Hey, Sweet Things!
I’m writing this post to you on Saturday night from the seat of a gigantic United Airlines plane on my connect flight from DC back to Houston. The Living Proof Live team and I had the tremendous privilege of serving in Providence, Rhode Island and God worked in such a distinct way that I will remember it for many years. I hope forever. God is doing something different this year at LPL. I don’t quite know how to define it but I have been flat-on-my-face grateful that He is not only still in it but stirring the pot. Not one of us on the team wants to be there a moment longer than Jesus is. We don’t even want Him to make an obligatory “appearance” because He loves us and feels sorry for us after we’ve scheduled all of this. We want the event to be proactively Jesus for His own sake and for His own glory and because it is a delight to Him and because He looks forward to it. Nothing less than that and, if it’s not that, we want Him to move us each elsewhere.
It’s so strange. We began this year looking back to the previous 15 but, by our 3rd event, it was like we all fixed our faces forward as if nothing in the world mattered but what was in front of us. No “yesterday’s plan.” No “yesterday’s work.” This is today. Something is up. Something new to us. There is something liberating and also a little frightening about just saying to Him, “Do what You want, God. Anything You want. We’re in it with You or we’re not in it at all. All bets are off.” Anyway, I’m not sure why I went off on all of that. God just really has my eyebrows high on my forehead right now wondering what He’s doing.
I have a group of about 30 of you Siestas fresh on my mind because we met up quickly after the event for our group picture. These were your northeastern sisters and the cutest things you can imagine. Well, just like all of you are. All ages and types, with this one glorious bond: the lively love of Jesus Christ. I am so crazy about you guys. I cannot fathom the grace of God to have stirred up a community of encouragement in Christ where relationships really do seem to have some substance to them. It’s an anomaly that still isn’t wasted on me.
You have marked my journey of faith. You’ve encouraged me and made me want to keep running my race energetically and earnestly. You’ve helped me get back up even at times when you didn’t know I was down. You have been a harbor of joy, peace, and laughter in an online Christian world that can be astonishingly fractured. You are a corner of courageous gentleness in a culture that has lost its manners.
And, good grief, you guys have impacted my Scripture memory life so dramatically that I hardly have words. After every Living Proof Live when we meet up for our (clandestine) Siesta picture, I always ask, “Will I be seeing any of you in January at our SSMT celebration?” Invariably there are those who answer with infectious enthusiasm, “YES!” It makes me so happy. The previous celebrations have been like a family reunion on steroids. I hope so much you’re staying up with your Scripture memory, saving your money, and planning to head to Houston that weekend. We aren’t really a beautiful city but we’re a happy one and a hospitable one, I believe I can confidently say. And we can offer you Tex Mex at virtually every four way stop. I mean, what more could you want, people?
The verse I’ve chosen this time around is one God seemed to lift from the page of my early morning Scripture reading last Monday. I continued to say it and pray it throughout the week and referenced it several times this weekend in Providence. It’s easy to memorize and it puts a concept in a nutshell that is as vital as breath to us in this believing life we’re living. Here it is:
Beth, Houston. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
God is using it to remind me that this thing isn’t about incessant chatter and nonstop Twitter noise and learning to speak fluent Christianese. It’s not tantamount to Bible banter and doctrinal debates and holy hair-splitting. It’s not about getting together at church and threatening week after week to live changed lives and think renewed thoughts. It’s not about getting all lathered up and sweaty-headed at events over theories of effective, influential, and abundant lives. This Christ thing to which we’ve been called is about actually doing it and through an unction not remotely our own.
When the Holy Spirit comes, He comes with power.
Where the Holy Spirit goes, He goes with power.
Whom the Holy Spirit infiltrates, He infuses with power.
Our lives were meant to be powerful. Less talk. More demonstration. Through things like a love that we know good and well is utterly beyond us and a faith that emerges in tact from a minefield soaked in blood and strewn with flesh. We were meant to be able to do what we can’t, like who we don’t, bless who we’d curse. We were promised strength in weakness and extravagant grace in our deprivation.
We were meant to wonder what has derailed or gone awry when a season of our lives persists in powerlessness for weeks on end. We were promised more than this. We’re not meant to write our own personalized chapters in a revised standard version of The Emperor’s New Clothes so the world could have a harder laugh at us. We who have placed our trust in Christ Jesus, the living, breathing-on-us Son of God, have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) And it’s supposed to show.
Every limb of our lives where we welcome the Holy Spirit can be infused with strength not of this world and, yes, even in continued weakness or infirmity, should that be the case of our present calling. The coexistence of the two is the mystery of it. We’re not superwomen. We’re a long shot from perfect. But we were meant to be vividly powerful through the One who saved us and made Himself at home in us. Let’s not forget that today. Let’s not be satisfied just to talk about it. Let’s not just clap and cheer during that part of a service when a pastor or teacher tells us we’re called more than conquerors. The New Testament is not the theory of Christianity.
You may feel powerless right now, Sister, but, if you are in Christ, make no mistake: you are not. Get some backbone back in your prayer life if your spiritual spine has deteriorated. With reverence for His holiness and with the boldness He said we could bring to the Throne of Grace, read to God from His Word where He promised His people victory as they looked to Him alone…
…and where He promised to clothe us in power
…and where He said He’d make Himself conspicuous through our spiritual gifts and through supernatural works in His Name.
If you don’t know where those places are, go hunt them down. (But you could start in Romans 8, Luke 24, Acts 1, Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 12 and Hebrews 4.)
Tell Him you’re going to ask for it and ask for it and ask for it in His great Name and for His glory until He gives it to you and frees you from whatever this present powerlessness is. And then DO IT. Ask and ask and ask and tell Him you will do whatever it takes to cooperate and mean it! Throw your hands out to receive. And, then, when He gives it – and He will – don’t take credit for it. Appreciate it. Thank Him and thank Him for it. Know that it’s grace. Use it audaciously to bring Him attention.
Sister, you cannot fulfill your foreordained purpose without power. Go back after it but, whatever you do, don’t try to get it without Jesus coming with it. Power for power’s sake will blow you up. God-given unction isn’t meant to just come and go with periodic personal revival. We were meant to live powerful lives. Let’s get to them. If you’ve got an area of carnality that is quenching it, I promise you it’s not worth it. Believe me, I’ve been there. Repent, turn from it and get on with it. You’ve got a calling. And it takes divine power.
You mean so much to me. Hold tight to Jesus.
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Kim, from Duncan, SC:
We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV
Judy from Lake Charles, LA
“The wicked draw the sword and bend the
bow to bring down the poor and needy, to
slay those who are upright.” Psalm 37:14(NIV)
Suzanne
Tenaha, TX
Colossians 3:2 niv
Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.
Col.3:2
G.J.
Hawkinsville, GA
Psalm 103:14 (NKJV)
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
Crystal from Phoenix:
1 Samuel 17:45 NIV
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Denise, San Antonio TX
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
Psalm 56:3 ESV
Kellye, Las Vegas. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:28 (NIV)
Linda W. from Tomball, TX
“Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how unscrutable His ways!” Romans 11:33 (ESV)
San Ramon, CA
“For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again” ~ Proverbs 24:16a
Michelle B., Carver, MA
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10, NIV
Olda, Huntsville
“But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place”.
2 Corinthians 2:14 (NET Bible)
Judy Littleton, NC
I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.
Is anything too hard for me?
Jeremiah 32:27 (NIV)
Brenna, Chatham IL
For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example and you must follow in his steps. 1Peter 2:21 NLT
Janell~Frisco, TX So, don’t be like a horse or donkey that doesn’t understand. They must be let with bits and reins, or they will not come near you. Psalm 32:9 NCV
Thank you. I needed that… now to the throne room with my King.
Cindy – Houston
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. – 1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
Kim Safina, Central Coast California
But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called up to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.
2 Timothy 8,9 NIV
Shiffra, Vicksburg MI Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Phyllis, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Proverbs 11:30 NIV
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Molly, Cypress, TX
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news…”
Isaiah 52:7a, NIV
Vickie, Pella, Iowa
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
1Corinthians 4:20(NIV)
Sara R., Slidell, LA::
“Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”
Psalm 34:5 (ESV)
Julie, Chesterland OH
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
1 Corinthians 4:20 ESV
Christina Acree, Winter Haven
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
Psalm 51:5, ESV
Janet, Holmes Beach, FL
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.
I Peter 2:10 NIV
Erin, Maysville, KY
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
(1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV)
Amber, Norman, OK
Psalm 32:7 NIV
You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Susan B., Chapin, SC
I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him. Psalm 62:1 NLT
Amber Comeaux
Katy TX
We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 ESV)
Carolyn, Austin
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
Tempa, Palm Bay, Florida
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 NIV
“Now to Him, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV
Jayne- Frisco, TX
Gail Dorn. San Antonio, TX
Honor the Lord with your wealth, and with the best part of everything you produce.
Then He will fill your barns with grain and your vats will overflow with good wine.
Proverbs 3:9,10. (NLT)
Leslie G-Warner Robins, GA
2 Timothy 1:9
New International Version (NIV)
9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
Julie, Gresham, OR
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:12-13 (NET)
Rachel D., Meridian, “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” (Psalm 116:7 ESV)
Andrea, Burleson, TX:
“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV
Barb~St Cloud, MN
“Why are you so downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 24:11 NIV
Amy, Tyler,TX
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
Carmen from Fergus Falls, MN
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
Norfolk, VA
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 NIV
Lauren, Dedham, MA: “They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.” Psalm 25:13 (NIV)
Diane from Cypress, TX
Isaiah 58:10 (ESV)
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
Nell, Gallatin
Matthew 5:7-10 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Alice, Chesapeake,VA
Isaiah 30:15 ESV
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,”In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,
Megan, Stow, OH “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24, NIV
Chelsey S. from Amarillo,TX
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen, and your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
Margaret, The Villages , FL
Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
(Proverbs 30:5 – NIV)
Kristin, Carlsbad, CA
For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Hebrews 3:4 NIV
Judy Sommerville
Fairmont, MN
Revelation 4:11 (NIV84)
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.