RESPONSE TO A HIGHER CALLING

APRIL 6TH

TEXT: Revelation 4:1-5 King James Version (KJV)
1.   After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me;which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2.   And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3.    And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4.  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5.    And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

No matter how small or insignificant the progress in your walk with God seems, there is a reason to stop and appreciate God that you are not where you use to be.

CONTEMPLATION
An invitation to the court room of any recognized king or the state house of a Nation, often causes some excitement mixed with anxiety for any first timer. This describes my own experience and initial reaction as I prepared to lead the opening worship during my first visit to Aso Rock(the state house of Nigeria). It was the dedication ceremony of the first Church building. But once I became conscious of my standing in the presence of the immortal God, all others became shadow. The authority of the biblical prophets of old, comes from their confidence in the presence of God. Any man who is often in the presence of the Lord should not have problem standing before mortals. Men like Elijah would say “...the God before whom I stand” (see 1 kings 17:1, 18:15, 2 kings 3:14 & 5:16).
When a man is often in the presence of the Lord he is able to say “Thus saith the Lord.” Continuous intimacy with the Lord will strengthen your accessibility to divine instruction and guidance. Revelation chapter 4 reveals to us that the apostle John was able to gain access into the very throne room of heaven in the spirit. He saw a door open, heard a voice and was told to come up. He said “at once I was in the spirit.” (See Revelation 4:1-5) If you have never seen or heard by the spirit, you need to deepen your walk with God. It is true that God can reveal himself to anyone, He desires to,but God is not partial. He is accessible to anyone who will maximize the opportunity of fellowship with Him. (2 Kings 2: 9-15, Matthew 20:20 - 23 &1 Corinthians 9:24 - 27 & James 5:17-18 )

PRACTICAL ISSUES
If God seems far away and unreachable, go after him with all your heart and you will find Him (See Proverbs 8:17). If you are attentive to God, you will get His attention. You can hear from God and have things revealed to you. The Holy Spirit in you is not different from the one at work in Billy Graham and other men mightily used of God (see Romans 8:11).