Close Encounters

I have been thinking lately a great deal about when I was first saved.  Like most of you who were not raised in church, I had a lot to get together.  I was a nice person, of course, but by God’s standards, my life was less than noble.  The irony of my situation was that I thought I was fine just the way I was.  Boy was I wrong!

Looking back, I realize that for the most part, the world actually teaches you to be a good person, to follow the laws of the land, and to do things right.  And although the world has some form of Godliness, it’s missing the one true ingredient that makes everything work.  That ingredient is God Himself.  We live in a world that has fooled itself into believing that it’s on the path to perfection without the One who makes all things perfect.  Unfortunately, we bring that mentality into the Kingdom when we become Christians.  That is why have so many “Christians” who appear clean on the outside, but the inside is still a mess.  The only thing that will change that is an inner awakening, when you open your eyes one morning, and the Holy Spirit speaks very clearly to your heart.  You then hear the Holy Spirit and follow the voice of the Lord.  This, beloved, is what I call a close encounter with the Father.

I’ve come to see that God has intended for every believer to experience this powerful event when he/she comes into the kingdom.  Some do, and some don’t.  And that has been a sad fact within the church.  You can always tell who the people are who have had this powerful encounter with God.  Those who have had this experience know God in a consecrated way.

Now, I know it sounds like you have to be someone extraordinary to know God in this way, but you don’t.  All you need is a thirst and hunger after righteousness.  If you are like I was, and you are tired of your life as it is, and you want more peace and joy, then you are there.  You are standing at the doorway to greatness.  You just need to be brave enough to say goodbye to this world and walk through the door to your hope and future.

First Lady LaShawn