We are at a turning point in the church. Th old way of doing things is not working. Something has to change. The church was not placed on this planet to entertain people for one hour a week. The church was created by God to be the ongoing presence of his Son Jesus with skin on. The church was born for greatness. But when the church substitutes passion for God's glory with lesser passions, it is doomed to fail. That is why I believe apostolic passion is the missing dimension in much of the church today. God's response to terrorists, Islamic extremists, and Christian fundamentalists is the same. He calls all humankind to repent and turn to him. Jesus issues the same radical call today that he gave two thousand years ago: "Take up your cross and follow me!" This is the source of true passion. All other passions are imitations of, mere replacements for, the holy passion of God's love.
from You See Bones, I See An Army by Floyd McClung, p. 188
30 March 2009
18 March 2009
08 March 2009
it's tough being...in the tight fist of fear
The command most often given by God and his messengers throughout the Word is "Do not be afraid." What is it that we really fear? We have double-almost ironic-fears: the fear of being too much and the fear of not being enough; the fear of being alone and the fear of being known; the fear of living in lack and the fear of living in the abundance God has called us to.
Most of us have put on this fear and have been walking it out for far too long. So long, in fact, that we're not quite sure what living without fear actually looks like--or if we want to. How this must break the heart of God!! His Word says that his perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)!! When we are living in fear--of either the good or the bad--we are not living in the perfect, complete, unadulterated and unconditional love of our Father.
What then shall we do? We have to decide that we really want what God has for us. And not just a Sunday school Christian existence. We have to decide that God really is all that he says he is and we can always trust him. Period. We do not have a circumstantial trust in God.
It is time to start walking in freedom from fear. Be released from that tight fist of insecurity! Self doubt is God doubt. It's time to start living the life he's called us to. (thoughts inspired through Beth Moore's study on Esther: It's tough being a woman)
Most of us have put on this fear and have been walking it out for far too long. So long, in fact, that we're not quite sure what living without fear actually looks like--or if we want to. How this must break the heart of God!! His Word says that his perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)!! When we are living in fear--of either the good or the bad--we are not living in the perfect, complete, unadulterated and unconditional love of our Father.
What then shall we do? We have to decide that we really want what God has for us. And not just a Sunday school Christian existence. We have to decide that God really is all that he says he is and we can always trust him. Period. We do not have a circumstantial trust in God.
It is time to start walking in freedom from fear. Be released from that tight fist of insecurity! Self doubt is God doubt. It's time to start living the life he's called us to. (thoughts inspired through Beth Moore's study on Esther: It's tough being a woman)
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