February 16, 2010 THE INSPIRATION OF SPIRITUAL INITIATIVE

for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.” (Ephesians 5:14)

How often have we sat simply waiting for God to act? We feel God’s call in this area or that, but we sit and wait for God to start the thing supernaturally. This isn’t the way God works much of the time. This verse says “rise up and Christ will give you light.” The light will come, but you first must rise up to receive it. Chambers says:
God does not give us the overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says – “Arise from the dead,” we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand – “Stretch forth thy hand,” and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative.

Our action is an act of faith. We start the thing and allow God to empower us. But we must start – we must act. When our action is God inspired, the sky is the limit as to where it might lead. We must keep in mind that God can do ANYTHING and when he is leading us in a direction and we should not - cannot -put limitations on where he might take us. Before he take us anywhere, though, we must first be willing to “stretch forth our hand” so to speak and allow God to empower our initiative.