Encounter Jesus

Have you ever spent time praying without ever asking God to “do” anything? For me, I find that much of my prayer time is spent telling God what I need, what others need, and asking him to take action. I don’t often spend time appreciating him and listening.

Now, I’m not implying that it is bad to tell God your needs, wants and desires. I’m simply saying that there is benefit in praying without an agenda. I was speaking with a great friend and he told me that, recently, he spent 20 minutes in prayer expressing his deep love for God. My first thought when I heard this was, “20 minutes??? Really? That is a lot of time to say, ‘I love you.’” However, as I listened to him talk about the experience, I found myself desperately wanting to do the same. It wasn’t about the amount of time. It was about fully expressing his love to Jesus.

As I “tried” this for the first time, I was overwhelmed with the incredible glory of God. I do not say this in a religious sense. I say this as if speaking of a treasured lover. Marvelously, my experience was that God was quick to draw me close and return this expression of my love 10-fold. I felt deeply loved and wanted. Yes, I felt like God really wanted to be near me.

I must admit that I had to stop myself several times from making requests of God. Each time I refrained and focused on just loving God, I felt drawn even closer by God. In the end, I left that prayer time refreshed, energized and exceedingly happy. It was a beautiful experience and I am grateful that God challenged me in this way through the experience of another.

So, I challenge you. Set aside some time and simply approach Jesus and tell him how much you love him. Then, submit a comment and tell me about your experience.

#encounterJesus

I was talking with a great friend this morning and we were discussing Peter. In Acts 5:12-16, the bible says, 
    "The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil  spirits, and all of them were healed." (NIV)

Can you imagine this kind of power? This is the same guy that is well known for his quick answers, daring actions, and for denying Jesus in his most crucial hour. This is also the guy that Jesus said he would build his church upon.

Many would say that Peter was special and that no one else will have this power. I'm not so sure that I agree. Maybe this same power is available to all that serve Jesus. See, I don't sense any pride in Peter. I don't think he was showing off. I think just the opposite. He was incredibly humble and knew the source of the power. His relationship with God was so intimate, so close, that the power of God had invaded every cell of his body to the point that it overflowed onto his shadow!

That is the key... closeness and intimacy with Jesus. I think that this type of power is available to anyone that draws this close to God... Available to anyone that is this intimate with Jesus. Imagine...

What do you think?

God talks. How well do you listen?

See, if you say, "God doesn't talk to me" or "I don't really hear God speak to me," it is really unlikely that you will hear God speak. Yes, God talks to us. Jesus told us that he was sending the Counselor to be with us and in us. Imagine the excitement as Jesus explains how the Spirit will impact the lives of believers.

John 14:15-18 – "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (NIV)

This doesn't sound like God's plan was to withdraw and leave us to our own. How many counselors do you know that don't talk directly to their counselees? That type of counseling wouldn't be very effective.

Yes, God speaks through scripture, but he also speaks directly to us. Believe that you will be able to hear God speak to you and listen. Journal what you hear, Ask the Spirit, the one true God, to be your counselor and teacher and listen. He will speak.