deeper still

The following is an excerpt from Reckless Devotion by Rolland and Heidi Baker that I started reading at the beginning of this year. Such a great book...

The angel of the Lord asked Ezekiel, in effect, "How deep do you want to get." (see Ezekiel 47). How deep into the heart of God are you willing to go? How deep into His presence do you want to be? God wants to saturate you in His presence--to literally drown you. Yes, God wants you dead. But then He will kiss you to life, as a new creation, to be the fragrance of Christ to a dying world.

At first Ezekiel only went into the water up to his ankles. Most of us like the thought of that. When we are ankle deep in God, it feels good, because we can still do our thing. We have something of God, but we can walk and talk and, more important, be in control.

The angel of the Lord said to Ezekiel, as God says to us today, "I want you to come in deeper than that." God wants us to lose ourselves in Him, to be out of our depth in His presence, carried away by the irresistible currents of His love. God is wooing us, persuading us to go deeper and deeper into Him, to pursue Him with reckless devotion. He is leading us into the glory-presence of the Most High, leading us into a place where we will no longer be in control, but rather out of control and fully yielded to His Spirit.

Perhaps God has spoken to you about what He sees for your life, yet you are still only knee deep in the water, at best. You will never come into the fullness of your destiny until you allow God to draw you in and drag you under. You have to die first. Then you will see God's purpose for your life come to pass. He will resurrect you. You need not be afraid; only surrender completely to Him.

How deep will you go into Him? Wade out into the waters of His presence, and whatever you do, don't stop until you are completely submerged in His love, mercy and grace.