In Mark 1 there is the story of Jesus casting out the demon in the synagogue. While we focus on the power encounter, Mark focuses on the authority. Twice in the same story he mentions the authority of Jesus to teach.
22 The people were amazed by his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts.
27 Everyone was shaken and questioned among themselves, “What’s this? A new teaching with authority! (Mark 1: 22,27, CEB)
When we walking in the authority of the Kingdom, the enemy recognizes it. Jesus never went hunting for a power encounter. Power encounters found him.
The apostles never went hunting for power encounters. So it is with us.
When we are walking in the authority of the Kingdom, our priority is Matt. 6:33. Whatever happens after that is something we are truly prepared for. We need not worry or fear. The tools have been given.
When the people of God show up and are walking in authority, just know that sometimes that means the spiritual waters stir. Don’t seek it out specifically. And don’t shy away from it when those waters stir.
7 Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you. 8 Be clearheaded. Keep alert. Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:7-8, CEB)
Anxiety confuses our thinking. We create “what if” scenarios, along with “If only” scenarios. When that happens, the enemy roars. He smells the blood.
Anxiety has to be thrown on Jesus. (Good job, CEB!) You can’t take care of that anxiety like Jesus can. When anxiety is thrown on Christ, we can get our heads clear. Our heads need to be clear because we have a war to wage.
Clear the fog. Throw off the anxiety on the One who wants to take it. And get your head in the game.
A refreshing look at James 1:5 from the Common English Bible.
First, the NIV 2011:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Common English Bible:
5 But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask.
The very nature of God is to give to those who ask. When we need to know something… ask. It’s my favorite quote from Dallas Willard: “The nature of the Kingdom is to ASK.”
Entering into this new year, what do you ask for? How are you asking?
In our prayer we must learn to come boldly, knowing our God, and knowing his generosity. When we need wisdom, we ask.
Advent is about God coming down to us. It is about his pursuit of us.
Advent is also about the expectation and hope of the return of Christ. We long for his appearing again.
As God has pursued us we have this invitation to pursue him. We have the invitation of prayer.
6 Upon your walls, Jerusalem,
I have appointed sentinels.
Continually, all day and all night,
they won’t keep silent.
You who call on the LORD, don’t rest,
7 and don’t allow God to rest
until he establishes Jerusalem,
and makes it the praise of the earth. (Isa. 62:6,7, CEB)
We are in a season marked by God’s pursuit of us. May we be marked as people who are in pursuit of God as well.
Luke takes time to emphasize the poor in passages that are similar to Matthew (like the Sermon on the Mount). It’s probably why I like Matthew better! 
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[b]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:22-34, NIV)
My prayer life just lacks. The Lord has me camped out in Matthew 6 and I fully understand why. My prayer life is junk. I don’t follow any decent pattern of Kingdom prayer in my life.
I walk with anxiety and not release. I struggle with his provision and lose sleep. The enemy begins to call the shots in my thought life and prayer is the way out of that pattern.
Prayer is release. It is his Kingdom. It is his will. When I lack prayer it is an indicator in my life that I am not living in the power of release. I am not trusting.
The power of prayer is a continual need in my life. It is the place where I best “live dead.”
As I am challenging myself with John Wesley’s work on entire sanctification, I am meeting incredible people who live out the heart of Wesley’s message on a daily basis. They are people I can’t even name on a website because of the sensitive work they do.
Their call is incredible. One organization challenging the Christian community with reaching the unreached in East Africa is called Live/Dead. You can learn more HERE.
This morning I am beginning a 30 day journey through their “Live/Dead” journal. The first challenge is to tithe my time to Jesus. To abide in Jesus is to spend extravagant time with him. It is to know him. That is prayer. That is reading the Word. That is listening to him. A tithe of my day! (I get exhausted just thinking about it.)
But the question is this: Is Jesus worth it?
When I am around incredible people like some of these friends who put together “Live/Dead,” I know the answer. They spend extravagant time with Jesus. And it is beautiful to see.
Wesley summarized his search for Christian perfection in his work, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. As I work my way through this piece I find my own heart longing for this work of Christ in me. It is a lifelong journey. Without knowing it, I’ve been living out Wesley’s journey for quite some time. It is wonderful to see so many other authors I respect pick up on what Wesley said… and to have Wesley pick up on what others said before his time.
Here is the sum of the prefect law, the circumcision of the heart. Let the spirit return to God that gave it, with the whole train of its affections… Let it be continually offered up to God through Christ, in the flames of holy love.
Learn that it is Christ alone we are to pursue. God is jealous of all other pursuits. His cry to us is this: “Knock it off!”
My mind, my heart, my very affections need to be turned toward Christ. It is in this pursuit I am so deeply grateful for the works of Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, and Richard Foster. They have written in a way that draws me in and turns my attention to the living Christ. It is about one holy pursuit. One holy passion. It is Christ.
Wesley shares his journey with his readers:
In the beginning of the year 1738, as I was returning from (America), the cry of my heart was, O grant that nothing in my soul may dwell, but thy pure love alone! O may thy love possess me whole, My joy, my treasure and my crown! Strange fires fare from my heart remove; My every act, word, thought, be love!
We tend to look for God in the spectacular. The noise. The crowd. Something that “shows” God off in some way.
Elijah knew the show. He knew the spectacular. He had taken on the prophets of Baal in spectacular fashion and God came in power. Elijah knew the powerful exhibits God could put on.
But when he needed to hear God, he found out God wasn’t in the spectacular alone. When we need to hear God it is often in the quiet. We live our lives so full of noise it’s now wonder we think God isn’t speaking anymore.
After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the LORD wasn’t in the fire. After the fire, there was a sound. Thin. Quiet. (1 Kings 19:12, CEB)
