The only way for you to truly experience the power of God is to open your heart and mind to receiving the Holy Spirit in your life. No one can make you say yes, and God surely isn't going to force you to come to Him. The bible says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that He was raised from the dead, you shall and will be saved.
Romans 10:9
It's easy to declare a thing with your words and it doesn't come to pass because you lack the heart factor. You have to believe in your heart without having any signs of doubt that He is real in order for you to have a direct encounter with God. Some of you have lost hope and have given up on God because you haven't felt His presence or actually had an overwhelming experience that you see everyone else in church experiencing. Some of you are struggling and having a hard time hearing Him or even believing that He even cares about you. Some of you are having trouble grasping the truth that someone so big and with so much power would love YOU so much. Some of you are in troubling situations that you would never think that God would care about you enough to get you out of it. Some of you are still resisting God's hand because of your past. Some of you are constantly blaming Him for your mother' death, or your cheating husband, or your bullying classmates. Some of you think that God is too slow and that He is taking too long to fix an issue.
Whatever the issue may be it all boils down to Doubt.
Picture this:
You decided to visit a church and it's worship time. The lights are low, the music is soothing, and everyone around you has their hands raised. People are crying, shouting, on their knees in surrenderance, pouring out and giving everything they have to God. In your mind you're thinking, "these people are really into this stuff, and I am not feeling anything at all..what am I missing? Did this God skip over me when He supposedly decided to release His Spirit. My hands are raised too and my eyes are closed but yet I feel nothing. These people have to be faking it or putting on a show. They have to be right? Because I'm not feeling it. Am I the only one here not feeling it? Maybe this isn't for me. Maybe He doesn't care about me. Maybe I am not worthy to receive Him. Maybe I don't need Him. I keep trying over and over again, going to different churches and yet still NOTHING. Where is He? People are shouting and crying, but I don't see this God. Did I miss His grand entrance? I need to pay attention more. Did He leave already? I can't see Him. Am I alone? Man, what's the point. I give up...."
Some of you are stuck in this cycle and refuse to try again because God didn't come the way that you expected Him to come. And because your expectations were shot, you were left discouraged and hurt and eventually gave up.
This pattern of thought is nothing but an ongoing, never-ending process of doubt, and ultimately, lack of faith.
How can I believe in a God that I cannot see? How can you believe in something that you can't touch physically?
Well, to me, it's easy. FAITH. When I submitted my life to Christ in 2011, I made the choice to surrender everything to Him that couldn't be under MY control anymore. I decided that I wasn't going to depend on ME anymore because I was getting no where far with doing that. I wanted to stop the cycle and actually be the someone that I saw in my dreams but could never touch because I was missing something. I made the choice to have faith in Jesus Christ. I didn't just say that He is my Savior and that He died on the cross and rose from the dead, but I actually believed it. Once I made that declaration and made the conscious effort to believe in the God of the Universe in my HEART, I got chills all over my body, my body felt as if it was on fire and my stomach was turning as if I ate some bad cheese that day. (and I didn't! lol) I felt him on the inside of me and realized that all along He was there, I just needed to tap into that place in my heart and actually believe that Jesus is real. I literally needed to activate the Christ that was already living on the inside of me.
The only way to activate the Christ in you is by letting go of every bit of fear and doubt. Letting go of the questions and preconceived notions that you've heard about Jesus. It's faith. Putting your faith in a supreme individual that you CAN see. It's believing that He is everything and because He is everything, you can see Him in everything. It is literally going alll the way. You don't have to fix yourself up in order for Him to accept you and you don't have to "get right" either. Because guess what? He has already accepted you, you just have to accept Him. He accepted you with every flaw and every insecurity, He wants you with every imperfection. He literally wants it all.
If you want a dynamic spiritual encounter with God, just accept Him into your life. Stop looking at how everyone else is experiencing Him, and experience Him for yourself. This lifestyle is not a religion, it's a relationship and God wants to build a relationship with you today. While you've been waiting for Him to come down with bells and whistles and on this cloud with thunder dashing from the sky, He has been waiting for YOU to open your heart up for Him to come in.
For those who say they are believers, but are still having a hard time grasping the fact that God loves you, or if He cares, or if He wants you with all your baggage, you too have lost faith. You too, just like many others have doubted His infinite, unchanging love for you. When you were saved, you were asked if you believed that Jesus died on the cross. If you were, then you were introduced to the truth about God's love for you. HE gave His only son so that YOU can have eternal life and live free from bondage. Don't ever forget that beloved. He truly cares for you. And yes, we may not understand why and how bad things happen to good people, but because we put our faith in the One who created us, we should trust His hand and His plans and never doubt His ability to do the impossible. Remember, "ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28.
And even if you can't physically "feel" Him, He wants your faith in Him to be so strong that you know that you know He is there and no one can ever make you believe otherwise. He is here with you, you are just blinded by the doubt.
Open your heart.......I promise you'll never be the same!
-Taylor Simon
