Get Ready

Exodus 34:^5-6,8 “Then the Lord came down in a cloud… and he called out his own name, Yahweh… The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped”

We will pick up today’s devotional from where we left off yesterday which is our fourth lesson from Exodus 19 and it is LOOK IN – Prepare Yourself SPIRITUALLY. And you do this by doing three things. First, Set aside TIME. Set aside time to be quiet, look inward, and focus on God alone. Second, Take INVENTORY. Where are you in your relationship with Jesus right now? Unto yourself be true. Get realigned spiritually. The third thing you need to do when you look inward is, Pray DILIGENTLY. You need to pray diligently.

Deuteronomy 4:⁷ “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (NIV). Beautiful! Nothing draws our heart to God like prayer, nothing! Nothing removes the spiritual obstacles and roadblocks that you have in your life like prayer. Nothing reignites your love for Jesus like prayer. Whenever you pray to God, He is near you. As we press on to higher grounds, our first lesson from Exodus 19 is to look back and remember God’s faithfulness. Our second lesson is to look ahead and celebrate our future. Our third lesson is to look around and commit with the community. Our fourth lesson is to look in and prepare ourselves spiritually.

#5. LOOK UP – Get Ready For A GOD ENCOUNTER. As you press forward in this season, you need to look up and be expectant. The truth is that the most rewarding life altering encounters with God often requires you to leave your routines, leave your comfort, and leave the familiar. Miracles happen outside of your comfort zone. As you expect God to step into your situation, you must be ready to break your routine, leave your comfort zone, and step out of the familiar. You have to be ready to step on the waters, as it were, spiritually. And like Peter, say to the Lord, ‘If it is You bid me to come walking on water’. And He will respond, ‘It is me, come!’ And when God comes, we are in awe of Him. We are in awe of all He does. We are in awe of His presence.

Exodus 20:¹⁸ “When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.” When God comes down, it seems like the only real appropriate response is humble adoration and humble reverence. When God shows up, the only thing we can do is bow and worship.

Prayer (song): Bow down and worship Him (x2). Worship Him, oh worship Him! Consuming fire, sweet perfume. His awesome Presence fills this place. For this is Holy ground. So come let’s bow down. Amen!