I'm almost finished with writing about the name change of this blog but in the meantime ...I thought I would share this thought from a book I recently started to read.
"But the High Places of victory and union with Christ cannot be reached by any mental reckoning of self to be dead to sin, or by seeking to devise some way or discipline by which the will can be crucified. The only way is by learning to accept, day by day, the actual conditions and tests permitted by God, by a continually repeated laying down of our own will and acceptance of His as it is presented to us in the form of the people with whom we have to live and work, and in the things which happen to us. Every acceptance of His will becomes an altar of sacrifice, and every such surrender and abandonment of ourselves to His will is a means of furthering us on the way to the High Places to which He desires to bring every child of His while they are still living on earth."
~Hannah Hurnard, "Hinds' Feet on High Places"
The wording "High Places" in the passage and in the title of her book are in reference to the following couple of scriptures.
Psalm 18:33 "He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places." -NASB
Habakkuk 3:19 "The Lord God is my strength; and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instrument." -NASB
It may help to know, as it did me, that "hinds' feet" are the feet of a deer, which represents surefooting, stability, agility and grace and "high places" are in reference to places of safety or refuge. I also had the following other scriptures in mind that tie together the thoughts of this post.
Colossians 3:15-16 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called to one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
Romans 12:1 "Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
What I noticed when I read the excerpt and the scripture passages was the part we have in the process of experiencing the victory He has for us. We have to let, allow, accept, surrender and present ourselves to Him for Him to accomplish His perfect work in us.
How do we do this? First, we can only have victory through the process of being "born again". Yeshua (Jesus) told Nicodemus, a Jewish teacher, that unless a person is born again they can not see the kingdom of God. Once we are born again, His Spirit will then write His laws upon the heart (Jeremiah 31, Heb. 10) that we may walk as He walked and walk obediently as He did. That is our Victory!
I, too, echo the words of the apostle Paul.. "Not that I have obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Yeshua (Christ Jesus)." Philippians 3:12.
As I run this race, may my own feet be as hinds' feet and all praise and glory be to Him for what He accomplishes!
