As you may have seen in my most recent YouTube video (and if you didn't see it, you can catch it here), I have been hearing the words "Next Level" from Holy Spirit lately. But how in the world do you go to the next level with God? And what the heck does "next level" mean, anyway?
There is this falsehood that floats around that tells Christians that once you accept Christ, immediately everything should change. Stop that lifelong smoking habit. Know all the Bible verses. The great, godly quotes of C.H. Spurgeon will fill your head for spouting out of your mouth as you see fit. Surely you will be randomly telling them to all the ladies shopping in the produce aisle. Great biblical truth will emanate from you wherever you might go.
Ahem. Come back to reality, beautiful ones.
Although we've all heard the amazing stories of salvation in which someone accepts Christ and their life changes radically--drugs thrown out the door, porn set on fire, shady friends cast to the curb (or brought to Christ themselves)--the reality is often much different. Those stories are awesome, and I don't doubt that they are truthful. But that doesn't mean that God always works in that manner. And even those people still have work to do in their walk with God.
Instead of being immediate perfection, salvation begins a process in which we spend our entire lives working to become more like Christ. Example: A man who was newly saved was flabbergasted to learn that it was sin to live with his girlfriend when they were unmarried. He had never read his Bible before (and certainly didn't read it in a day after being saved) and literally had no idea until it was brought to his attention. Not only is this a true story, it's the perfect example of what the process of walking with God looks like. We learn more and more, and therefore we change and grow. That growth leads to higher and higher levels of walking with God.
Growth is emphasized all throughout the Bible. 2nd Peter 3:18 tells us to "grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." Hebrews speaks extensively of growing in the Lord, rather than remaining as babies (Heb. 5:12-14). God clearly does not expect an immediate rocket launch to levels of previously unknown perfection as soon as the prayer of salvation exits one's lips. It's a process. So how do we go to those next levels?
First things first, we practice obedience. James reminds us that it is not an admirable trait to listen to the word without doing what it says (James 1:22). This is because Jesus said that the evidence of our love for Him is to obey His teaching (John 14:23). If you're wanting to go deeper with God or have Him move you on to the next thing He has for you, obedience has to be in order first. Psalm 128:1 says, "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him." If you have something big you're moving towards in your life, start with obedience first.
So what else is there? As I was reading through the Psalms I came upon Psalm 11 and some really awesome guidance. Let's travel there, shall we? Psalm 11:5 ESV.
5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
When reading this verse, I immediately noticed a contrast that is a bit unusual. Since when is "test" the opposite of "hate"? The Lord "tests" the righteous, but He "hates" the wicked. I asked myself, shouldn't the word that opposes "hate" be "love"? Why doesn't the Lord "love" the righteous here?
Off to the Hebrew to inspect.
In Hebrew, the word for "hates" in Psalm 11:5 is śānē. It indicates exactly what one expects hate to be; a deep dislike for ones foes or enemies. Now, the word for "tests" is bāḥan, which indicates an investigation, a examination, a proving. It also means trying as one tries gold or other precious metals. Gold has long been the status symbol of power, immortality and wealth. However, at one time you could not simply walk into Kay Jewelers and trust that the gold in your hand was real or wasn't mixed with lesser metals. Instead, there had to be a way to test it. This method, made to test the authenticity of gold, is called Fire Assaying, a process that involves firing the gold to ultimately separate other, lesser metals that don't belong and determine the weight of the gold.
The word that God uses in v. 5 to speak of how He tests believers by fire to examine if they are carrying their weight in the kingdom. He tests them to see what parts are not portions of the precious metal that is intended to be left behind. So amazing!
So what does this mean? God is loving His righteous children through His examination of us! It means that when God examines you, oh precious gold, He's going to test you by fire and draw out those things that don't belong. Before you can go to the next level with the Lord, the Holy Spirit is going to draw some things to your attention that you need to work on or eradicate from your walk with God. What kinds of things? Maybe you have jealousy that needs to be dealt with, or an area of bitterness. Maybe there is sin in your life, or you have a fruit of the Spirit that God needs you to have firmly established in the coming season. No matter what it is, Holy Spirit will let you know.
These processes are never fun, but they are detrimental to our growth with the Lord. Who wants to be told they have to work on themselves?! But to go forward into the next season or to the "Next Level" that God is calling you to, you have to be willing to put in the work. Start by being obedient, and open your heart to allow God to test you, calling attention to those things you need to work on to fully prepared and ready to serve to your greatest capacity in the next season.
I pray that this post was a blessing to you as you go forward in your week. Don't forget--if you are needing a speaker for an event, I'd love to give a message! Fill out my form on the website or PM me on the Beautifully Unbroken FB page!
Wishing you all God's love and smiles, beautiful ones!