The Invitation

Deeper Still - Session One - Priscilla Shirer

Priscilla opened the conference with an invitation from God to expect the unexpected.

The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said. And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Exodus 19:9-11

The Israelites were placed in the wilderness for a reason - a purpose. In fact, God led them there Himself...

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.
Exodus 13:17-18

God led them right to Mt. Sinai...there they were the furthest possible place away from external blessings - God's promise of Jordan. (Priscilla showed a map and it is true!) They couldn't have got much further away with out camping in the water. But it was there where God had the greatest possible internal blessing - Him.

Priscilla urged us, "Take your eyes off the wilderness and place them on the mountain of God. Everything is not always what it seems. It is in the desert you find the mountain...the mountain of God. Are you going to let the wilderness push you away or draw you closer?"

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on the very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.
Exodus 19:1-2

They camped at the mountain of God. One of the most powerful truths Priscilla spoke. It pierced my heart...she said, "They rested before the mountain in the midst of the wilderness." We are more protected in the wilderness with than out of the wilderness without Him.

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
Exodus 19:4

God wanted them to look back and remember they did not find God, He found them.

Remembering enables you to say in the midst of the wilderness, "God handled all that, I know He can handle all this." The same God who lifted you then is the same God who can deliver you now.

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.
Exodus 19:5-6

God calls them to recognize their spiritual identity. Loved this part as well...only God has the credentials to give you your identity.

At some point in this part Priscilla pulled out a copy of Oprah's book club book "The New Earth" and pointed out the lie that it is. She said, "The enemy wants his lies to sound so close to the Truth that you mistake them for the Truth. You will find your spiritual identity no where else but the Word of God. Only there do you find Who He is and in that you find who you are." Preach it, girl!!

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Priscilla in person for the first time. She is a dynamic speaker and uses amazing analogies from her everyday life to draw you in to God's Truth. Truly a gift.

One of the most memorable moments for me came close to the end of the night. Priscilla was finishing up talking about how God wanted to speak to all the Israelites but they are afraid and so Moses ended up going up the mountain alone. (You can read the story in the rest of Exodus 19).

During this portion she asked Beth Moore to come and sit in a chair on stage. She asked the audience to raise their hand if they had done a Beth Moore Bible study and had been blessed. Hands went up everywhere.

Then Priscilla asked out of those people, who doesn't like to be the center attention, kinda shy, etc. Hands went up again. And Priscilla picked a person out of those hands. Her name was Cathy.

Priscilla says to Cathy, "You have an invitation to go up on stage, out of your comfort zone, and hug Beth and hear a word from Beth just for you. Now I can go get that hug and word for you and come back and give it to you, or you can go get it yourself."

Cathy starts to go up to the stage.

Beth still sitting in her throne like chair, suddenly bolts out of it and down the stage to the aisle and meets Cathy there. "Oh, aren't you precious..." she calls out as she runs.

It wasn't planned that way...and I totally get Priscilla's wonderful point, but what brought tears to my eyes was Beth's sweet reaction. So Beth...I mean would you expect her to do otherwise? But yet, isn't that just what God does for us? We hesitantly take steps toward Him and He takes off running towards us...hugs us as if we are the only one in the world.

I walked out of the convention center that night, through the crowd of 19,000 other women, but I felt as if I had been hugged, loved on by God as if I were the only one there. I am sure I was not the only one that felt that way.

What a big God!!