People tend to want things to stay the same. Even
people who are in bad situations are often afraid of change. Fear has them
paralyzed. But Jesus is all about change, radical change. He died to make
radical change possible. More than that, He lives to make radical change happen. After all, He is the Author AND Finisher of our Faith (Hebrews 12:2).
May this message stir your heart to a greater passion for our Lord Jesus and the things He is passionate about.
Hebrews 7:25 tells us that
He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Do you think He's just asking for small changes, a tweak here and tweak there? No no no! His big call is for big stuff! Radical change, deep change, lasting change!
When He brings radical change, it's for our good. Always. It's for our FOREVER good.
Let me state a caveat or two and a huge promise.
- Not all change is good or
from God. There is evil in this world, evil that is actively trying to destroy Believers. But the evil won't win, especially not in the long run.
- We should always strive to make good, Scriptural choices, limiting self-inflicted damage. That's another big reason to know your Bible.
- The Big Promise: We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, those who have been called, and it's all according to his purpose. Romans 8:28.
I'm giving thanks for His call on your life. He's thought every circumstance through from every possible angle to every possible outcome. He's thought about you more times than there are grains of sand on the edge of the sea.
He wants what will be the very best outcome for you, one that extends far beyond your time in this life. You can trust Him. You should really trust Him. Trusting Him is ALWAYS your best choice, whether you see what He's up to or not.
I've made up my mind ahead of time that I will trust Him, His plans, His heart for me and the outcome He has in mind. Even when it's hard, I remind myself that I must trust Him.
Really, is there anything other than trusting Him that
makes sense? Is there anything else that will stand up to the test of time? I know that
His plans are good. No matter how difficult things seem to be here, the end result of
His plans will be incredibly wonderful. We have eternity with Jesus, Baby!
Whatever mishap I go through here, no matter what I deal with, do without or miss out on... whether stuff or adventure, whether respect or recognition or even relationship...He will so extremely make it up to me that the temporary, passing things of this life will be as nothing. Nothing!
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18.
Jesus Himself is your rescuer, your Redeemer. He alone can transform your life from brokenness to newness of life. That's what He does.
He wants you to be connected to an on-fire church. I'm not trying to insult anyone or hurt your feelings. I am trying to call us all higher. Face it, a lot of churches aren't even close to being on-fire for Jesus. They may be passionate for their denomination's traditions or for growing the attendance numbers, building campaign, and cash flow. But none of that is the same as being on fire for Jesus.
Many churches try to justify not having the radical life-changing power and presence of God. They try to explain away the lack of God's power, the lack of His presence, the lack of deep worship in their lives and in their meetings. The reality is that those are things the Bible says we should have.
I've heard some very scholarly sounding folks jumping
through hoops to to say that the full power of God, the kind we see in the
Bible, isn't for today. They're wrong. They couldn't be more wrong. God asks
"Is my hand shortened?" Isaiah 59:1. His power and works are just as
mighty and just as available today as at any time in the past.
It's not good for any Believer to be out from under a true Spirit-filled covering. We all need folks in our lives who know, believe and teach what the Bible says about God's power to transform lives...people who understand that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an actual event subsequent to being Born Again. It's much more than just speaking and praying and worshiping in tongues. It's a doorway into a vibrant, more intimate relationship with God.
Wherever you are in your life, however far you've already gone with Jesus, He wants more. He wants more for you, through you, and around you!
It's so easy for us to fall into complacency. Being complacent is what Jesus calls being lukewarm. In this excerpt from Revelation 3:14-19, Jesus says
I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot...So then, because you are lukewarm...you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked...As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
In this excerpt from Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus says
I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen...and repent...
His remedy for being lukewarm and passionless? Repent! Get back to your first love, a passionate on-fire love for Him. Cry out for Him to help you, to enable you by a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit to be on fire for Him.
2 Peter 1:9 warns us that we can become shortsighted, even to blindness, forgetting that we were cleansed from our old sins. Have you forgotten that you were once cleansed of old sins?
Whatever steps you need to take...confession of sin, repentance, seeking and giving forgiveness...Romans 12:1-2 comes into play.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Here's a prayer that I say frequently:
Lord, whatever you do, don't leave me like you find me now.
Another favorite prayer is adapted from Ephesians1:17-19. I recommend that you pray it regularly. I often paraphrase it something like this:
Lord, grant me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you...let me see and understand the hope of your calling. Let me understand and walk in the unlimited greatness of your power towards me.
Amen!
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