Wisdom In The Word

What does it mean to have an encounter? What does an encounter look like with our God? Throughout the bible, there is a common theme that threads many of the major stories and even the lesser known characters of scripture. More likely than not, the people who were used of God, the ones that had great faith in the midst of the impossible, and the ones who had a willingness to go the distance with God all had the same thing in common. They all had a life-changing event that shifted their focus from self to beyond self. This previous statement is how I would describe an encounter with God. Let’s take a look at one of the most talked about examples of an encounter in the Word of God.

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”And Moses said, “Here I am.” -Exodus 3:1-4

This was a very supernatural occurrence that took place and this was set up in the middle of Moses’ duty of tending to the sheep as a shepherd. God calls Moses a few verses after to eventually go on a mission to rescue God’s children from slavery in Egypt. Before this happens though, God catches Moses attention and diverts it to glory Him.

Get Your Attention

One of the biggest parts of having an encounter is getting your attention. So often, the enemy distracts us but we can also distract ourselves from what God has planned. Before Moses was called. He was already married, living a life as a humble shepherd, and living a new life as a fugitive guilty of killing an Egyptian to save the life of his brethren Israelite. He was in a complacent state of mind and did not previously have a desire to go on this mission God had planned. To wake Moses up to this God uses an an angel to make a burning bush that does not become consumed.

“For our God is a consuming fire.” -Hebrews 12:29

God is willing and inspired by love to consume us in His presence with passion. Think about a time when you were in your own zone and completing your own agenda but then God did something to take your attention from whatever you were doing to see beyond yourself. I would be bold to say that it is impossible for someone to be a Christian without having an encounter with God. I myself struggled with this growing up in the church. Later I questioned if I even truly believed what it was I was taught and my challenge toward God in this was eye-opening and earth-shattering. It shook me to my core and humbled me to see that without a doubt God is real, Jesus is real, and the bible is real. To speak against this encounter would be insane toward my own experience with Him. God let me know that He didn’t just want part of me but He wanted all of my being. This goes into my next point.

Make it Personal

Another major story in scripture regarding an encounter is the calling of Paul the discipline to turn from being a persecutor of Christians to a Christian leader.

“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’”- Acts 9:3-5

Sometimes God will move us out of our comfort zones and will wake us up with the truth. As a body of Christ, it may be good to encounter God at church service or even an intimate gathering but we are talking about an encounter that happens at a level that is one-on-one. This is an experience that is humbling and life-changing just like Paul and it brings us into a point of revelation or transformation.

Revelation by definition in this context is the revealing of the unknown that was once hidden. Transformation in this context is a change on any level whether it is physical, in mindset, understanding, attitude, or anything else that edifies a spiritual awakening in Jesus Christ.

My First Encounter

Long story short my true encounter with God was a shocker to my world because before I had this experience, I had a very limited perception of my relationship with Christ. I gave my life to Christ at 9 but I drifted away from that tug of the Spirit. There was a small period in my life that I doubted the power and movement of God even though I grew up in the church. I questioned my own belief in Christianity. I never experienced God in a tangible way. One day I was at a church service and all was going as normal until a woman who was considered a prayer warrior started yelling cuss words in the middle of a sermon. The preacher stopped, all of the children were taken out of the sanctuary, and all the associate ministers began to try and exorcism this individual who was manifesting demons. I have seen horror movies but never have I seen an exorcism in real life. Not knowing what to do or what words to pray, I kneeled at the altar and began to pray but as I prayed I felt the tangible touch of the Holy Ghost and something starting to stir inside of me. As I continue praying in English, I literally started praying in a different language that I never learned nor could interpret or understand. This is the first time in my life that Acts 2 showed up in my life. The Holy Spirit is real, the Word of God proved itself to be real, demons are real, the devil is real, spiritual warfare is real, Jesus is real. After that day, there was no question in my mind that could go against what I experienced and even if someone else didn’t believe me, it would never deter what happened to me. I received revelation and was transformed. The whole world could be against me but I know that God is real and specifically the God of the bible is authentic and no one on the planet can take that from me.

Conclusion

I hope that reading this has inspired you to look at your life to be reminded of the times that you encountered God or inspired to seek a tangible encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ because this is essential to the Christian journey. We must have an undeniable and unshakable faith that persuades others to experience God on a very personal level as well. Our God is personal and He loves us dearly. He seeks to be close and we should also desire the same in our walk. Just one touch and one encounter will change your life forever.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” – Psalms 42:1-2