There is something always good about starting off the week when you can look back on your weekend and realize how much time you spent in the presence of God. And this past weekend was definitely one of those weekends. However, it wasn't just that I was in church a lot over the weekend, but it was literally how much I felt God's presence as a whole.
My son and I had the chance to once again drive up to Cleveland, Ohio and go to an amazing praise/worship and prayer service. Something we have had the chance to do a couple times in the past 2 weeks. And some may ask why you would drive over 3 hours to attend a 3 hour service and then drive 3 hours back. But my answer would be because when you go seeking God like that, you find Him! And both times that my son and I have done this we have encountered God in such a powerful way. But not just at the services we attended, but also in the car during out 3 hour drives. Let me just say, there is something very powerful about having 3 hours to soak in how much you were just in the presence of God like that. How often do you get the chance to take 3 hours and think about, or talk about the service you just left? Or to discuss what you just felt and heard from God....or to reflect on the amazing testimonies you just witnessed. And to have that opportunity with my son is something that I will never forget.
Some of the things I heard over the weekend were eye opening and thought provoking. Testimonies of deliverance.....testimonies of God's grace....testimonies of God's healing...but most of all, testimonies of true life changing encounters with God. And when you can see the person standing in front of you that is living a changed life because of an encounter with God, it is way more than just a story. You see a person who was held captive by something and now they have been set free. It is seeing someone who found real love for the very first time. It is seeing someone who did not think forgiveness was a word they would ever know, but now that word represents a love, acceptance, hope and cleansing that they often have a hard time describing. Because true encounters with God are hard to find words to describe. I think one man said it best when he said "deliverance from things is very real and is exactly what some people need in their life....but I needed an encounter with the one and only true living God. And THAT is what changed my life!" And that IS what this man found, and that IS what changed this man's life.
Now I'm a firm believer that when you find yourself in God's presence like this, there is ALWAYS something to be taken away from it. There is a piece of that presence that should now be in you and you should be carrying back with you to wherever it is you are going. So for us, that presence came back in a 3 hour drive back that I never expected. And I say that because God's presence allowed me to share my full life's testimony with my son in the car that night. A story that not to many people know, and one I never could picture how I would share with my son. But I knew God was saying this was the time, and this was the place. He created the time and the atmosphere for this moment to happen... and He was with us. The mature understanding, and the grace and mercy displayed by my son was an amazing feeling I will never forget. To hear him say "no matter what you are about to share with me, it is not who you are now dad, so it's ok" was a true gift from God. And the door that got closed that night to fear from the enemy was something worth rejoicing over. I say that because I know God is calling me to speak more and more. And sharing my testimony will most definitely be a part of that. However, the fear of sharing that with my son around was something the enemy would always hold over my head. But never again!!! God showed the enemy once again that His presence, His love, His grace and His mercy will defeat sin, fear and anything else the enemy tries to rule you with. And the best news I have to offer you today is that what I and so many others have experienced is also fully available to you! A true encounter with God!
God, I personally thank You for your presence. Something I never want to take for granted or "just get used to". There is power in Your presence. There is peace in Your presence. There is healing in Your presence....and it is a place I love and long to be in. I pray today that more people would have less of an "emotional experience" with you, but instead have an encounter with you. Holy Spirit please help us to create time and space in our lives to allow encounters with God. And please be with anyone today who has been running.....may they run into God and stop running from Him. In Jesus name, Amen
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