Higher Ground

HIGHER GROUND (Philippians 3:14)

Welcome to the month of October, which God has declared unto us as the month of HIGHER GROUND. When God promised us abundant help in the month of September, nothing could be more soothing and comforting than His promise to take us to the higher ground this month and beyond. We are meant for this and God is planting our feet firmly on it in Jesus name. Our anchor scripture for this month is Philippians 3:14 where the testimony of Apostle Paul encourages us thus “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. As children of the most high God, spiritual higher ground should be our ultimate focus. While this is achievable, it requires lots of spiritual discipline and determination because the bible says “the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it” (Micah 4:1) Truly, it is only people with resolute spiritual vision that can flow to the house of God “established on the top of the mountains” and “exalt above the hills”. My prayer is that we are all moving to this highest ground in Jesus name.

Moving to the higher ground means a move to the next level, a move to the mountaintop experience and a divine lift from miry clay. It is a victory over every element of doubts concerning God’s promises for our lives. It is a connection to the overshadowing glory of God. It also means bye-bye to stagnancy, demeaning valley experience, and descending movement. God is in the heart of this hence we need to rely absolutely on Him to take us to the higher ground because our own power, strength, intelligence, diligence and effort cannot take us there. The grace of God is sufficient for us in this regard in Jesus name.

Meanwhile, we need to have a better understanding of this promise. When God decides to take someone to the higher ground, He pays special attention to every minute details of the person’s life so as not leave anything undone. He also moves that person from valley of want and lack to the level of supernatural abundance. He also displaces whoever occupies the position or a place meant for someone. In return, we are to obey the voice of God without questioning, we are to keep His commandments, charge, laws and statutes while we walk uprightly with Him at all time. The grace to do this is available and it will envelope us as we all move to the higher ground in Jesus name.

When Johnson Oatman composed the soul-inspiring song – “I’m pressing on the upward way”  and he asked God to plant his feet firmly on HIGHER GROUND, he acknowledged the devastating role doubts and discouragements could play on one’s way to the higher ground. Hence he wrote: “My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay”. As believers, we must be aware that discouragement comes in different ways and from different quarters on our upward way to the higher ground. It could come from fellow brethren within the church, it could come from unbelievers, it could come from enemies of the church and it could come from imaginary things presenting themselves as real (Nehemiah 4:9-21). Discouragements often come in the middle of the journey and not at the beginning hence we must be spiritually sensitive to it. The assurance we have is that no matter the level of discouragement God has endued us with the capacity to overcome them and we are definitely staying on higher ground in Jesus name.