So let’s suspend reality for a second and consider the
notion that God isn’t stingy. In
this new world, God is lavish. In
fact, He’s given us so much we couldn’t possibly begin to sort through all He’s
given us, let alone catalog it.
Just when we’d begin to feel like we’ve gotten our heads around one
gift, there are another dozen waiting to be explored, tried out and embraced.
The first shift is the belief that God can give any gift He
wants, for any length of time, for any purpose to any of His children He
wants. I remember back in high
school when my best friend at the time had a cancer scare. I still can’t explain it, but
throughout the entire experience, God gave me this unbelievable faith that my
friend was going to be okay. I had
no reason to believe it (all the signs pointed the other way), in fact, it was
completely counter to my normal personality to believe it.
To date, I’ve never had that kind of faith again. I’ve never believed something so
against the odds with such confidence since. It was supernatural and it gave glory to God.
The second shift is that God is a miraculous God. No one probably disagrees with this
statement, but the shift isn’t in believing it, but realizing the role you play
in it. In Amos 3:7, it says
“surely the Sovereign God does nothing without revealing his plan to His
servants the prophets.” Did you
get that? God gives us access to
His will. In fact, in the overflow
of His goodness, He responds because we ask.
The third shift is that we have to get over our fears of
God’s movement. We’re terrified of
the miraculous because we don’t have a game plan for what would happen if God
moved. We don’t pray in tongues
because we’re afraid of our intentions or that others will get the wrong
impression of God. As I said in a
previous post: we need to feel a sense of devastation in our pursuit of the
greater gifts. Fear is revealed in
feelings of relief when God doesn’t move.
Devastation reveals a heart that is passionate and desperate for His
move.
Consider your arguments. Consider your actions.
Consider the God you want to serve, a God that’s lavish, that gives good
gifts. Don’t settle for a life
that’s less. Don’t settle for a
life of decisions made through fear.
