One wonderful aspect of Christianity is how easy it is to have an encounter with God. All you have to do is ask, with a sincere desire to meet God and a certain humility, also known as brokenness. No one who thinks himself the center of the universe will truly seek to know God.
When God reveals Himself to you, that's the first and perhaps most important encounter. A person who puts every hope in God's hands and believes that an answer will come is ready to be 'born again' to new life in Jesus Christ. The old life and the old man (human nature) dies when the heart and spirit bow before the Father, and a new, eternal life begins.
You need to confess that you are a sinner, as we all are, and that you cannot save yourself. Ask for His forgiveness and believe that Jesus paid the price for your wrongdoing when He died on the cross. As God raised Jesus up, He will also raise you up to new life as a child of God.
Fortunately, God has hard-wired mankind with a need for God and an ability to believe 'in things unseen'. When you acknowledge your need for Him, which is not hard as all fail in life without His presence, you will feel in your heart His immediate nearness and love. In fact, the emotions that stir at the moment you surrender yourself to Him will be something you remember and treasure for the rest of your days.
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.
This kind of life is full of testimony, which is the story of the relationship between you and the Lord. The accounts believers give are important to them, since the memories strengthen their faith. They are also important to others, who can learn from them and may be inspired to seek God for themselves.
It is true, however, that the Lord does not invade an un-surrendered life. If you choose to close yourself off, He allows that. It grieves Him, as it grieves any loving parent estranged from a child. He watches over you by giving you air, water, and food, and reveals His glory in the wonders of nature. He may allow hard circumstances in your life, but He will not force His way into your heart.
An encounter with God should be every person's goal. It's the way to the free gift of salvation and the joy of the Lord that will be your strength as long as you walk with Him.
When God reveals Himself to you, that's the first and perhaps most important encounter. A person who puts every hope in God's hands and believes that an answer will come is ready to be 'born again' to new life in Jesus Christ. The old life and the old man (human nature) dies when the heart and spirit bow before the Father, and a new, eternal life begins.
You need to confess that you are a sinner, as we all are, and that you cannot save yourself. Ask for His forgiveness and believe that Jesus paid the price for your wrongdoing when He died on the cross. As God raised Jesus up, He will also raise you up to new life as a child of God.
Fortunately, God has hard-wired mankind with a need for God and an ability to believe 'in things unseen'. When you acknowledge your need for Him, which is not hard as all fail in life without His presence, you will feel in your heart His immediate nearness and love. In fact, the emotions that stir at the moment you surrender yourself to Him will be something you remember and treasure for the rest of your days.
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.
This kind of life is full of testimony, which is the story of the relationship between you and the Lord. The accounts believers give are important to them, since the memories strengthen their faith. They are also important to others, who can learn from them and may be inspired to seek God for themselves.
It is true, however, that the Lord does not invade an un-surrendered life. If you choose to close yourself off, He allows that. It grieves Him, as it grieves any loving parent estranged from a child. He watches over you by giving you air, water, and food, and reveals His glory in the wonders of nature. He may allow hard circumstances in your life, but He will not force His way into your heart.
An encounter with God should be every person's goal. It's the way to the free gift of salvation and the joy of the Lord that will be your strength as long as you walk with Him.
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