Near the end of each year, I seek The Lord for words concerning the upcoming year. Early December of 2019, the following words were impressed upon my spirit concerning the year 2020: come closer, dig deeper, and go higher.
Several months passed before the words come closer, dig deeper, and go higher started becoming clearer and clearer to me. Today, in the second week of January 2021, these words spoken at the end of 2019 are still ringing in my spirit. I realize today, how relevant they still are.
Some days, I wonder if we as believers have forgotten that we are in this world yet not of it. 2020 was an unprecedented year. It was full of craziness, yet also full of God’s goodness and faithfulness. We will undoubtedly see much of the same in 2021. However, for those who heed the call to come closer, dig deeper, and go higher as instructed to do in 2020, 2021 will be an amazing year. Yes, we are in this world, yet not of it and therefore not bound to the condition of it.
We must rise above the noise of this world. Imagine if we became as enamored with God as many of us have become with the world system of politics. As followers of Christ, it behooves us to remember the One who is our ultimate source of help and hope. Our help and our hope comes from the Lord, not a world system. In order to stay focused on that truth, we must come closer, dig deeper, and go higher.
I realize this may be a hard reality for some, but I do not believe God is aligned with any one political party or person. He always has been and always will be in favor of compassion, fairness, equity, justice, love, and righteousness. These principles are in line with who He is as a good, good Father.
Even in His chastening and wrath you can find His love. Love is at the core of everything He does. Love is who He is. What exemplary character we should all be pursuing! It is the goodness of the Lord that leads man to repentance. His mercy triumphs over His judgment. As His ambassadors, we must make it our business to represent Him in ways that reflect His character. Outside of the spirit, it’s impossible to do that. This is why we must come closer, dig deeper, and go higher.
God is on His own side. He is with those who are with Him. He is on the side of those who believe and receive Him, are led by His spirit, listen to Him, live for Him, long for Him, and love Him. Knowing that, what if we all stopped being consumed with the systems of this world and simply fixed our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith? The One who has all the answers. The One who will never be dethroned nor get anything wrong. See, it doesn’t really matter how many times the guards change, God is still the only One who is large and in charge. Nothing will ever change that. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.
Yes, I get it, everyone wants their way to be the right way and their words to be true; but what if this is not the case? Could it be that we are all missing out on what God is saying and doing because we keep seeking our own way? I was texting with a sister in the Lord and this statement seemed to just escape my fingers, “the church needs to get out of it’s polluted soul and get into HIS perfect Spirit!” I literally almost fell out of my seat!
Could it be that God is calling us to come closer, dig deeper, and go higher in our pursuit of worshiping Him in spirit and in truth? I mean real worship that flows unhindered, unrestricted, and untainted from a place of spirit and truth. Our spirit is directly linked to the Father’s heart and the mind of the spirit. I wholeheartedly believe that when we all start operating from that place, the world will truly become a better place. God has done great and mighty things and we can rest assured that there are still more great and mighty things to come as we hear Him clearly and obey Him swiftly. In contrast, there are dreadful and excruciating extremes to come that being a part this world just won’t allow us to physically escape. Hence the call to come closer, dig deeper, and go higher.
If we are going to truly see from God’s perspective, we must abide at His feet, submit and surrender to His will, and ascend to our Heavenly seat. In doing so, our polluted souls are purified as we take on His heart and mind, surrender our will to His will, and filter our thoughts, will, and emotions through His written and spoken word. A polluted soul will undoubtedly taint us resulting in distorted discernment that grows from a place that has not been consistently and persistently cultivated in the rich, transformative soil of spirit and truth.
May our hearts’ cry be like David’s: “create in us a clean heart and renew within us a right spirit.” Here we are Lord. Purge us, purify us, and align our spiritual senses with the beat of your heart and movement of your Spirit vs. the tainting of our souls. Show us the places that are still resistant to your call to forsake our own ways for Yours. Help us answer the call to come closer, dig deeper, and go higher Lord.
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