It was about 2pm in the afternoon. I had been raised Catholic by parents who were atheists, my grandfather was an orthodox Jew and my grandmother was just lovely and was not religious but was Love in action. I was looking for God from the time I was about 8 years old. I attended a convent for two years which continued to feed my awareness of a spiritual realm. But it didn't seem like anyone around me really knew God so I knew they couldn't help me. I gave my heart to the Lord at a Billy Graham convention at 17 but then I attended a local church . There were 4 people sitting in the front pew asleep. At the time they seemed very old to me. The minister seemed to find his own sermon boring. I knew this wasn't the Way. I decided that Christianity was a crock and had nothing to offer me. So I wandered on many new age paths and for 10 years followed a group of American Sufis whose founder came from India. I learned a great deal about the spiritual realm as a result of all these journeys and had marvellous experiences. But I still couldn't reach God. I had hit the glass ceiling. I knew He/She/They and Beyond was there but I couldn't reach Him. I refer to Him as Him because He is my Lover as well as my God.
Anyway......as I was walking down the beach track that afternoon I stopped. I knew in my spirit that there was someone standing behind me. And more than that I knew it was Jesus. He was about 6 foot tall and had shining golden brown hair. I couldn't see his features clearly because there was so much Light emanating from His whole being. He was wearing a long white robe and I think He had sandals on. By that time spiritual experiences were common for me. I didn't see Him with my physical eyes but I sensed Him and saw Him clearly with my inner eyes. He was standing behind me and He said something which I didn't recognise at the time as the essential teaching of the Way. He said Do you want me to come into your heart? But I knew exactly what He was asking and I was ready. I said Yes from my deepest being. I felt Him move into my spiritual aura and it was as if we merged but there was no sense of intrusion or crowding and I didn't stop feeling like me. And I just continued walking home not really thinking any more about it. I didn't know my life had changed forever and I didn't know until later that I had just experienced what Jesus called being born again, being born from above and being born of the Spirit (John 3:1-6). I learned that language later.
To cut a long story short: I started watching Christian television and could suddenly understand what they were talking about. I started attending a local Pentecostal church The Lighthouse where I also learned a lot about the Way of the Spirit. It was also where I discovered Christian rock and as a child of the rock era this delighted my soul. And I could dance and play the tambourine which also delighted my soul. I believe music, dancing and song are essential to our well being. We are all Singers and Dancers in our essential beings. I ended up being ordained as a Minister of the Gospel in Crowley, Texas in the USA in 2014 by Dr Jerry Savelle and am linked with the non -denominational Heritage of Faith Ministries.
Why did I tell you all that? So you could go looking for God or Spirit (and Jesus says God is the Spirit (John 4::24)). Having had this experience no one can tell me Spirit isn't real because I know that I know that I have met Him as Jesus. It is like trying to tell me my children aren't real. I cannot pass this personal knowing on to anyone else. But the Word also says Seek and you will find. I sought and I found or more accurately I was found! Because I was certainly wandering (and wondering) and was certainly lost. I was blind but then I saw. Amazing Grace! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsCp5LG_zNE is a marvellous version by Celtic Woman, complete with haunting bagpipes.
Spirit is real. There is another realm which only our inner senses can see. All spiritual paths in all cultures talk about this realm. Our physicists tell us that the world is not at all as we see it but is a quantum flux of energy. The fundamental basis of matter according to the latest understanding of quantum physics is not some teeny tiny particle but has the fundamental properties of sound: amplitude and frequency. No news to Hindu spirituality which has said this for 10,000 years. In the beginning was the Word ....(Gen.1:1). Even better the Spirit said to me a while ago: Everything I say is a Song. The fundamental nature of everything is a Song. If there is a Song there is a Singer. We need to look for the Singer. Unless we encounter Spirit for ourselves it is just religion and the traditions of men. Literally since denominational religions are created and governed by men. There have always been and continue to be many marvellous men and women who know Spirit intimately and follow the Way within denominational religions. However denominational religions are, and have always been, infected with warped attitudes to women, as well as to animals, to the natural world and to people who belong to another denomination or culture. Denominational religion doesn't work. True Spirituality does. The Word says the traditions of men make Spirit's laws of no effect (Jesus in Mark 7:13). Once we connect with the Spirit we have access to all the true codes and He is yearning to teach us.
So if you want to do it the easy way connect to Spirit. It is so easy: The Word is near you in your mouth and in your heart. You don't have to go up to heaven to bring Him down or down to the darkest pit and bring Him up (Deuteronomy 30:14; Romans.10:8). He is so close to us we miss Him. We get confused with "the voices" in our heads. Is it me? Is it Him? Is it the negative voices within and around us? He sounds like us but says things we do not know. Eventually we learn to recognise His Voice amongst the others like being able to tell the voice of your loved one in the midst of a crowd at a party.
Practically speaking if you want to connect to Spirit this is what you do. It is simple. All Truths are simple. It is how Gloria Copeland another great teacher of the true Way did it. You say Take my life and do something with it. Out loud! So heaven and earth can hear you. It is that simple. You also then say (out loud) Give me Your Holy Spirit. We then get our first Spiritual Power Booster Pack. And there is more.......
There I am outed. I am a dedicated Follower of the Way The disciples called themselves followers of the Way. (Acts 22:4), I join all those men and women in every place who have conversations with God - daily. If this puts you off that is a pity. As a wise person said to me: Christianity is not a religion it is a Way of Life. In the last 13 years I have put it to the test. It works. Nothing else I have tried does and I have tried everything on offer. I have wandered on many new age paths, I have tried Sufism. I have tasted most of what the world offers. None of it worked. This Way does: in regard to money, health ,relationships and everything else. There have been many challenges over the last 13 years. There were previously and will continue to be as long as I am on this side of Heaven. Some of them have been very big. But now I have Someone who guides me through them into victory over lack, sicknesses and challenges from people and from life on this planet at this time. I am just at the beginning. We are always at the beginning of the Way. But now I have a Way to follow. I have Someone to follow Who brings me through every life storm every time into the clear sunshine, into joy and peace; Someone Who sustains me through the challenges so I can "walk on the water through the storm". Peter walked on the water! (Matthew 14:29). We can too! Though I have been given the gift of a rich and marvellous life, parts of it seem like a bad dream. I don't often look back. If you do you turn into a pillar of salt. This Way is the easy way. It is the only Way I have found that works. May you seek for yourselves. And if you do He will find you.
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