I have been chewing on a little something recently that I had heard awhile ago. I don't know about you, but there are lots of things that stick out to me when I read the Scriptures. One of my favorite passages of Scripture has always been Hebrews 11, otherwise known as the Hall of Faith. It's like you read about these heroes of the faith who did incredible things for the Lord and their faith in Almighty God was just so huge! I find myself feeling small and insignificant when I read these true accounts, and yet also inspired at what the Lord can do with just a little faith.
I heard something really interesting about this that I had never heard of or thought of before. These great saints of the Bible were really not any different than you or I. They dealt with temptations like we do, they had struggles too. There were things that came up against them that could have rocked their faith, and perhaps it did. And yet there was something so incredibly different. When I look at their pages of history versus my own, I see something so different. By faith, they conquered kingdoms and shut the mouths of lions. By faith, I made it through another day and did 1 little thing that the Lord asked me to do. So where does the difference come in I wonder?
It's time to get raw and honest. You see, the difference lies within us as individuals. According to Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It's not like the saints in the Bible had anything more than we did. Sure, they had Jesus in the flesh. But we also have the Holy Spirit with us today. So what is it that makes the difference? I believe it's a basic question of lifestyle and choice: You see, it's a matter of getting into the fiery presence of God. That is the only thing that changes us. Paying lip service to the King amounts to nothing more than a vocal exercise. Reading the pages of Scripture is seemingly a mere discipline. Going to church is a great thing to do. These are all in and of themselves good things, but it's not the main thing.
The main thing is encountering the presence of the living God. Deuteronomy 4:24 says that God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. It's interesting to note that any time any person has encountered the presence of God, their lives are forever changed. When Moses came down off the mountain, his face shone. When Zaccheus climbed a tree just to physically see this Jesus guy, he came back a day later paying everyone 4 x's what he had stolen. When the bleeding woman touched the mere hem of Jesus' cloak, she was made whole. The saints had a choice just like we do, and they chose it. They went after the presence and glory of God like their lives depended on it.
You see, when you get into the fiery presence of God, everything changes. Hearts are softened, idols come crashing down, sin and chaff are burned up and burned away. And the presence and power and glory of God so infiltrates our lives that it can never be the same. But He will not just hand out His power and His glory like freebies at a garage sale. God doesn't move, we do. God doesn't change, we do. God doesn't limit His people, we limit our God.
So the choice remains. It is my belief that the more you encounter His presence and power, the more His glory is made known and things are so changed. If you just go after God on Sunday mornings and give Him 2 hours of your week, then sure, your faith may not amount to anything more than choosing to be obedient or making it through the tough day. But if you want God bad enough, you are going to go after Him in full force and and with full vigor.
I've heard people say it's sacrifice to go after Him. But is it really? Do we ever really sacrifice anything for God? Sure, we may call it a sacrifice. But once again, we're talking about an Almighty God of fire who sacrificed His one and only Son on our sinful wretched behalf. I don't want to call giving up a tv show to spend time with Him a "sacrifice." How ridiculous would that be.
Forgive me oh God for treasuring the junk of my life and the rubbish of this world over you. Forgive me oh Lord for going after my own goals and objectives with more diligence and persistence than your presence. I'm sorry Jesus for just expecting you to pour out your glory like it's nothing. Oh God, may I not rest or settle for less when it comes to you and the power of your presence. May you wake up this sleeping child of yours once again...in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
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