“EXPERIENCING SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTERS” by ‘anonymous’
It’s important to acknowledge that we are focusing on encountering Jesus. His Presence is the key. It is what we seek after and the rest follows. We get lost in His Presence with thanksgiving, appreciation, and gratitude and He sovereignly takes over. We don’t have to make anything happen. He does it sovereignly, He leads and guides.
In John chapter 14, Jesus was talking about the way; about the Father; and about heavenly mansions. Thomas said, “We don’t understand.” Philip said, “Hey we’d be satisfied if we could just see the Father.” Jesus then gives them an example of Rm 1:20, basically saying, “Look at Me, the visible image, and you will see the invisible God.”
He then goes on in great detail to speak about the Spirit. Again, telling them, when this visible Body departs, I will come in you in the invisible Comforter, the Holy Spirit. “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more.” Why? Because My material Body will be leaving the Earth.
He continued in verse 19, “BUT YOU WILL SEE ME” Why? Because the Spirit will dwell in you and what will He do?
- Allow you to see in the Spirit.
- Guide and leads.
- Show you things to come.
- Minister through you.
- Help you to become one with the Father.
- Empower with spiritual gifts: Words of wisdom, knowledge, discernment, prophecy, interpretation, etc. all require seeing (sensing) in the Spirit. To sense in the Spirit is itself a form of spiritual sight.
- He speaks through us and He speaks to us.
This requires the ability of spiritual sight. When we reflect, we understand that we all have seen many heavenly things in the process of life.
One question some are asking: Is it possible to expand our heavenly vision, to see the unseen in greater measure, to walk in continuing heavenly encounters? What do you think Jesus meant when He prayed, “that where I am there you may be also?” Was He only speaking of a place after physical death or something much more?
The Book of Revelations is not so much a study as a format for transformation. Transformation requires a change from one state of being into another. Transformation requires yielding of flesh to gain in Spirit. But most of us don’t like to yield to flesh easily. To lay down fears, to set aside grievances, to forgive when we’re not asked (and we know we’re not in the wrong), to change the way we think into a higher more noble way, to stop striving when we’re convinced we’re right, to give up preconceived ideas about God that are difficult to do since our flesh would rather use these ideas to build walls, to let God correct the issues of life without giving Him a hand, and protect our weaknesses from exposure and many other such things. So how does God help us?
He challenges us to become more like Jesus. Those challenges may come in the form of life frustrations or in financial difficulties or in relationship struggles or in physical infirmity or in attacks on our pride or in challenges to our identity or in struggles with physical compulsions or in others isolating themselves from us, or in attacks on our value and spiritual worth, or in physical and spiritual attacks on those near and dear to us, and in many other ways. God knows how to push our buttons, the right buttons to achieve His purpose.
This part is often misunderstood and we question, “Why are these things happen to us at this time?” In large part, it’s because we’ve asked God to allow these things. We may say, “Hey wait a minute, I never asked Him that my friend should stab me in the back or that I’d break my leg and be laid up for three months.”
No, we didn’t ask for any of life’s turmoil, but we did ask for things far greater. Things like, “draw me closer to you.” “Let Your Will be done in my life.” “Make my family an instrument for Your use.” “Take me to the throne room, I want to see You.” “Complete Your purpose in me.” “Use me to reach my family and friends for you.” “Restore strained relationships in my life.” “Bring forth Your Kingdom in my life and in the earth.”
Now admit it, you’ve prayed and do pray things like this, correct? Since 2013, we’ve prayed, “awaken the spiritual tabernacle of God in the earth.” We’ve asked for the revelation of Jesus within, such as: “Bring forth the image of Jesus within me, that I might think and act and love and live like Jesus!” We sing songs every weak with similar sentiments. If we mean the song lyrics like, “make me an instrument of Your peace” OR “heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to things unseen” OR “whatever I have whatever it takes, let the whole world know the glory of Your name,” and hundreds of such sentiments are voiced to God continually.
When we truly mean these thoughts, shouldn’t we also think that He acts in some fashion to bring the desires of our heart to pass? God does. We know He does.
God admonishes us with many scriptures such as: “Beloved think it not strange the fiery trial which is to try you as though something strange had come upon you.”
These events are to try us. What does that mean? They mature us and make us more as He is. Why? Because this is what we’ve asked for and these life events are His answer.
And if we yield, God walks hand-in-hand to gently and lovingly take us higher. He answers our heart’s desire. If we truly have asked or desired within our heart the Revelation of Jesus within us, He brings it to pass.
Some, in the weakness of their flesh, may say within, “this is as far as I’m going.” In that event we know what gives us confidence? It’s the Body of Christ, for if we fail, we know the Body of Christ still marches on. Once they have attained, the door will be opened for the rest.
This is not about the obedience or disobedience of one member, but about the whole Body of Christ. As Jesus said “A Body have you prepared for Me!”
We’ve all been through some things. Some are going through things now. Let us keep our eyes on the prize. Let us attain to the full Revelation of Jesus! The Kingdom of God is at hand!
Jesus said, “Look up!” Keeping our eyes on the earth can only bring earthly answers. Keeping our eyes on things above, takes us beyond the earthly turmoil. We pray the great grace of Jesus leads us through uncharted territory into the great gateway to the full manifestation of the Kingdom of God!
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