My best friend is directionally challenged. This is not an official diagnosis, but it has happened so often that even she herself will tell you it’s true. She was driving home from the mall one day and she called me and said, “I am at this toll plaza, can you tell me how to get home?” I smiled and said, “How did you get there from where you were?” She said, “Ummmmm, I don’t know, you know I am not good with directions!”
We laugh about these things to this day, but the truth is, many people are directionally challenged. Some go through their whole life, only to find out they ended up somewhere they never intended to be. For people that choose to reject the truth that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, the only life and the only way to the Father, (John 14:6), this can be an eternal life or death situation. But for others, who already know Jesus, who believe He is their Savior, they are directionally challenged as well and do not even realize it. For them it is a life and death situation as well, not eternal, but rather abundant life or death.
We as Christians are directionally challenged because we have been taught things that are not biblical, but rather preferential. Many sermons are more opinion than they are Scripture and so now we are going in the wrong direction. For people that don’t read their Bible, but rather only listen to what others say about God, struggle with things that are easily rectified, if only they are willing to pull out their GPS (God’s word) and see where they are, where they want to go and how to get there.
It takes humility to stop and read the map, ask for directions or enter in the destination in your GPS. Pride can keep us directionally challenged, but humility can put us on the road that leads to abundant life.
There are many issues we could identify that challenge believers directionally, but today I want to address one that is affecting everyone that comes to church weekly and that is worship. As believers we are directionally challenged in worship and that is why we are saved but not transformed.
Worship is not the warm up for the sermon; it is not to soften our hearts to so we can hear the Word; it is not a time to soak in the presence of God. We are directionally challenged in worship, because we see worship as a time when we want God to come down to us, but worship is when we ascend up to the Lord.
Songs, speakers and teachings tell us to do whatever it takes to get God to come down, but God is calling us to come up. He (Jesus) has already come down and He is not coming down again until He puts His feet on Mount Zion at His second coming, when every eye will see and ear will hear.
Worship is a time for us to give to God; it is a time to be making an offering of songs and ourselves; it is a time for us to ascend the hill of the Lord (Psalm 24:3-5). Worship is our invitation to come up and commune with God in heavenly places. Our transformation is found in ascending the hill of the Lord, not in God descending to us, again. He has already come down and in doing so He made a way for us to come up. But if we come to church wanting Him to come down, we are never going to be transformed.
We are directionally challenged in worship, because we are calling for God to come down and He is waiting for us to come up. Prophetess Maureena Summers said, “God is calling us to come up higher, to the third heaven, to commune with Him.” You can’t go up unless you have something to give and realize you are headed in the wrong direction. Jesus came down, so we can come up and commune with Him. You don’t have to be directionally challenged, for you have a GPS, God’s Word.
Lisa Great is an author, speaker and blogger with Mouthpiece Ministries International. She has been in ministry for over 25 years, she has a BA in Youth and Family Studies, a MA in Education. She can be reached at mouthpieceministries.net,
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