I had some God experiences
I myself have tasted and seen that the Lord is good – not because of just one sermon not because of special music or dynamic lighting and sound. I have been privileged to have much excellent teaching and preaching. I have learned the importance of making an altar before the Lord. When I have sought God with all my heart, God showed up. When God showed up, He brought with Him – peace, joy, love, healing, transformation.
I have seen the goodness of God. I have received His grace and His mercy and He has had such patience and long suffering towards me. Really, I have had many profound experiences – spiritual goosebumps if you will.
Add some faith
But I did not only have the spiritual experiences; I also had some faith. I had seen God answer prayer and do miracles. I had faith that exploded with the grace of God pouring through me. God could use me and He did.
God Spoke to me
I clearly remember God speaking to me “Add to your faith”. I heard it and I realized it was a scripture, so I looked it up.
2 Peter 1:
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge
6 And to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness.
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness charity.
Gobbling up the goodies
My first reaction was – that is good. Maybe I even misconstrued it and thought – add faith to my faith. God was trying to teach me about deeper things and I thought I already knew the lesson. I gobbled rhema words like popcorn – always wanting more. I didn’t chew on them or digest them. I didn’t meditate on them. They were precious – so precious and I downed them like they were cheap because they were plentiful.
God breathes fresh on the word
It has been about 15 years since God spoke those words to me and I was reading an old prayer journal of mine and saw them and they jumped out at me again – fresh as though they had just been spoken. Now though- I realized He was giving me words to not only get the next breakthrough – but words that would transform me so that I had character to be foundational in my faith. Even now – His words were reaching out to me to embrace them. I found them sweeter than honey.
Virtues
God cares that I have virtue. It isn’t something I can get in a prayer line. It isn’t imparted by others – although Godly examples help model virtuous behaviour. It comes when I chew on the word of God and take it into my heart so that it comes out of my mouth and is evident in all my actions . It comes from spending time with God so that He transforms my innermost being – into His image and likeness.
Temperance -Patience, Brotherly kindness, charity…
These can only come from knowing God – His character and His word – and His ways.I am going to be meditating on them and blogging about them too.
God wants to work on the insides of me – not just on my outward appearance or even my functioning in faith. He wants the foundations to be sure.
Prayer
Holy Spirit breath life into me. Teach me your word and make me teachable – make me thirsty and you be living water. Let your word be life to me. Transform me. I give you all the glory. Teach me and allow me to give to others. Amen.
Sometimes I think I know more of the word of God than I do. Sometimes Ithink w
Tags: add to your faith, miracles, spiritual experiences, transformation, virtue
