You looking for God? — Try turning around…
So many people appear to be looking for God in the form of something physical so they can say to themself, “Ah Ha, there you are!” News flash! You will probably die waiting on this phenomenon to happen. This is not a knock on anyone’s belief but an observation after many years expecting just a glimpse of something I could claim to be some sort of empirical truth.
I am not saying people don’t have visions or appearances that they claim to be a spiritual manifestation, but if it is God that you are looking for might I suggest that you turn your vision from outside to in? Rather than looking out into the world for God, turn your sight inside and your vision might become clearer. Even though there are manifestations of God all around us that we can clearly see with our natural eyes, the God that you are seeking need not be seen with your natural eyes in order to have the experience that you think you may be seeking.
Many sophisticated students of the clergy will share their theological views about God with others, but they cannot share their physical vision of Him with you. This is mainly because in order to know God you must know Him as He exists, in Spirit and in Truth.
Looking for something physical almost refutes the nature of God when the evidence of Him is in nearly everything that you see before you. “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies declare the works of His hands,” according to King David, the writer of Psalms 19.
Believers of God also believe that everything that came into existence came through Him as its initial source. They believe that at one point there was nothing and God caused existence to appear. That means that everything you see before you is the result of God’s hands. If you require a vision or manifestation of a person that you could have a chat with you could be waiting a long time, if not until death.
For most of my life, I wanted to see something or feel something that I could say, this is definitely God. As I was looking on the outside the Spirit that is God was on the inside perhaps saying to me, “Be still and know that I am God”… I am right here in you.
As I matured in life through years of study and contemplation, I no longer personally require a physical appearance of something to know God. The Spirit that indwells inside of me has personally convinced me of the God I seek. This Spirit of Truth has been with me for quite some time, even when I did not realize He was there.
The one thing notable change for me was when I learned how to simply, “Be still.” I had to learn how to quieten the mind and clear the expectation of what I had hoped to see and allow God to reveal Himself to me in the manner of His choice, at the time and place of His choice, or even not to appear in any manner at all if that was God’s choice. In essence, I had to surrender my will over to God’s divine will and totally accept whatever that leads to… by faith.
Letting Go
Letting go of what you have always believed to be true or the way that you have been taught to think for most of your natural life is very difficult. It is almost like a piece of clay that has been shaped and hardened into form over a period of time. Once it is set in a particular manner you would need to apply some sort of physical pressure upon that hardened clay in order to transform it into something new and different. We are like that as well.
Once we have been indoctrinated in a certain manner it is usually difficult to undo what has been done without applying some sort of undue pressure causing a transformation. Our belief systems normally work in that manner. That is why the scripture says in Proverbs: “Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart for it.” You need not be a student of scripture to realize wisdom when you hear it. This is why “letting go” is usually very hard for us. We were simply trained to think and believe as we do.
When it comes to belief in God this is very important because of the nature of God. In order to know God, you must approach Him as He exists, in Spirit and in Truth. If you are looking for Him in the form of a person you are seeking for something that only exists in the mind. Letting go of this false notion of God actually makes room in our minds to allow God to come to us in His true form. Holding on to a false notion keeps you suspended in limbo waiting for something that may never appear.
Even though I may not be the smartest person or the most knowledgeable, eventually I get it. If you use the same measures consistently and achieve the same results consistently then it is time to change your measures if you want to achieve different results. You have to be willing to let go and try something new in order to acquire different results.
Once you understand that God is not what you imagined or is not how you were taught to believe God to be, then letting God is easier but this is where your desire comes into play. You don’t need to be super smart or to figure out the technicalities of getting to know God, you only need to have a strong desire to know Him. God is drawn to the desires of the heart.
Christ said, “abide in Me and I in you.” In a similar way if you desire the things of God and wish to really know God in earnest, then He is drawn to your desire. In fact, there is nothing on earth or in the heavens that can separate you from the love of God if you truly seek Him, as He exists. He only awaits your desire then a gateway will be opened for you. Although this might sound believable in theory, there is still something that blocks seekers from enjoying a true relationship with God. This blockage for many is where the rubber doesn’t seem to quite meet the road.
Faith is the glue that binds…
As mentioned, we do not have the power to make our minds believe in God. No matter how hard you try or how insistent you attempt to impose your will over the mind, it will not be able to force belief in God. Part of the equation is because God knows the heart of His creations, even better than we know ourselves. Until God senses that you are genuinely ready He will not invite you into His presence.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him near.” We can’t just sneak upon God and all of a sudden start believing. An inner sincere desire has to be there before the doors of belief is possible. This is where the substance of faith comes into play. Scripture tells us that “without faith, it is impossible to know God.” That being the case then we should learn how faith works. This can be discussed using a logical point of view.
When you wish to discover or investigate things you need to have the proper tool to assist you in that undertaking. For example, if you wish to explore tiny physical objects you need something like a microscope to magnify the objects for further investigation. Once magnified you can use your natural eyes to investigate physical objects.
In a similar manner to investigate or otherwise perceive things that are spiritual in nature, more specifically the Spirit of God, you would require some sort of tool that will assist in such an investigation. That is where faith comes into play. The tool by which you may use to investigate or learn more about God is the substance of faith. This takes us back to the scripture, “For without faith it is impossible to know God.”
In order to know God, you must first believe in His existence before you can go on to second base. We cannot skip over first base and go on to next, using a baseball analogy. Now, this is where so many get stuck because what came first, the chicken of the egg theory applies. If you get hung up in such a continuum one thing has to happen before the other is possible. But that is not how belief in God works, in the rational or logical sense. God does not need a chicken to lay an egg. God can simply create an egg and have it hatch into a chicken.
What I am saying here is that we cannot use only human logic, common sense or rationalization to create belief in God. We can only use an invisible tool that can detect an invisible non-substance for a belief to happen and that is the substance of faith. So how does one acquire faith? A sincere desire must come from the heart to know God in the manner in which He exists on His terms rather than yours.
I jokingly made a statement to a dear friend recently that God does not stop doing all the things that must be done to maintain existence in order to cater to how we wish things to operate. God is sovereign. God has specifications, restrictions, rules, orders, or measures that are to be followed. If we are unwilling to operate in God’s manner we are outside of God’s umbrella, so to speak. If we wish to be disobedient to God we are free to do so, just don’t expect to get what God has to offer if you are unwilling to follow Him on His terms.
God is also Holy and we are not. He has made provisions to compensate for our shortfall but again we have to rely upon His remedy if we wish to be included under His umbrella. We are free to remain outside of His covering if that is your choice.
Now perhaps this all appears to be too demanding or unfair for some of you, and I have also been there and done that. Until you realize that you did not create the world and everything thereof… and… that there is such an entity that did create the entire universe, namely God, you can demand, insist, shout loudly, curse profoundly, or use any measure of protest within your limited ability and not one thing will change other than you will still be outside of God’s umbrella.
I guess the only difference between the days of my defiance and now is this old fool finally realized that there is no place outside of the Creator other than the place He proclaims as hades, a place that is void of God’s presence. It does not sound like a warm and fuzzy place to hangout but you are welcome, even with God’s permission to claim that as your place of eternal residence.
Regarding faith, we must learn to let go and allow God to come in and reveal unsearchable things that we do not know. Ask Him to knock down any walls that bind you away from His presence. Ask only for His divine will and not your will power. Once He detects you are serious and willing to be taught, the change will be in the air.
Faith is the first that comes then other doors will open to you until you no longer need to see any manifestation or measure of proof other than what God is already showing you through the eyes of your inner heart. Be still and know I AM… I AM THAT I AM… If you belong to God you will hear the sound of His voice when He beckons you to come forth.
If you are seeking God and having a hard time finding Him, perhaps you are looking for Him in all the wrong places. Turn your view from outside to inside and He will answer you from that sacred place in the chamber of our heart that indwells the Spirit of God.
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matt.6:6 That secret place is in the chambers of your heart. He also said:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Rev.3:20
If you are seriously seeking God perhaps you might want to learn how to be still and listen for that quiet still voice that has been waiting all along for you to desire Him.
Selah!
