How to encounter God? #3

You might have heard the phrase "honesty is the best policy"...

I think it applies to encountering God just as much as any other avenue in life.

When you think about it - why would God honour us with an encounter if honesty wasn't central to it? God is holy and dishonesty doesn't really mix with His holiness.

Here are some thoughts that might help...

Let's be Honest with God

Jesus was honest with God when has cousin was murdered and He needed some time to process the event, be healed enough to carry on with his life and ministry.

Jesus was honest with God as He met Him in the garden, asking God to take a cup away, and working through the thoughts and feelings He had at the time.

The reoccuring themes are there. Honesty in the presence of God. 

Jesus met with Him because of, not despite of His honesty.

Don't ever think you can scare God's presence away because of honesty. I think the opposite is true!

Let's be Honest with Ourselves

Following on from the above is the next logical step I guess...you need to be honest with yourself.

Giving yourself a pep talk and telling yourself everything is ok when it is not, won't get you closer to God. I wonder if it just makes you guilty and frustrated?

It is good to give yourself a gentle and godly critique every now and then.

May it drive you towards His mercy and not away to a pity party!

When you are honest with yourself you can ascertain whether you have done everything you know to meet up with God. If there is something blocking the way.

Let's be Honest with Others

Being dishonest is a killer to intimacy with God.

It will seperate you from it and potentially kill it off...and you don't want that!

It may be a dramatic example, but one that is worth pondering, that of Ananias and Sapphira.

In the Book of Acts they pretended to give the Church a sum of money in line with what they had sold a property for. They wanted to look holy and awesome to everyone. Put on the Christian show for anyone who would notice them. Unfortunately they lied and kept some of it for themselves.

It was their property, they were entitled to do what they wanted with it. The issue was that they lied about the sell price to everyone in the Church family.

The price they paid? They actually died. On the spot. As quick as the lie passed their lips.

My point? Be honest with others.

It doesn't mean you have to publish all your dirty laundry to anyone willing to listen. It just means be honest about stuff in the context of what is happening. 

Don't pretend to be spiritual as it doesn't actually make you spiritual...it makes you religious at best and a little weird to everyone else at worst.

It certainly doesn't help you truly encounter God.

When you ask for prayer...it is pointless not being honest because it cripples the whole experience and the potential of it. 

Let's each be honest people. With God, ourselves and others...

And encounter our awesome God in some way this week!

Something to think about...