It’s funny how things change.
I remember before I had kids, I thought I knew all the answers to parenthood. I would watch others and criticize them in my heart while they worked at parenting. Then I had kids, and the great humbling began.
Likewise, when I finally surrendered my whole life to God, at first, I became insufferable to others in my pridefulness and being “right”. I always say, the pendulum swings far over at first, then it levels out. In other words, I had been so dead in this world, doing so many bad things, that when I came to Jesus I went as far from that as possible in an attempt to right myself. Then I ran into grace and that’s finally when I hit the wall that showed me how to be saved by Jesus alone, not my own works, lest I boast.
Does this make sense?
Sometimes, when we’ve not yet tried a thing, we think we have all the answers but don’t. Other times, we learn we’ve been so wrong that when we attempt rightness, we become insufferable.
I’m sure, if you’re being honest, that you’ve experienced at least one of these phenomena.
Let’s be real though, none of us is righteous on our own. Not even one.
Jesus is everything.
Right now, as I typed those three words, I saw myself pouring a water jug over Jesus’ feet. In a moment of holy surrender, I pour out my attempts to be “right” and simply come to receive. To find rest.
What would happen if we became generations of God’s people who learned how to simply dwell. How would this change the way we interact with the world? What if our politicians were those who dwelled. What if we elected those who relentlessly pursued Christ, fasting and praying frequently. Those who refuse to apologize for the faith which we know all need, lest they be surrendered to the flames of hell.
Oh Lord, have mercy on us. We are weak without You. Our ways are such a failure without You. Come and emblazon our hearts with passion for Your presence. With wisdom and understanding of Your Word. Let the evangelical and Biblical Christians be merged. Let those who’ve only focused on Presence, enter the healing waters of Your word. Let those who deny the works of Holy Spirit and only read the Word, have face to Face encounters with Who You truly are, and in doing so, become awake to Your steadily moving hand in Holy Spirit’s activity on the earth today. Let the two sides come together, God. Burn the “platforms” and let the true believers become the leaders. Let those who abandon themselves to You be those who lead others. Come in power, authority, and truth. Release grace, true grace, over Your body that we could lead in confident and trustworthy truth. Oh God, rescue America. Your nation. Let our foundations cry out for redemption, in Jesus’ name. Come Holy Spirit invade this country and set us back to rights. Come Lord and unlock us from the administrations of hell. You are the only holy One. We are called to be set apart. We have been slowly invaded since shortly after our conception and continuing over many, many years, laying a foundation for the onslaught occurring today. Come and deliver us from the evil one, bent on destruction. Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13)
But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” 1 Corinthians 3:13-19
365 Days in the Presence 