Choosing ‘Other Than’ Consecration: A Call to Deeper Relationship with God
Exodus 18-19; Matthew 12; Psalm 108
I’ve been tracking on a dream from a friend for the last week or so, pondering how the Lord may be asking us to respond to Him in this season. In the dream, a man said, “The consecration needed for this time in history will require an ‘OTHER THAN’ consecration…”
What does it mean to come into an “other than” consecration? This is the question I’ve been asking myself. For where we are, and for what is coming, what will the Lord require of us?
It doesn’t take prophetic discernment to see that the whole earth is reeling. It doesn’t take an apostolic call to see that something must change. Our programs and festivals are not the answer. Our business-as-usual services will not suffice. We need God! We need a move of God!! In our churches, yes! But also in our homes and in our hearts. We need a move of God. I need to be revived, and if you’re honest, you know you do too.
We’ve gotten too busy, too cynical. We’re distracted and over-entertained. We’ve forgotten how to be together. Out of over-stimulation, we’ve stopped really listening to one another. Stopped really seeing. We need to be healed. We need to be delivered!
We need an “other than” consecration. And it won’t be pushed on us. God won’t force Himself on us. He won’t demand intimacy with His bride. He’s not like that. He is committed to our free will. The “other than” consecration is in the choosing. He invites. We choose. He initiates. We say yes… or no.
Exodus 19:3-9
3 While Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
Israel had said yes to leaving Egypt. They had given their yes to crossing the Red Sea. They agreed to being sustained with manna, water, and quail. They had given their assent to war with Amalek. But all those yeses didn’t mean that they would give their yes to the more that God was offering.
God was offering more than deliverance and provision. He was offering more than war assignments. God was offering Himself. He was offering a special place in His heart. An “other than” place. He didn’t assume Israel’s previous yes was a yes to this place, this relationship. And so, He asked Israel, in essence, “Do you want this? Do you want this kind of relationship with me? Or are you satisfied with freedom from oppression? Are you satisfied with miraculous provision?”
7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. It’s amazing! God sent Moses to ask the people He had just delivered if they wanted a real relationship.
This is the nature of our God. He wants all of us, and He wants us to have all of Him. His intentions toward us are set. The question is, what do we want? Do we want Him to have all of us? Do we want to know, really know, Him?
A.W. Tozer said, “We have as much of God as we actually want.”
8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”
When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them…
God waits for our yes to the more He’s offering, namely the more of Himself. And once He has it, the command is to consecrate ourselves.
What does that mean exactly?
To consecrate oneself to God means to dedicate oneself wholly and sincerely to God and His purposes. This act of consecration involves a deep commitment to live in accordance with God’s will and to prioritize one’s relationship with Him above all else.
It’s not about doing the thing. You know what I mean? It’s not about doing the form. It’s not about religion.
It’s about that inner longing. That inner hunger. That inner desire to be known and to know. It’s about real worship, where it’s no longer about the song, or the lights, it’s about His surpassing worth.
Our God, our Heavenly Father is willing, no, more than that, He longs to be known. We have His yes. The only question is whether He has ours.
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart…” (Hebrews 3:15).
Say yes! Keep saying yes.
Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts
- Personal Consecration Reflection: Reflect on what an “other than” consecration means to you personally. How does this differ from your current spiritual practices or understanding of devotion to God? Consider specific ways you can deepen your consecration to God in this season of your life.
- Responding to God’s Invitation: Journal about a time when you felt God inviting you to a deeper relationship or a higher level of commitment. Did you say yes, no, or are you still contemplating? Explore the emotions and thoughts that this invitation stirred within you.
- Assessing Spiritual Satisfaction: In light of the devotional, consider whether you are satisfied with just the ‘deliverance and provision’ aspect of your relationship with God, or do you yearn for something deeper? Write about what a deeper, more intimate relationship with God might look like for you.
- Longing and Hunger for God: Spend some time reflecting on your inner longing and hunger for God. What does it mean to truly know God and to be known by Him? How does this longing influence your daily life, decisions, and relationships?
- Commitment to Continuous ‘Yes’: Reflect on the phrase, “We have as much of God as we actually want.” How does this statement resonate with your current spiritual journey? Journal about ways you can continuously say ‘yes’ to God, and what barriers you might need to overcome to do so.
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