It's easy to have an encounter with God. Anyone who sincerely seeks the creator of the universe without ulterior motives will be successful. God wants a relationship and is waiting for a surrendered heart and spirit to 'come in and sup with' such a one. Relinquishing the will and the right to sit on the throne of one's own life results in an attitude that can hear God's voice and feel His presence.
The smallness of your contribution is especially evident in hindsight, when you have received the most important thing in life - your salvation. You are now a child of God, a brother or sister of Jesus Christ, and you have access to all the power that God wants to use on your behalf. For eternity, no less. Wow.
This doesn't sound like a good deal for God. Many who reach the point of total release have messed up so much they truly need another start. However, God wants this relationship. If a person confesses sin, believes that all sin was paid for on the cross when Jesus died, and accepts that sacrifice, the way is open for salvation. You don't have anything to give but your surrendered life. God does the rest, and the angels rejoice in heaven.
God made everything, and He made you with a need for Him. People substitute everything on earth for the One who truly satisfies, but substitutions disappoint and destroy. You have been given the ability to believe 'in things unseen', and, when you surrender your own life for the new life God has for you, you will feel His presence and sense His love.
Of course, there will be other encounters. Jesus tells us that He is closer than a brother, and it's true. He will share with you all the events of your life that you open up. He will lead and guide and instruct, He will comfort and help and heal, He will listen and forgive and empower.
Personal testimonies of answered prayer, help in times of danger or illness, and revelations of God's glory are fascinating. Those who don't believe may not believe these accounts, either, but they often are convinced. There are many, many cases where medical records document miraculous healings. There are many stories of supernatural rescues. All of us have seen God's glory in the sunset and in the stars.
Although the Lord will occasionally overpower His children - as the apostle John was knocked on his face by his vision of Jesus - He doesn't invade an un-surrendered life. It is possible to shut the Lord out. He promises to give even unbelievers the air, water, food, and even clothing they need, because God always hopes for a child's return. However, He'll allow a life to be lost for all eternity if that's a person's choice.
If you have not had an encounter with God, you are probably wondering what the point of life is, anyway. There is a point to our existence, and God holds the key. Think about it, look into your heart, and ask God to fill the void you find there.
The smallness of your contribution is especially evident in hindsight, when you have received the most important thing in life - your salvation. You are now a child of God, a brother or sister of Jesus Christ, and you have access to all the power that God wants to use on your behalf. For eternity, no less. Wow.
This doesn't sound like a good deal for God. Many who reach the point of total release have messed up so much they truly need another start. However, God wants this relationship. If a person confesses sin, believes that all sin was paid for on the cross when Jesus died, and accepts that sacrifice, the way is open for salvation. You don't have anything to give but your surrendered life. God does the rest, and the angels rejoice in heaven.
God made everything, and He made you with a need for Him. People substitute everything on earth for the One who truly satisfies, but substitutions disappoint and destroy. You have been given the ability to believe 'in things unseen', and, when you surrender your own life for the new life God has for you, you will feel His presence and sense His love.
Of course, there will be other encounters. Jesus tells us that He is closer than a brother, and it's true. He will share with you all the events of your life that you open up. He will lead and guide and instruct, He will comfort and help and heal, He will listen and forgive and empower.
Personal testimonies of answered prayer, help in times of danger or illness, and revelations of God's glory are fascinating. Those who don't believe may not believe these accounts, either, but they often are convinced. There are many, many cases where medical records document miraculous healings. There are many stories of supernatural rescues. All of us have seen God's glory in the sunset and in the stars.
Although the Lord will occasionally overpower His children - as the apostle John was knocked on his face by his vision of Jesus - He doesn't invade an un-surrendered life. It is possible to shut the Lord out. He promises to give even unbelievers the air, water, food, and even clothing they need, because God always hopes for a child's return. However, He'll allow a life to be lost for all eternity if that's a person's choice.
If you have not had an encounter with God, you are probably wondering what the point of life is, anyway. There is a point to our existence, and God holds the key. Think about it, look into your heart, and ask God to fill the void you find there.
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