I was thinking about the importance of having our own personal encounter with God. I thought about Abel (who pleased God with his sacrifice); Enoch (who walked with God); Noah (who also walked with God and found grace in the eyes of the Lord ); Abraham (at Ur, at Haran, at Shechem, at the altar of covenant, at the mount of sacrifice); Moses (who met God at the burning bush, and as he traveled to Egypt, and as he stood at the Red Sea, and as he was on Mt. Sinai, and as he faced and defeated the Amalekites); and and of course the prophets (Job, Isaiah, Daniel, Elijah), and king David.
MORE ON ABRAHAM
But my thoughts were primarily on Abraham after he relied on the flesh, rather than on the Spirit of God. Remember Abraham fathered Ishmael with Hagar, rather than trust God for a son with Sara. This reliance on the flesh did produce a child but it was a child of the flesh, instead of the child of promise.
Sara (Sarah) suffered because of this. Abram suffered because of this. There is no record of God communicating with Abram for the next 13 years.
However, God approached Abram in Genesis seventeen, and He not only restored, renewed His relationship with Abram (Abraham), He took it to a deeper level.
GOOD NEWS
If you have gone astray and abandoned the way of the Spirit of God, and spent years wandering in your own confusion, God can still find you and call you back to Himself. He not only can restore you, He can take you to a higher level than you have ever been before. Take time to be holy, because it takes time.
ALSO..
Think about some of the things these people experienced because of their relationships with God.
* Abel was hated by his brother and killed for his faith.
was delivered from death.
* Noah was rejected by the world, he looked like fool, he had to start life all over again, he saw his new world returning to its old ways.
* Job suffered unspeakable loss.
( Lot lost his family and his sons rebelled.
* Abraham had division in family.
* Isaac had feuding sons.
* Jacob had family turmoil, lost his favored son.
* Joseph was conspired against by his brothers and falsely accused of a terrible crime, imprisoned.
* Moses became an enemy of the empire and despised by the people he rescued.
* David was hated by his mentor and his own son.
* Isaiah was slain.
* Daniel was thrown to the lions.
It is not a walk in the park when you turn from the dark.
GOOD NEWS
If you have gone astray and abandoned the way of the Spirit of God, and spent years wandering in your own confusion, God can still find you and call you back to Himself. He not only can restore you, He can take you to a higher level than you have ever been before. Take time to be holy, because it takes time.
ALSO..
Think about some of the things these people experienced because of their relationships with God.
* Abel was hated by his brother and killed for his faith.
was delivered from death.
* Noah was rejected by the world, he looked like fool, he had to start life all over again, he saw his new world returning to its old ways.
* Job suffered unspeakable loss.
( Lot lost his family and his sons rebelled.
* Abraham had division in family.
* Isaac had feuding sons.
* Jacob had family turmoil, lost his favored son.
* Joseph was conspired against by his brothers and falsely accused of a terrible crime, imprisoned.
* Moses became an enemy of the empire and despised by the people he rescued.
* David was hated by his mentor and his own son.
* Isaiah was slain.
* Daniel was thrown to the lions.
It is not a walk in the park when you turn from the dark.
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