Experiencing God

     Chris and I were in the Special Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State prison. We were moving from cell block to cell block. I approached one man who was very excited about the Word. He had a Bible and even had a Greek and Hebrew concordance. I was amazed by how much he knew about the Word.
Yet I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to ask: “You know a lot of things about God, you have knowledge about God, but have you experienced Him personally? Do you know if you have eternal life?”
He said, “How can anybody really know for sure?”
I said, “In the book of John it says ‘These things were written so that you could know you have eternal life.’  That phrase ‘to know’ means more than just an intellectual knowledge. It is like a man knows a woman with real intimacy, like you might have in a marriage relationship.”
I then asked him: “Would you like to encounter him and receive him as your Lord and Savior?”
He said, “Yes, yes, I would really like that.  How can that happen? How can that happen? Yes!”
I said, “The Bible says ‘whoever calls on the Lord, if you call on him he will in no ways cast you out.’”  I continued: “Do you repent?  Are you willing to no longer live your life for yourself but live your life for God?”  And he said “Yes.”
Then I asked, “Where’s God right now?” And he started yelling, “He’s in my heart! He’s in my heart!  He’s in my heart!” He sounded so excited, like a little kid!
He said, “Something happened to me – I know he’s in my heart. I feel him right here!” And he pounded on his chest.

Pastor George