I stopped the last blog with quoting Psalms 16:11 that says in the presence of God is fullness of joy and I posed a question I hope you have reflected on. I asked if in the presence of God is the fullness of joy then should't we be enJOYing God?
The last part of this blogging tirade I have been on I want to simply discuss God enjoying us and how we enjoy God. I don't think after reading these last two parts of this blog or perhaps even before reading this blog you would argue with me that God is meant to be enjoyed.
When I think about someone enjoying God I immediately think of the life of David. I can recall several instances that just display David's heart, His love and zeal to know God, He enjoyed being with and serving God.
How else do you dance around like a mad man in front of people and when questioned on your actions say that you will continue to celebrate the Lord and become even more undignified!
or my favorite picture of David's relationship with God that is found in Psalms 27:4
"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple."
David just wanted to be with God. I truly believe David studied God. He made God His personal pursuit, the One he looked to. David pursued to know God's heart.
I think perhaps one reason David could so enjoy God is that David had an understanding of how God enjoyed Him. David knew whose who he was.
We need to understand the concept that God enjoys us. We need to step out of our ways of thinking to get a glimpse of what God sees. God sees the blood of Jesus. I don't want to get into abusing grace and our responsibility in sanctification, so let me just say we know that those who have been born to God must die to sin. So when I ask for forgiveness God looks at me and He sees that blood, that blood that washes away the sin, He can enjoy me because the price was paid for us to be intimate with our Father. God isn't the one condemning me that is the enemy.
I reposted an old blog title on my facebook the other day, it's in my blog, by the title of "I'm not a beggar I'm a daughter". In that blog I say that the enemy doesn't care what lie He has to tell us, He just wants to keep me from the revelation that I'm a Daughter (or Son for you guys). If I don't understand my relationship with the Father that He paid a price for me, that He loves me, that He wants me, that He enjoys me, that He's not constantly waiting to tell me everything I've done wrong and what I need to fix, and how I have to be better, and that I need to grow up, and that I'm not good at this and I'm not good at that, and I should have witnessed to that person, and He wanted me to do this but I wans't listening............ ETC! God isn't constantly waiting to correct me, He's constantly waiting for me to enjoy Him.
If we come to a place where we enjoy Him, we'll want to spend time with Him, and if we spend time with Him WE WILL BECOME MORE LIKE HIM. Time with God changes us. It molds us. When you get a glimpse of the heart of the Father it does something supernaturally that invokes change, it invokes a desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to walk like Him, to talk like Him, to BE LIKE HIM.
Do you see this glorious cycle? God wants to be enjoyed. Let me talk to you about how this has changed my life.
The revelation has hit my heart that God enjoys me. Because I KNOW it (not just mentally, but in every essence) I'm not living under condemnation and I'm not ashamed. I never knew I was ashamed, but now I can see that I was. I hardly ever opened up a single prayer without begging for forgiveness (repentance is a good thing I'm not discrediting that) and when you're constantly feeling like you should be better you don't really feel like you can just talk to God about the simple things, because maybe He's still mad, maybe He thinks I need to fix a few things before I deserve what I'm asking for...
Now remember what I said. . . I was constantly being attacked with lies from the enemy, some i believed, some i didn't, some i listened to, some i didn't, some i listened to for a while and then stood against... so as I let you in on some things that went through my head, remember that this mental battle is one I was constantly fighting. I knew these lies were lies, I just struggled to fight them off all the time.
I've found my prayer life grow tremendously since this experience. I'm talking to God constantly. I'm asking Him questions, I'm telling Him how awesome He is, I'm listening for His voice, because I know He's going to speak to me throughout the day, it's not that He couldn't, wouldn't, didn't before, it's that now more than ever I truly want to HEAR Him throughout the day. Him asking me to do something or speaking to me isn't an inconvenience, it's a joy! I'm asking for things because I know I'm His daughter and If I ask, I'll receive.
I'm finding some boldness I didn't have before. Today in class I felt God telling me to talk to a young girl, so I got bold, I told her if she died today she'd go to hell and I really didn't want that to happen. She admitted that I was right. Her and 2 of her friends are coming to church Sunday. God knew she was ready to hear the truth.
Now I know that you all know that I prayed before, I witnessed before, I did those things, but it feels different, it's more intimate than before. It's not out of duty, it's not out of obligation, it's out of enjoyment, it's out of love.
I find that I am honestly just more joyful, funny, all I have to do is think about God enjoying me and it makes me put things into perspective.
I want to know God's heart, I want to know His emotions, I want to be a woman after His heart, I want to hear Him speak to me throughout the day, I want to be in tune with Him, so that He can use me to do work for His Kingdom. Enjoying Him isn't hard when you get that He enjoys you. Spend time with Him, let Him be God, it's easy to enjoy God even when life around you seems miserable, He's a rock to run to, a pleasant escape.
There's more things I'm learning and more things that have happened in me and in my circumstances, but I think this is a good place to close up shop for now. I'm going to be spending more time studying the Word on this topic. Really digging deep into the character of God, how He enjoys us, and us enjoying Him.
Let the realization of God enjoying you captivate your heart, you'll never be the same.
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
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