GOING TO A DEEPER LEVEL #5

Listen, O coastlands, to me and take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called me from the womb;From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me. Isaiah 49:1-2 (NKJV)


CHARACTER VERSUS ANOINTING
Character versus anointing is about avoiding the comfortability factor and continuously stretching yourself and sharpening your character so you can be a complete product of God’s grace.

Resting and relying on anointing from God without sharpening your character can lead to a very mundane existence that becomes samey and repetitive.

But when we mix Gods anointing in with our constant sharpening and building of our character we will be in for a very exciting journey indeed!!!

DON’T BECOME THE FROG IN THE POT
When a frog is thrown into a boiling pot they will jump straight out but if you place the frog in cool water and gradually turn up the heat then the frog generally will not move until it’s too late and dies.

We can relate this picture to our own lives as we rediscover the urgency we must demonstrate in being in tune with the things of God in our world. Otherwise, just like the frog, we become complacent in our own boiling pots.

The challenge during this time of consecration is to reignite our passion to want to embrace the things of God and become more in tune with the environment in which we live in so when the pressure cooker is turned up and the pot begins to boil, we can sense what is happening in our world and take fast evasive action and be rulers in our environment rather than be dictated to by the boiling pot.

BECOME A COMPLETE ARROW
Israel challenges us not just to focus on the arrowhead which he equates to the more material things like looks, ability, talent and results, but to continuously work on straightening our shafts, the part that is connected to the arrowhead, and represents our character.

We need to be a people, constantly sharpening our characters, and forever asking God for His grace to be very real in our lives. We do things wrong, we make mistakes, BUT GOD... His grace comes and we maintain solid character by constantly seeking more of Him.

THE KEY TO DEVELOPING STRONG CHARACTER IS TO CONFESS...
The thing of which I am part... Is greater than the part I play...