I heard a talk, Taking Possession of Tomorrow by Bill Johnson. I took some notes and had a few reflections. This is by no means a comprehensive review of what he said, partly from Joel 2.

Imagine an entire city
Recognizing their need for God!

Our faith, our boldness, our obedience,
Can alter the course of history!

Don’t list the opposition you’ve experienced.
Don’t list the challenges you are facing.
Focus on what God is able to do
Through the resurrected Jesus!

Lord, alter my thoughts;
Altar my dreams;
Extend my vision
To see all YOU can do.

Bring the fruit of the impossible for the glory of Jesus.

That was all I had from Bill’s inspiring talk,
But that got me reflecting on WHY
More Christians don’t wholeheartedly
Run towards God,
With life-changing faith.
Why don’t we experience
The resurrected power of Jesus in our lives?

The Faith Dilemma

It is quite difficult
When you are so entrenched
In mediocre Christianity.
There is no urgency, no power,
No evidence of God at work.
Many of us have never known
Anything except comfortable Christianity
For our whole life.
We rarely, or maybe NEVER,
Have seen anyone healed
By the power of God.
We pray, but do we actually expect
Tangible answers to our prayers?
Mostly we stick to safe prayers.
We don’t want to ask too much
Of God. Perhaps we feel unworthy
Of His attention, or that our request
Isn’t noble enough.

I am comfortable and in control
When life is predictable.
My time is spent acquiring stuff,
Paying my bills, watching my shows,
Looking after the people in my life.
Do I need anything more?
More of God?
I don’t even know what that looks like.
I think I’ll pass.
I’d rather have the current amount.
Just the comfortable serving.
So I’ll be more like all of my friends.

Or maybe,

If I risk seeking more of God,
He won’t come through for me.
Maybe those ‘comfortable Christians’
Are the reality.

Maybe this desire for “more” of God
Is just pride. I think I’m better,
Or have a greater understanding, etc.
But if I were to test it,
If I seek to step boldly out
On what I perceive to be God’s promises,
And I fall flat,
Provision doesn’t come in,
The power of God is not displayed.
Not only will I be disgraced and discouraged,
But my example may lead people
Further from the truth.

So I stay stuck;
Comfortable in what I know.

Becky Hastings, wondering about faith and God’s purposes in our world, knowing that anything good I can say or do is only through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So often we live like God is quiet,
or not operating on earth;
like the inter-testamental times.

We don’t see the supernatural.
We don’t expect the supernatural.

Yet God, the Creator of all things
invites us into a relationship with Himself.

Think about that.

Imagine a person with a ‘Midas’ touch,
or phenomenal money-making ability.
What would it be like
to have a close relationship with them?
Their blessings would naturally overflow.
What if that person was your father,
who loved you absolutely?

God has glorious unlimited resources.

We worry about food and provisions.

My Creator – has the power
AND the DESIRE
To empower me
TO DO HIS WORK ON EARTH
Through the inner strength,
wisdom and guidance
Of the Holy Spirit.
Too often I stay mired in basic struggles:
Feelings of insecurity,
Struggles with habits
Relational challenges.
I don’t seek or experience
God’s power that I read about
In the Bible.
If I could comprehend
How wide, long, high and deep
God’s love FOR me is, and that
He can fill me with COMPLETENESS;
HE INVITES me to join Him in the work
He is doing on earth.
He has absolute power,
God is able to accomplish
INFINITELY MORE
Than I could ever think to ask for
Than I could ever dream or imagine.

All given freely
By His grace.
Nothing I could ever earn.

Becky Hastings, a sinner saved by grace, who enjoys considering all the grace our loving Father wants to bestow on us.