Stand up and recieve!

God wants you to get your feet wet. Take a little toe and just dip it in the water, feel how "the water is just fine". God never said to Joshua "Hey Josh, let me tell you what, you want to go into the promised land?" Josh says "Oh yeah Lord" and did the Lord say "well, just pull out the lawn chairs, kick back relax here next to the Jordan and wait for the water to dry up", where would the miracle be in that? How could anyone ever say "I have seen the miracle working power of God" when they were kicked back on lawn chairs next to the brink of the Jordan, sipping on lemonade, waiting for a miracle? What warriors would do that? I can say that I have seen, felt, experienced, and witnessed in others the miracle working power of God because our feet were wet.
  In Joshua 3 the Lord said "Now these priests have got to place their feet in the Jordan and then the waters will part" They had to get out there! You see how it should be? "We worked a miracle, hand i hand with our God!" now it can be reproduced. Reproduction of God's will can never be reproduced in you until you first walk in obedience. The miracles can never happen for you, and you can not experience the blessings of intimacy with the Father until you first learn to be obedient.
  Ephesians 1:4- "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,". You can read on if you like, but what the Lord is trying to get across to us, "You do not have to love me any more. You can not. I want to love you more! Come close to me, be obedient and come close to me, I got all this love for you and I want to pour it out on you". We keep trying to love Him more, there are conferences and books "How to love God more" there are sermons in multitide and teachings in quantums on this subject. The whole point of God's love, is that we can not love Him enough. We re not in ourselves the source of love, we are not God's love, we represent God's love. It was a relief to me when I first heard that! How many times have you agonized over how you don't think you love God enough? And you prayed and you fasted and you cried out and He taught you to love Him. How did He do that? He didn't say "Ok now if you act like you love me, then you love me" no, it says "before Him in love".
  Have you ever been to court? Or watched court television shows? What happens? You stand before a judge and receive your sentence or you get justice, that is what happens, you get what you deserve, or you make sure someone else gets what they deserve. We can now go to John 3:16. Look at this in a new light, stop looking at it the way you used to, trust me there is a mindset there that needs to be changed. God could have judged us Gentiles and non-Gentiles ALL GUILTY. But He didn't, He can not deny Himself. You can read that in 1 Timothy, "He is faithful for He can not deny Himself". God is love, you have heard that you have heard song after song about it. But how has it made you feel? Are you left in the dark? Are you saying you are blessed when in actuality you can not see anything to be so happy about? "Before Him in love" God's judgement on us was love. He poured HIS love out on us, we can only return it to Him. God is the source of love, so if we stand before Him it is to receive that love, that is His judgement.
  Why have we received such harsh treatment in life? Why are there still people who call themselves "agnostic"? Maybe it is because they have not met you. That's right, we all say "they just need Jesus" and take a look at yourself. You and I , we are Jesus! OH no that is not blasphemy, look at Galatians 4:19. Remember when Jesus said "no one who has a lamp hides it in under a shade so no one can see it? Let your light shine out to all of man." Jesus also said " I am the light of the world". In the world, what is in us can not be seen except with an x-ray. We could look for a little statue, or an apparition of the face of Jesus in out rib cage, but that is not what Paul meant in Galatians 4:19. If Christ is formed in you, it is so that He can be reproduced in others. We are Christ. I don't care how you want to word that so you are comfortable with it, but that is Who you are here, whether or not you like it. You are Christ. God has always chosen to use man as His vessels. He says "get your feet wet, then you can cross" some were chosen for the fire, some were tortured and stoned (with rocks get your head out of the gutter) and some were crucified and imprisoned because of the gospel.
  We should be ashamed. We do not have to do that so we can "love Him more" there is no "I need to love Him more" we need to let Him love us more. I go back to my statement, that is why there are so many agnostics in this world who have still not come to terms with their salvation. There will be no comfort there because it is not about being comfortable, it is not about rationalizing or domesticating or digesting it. There is not bodily function for it. There is no proper interpretation that can bring you closer. A book can inspire you, this blog entry can inspire you, but it is not the source. Have you read "Purpose Driven life"? ok then you should tell me about it, I'm sure it's good. But I know my purpose regardless of whether or not I read that book, who showed me my purpose? "I found that out when I put my feet in the water" oh Jesus. He is all over that, that is what you should be saying. Stop saying "I need to find my purpose" and you can say " I found out when I put my feet on the water"OH Jesus. You got out of the boat and you looked into your Saviors eyes and you knew, you just knew that was it for you. There is no turning back this time, not this time. Maybe Peter had to turn back, but you don't have to! Listen don't read that story as "oh my, if I get out of the boat and onto the water, I am just going to fail like Peter did, so why bother?" NO that is not what you should be saying! You should be rejoicing because you know that Jesus died so that you could RUN on the water, you can DANCE on the water! "OH Lord if that is You! I want to get out of this boat and go dancing with You on that water, I want to go NOW" . It is time. Get your feet wet, testify how the waters were parted. Testify how He loves you so much that even though these trials are constantly coming at you, you know that there is breakthrough afterwards. There is nothing more discouraging to the others around you than to hear you say "Man, I am just going through it" all mopping around sad and angry and hurt because you are learning something. Pick you head up and hold it high! Keep your eyes upon the sky! Oh Jesus, we need to get our feet wet.

That water will never part until you stand up and receive! Throw the lawn chairs away, take off the blindfold and say to the water "Stand up so I can receive!"

Jesus Reigns.