Into the Deep
Ezekiel 47:1-12 (NLT)
1 In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. 2 The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.
3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
6 He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. 8 Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. 9 There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean. 11 But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”
My pastor recently talked about going deeper with God. It made me think about what kind of Christian I am and what I should be.
Ankle Deep Christians
These are Christians that are very carnal and live their lives to please themselves, man and the world. There is no real substance to their faith. I am not even sure if they are Christians.
Knee Deep Christians
This is where MOST of today’s Christians hang out. These are Christians that go to church semi-regularly. However, they do not take the time to build relationships, get involved, or read the Word regularly. They have some convictions, but life more fleshly lives than they should.
Waist Deep Christians
This is where I have been wading for years! :(
Even though most Christians never even get waist deep, this is the most dangerous place to be in my opinion. We can get “comfortable” here. They love God and try to do what they think is right. They go to church regularly. They read their Bible semi-regularly. They most likely tithe. They get involved. They have strong accountability and relationships. However, they are not effective. They do all the right things and go to all the right events. However, there is no REAL power in their lives. There is no overcoming. There may be a lot of clichés, but there are no real victories happening in their lives.
The danger here is the comfort and the thought that we are doing it all right. We are doing all the things a “good Christian” should be doing.
Into the Deep
This is where I want to be. Where I am aiming to be. This is where you can no longer walk. You are no longer in control of what is happening. You are at the mercy of the waves. You are totally IN the Lord’s grip. You have totally and completely turned over your entire life and will to Home and are willing to go, do, say, and be whatever He asks. NO matter what it is.
I believe most of us will never get there. NOT because we can’t, but because we won’t. We are afraid of the deep. We are afraid to lose “ourselves.” Think about it though…Whatever God would want to do with your life…Don’t you think HE will do it better than you EVER could???
God has a plan for each of His precious children’s lives. A plan that most of us never fulfill to its full potential. We allow the enemy and disappointments of life to keep us at the shore.
Why?
What are we gaining at the shore?
There is fullness, joy, power, protection, love, provision, hope, newness, and SO much more for us in the deep.
Will you go deeper with God?
Let’s Pray;
Daddy God, forgive me for getting comfortable where I am as a Christian, Forgive me for keeping my eye on the shore. Help me to face the deep and jump in wholeheartedly! Teach me how to be a deep diver. Teach me how to let go and give you complete control of my WHOLE life. I love you Lord, and I want all not some ALL that you have for me! Thank You for loving me! In Jesus Might Name, Amen!
For Further Study and Application
Dig Deeper
The first thing I want you to do is pray and give you life and will completely to God. Then make a commitment to know Him better by studying His Word daily. YES, daily! NOTHING is more important that the time you get to spend with your Daddy God Who love you more than ANYONE ever could!
Scripture Study:
I normally would give you a bunch of Scriptures to study. However, YOU should dig deeper! Find Scriptures that talk about those who have walked closely with God…Abraham, David, etc.
Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved
Note: All Scripture references were from the Amplified Translation