Experiencing God

It is one thing to talk about skydiving and what to do when you jump, it is another thing when we actually jump. Likewise, it is one thing to talk about God and believe some facts about God, it is another thing to experience Him. There is quite a difference.

What does it mean to experience God? It means to experience His presence, power, goodness and love on a very personal basis. His presence, power and love transform us. It changes us at the core. Once we have tasted God, we lose our taste for the world. In experiencing God, we are transformed from the inside out. He gives us a new heart, that is responsive to Him, to truth and we have a new orientation, freedom and desires with the power to live it out.

It is one thing to know about God it is another matter to know Him. The Bible says that even demons know about God and believe God exists. (James 2:19) Our sin separates us from God and at the root of sin is wanting like the devil to be our own God, our own Sovereign. Man tries to be good to be accepted by God and believes like Cain in the Bible that God should accept Him on man’s own terms. (Genesis 4:4-7) This will never happen. You cannot ever be good enough to be accepted by God based on your own goodness. You can however, be accepted in Jesus. The Bible in fact tells us that apart from God we have no goodness. “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-18) Compared to God no one is good. Jesus was good. Jesus was without sin. How about you? You would have to be perfect to be connected to God now and go to heaven based on your goodness. Yet, man pridefully tries in futility.

There is only one way to be right with God and is by God Himself in Jesus Christ. Jesus makes the way by taking on Himself the just penalty of our sin on the cross, so that man might be born again and understand that man can only be saved and made right by God’s grace. As the Bible states, “For by grace you have been saved thought faith. And this is not of your own doing” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a mighty work of God within.

Does experiencing God mean having visions or some spectacular manifestation other than being transformed from the inside out. This is a great miracle in itself. One evolutionist I was talking with demanded that God show Himself right now, if He is real. I told him that you don’t get to dictate to God how He should do things. I also said look at the incredible detail of how our bodies are made. You think that came together by chance?

People that are looking for God will find Him, those seeking for experiences are off target. Also, experiences must always be interpreted in light of the Bible. The devil can give experiences as well. Some people exalt their experiences over what the Bible says. This is very dangerous and will lead to error. The Bible must interpret our experiences, not the other way around. The Bible discerns whether the experiences are from God, the devil or self.

God can give a vision if He so chooses. Before I was a Christian had a vision. Here is the background to the occurrence. I had been working on and off with some Christian people over a couple year period and I was reading through the Bible, reading a few chapters everyday. One day when I was 20 years old, I was in the country-side laying on back looking up at the sky. All of a sudden, the beautiful peaceful feeling came over me and, in the clouds, God appeared as described in Revelation 1:14, “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow.” His beard also was pillowy and white in my vision. He said these exact words to me, “Come up here.” I started to rise and then I turned my head and thought to myself, “What will my friends think?” Immediately this dark, empty evil presence came upon me and God had departed. I didn’t become a Christian until about three months later, but I got from the experience that I had to value God a lot more than what my friends or other people thought to be identified with Jesus Christ. Are my friends’ opinions more important or is God’s?

What is stopping you from being a Christian? Are you afraid your friends might tease and mock you. Are the opinions of others more valuable than God’s? Experiencing Him is the greatest treasure in life. Those friends may drift out of your life or you may have a rift with them. Besides people are fickle and often don’t think things through or appreciate what is most valuable. They go for what is easy and appeals to their flesh instead of the beauty of God in His holiness. Whose opinion will be important in eternity. We can either be a people pleasurer or find your identity in Christ.

That is the only vision I have had of God and it was before I was a Christian. Sometimes in countries that do not have a Christian heritage God tends to more miraculous things and gives dreams and visions to help people cut through the fog. Beware of seeking visions but don’t spurn them. For instance, Joseph Smith who was the founder of the Mormons had visions, but since they don’t align with God’s word were not from God. Just to name a couple Ezekiel and Isaiah had visions from God.

God chooses who is to receive visions from Him and if or when. If we have the heritage of the Bible and schools of instruction like the church, we have more than we need. Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazurus. The rich man dies and is in hell and asks God to send someone from the dead to his brothers so that they may repent and turn to God. God says, “He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31) Miracles don’t necessarily turn people to God. The children of Israel at the Exodus from Egypt to the promised land saw many miracles, but refused to enter the promised land.

God gives visions and does miracles according to His will, His providence and His sovereignty. Don’t seek visons or miracles seek God. He is not a miracle working God at our demand as the devil also tempted Jesus with. (Matthew 4:5)

When I prayed the sinner’s prayer to receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I wept at experiencing the beauty and holiness of God and also wept in repentance of sin. Waves of God’s love poured into me. It was the most marvelous experience. People have different ways they experience God, but the end result is experiencing His peace and joy and having our orientation and our desires reorientated to God.

If you want to connect with God you must go through Jesus. There is no other way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). You too can experience God and be born again of His Spirit when you come to God turning away from sin and come with sincerity and faith in Jesus Christ. He will come to your help when you sincerely ask Him to assist you. As the Bible says,” But to all who did receive Him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). We receive Him when we turn from sin and turn to God in Christ Jesus. Your life depends on it.