Thirst for Battle

Graham Cooke is noted as having suggested that the Christian cherishes the fight that comes with establishing the Kingdom of God and pursuing the Father.  He himself proclaimed that he enjoys and looks forward to the fight against dinky little demons and self-inflated principalities.  He waits for the moment of victory.

This can obviously be taken the wrong way and I’m certain that many people have.  But there’s a deep truth embedded here that is easily missed.  It’s easily missed because people, men especially but people in general, tend to think that a fight is a big affair that requires effort and training and blood spatter and weapons and maybe a really cool stop-motion camera…. Or maybe that’s just me but you get the idea.

Dry

Lately I’ve been feeling Dry. I don’t think there’s another word to really describe how i’ve been feeling.  It’s especially weird because Jesus has been really awesome in my life these past two or three weeks.  I mean it’s been the kind of thing that surprises me as I feel compelled to fast, and pray – two things that I am notoriosly bad at and I generally don’t go into voluntarily.  So you know it’s got to be a God thing right?  But all the same, I’m just dry.  I can’t explain it any better than that as I am working hard at my day job, (ever notice how job and Job are spelled the same?  Makes you wonder doesn’t it? lol) and then being privledged to watch God pour out as ministry opportunities continue to make themselves present.

I have a hard time watching “hoarders”

There’s a show on A&E called “Hoarders.”  It is a documentary style TV series that takes a look at households that have serious issues getting rid of things.  And not a “let’s build a barn out back to store some of this stuff” kind of thing but is in fact a serious mental disorder that causes significant distress and sometimes physical pain to a person who is trying to throw something away.  It could be legitimate trash, I’m talking about food scraps, that the person just cannot part with.

I have a real hard time watching this show for two reasons.  1) I hate to see people in such desperate need of healing and just as equally desperate to avoid it.

2) It reminds me of me.

A Castle on a rock

There’s a line from a Casting Crowns song (at least I think it’s casting crowns) that references Matthew 7:24-27.  The artist sings “I’ll take a shack on a rock, over a castle on the sand.”  The idea is that a firm foundation in Christ and his words provide the kind of foundation that allows the house built upon it to withstand “trails of many kinds.”  And yet, I’m not interested in a shack on a rock.  I’m just not.  I’m not interested in a castle on the sand either.  I’m interested in the Castle that my Father is going to build when His kingdom comes.

A castle on a rock.

not MY gift

Evangelism & intercession are two great examples of spiritual gifts I do not have.  I do not experience an incontrollable urge to get on my knees and pray for hours on end.  My knees much prefer to be stretched out on the recliner.  In the same way I do not experience an indescribable burning in my gut or tearing in my heart that requires me to pray.  I just don’t.  These are the marks of an intercessor.

I do not turn every conversation to salvation.  I do not teach salvation every time I teach.  When I talk to people casually I usually start off with “HI my name is Sage,” and not “Hi, do you know Jesus?” I do not have a supernatural gifting of evangelism. Just one of those things.