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
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
I John 3:1 NIV
Corinne in Chehalis, Washington
Bobbie Puckett Ft. Worth, Texas
One thing I asked of You, Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon Your beauty, to seek You in Your temple.
Psalms 27:4
Kelly W., Fowler, CA
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
Denise from Lenexa, KS
Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:37-39 NIV
Sandy, Glendale OR: Colossians 2:16 (NIV)
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day.
Rhonda, Niles, MI, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
Julia – Springfield, TN
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
Rockmart, GA
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4 NKJV
Micki, Prairie Village,KS
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
Psalm 86:2, NCV
Protect me, because I worship you. My God, save me,
your servant who trusts in you.
1 Peter 5:7 NIV
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Nancy Engberg from Minneapolis
But He said to me “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
NIV
Linda from Holland, OH
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalms 27:14 NIV
July 1
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”
Isaiah 43:18 NIV
July 15
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”
Psalm 46:1 KJV
Jamie – Michigan
“I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God”
Luke 12:8 NIV
Lord, you alone are my potion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 NIV
Donna, Glendale, AZ.
Let your gentleness be evident to all
Philippians 4:5 NIV
Laura from Houston,TX
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, Titus 2:11 NASB
Conway Springs, KS
I have been really asking God to change how I react lately to negative people and situation in my life, even when my precious kiddo’s are being negative to each other and how they respond to each other when one hurts the other emotionally, So I have been asking God to help me lead by example and so as you guessed God gave me many opportunities to be tested in this area! I must say it is getting easier with practice but seem to have to apologize a lot more than usual too, but as the the Lord reminded me that is showing the kid’s & others a great example too that when I do fail, that saying “I’m sorry and will try to do better with God’s help is what they need to see too. My memory verse God gave me to help me with all my future testing in this area is Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, But overcome evil with good. although I have known this verse for years, and will be easy for me to memorize, this time I am actually going to put it to practice!
“Friendship with The Lord is reserved for those who fear him. With them he shares the secrets of his covenant.” Psalm 25:14
Midland TX
Port Neches, TX
“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17 (NLT)
Connie
Greene IA
Trust in Jehovah, and do good, Dwell [in] the land, and enjoy faithfulness
Psalm 37:3
YLT
Kari Flom
Amery, WI
Psalm 138:3 NIV
When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.
Janet, West Linn, OR
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8 (NIV)
Dawn
Dallas, GA
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them.” Ps. 34:7 NIV
Barbara Moran
Central Florida
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24, ESV
Kim B. in Thatcher, Az
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3(NIV)
Ally, Houston.
“For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:16-17 NIV
Amy S. from Saint Cloud, FL
“No weapon forged against you will prevail.”
Isaiah 54:17
(NIV)
Vickie in Louisville;
So we fix our eyes norton what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. II Corinthians 4:18 NIV
Debra in Mobile, AL
Colossians 2:17 (NIV84)
These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Maureen, St. Clair Shores, “Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God”. (1 Peter 1:18 MSG)
Sue – Troy, Micighan – “Brothers do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgement on it.” James 4:11 (NIV)
Keely from Hermann, MO: 1Corinthians 13:3 NIV, “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 (NKJ)
Debbie
Olathe, KS
Psalm 139:14- “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
Collierville TN
Before they call, I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear.
Isaiah 65:24. NIV
Becky, Oklahoma City
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
I Corinthians 4:20 NIV
Kelei Liggett. Iowa Park, Texas. NIV Proverbs 3:25 &26
Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared!
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV)
Paola, Pinellas Park, Fl
If then youyou have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1 ESV
Jamie, Coupeville
Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, Ii will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32-33, NASB
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Cor. 4:20 NIV
Kathy, Festus MO. “holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith”. (1 Timothy 1:19 NIV)
Andrea M, Okotoks, AB
Psalm 139:14 – I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. (NIV)
Mauree, pascoag ri
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
Psalm 98.5 nrsv
Tammie from Ferris, TX “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 ESV
Suzanne Harrisville
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Romans 12:9 esv
Mary Beth, MO, Psalm 51:10 NIV Create in me a pure heart oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Myra, London, England
“My strength is made perfect in weakness”
II Corinthians 12:9 NIV