Tag: relationship with God

Preparing for a Holy Encounter | Readying Yourself

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In many ways, encounters mean everything to one’s progression forward. People judge others on first encounters. We often hear the importance of making a good and lasting first impression. It will determine if one should go deeper in the relationship or not. Opposite that, there are experiences with encounters that can go sourly wrong if not handled correctly. Think of a surprise meeting with a wild animal such as a bear.

Moses learned early on in his encounter with God that God cannot be approached in a haphazard fashion (Exodus 3:2-5).  One must be very serious when coming into the presence of God.  The standard has to be raised from the normal, and the steps which one treads to approach Him must be done with reverence because He is God.

Approximately two months after God’s final blow of the last of the 10 plagues, the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, and Israel’s departure from that land, the people have traveled and arrived in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 19:1) and are now camped at the base of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:2).

Moses was then called up the mountain to come before God (Exodus 19:3).  From that place, God began to speak words of promise and instruction for Moses to relay in the hearing of the people.  God wanted them to remember their deliverance and how He brought them out of that land of oppression (Exodus 19:4).  Afterward, God laid out stipulations for being in a covenant relationship with Him.  Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant which was unconditional, the Mosaic Covenant had guidelines, rules, and rituals for the people to follow: “If ye obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant,” God spoke, “then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people,” (Exodus 19:5).

Moses then called the elders of the people together and relayed all of this to them and their status as a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6-7).  After, the people agreed to do what God commanded (Exodus 19:8).

But now that they have met with Moses and received these terms, it’s time for them to prepare their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to meet with God.  Moses was relaying all this pertinent information as God’s mouthpiece to them, but God wanted a one-on-one audience with His chosen people, His peculiar treasure.

As far as the purpose for that audience, God made it very clear: “Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever,” (Exodus 19:9).  God wanted them to hear and experience His power up close and personal.  He wanted them to hear and bear witness for themselves, as He spoke with Moses, so that they might believe and listen to Moses as His chosen leader, who receives His words and instructions and passes them on to the people.  Although the covenant is for all His people, it was given to Moses; thus, it is referred to as the Mosaic Covenant.

For this “meeting” to take off properly, what the people do beforehand is of great importance.  They had to consecrate themselves before approaching God.  Filth had to be washed off, clothes had to be changed, and the people had to be sanctified (Exodus 19:10, 14), or “set apart.”  Boundaries had to be set (Exodus 19:12-13).  His sacredness was going to pervade that mountain, and the people needed to respect His presence.  During that time, even intimate relations with their spouses were prohibited to be considered ceremonially clean (Exodus 19:15).

Friends, if we are to go deeper, if we are to be a people who will draw near to His presence, then we must, ourselves also, prepare for the approach as they did in the days of the ancients. Not with ceremony, but with sincerity. Not with rituals, but with a heart seeking an intimate relationship with the Father as the driving force. There is no greater place to be, nor any greater experience to experience than whole and beautiful, sweet fellowship with our God.

But when we start discussing rules, compliance, and the like, it tends to put people off. As we are born with the nature of free-will beings, sometimes it bucks against the very thing that is most helpful for us to have a better life. That is discipline, order, and obedience to the One who knows the healthiest guidelines for our lives to be directed by.

Any child of God should hunger to be nearer to Him than the day before. Therefore, daily, we need to monitor and adjust our approach if need be. We need hearts and minds prepared for the encounter.

How do we do that?

We must ready ourselves.

For anything important we want to do or any event we want to attend, we work hard to make sure we are properly prepared. Oh, how much more the effort should we put forth in readying to meet our God!

The people of old had to wash off any dirt and be sanctified. Is there anything that needs to be removed from your life that would be an impediment to the approach? Hebrews 12:1 says, “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Everything that wants to hold us back; everything that stands as an obstacle to our spiritual success; everything that works against our salvation, preventing us from a proper approach.

The people of old set boundaries and had to remain where the borders allowed and not enter where they prohibited. Previously, I shared, “God’s Word is filled with instructions, commandments, statutes – lines, if you will, not to confine us, but to give us a life far greater.  Jesus taught, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).” (We Need the Lines/WordforLifeSays)

His holy Word shows us the guidelines for the approach. It reveals to us not only the importance and how of drawing near to our Heavenly Father, but also life principles and directions that will help us to keep the pathway of relationship clear of obstacles and hindrances: “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble,” (Psalm 119:165).

We are promised “In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). In that, we should not want anything to come between us and the moment of that great, holy experience. So, like the ancients, what we do beforehand will determine how close we can draw near.

The Bible encourages us to “Examine yourselves…” (2 Corinthians 13:5); prepare for our day of approach both now for relationship, and for eternity, where we will finally hear those blessed words: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23). For it is then and there, we will experience the Holy Encounter like never before.

God’s desire has always been to have an up-close and personal relationship with each one of us. May we let nothing hinder our coming closer. Are you ready?

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

Text Free Image by Carla Bosteder from Pixabay

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Filling the Joy Tanks

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When was the last time you laughed out of pure joy? Not a giggle here and there, but from true happiness inside, the inner expression of the heart that cannot be contained?

To laugh like this is the outer proof that something wonderful has transpired inside. This type of enjoyment with life cannot flow from an empty well, so to speak. And if you haven’t laughed from pure joy in this way in a while, what is the well that you are daily drawing from filled with? Perhaps it’s not the lack of expression of laughter that’s the problem, because that will be a natural occurrence when one is filled with those things that will naturally produce it.

Then, there must be a problem with what’s in our joy tanks. There must be a depletion of those things that will, without effort, produce joy.

Today, in the natural, you can make a conscious effort to fill your life with those things that bring you delight and enjoyment. It can be something as simple as changing how you view a mundane routine and making it a place where the work may be mundane, but beautiful joy can be found in the work. It could also be as simple as changing thought patterns and where one chooses to focus. Philippians 4:8 helps us with this, saying, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

God wants us to enjoy the beauty this life can offer: “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8:15, ESV).

While those things are good, true joy doesn’t begin or end there, and we should not rest or be solely content with a natural filling. As we are making the effort to fill our lives with the things that bring us joy, we must be even more mindful not to leave out the greatest source of joy found in the spiritual.

In heaven, we are going to know the extreme happiness of “joy unspeakable” (1 Peter 1:8), but even now, that kind of joy is ours for the taking because when we are filled with Christ, who is the ultimate reason for joy tanks being filled, the overflow of all He is in us will saturate our very lives from the inside out.

Trust me, my friend, we may not fully comprehend how it will all be or turn out in our tomorrows or future forever, but we can surely act on what we know today. Today, we know that we can laugh with pure joy because pure joy is what Christ brings to our lives. Today, we can focus our hearts on filling our joy tanks with Him, knowing that our wells cannot help but overflow in happiness and all that blessed pleasure that comes as a result from on high.

The Lord Jesus spoke this beautiful summary, saying, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). Life may seem rough at times but there was a great exchange that took place at that cross on Calvary that gave us the great privilege of laying down what is burdensome and picking up a life filled with JOY!

Blessings~

More Encouragement:

“My Soul Shall Be Joyful In My God!”

“The Greater Joy in the Morning”

“There Will Be a Time When Joy Cannot Be Taken Away!”

Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay

Every Morning | Pursuing God Daily

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Mornings capture us with a sense of new.  The freshness for what’s before us opens like a glorious flower that raises her petals to meet the sun’s rays.  Whether the pace of the new days starts out fast or slow, there is a certain level of invigoration that permeates the atmosphere.  It says life is here, meeting us again as we open our eyes and arise.  What we see before us we have not encountered before.  This moment in time, with the grace and mercy that comes with it, is unused. 

I grew up during a time of hand-me-downs and leftovers.  It was not an unheard-of concept to rely on things that were previously used by another or putting aside portions of a meal that remained for later use.  “Waste not, want not,” is often what people would say.  It was frugal living before frugal living became popular.  We are seeing a resurgence of its popularity due to the current economy that is calling people’s attention to rethink how they approach money, life, and their stuff.

But for the children of Israel, there was one thing that God didn’t want them to rethink, and that was their faith and trust in Him.  Even though they were relatively new on their exodus journey from Egypt, God taught them a lesson He hopes will last a lifetime – they can put their confidence in His commands, in His promises.  They had no reason to doubt God’s goodness.

So, when the need for food arose, He instructed Moses on what the people should do: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no,” (Exodus 16:4). 

Further reading gives us a bit more details:

  • Vv. 11, 12 says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God” (emphasis added).
  • V. 15 explains, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”
  • And in v. 19, Moses instructed them to “Let no man leave of it till the morning.”

Every morning, when they opened their eyes, they were expected to walk by faith, depending on their daily provisions from God’s holy hand.

When they chose not to rely on God and to take matters into their own hands, and to keep some behind so that they wouldn’t have to worry about the next day, “it bred worms, and stank” (v. 20).  When they decided they couldn’t trust God and believe that He would provide for their tomorrows, their personal, human efforts deteriorated right before their eyes.  Instead of being beautiful and nourishing, it became something that was disgusting and unpleasant.

There are a lot of things we can be frugal with, but faith isn’t one of them.  Jesus, in the Lord’s Prayer, called us to pray for “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).  Every morning we are reminded of our need for God, to pursue Him more, and again.  As a tummy rumbling for morning nourishment, we are drawn to come to Him and be spiritually satisfied.  We are leaning on the Father every single day for His holy provision: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him,” (Lamentations 3:22-24). 

Every morning we get to reestablish our love for Him, reestablish our commitment to Him, and walk in His faithfulness another day.  We get to come to Him, seeking our “manna” for the day, reaffirming He is our source.  He is our God!  He is our Portion (compare Jeremiah 51:19; Psalm 16:5; 73:26).  He is the place where we not only find our holy sustenance, but it is where we trade the wrongs for what is right.  It’s where we exchange the ashes of this life for the beauty of who He is.

“Every day” the children of Israel were commanded to go look for what God had for them.  Every morning, their expectation and hope were to be on God alone.  He, then, supplied their needs (Philippians 4:19) and sustained them for the day’s journey.

If your days seem limp and powerless, lacking the inspiration and sustenance for this time we live in, draw nearer to your daily Portion.  Every morning partake of the Bread of Heaven so that your life may be properly fed.

In your pursuit to be properly fed, do as the children of Israel were instructed:

  1. Come daily.  Every morning the promise of bread awaited them, but they were the ones who had to put in diligent effort to rise and go get it.
  2. Gather what was needed.  Every family was allotted a certain amount so they lacked nothing of all God’s provisions.  Don’t cut your time and opportunity short when you come to the Father.  The Bible says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13.  Wholly, go after your portion so that you lack nothing of all God has for you.  Stay before Him and gather what is necessary for the day’s journey.
  3. Come back tomorrow and do it again.  And the next day, and the next day, and so on.  This is a life of longing – a life that refuses to go unsatiated.  “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God,” (Psalm 42:1).  Drawing nearer to God is to be our daily desire. He is our holy pursuit. Daily I am unsatisfied in my soul if I don’t come to Him and fill my appetite upon Him who is “I AM THAT I AM,” (Exodus 3:13). 

The promise still remains: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,” (Matthew 5:6). 

Every morning, come and be filled.    

From the Inside Out

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No matter how good we look on the outside, or how well we can talk, or how much we have acquired, if our hearts and minds are not right, it is all in vain. Father God, I want to be right from the inside out. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me,” Galatians 2:20.

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At Peace in His Presence

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“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”  Psalm 23:1-2

David saw that in our relationship with God there is a peace that cannot be found in any other place.  The phrases “lie down” and “still waters” show the sheep, in the very famous psalm exalting the LORD as our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1), being unafraid due to the wonderful care of the Shepherd.

Sheep, who are naturally fearful animals, are at peace in His presence, regardless of what the world may be experiencing.

The Bible gives us many references to the peace that we find in our relationship with God.  Some of my favorites are:

  • Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
  • John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
  • John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
  • Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

All of these solidify the type of relationship the sheep have with the shepherd; the type of relationship we experience in Jesus Christ our ultimate Shepherd (John 10:11).  Many are grasping at various things and pursuits to fill their life with peace.  This peace and serenity can only be found under the protection of the Shepherd.

If you cannot find peace today, simply look to Jesus, and there you will find peace in His presence.

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.