The Smoke Signal blog

It's absolutely amazing how God can speak to your heart, your mind, your soul, and your spirit.

God truly is AMAZING!

There are times when He does something so incredible in your life that you simply cannot find the words to explain it.

And I mean that literally.

You know exactly what happened. You know what you experienced. You know what He spoke to you. You know what you felt in His presence. There is absolutely no doubt in your mind about what just took place.

But then you try to explain it to someone else, and suddenly you realize that words just aren't enough.

How do you explain an encounter with the living God?

How do you put into words something that has touched the deepest parts of who you are?

Sometimes you just can't.

And that's where I find myself tonight.

But there is something I really want to share with you.

James 4:8 (ESV) says:

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

I want you to really think about that Scripture for a moment.

The Creator of heaven and earth, the One who spoke everything into existence, the Almighty God, is inviting YOU to draw near to Him!

And He promises to draw near to you!

Maybe you've never had a genuine encounter with Jesus.

Can I encourage you to do something?

Ask Him for one.

I'm serious.

If you genuinely want to encounter Jesus, ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV) says:

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

Notice that last part.

WITH ALL YOUR HEART!

Not just going through the motions. Not just saying a prayer because someone told you to. But genuinely seeking Him because you want to know Him.

And maybe you're reading this and you don't even believe in Jesus.

I want to challenge you to do something.

Ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

You don't have to pretend to believe something you don't believe. Just be genuine with Him.

Say, "Jesus, if You're real, I want to know You. Reveal Yourself to me."

I believe He will answer that sincere prayer.

Now, let me tell you something. It may not happen the way you think it should. It may not look anything like what you expect.

But don't put limitations on how God can reveal Himself to you.

Maybe you've encountered Jesus before, but it's been a while.

Maybe you remember a time when His presence was so real that you couldn't contain your emotions.

Maybe you remember hearing Him speak to your heart so clearly that you knew beyond any doubt it was Him.

But somewhere along the way, life got busy. Things happened. Distractions came. And you haven't experienced that intimacy in a while.

Can I tell you something?

HE HASN'T MOVED AWAY FROM YOU!

His invitation to draw near is still there.

Jesus said in John 15:4 (ESV):

"Abide in me, and I in you."

He doesn't want an occasional visit.

He wants a relationship where we continually abide in Him!

So ask Him to draw you close again.

Or maybe you're where I have found myself so many times.

You know Jesus. You love Jesus. You spend time in His presence.

But there's something stirring inside you.

You want MORE!

Not more things. Not more blessings. Not more opportunities.

MORE OF HIM!

You want to know Him more intimately. You want to recognize His voice more clearly. You want to experience the depths of His love in ways you haven't experienced before.

And I want to tell you something I've learned through my own walk with Jesus.

Every time I have desired to go into a much deeper place in His presence, it has involved obedience.

And I'm not talking about one little act of obedience.

There have been times when it was a series of steps.

God would speak something to my heart, and I would have to obey. Then something else. And then something else.

Sometimes those steps required surrendering things I didn't even realize I was holding on to.

Sometimes they required changing the way I thought.

Sometimes they required waiting.

And let me tell you, waiting isn't always easy!

But I've learned something.

THE PROCESS IS PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING IN US!

Jesus said in John 14:21 (ESV):

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me."

And later in that same verse, Jesus speaks about manifesting Himself to the one who loves Him.

Think about that!

There is a connection between loving Jesus, walking in obedience, and growing in intimacy with Him.

Now understand something. We don't earn His presence through obedience. His love isn't something we can purchase with good behavior.

But obedience is one of the ways we respond to His love. And sometimes the very things He asks us to surrender are the things keeping us distracted from the intimacy we desire.

And through every season of my life, one thing has remained true.

I HAVE NEVER BELIEVED THAT WHERE I AM WITH JESUS IS ALL THERE IS!

Not once.

No matter how incredible an encounter has been.

No matter how overwhelming His presence has felt.

No matter how clearly I've heard Him speak.

I have never walked away thinking, "Well, that's it. I've experienced everything there is to experience with God."

Absolutely not!

I believe there is ALWAYS a deeper place of intimacy with Him.

And I don't believe we will ever reach a point in this life where we can say we know everything there is to know about our incredible God!

Paul understood this.

In Philippians 3:10 (ESV), he said:

"that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death"

Think about who was saying that!

The Apostle Paul!

A man who had encountered the risen Jesus. A man who had experienced incredible revelations. A man God used in extraordinary ways.

And yet his desire was still...

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM!

That's what I want!

Not just to know ABOUT Jesus.

I want to KNOW HIM!

And the more I know Him, the more I realize how much more there is to know.

Psalm 27:4 (ESV) says:

"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 understood something about the presence of God.

There is a place of intimacy where everything else begins to lose its importance.

Where your attention isn't on what God can give you.

It's simply on HIM!

His beauty. His holiness. His goodness. His mercy. His love.

And that's where I want to live!

IN HIS PRESENCE!

Psalm 91:1 (ESV) says:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

I love that!

Not someone who occasionally visits.

Someone who DWELLS!

Someone who ABIDES!

That's the secret place I want to continually pursue.

And tonight, that's what I want to encourage you to do.

Before you go to bed, spend some time alone with Jesus.

Turn off the television. Put down your phone. Get away from the distractions.

And just get in His presence.

You don't need some elaborate prayer.

You don't have to find the perfect words.

Just talk to Him.

Tell Him you love Him.

Thank Him for His mercy.

Thank Him for His goodness.

Thank Him for loving you even when you didn't deserve it.

And then ask Him...

"Jesus, take me deeper."

"Show me the things in my life that need to change."

"Teach me to recognize Your voice."

"Give me a heart that responds immediately when You speak."

"Teach me what it means to truly abide in You."

"Take me into that secret place of intimacy with You."

And then don't be in such a hurry to leave.

Sometimes we spend so much time talking to God that we never make room to be still and listen.

Psalm 46:10 (ESV) says:

"Be still, and know that I am God."

There is something absolutely incredible about simply being still in His presence.

No agenda.

No list of things you need.

Just you and Jesus.

BEHOLD HIS LOVE!

BEHOLD HIS MERCY!

BEHOLD HIS GOODNESS!

And allow Holy Spirit to continue transforming you as you behold Him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we behold the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to another.

FROM GLORY TO GLORY!

And that's what this journey is all about.

Not just having another spiritual experience.

But knowing Jesus more intimately and becoming more like Him.

I don't know where you are in your relationship with Jesus tonight.

Maybe you've never known Him.

Maybe you've drifted away.

Maybe you've walked with Him for years.

Or maybe, like me, you've reached a place where something deep inside you is crying out for MORE!

Wherever you are, I want to leave you with this.

THERE IS MORE TO KNOW OF HIM!

There is a deeper intimacy to pursue.

There is a secret place where you can meet with Him.

And that invitation is available to YOU!

So tonight...

Ask Him to take you deeper.

Ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

Ask Him to teach you what it means to truly live in His presence.

And be willing to follow Him through whatever process of obedience He places before you.

Because I can tell you from my own experience, there is nothing in this world that compares to being in the presence of Jesus!

And I'll close with the same Scripture I started with.

James 4:8 (ESV)

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

DRAW NEAR TO HIM!

HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU!

And when He does, don't be satisfied with yesterday's encounter.

Keep pursuing Him.

Keep surrendering.

Keep obeying.

Keep drawing near.

Because there is ALWAYS more of Him to discover!

So Be It!

#JeremyHatcherTheSmokeSignalPodcast #DrawNearToGod #IntimacyWithGod #PresenceOfGod #HolySpirit