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- Written by: Don Goulding
Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place;
he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth. (Micah 1:3) (NIV)
During the beginning phases of revival in the Makonde district of Zimbabwe, the Lord spoke through this verse in Micah. About every ten kilometers, the green-brown savannah is broken by sizable hills called kopjes. For generations, natives worshiped ancestors from these high places. The Spirit of the Most High revealed that dark forces administered misery from these strongholds, and it was time for a purge.
For the next several months, prayer warriors made the rounds to climb the kopjes, throw down false altars, and reclaim the surrounding villages for Jesus. Demons fled and the Spirit of God restored hearts and called new believers.
There is a personal application for the reclamation of high places. When I look across my life, what dominates? Where do my thoughts run to most often? Those are my high places. They might be wholesome, like family and ministry, or sinful, like addiction and anger. Wholesome or sinful, it doesn’t matter because God alone belongs on the sacred high places. It’s time to purge these centers of worship, and reclaim them for God Almighty.
I bow my heart before the Savior. I know the primary focus of my devotion has not been on him. Something else is on top of my kopje. Holding this high place before him, I acknowledge the desecration.
“Please God, cleanse this place and name it as your own.”
Then I wait in silence.
In the spiritual realm, a low rumble begins.
The mountains melt beneath him
and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope. (Micah 1:4) (NIV)
My heart is reduced to nothing but Jesus, and he seals my altar with his name. It is confirmed, my high place belongs to the LORD Most High. Righteousness and peace return to their rightful places.
Prayer: Mighty Redeemer, reclaim the high places in my heart.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
This is the solemn pronouncement of the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts doors no one can open … (Revelation 3:7)
For thousands of years, men searched for the key. Music and laughter streamed from under the door, but outside in the stinging cold, judgment waited in darkness.
Abraham, Moses, and David hungered after the key. In Solomon’s day, the door was still shut. He had untold wealth and the finest intellect on earth, but none of those would crack the door. Solomon’s conclusion—“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Everything is meaningless!’” (Ecclesiastes 12:8) (NIV)
Then, at the perfect moment in history, after men had exhausted every effort to open the lock, the key fell from heaven. Tumblers fell into place, and the door swung wide. Death stayed outside. And along with eternal life, the Messiah opened purpose and hope, growth and love. Every tumbler of life was released where it engaged Jesus.
It’s been one hundred generations since the key fell, and now it’s my turn on the timeline of history. What those before me sought with tears, I take for granted. I was born with the key in my hand, so I don’t even bother to fit it into the lock. Apathy is my most infernal curse.
I have the key. The Key! I have access to every answer. All of life is open to me for a twist of my wrist. Solomon, with his wealth and brains, didn’t have what I have—the key that opens life’s meaning.
But will I turn the lock and go in?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, come unlock every part of my life.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:4, 5) (NIV)
A toymaker and his apprentice son made an amazing gift for children. They crafted inner mechanical works to spin a globe while spreading luminance, fragrance, and music. The completed masterpiece was placed on the lowest shelf, so every visiting child might play with it.
As the first boy and girl entered the shop, the maker peered around his tools and watched the pair discover the globe. The children giggled at the music and light. The inventor smiled as two free hearts sat on the floor, enraptured by the spinning orb.
The girl whispered in the boy’s ear and, when next the old man looked, the children were gone, and the toy with them.
Days later, the toymaker glanced out his window to see his globe picked up by other, meaner children. This lot tossed it back and forth, and abused the masterpiece. They found the music and images addictive and they fought for a turn.
“Please, go show those children how to use our toy safely,” the toymaker said to his son.
The son entered the children’s huddle and held the ball above his head. He demonstrated the motion necessary to make it spin fast, sing, and shine. He taught them to pass the ball on, before the attachment became too strong.
Before he returned to his father’s shop, the son said, “Have fun little ones, but use care. Because if you abuse it, this toy will destroy you.”
Prayer: Father, let me enjoy your Earth with reverence for you.