Encounter

Acts 13:¹¹ [MSG] “But now you’ve come up against God himself, and your game is up. You’re about to go blind—no sunlight for you for a good long stretch.” He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way.”

The final thought from yesterday’s devotion was, do not go against someone that is on assignment because God will back him or her up even when he or she does things that do not make sense. The reason God will back them up is because, it is not their shoes anymore, they have entered into God’s shoes. In Joshua 5:13-15 [please read], Joshua met the Commander of the Lord’s army and the Commander told Joshua to take off his shoes. That is why Joshua could say to the sun, “stand still!” and because that exchange has happened, the sun stood. It is for this same reason when Elymas was trying to resist the gospel [Acts 13:10-11] Paul could say to him, go blind and he was blind. It is a good thing that Paul said for a season, if not Elymas would have been blind for life.

When you are on mission you are unstoppable. Which is why it does not make sense to live one day outside of God’s will. Which is why you have to be consumed with being in God’s will. Which is why you have to be consumed with being immersed into the center of His mission for your life. Luke 21:¹⁵ “For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” In Gen.12:3 God said to Abraham, I will bless them that bless you I will curse them that curse you. Do you know why? It is because God had an exchange with Abraham.

Matt.16:¹⁸ “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” [with emphasis]. What rock was Jesus referring to in this scripture? Some people say it is Peter, Peter is the rock of the church. That is not what Jesus was saying. Upon this rock means Upon the personal revelation of Jesus as the Son of the Living God, that is the rock on which the church is built. So, even though the church is a corporate entity, we are a community, a single person does not make up the church. Even though the church is a body, a single part of the body does not make up the body. Even though the church is a family, a community, and an assembly. For you to become part of the church what happens must be personal, a personal revelation of Jesus as the Son of the Living God.

Which means that there are things that are supposed to happen on a corporate level but will not happen until you have had a personal encounter with Christ. In other words, the corporate church can be moving in a direction and nothing is happening in certain people’s lives because they are not plugged into what is happening. They are physically present and spiritually absent.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I ask that You give me a fresh revelation of Jesus, in Jesus Name. Amen!