Making Time for Encounters with Him

Today we live in a society of making everything faster, more readily available, where we are just a click away from whatever it is we desire. Two-day shipping, overnight shipping or in some cases, same day shipping. As long as we can afford it, or finance it, the convenience seems to be worth the price. It's a luxury, one that I enjoy and take advantage of myself.

There are plenty of lists that exist arguing for or against this new reality, comparing and contrasting the new world vs the old school way, depending on the subject at hand. As far as I am concerned there is always a balance of both. If our life was a math problem there are appropriate equations for the calculator, quick and instant; while others issues require long division, and we need to show our work.

Unfortunately, in the western society, we have applied this drive-thru mentality with the way we serve God. Our relationship with God has regressed into a bedtime wish list request that takes 5 minutes or less to tell Him all that we want or need (as if He doesn't already know). We worry about the constant pursuit of entertainment, surely there's a game on that is a must watch, or a interview with someone famous that we can't miss, or maybe it's the season finale of the #1 show on television according to every critic around. There is always something to catch our attention, therefore we will pray when it's over, or when we finish whatever it is we are involved in. We'll pray then, and we'll make it quick because we have to get back to the hamster wheel of responsibilities or the pursuit of entertainment.

But there is still Sunday right? That's still God's day (at least during the NFL off-season). We'll go to church and hear a great sermon, hopefully the pastor seeks God all week, hopefully he seeks for what it is that he is supposed to teach us. Hopefully he falls on his face and worships God, experiences His presence and receives a word from the throne room for us, because Lord knows, we need him to do that FOR us. We'll hear about God's goodness, how He loves and forgives, hopefully there's a word from the Lord, then we can get back to being busy with our own things. But what if the churches lose focus? Then who will seek God and hear from the throne room? What if then in turn, the preaching becomes motivational speaking? What if getting people in church means watering down the message to become more attractive to people?

Genesis 41 tells us about how God used Joseph to interpret Pharaoh's dream. What we see with our natural eye is the words of a story about the dream realm message of an upcoming season of plenty followed by a season of drought. They act with wisdom and prepare for the lean years and everything turns out okay. But how can we not see the prophetic image of the modern day church?

In verse 20 & 21 Pharaoh says...

20 These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows. 21 But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.


This is what we have become. We walk into church a sickly, undersized and malnourished person; we are fed the fattened calf (the Word of God), but we leave just as sickly, undersized and malnourished as before. We have to get back to our entertainment filled lives of instant gratification and the pleasures that we have been told is what we should pursue. We don't have time for God anymore. We say our bedtime prayers, go to a 90 minute (or less) motivational speech church service, and get out as fast as possible. That's what I refer to as the latest religion in western society, Churchianity.

Picking the right church has turned into "which one has the best coffee in the foyer?" "Who has the freshest donuts?" "Which sermon is this quickest?" or "Which one will accept my sinful lifestyle and not compel me to change it?" Our services don't have time to be interrupted by the Holy Spirit. We don't see signs, wonders or miracles. Our opening and closing prayers are about as deep as "Thank you Jesus for this day. Help us to be good. Amen." There's no seeking, no prophetic prayer or prophetic interruptions. The voice of God is not only put on mute, but many pastors are teaching that God doesn't speak anymore, there is no new revelation, and that if anyone says that they hear from God they are false and not of God.

Seeking God requires spending a lot of time worshiping Him. Isolate yourself and lift Him up, praise His name and sing of His glory and splendor. Honor Him like the King that He is, shout His praise as if He was actually your God. As if He actually forgave your sins and set you free for eternity. Experience His presence daily, encounter the Holy Ghost daily, prioritize Him daily. Don't sprint back to your hamster wheel of a life as soon as you can, but demand of yourself time for your God. When we spend time with God, we begin to carry His presence. When we carry His presence we will encounter His glory, and our lives are never the same. When our lives are changed then we can begin to change others' lives for Jesus.

The western church is largely becoming skinny cows. If they are fed the word, you wouldn't even be able to know it by their countenance. It's time for Christians to stop acting like "Christians." Act like someone who is hungry for more of God. Make your schedule reflect how highly you desire Him. For many of us, there's no way we'd miss a Super Bowl broadcast. Why? Because we MAKE time for it. Let's treat our God like we value time in His presence. It's time for us to have the appearance of the healthy cows, fine looking and fattened, eating in the meadows.