July 16

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. — Ps 42:1 BSB

The first step toward a consecrated life is a deep sense of need—the need for purity, power, and a closer walk with the Lord. Often, there is a second conviction in the Christian life, not so much a sense of guilt and God’s wrath but an awareness of the power of inward sin and dissatisfaction with our current state. This often comes through deeper revelations of God’s truth, more spiritual teaching, examples of this life in others, or experiences of deep trial and temptation that reveal the inadequacy of our resources. Initially, this may lead to discouragement or even despair, but the valley of Achor is the door of hope. The bitter cry of Romans 7, “O wretched man that I am,” leads to the triumphant shout of Romans 8, “The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”