Finding Your True Superpower

MOMENT OF TRUTH

This is a long blog, but with the Biblical definition of “Christian” becoming lost in the glitz and glamour of big production/big business mega churches, secularism, and “spiritualism” within the Church, I encourage you to take the time to prayerfully consider what the Scriptures have to say about what walking in the true power of God, as Christians, really looks like. As a minister, mentor and life coach, I see the detrimental affects of the aforementioned in so many Christians.

As Christians, we all desire a daily, personal relationship with Christ; a life of overcoming victory, peace, and joy, right? Instead, what we often end up with looks much different than the “ideal Christian”. Reality hits hard and our Christian walk consists more of a daily grind of just trying to keep the right attitude and find a few minutes to read that short devotional before we rush out the door. We wonder where God is and if He even cares. We feel overwhelmed in our relationships, financial pressure, and in finding hope. We are so pressured by our inner drive (and cultural pressures) to succeed and create a “good” life for ourselves and our family that we work tirelessly toward that goal. After that hard day’s work, we look around for ways to decompress from the rat race- and the enemy of our soul is right there to dish up a delectable tray filled with a variety of ways to relax, take a break, let off some steam, or just plain have fun. He works devilishly to prepare a tray of delicacies that is tailor made to suit our individual lusts and weaknesses. After all, that’s his job. And he does it well. He prowls around like a thief, looking for easy entry points to slither into our lives and steal, kill, and destroy our minds, our hearts, our lives, and our hope in Christ. Our only defense is to wise up to Satan’s schemes and recognize his devices. That’s why Scripture admonishes us to “put on the armor of God”, to “be sober-minded, alert, always on guard”, and to "hide His Word in our hearts” (Eph.6; 1 Peter 5:8; Mark 13:33; Ps.119:11). “Wow”, you might say, “that makes me more tired just thinking about having to do all that!” So the enemy convinces us it’s just too hard and not worth it. But it’s not too hard and it’s worth infinitely more than anything else we could ever desire or strive for in this life!

It’s starts with a shift in our mindset - a choice. Asking ourselves, “What matters most in life and what matters most in light of eternity?” How successful I am? The car I drive? The type of clothes I wear? How much money I make? How nice of a home I have? How many degrees I have? How many things I can check off my bucket list? Or is it the things that will last forever - my relationship with God, and how I help others in their pursuit of Christ?

While we live in this world, as Christians, we are not of this world. Unfortunately, even some church leaders today have lost sight of this. Our citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 3:20) This world is not our home! We are merely passing through.. That’s great news! It’s time, as Christians, we recalibrate our thinking with Christ’s. It’s time we “lay aside everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” - the things that weigh us down and keep us from living victoriously in Christ (Hebrews 12:1). Then we can begin to “live and move and have our being in our LORD, Christ Jesus” (Acts 17:28) not in worldly affairs (status, comfort, and worldly entertainment such as partying, Netflix, tv, secular music, movies, talk radio, social media, video games, worldly friendships, etc.). Seriously though, let’s be honest…many “Christians” today are more consistently faithful to their wine or beer collection and latest Netflix show or news network, than the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and studying the Word of God. They’re more concerned with their “Centering Prayer” or “Contemplative Prayer” than they are the “Lord’s Prayer” and obeying Christ’s command to be filled with the Holy Spirit and Power. Many are more concerned about what’s happening with our (very temporary) government than we are about walking in intimate friendship with Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and doing the work our King is calling us to do for the eternal Kingdom of God that our citizenship is in…for eternity! American Christians have all but totally forsaken “coming out from the world and being separate (holy) unto God.”(2Cor.6:17) - even though God commands it.

This mandate is very clear:

“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control…. you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But NOW YOU MUST BE HOLY IN EVERYTHING YOU DO, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “YOU MUST BE HOLY [SET APART] AS I AM HOLY.” AND REMEMBER that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. HE WILL JUDGE OR REWARD YOU ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU DO. SO YOU MUST LIVE IN REVERENT FEAR OF HIM DURING YOUR TIME HERE AS “TEMPORARY RESIDENTS.” [1Peter 1:13-16]

The trend in the American church has us stuck at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. We see Jesus only as the LAMB of God, our “Savior”. We say our little “sinner’s prayer”, and think all is well. But accepting Jesus as our Savior is only a part of the beginning. We hear about how “nothing can separate us from the love of God” (truth) and how He understands our weaknesses and is a forgiving God (also truth). But we stop there instead of preaching/teaching and receiving the “whole council of God”. We’ve chosen to ignore Jesus Christ, “the LION of Judah”, victorious King -the LORD over our lives. We love to focus on the cross of Christ and what He’s done for us and ignore our cross - a cross required to walk with Christ. We’ve ignored His command (in both the Old and New Testament) to live holy lives - separated unto Him. It’s only in taking up our cross to follow Him that we “die” to self and are “resurrected” in the power of His Spirit.

When was the last time you heard a sermon based on the words of Jesus to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24) or “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27)? We are missing out on living daily in the miraculous, in the wonder-working power of intimacy in Christ, because we’re still intimately committed to serving our flesh, not following Christ to the cross - dying to self that we may be alive in Him! [Stay with me here and don’t let such a seemingly daunting call cause you to stop reading. I promise you, you don’t have to do this in your own strength. Frankly, you can’t. Neither can I. So, take a deep breath, and let’s dive a little deeper where the richness of Christ is further revealed.]

Though He loves us unconditionally, we can be separated from relationship with Him by our choices to ignore His commands, live in compromise to sin, and refusal to offer ourselves as “living sacrifices, Holy and ACCEPTABLE to God”(Romans 12:1). Paul stated, in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, “So I run this race with purpose in every step. I keep my body under control, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” While God’s love never fails, neither does His true identity: He is Holy. It’s who He is and He never changes. His wrath and anger toward sin never changes. But many, calling themselves Christians, have chosen to ignore Jesus Christ, the LION of Judah, victorious King and LORD over our lives. We love to focus on the cross of Christ and what He’s done for us and ignore our cross - a cross required to walk with Christ. When was the last time you heard a sermon based on the words of Jesus to his disciples,

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24) or “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27)

The (secular) world (the unbeliever) is our mission field, not our home; and certainly not our playground. We are to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and answer the call of our Commander in Chief (Jesus Christ, not the President!) to “go into all the world and make disciples” of Jesus Christ (Matt.28:18-20). This world is our battleground not our playground. Souls…real people…are being led captive by the enemy, Satan. They are dying and going to hell. We will answer to God for whether we fulfilled our “call of duty” as soldiers of the cross, disciples of Christ, in this battle for the eternal souls of mankind. Jesus is calling us to be like Him - selflessly devoted to our heavenly Father and His Kingdom purposes. All God is asking of us is that we separate ourselves TO Him and do what He tells us to do. He even gives us the power of His Holy Spirit to do it! He expects us to fill our life with Him - immerse ourselves in prayer, reading the Bible, Christian (not secular) music, programs, sermons, teachings, continual and committed fellowship with other believers, and studying the Bible “to show yourself approved” so you can “be ready to give an answer for what you believe” to everyone (2Tim.2:15, 1Peter3:15). In other words, it becomes our lifestyle to pursue intimacy with Christ.

The Lord says we are NOT to team up with those who are unbelievers (2Cor.6:14-18). The time is NOW to “come out from among unbelievers, separate yourselves from them and do not even touch their filthy things”. Instead of obeying God’s Word, we somehow think we can hang out with anyone WE want to (not who HE says to) - as if our life is our own and we have the right to call the shots. If that’s the case, perhaps you’re not really born again. Why do I make such a strong statement? Because God’s Word says that when we accept Him as Savior AND Lord, our life no longer even belongs to us (Galatians 2:20). We no longer call the shots - He does. That’s why He’s called “LORD” and Savior - because when we accept Christ, He becomes the Savior and LORD (boss) of our lives - not us. In other words, He now calls the shots. And He is calling us to abide (dwell, camp, live) in intimate relationship with Christ (and His body: fellow believers) not the world, and spread the good news of Christ our Savior everywhere we go. If you’re not doing that, then perhaps you need to get spiritually and intellectually honest with yourself and God. Confess your sin to Him and ask Him to forgive you and give you a clean heart and a right spirit - otherwise, according to Psalm 51:10-13, He will cast you away from His presence. Jesus put it very plainly when He said the following in Matthew 16:24-26:

“THEN JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES, “IF ANYONE WOULD COME AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME. FOR WHOEVER WOULD SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, BUT WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL FIND IT. FOR WHAT WILL IT PROFIT A MAN IF HE GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD AND FORFEITS HIS SOUL?”

This is no joke. God is serious about us separating ourselves from close friendship with the secular world. He’s serious about us living life on HIS terms, not our own. He says, in 2Cor.7:1, that “because we have the promises of God, we must cleanse ourselves from EVERYTHING that can defile our body or spirit. And let us WORK toward COMPLETE HOLINESS because we fear God.

Why do we fear God? Because He made it clear that WITHOUT HOLINESS, NO ONE will see God! Yikes! We aren’t to be hanging out with unbelievers and participating in their worldliness - we’re supposed to be the light in the darkness: healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons, and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Seriously though, if you’re not doing these things, are you really even saved? If you’re not doing these things (that Jesus commanded) but consider yourself a Christian than you are really in danger. Jesus called “Christians” like that “lukewarm…wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (spiritually)” and He said He will spit you out of His mouth. Those are His Words, not mine (Revelation 3:16-17).

At what point are we as “believers” of Christ going to become “followers” of Christ and wake up to realize that worldly friends, self-help books, money, drugs (prescription or otherwise), pornography, sex, food, and therapy are not going to cure the depression, anxiety, anger, hopelessness, and emptiness of your soul? When will we believe God really is the great “I AM” and lock our self, if needs be, in our private prayer room with our Bible and Jesus and tell everyone else, “I’m not coming out until God changes me!”.

Does that seem too radical? It’s what countless followers of Christ have done throughout history. It’s exactly what Smith Wigglesworth did (one of the most powerful evangelists to ever live). At one point in my life, I followed his example. Smith Wigglesworth was a powerful evangelist of the early twentieth century who even raised the dead, healed the sick and cast out demons but he had a terrible temper. One day he told his wife and his associate, “This (temper) is unacceptable for a man of God”. So he locked himself in his bedroom with water and his Bible and said he wasn’t coming out until he was changed by God. He stayed in there TEN DAYS! But his associate tells the story of how Smith was a different man after that. From that day, until the day he died, he never even came close to losing his temper! THERE’S POWER IN ABIDING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND POWER. IT’S TIME WE REBUILD/RETURN TO OUR ‘PRAYER CLOSETS’ AND REBUILD THE ALTAR! It’s time we, like King David, grab ahold of the horns of the altar, and like Jacob, wrestle with God and cry out, “I won’t let you go until you bless me!” (1Kings 2:28; Genesis 32:22-32)

Last year, after an extremely tragic year that included 3 suicides and my mother’s death from cancer, I was so chronically overcome by grief and depression, I felt I couldn’t go on. I was doing everything I knew to do but couldn’t seem to overcome the clinical depression. I remembered Smith Wigglesworth’s story and felt the Holy Spirit calling me to do the same. I locked myself in the bedroom and determined I would stay in there with God (praying, worshipping, crying out to Him, reading the Word) until I received a breakthrough. I was desperate. It was life or death for me. I knew “Jesus is the answer” and “the Great I Am”. Either He is what and Who He claims to be or He isn’t. I chose to believe “He Is”. When I came out of that room 36 hours later, I was a miraculously changed woman! The depression was gone and joy filled my soul! That was over a year ago, and even the heaviness of generational depression that hovered for decades is gone!

Many “good” Christians will obey the first part of Ephesians 5:18 to “be not drunk with wine wherein is access” yet totally ignore the second part of that command which is “but be FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT [the new wine]; Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs…giving thanks always for all things UNTO GOD and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In fact, I believe that is why we have so many “sipping saints”, “Christian gluttons”, “Christians fornicators” and anxiety-ridden believers today…Because they never obeyed the command to be [continually] FILLED with the Holy Spirit [the “new wine”]; instead they have resorted back to the old wine [alcohol, drugs, gluttony, sexual immorality, carnal living]. [Needless to say, there’s a reason alcohol is referred to as ‘spirits’.] Many Christians are desperate for a breakthrough and feel there is no hope for them. So many have never experienced the power of being filled with the Holy Spirit or the power of living daily in power the Holy Spirit.

If you’ve grown cold in your relationship with God, NOW is the time to fall to your knees and repent. Ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill you afresh and anew. TODAY is the day of salvation. Then, CLEAN HOUSE. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you get rid of EVERYTHING in your house, car, computer and phone that is displeasing to God and distracting you from pursuing and obeying Him. Replace those things with Christ. Replace your secular music with Christian music. Replace Netflix with Pureflix. Replace the secular books, podcasts, and audios with the audio Bible. Seek out a good church or other believers that are committed to God’s Word and being filled with the Holy Spirit according to the book of Acts. There’s a reason to “not forsake assembling with other believers” and to be “knitted together with fellow believers” (Hebrews 10:25; Eph.4:16) - because “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). In other words, “you are who you hang with” [proven fact, by the way]!

It’s time for us, as Christians, to grow up into maturity in Christ…To be filled with His power and love. If you want to fight (victoriously!) like a Samurai, you train like a Samurai. The Apostle Paul was very clear about thinking, acting, training, focusing like a soldier going into battle. And remember, this is not in your own strength, but the strength of the Holy Spirit in you. When I was so weak from cancer and chemo and I couldn’t even get out of bed, all I could do is whisper the promises of God. As I lay there, deathly ill, and softly spoke the promises of God, peace would flood my soul and gradually I would find my spirit renewed. Sometimes all I could do was turn on the Bible App audio Bible and let the words flood my heart and mind. His strength was enough when mine was not.

Don’t wait another minute to get your heart and life right with God! We’re not promised tomorrow; but we ARE promised eternal life with Christ or eternal separation from Christ (hell and eternal torment) - your choices will determine which place you spend eternity. Choose Jesus as your Savior AND Lord (you can’t have one without the other). Choose holiness. Choose to walk away from the world. Choose to “take up your cross and follow Him” today. Choose life in Christ. He is the treasure worth giving everything you possess to obtain and share with others. Jesus summed it up this way: “Love the LORD you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”’ and “Love your neighbor as yourself. Do this and you will live.” [Luke 10:27-28]

Blessings and peace to you. -Salli