Numbers 22:31 NLT
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.
Beloved,
By now, you should understand the importance and impact of divine encounters in the life of a man. Today, we look at the power of encounter. Encounter never leaves a man the same. If you are privileged to enjoy divine encounter and you respond to it correctly, you will always be better off for it. Encounter is profitable. Let’s look at some of the things we can do to profit from our encounter with the the Most High.
The first example I will give us to learn from is what I call the Moses Approach . This approach to divine encounter is critical, especially in such a time as this because we live in such a fast paced world. Seldom do people stop to give attention to what they feel does not concern them. Attention, if any tends to be placed on what conveniently meets a man needs. This should not be the case for anyone who takes their walk with the Most High seriously. As believers, we should not only expect divine encounter, we should be sensitive to changes in the atmosphere like Moses was. Moses knew it was not normal for something to be aflame, yet unburned. Exodus 3:1-6 describes his experience. Here is a piece of it:
Exodus 3:2-3 NLT
There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
As you can see from the aforementioned verses, Moses responded to the divine encounter that he would soon learn was his divine call to lead God’s people out of slavery: he gave ATTENTION and he CLARIFIED.
I encouraged young people in my church recently about giving their full attention to the word of God. The Bible says this:
Mark 4:9 NLT
Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
It also says the following in another place:
Mark 4:24-25 NLT
Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
To be able to listen and give attention in the life of a believer is not optional; it’s imperative. How else will you hear the voice of the Lord? Many feel that when the Lord speaks, it will be so obvious and everyone will hear; scripture tells us otherwise. The more you listen to God and abide in His presence, this more you are privileged to hear what He is saying. See the experience of Paul and those who were with him on one of his journeys:
Acts 22:9 NKJV
And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
What distinguished Paul from the others? Why was He able to hear? He developed the habit of hearing God. Beloved, don’t just expect divine encounter. Pay attention, when reading God’s word, when hearing His word. Make it your habit to give God’s words and deeds your full attention. Stop focusing on what will never profit you eventually. Stop focusing only on what feels good or what is bothering you in the moment. Start with routinely giving time and your full attention to the word of God and make it your habit.
Once you do this, it is critical that you gain clarification. When the bush was set to fire, yet it was not burning, Moses was intentional about clarifying the situation. As you read God’s word, what is He really saying to you? Find out in the place of prayer and from the counsel of your spiritual teachers or pastor. Most importantly, pray. Let God and His sweet Holy Spirit speak to you in a language you can understand and give you answers of peace and help you to take every step in the right direction.
We will look at a few more right approaches to divine encounter tomorrow.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
