See, so God's got many ways of touching you with His presence and His love, of igniting you to come back into relationship with Him. Maybe it's a prophetic word someone brings, maybe you have a prophetic encounter or visions or dreams. Perhaps it's God just touches your spirit at some time, or maybe just you felt someone pray for you. I was in my office and a guy came to me and he'd been without the touch of God for about 18 months. I just talked with him and showed him what to do and I said in about 10 to 15 minutes you'll experience God again. Sure enough, the presence of God just came and filled the room, and next thing he said well I'm glad you're leaning on the chair, I can't even stand up. Can I sit down? God reaching out to touch him, and he went away ignited, and so God wants to ignite something in you, wants to ignite fire in you.
When did you last have a touch of God? When did you last experience Him? When did you last open your heart and acknowledge that yes, you've filled your life with substitutes and really you need God? Well God tells us in His word that God so loved the world He sent His Son, gave His Son. One of the most wonderful pictures - I'll just finish with this last picture from the Bible of the passionate, expressive love of God. It's found in the story of the Prodigal Son, and the son virtually said well I wish my father was dead, I want the money now and I want out. I want to go my own way. So his mindset was I've got a better life without God, than with God, and then later on his life was messed up, ruined, it's character so broken down, his friends that he had because he had money have gone, and everything's gone. He's been abused, and now his character's broken down, his heart's been broken. He despises himself, he smells like the pigs.
In the middle of it he remembers that there was goodness in his father. He remembers, comes back to his senses the Bible says, that actually God is good, and he makes a decision he'll come back. So I guess all the time he's coming back he's a mess and smells and his clothes are tatty and whatever, went out a proud young man with a lot of money and all these hopes and aspirations. Now his life's a mess - but what will my father be like. As he gets there the Bible says, in one of the verses it said this. While he was a long way off the father saw him, and the father was moved with compassion - not judgement. He didn't say well look what you've done and you've messed your life up. He felt compassion; it's my son and I love him. It says the father ran. He ran to him. He put his arms around him and hugged him, and he wept over him and kissed him.
That's passionate pursuing love. That's what God is like. That love is what Jesus came to reveal. His final prayer as He prayed in the Garden was something like this; Father, I have enjoyed Your love, and it's enabled Me to accomplish all these things. Now the relationship I have with You, I want them to have also. See, that's what Jesus came to give us, was that, but we accept a substitute. Why don't we make a decision in our heart just to open our lives again, or maybe for the first time, to experience the love of God?