“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (I Corinthians 2:9-10).
“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him” (Daniel 2:20-22).
If you want the deep and secret things of God, you can get them no other way than to go to God. God and man have this in common that they like to tell secrets. Men often tell secrets that destroy the character of people and bring destruction to their lives. God tells secrets about Himself to those who want to hear them. Oh, how He is looking for those He can tell His secrets too.
A favorite hymn we sing at our church is called, Higher Ground. Here are the words to the chorus of the song:
“Lord lift me up, and let me stand, by faith on heavens table land.
A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
If anyone would care to ask me what I think seems to be one of the things most lacking in the church in America, I would say it is the lack of desire amongst Christians to walk on higher ground with God. There is a lack of desire for the deeper experience with God. Before my youngest son, Aaron, experienced a powerful revival in his life, we would have little discussions about the current methods that were being used to attract people to church. I told him that I thought many of the common strategies the church used to attract people were worldly. No doubt some, if not many churches, have pure motives in using worldly attractions to try to draw people into the church. They do it with hope that those who were drawn to the church would get saved thru the preaching of the gospel. I hope those churches do preach the true gospel.
There are churches who have lost sight of their reason to exist and think their main objective is to fill all the pews, whether it is with Christians or not. It has always been hard for me to understand how using the world to attract the world will somehow result in people becoming spiritual and heavenly. It still is true, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:8). Any real work of God has to be of and by the Spirit of God. Anyway, one day while Aaron and I were again having a talk about churches using worldly attractions to draw people, he asked me, “But Dad, isn’t it all about souls?” I said back to him, “No Aaron, church is for Christians to be challenged to go deep in Christ.” I still see it that way today. Let me clarify that I do believe we are to preach to the lost and see souls saved. This is the work and mission the church is called to do. Imagine how effective the church would be in her mission if her members had deep experiences with God.
Where are those who have a deep love for God and want to have their feet planted on higher ground with Him? Where are those believers who will lay down everything for the high call of pursuing Christ? Why is it that a believer will sacrifice much to gain many material things, but will sacrifice very little to gain more of God? Why is it that believers will pursue the many opportunities this world offers them, but have very little interest in pursuing a deeper experience with God? Paul wrote his epistle to the Philippians in the later years of his life. He wrote it sometime around the early sixties AD. This great man of God, who we all know had great revelations from God, wrote in that epistle, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). The word “press” means to pursue. So here is a man who knew God like few ever have, and yet he is saying I am still in pursuit of my God. Paul definitely was a man who desired a deeper experience with God.
Today you find those who pursue salvation and receive it, but then they quickly put that salvation off to the side because of the inconvenience it is. Instead they settle for fulfilling a little, but not too much, religious obligation. Of course, they still want salvation at the end. You will even find those who pursue the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but when they receive the infilling and speak in tongues once, they just go back to customary religious duties at church. Those who desire the deeper experience with God never quit their pursuit of God. Though they may be filled with the Spirit, they are daily asking for a fresh filling. They don’t view salvation so much as a way to get into heaven, but as the right and privilege to draw close to the Father.
The person who finds himself content to live at a low level mediocre Christianity will never find himself content with his God nor anything else in life. The believer who is in constant pursuit of God, though it may seem that they are not content because they always want more of Him, will find themselves the most content. Not just with God, but with everything in life.
I am sure that some of you readers may have had the thought, just as I have, that those who seek to achieve a deeper experience with God are opening themselves up to pride. Isn’t that what brought Lucifer down to his dark kingdom? We learn from Paul, who had such a high experience with God that a messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him. “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (II Corinthians 12:7). Be confident that God has ways to keep us humble. Seek God with all your heart and then trust God to keep you humble. At times you may not like the way He keeps you humble, but you must be willing.
It is in that higher place in God that you will grow more familiar to the voice of God. It is in that higher plane with God that you will learn the perfect will of God. It is in that deeper walk with God that you will have no problem letting go of everything that hinders your relationship with God. If your mind is made up to just live a low level, just get through another day Christianity, your life will be something less than exhilarating. Will you sing with me?
“Lord lift me up, and let me stand, by faith on Heavens table land.
A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”