A LOOK AT HOW GOD PURSUES US IN OUR TIME.

For the past few weeks in our CHASERS series, we have looked at the concept of a chase. Using Israel as a case study, we examined how God exhibited this in his walk with the people of Israel. In this post, we will take a look at how God still pursues you and I today; believers and unbelievers alike. We will first look at how God pursues the unbeliever and then proceed to how he pursues the believer.

• How God pursues the Unbeliever

The unbeliever is anyone who has not accepted Christ Jesus, someone who may or may not have heard the gospel and has not surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. The hearts of these people matter greatly to God. John 3:16 states that it was for the world that God gave his son. Jesus also emphatically stated that he did not come for those who thought they were well but for those who were sick. God is still very much in pursuit of the hearts of unbelievers today as he was when he came down to offer his life.

The event of Christ’s death and resurrection was a climax in a chase after these hearts but it did not end with the ascension of Christ. Instead, the baton was handed over to those who had received the gift of salvation

to in turn bring this gift to the world and in essence, perpetuate the chase. This truth was expressed by Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth.

“18 Now all things are of God,who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,…. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” NKJV. 2Corinthians 5: 18 and 20

This mandate is commonly referred to as The Great Commission.

• How God pursues the Believer

The pursuit of God does not end when you become a believer. This is because becoming a child of God is only the beginning to a desired end He seeks to achieve. Here, we will look how the Lord pursues the regular believer, the backslidden/fallen believer and the church.

1. The Backslidden/ Fallen Believer

There are times as believers where we may slack or lose sight of the path we are on. This is where the believer is said to have backslidden or fallen.

• The Backslidden

The Believer backslides when he is still on the path but is no longer able to do certain things with the same intensity as he should or at the pace he regularly would. For example, if you used to spend four hours in prayer everyday and now you can only spend two because you no longer have the same drive, you have backslidden. Another example is if you used to have your quiet time consistently and now you are not so consistent.

God’s pursuit can be recognized in the stirrings of discomfort and dissatisfaction with where you’re at or by the promptings you receive to move out of that stage.

• The Fallen

A believer is said to have fallen when he veers of the path. When sin causes him to fall short of the glory of God. A fall goes beyond those momentary times you may tell a lie or commit some sin, ask forgiveness and move on. Instead a fall has the nature of almost causing you to remain in that situation, making it difficult for you to move out of it or let go and move on.

Nonetheless, in these situations, the pursuit of God is even more proven. When we walk away from Him, His love doesn’t stop. His concern doesn’t stop. His care is not cut short. Even if God had a world full of people to love Him, he would still chase after you.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly I say unto you, he rejoices over that sheep than over the ninety-nine which did not go astray.

I’ve heard men of God tell the most unlikely stories of their past. One told a story about how he, though born into a Christian home, had a habit of constantly engaging in fornication. One day, he decided to attend a christian camp meeting with the intention of sleeping with a lady who was frequent there. However, he encountered the Holy Spirit at the meeting and instantly, his life was turned around. He was not cast away because he had fallen. Instead God persisted in his chase after him.

I personally believe that if the prodigal son had walked away ten times, and returned ten times, the Father would have received him each time with the same love, excitement and enthusiasm with which he received Him the first time.

In our sin, God does not neglect us. His nature does not allow him to love us any different. We still remain his focus. In man’s understanding of things, it should be quite reasonable for God to decide, “You don’t seem to be changing. You’re draining my energy so I’m cutting you off.” But God only intensifies His pursuit, so that His love is even more available in the times you feel like you’re least deserving. God is focused on you.

2. The Regular Believer

The ‘regular’ believer is our title today for the believer who has not exactly backslidden or fallen. It may seem, that they may not need any ‘chasing’ because they are on course but God is still in pursuit of them.

There are a number of ways we can recognize the Lord’s pursuit of us even in our ‘healthy’ strong state. These are usually quite subtle and may escape us but they are still there. Examples of these indicators include:

• The Urge To Spend More Time In God’s Presence: Benny Hinn writes in his book “Good morning Holy Spirit ” about how at the end of a session with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit would ask for just a few extra minutes to commune with him. This is a subtle indicator of God remaining in pursuit even though he already had Mr Hinn. It could also be in the form of a sudden urge to spend time in prayer although nothing may be wrong.
• A Seemingly Tailored Message: Have you ever been down or gone through a trial or maybe just need more understanding concerning something and then you hear a sermon and it is almost as if it is structured just to suit your particular need? That is also an indicator of God’s pursuit.
• A Hunger for God: Furthermore, there are times as a Christian where no matter what level you are at in your walk with God, there is a hunger to know more of him; to get closer, to gain more understanding of Him. This is an indicator of God trying to draw your heart closer to him by prompting your inner man. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” Philippians 2:13 NKJV.

3. The Church

As surprising as this may sound God is still in pursuit of his Church although the church is his rightful possession. This is because we have turned certain things into tradition in the church such that God is no longer in it but he doesn’t give up on the church. Instead He knocks at the door of the church in pursuit.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” NKJV. Revelations 3:20

Most people associate Revelations 3:20 with a call to the unbeliever to open up his heart to Christ but actually, it was written to a church of early believers in Asia; the Laodiceans. The bible referred to them as being neither hot nor cold and so this was a church that was already made up of the people of God but was shut to Him because of their lukewarm ways. But God, persisting in his pursuit after man, still knocks at the door, waiting to be let in.

Conclusion

God has been in pursuit of man from the very moment Adam fell and could no longer exist in his presence. Today, God is still in pursuit of man and till the desired end, God will always be in pursuit of man – believers and unbelievers alike. May we answer the call and respond to his pursuit.

We pray that you were blessed by today’s word. Please feel free to like, share and follow us on our social media handles. Also feel free to express your thoughts in our comment section below. God bless you.