2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
--Revelation 15:2 (KJV)
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful…do you want to know how to make yourself attractive to God? This is quite possibly the ultimate beauty secret. Ready? Here goes!
But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God (1 Peter 3:4 AMP).
God is teaching me something very important: the delicate and masterful art of being quiet. Not so much in the way of not talking as much (although it includes that too), but more so in quieting my soul (mind, will, and emotions) and opening up to His Spirit more than ever before.
This does not mean being lazy, dull, or boring. No, not in the least. This is life in the Spirit—it’s fresh and exciting, full of adventure and wonder! The Origin of beauty will give you beauty for ashes. He will unfold mysteries to you and share with you the secrets of His covenant. He will expand your mind and bring with Him a realm of limitless possibilities. He will replace a life of pressures with a life of pleasures forevermore. That’s just what His manifold Love and Presence does.
God certainly wants us to be passionate, but we must first be still and know that He is Lord. How many of you already know that misguided passions can do a lot of damage? Saul of Tarsus was a passionate man…like a hurricane. In his zeal, he viciously persecuted the body of Christ, and Jesus definitely took it personally:
3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:3-5 NLT).
When he got quiet enough to hear God’s voice, this same man became Paul, the Apostle, who was used mightily for the Lord—to spread the Gospel of Grace to the gentile world.
It’s important to recognize that inner stillness cannot be realized in our own strength. A lot of us already know that. In this current culture, we’re so busy all the time. Every minute has to be filled with some sort of activity or noise. It produces impatience and frustration, which ultimately leads to stress, burn-out, and senseless mistakes. We’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off—expending lots of energy and accomplishing nothing (at least nothing of eternal value). I believe this is actually a strategy the enemy uses to keep us so distracted, we’ll miss out on God’s plan for our lives.
Not to worry though, the devil has nothing on the wisdom of God. We can definitely get to a place of inner stillness and tune in to the voice of God. It takes two key essentials:
- Faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8) and
- The power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13)
If you’ve got these two, you’re set for life (and eternity too!). The good news is both are gifts from God, so there’s no sweat on our part!
This is how we can have a sea of glass mingled with fire deep inside us. By faith we enter God’s rest, the stillness and security of being in His presence and totally trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He’ll lead us beside still waters. No matter what’s going on in the natural, inside we are so calm, cool, and collected as steady as a sea of glass. At the same time, we are mingled with fire. When the Holy Spirit comes in, He sets us on fire! What unadulterated bliss.
Totally yielded to the Spirit, we can carry out the will of the Father down to the last detail. As a result, we’ll experience total satisfaction in this life and the one to come. This is so beautiful to God. This is how He wants our hearts—a sea of glass mingled with fire.
If you are experiencing any issues in life, please take a moment to examine your heart. Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts (Proverbs 4:23 MSG). Allow God to take control, and He’ll lead you down the right path for your life. If you are bitter, He’ll make you sweet. If you are worried, He’ll calm you down. If you are going through some unbearable circumstance, He’ll turn it around for your good. But He’ll only do that for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Stay in love and listen for His call to find out what He wants you to do. Lose your life for Him and you’ll find it. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT).
