On the Verge, or afraid to Merge?
(1 Peter 2:9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
Each morning I drive to work, and along my journey two highways intersect, and we the driver, are channeled through what is known as a “merge lane”. Now, this sounds as simple as it’s aptly named, all one must do is merge. However, invariably there in the lane made for the “merge” is someone STOPPED, yes that’s right someone is STOPPED IN THE MERGE LANE, their blinker is racing treating the merge lane, like a stop sign or a point in which to yield …
Don’t they get it? They’re not supposed to be stopped, waiting, or yielding!!! They are supposed to MERGE!!!
“PUNCH THE GAS LADY, AND MERGE!” I think to myself or vocalize in the privacy of my automobile…
What keeps people from merging?
Are the insecure?
Do they not feel it’s safe?
Do they not feel ready to do so?
Well there’s a lesson here for sure! I think in some ways it is what keeps us from victory, destiny and purpose… For we are either on the verge, or we’re afraid to merge.
What keeps us from traveling roads that we so desire to travel, from taking land that we want to take…
What keeps us from victory? What keeps us from a breakthrough, from a revival, from a real move of God? What holds us back?
Well, one thing I am certain of is it cannot be God. For through the ages since the dawn of creation it is easy to see from all the work the Lord has invested in us, His creation that God wants to move!
1) God desires to perform His work with us, not without us!
From the Tabernacle, to the cross, from the resurrection to the ascension, from Pentecost to the living Word! We have witnessed a God, who desires to move among us, His people. He desires to interact, and empower you and me, so that we can do great things!
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, prophesied in Joel, poured out in the upper room, manifest in millions of believers all over the world since the day of Pentecost is proof that God desires to work through us, and has made the provision to do so!
In fact Jesus stated the same anointing that was on Him is going to be on you and I, and as many as the Lord our God shall call. That is proof that God desires to work among us
From the men such as Abraham, Moses, Noah, to men like Peter, Paul and Silas, it is clear and evident that the desire of God is to empower His people for service.
Remember God said you shall be endued with power from on high and you shall be witnesses unto me… to the uttermost parts of the earth!
It was God who said
(Jeremiah 29:11) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Why however do we still seem to be in such lack, regarding a move of God?
Why are our altars not overwhelmed?
Why are our pews not crowded?
Why are we not making more noise in our city?
Well Consider the apprehension of humanity.
2) Because the typical first response of the prophet is to run from the call of God.
In every move of God, God had to deal with “apprehension” and that in one of two forms:
1) laziness or 2) insecurity..
I am sure there’s a more eloquent way of wording this, but by and by, these two road blocks are the biggest obstacles.
Consider the all great bible hero’s!
Gideon, the valiant warrior who fought with great faith!
Moses, the deliver escorting the Israelites from the clutches of
Peter of whom the first church was lead!
Jonah, the fiery evangelist to
All of them were men of meager means, and lives, all of them ran, before God made them giants.
For seldom does God choose the noblemen of this world to be the leaders of His battalions, it is those of seemingly little consequence that He plucks from the vineyard of normalcy and then ripens them to greatness!
He has used men and woman worse than, less talented than, and more fearful than you and I…
And through them He has
Slain armies
Raised the dead
Through them He has done mighty acts, moved heaven and earth, changed nations and called out a church of every people and tongue! What mighty things God can do through His people!
Christian apprehension for the most part, is due to our lack of confidence in who we are, or what we can be? This is a grave error, one that God often has to correct first, before He can use us, and before he could use the men I just mentioned
We must be forced to see, what God is capable of doing in spite of faults, and shortcomings! A critical lesson is learned.
The weakness of men, platforms the power of God!
(2 Corinthians 12:10) …. for when I am weak, then am I strong.
It is when we are most weak that God can show the greatness of His strength!
It is in that, that we are most inept that sets the stage for the anointing! That platforms a real move of God!
The struggle God had with Moses, Gideon and others is training them not to look to themselves as the answer, the power, or the solution.
We have never been the solution…
We have never been the answer
Jesus is the answer!
Why is that so hard to learn?
Finally
3) We all have that within us that desires to do something great, something special, something noteworthy.
We have falsely labeled that desire as “ambition” and unfortunately, many times, it becomes little more than that.
How sad some settle for mere stardom, fame and fortune. They spend their lives chasing lights, and sound stages… When what waited for them was the real purpose God designed for them. The fire of doing His will.
Some have wasted away, famine’d by the chasing of stardom, and magazine covers… Certainly this sheds new light on why some, who seem to have it all…
Fame
Money
Success
And having attained the dream they become such a mess, doped up, drugged up, depressed, lost and suicidal!
Why?
Because they sought to fulfill the God impregnated desire within them to be something special… by means of worldly treasures.
Their failure to interpret that as worldly gain instead of Godly purpose produced within them despair, feeling unfulfilled, and lost, and many times suicidal…
I promise you God has a plan, and that plan for you was designated before your conception… and nothing will fill that void. Not money, not fame, not notoriety…
So go ahead… man, woman, whomever you are…PUNCH THE GAS AND MERGE!…. Move into the flow of God, get on destiny’s road. There’s a highway or purpose ready for your wheels man, so get the pedal to the metal and start livin the life the Lord has designed!
