Our focus at Victory Outreach Albuquerque is to challenge our members to go deeper with God in 2017. This is not our mandate, but it is God’s.
Songs of Solomon 2:10-My beloved is speaking to me. “Come away and be with me.”
Today God is calling us to come away with Him. This is a personal and intimate invitation. His heart’s desire is for you and me. He wants time with us. This is the time when he can do the work he has wanted to do. This is the time he can finally speak the words he has held for you. This is the time when he can bring the healing you heart so desperately needs. This is the time he can give you a vision and a call.
This is deep. Really, really deep!
Psalm 42:7 says, “Deep calls unto deep.”
Author Watchmen Nee wrote, “Only a call from the depths can provoke a response from the depths.” God does call us to the deep and does provoke a response. However, many of us are content to try to respond from the shallows. Is it fear? Perhaps. Complacency? Compromise? Insecurity? Or are we comfortable in the status quo? Probably all of the above have a part to play. We may say we don’t mind splashing our feet on the beach but no further than that. That ocean is too deep!
How can you ask me to go deep? Don’t you know how long it took me to bury some of those things six foot under? Don’t ask me to look into the depth of my soul. There may be things there too painful to bear. This has been very true for many of us. However, here is the key for going out into the deep. You are not alone! The one who loves you is calling you. God will not call you out to drown you. He calls you out to set you free!
Toby Mac sings a song and the lyrics remind us that God calls us to waters a little too deep to remind us that “it’s way beyond me!” God calls us and when we respond he meets us. Sometime it takes courage to launch out to the deep. But we have to remember that the one that is calling us to the deep is with us in the deep. We have to dig deep within ourselves to gain what God has for us. It is only our response to the deep that will give us the treasures out of darkness. Shallow or superficial expressions will not touch the depths of the lost.
Isaiah 45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
This secret place has many treasures stored up for you. We often think of the treasures as those lost in the world and to us they represent and remind us of God’s great love for them. Our goal is always to reach them. It is our outward expression of gratitude for God’s love in reaching us when we were once in darkness.
But I want to remind you that the time spent in the secret place going deep with God is where you receive the inward expression of who God is.
The inward expression of who God is will be the treasure that is stored away for you in the secret place. It reminds me of the lyrics from a song by Don Harris.
Lord, you are more precious than silver.
Lord, you are more costly than gold.
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds.
And our response to the call from the deep is the last verse.
And nothing I desire compares with you!
I Thess 5:24 Faithful is the one calling you and He will perform it.
It is in our response to God calling that allows God to give you, “your call” and where He will perform it. If someone tells you what they think your call is you should run to the secret place and to God and find out from Him what it truly is. He plants “the call” deep in you.
It is here in the secret place that the passion, plan and anointing is given to fulfill “the call.” God gives “the call,” but you must respond to God to receive it and to fulfill it. Deep calls to deep.
Resist a shallow, easy, superficial Christianity. It is a waste of time. God has so much more for you. Make a decision, a choice to extend yourself deeper. Make sure your roots grow deeper downward. When you roots are deep you won’t be moved or uprooted by every little or large storm. You will be a tree that bears much fruit.
Remember the seeds only produce something with roots that grow deep in the soil. The roots are your inward life found in the secret place while the tree, leaves, and fruit will be the outward product of your response to go deep.
If our life has no depth, our superficial work will only affect us and others lives superficially. It is only the deep where we can say, Lord I have known of you, but now I know you and where others will also want to know Him.
Once again, I repeat, “Deep Calls to Deep.” Will you respond?
Today’s Challenge:
- Respond to the Call
- Find a secret place to get away with God
- Go deep
- Be blessed
Joann Lee
