From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. - Luke 12:48
Pride is the enemy of intimacy with God.
Where pride exists, intimacy with Christ cannot.
God longs to be in a deep personal relationship with each of us.
But He cannot do this without our permission. Our free will has the power to restrict God's perfect will to be done in our lives.
God's only objective is our salvation. He will go to any length to acquire it. Anyone who doubts this needs only to look upon the bloody body of Jesus hung on the cross.
Why do some people have angelic visitations, profound spiritual encounters, and prophetic dreams and visions? Is it because they are somehow better than others? Have they achieved a certain level of spiritual mastery that others have not? Or perhaps are they crazy? Demon possessed? Simply hallucinating?
None of the above.
There is a great division in the church between "cessationism" and "continuationism." In other words, are the gifts of the Holy Spirit (prophecy, visions, tongues, healings, etc) active in modern times or did they cease after Biblical times?
Anyone who has fully surrendered their hearts and minds to the Spirit understands this to be a ridiculous question.
But the problem is that some people seek certain spiritual encounters more than they seek Jesus. They exalt feelings, emotions, and experiences over the will of God. This is wrong. But what do you think will eventually happen if you relentlessly seek Jesus with all your heart, mind soul, and strength? Jesus is not dead but living. Right here and right now.
Again, God's sole objective is intimate relationship with us. And pride is what blocks us from this.
Paul says, "This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." - 1 Cor 8:1-3
God will give us exactly what we need, when we need it. By restricting certain things, God will shield us from any reason to boast if our egos are unable to handle it.
Stan Lee's famous Spiderman quote, "with great power comes great responsibility," is simply a paraphrase of Jesus's words from Luke 12:48 two-thousand years earlier.
We all desire the power that comes from God, but how many of us understand the burden of responsibility that comes along with such power? Instead of seeking spiritual encounters (because they may do us more harm than good) we must simply follow the command of God and seek His will above all else.
We like to overcomplicate these things, when in reality Jesus has made it very simple. All we need to do is listen to Him.
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. - John 6:40
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:12,13
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.
Matt 6:33
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