Here is the reality: many believers never seek to have encounters with God. They assume that encounters with God are non-essential in their journey of faith.
But the truth of the matter is that you can’t be a believer in Christ without encounters. Today, I’ll explain to you why you need to start seeking God for encounters, if at all you care about your faith.
I’ve had multiple encounters with Christ myself. I’m telling you all this out of experience.
You’d better pay attention for the sake of your faith in Christ. Ready? Let’s get started…
The Mistake of Many Believers
The problem of believers not seeking to have encounters with God originates from the godless nature of our generation. People claim to know God, but they have no desire to meet Him.
This doesn’t seem to be a problem until trouble hits, and people now need help from God. All of a sudden, people frantically seek God, but He is nowhere to be found.
This happens because, if you don’t desire to be in God’s presence, neither will God want you to be in His presence. This means that, if you choose to be away from God’s presence, be prepared to stay there, even when trouble hits you.
If you don’t start desiring to be in God’s presence today, forget about God showing up when you need Him. I’m not a sinister person, no, I’m just telling you the truth.
Now that I’ve told you the mess you’ll find yourself in if you don’t desire to have encounters with God, let me tell you what you need to do.
Solution Context
I’ll start by giving you a number of scriptures, then I’ll explain what you need to do for the sake of your faith.
First scripture
Luke 19:2-5
Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
Second scripture…
John 20:27-28
Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Can you see any connection between these first two scriptures?
Now let’s take a look at the last scripture, then I’ll explain everything.
Luke 18:8
I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Let’s get into the revelation.
The Revelation
Luke 19:2-5 is the famous story of Zacchaeus climbing a tree to see Jesus. This scripture highlights to us the fact that we have a responsibility to seek encounters with Jesus. Zacchaeus didn’t miraculously find himself on top of the sycamore tree; he climbed it. That is a conscious effort on his part to see Jesus.
This brings me to the second scripture I shared.
John 20:27-28 tells us of the moment Thomas touched the wounds of Jesus and believed that Jesus had actually resurrected. Until then, Thomas had doubted.
This scripture confirms to us that Jesus is willing to let us have encounters with Him for us to believe.
Lastly, Luke 18:8 is a rhetorical question that Jesus asked after teaching about persistence in prayer.
This scripture confirms to us that our ability to hold on to our faith until Jesus returns is questionable. This means that each one of us needs to do our best to uphold our faith, so that when Jesus returns, He will find us still holding onto our faith.
Given that we have no choice but to maintain our faith until Jesus returns, what better way can we do it, if not by seeking encounters with Jesus?
Therefore, make it a priority to desire to be in the presence of Jesus, so that your faith in Him remains strong until His second coming.
God bless you!