The Spirit and the Word

We had a wonderful time this last weekend with a group of radical passionate young adults. The goal of the conference we attended was not to take away anything from the Holy Spirit passion of these followers of Jesus but rather to add a foundation in the Word of God to help them stand through all circumstances. Otherwise it is like being at the base of Mt. Sanai and you hear the thunder, see the lightning, feel the earthquake and leave saying let's do that again but you don't listen to the voice speaking to you from the midst of the cloud. Or, like the hyenas in the Lion King just wanting to hear someone say Mufasa one more time

Joshua led Israel boldly and without hesitation when the word of the Lord came to him to enter the land. Joshua was able to do that because he had spent so much time hanging out at the tent of meeting where the Lord's Presence rested. Spending time in His Presence should prepare us to obey anything He says. True humility means we follow His leading and obey His Word no matter where He takes us, to the Penthouse or to the outhouse, we just say yes, Lord.

With this in mind we had the opportunity to hear a brother share how the Lord has led him to give away everything, including his retirement fund. It was fascinating to hear that the Kingdom still operates the same way it did in Jesus' day. For anyone who gives up all, He promised to multiply back to them to take care of them as they walk in obedience. Most of us know very little about what is revealed when we follow Jesus without any reservations. There is a kingdom life that exceeds the natural reasoning mind, but one must dive into it with full faith.

The rich young ruler in the Bible was told to sell all give to the poor and follow Jesus, but couldn't, much like most of us. I would say the wisdom I heard years ago to use common sense unless you have a direct word from the Lord still stands. Common sense would not beckon one to give away his retirement account when in your 50's. But Jesus said your life does not consist in the accumulation of possessions. You don't get life from what you own, but from who owns you.

I remember launching off years ago giving up rights to all I owned to live in community with some other brothers. We made a lot of mistakes, but we also saw unmistakable Divine provision. I have been challenged by this weekend to pursue the Lord with more passion and to try to make sure my talk measures up with my walk. Total surrender means total peace and total provision. He said he would return 100 fold to his people. The condition was to give up ALL. May the Spirit of Jesus lead us all to our total surrender and entry into true Kingdom life.