Building Equity

Recently I went to my aesthetician for a facial. While she was working me over, she confessed, “I just think there has to be more to life. There has to be more than just going to work, paying bills, and living day after day.”  I couldn’t get her words out of my head. I realized that she had no equity in the Spirit. She was bankrupt.

I am afraid that many Christians feel the same way, though. They do the religious tasks…attending church, serving at church, tithing, living a good life, kind to others, but still feel they are missing something. They are missing His power in their lives.

There really is no trick to this. If you seek Him, you WILL find Him. That is the promise and God doesn’t lie. He is always true to his character.  He wants to have a relationship with us more than we want it with him. He paid a high price to obtain it. He deposited equity to make restitution with man and build relationship with us. God isn’t playing hide and seek.  He isn’t trying to make this difficult. We just have to be willing to do it His way.

You see, unlike the childhood hide-and -seek game, Jesus wants to be found. He says, “Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things that you know not.” (Jeremah 33:3) We are called to be like little children. Little children follow. They follow their parents when they are in public. They follow their parents’ influence. They follow their parents’ wisdom and direction. We just need to follow the Lord’s guidance in our search for more meaning, because the Holy Spirit is not a follower. He is a leader. He leads.

When we follow His lead, we get results.

Holiness is found in separation. God calls us to separate ourselves from the loves of this world to seek Him, and to seek Him with all of our heart. What does this look like?

For me, God has called me to separate myself from all the time demanding distractions that take up my life and to focus on building equity in the kingdom. (You see, this world really isn’t my home.) I have many interests, and talents, if you will. But for one year He has called me to lay aside the things I love to do to make time and space to seek Him. I have been so hungry for more of God for several years and completely frustrated that my thirst cannot be quenched for him. But my schedule was always full blown…never stopping…doing kind and wonderful things, some even in ministry efforts. I answered his call by laying aside my efforts to promote my books, to paint, to quilt and to speak to women in a refuge shelter. That may sound silly….stop teaching to women in a shelter?

I decided to abandon those personal interests and ambitions and completely surrendered my schedule to the Lord. I trusted that He, in turn, would give me more to be able to pour out to women in ways I cannot imagine. It was a faith act. Two months in, I am hooked! I have grown so much in the Lord! Things are falling in place as I seek Him. I have more peace and joy. I am hearing His precious voice without a doubt. I have had visions and prophecies spoken over me. I am awakened in the middle of the night to pray…sometimes for hours. He gives me one small whisper of a thought, and as I am obedient to write it down, He gives me a whole devotion. This one came at 10:30 PM after already going to bed. I got up to write it, as I don’t want to grieve the Spirit. I may not remember all He is telling me by morning. He is giving me more insight into the Word unlike anything else I have known. I feel His presence, His anointing, as I make deposits in the Spirit like never before.

We make all kinds of sacrifices in the natural to obtain various goals: college degrees, business adventures, financial investments. These things will pass away. We build equity in personal relationships by devoting time to the one we love. The kingdom of God is no different. It demands a sacrifice and surrender. “Seek me first and all these things will be added unto you.” Matt 6:33

There really is no trick or anything mystical about it. Just do what the book says. Surrender is the key. Seek Him. Wait on Him. Listen for the whispers. Get on your knees and cry out for Him. Soak in the Book of Life.

My personal challenge from the Lord was to give Him one year to seek Him in this way and see how He changes my life. I agreed to go ALL IN. What about you?

"He who sows to the Spirit, reaps of the Spirit.” Galatians 6:8