He will NOT let me go!

His grip on me is so strong I can't do anything to shake it.

Today was a day that took me by surprise.

For anyone who works for, or is involved in ministry, in a Sunday morning church service, you know what I'm talking about when I say, sometimes, you have to make an effort to remember why and who you are serving.

It's easy to get lost in the 'work' aspect of your day and miss out on the worship, the message and ultimately miss out on what the Holy Spirit is doing in that room.

I'm guilty of that sometimes, especially when directing the video feed. As a director, your job is to talk constantly to camera operators, computer operators, sound people and anyone else you need to talk to in order to make everything run smoothly.

But today, I found myself in a place that took every ounce of responsibility in me not to drop my walkie-talkies, abandon my video mixer and just worship! And from 11am this morning even until this very minute, 9:30pm, Jesus has not left my side.

It's an encounter in which He sought me out. And it is so true of His character.

I've just gone through a difficult week emotionally... and spiritually. 

I failed this week. 

I ultimately needed forgiveness in a big way this week. 

And just as I weakly try to crawl from my hole and face my God, He acts as if I did nothing wrong.

"How God? How can you just love me like this after what I've done?"

"You brought your failures to me and admitted that you needed my help right?"

"Yeah."

"You asked for my forgiveness didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Then it's gone. Let's move on."

His forgiveness is so powerful that today it literally knocked me to my knees. He found me today in my busyness and whispered love in my ear all day long. 

He seeks us first!

John 15:16, Philippians 2:13 and Revelation 3:20 are only a few of many truths in scripture about God initiating a relationship with us. And when we accept that, He continues to pursue us, with a ferocity that we cannot shake. Sure you can try to ignore Him, but He is unfailingly persistent and will never let you go!

I just want to encourage those of you who are going through difficult times.

Maybe life seems to be falling apart and you aren't sure where God is... 

Maybe you have done something that you think He wont be happy about and so you are hiding from Him...

Maybe you've just become lazy with your relationship with Christ and have stopped spending time with Him...

Just know, He has never left your side! Sometimes He will knock you down just to let you know He's there. Sometimes He will wait for you to notice Him. But one thing is for sure, He will not let you go. There is nothing too big, too wrong, too selfish or too shameful or shocking for Him. You cannot drive Him away or shake His grip. He's here with you and he's here to stay.