Read Acts 18 & 19
Alex Ward
There is a great divide between having knowledge of something and experiencing it. In Acts 18 & 19, there are several descriptions of people transitioning from knowledge of the Scriptures to a full-contact experience: Apollos, the twelve whom Paul laid his hands on, and even the seven sons who started a revival among those practicing dark magic. All these people had a choice: stay within the confounds of words and names or step into a fluid relationship with the One they had heard about.
It’s like if someone told you of a brand-new game. You decided to study the rules and strategies, but then you never actually played it. You would be missing the original intention of the game: to foster community and entertainment. There is something profound about taking what we know in our heads and moving it down into our hearts and out into reality. It allows us to tap into our emotions as human beings and feel. It’s our emotional intelligence that helps us build and nurture our relationships.
Relationships cannot go deeper without vulnerability and risk. If you want closeness, you must be open about the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’ve learned over the past year a greater depth of God’s love and His beautiful ways, but I had to be vulnerable about all that I was feeling in order to root those things deeper.
Application:
I want to challenge you over the course of this fast to be overtly transparent with God. Nothing eloquent, just the truth about what you feel. Then, ask Him for clarity and direction. It may not be a natural bent; however, we were created to be in community with Him, and these two things combined can cultivate trust and a more profound, experiential love.
