Pushing back

“All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

What does it mean to live in the 'authority' of Christ? It is both the ability to use God's power and the 'permission' to use it. We might believe we are given permission to use his power, but we might feel very 'unable' to do so. This is nothing but a lie from the pits of hell, my friends! We are given both - the ability and the 'authority' or 'permission' to tap into, live within, and use his power. To live 'powerless' lives is never the will of the Father - his will is for us to have ALL authority.

Did Jesus encounter times, places, and people who questioned his authority? Absolutely! Demons didn't want to submit to his authority, but a bunch of pig farmers lost their entire herd to one command to 'come out'! Sickness, crippling disease, and all manner of 'uncleanness' might have left many as outcasts from society for a long, long time, but none of these stood a chance when they encountered his authority! Insecure religious leaders who thought they had 'arrived' in the realm of their knowledge and power were left dumbfounded when he spoke with the power and authority of the Father who sent him. 

We oftentimes 'operate' far below our potential as children of God, choosing a 'powerless' position in the face of our enemy's opposition. When we do, he wins! The power and authority of God Almighty resides within each of us - his presence is always with us - even when we might not feel or 'sense' it. God doesn't abandon his children - he commissions them, gives them both the POWER and the AUTHORITY to use it! If someone gave you the keys to the biggest box store, telling you that you could enter at will, take whatever you needed, and reorder all that was necessary for your life without any payment required, would you use them? Well, God gave us the keys to the Kingdom, and we might just hesitate to use them!

The authority we are given is 'backed' by the power of God. Authority without power to back it up is really nothing more than wishful thinking. If we have such 'powerful backing', isn't it time we started to use it to push back the forces of darkness in and around our lives? Just askin!

Putt-Putt or Vrrrmmmm-Vrrrrmmmm?

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. (Colossians 1:9)

Be honest here - do you ever feel like the 'power' you are operating under is really not 'power', but more like a 'putt-putt' kind of existence? If you are there, don't fret because we all find ourselves there from time to time. The truth of the matter is that we sometimes launch off in our own 'might' or 'power', not fully understanding the 'umph' behind our actions is really not God's, but our own. It takes a bit to understand how God works through us, but when we discover his power moving through us, something 'clicks' and we begin to appreciate the difference between our 'putt-putt' movements and his mighty power! As this happens, we don't ever want to operate under our own pathetic power any longer!

We all need someone to be praying these words on our behalf, don't we? We all need someone to be praying for our minds to be un-muddled and free of 'cluttering confusion'. We all need our spirits in tune with the Spirit of God moving within us. We all need to learn to work 'smarter', not 'harder'. To operate within our own power is to worker harder - to allow the Spirit of God to 'innervate' our actions is to work 'smarter'. We learn to work 'smarter' as we learn to embrace the prompting of the Holy Spirit within us. I have launched off in so many different directions in my life, only to find at the end of it all I am so tired and frustrated by the results of all that work. Why? I was doing everything under my own power.

How do we learn to 'exchange' our putt-putt power for the dynamo of God's power within us? I think it comes as we begin to learn more and more of how God works. How do we learn this? By listening, paying attention, seeing positive examples of other believers, and getting to know what his Word tells us about how he acts, when he acts, and where he acts. We stop 'putting around' when we begin to understand God's actions aren't always quick - some are methodical, gradual, and taken over time. Others are quick because the action is needed now. It takes time to get to know these things about God, but trust me on this one - getting familiar with how and when and where God moves is the beginning of a new level of 'power' within your life. You will never again settle for the 'putt-putt' power of your own doing! Just sayin!

A little power outage makes one think...

 Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing. (Isaiah 26:4)

I depend on my vehicle to get me places I want to go. I depend upon my washing machine to clean my clothes. I depend on my light switch to bring illumination to the room when I switch it on. There are tons of things you and I depend upon each and every day - some of them without even knowing we are depending upon them. My power went out this week, not once, but twice. That meant no air conditioning, no light, and no water dispensed in the refrigerator door. I am aware I have disclosed my dependence upon a few luxuries here, but trust me on this one - in Arizona you want air conditioning, you need water, and when it is dark outside, it is going to be even darker inside! The latest power outage was for several hours and in the middle of the day. We probably all count on this 'sure thing' called electricity to be flowing through those underground lines to our homes, but when a storm hits and that 'flow' is interrupted, we are thrown into chaos. Imagine an interruption in the 'flow' of your relationship with Jesus for just a moment. Would that be considered a 'luxury', or a 'necessity' in your life?

In mine, it is a NECESSITY - no flow in that relationship means my life is thrown into chaos bigger than any 'power outage' I have ever experienced in the natural sense. It is a 'power outage' of quite another type. The power of Christ flowing in our lives is something we all need to depend upon, but I wonder if we realize when it isn't actually 'flowing' as it should be, or worse yet, it is cut off completely? That 'flow' is maintained because there is continual contact with Christ - we are engaged with him on a regular and consistent basis. In other words, we aren't just 'casual' in our relationship with him. I depend upon his power in my life as much as I depend upon breath. Cut off my breath and life is no longer sustained. Cut off my connection with Jesus and things are going to get really ugly around here!

Dependence is defined as placing one's trust in something - to rely upon it fully. I take for granted the electricity will be flowing in my household - but at best, my local electricity provider only reports a 98% success rate in accomplishing this task at my residence. Imagine for a moment if God reported to us that we could only rely upon him 98% of the time - the other 2% of the time we'd be on our own to figure things out. How would that affect you? I wonder how many of us have those numbers turned around - depending upon God about 2% of the time and trusting in our own efforts to figure things out the other 98%? Think on that one for a bit today. How much are you actually dependent upon God? How many of us would actually notice if there was a disconnection from his power in our lives? If we want power to flow unimpeded, we need to ensure the maintenance of the connection. Just sayin!

Let it soak in deep

Have you ever wondered what power there is in a word? I know there are times I don't have to say much to find I have lifted someone's spirits, while there are opposite times when a couple of words spoken at the wrong time or with the wrong intent create a whole lot of misery. Words are quite powerful, but none so powerful as those contained within the pages of our Bible, as these were put there to set us on fire. They have a creative power - bringing to life what had once been dead. They have a convicting power - revealing what we might not even have known was there so it can be completely dealt with and removed. Words, when used as they were intended, have power - especially in the hands of a graceful and loving God!

Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you. (1 Peter 1:24-25 MSG)

New for old - that has been God's movement down through the ages. Promise given - promise fulfilled. Hope birthed - hope realized. There is and always be great power in his Word, but we have to get it into us if it is to be of any benefit to us. Words simply spoken, but never heard, are not going to accomplish the mission they had when spoken, right? I have said things under my breath - not really wanting others to hear what I was saying right then - but God's words are not those type of words. There is nothing hidden in his Word - all is there to be revealed to us - if we just look and ask.

The life within each of us is conceived, first by natural means, then by the divine touch of God in our lives. The new birth experience - as some call it - is that transition of our lives whereby the words God speaks deep into our spirits ignite a passion, define a purpose, and create a passage from one way of living into another. There is power displayed on our behalf - all through those words. They may have been penned many years ago, but they remain equally as powerful today as they were when they were given to those men who took pen to paper to record them.

Truth changes us. There is nothing more damning than a lie. There is nothing more freeing than the truth. Our spiritual conception is accomplished with one word - "YES" - saying YES to Jesus. Our spiritual growth is accomplished through many words - those written for us to serve as examples of how to both act and not act. The promises he gives are ours for the taking - to stand upon with assurance. His process of creating us anew isn't just that momentary 'birthing' experience, but it is the putting off of the old and the putting on of the new - day after day, year after year. YES is the beginning - in between that beginning and eternity will come many words to restore, challenge, help us conquer.

Embrace his Word. Listen carefully to its challenges. Open wide to its hope. Come often to his feet to listen with intent. There is much to discover in the power of those words. Much to soak in until we are so saturated that we 'leak' his Word from within every fiber of our being. Discover it. You won't be disappointed in his Words, for they are life. Just sayin!

One is more than one

There is something that happens when God's people gather together. By the very experience of being together in one accord - no emphasis on differences, no focus on the inadequacies of each other, but simply being content to gather in his name, united in their worship - there is a door opened to heaven unlike any other time. We have lost the 'art' of being 'one' - it has become so easy to be divided, or critical of others that we just don't realize the power we are losing out on by not being 'one'.

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. (Acts 2:1-4)

Without warning, an event began to transpire that would result in the transformation of the disciples like no other - the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament is full of descriptions of times when the Holy Spirit "came upon" an individual and they were able to prophesy of the future events in the lives of God's people or do something out of the ordinary for the time. Here we see the transition of the Holy Spirit simply "coming upon" a few to the fulfillment of Jesus' promise that he would send another to "indwell" them - to be their guide, comforter, and teacher.

There were three manifestations that day - a sound, a sight, and a speaking - all served to not only get the attention of the disciples gathered, but also the onlookers as far away as those in the streets! The mighty wind, the cloven tongues of fire, and the various filling of the disciples with the ability to speak forth in what we hear referred to as "differing tongues" was reaching beyond the walls of their little upper room. If we recall the words of Christ just before he ascended to heaven, he had asked these disciples to remain in Jerusalem - because he was sending something (really someone) that would help them in their calling to be disciples to the nations. That someone was the Holy Spirit.

Wind and fire in the Old Testament are symbols commonly used to describe the Holy Spirit. Wind also was symbolic of the breath of God. Fire often referred to that which produced God's holiness by "burning up the chaff - in other words, it had a purifying effect. The Bible is rich in symbolism - God "tying" a symbol to a certain action or characteristic of his character. He does this because he knows we could never fully comprehend his holiness without some connection to the things we can see, feel, and can generally interpret with our senses. The Holy Spirit spread through their ranks - like a wildfire. This is an example of symbolism - as one was touched, others began to be touched - just like a small fire begins to spread out as it reaches new "kindling". These were readied hearts - they were just waiting for the spark to ignite the fire! 

 God has wonderful things in store for those who are first of all obedient - these disciples were waiting as they were told. He opens countless blessings to those who are yielded - their hearts were in one accord. His touch in the lives of his disciples has a multiplying effect - those near and those at a distance were impacted by this infilling experience. We are given the Holy Spirit to indwell us - be there every day of our lives as our comforter, guide, teacher - at the point of our welcoming Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior. There is a separate experience when we yield to the Lord, fully surrendering, bringing our hearts into one accord with his, and asking for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit - not of water, but of enduing power. This experience transforms like none other. It is an empowering, "cementing" experience that places us on a journey with Christ that is powerful and purposeful. If you have not experienced this in your own walk with Christ - perhaps today is the day. God is waiting - are you ready? Just askin!

Power to really do better

When a new power comes into play, the game changes a little bit, doesn't it? The new power exerts some influence that is 'new' to the circumstances. In baseball, they change up the pitcher in hopes the 'new power' will deliver a no hitter run of pitches. In technology, the introduction of panoramic WiFi added a more advanced web-surfing power to the game. Well, there is a new power in operation in our lives. This new power gives us a whole group of new principles by which to pattern our lives. In fact, it gives us a new potency for life - efficient, forceful, influential progress AGAINST sin in our lives. The rules we have been trying to live by could never do this for us. Our human condition requires a radical change. This type of radical change could only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit within us - the 'force' to begin anew.

A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

Rules can only cover over our selfishness like a bandage covers over a wound - the wound still exists under that bandage and if you rip it off, the wound oftentimes just reopens, giving us new pain to deal with. Keeping a set of rules merely makes us "look good" on the outside, but the desires to do stuff that feeds our selfish desires still exists deep inside. We call this our sin nature. The Spirit of God does not "mask over" our sinful nature. He encounters it, exposes it, and exchanges it - setting us in order from the inside out. The key to growth is to embrace what the Spirit is doing. What we frequently do is to simply "redouble" our efforts to "be good" or "live right", instead of embracing what the Spirit is doing within. 

Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored. (Romans 8:5-8)

As long as our focus is inward, self-centered, we have absolutely no new resources by which life-long struggles can be overcome. As soon as we turn our focus upward, toward God, the resources we need for living an "exchanged life" are limitless. Focus determines outcome. It drives us when it is right, and it diminishes our passion and pursuit when it isn't. Focus is the position in which something is placed in order to have clarity in what is perceived. Until we take the focus off of self, our perception is clouded by every failure, every desire, and every attitude that we have formed because of faulty life experiences.

We often cannot see beyond the immediate, but until we look fully into the eyes of the one who holds the future, we cannot fully comprehend the value of the present circumstances either. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives - getting us to "focus" correctly. The value of the immediate is defined by our vision of the future state. We are defined by our identity in Christ - we don't appear to be entirely Christ-like today, but our immediate condition is being shaped by the promise that we will be entirely Christ-like in the future.

We are NEW today in Christ - our full exchange of character and the subsequent changes in practice will change in proportion to our willingness to keep our focus steady on him rather than the circumstances. Becoming Christ-like is more than holding a sentiment in our hearts - it is something that has to be worked out in every fiber of our being. As we partner with the Holy Spirit, we find this possible. Embrace him, allow him to expose your struggles, and then let him show you how to live a totally exchanged life. Just sayin!

You don't got me on this one!

David, as King of Israel, was in heated battle with the Edomites in the Valley of Salt - not exactly a lush place to be nor the top of someone's bucket list to visit.  The Edomites were descendants of Esau, one of the sons of Jacob.  Esau is probably best known in scripture as the son who sold his birthright for a pot of stew (Genesis 25) - his hunger outweighing his solid thinking on that one.  As the firstborn of Jacob, he had the full right to the inheritance of his father (a double portion as it is referred to in scripture).  In a time of weakness, hungry and weary by what life had dealt him, he "sold out" to his twin brother. I wonder how many times we 'sell out' in times of hunger, weariness, or worry?

16-17 And me? I'm singing your prowess, shouting at cockcrow your largesse,
   For you've been a safe place for me, a good place to hide.  Strong God, I'm watching you do it, I can always count on you—God, my dependable love.

(Psalm 59:16-17)

Esau's family became a band of nomadic raiders settling in the region just south of the Dead Sea - the land that Israel would realistically pass through on their way to Canaan as they exited their bondage in the land of Egypt.  Edom is recorded in Scripture as the people that would not allow the passage of Israel through their land, causing them to detour around Edom on their journey - something they would be sure to regret down the road.  King Saul mounted a huge attack against Edom during his reign and 40 years later, King David, along with Joab, his General of the Armies, destroys 10,000 of the military men of Edom. Yup, a poor decision made in haste once again by the people who descended from the man who made a very poor decision!

This huge battle is what is celebrated in this Psalm.  David cries out:  I am singing of your prowess, shouting of your largesse!  He is overcome with the protection of his God and the safety he has enjoyed in the battle - a battle that could have easily overrun his troops and caused huge casualties to his kingdom. To David, God has been a safe place to hide - a good place for him to find refuge.  Some might think that David is a little cowardly because of these words, but in fact, these are the words that describe the condition of his heart - he chose to trust God and not his own ability.  He faced his fears in the midst of battles that seemed insurmountable by placing those fears squarely in the hands of his great God.  When David brings his fears to God, he stands back and watches as God repeatedly intervenes in ways that would have been impossible through his own natural skill or military might.

I know that we probably don't face huge armies today, wielding all kinds of weaponry, preparing to charge at us with all their military might (although some reading this might be in service to our country, facing just this type of an enemy).  We DO face "armies" of forces just waiting to see our destruction - armies intent on waiting for those moments of weakness and weariness that will drive us into places where we might not always choose wisely.  Those forces are the armies of doubt, bitterness, deception, lust, pride, etc.  Enemies that stand against us, filling us with fear and unbelief.  To us, they seem insurmountable.  To God, they are like the grains of sand that get into our shoes - irritating, but totally removable!

Maybe you find yourself in the place today where you could say, "I have been trying to do this all on my own, God!  I have been trying to figure a way out of this bondage, but I am just not getting out of here on my own!"  If that is the case, you have an opportunity today to take your inabilities to God - then stand back and watch what he does with the heart that yields to his plans.  Most of the battle is not in the "sin", but in the laying down of our will.  When we finally lay down our will, step back and begin to watch, God begins to move. I am encouraging you today to be able to lay down what you have been holding onto so tightly; to be able to take a step back; and to have your eyes opened to how God will move once you do. As your eyes are opened to God's graces refilling you with his peace, setting you free from your resentments, taking you to new heights in his love, I am confident you will sing out with David:  I am singing of your prowess; I can always count on you, my God! Truly, God's 'largesse' will manifest itself, not in our moments of greatest strength or ability, but in moments of our greatest hunger and weakness! Just sayin!

Correct this...

“Lord God, with your great power you made the earth and the sky. There is nothing too hard for you to do." (Jeremiah 32:17 ERV)

What is your "too hard" point in life? At what "phase" in the development of events or alignment of the issues do you actually say this is just "too hard"? My grandsons have had to learn math, but not the "easy" way we might have learned growing up - for their "method" of teaching math these days is through something they refer to as the "common core". Honestly, this "newer math" is kinda hard! It almost borders on being "too hard" for this old gal to learn! Every now and again I get this pleading call from my daughter, asking me to help him over the phone with his math homework. It is one thing to see it, read through it a couple of times, and then figure out what they are trying to instruct him to do, but over the phone to just "hear it"...that just compounds the "hardness" of it! I think most of us do a combination of things to actually lay hold of our "lessons" in life - like seeing, hearing, feeling, etc. We are able to get past the "hardness" of it somehow because of the combined learning accomplished through our various senses.

At times, the events of life are just so terribly difficult for us to actually lay hold of, so we either want to just throw in the towel and say it is "too hard", or we persevere through, doing what we know how to do and hope for the best. "Hoping for the best" rarely gets us through in life, though. There are just times we need to arrive at the "right answer", not just a "close one". Whenever we simply accept things as "close enough", we might just be shutting out the potential God wants to add to the mix so that it isn't just "close", but it is "spot on" and "perfect". God isn't going to add to our muddle - he is going to help us see clearly, understand what it is we are hearing, get the most our of what we are feeling, and help us to put into words what he is doing in our lives. He is the power behind our life lessons - not just the instigator of them!

I don't have perfect vision, relying upon glasses to bring clarity, but at best, these extra lenses I rely upon give me a "close to perfect" picture. They get smudged, attract little particles of dust that distract from me seeing clearly, and occasionally even slip down my nose so that they aren't exactly in the right position to help me see clearly. I have to rely upon an optometrist to assist me in finding the right refraction of the lens - I don't have the ability to know what sphere or angle will accomplish the "correction" of what my eyes are incapable of doing on their own. Even with the "supplemental lenses", my vision might be corrected, but it isn't perfect. In life, there are things that get pretty close to "clear" for us, but at best, they are "corrected", not "perfect". Until we turn to Jesus and ask him to display his power wherever and whenever that power is most needed, we won't realize "perfection". We get "close", but it is possible God would get us even closer if we'd just get out of the way a little and let him take over! Just sayin!

Intrinsic or Extrinsic Power?

With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen. 

(Ephesians 3:20-21 ERV)

What "power" do you possess - or maybe the best question is what "power" do you exhibit in your life? Back some years ago, the concept of "super-heroes" hit the television and big screen audiences everywhere. The "super-men" and "super-women" of these shows were able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, stop supersonic aircraft with the breath from their mouth, and somehow rescue every damsel in distress. In real life, rarely do we see this type of "power", nor do we this consistent intervention "just in the nick of time" into the situations where harm is about to wreak havoc in the lives of people. In real life, the "power" we rely upon is usually either intrinsic (stemming from within us) or extrinsic (someone else doing it for us). For believers, the power is both - intrinsic and extrinsic!

Christ "indwells" us - making his power our power. That means nothing comes against us that we don't have the "intrinsic" power to deal with. It also means there is nothing "extrinsic" with any greater power! This may not seem all that significant until we truthfully evaluate just which power "source" we are tapped into most of the time. The monsoons have arrived in Arizona, so power outages will abound for some due to tripped breakers at relay stations, downed power poles, and the like. When these "interruptions" in electrical power come upon us, we "feel" it - because the hot, hot air of the desert has no way of being cooled without that power. There are no real "deterrents" to the downed poles - for the extrinsic power of the high winds will have their way no matter how carefully we think we have planned.

The truth is evident - sometimes the extrinsic powers are not easily deterred. The one thing we can do to guard against their dangers is to have the right source of power intrinsically! If Christ is our main source of power - not our own will or determined focus - we have more power internally than anything that comes against us externally (even when it is trying to get on the inside of us). I have to tell on my daughter here - for the lightening and thunder still make her want her mommy a little bit! The "anger" or "fury" of the extrinsic forces are capable of some destruction, but as long as the right "force" is at work within us, the "damage" is extremely minimal! It isn't about what is coming against us as much as who it is that indwells us.  Just sayin!

Desire....Meet Power

3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT)

Sometimes I think we believe we somehow get to the point we are living exactly as we should - that our obedience is all our own doing and it is kind of "perfect". I'd like to think I had everything to do with my obedience and that it is completely perfect all of the time, but it is a constant struggle for me.  I am pretty sure more of my obedience is based upon a little "want to" on my part and a huge "power-infusion" on the part of Jesus! How about you? Is your obedience a struggle at times? Is it sometimes more difficult to do what you know is right for you to do than you might want it to be? If so, then you are right there with the rest of us!

The good news is that all we need in order to live obedient lives is given to us already in the person of Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. It isn't about us "being more" anything - it is about us embracing more of who he is and what he wants to do in and through us. When we realize obedience is about desire - the desire to allow Christ to flow through us - then we stop struggling so much with what it is we "do" and what it is he begins to reveal about himself within us when our desires are directed toward him more and more each day.

Looking again at our passage, we might just begin to recognize the struggles we have with obedience are because we are trying to live in this world with the incorrect "thought process" of us not having to struggle with the things this world throws at us any longer. It isn't that the struggles cease to exist - for the world will still exist complete with all the corrupting influences around us. What ceases to exist is how much power these forces can exert in the way of influence in our lives. The more we are embraced by grace, the less power these influences exert. Sure, they still exist and yes, they do tug at us on occasion. But...we have a power within us exerting not just equal "pull", but an overwhelmingly stronger pull than any influence in this world!

We don't "do" obedience. Obedience begins with desire - and desire is matched with God's power within us. Obedience is about 1/10th us (desire) and 9/10ths him (power)! I don't have a scripture to back up that "percentage", but you get the idea - it is a whole lot of his doing and very little on our part! When we desire godly responses - we are more likely to "feel" God's prompting toward those responses within us. When we desire godly thoughts - we are less likely to dwell very long on those thoughts that lead us down ungodly paths. Why is this? I believe it is because God meets our desire with his power! When he senses our desire, his power begins to be set in motion in tremendous ways within us. 

It isn't that we "become" obedient - for all we need to live obedient lives is within us already. It is that we desire obedience first and foremost - then allow God to match that desire with his power. When those two meet up - our desire and his power - all things are possible! Just sayin!

Well, I'll be!

All that is great and powerful and glorious and victorious and majestic is Yours, O Eternal One. Indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to You. The kingdom belongs to You, O Eternal One, and You are the head of it all.  (1 Chronicles 29:11 VOICE)

I saw this passage today and just had an "epiphany" of sorts. Usually we see a passage like this and think, "Man, that person who wrote this was really exalting God!"  We see it as praise song or a form of worship since the writer is declaring the greatness of God and how truly awesome he feels God is.  What we may not see as significant in this passage is the very first word - ALL.  If all that is great and powerful and glorious and victorious is God's, and we are God's children, then that means we fit in at least one of these categories!  More importantly, we may fit in all four!

When God enters our lives with is presence, all his "greatness" is within us.  It is impossible for God to "be somewhere" and not have his greatness there, too.  If we all partake of his greatness, what does this mean for us? It means his power, glory, and victory comes along with him!  We may not look very powerful sometimes, even acting a little more like victims than victorious, but truthfully, if God indwells our spirit, we are "tapped into" the greatness of God!

We may not behave as power-full at times.  In fact, when we play the victim in life, we see ourselves as under someone or something else's power, struggling to make a way for ourselves in a place where we really don't feel we have any ability to break free from under that powerful "hold" they or that thing has over us.  We want to be free, but the "possibility" of breaking out of the hold we think that thing or person has for us is honestly the furthest thing from our minds.  Maybe it is time we start reminding ourselves the "all-powerful, amazingly great, fantastically glorious, and awesomely victorious God" is IN us, therefore nothing can stand against us!

All the intensity of his strength is resident within us.  I am amazed at how much we have "available" within us, but then we dejectedly declare, "I can't", instead of seeing his power as a way of beginning to declare, "I can and I will".  It is so easy for us to cop out with the "I can't" excuse.  If we'd stop camping out on those words and begin to declare we have the strength to live as overcoming, victorious, powerful individuals, we might just realize how "powerless" those things and people are in our lives!  Just sayin!

The source matters...

I have a power outlet in the garage right behind where I have placed a small freezer to assist in storing meats and extra items I buy up on sale.  It is in a very convenient place, at a very convenient height (don't even have to bend down to plug in), and it is clearly recognizable as a power source.  Shortly after moving into this house some years back, I placed the freezer there.  It wasn't until one day, late after work that I came to realize an issue with the power source.  I did not realize it was connected to the GFCI plug in my bathroom. As we made our way through getting ready in the morning, it was not uncommon to trip the GFCI with the plugging in of hairdryers, curling irons, etc.  We just hit the little red button and reset the thing, moving on with our morning grooming tasks.  Unrealized, we had inadvertently tripped it at the end of our morning process, not bothering to reset the thing because we were all done in the bathroom and it didn't matter.  At least we thought it didn't matter.  I live in Arizona, so one day of lost power to a freezer in a garage in the hot summer heat is not a good thing to come home to!  To make matters worse, I didn't recognize it the first day!  That meat sat about 36 hours undiscovered, thawing, turning very bad, and then just being a total chore to clean up!  Needless to say, the freezer was moved to another source of power in the garage clearly off the "interrupted" power pathway! In life, we sometimes don't recognize the source of our power has been interrupted until we begin to see the results of the damage done when we are not correctly connected!

I love You, Eternal One, source of my power. The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my salvation; He is my True God, the stronghold in which I hide, my strong shield, the horn that calls forth help, and my tall-walled tower. 

(Psalm 18:1-2 VOICE)

When David says God is his source of power, he means it! He is acknowledging him as his ultimate authority in life. The source of our power is indeed the ultimate authority because when that power is interrupted, all manner of mess can evolve in the course of time.  The source of anything is the "author" of that thing - it is because of the one being "tapped into" that the thing even exists or takes form.  When we tap into the right source, the thing produced in our lives is much more reliable than when we tap into sources which might just serve to appear trustworthy on the surface, but have some "tripping points" underneath we may not even realize!

The source of our power will definitely be the determining "force" in our lives which will impact the desired outcome. As I look back at my life, I have truly observed times when I was closely connected to the source of God's power, then those times when I seemed to have "pulled the plug slightly from the outlet", allowing for an interruption of that "source".  The impact was significant - leaving a lot of rotten mess in my life which had to be cleaned up!  Have you ever smelt rotten meat left in a freezer in the heat?  Let me just tell you this - the smell lasts a lot longer than you might imagine.  I removed all the signs of "bad meat" in the freezer that day, but the smell left behind was there for weeks!  I could not use the freezer until I took on the task of ridding the freezer of the odor!  The interruption of a reliable power source in our lives may not just cause us visible damage (rotten meat), but it may leave behind a "stench" in our lives which takes a while to "undo"!  

Any source can be sought in a storm - we go to the battery powered flashlight when the storm takes out the electricity. Yet, in the course of the continued storm, what we find is this source must constantly be renewed (the batteries have to be changed).  It isn't renewable!  It is replaceable, but it isn't renewable unless there is those batteries are rechargeable; and then only when there is a reliable power source behind that recharging device to actually "return" energy to the depleted cells.  The problem with replaceable power is that it will eventually cost us more than we might have wanted to spend in the first place!  The problem with rechargeable power is that it needs another source other than what it offers itself to be fully functional in the long run.  If you are relying upon what you think is replaceable, be prepared for the cost! If you are leaning on what you think will be renewable, just remember you have to be connected to the source which has no interruption to truly call that source of power "reliable"!

To date, I have found only one source of power which is truly uninterrupted - it is that which originates in the source of all power - God himself!  I can tell you for a fact, to be tapped into any other power source in your life is to run the risk of interruptions in that power, or inadequate power to make it through the storm!  Get "plugged in".  That connection makes the difference between a whole lot of mess to clean up and can help you ride out any storm you will face in this lifetime! Just sayin!

Able

Do you know the purpose of the word "but" in your sentence? Whenever you insert "but" into the sentence, you are saying the prior stuff is "negated" by the next stuff you are about to say.  For example, when you say, "The caramel truffle was delightful, but I think it went right to my hips," you are saying although it tasted delightful and there was that moment of pure ecstasy when you indulged, you will regret having to workout a little longer on the treadmill tomorrow! "But" makes null and void what has just been said, or puts some type of condition on it.  Another example, "You were supposed to do that yesterday, but I understand you had an emergency..."  In this example, the person is willing to overlook the failure to do whatever it was that should have been complete by now, all because there was the "condition" of an emergency arising in your life.  So, the "but" is significant to set up what is going to come next, isn't it?

But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Timothy 1:12 ESV)

Our writer (Paul) has just told Timothy there has been a whole lot of problems in his life, including being put into prison for preaching the gospel of salvation.  His efforts to be a witness to the testimony of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection have landed him in some pretty bad places and his life is not getting much better.  But...  He is about to negate what others may see as negative and unrewarding circumstances in his life.  All of this present "sorrow" is about to be made inexplicably "okay" because of the "but".  It isn't that the circumstances are easy to endure, or even that there is hope they are about to turn around for him so he might enjoy release from his prison cell.  It isn't that he knows someone is about to post bail, or that his sentence will be reduced.  He is there because his message has offended the religious leaders of the day and they feel the only way to "silence" the message is to lock him up for speaking forth the truth.  With one tiny word he turns the outline of his present circumstances in a totally different direction - but...  

In spite of their repeated attempts to bring me shame and cause me to question what I am doing ...

In spite of their accusations my work is not "valid" or based on "truth" ...

In spite of their attempts to break me by placing me in darker places than I have ever known before...

I am not ashamed!  I am convinced even more today than I was yesterday - the message is real, trustworthy, and life-altering!

I am convinced that even when my ability wanes, ebbing and flowing like the tides of the ocean, HE is ABLE...

All this is introduced as the condition upon which Paul hopes and knows his deliverance is possible!  God is ABLE.  What does "able" mean to you?  If we are to stand "convinced" of his "ability", we have to answer that question for ourselves. We might judge God's ability based upon the circumstances we find ourselves in at the moment.  For example, we see God's ability as kind of "conditional" whenever  we do things such as celebrating with great joy his ability to provide for our needs, but then when leaner times come we might not even think to celebrate his ability to hold us up during those times.  

Able might mean "adequate" to some of us.  I don't know about you, but I don't want an "adequate" God standing behind me - I want an "outstanding", "awesome", "all-powerful", "all-knowing", "all-loving" God standing in my corner!  Able might mean "adept" to some of us.  I know God is an "expert" in working things out, even when I get them a little messed up in my life, but he is so much more than "skilled" at setting things straight - he is also the one who can help me live in such a way that things I've done or said don't need a lot of "clean up" in the end!  Able might mean "ready" to some of us.  It might be we think God just stands by "just in case" - he is "ready" (on the spot when we need him).  God certainly wants to be more than a "just in case" God for us.

When Paul says God is "able", he is saying he is "convinced" in the ability of God to "guard" the truth of the message he has been proclaiming.  In essence, he is assuring Timothy, and all the other readers of this letter down through the ages of the reliability of placing our trust in God above all other things, people, or actions.  He is "able" - equipped in every way to handle our life's circumstances; powerful in ways we are not; fitted to perfectly set in order what seems to be in utter chaos around us.  How we view God's ability in our lives may just determine how we face the circumstances we find ourselves in at the moment.  I'd like to think we KNOW with a certainty that God's ability in our lives is what negates all the "power" any circumstance has over us!  Just sayin!

Power, love, and self-control

There are times when I feel pretty "cowardly" in this life.  I don't like big, hairy spiders and would rather not encounter them.  Yep, I will deal with them when I do because it is just me, so if I don't, they will soon overrun my house if given a place to dwell unharmed.  Now, the means I use to get rid of them may be a little odd on occasion, but it works!  I grab whatever is in my path - like the Windex, Spray-N-Wash, or even an occasional can of Raid.  They get a good dousing with whatever I can wrap my hands around the quickest.  I have been known to empty an entire can of room deodorizer on those creepy crawlers!  They might not die instantly, but they go to their grave smelling rather good!  You might ask why I don't take a shoe and just smash them.  I would have to say this is where the cowardly part comes in. Using the shoe requires accurate aim, and I have to get rather close to them to actually make the connection.  I'd rather have the distance afforded by the can of deodorizer!  I at least get them so bogged down with liquid stuff that I can be assured they cannot skitter under the dresser or off into the recesses of the cabinet before I whack them!  I call this "strategic planning" - not genuine cowardice.  It is all in how you look at things sometimes, isn't it?  In this life, there are times when the stuff coming at us makes us feel pretty overwhelmed - almost cowardly in our desire to deal with them, much less get through them with any sense of pride in the way we accomplished them.  There are just times when God's Spirit has to give us the power to accomplish things way beyond our own abilities - or creativity!

God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 CEV)

My unusual means of dealing with the spiders is kind of my own technique developed when I no longer had a husband around to scream to that a big, hairy creepy crawler was in the bathroom.  In Arizona we get some big spiders - almost furry in appearance - and faster than some Indy race cars!  I needed a strategy that would give me time to deal with the inevitability that I'd have to eventually get close enough to the thing to scoop it up and send it into the depths of the sewer system at some point!  My unconventional means of dealing with the spider is probably not going to be considered one of my highest qualities in life, but it gets the job done.  There are times when life's circumstances come at me like those big hairy spiders - unannounced, unwelcome, and undeserved.  I didn't hear them enter my life. I didn't invite them in.  I didn't even deserve whatever it is they brought my way.  The circumstances just come - leaving me to deal with them the best way I know how.  In many ways, you and I face these circumstances similarly.  The first reaction is to pull away in fear, much like we do when faced with the spider.  We almost feel ourselves shudder by their evolving presence.  Then we might just react with a little indignation that these circumstances are in "OUR" lives - after all, we don't have time to deal with them.  We even feel a little put off when they come because we just don't deserve the hassle they create. 

As I was reading through Paul's letter to Timothy this morning, these words struck me as pretty important for us to begin to lay hold of as it comes to dealing with what life sends our way.  God's Spirit doesn't make us cowards - in fact, he gives us three very powerful tools with which to face the big hairy circumstances of life - just as much as he walks with us through the lesser issues.  I had to wonder about the three "tools" God's Spirit gives us, though.  I get the power, and even the self-control thing, but how did love fit into this "toolkit" of sorts?  After all, when the tough stuff comes at us, the last thing we want to do is break into a happy dance, or give any impression we might actually love it!  I think these "tools" are kind of important to understand - each with a specific purpose and intent.

The Spirit gives us power - that ability or capability we lack in ourselves.  Some of us immediately equate power with strength - and we would not be wrong to consider the Spirit's power within us as "added strength" or strength way beyond our own capability.  In fact, this power often is something we look back on and wonder whether it actually was "us" walking through the tough place.  Yes, it was, but we did so not under our own "capacity", but as almost "super-charged" with the capacity that comes because we have God's Spirit resident within us.  When I go to the store to buy batteries, I am always stumped by the selection. There are the good old regular ones of yesteryear all the way to these newer "super-charged" and supposedly longer-lasting ones of today.  I can go to the 99 cent store and buy the regular ones - but I have to go to a store where I will pay a bigger price for the more "super-charged" ones.  I guess this kind of makes sense - longer lasting should cost us more, right?  So, why is there still the selection?  Why would we buy batteries which last 1/3 as long?  Kind of seems like a waste of our money, right?  So, why do we settle for anything less than all the power available to us when we are faced with life's tough issues?  Maybe it is because we are afraid of what it will cost us to "tap into" the power which comes from the Spirit.  Truth is - the cost is already paid on our behalf - we just need to plug into the power!

The Spirit gives us love - a weird tool to deal with life's challenging moments until you consider the real purpose for this "tool".  Love is not some emotional release, but more of an expression which guides us through those moments with something akin to courage.  When we are faced with ugly stuff, to walk through those things with the passion of Christ is something akin to the most amazing courage we could ever see.  Christ put his heart and soul into all he did.  Nothing less than all of him went to the cross.  Nothing less than all of him stands in the gap for us today, making intercession for us day and night - holding us up before his Father and beckoning heaven's hosts to our side in those moments of our toughest struggles.  This is why we need the tool of love - to help us stand with passion and assurance.  To turn the tides of grace, one must have the waves of love flowing within their veins. 

The last tool is one of self-control.  Power unleashed is not always the best response - sometimes we just need to hold back a little in order to see the outcome God desires. We might walk headlong into things and places we'd have done better to avoid - this is where self-control comes in.  We rely upon the power of the Spirit to get us through the places where our own abilities are insufficient or unreliable.  We lean upon the love of God to bring grace into the ugliest of moments.  We exercise self-control to avoid those moments of collision with things which will only leave us messed up and crying out for deliverance. Three powerful tools - all carrying their own method of making us courageous disciples of Christ.  Use them well and you will be certain to walk strong through all life throws your way. Just sayin!

Who says stones can't "talk"?

I am always amused by the "posturing" of some when they think they are pretty "hot stuff" and there is no one who can challenge them or give them a run for their money.  It is like they just stand there self-assured, thinking their good looks, money, or massive "status" will somehow make everyone around them just cower and run.  In ancient times, when kingdoms were all the "rage", men rose to places of great prominence and were crowned "king" over regions of lands.  Most of the time, these lands were taken lock, stock, and barrel from those who inhabited them previously.  If anyone survived (or was allowed to survive) in the "taking" of the land, they were usually forced into indentured service to the king.  They provided for his coffers as they lived out their lives under his reign.  Until a stronger "challenger" arose, with bigger or more skilled armies, that king would hold the rule of the land, and his offspring would take over at his death.  Not having lived under this type of monarchy, I don't know all the ins and outs of what it means to those under the king's rule, but one thing is for sure - no one crossed his path without bowing to his "authority".  If anyone challenged it, they could find themselves on the inside of a grave in short order! Even the most "well-established" kingdom doesn't stand a chance when God's armies (and even one of his faithful servants) come on the scene, though!

The Amorite kings west of the Jordan River and the Canaanite kings along the Mediterranean Sea lost their courage and their will to fight, when they heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River to let Israel go across. (Joshua 5:1 CEV)

The Amorites were descendants of Canaan, son of Ham (better known as the son of Noah). The Canaanite kings were other descendants viewed as "pagan nations" living in the region of what God had declared to be the "Promised Land" for this newer Israelite nation. The Canaanite and Amorite nations were viewed as the most powerful of rulers in all of Palestine.  The peoples occupying the territory west of the Jordan River were getting a little concerned with the news of Israel's advancement into their region.  This is often the case when the news of God's presence begins to spread.  Babylon was one of the primary "regions" of their rule. These band of kings who inhabited the various territories west of Jordan had resided in their regions for quite a while, yet the arrival of ONE band of warriors from a tribe with NO established territory made them sit up and take notice.  Isn't it amazing how God works?  He takes a people known to be wanderers in the desert, appoints men to service in warfare, and then proceeds to challenge those more "established" and "strong" armies with their very presence!  God certainly does have a different way of doing things, doesn't he?

It is quite possible they had heard the previous stories of how God had dried up the waters of the Red Sea so Israel could pass over on dry ground while the huge Egyptian armies had hotly pursued them.  The reputation of these people may have been well-known in the Canaanite regions.  Yet, their wandering around the desert for nearly forty years after such a "formidable" exit from Egypt might have "dulled" the "image" other nations held of them!  It isn't always the case?  Our times of "wandering in the desert", struggling with obedience to even the smallest things, can do a lot to "lower our image" in the eyes of those who might have heard of God's mighty works on our behalf!  Yet, God is faithful - even when we lose our perspective and take a little longer than we should to get from point "A" to point "B" in our lives!

As if to establish the "reputation" of Joshua in the eyes of the nation of Israel, and to ensure the Canaanite nations also knew of God's "reputation", God provides another miracle of "epic proportions" in holding back the Jordan so they could pass over on dry ground.  If the past "reputation" of God's power was diminished in anyone's eyes, it was fresh on their minds now!  I think God uses some pretty awesome displays of his power and grace to "wow" the nations, even if it may not be the "holding back of waters" these days.  If Joshua had any niggling of doubt in his mind of God being "with him" as he led this people into the Canaanite territories, he would have had a huge "infilling" of faith at Jordan.  If the people of Israel doubted their ability to overtake the largely feared tribes in the region, they might just have felt a little less doubt and a whole lot of assurance of God's presence being the "force" which could accomplish huge miracles on their behalf!

As if to reassure Israel of God's presence with them and his care over their lives, he does this miracle on their behalf.  The ways God reminds us of his presence may not always be "epic", but they are there nonetheless.  We just need to acknowledge them!  Maybe this is why Joshua commanded one man from each tribe to pick up a large stone from the middle of the Jordan and create a memorial (a pile of 12 stones) on the Canaanite side of Jordan.  Perhaps he was as much reminding Israel of his power and presence with them as he was establishing a symbol of his presence and power for all those who were looking on. What we should see in this "reminder" is the truth of how God moves on behalf of those willing to take the first steps of obedience toward what he desires in our lives.  Plain and simple, when we finally step out into what he has provided for our lives, we realize the greatness of his power and the provision of his grace on our behalf.  Just sayin!

Miracle-words

A few week's ago, I did a short study about considering the words we listen to and how many words we both speak and hear in a day.  Learning to choose wisely those we embrace (take to heart) is important just based on the constant barrage of words we each hear.  Even words we may find a little difficult to embrace are often the very words we need to hear at the moment - this is especially true as it applies to the words of God's commands.  There are times when we'd rather not consider those words - seeing them as onerous and a little too "restricting".  Yet, we give what I would call "lip service" to them.  For example, when God tells us to love unconditionally, we think this is a good idea and we even proclaim to do so - putting this into "operation" in our lives is quite another thing.  When we begin to see God's commands as something other than "restrictions", but more like "miracle words", we might just consider them differently.  If you haven't stop to consider the miracle of obedience to what God says - then maybe it is time to do so!

Every word you give me is a miracle word— how could I help but obey? Break open your words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning. Mouth open and panting, I wanted your commands more than anything. Turn my way, look kindly on me, as you always do to those who personally love you. Steady my steps with your Word of promise so nothing malign gets the better of me. Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women so I can live life your way. Smile on me, your servant; teach me the right way to live. (Psalm 119:129-135 MSG)

By definition, a miracle is something which surpasses all human or natural powers.  In stopping for a moment to consider how God's words affect us, we might just begin to see the connection between embracing his words (those which surpass our human or natural power) in helping us to actually "do" the things in our life which have escaped our ability to do in our own power or strength.  In the realm of obedience, the one thing we struggle with the most is us "trying" to do what is right, but then producing what is wrong.  We need power which surpasses our own ability - all 'trying' is really just us relying upon our own ability!  When we embrace God's Word as a tool by which we see released God's "surpassing power" in our lives - there is a transformation made possible in those very words!

We are indeed "ordinary" people, aren't we?  We are kind of "undistinguished" in our walk on this earth until God's Word ignites a fire within us which begins to change our actions and attitude.  This "miracle-power" of his Word actually brings about a transformation for the "undistinguished" character we have - just one of the crowd of millions - into this unique individual referred to as a child of God.  Whenever we go about living as though we are 'ordinary', we are living far below the potential God has for us in this life.  He has determined to make us 'extraordinary' by the effect of his "miracle-words" in our lives.

There is somewhat of a transformation which happens to us when we begin to see God's surpassing power break into areas of our lives which were previously areas of struggle and defeat, isn't there?  We begin to see life through different "eyes" when God's Word begins to transform the tough areas of our character which were previously 'untouched' by divine power.  As long as we continue to believe the words we so commonly hold onto (those spoken by others about how we will never change, or those spoken deeply into our own hearts by our own minds believing we cannot ever overcome areas of struggle in our lives), we will not be open to embracing God's "miracle-words" into our hearts.

What happens when we begin to see God's commands as those things which produce God's miracle-working power within our lives is this thing we call "sanctification" in church circles.  It is a big word to describe our life changing from being so "ordinary" into us being quite "extraordinary" through the application of his power within.  In the process of God speaking to us through his Word, we are brought to a place of choice - that of continuing in the limiting "rat-race" of trying to be transformed in our own power, or that of stepping aside and allowing God's power to invade the spaces of our lives which have been areas of continual defeat and struggle for us.  We don't overcome addictions - God's power within us does!  We don't break free of harmful sins - God's power within us does!  We don't walk away from hurtful pasts - God's power within us does!  This power is released in his commands and is set free in us when we embrace those commands as something other than onerous "rules" we have to keep.

David puts it well - we are rescued (kept) from all that maligns (is harmful and hurtful to us) when we allow God's words to begin to take deep root within.  They actually "steady our steps", so to speak.  If you have ever walked on a very uneven surface, or perhaps across a suspension bridge, you know how "unsteady" your steps can be.  Trying to do things in our own power is just like walking on than uneven surface, or swaying suspension bridge. The more we try to "steady" our steps, the harder it becomes to take the next step forward - because each step forward only brings a return of the unsteadiness of our journey!  We find it hard to find firm footing when it is us trying to control the sway, or produce "evenness" in our path!

The "right" way to live is not learned by trial and error.  Although we do a lot of "trying" and equally as much "erring", I don't think we actually make much progress forward in our lives by these means.  It isn't until God's power is released within that we begin to make our steps count.  Herein is the challenge - will we keep seeing God's commands as onerous (impossible to keep), or will we embrace them as having the potential and promise of producing "miracle-power" within?  Just askin!

Power - you tapped in?

Power:  the capability of doing or accomplishing something; strength, might or force; the possession of control or command over something or someone; authority.  If you have ever been in the midst of a terrible wind or lightning storm and had your power go off for a while, you know the helplessness of being caught in the total darkness in an unsettling time.  Imagine what it would be like to live this way all the time.  Nobody wants to live powerless. We all want to be able to exercise some element of power in our lives - even in the times of terrible storm and feelings of helplessness.  Why do you think we light the candle in the darkness?  It doesn't illuminate much and it won't dispel the storm, but it gives us enough sense of "power" over the darkness to help us navigate the storm!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you... (Acts 1:8 NLT)

In life, we find many things "drive" us, but few energize, refresh, and restore like having the power of the Holy Spirit within.  In fact, everything else just pales to his power.  Jesus is about to leave his disciples - he has been on the cross, in the grave, now resurrected and having spent the last several weeks with them - he is now ready to ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of his Father God.  Before he goes, one last order of business must be accomplished - he is about to send the Holy Spirit to indwell his followers - to give them power from on high.  To this end, he calls attention to their burning question about when the "kingdom" would be restored.  They were referring to the Kingdom of Israel - the ability for Israel to finally be out from under the reign of the Romans and every other form of government which had kept it under its oppression for years.  To this point in time, they still did not recognize the "kingdom" was Christ himself.  No other "government" mattered for he was the one they awaited and he was the one who "set things right" in their lives - not some earthly ruler.

I think we are sort of like these disciples - right up to the very last minute, we are asking questions, seeking to get our "perception" validated.  We just don't understand the full picture - but what we see "in part" we are holding onto and we hope for a "bigger picture" understanding some day.  Jesus told us the way to the "bigger picture" understanding is really in listening and responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit - the one who brings power into the midst of the darkest places of our lives!  Power which brings the capability and the capacity to do things outside of our understanding.  Power to exercise authority over the toughest and most resistive of forces.  Power to loose and be loosed.  Power to bind and never be bound again.  I believe we live with only a "trickle" of power within - falling way short of the potential we have through the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is like living in candlelight once the power has been turned back on - just because we never turn the switch back on!  

Here's a hard truth - you did not begin this life by your own "power" or "effort".  Even the forces of labor are not the baby's doing - it is the body of the mother working to birth the infant, not the kicking, pushing, and tugging of the baby!  Why then do we expect to live out this life under our own power?  Hmmm...does that give you a moment of pause?  It should!  We "unplug" from one life source (the umbilical cord) and plug into another (the breast or bottle).  Even when we are capable of walking to the refrigerator on our own to obtain the milk, we still needed something else to have produced the milk!  We focus so much on "developing independence", forgetting all the while we really are dependent on something outside of our own power!  The toughest thing for us to learn in this spiritual walk is the power of dependence.  It is the reliance upon the Holy Spirit's teaching, guidance and protection which gives us the ability to stand strong.  We "plug into" what God gives us as our source of "power" in this life and we will grow like there is no tomorrow!

Looking again at our definition of power, we see it is both the capability and the capacity to live life at its fullest.  The disciples focused on the "authority" of "rulership".  They didn't have it all wrong - for the greatest "power" is recognized when the "right" rulership is attained!  Whatever "rules" your heart determines your course.  Whatever "rules" your choices determines your outcome.  We often live trying to "obtain" power - all the while forgetting power is something supplied, not obtained!  We don't generate it - we just tap into it!  Much has been "supplied" for our use in this life - what we choose to do with it is left to us!  Just sayin!

Hope, Liberty and Power

^38-39"So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it—and you better not be found fighting against God!"  ^40-42That convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus' name and sent them off. The apostles went out of the High Council overjoyed because they had been given the honor of being dishonored on account of the Name. Every day they were in the Temple and homes, teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, not letting up for a minute.

(Acts 5:38-42)

The disciples have been making all kinds of new friends through the many converts to the Christian faith all over Jerusalem after the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.  Scripture tells us that people had mixed emotions as it came to accepting this move of God those many years ago.  In fact, we see reports of those that absolute resisted the evidence right in front of them.  Others were a little "skeptical" - perhaps standing back and taking in what was going on, giving themselves a little time to "watch and wait" before they may any decision about what they'd do with this gospel message of deliverance and power.  There was always a crowd of those that immediately accepted the message of hope and aligned themselves with the New Testament believers.  In fact, we see reports that thousands were added to the "ranks" of the church daily.

In examining the two groups that were resistive or reluctant to the gospel message, we can see several interesting facts:

• Acts 4:13-14 tells us that although the religious leaders and Pharisees wanted the disciples to stop speaking their message of hope in Christ, they were fascinated by how well these "unlearned" or "unschooled" men knew the very deep details of scripture.  They also had difficulty resisting the evidence that miracles were being worked in their midst - how could they argue with "evidence"?
• Acts 4:21-22 reveals the inefficiency of their threats to "silence" the gospel message in those that are filled with the Holy Spirit.  Where there is a passion for Jesus, there is a purpose for life - it is difficult to silence one with a purpose!
• Acts 5:11 recounts the perception of those that merely heard about what God was doing among the New Testament church.  Rumors were circulating of the miracles, the "community" of believers that was rapidly forming, and the fact that God was not to be "trifled" with.  The evidence of his outpouring caused a new reverence or "fear" of God.
• Acts 5:12-16 gives us our first hint that there were what I will call "wary worriers" in the first church meetings or gatherings.   The scripture tells us "But even though people admired them a lot, outsiders were wary about joining them."  There were those that took it all in, but just couldn't come to the place that they moved beyond their "mistrust" of the gospel message.
• Acts 5:29-32 recounts Peter's response to the leaders and Pharisees when they asked the disciples why they were continuing to spread the gospel message when they had specifically instructed them to keep silent.  Peter's response was one that tells it all:  "It's necessary to obey God rather than men."  There will always be those that just don't understand the allegiance of a man's heart with God's.

Earlier this week I was "blocked" from posting a link to my daily blog on one of the social networking websites I belong to.  The reason I received for the "block" on my daily post - someone reported the blog as offensive.  To that I say - YEEHAW!  The gospel message will ALWAYS be interpreted by some as offensive because it pricks at the conscience and it ultimately demands that we "do something" with what we have heard.  The gospel message is one of hope, liberty, and power.  Just as Peter said those many years ago - it is necessary to obey God rather than man.  

Look at our passage today.  The disciples had been whipped and warned not to speak in the name of Jesus anymore.  We don't understand this kind of "justice" in our culture today as our law enforcement agencies do not employ the "whip" as a means of attempting to correct action they find offensive.  What we do know about the method of whipping in the times the disciples were preaching was that it left the man bloody and often with open sores - at a minimum, the skin was blistered and raw.  Then the warning came - don't speak in the name of Jesus any longer.  Hadn't the disciples already told the leaders that it would be impossible for them to do that?

I want us to look at the response of the disciples - they left that day feeling overjoyed because they had been given the honor of being dishonored - all on account of the authority of the name of Jesus!  I wonder if we'd feel that it was an "honor to be dishonored" today on account of someone taking offense at the message of hope in Jesus' name.  I can only hope we would!  Don't ever be afraid to speak the most powerful name - the name that carries ALL authority - JESUS.  That is the ONE name that carries the deepest hope.  That is the ONLY name that can set the captive free.  That is THE NAME that opens the windows of heaven.  Speak it!