Rising Higher

Joel Osteen says, "The way to rise higher is by staying open and dealing with issues as God brings them to light....Anyone of us can rise higher. There is no limit to what God will do in your life, if you will learn to obey quickly." We need to listen to our GPS (God's Powerful Spirit). That is the part of us that transcends our body's and our mind's limitations. We can bring forth the light of God because our GPS lifts us above any experience we may face. How does this happen? Well, we have a wonderful example in Jesus. He stole away from the masses to pray. This communion with God kept His Spirit high. Even when He went to the cross, He was not overwhelmed because He knew that He was fulfilling His purpose on earth. He did not see himself as a victim but as a victor. Another example He set is forgiveness. Jesus said, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." We need to also forgive if we expect to rise higher. A third example he sets is His ability to stay focused on the present moment. Jesus was placed between two thieves at the crucifixion. One thief represents the past. He says to Jesus, "I know I deserve what I'm getting because I know I've done a lot of negative things. However, YOU don't deserve this, Jesus." The other thief represents the future when he says, "What's going to happen to us after this experience?" Jesus represents the present when he says, "Today, thou shalt be with me in paradise." When we hang out in the past like the first thief, we set ourselves up for regret. When we hang out in the future, we set ourselves up for worry and anxiety. Jesus stays in the present moment. It is in our awareness of what is going on right now that we can find peace. It is in the present moment that we can hear the voice of God and rise higher. When we go from "nowhere" to "now here", we experience divinity and bliss. When we are ready to transcend, we go within and get in touch with our GPS. God will then raise us higher so we can transform our world a little at a time. We can rise above any circumstance and let our light shine to make this world a better place. Joel says, "God is preparing you for greater things. He's going to take you further than you thought possible, so don't be surprised when He asks you to think better of yourself and to act accordingly." Jesus taught us these three things by example: (1) Pray and listen to the Holy Spirit, our GPS; (2) Forgive;, and (3) Stay in the Present. If we would do these three things, we can rise above any circumstance that comes along.