Read Online Experience the Impossible: Simple Ways to Unleash Heaven's Power on Earth by Bill Johnson - Free Book Online
Authors: Bill Johnson
Ads: Link
around you. Hope is a magnet. You will attract into your life people who are looking for the answers you carry.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for making me a citizen of Your world, even though I am still alive on planet earth. Help me to live with the hope that is consistent with Your promises. I know that darkness has never intimidated You. I do not want ever again to fall for the lie that darkness is winning. I honor You for the fact that of the increase of Your government there will be no end! Your expression of rule is only increasing. Help me to see it and convey it well to the world around me.
Confession
I am an agent of hope—the undying, unending hope that my Father has given me. I will not react to the powers of darkness. Instead, I will respond to what God is saying and doing. This is my privileged position in life. And this I will do to the glory of God.
24
Love
One of the great tragedies in life is for the Bible to be interpreted by people who are not in love.
W hen my need to appear right is greater than my desire to display God’s love, I will inevitably treat people with judgment, disrespect and harshness. The Old Testament is filled with so many disasters that it is not hard to pick up an angry approach to life and ministry. That is, until you consider Jesus.
This is why I stress the importance of letting the Holy Spirit be our teacher when we read the Bible. Otherwise, it is much too easy to get angry. The Holy Spirit helps us read the Scriptures with the provision that Jesus is the answer. Without Him, we just see the rules.
Have you ever considered that much of the Church today is known for what we oppose—rather than for love? Take politics. Much of the Church raises protest banners, writes letters of criticism and publicly denounces politicians and other public figures for their sinful ways. Various Christian organizations have orchestrated boycotts to force people in power to yield to scriptural principles. There is a place for that, and it works inmeasure. But it is often partnering with a political spirit to accomplish Kingdom purposes. The process will cost us eventually.
Jesus said, “If you live by the sword, you’ll die by the sword” (see Matthew 26:52). The way we choose to live is the way we choose to die. Whatever is gained through, in this case, a political spirit has to be maintained by a political spirit, which uses the fear of man as a tool of manipulation to obtain a desired outcome. In other words, the end justifies the means. The spirit that promotes us will ultimately be the one that takes us down. But Jesus functioned differently, completely differently.
Sinners sought the chance to be with Jesus. The thieving tax collector, Zacchaeus, climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Him. Upon noticing this man in a tree, Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for a meal. The prostitute broke all protocol to enter a religious leader’s home just to weep at Jesus’ feet and wash them with her tears. The list of such encounters is impressive throughout the gospels. Any harshness from Jesus was always aimed at religious leaders who defiled His message by keeping people away from the freedom He provided.
People who are not in love see things differently. History is filled with crazy people who used the Bible to justify their hatred. They considered any opposition to be persecution, which only confirmed for them the correctness of their approach to life.
Jesus, on the other hand, suffered persecution because of His love. The freedom He offered upset the power struggle of religious leaders who kept the nation in fear. It is interesting that Jesus did not intimidate the sinners and lowly people around Him; nor did they withdraw from Him because of His purity. He lived in perfect holiness without compromise, yet attracted those considered to be the greatest sinners of His day. True holiness is the essence of real beauty.
Love changes everything. It changes how we read the
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for making me a citizen of Your world, even though I am still alive on planet earth. Help me to live with the hope that is consistent with Your promises. I know that darkness has never intimidated You. I do not want ever again to fall for the lie that darkness is winning. I honor You for the fact that of the increase of Your government there will be no end! Your expression of rule is only increasing. Help me to see it and convey it well to the world around me.
Confession
I am an agent of hope—the undying, unending hope that my Father has given me. I will not react to the powers of darkness. Instead, I will respond to what God is saying and doing. This is my privileged position in life. And this I will do to the glory of God.
24
Love
One of the great tragedies in life is for the Bible to be interpreted by people who are not in love.
W hen my need to appear right is greater than my desire to display God’s love, I will inevitably treat people with judgment, disrespect and harshness. The Old Testament is filled with so many disasters that it is not hard to pick up an angry approach to life and ministry. That is, until you consider Jesus.
This is why I stress the importance of letting the Holy Spirit be our teacher when we read the Bible. Otherwise, it is much too easy to get angry. The Holy Spirit helps us read the Scriptures with the provision that Jesus is the answer. Without Him, we just see the rules.
Have you ever considered that much of the Church today is known for what we oppose—rather than for love? Take politics. Much of the Church raises protest banners, writes letters of criticism and publicly denounces politicians and other public figures for their sinful ways. Various Christian organizations have orchestrated boycotts to force people in power to yield to scriptural principles. There is a place for that, and it works inmeasure. But it is often partnering with a political spirit to accomplish Kingdom purposes. The process will cost us eventually.
Jesus said, “If you live by the sword, you’ll die by the sword” (see Matthew 26:52). The way we choose to live is the way we choose to die. Whatever is gained through, in this case, a political spirit has to be maintained by a political spirit, which uses the fear of man as a tool of manipulation to obtain a desired outcome. In other words, the end justifies the means. The spirit that promotes us will ultimately be the one that takes us down. But Jesus functioned differently, completely differently.
Sinners sought the chance to be with Jesus. The thieving tax collector, Zacchaeus, climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Him. Upon noticing this man in a tree, Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for a meal. The prostitute broke all protocol to enter a religious leader’s home just to weep at Jesus’ feet and wash them with her tears. The list of such encounters is impressive throughout the gospels. Any harshness from Jesus was always aimed at religious leaders who defiled His message by keeping people away from the freedom He provided.
People who are not in love see things differently. History is filled with crazy people who used the Bible to justify their hatred. They considered any opposition to be persecution, which only confirmed for them the correctness of their approach to life.
Jesus, on the other hand, suffered persecution because of His love. The freedom He offered upset the power struggle of religious leaders who kept the nation in fear. It is interesting that Jesus did not intimidate the sinners and lowly people around Him; nor did they withdraw from Him because of His purity. He lived in perfect holiness without compromise, yet attracted those considered to be the greatest sinners of His day. True holiness is the essence of real beauty.
Love changes everything. It changes how we read the
Similar Books
