(This is a look at some of the things I’ve been processing through and reading and journaling about lately. I hope you enjoy this, but also take it to heart because this war is very real, and the more we press into it, the more the enemy will fire at us.)
How firmly do you believe what you say you believe?
I’m not talking about just saying you believe something. Really believing something means we actually walk out whatever it is. It means we commit ourselves to it in our hearts, minds, and souls. That’s what James was getting at when he said, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Our actions show what we really believe.
This is something I’ve been processing and working through lately.
I say, “I believe God is above all, unchanging, and that I’m walking with Him.”
Yet, what do I do when He feels distant, like our relationship has changed?
I say, “I believe I have power over sickness and the principalities and powers of this earth.”
Yet, what do I do when the person I pray over doesn’t get healed or if the demon I saw doesn’t flee right away?
I say, “I believe I can have a two-way conversation with God any time and know He’ll speak to me.”
Yet, what do I do when He stays silent?
I say, “I know where my identity is at and who I am.”
Yet, what do I do when doubts and negative thoughts about my own body, spirit, or life flood my mind?
I say I believe all these things, and yet, do my actions really show that I do? Or am I just wearing a mask, disguising what I’m afraid to even admit to myself; that maybe some of my beliefs aren’t actually as strong as I profess them to be? It can be something as deep as one of the beliefs mentioned above, or even as “simple” as what I believe about politics, diet, or really anything.
At the end of the day though, we all believe something; whether right or wrong, recognized or not, we all commit ourselves to beliefs that we walk out every day of our lives. On top of that, the beliefs that we hold that are true and real are offensive to the enemy, and he will attack them with everything he has; throwing at us his full arsenal of weapons, from doubts to pride and everything else you can think of. You see, what you believe isn’t just as simple as a basic decision. It’s war; and it takes place all around us in every second of our lives whether we realize it or not. This war originates with our thoughts and then spreads to our tongues and then actions.
The good news is that the war is already won through Jesus (1 John 5:4-5). What’s left now is to fight the battle.
Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18); and we as children of God (John 1:12) have the same power and authority through Jesus and the Holy Spirit that Christ and all the great men and women in the Bible had. On top of that, we have the armor of God which allows us to fight every lie, temptation, and evil that comes our way (Eph. 6:10-18).
At the end of the day, we have all the tools and power we need to fight and win (2 Cor. 10:3-5). What it comes down to though, is our actions. Do we really believe what we say we believe and thereby walk in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, or are we wearing a mask, saying that we believe but not actually walking in it?
Look (honestly) at your life.
Now, perfection isn’t possible or what we should strive for, but are we actually seeking to be like Jesus? We try to be loving and kind and peaceful, etc. which is great, but that’s not all Jesus was and is. Christ also prayed for the dead to come alive. He sought to heal people. He saw how much people needed a relationship with their Father, God, and He was moved to tears, exhaustion, and eventually death because of it.
Are we seeking to be like a part of Christ, or are we seeking to be all of Him?
Do we really believe that we’ve won the war already? That we’re equipped for the battle? That we’re truly seeking to live like Jesus?
The answers to these questions aren’t in what we say or think, they’re in how we live. Do our actions really show what we profess to believe, or are we still stuck, hiding behind a mask of comfortability or fear?
I want to be like Jesus. Not just like a part of Jesus, but like all of Him; walking in the full, incredible power, peace, authority, and victory that is fully available to us through the Holy Spirit.
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.” -1 Peter 2:21
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” -Matt. 16:19
(These are thoughts that I’ve been going through the past couple weeks and I hope you’ve been able to take something from this. Thanks for listening!)
God Bless!
-Ben
P.S. I’m currently in Lira, Uganda working with an organization that has a clinic, schools, community outreaches, training, a children’s home, and more. The days are long but fruitful and the wifi scarce and sketchy, but I’ll try to keep you all updated as the month goes on!
Remember to check out my Facebook for pics/videos!
