Have you ever had the sense that you should be at a different level in your walk with the Lord now? You should be seeing and experiencing more than you are? Well that is because there is more, God has much more for us. There are more victories to be won, greater degrees of his presence to experience, higher levels of his peace, love, joy and faith to walk in, more souls to be saved and as Jesus said greater works than he did, to do (John 14:2). No child of God likes to admit they have become relaxed in their Christian walk. But if we are honest there have been too many of those times. Ephesians 5:14 says Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light… There is a spiritual slumber that will cause us to miss opportunities, opportunities to experience more, to go further than we have before, to go deeper in our walk and fellowship with the Lord. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. The Bread of Life himself, Jesus, desires to eat with us. This is not any meal, this is a meal he provides, after all you prayed that he give you your daily bread, so you know it will satisfy you spiritually. But what would keep us from answering the door and not letting him in to eat with him? The Bible refers to us as the bride of Christ, in Song of Solomon 5:2-6 (GNT) the bride is having a dream that the groom is knocking on the door of her chamber: While I slept, my heart was awake. I dreamed my lover knocked at the door. (Groom:) Let me come in, my darling, my sweetheart, my dove. My head is wet with dew, and my hair is damp from the mist. (Bride) I have already undressed; why should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet; why should I get them dirty again? Notice this initial hesitation by the bride as she decides what is more important, her comfort or opening the door for her groom. It goes on: I opened the door for my lover, but he had already gone. How I wanted to hear his voice! I looked for him, but couldn't find him; I called to him, but heard no answer. In her relaxed and comfortable state she missed an opportunity to have intimacy with her husband as her husband read the “Do Not Disturb” sign and left. While this is a picture of a marriage where that intimacy and excitement from the wedding day has grown cold, it is also an example for us today. The Lord is knocking on the door of his bride’s heart right now. He has not grown cold or weakened in his love and desire for intimacy with us. No, it is us that have left our first love (Rev. 2:4). The Lord still has greater plans for us, more for us to be a part of, to enjoy and experience. But he needs to talk, fellowship and spend time with us so we know his heart. Jeremiah 33:3 says Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. But in order for us to get back to the place of intimacy with God we must rid ourselves of what we think is important and what makes us comfortable. Hebrews 12:1 says…. let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,... We have heard this scripture many times but have you ever thought- if I knew I had something weighing me down wouldn’t I get rid of it? Notice it says these weights easily beset us- that means it is preventing us, slowing us down, it’s in the way of progress. In the story of David and Goliath, David was offered battle armor to wear but after trying it on he refused to wear it. David recognized this armor would constrain him and would have handicapped him from defeating the enemy and experiencing the rewards of victory. But what is important to note is that the thing David found heavy and restrictive is what most soldiers would have said is important and necessary to protect and make you feel comfortable as you can be in a battle. Some of the weights that we have allowed to weigh us down and prevent us from pressing in and going deeper with God are the things we have allowed to become too important to us, that really should not be. These things have caused us to become comfortable in an inactive, tranquil state with the things of God. As much as we would like, God is not going to open our Bibles for us, he is not going to float you from the TV to the prayer closet. No, It’s us that needs to shut everything down and press in, press towards the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We are the ones that must direct our mind, set our affection and love on things above. The Apostle Paul said some 30 years after his conversion [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] Philippians 3:10 (AMPC). Paul’s desire to know the Lord, to experience him more, even after all the persecution he went through, did not weaken but grew stronger. We know from the Word that he did not allow lesser important things to weigh him down. We must ask the Lord to reveal to us the weights in our own lives, if we are willing to hear it, he will show us. When he does we need to lay it aside, put it off, get out of that which is constraining and preventing us from waking up, get out of the bed, answer the door, hang the “do not disturb” sign up and meet with him!
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