Category: Jesus

transFORMation II

When Jesus tells us that we will do the things He did as well as even greater things (John 14:12) – what this says to me is that we are being transformed to do the supernatural good work of the Kingdom. Earlier, when Jesus preaches the sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) He specifically says to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV). What this says to me is that the way we love and serve people around us declares to them the goodness and kindness of God, Who is not distant and indifferent, but is committed to the world and active in the lives of people. Again, from my understanding of what the Scriptures say, the only way a person can truly make an eternal impact in this world is when they are filled with God’s Word and Spirit, walking in Holy Spirit power, gifts and exhibiting His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23).  

I love what Peter says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:9-12 TNIV). It is only because God has chosen us to be His people, taking us from living in darkness into now living in “His wonderful light” by transforming our lives by His mercy. But, it’s not about speaking and serving in our own strength, but about doing everything in the strength that God gives us (1 Peter 4:11).

I believe that the reason God doesn’t just take people to Heaven right when they get saved is because there is a lot of good work that He has ordained for every follower of Jesus to do here on earth. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). We are His masterpieces that He is continually transforming as He forms, shapes, gifts, equips and empowers us to do right, love mercy and to walk humbly before Him (Micah 6:8). What God has been impressing on my heart more and more is that when I testify about Him, He WILL show up and confirm my testimony about Him. But, I need to be actively taking God at His Word and stepping out in faith by leaning into the presence and power of Holy Spirit in my life. The way we live our lives reveals what we believe. We are Jesus’ ambassadors here on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20), but the sad reality is that many Christian have really failed at representing Him accurately.

But, if I’ve learned one thing with God, it’s this: “It’s never too late!” I am more more and more convinced that the world is waiting to hear the words of the Gospel of grace and hungry for a demonstration of the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). God is looking for more people like Abraham, who will take Him at His Word (Galatians 3:6; Romans 4:3) and step out in faith and begin proclaiming and demonstrating the truth and power of the Gospel. So, this is my prayer: “I pray that Jesus would help each of us to embrace more of the Father’s grace. That Holy Spirit would move our hearts to consciously ask for more of God’s grace to be birthed and released into our lives. And that He would equip, empower and embolden us to be a people who take Him at His Word. So, Jesus we receive Your Word that tell us that we will do what You did, even that we will do even greater things, In Your Name Jesus, Amen.”

“As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7, 8 NIV).


transFORMation I

Do you know that God is working miracles in your life each and every single day? In my last blog “EXodus” I talked about the miracle of being a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). To further expand on this, I also believe that on top of the initial miracle spark of new life that gets breathed into us when our spirit gets eternally fused with Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), God from that moment on continues to faithfully transforms us into the image of Christ through His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). What this says to me is that God will continue to miraculously transform me day by day, until I am completely remade (recreated if you will) into the image of Christ.

What is a miracle? To me, every transformed life is a miracle that reveals not only the evidence of God’s grace, love, mercy and power, but also His nearness and concern for His creation. Now the natural inclination is to see only the whole completed process as a miracle, but I think we need to recognize that every part of the work of God (no matter how minor we may think it is in comparison to the whole) that recreates us more into the likeness of Christ is also a miracle. I believe that the people of God (myself included) need to start recognizing this and start giving God the glory that is due Him. Just as partial healings are still miracles, so must every transformational increment be seen as the same.

To use more illustrative language, when God turned darkness into light during creation (Genesis 1:3) most people would categorize that as a miracle. Well, that’s exactly what He does with us: He takes the darkness that’s within us (Luke 11:35) and miraculously transforms it into light. I mean that’s the language of redemption, isn’t it? “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ”(2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV). I believe the more we begin to see ourselves from God’s perspective, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8 NIV), the more we will recognize the miracle of daily transformation.

I believe the more we recognize and give God the praise and glory that He deserves as He faithfully transforms us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus, the more this will increase our awareness of His presence in our lives. We must never forget that no matter what: God will continue to do the good work of transformation within us until this work is completed (Philippians 1:6). So, praise God today for the miracle of your transformed life and lean even more into the daily miracles that He promises to work in and through your life.

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father” (John 14:11-13 NIV). Thank You Jesus!


a Gospel lifestyle

For most Christians today, there’s way too much hesitation, even resistance and apathy in making that transition from seeing a need to fulfilling that need. I believe the problem is that we live lives that are far from a Gospel lifestyle. A big reason for this is that a lot of our lives are defined by something else other than Jesus. Remember Jesus is the Gospel without Jesus there is no redemption, no forgiveness of sin because it’s only through Christ’s shed blood on the Cross that the entire debt for sin was paid in full. For the disicples, their whole lives were defined by Jesus, every aspect of them. They lived and breathed knowing that Jesus, their Savior and Friend was the Lord of Lords and Kings of Kings (2 Tim 6:15). The One who raised people from the dead (Matt 9; Luke 7; John 11) and washed their feet (John 13). The One who they saw resurrected from the dead and then ascended into heaven. The One who breathed the Holy Spirit on them (John 20:22) and sent tongues of fire to rest upon them (Acts 2:3). 

What is it that is defining your life?

     – Is it your job?

     – Is it money or material things?

     – Is it your family and friends?

     – Is it the affirmation and praises of others?

     – Is it the attention of the opposite sex?

     – Is it your fears?

  

1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:1-10 NLT)

 

The more a person’s life reflects that they are completely defined by Jesus, the more quickly they will be able to act redemptively in any given situation. Everything Jesus did was redemptive and the more a believer’s life is defined by the Gospel, the quicker they will act to address a need as Peter and John did in the lame man’s life. They will be able to move right from seeing a need to fulfilling that need by acting redemptively with the power of the Gospel. There was a fluidity that Peter showed as he moved from seeing the lame man, to healing him in the power and authority of Jesus’ Name. We don’t read any hesitation. Peter didn’t have to spend time thinking about what to do. He didn’t have to talk to John about it or they didn’t invite the man to the temple with them. No, Peter just looked at the man and did what needed to be done.

 

I believe that when believers are completely defined by Jesus, they will be able to move fluidly in the power of the Gospel, in the power and authority of the Name of Jesus. But, too often, I hear and see people not acting or hesitating; myself included. But, the more my life has become defined by Jesus, meaning the more I’ve begun to live a Gospel lifestyle, the more Jesus has included me in His ongoing ministry of redemption here on earth. I’ve literally, seen people set free by the power of God. It’s one thing to watch miracles happen, but to actually be involved in that process takes it to whole other level.  

 

Now how a Gospel lifestyle is lived out is going to look differently from believer to believer. But, at the core of a Gospel lifestyle will be these characteristics:

     – Faith                  – Love             – Peace              – Self-sacrifice

     – Forgiveness        – Prayer          – Goodness         – Kindness

     – Redemption        – Joy               – Hope               – Self-control

 

 

Now, this list is neither exclusive nor exhaustive. Maybe you’d add a few other characteristics to the list. The point here is this: The more a believer’s life is defined by Jesus, the more their lives will reflect these core characteristics of the Gospel. But, in order for these elements to be more tangible in a believer’s life, there needs to be surrender and submission to God. We are all in process with the Lord and His desire is to glorify Himself in every aspect of our lives by bringing us into the fullness of His grace and redeeming everything in our lives. This means we need to be daily positioning ourselves to be transformed by God, so that more areas of our lives will be integrated with the Gospel. This means we need to be actively surrendering to God. The more we surrender, the more God establishes His rightful place as the Lord of our hearts and the more fully Gospel integrated we become. Jesus needs to be sitting at the throne of every part of our lives. Make it your mission today to begin living a Gospel lifestyle! 


Fueled by the Holy Spirit

“For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV).

There’s this story of a Christian missionary working with people with HIV in Africa. One day a photo journalist comes to the camp where she’s ministering at and begins taking pictures. While watching her, he is moved by her gentle care and obvious love for these people. All day he sees her love and care for these terminally sick people and what he finds so moving is that she actually enjoyed being there. After spending a day there, the journalist begins to leave, but before he does he asks the woman, “How can you stay here, there’s so much death and despair, there’s no hope for these people?” And she answered back, “The love of Jesus compels me to stay, I can really do no other.”

And with that the journalist leaves, but while driving he can’t get the missionary’s words out of his head. As the story goes, he is so moved by her words that he comes to faith while developing the pictures he took. Our Christian service when empowered by Christ’s love becomes a power witness. Though the missionary only said a few words to the photo journalist, what amazed him was the fact that there could be a love so strong that this woman would endure such tragedy willingly and with joy. The missionary’s Christian service fueled by the Holy Spirit truly magnified the Gospel.

This Spirit, who pours out power and love into Christians, also gives us self-discipline. Self-discipline for Timothy as for us means the ability to control our actions and thoughts preventing any reactionary behavior which in turn will help us to assess any situation, especially difficult ones, with the clarity of mind necessary to trust in the invisible God despite any threats, distractions or tragedy. What this means is when we’re in the heat of the moment, when our emotions are running high and we’re feeling a lot of pressure or under a lot of stress, the Holy Spirit helps us to make good and loving decisions, so that when we look back on our lives there will be less regrets about how we acted in any given situation.


hidden in Christ

When you read a passage like 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” What goes through your mind? We all say we believe that, but when it comes to actually walking this verse out in our lives, do our actions actually line up with what we say we believe? because this verse talks about change and transformation. Maybe when you came to faith, God pulled you from a life of sin and you had a pretty dramatic conversion and the contrast between the old and the new was very clear. Or maybe you’ve been walking in the new life since you were a little kid and the distinction between the old and the new has never ever been that clear to you. Either way, as we grow and mature, we can reach a certain level of comfort in who we are and it’s real easy to begin to settle into that image of ourselves. When this happens, it’s really easy to simply stop growing and take on a complacent, even an indifferent attitude toward change.

Do you remember the Rubik’s Cube? Oftentimes the image that we hold of ourselves is like that one completed side that we can all accomplish. I don’t know about you, but when I finally complete that one side I am pretty cautious about doing anything to mess it up. In many ways this is like the image we keep of ourselves that we guard and protect. Have you ever said to yourself: “Oh, that’s just the way I am.” When we say things like that, what we are really saying is that I’d rather stay the way that I am than try to change. Maybe you believe that you can’t change. But, thinking like that excludes God from the picture. In this Rubik’s cube example, what I’ve wanted to emphasize is that we as people as limited. Our desires are limited, our understanding is limited, and our view of ourselves is limited. It’s because we are only creations. But, God is the Creator who is able to see everything going on, when we can only see a portion.

God’s Word says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and we all know this to be true because I don’t know about you, but I know that I’m complicated. And I don’t know about you, but just thinking about trying to get every side of a Rubik’s Cube seems almost impossible, but God knows what He’s doing and though it may seem like He’s messing up our one little side, what He’s really doing is working to complete the good work that He started in all of us: Philippians 1:6 says: “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” So, when God begins to bring change into our lives, it’s because He’s trying to make us whole. He’s putting together and completing all the other sides. But, we must always remember that it’s only through Christ that a believer is given new life because Jesus is the source, power and goal of all Christian growth.

Colossians 3: 3-4 says: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” There are two truths in these verses: 1) that a believer’s current life is hidden with Christ in God and 2) that all believers will one day appear with Christ in glory. Do you believe that your life is hidden in Christ? That everything that we need in understanding who we are can be found in Christ? What Paul is saying here is that believers are “with Christ in God” and therefore reside in a place other than this world, a place where divine grace transforms us into a new creation. Where are you looking for your life? Are you looking for your life in Christ or out in the world?  

  • It’s in Jesus that we find eternal life.
  • It’s in Jesus that we find our inheritance.
  • It’s in Jesus that we find our true identity.
  • It’s in Jesus that we find peace with God, others and ourselves.
  • It’s in Jesus that we find joy.
  • It’s in Jesus that we are given the Holy Spirit.
  • It’s in Jesus that we are healed.
  • It’s in Jesus that our hearts are mended.
  • It’s in Jesus that our minds are renewed.
  • It’s in Jesus that our souls are refreshed.
  • It’s in Jesus that we are redeemed.
  • It’s in Jesus that we are adopted as sons and daughters of God.
  • It’s in Jesus that we find true strength.
  • It’s in Jesus that we experience the Father’s love.
  • It’s in Jesus that we are under the protection of the Father.

Everything that we need to experience the fullness of life that Jesus promised (John 10:10) us can only be found in Him. That’s why Paul says that our lives are hidden with Christ in God. But, we must also remember that this fullness of life that believers experience is only in part (1 Corinthians 13:12) because it is only at Jesus’ Second Coming will the Kingdom of God be fully realized where as Paul says: believers will “also appear with Him in glory.”When Christ appears we also will appear with Him in glory because God will have completed the good work He’s begun in each believer (Philippians 1:6). God’s grace truly is amazing!


raised with Christ

The way that we live our lives reflects in a lot of ways the type of person we are. It reveals who we are and what’s important to us. It reveals our core values, both the good and selfish and sinful ways. What does your ideal day look like? If your human, than you’re a creature of comfort like me who likes your day to go smoothly, without any surprises. Take a minute to really think about your day to day routine. Do you shy away from confrontation? Do you purposely schedule your day so that you’ll meet the least amount of resistance? Do you try to avoid conflict at all costs? If you had to compare your ideal day with a type of music, what would it be? If I had to describe my ideal day with a type of music, it would have to be “Muzak” you know the music that you hear on elevators. The calming and comforting music that fills up the uncomfortable silence with nice, soothing and relaxing melodies. Kind of boring I know, but it’s safe.

Our natural tendency is to only think of the temporal side of life, what will make us the most comfortable, our immediate security. Most of the time this won’t include the spiritual aspects of life: what God may want to do on the inside of us, in our character by pulling us from the idols of comfort or materialism or money or selfishness or fear or whatever is getting in the way of having Christ formed in us. We ask God to transform us, but then we do everything we can to stop God from actually doing that. If we trust that salvation is found in Jesus then we also must trust that God’s grace will always be about us and that by His grace we will be transformed so that we are then able to set our hearts and minds on the purposes of heaven as Colossians 3:1-2 says: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Maybe the reason that we just coast through life is that we don’t see the urgency of our situation, in who we are and what we do, because we don’t recognize the spiritual component or realize the eternal ramifications of the things happening in our lives. We don’t take into consideration the reality that who we are, what we’re all about and our actions do impact eternity in some way because we’re so stuck on the temporal side of life. Earthly things have become more important then heavenly things. If we realize it or not, what we do in the visible has some affect on the invisible because the physical and spiritual components of life are intricately connected.

God know this. He can see the whole painting when all we can see are a few brush stokes and when we set our hearts and minds on things above we are more apt to be able to sense and see life from God’s perspective. We will be able to see life with an eternal perspective. But, our earthly desires are in direct conflict with the purposes of heaven. So, the more focused we are on the temporal side of life, the less able we will be able to set our hearts and minds on the things above. The kind of people we are in Christ and the kinds of actions we take as his disciples must always reflect what and in whom we believe. We must also remember that God’s work of grace is inside out, meaning the private matters of the heart are always fleshed out in public. The reality of heart transformation is revealed in changed lifestyle.

That’s why God brings change into our lives, so that He can break up the routines of safety and comfort that we covet so desperately. I believe a child of God can get to a place where the rocky path of sanctification will be more desirable than the smooth road of comfort. I believe that a child of God can get to a place where they are so engaged with Jesus that when God does bring change into their lives, they will almost be expecting it because it will feel so absolutely and completely right. But, this means intentionally setting our minds on things above, more so than on earthly things. I believe the more we do this, the less worry and more joy we will have in our lives.


“Follow Me” ~Jesus

So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins” (Luke 6:46-49 NLT).

Throughout my journey of faith with Jesus, these words have repeatedly come up. I am more and more convicted these days of the fact that I spend more time studying the Way of Jesus, rather than actually following after Him. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe there is a place for “listening to Jesus’ teaching,” but as the rest of the verse says, we need to “follow them.” Jesus specifically tells us to follow Him, rather than to just listen or study Him. I myself have been guilty of overemphasizing the studying of God’s Word, rather than empowering people to actually do what His Word says: Learning about the Way of Jesus is far different than actually walking His Way.

Again, when I am not intentionally following Jesus’ Way, then I confronted with the question: “Who’s way am I following?” If I’m honest then I’d have to say the way of my parents or friends, celebrities, culture, the world at large, even my own way (which is probably the biggest culprit). The way we live does reflect what we believe. Certain rules and standards or lack of them guide us throughout our days. The daily decisions we make are influenced by the barometer within our hearts, the inner compass that guides us through life. I believe the only way to really get the things that we learn from our heads and into our hearts is to put them into practice. Jesus knows this, that’s why all through the Gospels we read about Jesus telling people “follow Me.”

You see, we can learn and learn and learn, but until our learning takes action all we have is a bunch of learned theory floating around in our heads. It’s when we begin to do what we’ve learned that this learning starts to become a part of us (begins to sink into our hearts) and the more we do what we’ve learned the more it becomes part of our nature. Who’s way are you following?


TRUE ✞= ♥ LOVE

God is love (1 John 4:16) and if Jesus is the exact representation of God (Hebrews 1:3) then Jesus also is love. So, His agreeing to go to the Cross for the sins of the world must be seen as a free act of unconditional love, both towards the Father and Mankind: ✞= ♥. 

I am longing more and more to love like Jesus. The deeper Holy Spirit takes me into Father’s heart, the greater the desire I have for selfless love. Just the other day, I was in the shower singing worship songs to God and praying (for me, showering the dirt off my body is always a good physical reminder of the spiritual reality that God is continually purifying my heart) when I felt Holy Spirit ask me: ” Are you satisfied with how you love people?” When I heard the question, I almost began to cry because truth be told, I’m not. I am so aware of my weak love and the desire to want to prove my love. But, true love is bold and never feels the need to prove itself because true love is secure and loves without question. True love just loves. That’s the kind of love that I see Jesus modelling when I read the Gospels. He engaged in relationships that transformed people: True love compels a person to risk and endure beyond themselves.

Prayerful intercession is an example of true love in action. When I pray for others, I am sacrificing my time (both with God and others) in order to cry out to God on behalf of another. Let me explain, I see prayer as a time to let God directly love on me. So, oftentimes I will spend most of my prayer time alone before God with an open heart and a quiet mind,  eagerly listening for His Words of grace and to feel His heart towards me. So, when I spend time in intercession for others, I sacrifice my time with God (where He loves on me) and with others (because I am alone). That’s why I believe there needs to be a good blend of talking with and listening to God. My times of listening fuel my intercession. The more that I understand God’s heart and mind towards me, the way He feels and thinks about me, the greater this increases my capacity for true love. His love sets my heart free.

I need to constantly remind myself that God knows all the burdens in my heart and life and that God not only loves me, but He likes me, too! He loves spending time with me. This is not to say that I don’t spend time telling Him my burdens, but I find it much easier to be in constant communication with God throughout my day, rather then at set times. When a situation arises I don’t wait to tell God about it later, I let Him know right there what’s going on with me in the moment and oftentimes I will ask Him to  intervene. So, in the moments that I actually get to be alone with God, I spend that time listening. I trust that He has heard every prayer offered to Him, either vocally, mentally or within my heart alone, so far in my day. I try to remember that God is God and that He does hear all my thoughts and heart cries and so I wait to hear His words of encouragement, guidance, comfort and blessing. I believe with all my heart that God desires good for His people, but too often we spend way too much time talking, rather than listening. 

In my desire to love more like Jesus, I believe that spending more time just listening to Father’s heart and mind towards me, the way He feels and thinks about me, will strengthen my weak love and lessen my desire to want to prove my love. I will just simply love. The more I receive God’s love, the more His love will transform my love to be more like His true love. How often do you spend time just letting God tell you just how crazy in love He is with you?


the pull of the world

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to pour into quite a few young men. Each one was unique and had their own set of hardships and memorable moments. But, the common thread that streamed through them all was God’s main purpose for bringing me into these men’s lives, which was to help further solidify their identity in Christ by speaking truth and life to them. Most of our time together was focused on untangling them from their affections for the world which was directly related to their continual addiction struggles.This affection for the world made them believe the lie that the world had something to offer them that was greater than what God could offer them.

 

It’s like in 1 Samuel 8, where the Israelites demand that Samuel appoint them a king because they wanted to be like all the other nations (v.5). But, the Israelites were supposed to be different from all the other nations because the Lord had chosen them to be His own treasured possession (Exodus 19:5; Leviticus 18:30; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 18:9; 26:18; Numbers 23:21). You see, what was really happening was the Israelites were rejecting God as their King. But, God is still patient with His people. He’s not reactionary, but purposeful as He tells Samuel to prophetically warn them of how this coming king will rule over them.

 

“So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them as his chariots and charioteers, making them run before his chariots. Some will be generals and captains in his army. some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. He will take….” (1 Samuel 8:10-14ff).

 

The passage goes on, but I think you get the point. The picture these verses paint is that this coming king will basically enslave the Israelites where he will claim ownership, not only of their bodies, but also of everything they owned, to do with both as he pleased. I used to think that God was like this, a heavy-handed God who did whatever He pleased because He was God, even if it meant by force where service and worship is born out of fear, rather than love. But, the more that I experience and encounter the one and only living God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the more I realize that He is nothing like this worldly king who simply uses the people of his kingdom. God desires our unconditional love and He will never force us to love Him. His desire is that we choose Him over and above all the other loves in our lives and of the world.

 

Even when God warns them of this dictator king, the Israelites still want and demand a king other than God. The text is pretty clear, the Israelites wanted what they wanted and they wanted it now: “But the people refused to listen to Samuel. ‘No!’ they said. “We want a king over us” (v.19). There was no reasoning with them. There was no speaking any sense to them. Their minds were already made up. They had their hearts and minds set on becoming like all the other nations (v.20). I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all at some point in our lives wanted something so badly that there was no talking us out of it, even though deep down we knew that what we wanted probably wasn’t the best thing for us.

 

From my perspective, ministering to people who are struggling with drug addiction can be extremely frustrating at times because, more often than not, the addiction has become so ingrained into their identity, in how they relate to themselves and others, that it disrupts and distorts their value system. So, when that urge comes to indulge in their drug addiction, their whole thinking process gets turned upside-down. When this happens, there is no reasoning with them. The addiction takes over. Now I’m not saying that I think that the Israelites where on drugs, but I do think that they were addicted to the world.

 

1) How strong of a pull does the world have on your own life?

2) Do you believe that what God has to offer is better than what the world has to offer?

3) Does your life reflect that you are a citizen of Heaven or a citizen of the world?

4) What needs to change?


living in the anointing

These days, I have been challenged more and more by God to be fully reliant upon Him everyday and in every way. That I am to fully embrace the reality that I live, move and have my being in Him (Acts 17:28). For me this means I need to be consciously engaging with God throughout my day. This doesn’t mean that I connect with God in the morning and then reconnect with Him before meals and then a quiet time before I go to sleep. No, the way I understand this truth is that I need to be in continual and constant contact with God all day, everyday. This may seem like a tall order, but what helps me stay connected with God is the understanding that:“Sure I could probably make it through an average day without too much of a stretch, but life to me is more than just getting through the day. A full and abundant life involves making an eternal impact in this world for Jesus. And for this to happen, I need to be seeking out the specific Kingdom impact that Jesus wants to make  for each moment of the day.” This means that I need to humbly admit that I don’t have the answers, nor the power to achieve this and that I need God to actively lead and empower me if I am to be of any use to Him.

If that’s not enough, Scripture says, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). How I understand this verse is that God is not interested in what we have to offer Him, He is more interested in letting us know what needs to happen and how it needs to happen. Furthermore, Paul continues on to say, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (vv. 27-29). Again, God is in the business of showing us what’s what. Not, the other way around. The last thing we should be trying to do is impress God. Remember, God is the Creator of the univese. impressing Him just won’t happen. The quicker that we admit that we need God’s direct and active guidance in our lives the greater intimacy we will have with Him and the greater impact we will make for His Kingdom here on earth.

Jesus is the good Shepherd who speaks to His sheep because they know His Voice (John 10:4). If we are not use to listening to Him speak to us, then it may take some time to recognize our Shepherd’s Voice. But, we must trust that Jesus knows us and we know Him (John 10:14). Furthermore, I believe that the only way to  consistently recognize Jesus’ Voice is through our dependency on the Holy Spirit, who loves making the things of Jesus known to us (John 16:14) which means He helps us not only know about Jesus, but also to encounter Him. Too often, good intentioned believers shy away from a more experiential (even mystical) approach to encountering Jesus because they are fearful of being deceived and led astray. Now, I can be compassionate towards them and understand where they are coming from, but this is what I have to say to them: “Trust that God is able to sovereignly keep you from being deceived as you pursue to encounter more of Jesus. Don’t you think the Father would bless your pursuit to know more of His Son? Don’t let the fear of being deceived stop you from encountering more of King Jesus in your life and having His Kingdom break in greater measure into your surroundings.”

Living in the anointing means that I am doing all I can to press into the grace that Jesus has apportioned to me (Ephesians 4:7) all day, everyday. This means I am actively seeking to hear His Voice in my life. Jesus, the Anointed One (which is the meaning of Christ),  lived His life fully in the anointing of the Holy Spirit while He walked the earth. Believers today can do no less. We must seek to live in the anointing of the Holy Spirit on each of our lives. I am more and more convinced that what is lacking in the Body of Christ is that believers are not walking in the fullness of God’s grace for them. I believe if we were, the Church truly would be the unstoppable force that Jesus envisioned (Matthew 16:18) because every believer would be living in their God given anointing. So this is my prayer: that the Holy Spirit would impress upon every believer’s heart to consciously pursue walking in the fullness of God’s grace, that He would unshackled their hearts to receive this grace and that He would give them a hunger and thirst to seek out the righteousness of God by empowering them to claim the anointing of God on their lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.