I am reading the book, God Chasers by Tommy Tenney, and it has inspired me in numerous ways but mostly to seek God's face and not his hand.
Here is an excerpt from the book:
The Israelites died in the wilderness because of fear and unbelief yet that was not God's original plan. They demanded Moses to stand between them and God. We often prefer that a man stand between us and God... run into his presence and really get to know him. We must die to get closer to him.... He is attracted to the smell of death. That means we are supposed to die to ourselves and deny our flesh. That is pleasing to God!
As we look at our churches we are full of people from all walks of life. Some have been there for years, months, weeks. Some are brand news believers and some of us have been delivered from illness, bondages, suffering and all kinds of personal hell, but we come together and stand at the bottom of the mountain just like the Israelites. We have a decision to make, will we be scared of the smoke, fire and lightning on the mountain and demand that a man or pastor to stand between us and God? (Exodus 19:10) Or will we go up the mountain to Encounter him ourselves?
We face the same challenge as the Israelites but will you make it to the promised land or run away and die in the desert? Today we stand at a critical crossroad...the only reason we are delayed is because of our reluctance to press into God.
We can respond in 2 ways:
"I've come too far to turn back now!" Or "I'm real tired, can I just sit and rest?"
So we either grow into a relationship with him no matter the cost or turn back to where we came from, captivity, bound by sin and enslaved by law and trying to be good or righteous on our own merits rather than submitting to God. The choice lies within our hands.
