I pray that our hearts shall not be perverted. The love of God in our hearts shall not wax cold. We shall not be people who lust after the things of this world. We shall be people whose hearts are panting after God just as the deer pants after water. The deer desperately pants after water seeking for it everywhere because its life is dependent on it. That is how you should be in your relationship with God.
This is in contrast to what you see today. A lot of people come to Church to patronize God. They reduce God to their size instead of stretching like Zacchaeus who desired to have an encounter with Jesus. He was a short man but he didn’t reduce Jesus to his size. He ran, he didn’t allow the crowd or any other thing to stop him. He was that deep. The quality of desire, the intensity, the love he had for Christ propelled him. Here we see the quality of decision.
Zacchaeus decided to see Jesus, he had decided to have an encounter with Jesus, no turning back, not taking a no to an answer, his stature notwithstanding, he defied natural obstacles and territorial barriers. That is the heart of someone who desires to have an encounter with Jesus.
He didn’t stop there. How did he beat the crowd? First, he ran because he was determined to see Jesus, he wanted to know something about him. He made up his mind. Let this be our pattern in the name of Jesus. Let us fall in love with Christ. Let’s behave like Zacchaeus; push out every obstacle and desire to have an encounter with Christ. Away with excuses!
Zacchaeus had a right spirit. Your physical size does not determine your spiritual stature. There are so many short people physically but who are giants spiritually. Napoleon was not a giant but he conquered and dominated Europe. Let us mean business with God and serve him with all our hearts. This season, let the greatest desire in your heart be to have an encounter with the essence and substance of our life. One Jesus encounter is all you need and you will not recover from it.
Zacchaeus did not care about what the crowd was saying about him. Already he was working out his salvation even before he heard the message of Christ; his conscience was already pricking him. He was already working on areas where he made mistakes.
Meanwhile, some people have started marking his script not knowing that he was already making progress. On the day of his encounter with Jesus, he outran everyone, climbed the sycamore tree just to set his eyes on Jesus. When Jesus got to the spot where Zacchaeus was, he stood still and said; “today salvation has come to your house” (Luke 19:9). Remember, that the greatest miracle of all is the miracle of salvation. May we not trade it for anything in the name of Jesus.
Pray –
- Lord, deliver me from the distractions that are in this world. Deliver me from the corruption in the world that works through lust; lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, pride of life.
- Grant me the grace to take quality decisions that will enable me to have Jesus encounter, Holy Ghost encounter, heavenly encounters in the name of Jesus.
- Help me to set my affections above only in the name of Jesus. Show me the lower things I am holding on to and grant me the grace to release every one of them.
- Draw me into a closer fellowship with you. Empower me by your Spirit to be all that you want me to be.
- Let my heart keep panting after you as the deer pants after the waters in the name of Jesus.
- Lord, I want to see your glory. I want to have definite heavenly encounters during this season that will bring transformation in every area of my life in the powerful name of Jesus Christ.
TO BE CONTINUED.