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.
I love this post and I love the response above. As a young mother I need your wisdom. I thank you for sharing. I have been striving so hard to do what is “best” for my kids and yet time and again I mess up. I strive so hard thinking I’ve figured it all out and then I fail at something that affects my kids and then I try to trust God is in control and then I am Peter trying to trust and in need of rescue again and again. But I thank God for the trials because I learn and I draw closer and my faith is slowly strengthened. In His perfect timing. If I could learn to be as patient as our gracious Father.
Amen Becky,
God has not called us to mediocrity but to live lives in passionate pursuit of him.
To love him with all of our being and live in his presence. And when I do so and see and experience him all around me I have complete joy. I see the answers to little and big prayers and am amazed that our God, creator of the universe would so care and love me. Just as Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water by faith so have I. And just as Peter’s faith faltered and he began to sink so has mine. And so again Jesus has had to rescue me. With each “rescue” my faith is made stronger.
I believe the greatest prayer a Christian can pray to our Lord is Mark 12:30. ” and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”. When we want this for ourselves God himself will change us. We just need to be willing
Jeanette