Hello!

Throughout these four months, I've had lots of time to reflect on my life and my relationship with God. Below are some questions that I felt were constructive in both growing my relationship and understanding of God. I encourage you to find a quiet place and write down the answers to your questions. If music helps you concentrate, I highly recommend the album "pure" by Abbie Gamboa and UPPERROOM.

Questions:

-Do you truly know the Joy of the LORD? Have you felt it? Why or why not?

-Do you believe you are fully forgiven? Are you acting and living like it?

-What do you feel is keeping you from pursuing God wholeheartedly?

-Do you spend time with the LORD daily? Are you fostering a good relationship with Him?

-Am I believing and accepting God's love for myself?

-In what ways is God asking me to live sacrificially? What do I need to give up that is keeping me from God?

-Is there anybody in your life you have not forgiven? What's stopping you?

-Are you creating disciples in your life? You do not have to be on full-time missions or live internationally to spread God's love and teach people about the LORD. It is loving to want others to know about the LORD; life following the LORD is the most fulfilling way to live. We must be bold for Christ.

There are so many more questions I would love to share with you all, but these are just a few that impacted me. I urge you all to seek the LORD daily through devotionals. Spending daily time with the LORD and starting your morning with God's word is crucial to maintaining a growing relationship with Him. I didn't understand this until about a month into the race. What changed my want to do devotions was a change in perspective:

If you want to foster a relationship, you must put time and effort into it. For example, in a friendship, you will not have a healthy or thriving relationship. If you don't spend time with one another, listen to them intentionally, and love one another well. Reading the Bible and spending time in prayer (among other ways) is how you spend time with God. How can you expect to be able to listen to Him well if you do not know Him? This perspective changed my view on daily time with God.

I hope this was helpful! Blessings,

Kate Bowdoin