Personal Encounter

Devotional

The Word of God is central to encountering Him. Any lasting spiritual experience must be rooted in God’s Word; encounters outside of the Word are temporary. Nonetheless, encounters are essential to our Christian lives.

The Bible says that because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts, our hope does not suffer defeat or put us to shame: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5

The word “because” is key—it highlights that our unwavering hope is the result of a spiritual encounter. It is the experience of God’s love being poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that sustains and strengthens our hope. Without that encounter, hope would falter. With it, hope remains alive and unashamed.

That is an encounter! You may catch the excitement of another man’s encounter—just like feeling the thrill of rain while standing under a shed—but you cannot experience it as he does, nor enjoy the benefits it brings him. Of course, you can be encouraged and inspired to seek your own. Thomas was not condemned by Christ for desiring an encounter, but for his lack of faith.

God created man primarily for fellowship with Himself. Before the fall, Adam enjoyed direct communion with God. The devil’s strategy was to sever humanity’s relationship with God by introducing a different nature—sin. As soon as man accepted sin, the divine relationship was broken. Relationship with God is a personal choice. No believer is automatically closer to God than another—closeness to God depends on individual pursuit. Every believer has equal access to an intimate walk with Him. And fellowship is the soul of relationship. Just as a marriage thrives on communication, so does our relationship with God. Fellowship strengthens our connection with Him. When a believer stops fellowshipping with God personally, they begin to drift back into old ways. For example, a weak or inconsistent prayer life often results in spiritual weakness.

Fellowship must be developed consciously. It is not automatic; it requires intentional effort. Even Jesus and Moses set time apart to be alone with God. When we, as believers, spend time with God, we reflect His nature. The more time we spend in His presence, the more His character is formed in us. Fellowship brings awareness of God’s presence. Many believers struggle in prayer because they do not cultivate His presence. Constant fellowship helps us develop confidence in God’s nearness. Our relationship with Him shapes our understanding of how God will act, and this empowers us to boldly declare His actions in our lives. Daniel confidently declared, “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,” because he knew God personally.

Fellowship is the pathway to intimacy with God. Deep intimacy with Him is built over time through consistent communion. Intimacy births encounter—the closer we draw to God, the more He reveals Himself to us. Of course, he knew God would act—”as his practice, he opened his windows and prayed” (Daniel 6:10). The closer we are to God, the stronger and more fulfilling our relationship becomes. A thriving relationship with God is not a mystery; it is built through continuous fellowship—spending time with God as a friend spends time with his friends, through prayer and meditation on His Word.