Have you ever gotten to a point where Christianity feels like just another thing on your to do list? You go to church on Sunday, you read a verse a day, maybe you even play worship music on your commute to work. But if you were to be honest, it feels like something you have to do rather than something you want to do. Pursuing Christ is no longer something you prioritise, it’s something that you do “if” you get the time.

Whether you have been a Christian for years or just a few months, I’m sure you can relate to this. It can be very easy to slip into casual Christianity. It’s like getting on the descending escalator expecting to go up. This is not about doing works to earn our salvation, because we are saved by grace through faith not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, we are saved for good works. The works we produce are from accepting the free gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:10). We then are able to bear good fruit because we are connected to Jesus, like a branch connected to the vine (John 15:4).

Salvation is free but discipleship comes at a cost. The cost is denying ourselves, taking up our crosses and following Jesus (Luke 9:23). You cannot be a disciple and lack discipline. I believe we are in a season where Jesus is calling Christians out of casual and lukewarm Christianity. Jesus is sounding the alarm so loud to wake us up from spiritual slumber. Jesus is sending His angels to perform a spiritual CPR to resuscitate us from spiritual death.

Even in the 21^st century, Jesus has not lowered His standards of holiness and righteousness. God sent his only son, Jesus, to come to earth and pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins through his death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12). It is from this place that He calls us higher.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth

Colossians 3:1-2

Here are a few signs that God is calling you higher:

1. You have a deep desire for consecration.

To be consecrated is to be set apart as holy for God’s purposes. To be deeply devoted to God and pursuing holiness. You see, there are things that we do that are not sinful but are a distraction from our time with God. When God is calling you higher, the question is no longer is this sin or not? It’s about how close can I get to God that I do only what He wants me to do.

If I’m being honest, dinner times for me are usually the time I catch up on my favourite podcast or YouTube video. But recently, I have been sensing God calling me to have dinner while listening to worship music, reading the Bible or praying. Previously, I would quickly dismiss that thought because I had already done my devotion in the morning but I am learning to yield to the Holy Spirit’s voice and spend time with Him whenever He asks me to. It’s only been a few weeks of doing this and I can tell you it’s so worth it!

In Joshua 3:5, God instructed the Israelites to consecrate themselves for He was going to do wonders among them. When they did, God miraculously stopped the waters of the Jordan (which would overflow during that season) and the Israelites were able to cross the Jordan on dry ground. A few chapters later, we see the consequences of one man who failed to remain consecrated, and His actions affected everyone else (Joshua 7). The question is not whether God wants to do wonders in our time, the question is, will we stay consecrated so that we can be partakers of these wonders? This is why God is sending very clear instructions in our time that we need to come out of idolatry. Because we cannot expect to inherit the kingdom of God while we are entertaining the kingdom of darkness. Jesus is shouting, “Come out from among them and be separate!” (2 Corinthians 6:17)

2.You are no longer comfortable with delayed and/or partial obedience.

For many years, I’ve had a list of excuses that I give God whenever He asks me to do something outside of my comfort zone. If He called me to speak publicly, I would say “But Lord, I am shy.” If He called me to speak to a stranger, I would say “But Lord, I am an introvert.” If He called me to speak about a certain topic in the Bible, I would say “But Lord, I don’t feel qualified to do that. Maybe ask my pastor to do it.” It was not until the Holy Spirit convicted me that this is a form of pride. Because how does the all-knowing God tell me to do something He knows I can do and me, with my 27-year-old brain tell Him that I can’t do it. So am I the Lord over of my life or is He?

The Holy Spirit is always ready to help us in the instruction God gives us but we have to be willing to say Yes. I am always impressed by Abraham’s quick response when God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He responded with “Here I am” (Genesis 22). This is the Hebrew word ‘hineni’ which symbolises a quick absolute Yes to God, even without knowing the particulars of the instruction. This is the same response the Prophet Isaiah had in Isaiah 6:8.

When God called Moses in Exodus 3, Moses said “Here I am”, just like Abraham and Isaiah. However, when God revealed to him the particulars of his assignment, He started giving excuses. He enquired from God who should he say sent him and God told him “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). One of the Hebrew definitions of I AM according to the Strong’s concordance is ‘come to pass’. So it means that the One who makes things come to pass has sent me to you. This is the assurance that we have – that any instruction that the I AM gives us HAS TO COME TO PASS! When God is calling you higher, your own excuses have to go!

3.You desire a private devotion to God not just a public declaration of Him.

Hi, my name is Victor and I am a former Sunday Christian. When you grow up in a Christian home like me, it can be very easy to slip into Sunday Christianity. This is the kind of Christian who goes to church every week but doesn’t live out their faith Monday to Saturday. In fact, by Tuesday, they can’t even remember what the sermon was all about. It saddens me that there are times I have led worship in church on a Sunday but I wasn’t living a life of worship in private. In fact during the week, I would often skip worship songs that were 10 minutes or more because they felt “too long”. Without knowing, me leading worship in church had just become a performance. It became similar to performing a song on the Voice. Lord, forgive me!

I remember reading a post that really convicted me. The average church service is 1 and a half hours. Which means that if you attended church every week of the year, you would have been in church for 78 hours (assuming you don’t come in late lol). That’s 3 full days out of the year. What about the other 362 days of the year? This is what Jesus warned the church of Sardis about – that it is possible to have a reputation of being alive but you are dead (Revelation 3:1). No one likes to be compared to the Pharisees but when we choose to only live out our faith on Sunday and not the other 6 days of the week, we are like them – white washed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but on the inside we are full of dead men’s bones (Matthew 23: 27-28).

For the person who God is calling higher, you have lost taste for performative Christianity. You are not just content with a Sunday service, you want to examine the scriptures everyday (Acts 17:11). You have lost the taste of flowery messages that prophesy money, cars and houses but don’t teach you to live a life of holiness and surrender to God. You want to sit with like minded men and women during the week to study the Word of God. You don’t just go to Church to hang out with your friends but to truly connect with God and serve Him.

We live in a time where living according to Biblical standards is called ‘too much’, ‘too deep’ and ‘over spiritual.’ We use terms like ‘God knows my heart’ and ‘only God can judge me’ to excuse compromise. We tell people to come as they are but we don’t disciple them so that they don’t stay as they are. We preach loudly about grace but whisper about truth. We cannot expect to see miracles, signs and wonders in our time and refuse to pursue holiness. The time has come where we need to be the pure Bride of Christ and stop committing spiritual adultery with other idols. The call to come up higher (Revelation 4:1) is for everyone who has put their faith in Jesus. Will you accept the call?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for the great sacrifice that You paid on the cross for me. I repent for all the times where I have settled for lukewarm Christianity instead of pursuing a life of holiness. I repent for all the times I have given you excuses to avoid obeying you and have ignored your convictions when You have been calling me out of a life of compromise and sin. I come out of agreement with any idol that I have worshipped in your place. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, please help me to come up higher. Give me a distaste for everything that is not like You and give me the appetite for Your Word. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.