Reality #4 Part 4 Encountering God
In the Old Testament, when God spoke to Moses, those events were encounters with God. Just like an encounter with Jesus was an encounter with God for the disciples. And in the same way our encounters with the Holy Spirit are encounters with God!
We know that the Holy Spirit was given, and He is the One who guides us into all truth and teaches all things. We understand spiritual truth because the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. We cannot understand the Word of God unless the Spirit of God teaches us. When you come to the Word of God, the Author Himself is present to instruct you. You never discover truth; truth is revealed. When the Holy Spirit reveals truth to you, He is not leading you to an encounter with God. That IS an encounter with God!!!
What should we do when we encounter God?
Respond Immediately!!!
God spoke to Moses, and what Moses did next was crucial! Jesus spoke to the disciples, and what they did next was crucial. What you do next after the Spirit of God speaks to you through His Word is crucial! Our problem is that when the Spirit of God speaks to us, we go into a long discussion with Him questioning the rightness of His directions.
Moses went into a long discussion with God (Exodus 3:11-4:13), and it limited him for the rest of his life. Because of his objections, God gave Aaron to be a spokesman for Moses. Moses had to speak to the people through his brother Aaron (Exodus 4:14-16).
The challenge:
Review what you sense God has been saying to you on a regular basis. If God speaks and you hear but do not respond, a time could come when you will not hear His voice. Disobedience can lead to a "famine...of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11-12).
Respond to God Immediately!!!
Be like Samuel!
"Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground" (1 Samuel 3:19). Don't let a single word from the Lord fail to bring adjustments in your life. Then God will do in you and through you everything He says to you.
Luke 8:5-15 is the parable of the sower and the seeds. The seed that fell on the good soil represented those who heard the word of God, retained it, and produced fruit. Jesus said, "Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him" (Luke 8:18).
If you hear the Word of God and do not apply it to produce fruit in your life, even what you think you have will be taken away. Be careful how you listen to God! Make up your mind now that when the Spirit of God speaks to you, you are going to do what He says.
God always has a purpose when he speaks! Most of the time we are just looking for some devotional thought to make us feel good all day. But God wants to reveal what he is doing, and we need to be ready for Him to reveal what He is doing where we are. In Scripture, God doesn't just go to people for conversation's sake. He is always up to something, He always has a purpose. When God speaks to you through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, the church, or in some other way, He has a purpose in mind for your life.
When God spoke to Abram (Genesis 12), what was God about to do? He was about to begin building a nation. Notice the timing of God. Why did God speak to Abram when He did? Because it was then that God wanted to start to build a nation. The moment Abram knew what God was about to do, he had to make an adjustment in his life to God. He had to follow immediately what God said.
It's all about timing. When God speaks to you, that is the moment He wants you to respond! It's God's timing not ours! He speaks to His servant when He is ready to move. Otherwise He wouldn't speak. When God speaks to you, you need to believe and trust God. When God speaks to you, you must respond immediately by adjusting your life to Him, His purposes, and His ways. The moment God speaks is God's timing.
When God speaks, will you respond?
Next post: Last part of Reality #5
In Christ,
David
We know that the Holy Spirit was given, and He is the One who guides us into all truth and teaches all things. We understand spiritual truth because the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. We cannot understand the Word of God unless the Spirit of God teaches us. When you come to the Word of God, the Author Himself is present to instruct you. You never discover truth; truth is revealed. When the Holy Spirit reveals truth to you, He is not leading you to an encounter with God. That IS an encounter with God!!!
What should we do when we encounter God?
Respond Immediately!!!
God spoke to Moses, and what Moses did next was crucial! Jesus spoke to the disciples, and what they did next was crucial. What you do next after the Spirit of God speaks to you through His Word is crucial! Our problem is that when the Spirit of God speaks to us, we go into a long discussion with Him questioning the rightness of His directions.
Moses went into a long discussion with God (Exodus 3:11-4:13), and it limited him for the rest of his life. Because of his objections, God gave Aaron to be a spokesman for Moses. Moses had to speak to the people through his brother Aaron (Exodus 4:14-16).
The challenge:
Review what you sense God has been saying to you on a regular basis. If God speaks and you hear but do not respond, a time could come when you will not hear His voice. Disobedience can lead to a "famine...of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11-12).
Respond to God Immediately!!!
Be like Samuel!
"Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground" (1 Samuel 3:19). Don't let a single word from the Lord fail to bring adjustments in your life. Then God will do in you and through you everything He says to you.
Luke 8:5-15 is the parable of the sower and the seeds. The seed that fell on the good soil represented those who heard the word of God, retained it, and produced fruit. Jesus said, "Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him" (Luke 8:18).
If you hear the Word of God and do not apply it to produce fruit in your life, even what you think you have will be taken away. Be careful how you listen to God! Make up your mind now that when the Spirit of God speaks to you, you are going to do what He says.
God always has a purpose when he speaks! Most of the time we are just looking for some devotional thought to make us feel good all day. But God wants to reveal what he is doing, and we need to be ready for Him to reveal what He is doing where we are. In Scripture, God doesn't just go to people for conversation's sake. He is always up to something, He always has a purpose. When God speaks to you through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, the church, or in some other way, He has a purpose in mind for your life.
When God spoke to Abram (Genesis 12), what was God about to do? He was about to begin building a nation. Notice the timing of God. Why did God speak to Abram when He did? Because it was then that God wanted to start to build a nation. The moment Abram knew what God was about to do, he had to make an adjustment in his life to God. He had to follow immediately what God said.
It's all about timing. When God speaks to you, that is the moment He wants you to respond! It's God's timing not ours! He speaks to His servant when He is ready to move. Otherwise He wouldn't speak. When God speaks to you, you need to believe and trust God. When God speaks to you, you must respond immediately by adjusting your life to Him, His purposes, and His ways. The moment God speaks is God's timing.
When God speaks, will you respond?
Next post: Last part of Reality #5
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 2:39 PM
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