Recently at church we went through a series called "HNL--Taking life to a Ho Nutha Level". It was both a huge encouragement and at the same time a huge challenge to examine areas of my life that I needed to step up in. This last week in my quiet time I was reading, yes again, in My Utmost for His Highest. Chambers was talking about "Vision by Personal Character". I would like to share his entry for that day:
An elevated mood can only come out of an elevated habit of personal character. If in the externals of your life you live up to the highest you know, God will continually say--"Friend, go up higher." The golden rule in temptation is--Go higher. When you get higher up, you face other temptations and characteristics. Satan uses the strategy of elevation in temptation, and God does the same, but the effect is different. When the devil puts you into an elevated place, he makes you screw your idea of holiness beyond what flesh and blood could ever bear, it is a spiritual acrobatic performance, you are just poised and dare not move; but when God elevates you by His grace into the heavenly places, instead of finding a pinnacle to cling to, you find a great table-land where it is easy to move.
Compare this week in your spiritual history with the same week last year and see how God has called you up higher. We have all been brought to see from a higher standpoint. Never let God give you one point of truth which you do not instantly live up to. Always work it out, keep in the light of it.
Growth in grace is measured not by the fact that you have not gone back, but that you have had an insight into where you are spiritually; you have heard God say, "Come up higher," not to you personally, but to the insight of your character.
"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?" God has to hide from us what He does until by personal character we get to the place where He can reveal it.
Are we really at a higher level than we were last year? Some areas of my life I can readily say, "Yes". Other areas I would have to admit, I'm not as far along as I would like. My prayer for you, would be that you would allow these words to move you back to the most important words found in the Bible, that give true direction, peace, encouragement and ultimately eternal grace found in Christ.
