Do we really want more of God, and are we willing to pay any price to encounter Him in new, powerful, life-changing and world-changing ways? I think we all need to ask ourselves this question. This has been burning within my heart for weeks now, and I want to challenge you guys to seek out more of the Holy Spirit with me. I just read this Scripture today, not because I thought of it or was seeking it out, but I actually just opened up the Bible app and it happened to be on 2 Corinthians 5. The part that stood out to me was verse 10,
“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.”
If we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts then yes, we will be saved. A question I have been asking myself lately though is, “am I willing to settle for salvation?” Is that all Jesus came to do? We are made right with God because of Jesus, and there is no condemnation in Him. Praise God! Now what are we going to do with it? He has pursued us, but have we returned the favor to Him? “He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them.” 2 Corinthians 5:15
Bill Johnson in his book, Face to Face with God says, “Likewise, the center of the Christian life is passion for God, and it is this passion that defines the boundaries of our lives. Self-control is the by-product of living in covenant with God. To demonstrate the character trait of true self-control, one must be able to illustrate what it looks like to live in perfect harmony with the values of the Spirit of God. We also show self-control in the way we protect our connection with God from other influences that could distract and dissuade us. But self-control is not only the ability to say no to all the options and voices that are contrary to the values of the kingdom of God. It is also the ability to say yes to something so completely that all other voices and values are silenced. Jesus demonstrated this best of all. He set His face to go to Jerusalem and die. Nothing could distract Him from His purpose. The same challenge is yours: set your face toward His purposes, and you will experience the greatest privilege known to humanity. Set your face, and you’ll see His face.”
Smith Wigglesworth did exactly that. He raised the dead, and like Peter, he only had to walk past people and they would get healed and be consumed with the Holy Spirit. His life and ministry was based on four principles:
“First, read the Word of God. Second, consume the Word of God until it consumes you. Third, believe the Word of God. Fourth, act on the Word of God.”
It’s one thing to read our Bibles and pray for a few minutes in the morning. It’s an entirely different thing to consume God’s Word day and night to the point that we don’t want or know anything else. Read it or listen to it when you wake, when you are going to work, when you are waiting at the mechanic, when you’re choosing to scroll through Facebook, when you are using the bathroom. Consume God’s Word until it consumes you! I’ve been doing this lately, and I’m telling you that it is absolutely AMAZING! He is stirring within my heart constantly, and now, rather than watch a movie with my kids, I want to sing worship with them and spend time interceding and praying together. Our God is a consuming fire. We should be taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. Every where that we go and every thing that we experience should always be done with the perspective that God is using us in that situation. I pray that this provokes your faith with mine, and that we would encounter God in new ways. Ways that change the world. We love and bless you all in the name of Jesus!
Chris
The Crazy Lawson Tribe 