I guess everybody in this planet has at least once in their lifetime faked a relationship. This happens when someone brags about the relationship they never had. The motives ranged from the desire to look impressive to the intention to fool other people. I, myself, sometimes fake a relationship with a woman in front of a colleague in order to impress him/her. Perhaps, you have also met someone who acted as though he had been closely associated with someone, while the truth would say the opposite.
There is a bigger tragedy in this case: a lot of people fake their relationship with God. Just ask yourself these questions: How many people that you met talked about how spiritual they are while actually they are not? How many people that you know believe to be having God as their buddy, while actually they do not even know how to pray? How may people that you have encountered consider themselves as knowing God intimately, while actually they do not know the will of God at all? I bet you will agree with me now.
I also ask myself this question: Am I faking the relationship with God? Perhaps, when I speak in the name of God, God is actually asking me to shut up because I speak out of foolishness. To be honest, I do not know the answer. I do really wish to have a relationship with God.
I believe some people are addicted to `Spiritual Masturbation`. To masturbate means an action that somebody does in order to get sexual pleasures by having sex with him/herself. Masturbation is done without any authentic relationship, while intercourse is done with an authentic partner. That’s why some people are addicted to spiritual masturbation because they are getting spiritual pleasures by having imaginary relationship with God. In short, they are faking the authentic relationship with God. They believe that they know God, while God does not even know them at all.
My deepest desire in my lifetime is to know God. Pastor David Wilkerson once wrote about a person that has made jealous and zealous at the same time. This person is not faking a relationship with God. He is definitely intimate with God. Here’s the excerpt:
During one meeting in Russia, I talked with a pastor who had been imprisoned for eighteen years. This man’s face visibly shines with Christ. Today, he oversees 1,200 churches in Russia. Yet he endured incredible hardships while in prison. `Jesus was real to me,` he testified, `more real than I have ever known in my lifetime.`
Because of his Christ-like character, the minister was respected by everyone in the prison, including hardened inmates and spiteful guards. Then one day, the Holy Spirit whispered to the pastor, `You are going to be released from here in three days.` And he told the minister to testify about it.
The pastor immediately sent word to his wife and congregation about the Holy Ghost`s revelation. Then he began telling his fellow prisoners what God had told him. They laughed him to scorn, saying, `Nobody has ever been released from this place.` The guards also mocked him, taunting, `You will die here, preacher.`
When the third day arrived, and the evening sky grew dark, a guard looked in on the pastor and shook his head. `Some God you have got,` he sneered.
Then, just after 11 p.m., the loudspeaker came on. A voice called the pastor’s name. `Come to the office immediately,` it announced. `You have been released.`
All the prisoners and guards were stunned. As the pastor walked by, he told each of them good-bye and wished them well. Finally, as he passed through the prison gate, he saw his wife waiting for him with flowers. As the pastor embraced her, he turned to look back at the prison where he had spent eighteen years. His fellow prisoners were all standing at the windows. And they were yelling at the top of their lungs, `There is God! There is God! There is God!`
Well, do you want to join me to pursue that kind of relationship with God?
There is a bigger tragedy in this case: a lot of people fake their relationship with God. Just ask yourself these questions: How many people that you met talked about how spiritual they are while actually they are not? How many people that you know believe to be having God as their buddy, while actually they do not even know how to pray? How may people that you have encountered consider themselves as knowing God intimately, while actually they do not know the will of God at all? I bet you will agree with me now.
I also ask myself this question: Am I faking the relationship with God? Perhaps, when I speak in the name of God, God is actually asking me to shut up because I speak out of foolishness. To be honest, I do not know the answer. I do really wish to have a relationship with God.
I believe some people are addicted to `Spiritual Masturbation`. To masturbate means an action that somebody does in order to get sexual pleasures by having sex with him/herself. Masturbation is done without any authentic relationship, while intercourse is done with an authentic partner. That’s why some people are addicted to spiritual masturbation because they are getting spiritual pleasures by having imaginary relationship with God. In short, they are faking the authentic relationship with God. They believe that they know God, while God does not even know them at all.
My deepest desire in my lifetime is to know God. Pastor David Wilkerson once wrote about a person that has made jealous and zealous at the same time. This person is not faking a relationship with God. He is definitely intimate with God. Here’s the excerpt:
During one meeting in Russia, I talked with a pastor who had been imprisoned for eighteen years. This man’s face visibly shines with Christ. Today, he oversees 1,200 churches in Russia. Yet he endured incredible hardships while in prison. `Jesus was real to me,` he testified, `more real than I have ever known in my lifetime.`
Because of his Christ-like character, the minister was respected by everyone in the prison, including hardened inmates and spiteful guards. Then one day, the Holy Spirit whispered to the pastor, `You are going to be released from here in three days.` And he told the minister to testify about it.
The pastor immediately sent word to his wife and congregation about the Holy Ghost`s revelation. Then he began telling his fellow prisoners what God had told him. They laughed him to scorn, saying, `Nobody has ever been released from this place.` The guards also mocked him, taunting, `You will die here, preacher.`
When the third day arrived, and the evening sky grew dark, a guard looked in on the pastor and shook his head. `Some God you have got,` he sneered.
Then, just after 11 p.m., the loudspeaker came on. A voice called the pastor’s name. `Come to the office immediately,` it announced. `You have been released.`
All the prisoners and guards were stunned. As the pastor walked by, he told each of them good-bye and wished them well. Finally, as he passed through the prison gate, he saw his wife waiting for him with flowers. As the pastor embraced her, he turned to look back at the prison where he had spent eighteen years. His fellow prisoners were all standing at the windows. And they were yelling at the top of their lungs, `There is God! There is God! There is God!`
Well, do you want to join me to pursue that kind of relationship with God?
2 komentar
Whoa! amazing story!
But it's true, I do have carecell members that looks sooo spiritual on the outside but I know they are not actually living a life that they say. Not walking the talk.
But reflecting back on myself, sometimes I fell into the same hole. I'm teaching my carecell children to have a relationship with God daily, but on days when I'm busy, my time with God is often the one being pushed aside. Hahaha...
Well, it is not easy, but let us persevere to truly know God :) It does amazes when when I heard stories from people who have such a close relationship with God like Yusak Cipto, Jesse Duplantis, Kenneth Hagin, etc. Makes me wonder, when will I have that close of a relationship with my Father?
He gave me the answer already.... "by spending more time with Me". But it's always easier said than done :p Theory != application. Again, it's difficult, but not impossible. Persevere, persevere, and persevere yukkkkk....
(Maap jadi panjang sendiri sharingnya... hahahah...)
Gue banget postingan ini.... Biasa, kita baru ingat Tuhan kalau lagi butuh. Tapi sulit buat kita nurut semua ajarannya...
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