The first key to being successful in any project, is to have a perfectly clear picture in your mind, your imagination, of what that project looks like in its completed form, down to the tiniest detail.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Genesis 1:3
God created the universe using the same principle. In this verse we read and God said, “let there be light…” But if we take a step back, we must realize that in order for God to say let there be light, He would have first had a picture in His own mind, in His own imagination, what that light would look like when it came into existence. This is the essence of creation, in fact the basis of anything that is created, for without first seeing in our mind, how can we go forward in faith?
It’s really easy to get stuck when God speaks something to us, that seems so amazing, and so wonderful, that perhaps we get a glimpse in our minds of the finished result. We realize how beautiful and good that thing would be in our lives, and the blessing that it could be to others. We see the end result, or more likely a part of it, but not necessarily the steps that it takes to get there. We tend to run with this picture, believing that it’s our responsibility to help bring it to pass, just because God said it would. But that’s exactly where we begin to falter.
June 2012, in a little church in Montego Bay, overjoyed at what the Lord is doing in my life, lost in worship and adoration being caught up with my God in heavenly places, in the state of tranquility and bliss oblivious to the world around me… God speaks!
“Come to Jamaica. Build a farm and community center.”
It is in this place of perfect union and harmony with the Holy Spirit, where God washes over us with His glory, that we find our hearts, minds and soul still enough to hear His voice.
Yet it seems like moments after I hear these words, as I begin to ponder the depth of them, as I begin to see the enormity of what they mean, I realize the music has stopped, the pastor is speaking, and I’m back in his earthly realm that is all too familiar. Wondering and awestruck at what I experienced, wishing nothing more than to just go back to the place where I was minutes before. Oh so many questions, but one thing remains… God said!
I’m not going to lie. I don’t want to deceive you into thinking that walking in the wilderness, or in other words choosing to live by faith, is ever going to be easy in the moment. Jesus said that if we want to find life, we have to lose our own. A big part of our wilderness experience comes down to one simple thing… Laying ourselves down. Our will, our pride, our religion, our way of thinking that we know exactly the right way to bring God’s plans to fruition. The death of our flesh must come, for Paul points out that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God(1 Cor 15:50). That death will come one way or another. Either through the physical death of our mortal bodies, or the spiritual death that comes through baptism and our willingness to lay our lives down, putting God’s will first in all things.
The more willing we are to allow God to crucify our flesh, the faster the less painful that death will be. At the end of the day, it is still the dying of ourselves, and with that comes pain, suffering and persecution. But at the end of it all, comes peace and joy unspeakable along with a trust and knowing of our heavenly father which is a far greater reward then the temporary pain which we must endure for time.
So whats next. We’ve heard God say something to us, that causes us to believe. That causes faith to rise up within us… What now?
The Challenge….the testing of our faith.
In the next post I’ll talk about this challenge we face. The wilderness has a part to play in our walk with the Lord. It is in this place, where the enemy challenges us, whether we will believe. Whether the seed that God planted in our heart will take root or will it simply wither and die. Stay tuned.
