Gazing into the face of God is the source of real joy, peace, and spiritual power. If you are a committed believer in Christ, then, you know how giving your life to Christ brought you to spiritual life. You, in your own way, found your spirit came alive in relationship to the Spirit of God. This involves the birth of faith that creates the relationship with the Savior.
Rev. Tozer, in his book, The Pursuit of God, defines the essence of faith as gazing upon God. He relates this to the command by Moses for the people to gaze upon the serpent made of gold so that they could be cured of snake bites in the wilderness. Tozer then relates to the 11th chapter of Hebrews for further explanation.
When I then understood that this gazing was not only from me to God, but that His eyes were looking upon me as well, I then understood that this was the essence of knowing God. Christ said that this was eternal life itself: knowing God. (It is found in the 16th and 17th chapters of the Gospel of John.)
I prayed earnestly for the Holy Spirit to make this understanding an actual experience. He did so. It was overwhelming. The sence of the presence of the Holy Spirit is very strong. The ability to overcome temptation is multiplied. The earnestly in prayer is greatly strengthened. The development of hope into faith that becomes active trust and obedience is alive. The victory over the crush of circumstanaces and tension is wonderful.
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