The Secret of a Close Relationship With God

My secret of a close relationship with God is staying close to Him through Prayer and Study of His word.  The secret word is 'Abide' and the meaning of this word is: hold to, conform to, adhere to, stick to, and others.  I particularly like 'adhere to', or stick to, but they all describe what Abiding means.  Check out the following verses and follow on to know Him better by abiding in Him.

John 15:4  "Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in Me."

John 15:5  "I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing."

John 15:6  "If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."

John 15:7  "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you."

John 15:10  "If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love."

1 John 2:6  "He that says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."

1 John 2:28  "And now, little children, abide in Him, that, when He shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."

1 John 3:6  "Whosoever abides in Him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen Him, neither known Him."

2 John 9  "Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God.  He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son."

Staying with Christ in His presence is abiding in Him and if we are abiding in Him, we will have the peace that passes all understanding.  Do you have that peace?  Can you say, 'Thy will be done' in answer to your prayers.  Our will has to be submerged in His will in order to abide successfully.  We need to be in His presence continually in order to be fully abiding.  I can't say that I have achieved this but I'm sure not the same as I was a year ago.  I'm still being sanctified daily as I study and pray for His guidance.  There is so much hope for all of us, we must not give up.  God loves each of us the same and wants us to spend eternity with Him.  That's why He gave His life for us, so He could present us faultless before His Father, 'just as if we had never sinned'.  That's what justification means.  We cannot abide without His loving arms around us and His strength to hold us up. Keep abiding my friend, God loves you so very much.  Grandma Joan