I became encouraged to write this post after visiting a church that reminded me where I was as a babe in Christ many years ago. The Pastor was extremely charismatic! His vocals were through the roof, and his goal appeared to be hyping up the crowd during worship and periodically during his prepared message. People were all around me dancing, shouting and going off in their own undignified praise!
I’m no longer moved by services like that. This time I was nothing more than entertained and reminded of what use to move me. Once upon a time when I was drinking only spiritual milk, that kind of service once filled me to capacity. Get me emotionally stirred up, let me shout it out, and go home saying “We Had Church Today!”
Those days are long gone and my spiritual edifice needs meat along with my appetizers! Give me the unadulterated Word of God and I have been known to come way out of my shell and turn up in the house of the Lord!
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely enjoyed my visit. Praise and Worship sets the atmosphere to receive. But God began to show me over the years during my Christian experience how he’s been taking me deeper. As I continue to follow and yearn for more of Him, I’ve learned that this far exceeds a ramping up in song and dance. The Word takes me beneath the surface.
My Walk in the beginning started with a Baptist/Pentacostal experience. I learned how to get in touch with my emotions and become vulnerable to stirring experiences. I learned how to shout, dance, understand the move of the Holy Spirit and could care less who was watching.
I then moved on to a Non-Denominational church environment. – Here I embraced the Worship experience. It’s more subtle and personal with the raising of my hands in reverence to my Savior, closing my eyes, crying out before God openly in the same unashamed way. I received the gift of speaking in tongues and embraced the unified corporate fellowship of Believers from all walks of life.
Today I am learning spiritual warfare. Responding and fighting the many tough issues that life can throw my way by not focusing on flesh and blood. I am trusting God with my whole life much more by, purposing to keep my eye on Him and staying confidant that He is truly in control.
Putting it all together is an awesome spiritual concoction that has reaped so many progressive rewards. I can never get enough and am forever excited about the next level of deeper.
Have you reached a stalemate in your Walk with God? Are you bored, operating in your own understanding and have settled or plateaued in you Christian growth? If so, it may be time to seek ways to go deeper in God.
He has so much more for us. To get what we are entitled to, we must sit at his feet and purposely spend time with Him. We may need to leave the Church we have been at for years if we are no longer growing. We may need to stop kidding ourselves and accepting human logic that church attendance is optional. We will certainly need to surrender our own will.
What ever it may be, a shift, change or move is required in order to experience deeper.
Until next time, Happy Sunday!
