Imagine a person you like shows up and invites you out. 😏😏😏 After the initial excitement fades, you get ready. What will you wear⁉️ Guys don’t forgot your haircut and ladies some fresh styling is in order. Being anything less than presentable isn’t acceptable.
So we’ve gotten the outer part of us covered, what people see is 👍👍👍, but what lies beneath our exterior must be addressed too, we’ve got to get fresh…literally 🛀! Which leads me to the point of this post.
Jena Kennedy/Flickr
This is a time of visitation. All should prepare to meet with God. Here’s a few 🔑🔑🔑 keys that should help us make the date!
Avoid All Distractions
One evening, while in college, gun shots rang out in ear shot of the campus. People immediately ran! Some away from the noise and others oddly to it. Distractions are like gunfire, those that run to it are met with danger, while those running away find safety. Those that are lead by the carnal nature will follow the distractions, those that are lead by the Spirit will pursue and find peace.
God is our safety. Focus on Him.
Distractions are a ploy to seduce us to danger. Peter walked on water by trusting & centering all his attention on Jesus, but the moment Peter became distracted he began to sink. (Matthew 14:30)
Distractions keep us from recognizing God. Jesus wept for Jerusalem, saying they missed their time of visitation. The religious authorities were distracted by praises being sung to Jesus and Him being heralded as King (Luke 19:28-44). They were stuck on their own religious view & couldn’t see Him as the Messiah.
Distractions cause us to foreit peace. Peace is safety, security, prosperity and so much more. We want to avoid things that potentially cause us to lose it.
When He came near, He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known even today what things would bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you and surround you, and press you in on every side. They will dash you, and your children within you, to the ground. They will not leave one stone upon another within you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19:41-44 Modern English Version (MEV)
Position Yourself
Anytime God announces something, it is wise to position yourself to receive. During a recent prayer session, one of the attendees felt a fresh wind blow on them in their house. Immediately I heard ruach, which is a Hebrew word for breath, spirit or wind. 💨💨💨A little while later someone had a vision in which they saw a beam of light from heaven with flames of fire illuminating the inside. 🔥🔥🔥 The fire cascaded down dancing, delighting in its work as it fell upon us. The wind of God & the fire of God came, but before this took place we were asked to consecrate ourselves. Why? To go to the next level, to move further with Him.
Ruach Elohim, Spirit of God take us higher.
Give Up to Go Higher
At 100 years of age Abraham and his 90 year old infertile wife, Sarah, received a promise they’d have a son of their own the next year (Genesis 17:17) and so it came to past (Genesis 21:1-5).
Later God asked Abraham to sacrifice the son of this very promise, Isaac. Without question, Abraham set off to Mount Moriah with Isaac & a few servants. Upon arriving, Abraham left the servants and donkeys at the bottom of the mountain to go up ⬆️ higher. At the most crucial moment – the point of sacrifice, an angel spoke to Abraham saying don’t harm the boy (Genesis 22:12).
Sacrifice is only sincere when we are willing to give up everything.
In order for us to come up higher to the place God wants us to be, you must give up everything…even if it’s those things He gave you. When we do this we show our hearts are full of love towards God first and nothing else.
Get Naked Before God
Sunday, September 13th at sundown the Jewish New Year 5776 begins. Rosh Hashanah (Leviticus 23:23-25) is celebrated until the 15th. Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement begins on September 22nd (Leviticus 16:1-34), this is annual event for the remission of sins. Thank God for Jesus, our High Priest, who removes our sins forever!🙌🙌 🙌
High Holy Days
The Days of Awe are 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Though we aren’t required to practice this, there exists heavy spiritual implications. The Days of Awe are a serious time of instrospection. A time to inspect one’s fruit, identifying anything to seek forgiveness on. To consider one’s deeds and the work of God over the last year, bringing the observers to repentance.
Quick Recap
- Consecrate Yourself. Set yourself apart for His work and purpose.
- Avoid distractions. Set your heart, mind & affections completely on Him.
- Give yourself away. In order to go higher, you must be willing to sacrifice all for God and the best sacrifice you can offer is yourself!
- Repent. He is continuously cleaning us, washing us & making us more like Him.
Prepare for Your Date With The Lord
Allow the fire of God to refine you and the breath of God to refresh you as you go higher. Take this opportunity to seek God, be naked and completely open before Him. No one washes themselves with their clothes on and spiritually we shouldn’t either. If we are trying to hide our flaws from God how can we change and how else can we get clean if we can’t be naked before Him? Ask God to remove everything that would keep you from ascending His Holy mountain and seeing Him face to face.
L’shanah Tovah! ~ For a good year
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
Matthew 9:17 New Living Translation (NLT) Emphasis Added
Marsha Burns Http://ft111.com/Flickr
