Stay In Jerusalem
You may not know by looking at me, but I’m an avid runner and have been for some time now. I don’t train religiously seven times a day to run in world renowned marathons and nor do I run sprints or meter races. I’ve never won an athletic trial and to be honest with you, I think I’m allergic to a track.
I’m what you would call a situational runner.When there’s a tough situation, I run.When there’s a problem too difficult for me to handle, I run.When I feel I’m not good enough, I run.When life seems out of my control, I head for the hills faster than an Athenian soldier running to warn of a Persian attack.
In the military, if I didn’t like an assignment, I would pray for a new location or a new boss imagining an exciting new environment free from all of the hassles and worries of the previous one, only to learn I would be going through the same exact thing at my new location.Not once did I stop and accept where I was and ask Godto reveal whatever it was He wanted me to learn from that particular assignment.And on top of all of that, I was Wordless.I wasn’t reading my Bible.By not getting into the Word, I was depriving myself of an opportunity of learning who God said I was and what God meant for me to be.
Recently, I’ve learned that God has instructed us to be strong and courageous, and to meditate on His Word day and night.I’ve fooled myself into believing that I could have a relationship with God solely by acknowledging that He exits and stating before all that I believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior.But even Satan knows God exists. I didn’t think I needed to have a prayer life or that I needed to fast.I didn’t think that I needed to truly know who God was in order to serve Him and have Him be manifested in my life.
I had these sudden urges to run because I didn’t know Him like King David did.He truly was a man after God’s own heart.I couldn’t stand before my giants and boldly declare that the Lord will deliver them into my hands.How could I?I didn’t have the word of God on my forehead, in my heart and on my tongue so that I could speak to my mountains with the power and authority given to me through Christ Jesus.And because of this, I was so susceptible to what the enemy was telling me.I would stay away from church because the enemy knew that’s where I would get my deliverance.He knew, especially at Holiness Tabernacle, that that was where I would feel His Spirit move mightily.
I was listening to the NIV version of the Bible on CD, and, in the first chapter of Acts, Luke recounts that Jesus told his disciples to not leave Jerusalem until God sends them the gift that He promised them. The gift of the Holy Ghost.I knew from this verse that God was telling me that I couldn’t run any longer.I couldn’t run from my problems, from the church and from this great work that the Lord has begun in me, because I was denying myself the Gift that has been promised to me.
I know now that I can’t make it in this life without God and his precious Holy Spirit.I understand that I can’t do anything without the love and power of Almighty God.I fooled myself into believing that I could handle certain aspects of my life, but when the going got tough, Dayan got going and would fall into a trap.I’ve learned that there is nothing too great or too small for God to handle.From whether or not I should have that last piece of cake to should I invest in some Ford stock now that the shares are super low, I take it all to God.I often still feel like a skittish colt ready to bolt any second at the slightest sign of trouble, but I’m learning to trust that God has a firm grip on my reigns and will not lead me astray.
I’m still a runner, but not like the runner from my old life.No, I’m a runner pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.I’m waiting, with great expectation, in Jerusalem (Holiness Tabernacle C.O.G.I.C.) for that gift that Jesus has promised I will one day receive from my Heavenly Father, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that day will surely come.
Be Blessed, Sis M. Dayan Araujo