Is Your Personal Relationship with Jesus Dysfunctional?

Toxic or not?

Dysfunctional relationships are all the rage these days. Thanks to a satiety of psychology, self-help books, surreality talk shows and overreaching government agencies fumbling about our private lives, we’re convinced that there’s no such thing as a normal relationship. Too many people these days are ready to identify their lives, personalities and relationships as dysfunctional and believe these forces can “fix this” for us — most notably when we buy their books, tune in to their shows, and send them our check.

Lamentably, this includes our relationship with Christ, one that has the potential to be pure, rich, joyous, unadulterated, fully functional — and all of this for free, incidentally, because once we’ve plunked down the funds for our Bible, all we have to do is read it. But we don’t. Rather, we read books about Jesus, and about what He says in the Bible, and we listen to speakers telling us about how Jesus wants us to live, and we never actually communicate with Christ Himself to discover whether what we read and what we hear is accurate. Here’s a short list to consider when determining whether what you’re absorbing is toxic or not.

God’s Power, not Yours

“To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” (Job 12: 13)

It’s popular these days to talk about “focusing upon power within,” “tapping into the inner self,” or ”unleashing our hidden strength,” but if you’ve got the idea that these are synonyms for the Holy Spirit within you, disabuse yourself of this notion. God’s power is not accessible to us upon our demand, and you won’t get any farther, any faster, in your prayers by visualizing; working yourself into a trance; repeating a particular sound or word; or declaring, announcing, or proclaiming.

Since this is effectively pushing God around, setting ourselves up in His place, it’s highly likely that you will get no response – and that’s the good news. It’s wise to remember that many popular spiritual “techniques” aren’t new at all, but shrouded in the darkness — and occult — of time.

Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock, and we will receive, find, and have the door opened for us. It’s simple, yet complex, but requires nothing more than that we trust Him. You don’t need a seminar, a workbook, another book, or an hour with a speaker on TV — you just need time, alone, with Jesus.