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
Kristi B.
Houston, TX
Romans 5:20 NLT
“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.”
Sandy, Bryan, Ohio
Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.
Phillipians 2:3 (NET)
Cyndy, Columbia, SD
But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Jude 1:20-21 NIV
Jennifer Germantown, WI
“Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble and always be prayerful.” Romans 12:12 (NLT)
Cyndy, Huntingdon, PA, for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:14 NIV
Jackie, AL
“Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You”
– Psalm 25: 20-21 NKJV
Meredith from Columbus, Ohio: Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirt, which is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:16-17 (NIV)
Trish
Paintsville KY
“I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High”
Psalm 9:1-2 KJV
Linda, Mandeville, LA
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
1Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
Elaine
McVeytown, PA
Colossians 3: 14 NLT
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Joan (Coppell, TX): All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:7-12 NIV 1984
Pam, Springfield, MO
But his delight is in the law of The Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2 NIV
Psalm 104:4 (KJV)
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Psalm 104:5 (NLT)
5 You placed the world on its foundation
so it would never be moved.
Patty from Shelton, Washington
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
Sharon Lee, Riverside, Ca.
The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. Isaiah 33:5,6. NIV
For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.
I Corinthians 4:20 NLT
Carol Peavy
Jena,LA
Imogene Austin,TX Psalm 119:11 NIV
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Kristi, White Pigeon, Michigan – 1 John 1:9 (NLT) “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Tessa from Nacogdoches TX
Judges 5:21 NASB
“The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
O my soul, march on with strength.”
Joni, Littleton CO
“For the King of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
1 Cor. 4:20 NIV
Amanda Porter.
Lubbock, Texas.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:3, 4 NIV)
Carolyn from Nashville, TN
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still
Exodus 14:14 NIV
Jeanene – Newnan, GA
This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
1 John 5:14 NIV
Marianne, Carrollton, TX
And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10 ASV)
Julie, Newton, Iowa
But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT)
Midland, TX
but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. James 1:14 (NIV)
Eva, Knoxville – (cont.) but each one is tempted, when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. James 1:14 (NIV)
Amy from Everett, WA
The one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:3 (NIV)
Barbara, Birmingham,Al
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15 NIV
Ps. 20:7 ” Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of The Lord our God.”
Nelda Adkins, Houston, TX
James 1:22 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:7 NIV
Dawn in Monett, MO
1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Sarah Wilkesboro NC
My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26 NIV
Michelle, Warner Robins Georgia
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17 NIV)
Heather, Morristown, T
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
James 1:18 NASB
Nicole – Newton, Iowa
Who do I have in heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. (Psalms 73:25, 26 HCSB)
Cory Anna, Atlanta
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.”
-1 Corinthians 4:20 (NIV)
Tanya Isley, Raleigh,NC
1Chronicles 29:11 NET
O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth!? You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all!
Lori, Flower Mound, TX
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1John 1:8. NIV
Psalm 143:8
Make me hear of Your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in You.
Teresa, Peoria, IL
Matthew 3:8, NIV, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (July 1 verse)
Titus 2:11-14, NIV, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Sara, from Virginia, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” (Psalm 23:1, NIV)
Birmingham, AL: “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 ESV
“I pray that God,the source of hope,will fill you completely with joy&peace because you trust in Him. Then you will over flow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Rom 15:13 NLT
Britney– Concord, NC
But forget all that, it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.-Isaiah 43:18-19 [NLT]
It does not demand it’s own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
1 Corinthians 13:5 NLT
Darcy, Pittsburgh
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1
Caroline Houston, TX
Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24. NASB
Elizabeth – Moore, OK
1 Corinthians 2:10 (NIV)
“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”