Encounters That Change Perspective
(8 minutes)
"Unfamiliar things always war against familiar things. And the enemy of the current move of God is always the last move of God. We must let ourselves question some things about the way we think. Is this producing fully alive? Because the Kingdom's idea of life and life more abundantly is you, fully alive. Let me ask you a question: what area would you consider of your life, fully alive? Because the Kingdom's saying every area of your life can be fully alive, but maybe what's keeping it from being fully alive is the way you think. This is why encounters are so important. But encounters can also be worthless. How many people in the Bible encountered Jesus and it produced nothing in their life? How many times have we had an encounter with God that produced nothing in our life? How many encounters have I wasted because I did not respond correctly? Well, how do we respond? Encounters are designed to change the way you think. It's an opportunity to let the encounter with God change something in my life that He wants to change." (Pastor Tim)
Encounters are important, be what we do with the encounter is equally important. How we respond to our encounters with Abba can mean the difference between the hair standing up on the back of our neck or our entire life being changed and us being brought more fully into abundant life. How are we responding to the encounters that we're having with Yahweh? Are we allowing the encounter to do what it's intended to do: change our thinking?
"Understand that any encounter that you have with Abba is an invitation into transformation, into metanoia. This is the soaking that takes place." (Pastor Tim)
And this soaking can happen every single day, throughout the entire day. Encounters are available every moment of the day. We just have to step into it. No matter where we are or what we're doing, we can invite Abba into the moment. We can start a conversation with Him in the morning that can go with us all day until we lay our head back down on our pillow at night. This intimate, unbroken fellowship is what we're made for, designed for. We just have to learn to practice the presence of God.
"I don't want you to get discouraged or allow shame and condemnation to come because you have some values out of whack. Encounters are meant to change that!" (Pastor Tim)
Let's talk more about metanoia.
Repent [metanoia] therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21 NKJV)
And now you must repent and turn back to God so that your sins will be removed, and so that times of refreshing will stream from the Lord's presence, and he will send to you Jesus, the Messiah, the chosen one for you. For he must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things has taken place, fulfilling everything that God said long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21 TPT)
Abba's idea of restoration is returning all things to pre-fallen conditions. That's His heart for the cosmos. He intends to restore everything, and this scripture tells us that once that happens He will send Jesus again. That's not how we've heard it preached for the last hundred years in American Christianity, but here it is in the very first message that was preached after the Holy Spirit was given to the world.
"We have to be allowed to rethink some things. We have to be allowed to rethink some theology. If you believe things are supposed to get darker in order for Jesus to come then you will have no hope for restoration to take place. You can't hold these two things at the same time. You can't believe that things are supposed to get worse and at the same time, Jesus is being held in heaven until the restoration of all things. They can't coexist with one another.... We have to let God's word challenge some things that were said from the pulpit. We have to let the truth of God ask us some questions." (Pastor Tim)
Are we allowing our encounters with Abba to change our perspective? Are we allowing the truth of God to challenge some things we thought we had settled? Or are we having encounters with Yahweh, but not allowing those encounters to change how we think?
Why does it matter? Why does it matter that we allow Abba to change our thinking? Here's why:
Don't you know that when you allow even a little lie into your heart, it can permeate your entire belief system? (Galatians 5:9)
These little lies are affecting everything. Our current perspective is permeating our entire life and shaping our reality. How we see determines what we experience. This is why it's important to Abba. This is why Jesus comes to earth and His message to mankind is, "Metanoia, change the way you think!" This is why we must start allowing our encounters with Abba to go deeper, until they change our perspective.
It starts today, on your walk with Abba. Practice His presence today. Take every step with the dove in mind. We are walking in unbroken companionship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the soaking on happens when you step in!
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Worship: "You Walk With Me" by Housefires
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
