Encountering God and Escaping from Him

The lecture discusses a fundamental idea that الإنسان often escapes from God instead of meeting Him, although God is always seeking the human. This escape prevents الإنسان from knowing God and enjoying a relationship with Him.

Reasons for escaping from God:

• Fear or shame from sin.
• Failure to confront oneself and reality
• Attachment to worldly desires.
• Using humility or unworthiness as an excuse.

A call to meet God:
The lecture teaches that God does not require الإنسان to be perfect before coming to Him, but invites him to come as he is, with his weakness and sins, to receive change and purification from God Himself.

Orthodox spiritual concept:

• Divine grace is what gives repentance, not الإنسان by his own power.
• Church sacraments are not to escape from, but a means of sanctification.
• Meeting God comes before change, not after.

Spiritual examples:

• Adam escaped because of fear and shame.
• Jonah escaped because of concern for his dignity.
• The prodigal son returned as he was and received acceptance and renewal.

Confrontation instead of escape:
The lecture emphasizes that facing oneself and confessing the truth is the right way to meet God, not escaping or delaying.

Practical application:

• Go to God as you are.
• Ask Him for repentance, strength, and love.
• Do not wait to change first, but begin by approaching Him.

Spiritual message:
God accepts the human in his weakness to strengthen him, and in his sin to purify him, so escaping Him is useless, but approaching Him is the way of salvation.

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