I'm Jumping in!

I grew up in Eastern Oregon where there was very hot summers. One of our highlights was when we got to go swimming in the river. What a cool relief from the hot dry weather.

In Ezekiel 47 it talks about an angel showing the Prophet Ezekiel a great river. It goes on to describe how this angel takes Ezekiel out 1,000 cubits in the water and the water came up to his ankles. Then he measured once more and the water went up to his knees. Again he measured one thousand cubits and the water came up to his waist. He measured another one thousand and it was a river that he could not cross for the water was too deep.

Father God is so good to us. He does not expect us to immediately be ready for the deeper things of God but He does expose us to them so we desire more. Notice the angel did not have Ezekiel just jump in over his heard where he could not swim. It was a process. A continual deeper and deeper walk is what our Lord has for us.

I’m reminded of my teen years swimming in a river. The river had a dock out in the area that was over my head and that was the FUN place to be. I would wade out in the cold water, shivering trying to get used to the water. I would be making myself go deeper, out to the dock. I knew it would be a lot fun with the others out there, jumping in and swimming around. Out on the dock all my friends would be yelling, “come on, come on, we’re having a blast out here!”  Like my friends, the Lord is calling me to go deeper, deeper with Him. I see a whole lot of others in the Body of Christ out on the deck cheering me saying we are having a blast out here, come join us it is super fun!!!

I’m deeper than I was a year ago and it is getting fun. Wow, to be in the living water flowing in His Spirit, getting drenched in His presence, my spirit just shouts, go deeper, go deeper!

I think of Jesus’ instructions to Peter, launch out into the deep. Why, when Peter was comfortable on the shore? Jesus said, “for the catch”. What would thrill a fisherman more than anything else, a big catch and that is what Jesus had in store for Peter.

Ponder these thoughts: What would thrill you?
Would hearing God’s voice clearer, setting the captives free, preaching the Good News, healing the sick and flowing in the gifts of the Spirit? Jesus is speaking the same thing to you, “launch out into the deep!”

Today I declare and pray over you; that the hunger God and His manifested Presence is being stirred up in you and me. It’s a hunger that throws discomfort aside and says I’m jumping in and I’m going deeper. Today I see the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrew 11) standing out on the dock calling and encouraging us to come out it is great!
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