A Call To DIE...

I really felt a push to get deeper into the word, more meditation and actively waiting on God. No matter how far you've come or how long you've traveled as a follower of Christ there is still a ways to go. The closer I walk with Him, the more I need to throw off. We have a book called "A Call to Die" we bought it several years ago, but I've never gone through it. It starts off with a commitment, being committed to spending at least 1 hour each day in the presence of God, for 40 days.  Now for some that sounds like a walk in the park, and for others of you it might sound like to much of  commitment.  I take commitment really seriously, and that's why this book was never done years ago, because I wasn't at a place where I knew I could keep my covenant. So as I was searching the bookshelf in our closet, it caught my attention and I pulled it out.

The first day was talking about taking up your cross and following the Lord.  Now I live a pretty clean lifestyle, Im not a wild partyer, drinker, gambler etc...but sometimes those outward actions are easier to throw off then the ones that no one sees.  There are things we do in life that are by no means bad, but from time to time we should offer them up to the Lord in order to make sure they don't become or aren't idols in our lives.  For some of you it could be your cell phone, your email, facebook, TV shows, books instead of the Word, games, music etc. We all have those things that sometimes take the place of the voice of the Lord. 

Im thankful in those tough growing times.  When God shows me things in my life that need to be changed. I thank him for revealing things to me that might be trying to sneak in and take his place, because to me that's showing he cares. He cares enough to show me. He cares enough to reveal it to me.  As I tell and pour my heart out to him letting him know I want to follow him whatever the cost, it gives him room to reveal things and say "What if it meant this??" or "What if it meant giving up that" His desire isn't to strip us of "things" or to keep us from having things. His desire is to make sure things don't have us.  It's a call to die, to die to selfishness, selfish desires.

The one thing I had made a committed to was for a period of time each day...and I found myself bartering. "What if I "put in" my time with the Lord before then, then what's the big deal. Well, the deal is that I would rush my time with God or squish it in as a chore instead of a desire, or a longing to be with him.  I don't know about you, but I love to offer myself for things instead of being offered.  Being offered sometimes takes the joy out of whatever you're doing. It's like that with the Lord. If we feel obligated it takes the joy out of spending time with Him, but if we are longing or desiring to meet with Him, we eagerly await that time we can intimately share together. 

I challenge you today, to find those things that might not be "BAD" but that are becoming an idol or taking more time out of your day than they should. Find those things that force you to "squish or hurry" you through your daily time with the Lord. It happens easily, and subtly. So if as you're reading this and something comes to mind that you should give up or cut back on, and you are justifying it in your head, that's probably the thing the Spirit is concerned about....when you're saying oh that's not a big deal I can control that, it doesn't have me. That might be the very thing the Lord is tugging on you about. Stomp on those selfish desires before they stomp on you...

Be encouraged my friends...you can do all things through Christ.  I encourage you to Take Up Your Cross and Follow Him.

When He asks the question will you follow me whatever the cost... How will you respond??