KEEP ON SWIMMING.....

" Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in His presence!" Exodus 24:9-11

The Lord calls us to come to the Table to fellowship with Him. The third major setting of PREPARE is the offering. When we come to the Table to be with the Lord, what are we coming with? Where is our heart? Are we ready to listen to His voice or is our mind already made up in regards to the path we are to travel?

When we come and fellowship with the Lord, we need to come with an open heart and soul ready to be taught! Do you ever feel like you are stuck? Many times I feel like I am in quicksand and the more I try to move forward the more I sink into the sand. There is nothing to grab hold of and I sink deeper and deeper. But this week, the Lord has helped me to see that if I want to move forward in PREPARATION for whatever He has for me that I need to agree to be taught instead of wanting to already KNOW. I tend to want to go from A-Z and get to the point I am striving for! Can anyone relate to that? I have a goal and I want to achieve it right now...but God doesn't work that way. He has us on a journey for a reason....to learn and to build our character and most importantly our trust in Him!

2 Timothy 2:1-7 was given to us at the Beth Moore retreat this past weekend. I have been camping on these verses the last few days and this is what the Lord is showing me. First of all, verse 1 is essential to our journey...it says, "be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus".  This verse shows me that I must completely trust in the Lord and stop trying to do things on my own. My strength must come from Him alone. SURRENDER is key as we take this journey along with Christ.  I must trust that through the difficult times that He will give me the strength to pursue until the end. I tend to put the Lord in a box and forget the mighty power that He displays and shares with those who are in Christ.

2 Timothy 2:3-5 states "Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things."

These verses are for our encouragement as we walk along the rocky roads! They call for us to have courage and commitment along our journey with Christ. Christ suffered so much persecution while He lived here on Earth. He was mocked, spit on, beaten, and put to death. He endured through all of it and He challenges us to endure the suffering along with Him. Are you a GOOD SOLDIER of CHRIST JESUS? Do you allow the things of this world to tie you up or drag you down? I know I do...it is a daily struggle to take thoughts captive and not to be engulfed by the world around me! We must remember that He calls us to strip off every weight that slows us down and to run with endurance the race He has PREPARED for us (Hebrews 12:1)!! We need to train hard....each and every day so that we can move forward and get out of the quicksand that pulls us down! Think of the athlete who must train for the big race! It doesn't happen over night! Day in and day out, they must train to build their body up for the big event! Think of the farmer who works each day to prepare for the harvest to come. The farmers work hard for months and continue to work hard even when the weather is not cooperating! Don't you ever feel like the circumstances around you are not cooperating with your plan? How can I endure when the load keeps getting heavier? How can I follow Him when the world keeps getting in the way?

He calls us to be patient. He calls us to endure. He calls us to be prepared! How can we become prepared? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong with our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. GOD USES IT TO PREPARE AND TO EQUIP HIS PEOPLE TO DO EVERY GOOD WORK."

God uses His word to prepare us! We must have an ACTIVE, ONGOING relationship with God in order to fulfill the purpose He has PREPARED for us!! Do you remember our first statement? "God has a gorgeous preoccupation with preparation!" He has PREPARED works for us to accomplish! In order for us to recognize the Spirit, we must be prepared to hear from Him and we must be actively pursuing Him each day.

.......keep on swimming!