Going Deep With God

If you could be given the skis of Andy Mapple or Kristi Overton Johnson and a guarantee that if you take to the water you would run a world record pass, would you pass it up? There aren’t many skiers who would trade running 39 or 41 off for staying at long line. In fact, it is probably safe to say that most skiers would jump right off the dock clinging to the promise of going all the way up the rope. They would look forward to the thrill of zinging across the wakes, and to the sudden twists and turns in the course. They would excitedly take to the water, savoring every moment as they were running the pass, and they would look forward to reaching the end gates in style!

Although this scenario for most people will never be a reality, spiritually every one of us has been given the promise that if we get off our spiritual docks and follow God, we will experience victory running His course, a course more satisfying than any world record run. God has given us the tools we need to run His course and to reach the end gates with our heads held high in victory. We have been given His Word, the Holy Bible, and He promises us that if we are faithful to apply it to our lives, we will be blessed in all we do (Joshua 1:7). We will live an abundant life that lacks nothing and that is filled with joy, peace, purpose, love, and strength regardless of the circumstances and challenges we must face.

So why do we settle? We wouldn’t settle for 22 off when we could run 39 off. We wouldn’t settle for jumping 100 feet when we could jump 200. So why do we settle for less than God’s best for our lives? For many, fear is the number one factor that keeps Christians on the dock…fear of what God will ask them to do, fear of what He will ask them to give up, fear of where God will ask them to go, and fear of what people will think.

There isn’t one professional water skier that ever allowed fear to keep them on the dock. Regardless of the “what ifs” on the dock, championships were won on the water because athletes took to the water daily and pushed themselves to be the best they could be.

As a Christian, we have to realize that the degree of what we experience with God is proportionately equal to the commitment we have to move past our fears, to push ourselves, and to trust Him. If we decide to stay on the dock, hang out on shore with just a toe in the water, or only go in ankle deep, spiritually speaking we will be missing out on the amazing things God is ready to do through us and in our lives. When we are ready to go deep with God, He will take us on an adventure of a lifetime and we will experience Him and His plans to the fullest! Victory only happens when we are willing to get off the dock…on the water and in our Christian walk!