The entire heart of the Gospel
is the
message of Redemption.
It is God's creation- redeeming and revealing himself until the final
Redemption at the End of this age.
Christians do have what might be considered
mystical experiences.
When we accept Jesus as Savior,
we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit transforms us and enables us to live out God’s calling.
Often, filled with the Holy Spirit, a Christian will demonstrate great wisdom or faith or spiritual discernment. A Christian filled with the Holy Spirit will also demonstrate things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). The Holy Spirit helps believers understand truth and live it out (1 Corinthians 2:13–16). This is not the result of mystical practices but a sign of the indwelling Holy Spirit at work. Second Corinthians 3:18 talks about the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives: "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
It is vital to remember that anything a Christian experiences must line up with the truth of the Bible. God will not contradict Himself. He is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). God is certainly beyond our full comprehension, and there is much that is mysterious about Him. But He has revealed Himself to us. Rather than seek out mystical experiences, we should involve ourselves in the things God has revealed to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). Ephesians 1:3–14 talks about spiritual blessings in Christ. In part, that passage says, "[God] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ" (v. 9–10). God has revealed mystery and calls us to faithfully walk in His ways as He completes His plan (John 15:1–17; Philippians 3:20–21; 2 Corinthians 5:16–21).
Second Peter 1:3–8 sums up our call nicely;
'His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
There is mystery,
yet the way in which we are called to live is not at all mysterious.
Study the Word, seek to honor God,
and allow His Holy Spirit to work within you.
God can give life-changing, awe-inspiring
religious experiences that are immediate conversions..
This was my journey with experiencing
the glorious presence of God.
I never went looking for God,
God found me, and in a persistent, loud way!
There were two major redemptive spiritual awakenings over the past seven years that we're more profound than anything I've known to be true... the first visit was spring of 2015. The second visit was even more profound, a redemptive physical resurrection, in spring 2021. The signs started increasing in spring of 2021, and surely enough, After being baptized spring of this year, it took off!
I can think of maybe just seven real, physical, experiences that manifested and revealed deep truth. My journey to Christ came a while after the initial experience with God that was other-worldly- but no doubt it was from an omniscient God.
Since spring 2015, god has been communicating deeper meaning through the symbolism of apples. I remember vividly in 2015, I was in the kitchen with a plate of apples in the middle of the large counter- when one of the apples rolled off and FELL on the ground! There was NO physical way this could have been possible- it wasn't even near the edge and I was looking right at it!
At first I knew it was GOD, without uncertainty- it was thrilling but also frightening- because I didn't really know him well yet- However, visual signs kept persisting-
If I were confused on what this meant,
scripture would eventually confirm or redirect me. Usually not being fully understood until much later.
Another time, I was looking at an apple, and I remember so vividly, it popped out of vision as if it were five-dimensional, and not of this existence- it seemed to communicate a form of symbolism that out-exceeded any literal reality. I couldn't describe it in words if I wanted to,
it was GOD.
It was a mystic symbol that represented
more than a thousand words and layers beyond comprehension-
with an overwhelming,
all-encompassing sense of peace-
a holy omniscient presence.
Today, I was driving the same route I drive everyday,
and square in the middle of the four way intersection,
at the center of a cross,
was a perfect red shining apple.
The odds had to be one in 10 million-
it wasn't somewhere an apple would fall so perfectly..
God's timing and communication is in
synchronicity!
I also get this with white butterflies:)
Or have night dreams that come to existence in the physical world a day or two later. This happened with my mother 35 years ago- she had a dream that her best friend's infant had died. A couple days later, that friend sadly called her and told her the baby was stillborn. I remember the time my grandfather passed away, in the hospital- he never really believed in God. His wrist watch, which had been ticking, stopped working at the exact moment of his passing. Years later after my first child was born, I was strolling him in the stroller on my grandparents street... Something bright and shiny came down from the sky and was blinding me for about 5 seconds, coming closer like a sparkling light- then a white feather hit my eye and fell to the ground.
There wasn't another bird or feather in sight.
❤️
He is always right there..
revealing and confirming himself!