. 1 John 5:3 says, "This is love for God: to obey his commands." Obeying God begins with your choice and is completed by His grace. This will allow God to pour out His richest blessings on you.

8. BE QUICK TO CONFESS AND REPENT OF YOUR SINS

If you are willingly sinning, it will hinder your fellowship with God. Listen to this. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear," (Isaiah 59:2). All of us sin everyday. Many times we are not aware of it. When we sin, we do as 1 John 1:9 says. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." God will deliver you from your sin if you are open and honest with Him about it and if you really want to change. If you ignore it or aren't trying to change, then you will find it hard to have close fellowship with Him. It doesn't matter how many times you have to confess the same sin. He graciously forgives. Just keep confessing and asking God to deliver you. He will. It's good to stay in the attitude of contrition. Psalm 34:18 says that "God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Daily ask God to forgive you of your sins - known or hidden. Be constantly aware that we are sinners saved only by the glorious grace of God. On the one hand, we are very aware that there is nothing good in ourselves, and on the other we are very aware that in Christ we are forgiven and perfected. We must walk in this divine balance. It will keep us humble, knowing that without Christ we are nothing. It will keep us empowered, knowing that because of Christ we are everything He is.

9. REACH OUT

There is a principle in God's Kingdom that Jesus taught in Matt. 10:8. He sent the disciples out to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who had leprosy, and drive out demons. Then he said, "Freely you have received, freely give." If you want to get more from God you must give away what you have been given. Reaching out to others through witnessing, discipling, acts of service, missions, etc. allows you to give away the spiritual blessings you have received. Then God can entrust you with more. It also keeps your faith fresh and exciting. Like a pond with no outlet, your faith will stagnate if you are not pouring yourself into others. This is God's heart. He cares for the lost, the poor, the needy, and the sick. If you want to really get close to God, then minister to these and you will be ministering to God. Jesus taught this in a parable in Matt. 25:31-46.

10. GET PLUGGED IN TO A LOCAL CHURCH

Regularly fellowshipping with other believers in a local church will keep you strong and healthy. The local church should be like your spiritual family where you get taught, pastored, and encouraged in your walk. You have a support, accountability, and protection inside the walls of a good church home. Your church is not just a place where you go to get blessed; it is a place where you serve and give also.

God compares His church to a body, with Christ being the head and each member representing a particular body part. Every Christian must be a contributing member to the body. Each Christian has something to give, no matter how small; it is an important piece and the body needs it. 1 Cor. 12 teaches how important it is that everybody brings their gift. Otherwise the body is not complete. What if the ear didn't feel it was necessary or decided not to function? How handicapped the body would be! Ask God to show you what your special gift is and how you can use it in your local church. That's a sure way to mature and grow in your faith.

Many bits of advice have been mentioned in this lesson. It's important to reinforce to you that your walk with God will always involve your heart. God wants sincere, genuine wholehearted love from you. He does not expect you to be perfect. He is very merciful and compassionate. Psalm 103:13-14 says, "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." If you feel you don't have enough desire for Him, then ask for it. He will graciously give you a heart that longs after Him. "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart," (Jeremiah 24:7).