A few months ago I was all about hot yoga…Have you heard of it? They turn the room temp up into the 90s, increase the humidity and then walk you through some crazy, bendy positions. You leave feeling exhausted and soooo pure. It’s as if all impurities truly have been sweated out of your body. But as far as thinking another clear thought for the day, well, let’s just say it’s not gonna happen! Ha! I guess this would shift If I had practiced for longer than 7 weeks. Your body gets used to the heat and you can then think clearly. I think it was actually the copious amounts of water (at LEAST 120 oz a day) I had to drink that kinda’ threw a wrench into my hot yoga fascination. Because not only did hot yoga make me tired for the rest of the day, but I also spent inordinate time going to and from the bathroom! YOU try drinking 120 oz without at least 10 bathroom trips a day…impossible!
But there is one part that I miss and still try to practice today. As I lay there, in between positions, red-faced, dizzy and sweating like a pig, I found myself meditating on different things with The Lord. The song lyric that most often found itself into my heart was from Jesus Culture’s “You Won’t Relent”: “Come be the fire inside of me, come be the flame upon my heart.” Ha. I felt like fire was inside the room and really was praying that the reality on the outside would be the reality on my inside….maybe I was going a little crazy from the heat, but I just remember praying intensely that The Lord would sweep through my heart like a fire. And in those hot, mirage-like moments, He really did come and burn away dross. I would leave feeling purified inside and out. And the purifying just increased my desire for water…Living Water.
So, as we are looking at the New Year, I’ve been thinking of what He is doing in and through me in these days. I am just SO desiring Him to purify me inside and out…I have little motives on things that are NOT good. And it’s not til I’m put in the cooker (see Priscilla’s post from a few days ago here) that I see what comes out. Scripture is so true when it says, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” What is going on in my heart comes OUT when the heat comes ON! So, I’m praying that He aligns all the motives and desires of my heart to match HIS heart. I so so SO wanna look like Him.
The last few weeks, I have put extra attention on a few parts of my life…
1. Gatekeepers: I have a few friends who serve as gatekeepers in my world. There are shows I’m not allowed to watch and books I’m not allowed to read. There are even relationships I’m not allowed to foster (we single girls have to guard our hearts!). My sweet gatekeepers are there simply to keep me accountable…to be more “pure in heart.” Matthew 5 says the pure in heart shall “see God.” And that my friends, is exactly what I want!
2. The washing of the Word: The “Living Water” I was craving earlier is just this, God’s Word. Simple. Not so simple. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 that the Word washes us. In her book Discerning the Voice of God (A MUST read! It’s kickin my tail right now!!), Priscilla says,
“The Word’s Work in you is like having radiation therapy on cancerous cells that
have invaded a person’s body. You can’t see the change happening but the work
that’s taking place out of view is critical and worth every single treatment. When you soak in God’s Word, the rays of His light invade your body and soul, burning away those things that are not like Him. Time spent in the Scriptures is vital.”
By living life with guards set up for my purity, I am MAKING ROOM in all areas of my life for God to speak..especially through The Scriptures. As my life is lived to hear Him, I’ve gotta CHUG that Water…kinda’ like that 120 oz I chugged in Hot Yoga!
Ok. These are the things He has spoken into me. He is purifying me with high temperatures and with some very practical things…not very flashy, but oh-so-good. What does He use to keep YOU in that space of purity? I’d love to hear your thoughts…I want this to be our BEST YEAR YET so we can all say, “Here we are Lord! We’re ready Lord, send US!”
xx
annetta
