Have you ever thought about what God uses as catalysts for radical change in men and women? Most of us would quickly say that we want to be more like Jesus and would welcome anything that would accelerate the process. If you asked the standard Christian how God changes us, he would probably respond that Bible study, prayer, and church attendance are the keys. Those are undoubtedly good things and even essential things in the life of believers, but what do we see in scripture as the most catalytic change agent in the lives of God’s people from Genesis to Revelation? That can be answered in one word – Encounter.

An encounter with the living God is the most remarkable catalyst for change in the Bible. The encounter can come in various packages – a voice from heaven, a burning bush, an angelic visitation, a dream or a vision, manna in the morning, healing, resurrection, miraculous deliverance from lions or fire, miraculous provision, victories over impossible odds or fire dancing on your head and strange languages coming out of your mouth. The Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, David, Daniel, Joseph, Saul of Tarsus, Peter, etc. were profoundly changed by personal encounters with God rather than increased time in the Torah. Even David who sings the praises of the Word of God throughout the Psalms apparently was able to experience God in the sanctuary as he “sought his face.” David’s emphasis on the amazing goodness of God’s Word and his commandments came from his experiences with God and the knowledge that keeping God’s word carefully aligned us for even more encounters.

By the time we get to the book of Acts, encountering God through the Holy Spirit became a daily event in the life of believers as they experienced unusual boldness in sharing the gospel, found themselves healing the sick, casting out demons, uttering prophecies, and learning to be led by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. Our standard catalysts of Bible study, prayer, and “church attendance” were never intended to be ends in themselves but are intended to lead us into regular encounters with God.

The Pharisees with whom Jesus had so many unpleasant conversations were men of prayer, men of Bible study who “searched the scriptures,” and men of the synagogue. But they were not changed. They could not recognize Jesus for who he was. As Jesus said, they were clean on the outside but rotten on the inside. There were, of course, a few truth seekers among them. Nicodemus was one. When he came to Jesus by night seeking some spiritual insight, Jesus told him that he needed to be born again – born of water and the Spirit. A better translation of “born again” might be “born from above.” In other words, Nicodemus needed a life-changing encounter with God through the Holy Spirit.

Three years with Jesus seemed to have had minimal effect on the disciples because they were encountering God through Jesus rather than having direct personal encounters. No doubt, some of the things they saw Jesus do rocked their world and opened their eyes to greater possibilities than they had ever been offered in synagogue but their direct encounter with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was the truly transformative moment for each of them that was a gateway for more encounters.

From the beginning, God did not want man to simply know about him but rather to have personal encounters with him. That is why he would walk with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the evenings. He still desires that. If your spiritual life has simply been an effort to acquire more information about God, to know your Bible better, or to be certain of your doctrinal standings then you have missed the point. The point is to encounter God in a supernatural way. I am not trying to diminish the value of Bible study. It is essential, but it is not an end in itself. It is not just an ancient picture to be hung on the wall and admired, but a living map to lead us into life-changing encounters with the creator of the universe. Scripture says that if we seek God, with all of our hearts we will find him. Notice our goal is to find him, not just find out about him. May you encounter him today in a way that changes your life forever.

Anger. Bitterness. Unforgiveness.  These are common characteristics in hurting and broken believers.  They are bitter and broken because they have been hurt and their hurts refuse to heal because they are broken and bitter. Jesus had a great deal to say about these spiritual trip-wires in the lives of believers. So did the apostle Paul.

IN your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold. (Eph. 4:26-27).

Anger is a common response to the hurts and injustices of life.  Even Jesus felt the flush of anger.  Anger in itself is not sin.  What we do with the anger is what matters. We often keep our anger and our offense alive because we believe that our anger forms an invisible wall that protects us from those who would wound us again.  It makes us feel powerful rather than weak and vulnerable.  It makes us feel that justice is being served because we believe our anger is somehow exacting payment from those who wronged us.  Satan fuels those beliefs.

The truth is that anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness create a breech in the wall of our spiritual defenses that allows the enemy access to us and our families. In the passage listed above, Paul warns that holding on to our anger gives the devil a foothold or a topos – a Greek word with several interesting meanings. It means a place, a territory, a dwelling, or a sanctuary.  The Hebrew equivalent originally referred to old Canaanite shrines where demons were worshipped. Paul is literally warning that we when we keep our anger alive, we give Satan a place of dominion in our lives, even a high place where, in some way, he is worshiped.

Because Jesus triumphed over Satan, the only authority Satan has in the life of a believer is the authority that believer grants him by withholding areas of his life from the Lordship of Jesus.  When Adam and Eve came into agreement with Satan in the Garden, they forfeited the dominion God had given them over the planet and that dominion was surrendered to the devil. In our own lives, we can forfeit areas of dominion when we begin to walk in agreement with Satan rather than with God about sin.

Jesus is very clear that forgiving those who have wronged us is not optional.  Other than blasphemy of the Spirit, unforgiveness is the only thing in our lives that puts a hold on God’s flow of forgiveness towards us.  That unforgiving place in our life gives Satan access to harass and torment us.  It gives him a legal right to take up residence in our house, so to speak.  I’m not talking about possession. Jesus owns the house. I’m talking about oppression.  The house belongs to Jesus but Satan can garner authority to lease a room in our house on the basis of our actions and create a base from which demons can harass us year after year.

Paul’s point is that nurturing and maintaining anger creates a kind of sanctuary where Satan is honored (even worshiped) by our agreement with him.  When we keep our anger alive, we agree with Satan that it is our right to sit in judgment on another.  It is our right to withhold forgiveness and in many ways make the object of our anger pay for what he/she  has done to us.  It is our right to reject God’s command to forgive because our hurts and our wounds should be exempt from God’s commands.

Again, Satan fuels those thoughts so that for months, years and even decades, Christians harbor unforgiveness towards those who wounded them in their past.  As they do, the foothold that was given to Satan becomes a stronghold and that stronghold limits the blessings and destiny of God in the life the one who is keeping bitterness alive.

Anger and unforgiveness do not protect us or validate us.  Bitterness and resentment poison our own heart and our own relationships.  The very thing that we believe will keep pain out, opens the door for the demonic to come in.  God’s command to forgive is not primarily to make life easy and consequence free for hurtful people. Forgiveness is primarily for your blessing and your protection. It keeps the root of bitterness out of your heart, shuts the door on the enemy, and keeps the soil of your relationships free of emotional poisons so that love can take root and flourish.

For your sake and the sake of those you love, put away anger.  Forgive and give no place to the devil.  Remember, biblical forgiveness is simply a decision to no longer require payment for the wrongs done to you because that is what Jesus did for us.  It is not letting hurtful people back into your life or trusting the untrustworthy.  It is simply releasing judgment and payment to God.

Let God be your protector, your vindicator, your power and your strength – not anger and unforgiveness.