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Encounters with God

An Encounter with God Can Redefine Our Life

In Isaiah 6 we see King Uzziah’s death and Isaiah’s subsequent vision of the Lord. King Uzziah had grown proud in his strength, even though that very strength was given to him from God. In his pride, he had disobeyed God. Isaiah tells us that in the year the king died, Isaiah saw the Lord. This was a powerful moment for Isaiah in which he got his calling. This encounter with God redefined his life. It was a turning point for him.

We too have redefining, turning points in our lives. Of course some can be negative and brought on by our own bad choices or the negative words and actions of others that have affected us in some way. But those pale in comparison to a turning point brought on by an encounter with God.

When we encounter God, He reshapes our lives for the better. We can be assured that it will be for the better because any time God redirects us it’s to better align us with His plan, and that’s always in the best interest of everyone involved.

No matter what has happened in the past and what has tried to define us, we are only one encounter with God away from having our life redefined. It doesn’t matter what has happened, because it’s not the past that defines us but the Lord.

This redefinition can happen to those of us who have had a rough time so far and are in major need of redirection, but it can also happen to those of us who have been walking with the Lord already and doing alright so far. God will always challenge us and move us along His path when the time is right.

You don't need to be a prophet or apostle - Faithisland

God Encounters the Involved

An important thing to note about Isaiah’s encounter is that he was already prophesying and being used by God. He was already speaking up for God and challenging the nations. He was already engaged with God. God usually encounters those already involved.

Now, this shouldn’t discourage those who feel somewhat lost and distant from God. We can all fall away somewhat and lose our close connection with God. All it takes is for us to turn back to him, repent from our indifference, and ask Him to work in our lives again.

He wants us to act first. That is our part – obedience. It doesn’t even have to be anything major, but He wants us to have the benefit of taking the first step. Then He will step in and make the changes we need in our lives. Then He can encounter us and redefine our lies.

 

God Rarely Discloses Things to the Uninvolved

On the flip side, God doesn’t often disclose things to people who are uninvolved. John had a similar life-changing encounter with God to Isaiah. It was when John was in jail on an island for the sake of the Lord that the revelation of the Lord came to him.

Being exiled for the sake of the Lord proves that John was definitely involved already when the Lord encountered him on that island. God often chooses to reveal important things to people like this who are already involved.

Part of this is because uninvolved people aren’t listening. Even if we claim we’re Christians, if we’re not actively involved in growing in our spiritual life and serving God’s kingdom, we’re not really listening to God. Most likely, we’re busy with our own agendas or we’re distracted by the things of the world, and we don’t stop and take the time to listen for God’s voice. God may want to share important messages or information with us, but we wouldn’t be able to hear it.

We have to be listening to hear God’s voice. Otherwise, it gets drowned out by the world’s messages and our own self-important voice in our head. We need to change our focus to hear God’s voice clearly.

Also, uninvolved people are probably not ready for whatever God would want to disclose to them. God’s timing is always perfect, and He is forever patient. We, as humans, are always wanting to rush things and know everything now. We don’t want to do the work to get the knowledge or information. It’s so easy to get information in today’s world with a quick type in Google. We want our lives to be the same way, even with God.

When we want guidance and an answer to our prayers, we want it now. But we may not be ready for it. Sometimes God wants to grow us in certain areas first before we’ll be ready for the information He’s going to give us.

 

God Can Make a Bad Moment a God Moment

When we are involved already and engaged with God, we can still have bad moments in life. That’s just the normal pattern of life on earth. However, when we’re engaged with God, He can easily take that bad moment and turn it into a God moment. This applies to individuals as well as the church as a whole.

God can make a bad moment a God moment

Whatever we may be going through or whatever is trying to get us down and redefine us in a negative way, God can step in and shake everything up with a powerful encounter that can change the world. We always need to be ready for powerful turning points such as this. They are definitely on their way.

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Comment(1)

  1. Reply
    Lynda-Sue says

    Glory to God!

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