
When I have purposefully declared Christ to be the absolute ruler of my life (step one); set myself apart from the things of the world to draw closer to Him (step two); sat at His feet as a disciple eager to learn the deep things of God through His word and Spirit (step three); transformed my witness from one of ritual obedience to one of true faith born of “hearing” the Lord speak to my heart (step four); received the Lord’s burden for His people and responded to His call to a specific ministry to address that burden (step five); and seen my own pride or fear-driven motives and agendas bubble to the surface so God could purge them from me and my ministry (step six) – then and only then have I reached the place God has been drawing me to my entire life -- the place of absolute rest in Him.
If I know and understand God’s program for spiritual growth, I can take my spiritual temperature at any time I choose. Should I find myself not at rest with God, I know there’s pride or fear in me that needs to be purged. If there’s pride or fear controlling my agenda, it’s because I haven’t connected fully with the Lord’s burden for His people. If I don’t have the Lord’s burden, it’s only because He is still working on my Christian witness to my family and friends, workplace and church. If I can’t seem to establish a good witness, it’s because I haven’t been hearing God intimately. If I’m not hearing His voice, it’s only because I’ve allowed something in my life to get between me and God. And if I’ve allowed something between me and God, it’s only because I have forgotten that He is the Lord of my life.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but it’s a great source of comfort to know that God has provided this “glory cloud” for me to follow, just as He did for the nation of Israel in the old testament. Because of this, I, like Israel before me, am without excuse for not remaining under the Lord’s protection and blessing while growing in the grace and knowledge of His Kingdom.
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