ISAIAH 55:8 - "Reaching Higher"

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8) (I think I might be half way done; but that is up to God.) Can you see yet what I am talking about? The word Prodigal means 'wasteful'; so what did that son waste? Do you think it was money or earthly wealth? No!!! He wasted his Spiritual inheritance on earthly things! What that means is that he took the things of the Spirit, and then went out into the world; but not for ministry, but instead to live as he chose to live; all the while, spending that which was meant to be used for ministry, to instead satisfy himself. He used those things which God had gifted him with and the Spirit that God had put into his life, for this world, which will all be burnt up; instead of being focused on serving in His Father's house, he focused on the world. Do you see, or not see what I am saying? Okay then, let me try and break it up. The Holy Spirit which was promised and that we did receive, is to be used for the ministry; He is our power to portray Jesus to a fallen world. No matter what capacity you are serving in, even if that is washing toilets, unless you live alone on a island, your life in Christ matters for the Kingdom of God. There are people dieing and going to hell, and they are in your life; maybe even in your home; and what they need to see is Jesus; they need Hope! Not the hope the world gives, but the Hope that is in Heaven; they need to be able to read that Hope from your life, because chances are they won't be reading it from the Bible. This could not be any plainer to see; but it is hard to see! What the heck does that mean??? Well, in order to see what it is that I am talking about, you must be yielded to the Holy Spirit, and then God's Spirit will reveal it to you; you will not be able to see what I am saying by viewing it through the flesh; it will only be apparent from the Spirit. When Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth", He was not speaking in general; He was stating a fact, (for you in Shasta Lake, that means what He said was Really True). Now, I want to show you something that God has let me see. The higher you get in ministry, the more intense the battle becomes; Why is that? I believe the main reason is that the higher you get, the more isolated you become. It is really like that in all walks of life, especially if you are really serious about what it is that you do. Remember that canyon wall? Well God has given me another glimpse of this vision; this time the scene was different; this time it was a view of a servant, like a pastor; and he was there standing alone. He is standing there in this dark canyon, facing a wall of a cliff. This cliff is high, so high that you can not see the top; and it is wide, to wide to see from end to end. Within the wall of the cliff are clefts or caves, which may be used for hiding or shelter. Our servant is yielding a Sword, and standing there in desperation, and in a battle stance, and facing the cliff, with his back to a valley of darkness behind him. In that darkness behind him, is a roar of a lion; a lion that is roaming up and down that canyon from the valley behind; wanting to find who it is that he will devour next. Have you ever been within 20 foot of a full grown lion? I was last week at the San Diego Zoo; they are big, really big; and I don't think I would want to fight one any time soon. Remember what that cliff wall represents, the path to destruction; it is far and wide. There are three things that must be on this servants mind: he must ward off that lion; he must find that crack of light; and he must surrender to that light. Then there are those caves or clefts in the wall; what are they? These are temporary hiding places; but the problem with these are that they do not work for his benefit; in fact they will actually hinder the chances of winning this battle. Although they may provide shelter from that roaring lion, they give a false sense of security; and they really make finding that crack impossible, because from that vantage point, you can only really look out into the darkness of the valley, which is where that lion is! O, What is a servant of God to do? I really already said what it was, but this time I will mean it!!! He must use the Word of God to ward off the enemy; while he yields to the Holy Spirit to show him the way towards that crack; and then once the light is visible, he must surrender his life and be transformed into the Light, in order to make it through that crack. But here is a little twist: In order to see clearly what he must surrender of his life, he must first be illuminated by that light of the crack, which then brings him out into the open and he becomes vulnerable, and you know what happens next; time is of the essence...ROAR! "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For our weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)