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
Laura H, OFallon, MO “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 NIV
Terri from Plano, TX
Deut 6:5 ESV ” you shall love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”
seantea, los angeles
“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.” 1 Cor. 4:20
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4 KJV
Marcia from Windermere, FL
“From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind.”
Psalm 33:13 (NIV)
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6 NKJV
Ali – Clearwater, FL
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.
2 Tim 1:7 NLT
Brandy Reed
Raceland, LA
Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life. – Proverbs 22:26
Kristen Keeling from Covington, Ga
“They are sustained as they travel along; each one appears before God in Zion. O LORD, sovereign God, hear my prayer! Listen, O God of Jacob! (Selah)”
Psalm 84:7-8 (NET)
Ronda, Tulsa: “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – you choose.” Prov 18:21 The Message
Victoria M, Greenbrier AR
“She openeth her mouth with wisdome; And the law of kindness is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26 (ASV)
Jessica, Waukesha, WI
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14 (NIV)
Alicia Trussell
from League City, TX
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
~1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
Laurie D, Dallas, TX
For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
Tanya, New Castle, IN
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” ICor 4:20 (NIV)
Isaiah 12:2 NIV
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Diane, Wedgefield, SC – Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV
k.joy
Lancaster, PA
The LORD is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love. The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. All your works will thank you, LORD, and your faithful followers will bless you. They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom; they will celebrate examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign. For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule generation after generation.
Psalm 145:8-13 NLT
Marti, Libertyville, IL
“When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.” Psalm 65:3 NIV
Lethbridge, AB
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:6 NLT
Diana from Bridge City Tx
Living Bible, Psalms 23:1
Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need.
Ann Gainesville, FL
Psalm 38:9 NIV
All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.
Janie, Anna & Sarah Phillips
Bartlesville, OK
Romans 2:13 NIV
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
Lynette – Aurora, CO – Isaiah 12:2 New English Translation
Look, God is my deliverer!
I will trust in him and not fear.
For the Lord gives me strength and protects me;
he has become my deliverer.”
Beverly, Vicksburg, MS
Deut. 14:2
“You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and He has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be His own special treasure.”
Psalm 27:14
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”
Ellen Kitt, Stoughton, MA
Daniel 2:20 ESV
Daniel answered and said, “Blessed is the Name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.”
Kristen, Marble, NC
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145:8
“My Grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness”
II Cor. 12:9
Diana—San Patricio, TX. “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7 (NIV)
Heather—Corpus Christi, TX.
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 8:58 (NKJV)
debbie jo, greenwood, “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.” Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV)
Theresa
Pace, Florida
NIV
Psalm 23:1-3
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul
Leverett,MA.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14 NASB
Jennifer from Nashville:
“My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 120:2
Alice Champagne,, Marietta GA
For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. (1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT)
Lisa, Enterprise, AL
~ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
— Isaiah 41:10 ( NIV)
Jennifer, Wilmington, DE
verse for the VBS class I’m teaching! (a new thing for this single 45 year old with no kids!)
I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.
– John 6:35 NIV
Laura from Nokia, Finland
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8 NIV)
Sheila Miller, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
Jen, Houston
“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)
Jen Lee, Ames, Iowa: “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5 (ESV)
Amie, Honolulu HI
Philippians 4:6-7
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (KJV)
Donalda Reimer, Osler,SK
Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Tami,Decatur,Tx.
“For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.”
I Corintians 4:20 (NLT)
Brandy Roseburg, Oregon
“Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.” Philippians 2:3 NLT
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Romans 12:10 NLT
Amy G- Clovis Ca – Romans 8:11 NLT
The spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same spirit living within you.
Paula from Denver, Co
Exodus 20:3 N.I.V.
You shall have no other gods before me.
Oh Miss Beth, your fire is contagious! That was SUCH an exciting word, I had to write about it on my blog! 🙂
Here is mine:
Amy Hawk, Hood River, OR
“How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.” Romans 10:14-15, The NET Bible
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ. Eph 2:4-5a