In Job 42: 5, Job stated, “In the past I knew only what others had told me, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” (GNT – Good News Translation). Perhaps we may paraphrase and understand Job’s declaration as follow, “My ears have heard about you (people told me about you, but now I know for myself by getting closer to you and experiencing you), that you are the almighty.”
Closer Reveals Deeper
As much as I have heard about a place, it’s fame, culture and generational rich inheritance, I have never experienced the effect of these good reports. Hearing and seeing sporadically can be different from experiencing (being closer and feeling) the effect of an existing thing or being.
From the beautiful blue sky blended with white-gray colors I was greeted from above on the plane by the famous expected destination. However, still there was nothing real about what I have been hearing and seeing for more than two (2) decades about the famous land compare to what I was seeing at hundreds of feet from the ground. The horizon below left the stranger who I was to figure out what it looks and feels like. And I should say it was part green, which I guessed was the vegetation and light blue, which I believed was water or river. But the more the plane descended, the clearer the vision becomes and the feeling gets real. I thought wow! I’m finally here.
The Sterilized Christian
Finally, the aircrew announced we were a few feet away from landing to destination. And yes, we did land safely and everybody as usual applauded and wishing the best to each other. Some passengers were just getting home, because they live there. These travelers were not that much expectant, and you can see that in their faces and reactions…”After all, I’m home” kind of feeling and reaction.
Sometimes, the older you get in God and the things of God, the weaker your desire and reverence to God and the things of God become. Have you become so used to the things of God that you’re no more impressed by whatever “God stuff” that is going on around you? Some Christians today have become so used to the Word of God, God’s Spirit and manifestations to the extent that nothing of God moves then any more. In effect, they have become sterilized by time and the enemy (the devil) against the things of God and don’t expect to do any more exploits with God. Their desire to have more of God has died. And this is so dangerous because at some point it even goes into disrespect or unreverence to God and the things of God.
The Strangers and Newcomers
To a number of people aboard the plane which just landed, it was a new world. They were just getting to the starting point of an experience they long awaited for. A place they heard about and have seen in pictures. A place with a different atmosphere, urban and rural infrastructures, currency, culture and languages.
All strangers (visitors, people relocating, and tourists) were eager to experience the expected destination. Their faces radiated expectancy and the desire to get closer (go in the cities and places) to discover what they have heard and seen about the place. You can see them pulling out of their bags maps and all sort of informational materials about the place, reading and checking them. They can’t just wait for discoveries.
It’s amazing how real new converts or Christians are eager to get closer to, and have more of God. But it does happen that when they start aging in the Kingdom of God, that desire and passion tend to reduce and in some cases it completely quenches. Is your passion for God and the things of God reduced or reducing? It could be for many reasons, maybe you have been in Christ for a while now, you have some un-answered prayers, you lost your job or a love one, relationship or marriage, business…etc. Remember your first love for God and the things of God. The Lord Jesus Christ addressing the Church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:3-5 said, “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…”
Be Smarter than God, and get Lost
Being the smart guy that I am, I wanted to do things and go to places without a specific and recommended road map or directions. Sure enough, I got lost a couple of times and lost many hours trying to find my way back. I was not really concerned about the fact that I have been lost, but the time I wasted in those days were so precious to me because I thought every second really counted for me to have the best experience I could.
Time is so valuable in every area of life, and when ill-managed it can cause a life-time and unforgettable losses. Many Children of God are currently lost in life searching for their destination (destiny and purpose) not because they don’t have one, but because they have made a fool of themselves by following their own desires and “how to” rather than God’s desire, road map, directions (leading of God’s Spirit and truth) and finally got lost and wasted or are wasting so much time trying to find their way back to “God’s way”.
When you find yourself lost in your own ways, all you have to do is to get hold of at least the old map you can remember God gave you (maybe a word, a prophecy, a word of knowledge, a teaching or sermon detailing your way back to God’s way). If you don’t remember any of those, your prayer should be for God to lead you now and believe it or, He will. Pay attention and be vigilant when you start praying for God to show you a way out of your lost. He will send you another map through a situation, someone or revelation to get back to His way.
You Haven’t Seen or Known the Fullness of God Yet
In short, when I spent as much time as I could I began realizing that things were not really the way I felt and heard about the place and have seen it in pictures and on television. Looking at things from far away in pictures and hearing about them may be greatly different. You can only sincerely and without doubt testify about something if you experience it.
Later when I was having conversation with the Lord, deep from my soul I heard Him telling me, “The closer you get to me, the more real I become to you”. And I said, “Lord, I want to get closer”. He said, “Do what will bring you closer to me”. I knew what He meant. I knew what can bring me closer to Him. This is not because I wasn’t doing these things before. I have been practicing these things since I was born again at 16. But I realized that the more I do or practice them, the more real He will become to me: Obedience (observing his precepts, going deeper in His word by reading and listening to it, prayer, fasting and love).
Precious one, as much as you think you know Him and have come closer to Him, you still haven’t experienced His fullness. He’s an unlimited divine Being with power, glory and majesty in your limited humanity. You haven’t experienced God in His fullness yet, and no matter how powerful His Spirit, presence and anointing has been in your life you can still get closer for more of Him.
Yearning for Greater Works and Exploits with God
In our daily Christian living, just everything and anything has become a “miracle” to us. But the more I study and think about this GOD, the GOD of the Bible, I realize that what we daily call “miracles” are really a normal phenomenon that can happen in the life of a child of this GOD (Creator of heaven, earth and all the other planets, the seen and unseen creatures). The Bible declares, “You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.” (Neh. 9:6). By observing the creation, we surely see how limiteless God is and can come to the conclusion that there is more of God that we haven’t experienced yet no matter how spiritual we are and have come to Him.
We have to get closer to Him in order to experience the real supernatural manifestations of His being, power and might. The Psalmist sings, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Ps 42:1). How close do you want to get to Him? How much of Him to you want? He’s more than who we can believe and image. There are really no words to describe how great God is…HE IS WHO HE IS! Get closer to experience Him better.