DAY 11
The Price of Going Higher
| READ Revelation 4:1 |
DEVOTIONAL
One lesson becomes clear throughout the Scriptures. Every major revelation happened on a mountain. Noah's ark rested upon a mountain. Abraham met Jehovah-Jireh on Mount Moriah. Moses received the Law on Sinai. Elijah encountered God on Horeb. Jesus was transfigured upon a mountain. The disciples received the Great Commission from a mountain. Mountains represent places of separation. Places where earthly noise becomes quiet enough for heaven's voice to be heard. God has always called His people away before He sends them back. Before public ministry comes private consecration. Before authority comes surrender.
Before influence comes intimacy. The mountain is where heaven prepares earth's ambassadors. Every ascent demands something. Mountain climbing is never convenient. The higher one climbs, the thinner the air becomes. The journey becomes more demanding. The climb requires endurance. The same is true spiritually. Going deeper with God requires leaving certain things behind. You cannot carry every weight into higher dimensions. Some believers want greater revelation while refusing greater surrender. Others desire greater anointing without deeper obedience. It does not work that way. Every new level of intimacy requires fresh consecration.
The higher God takes you, the less room there is for pride. The less tolerance there is for compromise. The less attraction there is to worldly applause. Those who dwell nearest to God become increasingly aware of their dependence upon Him. The closer Isaiah came to God's throne, the less impressed he became with himself. Instead, he cried, "Woe is me..." True encounters with God always produce humility.
REFLECT
1. Where is the Holy Spirit inviting you to accept the surrender required to go higher?
2. What is one response you can make today rather than postponing?
PRAY
Father, give me grace to embrace the surrender required to go higher with You. Show me every weight, compromise, pride, and attachment that must be laid down, and make me willing to obey without reservation. As You draw me deeper, clothe me with humility and consecrate my life more fully to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
PRACTICE
Set aside 10-15 unhurried minutes today. Ask God to help you accept the surrender required to go higher. Write down one truth to carry and one concrete act of obedience.
JOURNAL
What is God highlighting to me today?