A small Challenge...

This past week one day in worship I was struck by how often I live out of awareness of the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead. That there is fullness of victory over everything He died on the cross for; sickness, pain, sin, death, sorrow, seperation, depravity, poverty, and lack in general. 

Would I, living in full awareness fear poverty, lack of energy, hoplessness, or anything ever again? Would I ever choose fear over peace? Would I ever choose to feal overwhelmed over stopping and staring Him in the face instead?

I really would like to think the answer to all of those questions would be an overwhelming, NO! That, to choose those things actually would be maddness. 

So why do I, and why do SO many Christians choose to live in this perpetual state of unbelief? Why do we choose to live in this place of powerlessness that takes the air right out of our 'holy ghost' tires? I have a few concepts, and would love to hear yours, but for now I have the keyboard. 

Something that went through my mind on Monday was that I feel like so many Christians don't want to live completely empowered. I don't know how to explain it, but the more I'm alive, the more I'm realizing that it's way easier to live when you don't have to take any responsibility for your faith. When you live in denial of the fact that His blood did pay for EVERYTHING, you don't really have to do much. But when you fully believe that you are, in essence, responsible to live as a representation of Jesus' victory it's all or nothing. I'm not talking about weird, false pressure, look-at-me sort of stuff but I am talking about the fact that I am here to make Jesus famous in ALL that I do, and my life had better reflect that. 

The more you see of Him, the more you want to give yourself completely to Him. And the more that you do that, it seems, the more that is required of you. He doesn't just want part, after all, He's looking for everything.

I'm finding, sadly, that a lot of people don't want to take responsibility for all that Jesus called us to as His followers. And sadly, in many places, we are leaving the world wanting. Because this world, She really wants Jesus.

I came accross a quote today that reiterrated this, and has been messing me up every time I reread it. It's what I want as the anthem of my life. And it's what I challenge every one of my beautiful brothers and sisters to as we try to represent Him to the world. Let's not give them a Jesus who is dead, but THE Jesus who is fully alive, and wanting to meet each one of their needs fully-mind, soul AND body. Let's not give them part of the gospel, let's not give them the cross; let's give them the fullness, the Jesus who has risen, and the saints who are living and acting accordingly. 

"This lifestyle thrives on the impossible. Our delight is seeing the impossiblities of life bend their knee to the name of Jesus over and over again. Those who encounter Him on this level are much more prone to take risks so that miracles would happen. The absence of the supernatural is intolerable. When you consider the amazing provision of The Lord for those who surrender all, powerlessness becomes inexcusable."