To Know Him

So many of us want the presence of God. We want God to manifest Himself. We sing songs about it. They’re all good. But we have a part to play. Are you getting intimate with the Lord God of heaven and earth? Are you glorifying Him by spending time with Him. They only way that you will get to know someone is by spending time with the person. God is waiting on you.

Exodus Chapter 3 (NKJ)
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

God is waiting for you to turn aside from everything that will distract and look to Him. The Lord did not speak to Moses until Moses gave Him his attention. If you’re wanting God to speak to you, you’re going to have to turn to Him first. It’s not going to come by watching “Lost” or “Grey’s Anatomy.” It’s not going to happen by reading Harlequin romance novels. It’s not going to happen by watching ESPN four hours a day. He wants you to know Him. Will you accept the challenge? Here are some concrete steps to help you enter into the “Secret Place of the Most High.”

Decision: You know you need to read your Bible but you sometimes you don’t want to. But you have made a decision. You are going to fellowship with God come hell or high water and sometimes it’s a little of both. But it all starts with a decision. Decisions determine whether you succeed in life.

Determination: Next comes determination. If you’re not going to follow through and stick with your decision, it means nothing. You will encounter resistance, You will face obstacles. You will experience distractions. Determination keeps you in the game for the long haul.

Duty: This means you’ve marked a time and place on your calendar or PDA and you are faithful to keep your appointment with God. There’s other places you’d rather be sometimes but at least you keep your appointment. It’s ok to meet with God out of duty but don’t stay at this level.

Desire: This a critical leap forward. When desire takes the place of duty, your priorities become reassessed. Things that seemed important to you before no longer seem like such a big deal. You realize that you need to go from the outer court to the inner court and that need is gradually becoming a want.

Devotion: This is the point at which the need for His presence becomes a want for his presence. You are totally devoted to Him, to His Word, to His people. You can still enjoy watching ESPN or HGTV. You’d still accept those free tickets to see “Mama Mia” but you know who your heart is really devoted to and can’t wait to meet with Him again.

Delight: When devotion turns to delight you are having so much fun with God, there’s nothing you’d rather too. It can be a little scary sometimes because you have no desire for tv, no desire to watch movies, no desire for “Mama Mia.” The world holds no attraction for you whatsoever. The benefits of knowing God, fellowshipping with Him, spending time in His presence are so awesome, everything pales in comparison.

1 John 5
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps  himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.