I had a vision this week, that I want to share… I was standing at the seashore (one of my favorite places to be), the water was lapping at my toes as the tide was coming in. For some reason, I always feel closer to God when I get the opportunity to go to the beach, especially during off season time, when hardly anyone is walking the shore. The rhythmic motion and of the waves, the sea gulls flying overhead, the treasures of shells spilled out upon the sandy surface of the shore. As I stood there, Holy Spirit told me that we have a choice in our walk with Christ. The choice is how deep we are willing to go. You see, once we make a decision to accept Him as our Savior, make Him Lord OVER our lives, the choice doesn’t stop there. Salvation begins with that decision and Romans 10:13 tells us:
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
But the choices don’t stop there… We have such a loving, compassionate, self-less God who has blessed us with free will, which is a true sign that God IS and always have been a loving God, because He doesn’t “force” us into a relationship with Him. Why? Because He knew to do so, would not be love. Love is a choice. God wanted to create a people who would LOVE Him. And in order to do so, He blessed us with free will…. Ironic when you think about it, because free-will to those who are spiritually blind is not so freeing… 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us:
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
And 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us:
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
But God IS greater than the devil, and He continues to remove spiritual blinders and open the eyes of people through His Spirit for salvation. And those are the people who once they realize that they have lived lives deceived and the unbelievable gift that of salvation that God has provided through Jesus Christ, they open their hearts and out of their free will – accept the gift of salvation. But the choices don’t stop there! There are many who have Heaven made by their acceptance of God’s gift! But the choices we make don’t stop there! Making Jesus Lord OVER your life is one where we choose to constantly die to self! It is an ongoing process of allowing Holy Spirit to transform our minds, as indicated in Romans 12:2:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The vision Holy Spirit gave me was this, we get to choose how deep we want to go with the Father. If you have accepted Jesus as Savior into your heart made that confession of faith, you are certainly Heaven bound. But in this life, you choose whether or not you want to go deeper in your walk with Him. You can stand at the sandy shore with your toes being lapped by the water, or you can choose to step deeper in your walk with God. Will you go up to your ankles? Your knees? Your hips? How far are you willing to go to deepen your walk in Him? The farther out you go the stronger the waves of life will rock you. But our faith is not based upon our own strength, for in our own strength the waves can knock us to and fro. But if our faith is in Him, no matter what the cost – if we keep our eyes focused upon Jesus, there is so MUCH treasure in going forward. Our trust is not to be IN and of ourselves, but in the One Who has called us. As we walk deeper into the waters of our faith, trusting God, allowing Holy Spirit to guide us, the waters we have chosen by our own free will to walk into begin to lift us as we trust in the One Who created the water in the first place. There is NO greater joy than going deeper in Christ. Finding out what your purpose in Him is. Walking in that purpose, growing in Him. Experiencing God’s goodness. I won’t lie to you and say that growth is not painful. But it is through those painful moments where we grow the most. There is no growth without pain. I am 34 years old in Christ. When I look back at how far I’ve come (knowing fully well that as long as I have breath in my body and am willing, Holy Spirit will continue to transform my mind and grow me in Christ), I have learned more than I ever thought I would. Through it all God has been RIGHT there with me. He’s never let me go, even in my darkest moments. Even when I have strayed a way… Sometimes prodigal moments (and I am not condoning them) bring us closer and deeper to God. What did I learn during the time I was a prodigal? I learned that TRULY it is NOTHING but God’s forgiveness, His mercy, His grace and His love that has saved me! YOU CANNOT EARN HEAVEN. I have learned through my willingness to allow myself to walk a walk that is TOTAL immersion in Christ, that I need to live and move and have my being in Him.
Here is the thing though – your free will is one that God never takes away from you. You get to choose how deep you go in your walk with Him. Do you want to stand at the shore with your toes dipped in the water? Or do you want a deep relationship with Him, discovering the depth of ALL God has for you – now, in this life. The choice is ALWAYS ours. When I look back at the shore of my walk – starting where I made a decision to make Jesus my Savior, Lord over my life, I had no idea ALL the things I would learn by not stopping there… Just like the ocean, you cannot see the depth of it from the shore. You only see the surface level, but when you decide to continue stepping out, trusting God, walking in Him by faith, wanting to know Him better, experience Him and ALL He wants to reveal to you – you HAVE to make the choice to go deeper. And through it all He is with you as you continue your journey with Him. Trusting Him and growing in Him. It is not an easy walk – Jesus indicated that it wouldn’t be easy. He said in John 16:33:
” “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” “
We have a powerful enemy, the devil – who is NOT happy with you and is seeking to destroy you, if you have given your life over to Christ. But GOD IS GREATER.1 John 4:4 tells us:
“Greater is He that is in me, than he that is within the world.”
Jesus was ostracized, Jesus experienced rejection, Jesus experienced suffering unlike anything we will experience in our lifetime… But suffering is a part of the journey as a believer. I have been ridiculed for my faith, I have been abandoned for my faith, I have been rejected for my faith – and through it all, I have always had the “free choice” to return to the safety of the shore… But the truth of the matter is I know that making Jesus my Savior, accepting His gift of salvation has allowed me entrance into Heaven by His sacrifice, but in loving Jesus and appreciating God’s gift, the desire to live the life that I have given back to Him is stronger than ANYTHING the world could offer me. There is NO GREATER JOY than being a vessel for the One who gave His life for me. It would be unsatisfying to just stand at the shore and not choose to go deeper in Him… And no matter what, with my eyes focused on my Savior, I will continue to walk forward in Him. Having Holy Spirit as my guide, trusting God as I go. Knowing that He knows my heart and He knows best what needs transformation about me. I freely give Him my will and pray that He will help me submit to His ways, His will because He KNOWS best. Looking in front of me, only looking behind to be in awe of the level of growth I have experienced as the shore becomes farther distanced from where I am at… What will you choose reader? Will you go deeper in the One Who is calling your name? Will you trust Him more? Will you commit yourself to His purpose? The choice IS yours. It always has been.
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Is Holy Spirit speaking to your heart through this word? If so, leave a comment below! I love hearing from you!
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