“Where’s the Beef?” (old Wendy’s commercial)
We all want the same thing … well, pretty much all of us. Everybody wants to go to Heaven and be right with God. And the ones that don’t are just hoping that at least there is no Hell. The problem is that we want to go on our terms. That makes it a tricky issue. Who’s to say which the right way is?
I have an answer for that. It’s in 1st John. We know we are in Him by the Spirit that He has given us.
You would think that would make it simple. Either you got it or you don’t. But now we have to debate over how you determine if you have the Spirit or not. (Scheesh! Does it ever end?)
To that, all I can say is that if you have to figure it out, you ain’t got it.
But there are those who think they feel the Spirit every time they feel a gust of wind, or get all worked up in when they’re singing in services. I see them twirling around and bouncing up and down, and getting all happy. Well, at least that’s better than handling snakes just to prove you’re in the Spirit.
But where’s the beef?
I believe that the Spirit of God responds in a very real way to worship. But is that all there is? When we go home after a rousing service, what happens then? After the euphoria wears off, are we left in the same old flesh, just waiting for our next fix? There has to be something more.
Real depth in God comes from elements that are not associated with singing and dancing. It’s the more serious side of the Gospel that brings us to that secret place of the Most High that pulls us out of our flesh and into a deeper walk with God. The suffering of the Cross is supposed to be manifest in our lives. (And please, I’m not talking about whipping yourself or anything weird like that.)
What about a crucified walk? Or how about being grieved for lost souls? Or allowing yourself to go through the fire, or letting God take you through valleys to strip away your flesh?
I could go on and on. I know you’ve read about this stuff, but not many want to think about that side of the Gospel. You see that’s the stuff that makes a real Christian — the walks in the valleys, not the experiences on the mountaintops.
To put it succinctly, we don’t want to face our own death. And yet, that is exactly where the Lord wants to take us if we are ever going to have power in God. A friend once told me, “God isn’t trying to change you. He’s trying to kill you!” Amen. But that ol’ flesh just doesn’t want to die.
It takes serious depths in the Word of God and desperate prayer to bring us to the point where we are willing to allow God to break our hearts and strip us down. Without that we are just like kindergarteners running around on the playground, having a good time, but not going anywhere.
Revivals are birthed in heartbreak and sacrifice — not the instant, cheap ‘n’ easy version that echoes the Lottery mentality of this generation. There is a price for everything in God.
God is looking for those with a serious dedication to serve the Lord and stand against the powers of darkness. That comes from a battle-hardened determination to overcome all things and carry the Cross.
It may not be as much fun as we’d like, but it is the path that leads to Calvary.
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