Have you ever had friend tell you about a new restaurant in town that you absolutely need to try out? And maybe the first time they told you about it, you listened as they raved about it and thought “OK, that’s nice. I’ll have to try it sometime.” A month later your friend asks you, “Did you try out that new restaurant I told you about?” You say, “No, I haven’t been able to get there yet.” And they urge you one more time, “you just have to check it out – trust me you won’t be disappointed.”
So you finally get there after your friend has told you how wonderful and great the food is. You buy the food, you eat it and you love it! You regret taking so long in listening to your friend’s recommendation. Because you didn’t get after it, you’ve lived an additional 6 weeks without this restaurant in your life. But now that you’ve tried it and love it, what happens? You go out of your way to go eat there.
How do you know if you’ve really encountered God? You go out of your way you get more of Him. You go out of your way to serve him. You go out of your way to please him. You schedule around him rather than schedule him around other things. You budget around him rather than trying to fit him into your budget. These are signs you’ve really encountered God.