The Deep Work – Week Four

I was sitting in a crowded airport, entertaining myself during a long layover, when I read these words. Words that cut through the noise and met me right where I was. Words that seemed to reverberate through my soul. “Pretending was safer than honesty and vulnerability… I was stuck at an immature level of spiritual and emotional development. And my then-present way of living the Christian life was not transforming the deep places of my life.” (Peter Scazzero – Emotionally Healthy Spirituality)

I knew in that moment, God wanted more. Not more acts of service, not more money, not more performance. He wanted more of me. He wanted honesty. He wanted vulnerability. He wanted spiritual maturity. He wanted to transform the deep places.

Now that it had been pointed out so clearly, I had a choice to make. Would I let the Holy Spirit take me to the next level or would I continue in the current cycle of chaos? A cycle that had me running from thing to thing, seeking affirmation, and trying to impress both man and God.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love God. It wasn’t that I had forgotten Him. It wasn’t that I had turned away. It was that God was inviting me deeper. It was time to clean up the mess, examine my thinking, change my heart, and honestly evaluate my soul.

In one of his letters, Paul challenges the church, “to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” (I Thessalonians 4:1 NASB) I find this wording so interesting. It is as if Paul is telling them – you are headed in the right direction, but you’re not there yet.

I wonder if Paul were to watch you and me what he would say. Maybe it would be very similar. Maybe he would see how you seek God, desire to please Him, and follow His path. Maybe he would observe that even though you are making progress, there is still room for improvement. Maybe he would say – you are doing well but God wants more.

If you keep reading, Paul expounds his thoughts, “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.” (I Thessalonians 4:7-8)

Wow! Did you catch that? If I am not becoming more like God, it is the same thing as rejecting God. When Jesus left earth, He gave us a gift – the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our Helper – revealing God’s way to us, helping us grow, empowering us to become more like Jesus. So when we stop listening to the Holy Spirit, we are rejecting the very gift that Jesus gave us.

In another place, the Bible says it this way, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14) Walking with God takes intentionality. Becoming like Him is something we have to seek after. Yet, I often fool myself into thinking I am okay, that because I love God and am serving Him that means I am in a good place. I get too comfortable. I stop growing. I forget that the goal is not to be good – the goal is to know Jesus. Can you relate?

When we stop growing, learning, and listening; we are in trouble.

When we make excuses or place blame on others, we are in trouble.

When we ignore the promptings of God, we are in trouble.

When our outside actions make us appear better than we really are, we are in trouble.

Today, God is calling each of us to go deeper. He is inviting us to love Him more, to shine His love to others, to grow and mature. And He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us along the way, to shine a light into the deep places of our soul, to reveal our shortcomings, to heal our pain, and make us more and more like Jesus.