Jesus-power is like having a superpower,
an alien power, kinda like that possessed by Superman — uncharacteristic for normal humans. Bystanders are wowed. When you operate with Jesus-power, you are a channel of grace into the lives of others, both Christian and nonChristian, adult and child — even your OWN child — especially your own child.
Sadly, using your own puny power, instead of using Jesus’ power in your life and ministry, is normal, expected, but boring. When you are confident-you-know-what’s-best, leaning on your own understanding, wise in your own eyes, you are using your own puny, human power. INdependent, not Jesus-dependent. Proud, not humble. When you are Jesus-dependent you are clueless-you-know-what’s-best, trusting that HE knows, so you are curious/expectant to see what He does NEXT, in you, others, circumstances. When you are Jesus-dependent, you are operating with HIS power, wisdom, understanding, not your own.
But you get no credit, no glory, for operating with Jesus-power, because the only way you get Jesus-power, is by the Spirit freshly opening your eyes to see your sin of INdependence. Jesus-dependency is a fruit of the Spirit’s work, not your work. Is there anything you can do? You can ASK for the Spirit afresh, claiming the promise of Luke 11. Good to surrender the timetable for when that prayer might be answered, but this is harrrd, for us Christians, wise in our own eyes, leaning on our own understanding, in trying to direct the CreatorSustainer of the Universe through prayer.
When you operate with Jesus-power you operate without inhibition — living with reckless abandon. When you operate with Jesus-power you are never circumstance-dependent for your joy and peace. To operate with Jesus-power means being freshly dead to your flesh’s confidence-it-knows-what’s-best. Dead to your agenda. Alive to Jesus’ agenda. To be clueless-you-know-what’s-best, is to be despised by Americans outside the Church, and inside too. Not cool for an adult to be so lowly — so pathetically DEpendent, without any power of your own. We like our leaders STRONG, in charge.
The biggest problem of Christian leaders/followers, seems to me, is a lack of self-awareness, causing us to imagine we are following Jesus when we are not. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” Jesus said. Self-deception. Just because Jesus has grown me a lot in self-awareness so He’s enabled me to somewhat see the problem, doesn’t mean I’m better than others. I just somewhat see the problem. But my hungry, needy, competitive flesh wants me to think I’m better.
— Dave McCarty, GospelFriendships, who operates with Dave-power somewhat less than he used to, because he’s more-frequently convicted of the sin of INdependence
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