Not all initiative, the willingness to take the first step, is inspired by God. Someone may say to you, “Get up and get going! Take your reluctance by the throat and throw it overboard— just do what needs to be done!” That is what we mean by ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes to us and says, in effect, “Get up and get going,” suddenly we find that the initiative is inspired.We all have many dreams and aspirations when we are young, but sooner or later we realize we have no power to accomplish them. We cannot do the things we long to do, so our tendency is to think of our dreams and aspirations as dead. But God comes and says to us, “Arise from the dead….” When God sends His inspiration, it comes to us with such miraculous power that we are able to “arise from the dead” and do the impossible. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life and power comes after we “get up and get going.” God does not give us 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 ourselves up; God will not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch out your hand” (Matthew 12:13). As soon as the man did so, his hand was healed. But he had to take the initiative. If we will take the initiative to overcome, we will find that we have the inspiration of God, because He immediately gives us the power of life.

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February 16 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord you have shown me the very opposite of what Chambers says in this devotional; that I should NOT take action until I am connected and that taking any kind of action without being connected to You is wasted energy.  How do I reconcile what I have learned from You over these past weeks and months with this devotional?

And God says…”It is very simple…. Chambers does say that energy not from God is wasted….go re read the devotional… You can take the initiative when you are connected, and you can take the initiative to be connected before you take any action. You can seek first the kingdom of God. You can acknowledge Me in all your ways, and you can knock and know the door has been answered. And when you reach out to Me, reach out for My love, nothing else; not help guidance, direction or energy, simply seek My love. Our intimacy can be the first step as the Holy Spirit then leads you to action. “