Nothing is going to change until something changes you.

Revelation 11:16 shows 24 elders sitting on 24 thrones before God, who then got off them to worship God. Thrones denote power, which these elders had. Yet, they fell on their faces before God, which shows where that power came from, God.

This got me to thinking about how the Spirit has challenged me to talk with God more. Transparency? Okay, here it goes. This has been an extremely difficult step of obedience.

My time talking with Him leaves me empty. Lacking. Truthfully, there are times that I fall asleep. Ugh. I read an encouraging quote, though, which says it’s okay because you fell asleep on His lap. Cool, right? For a while, maybe. I’m still lacking, however.

Here is what the Spirit showed me. Am I sitting on my throne before God or on my face in humble acknowledgement and adoration with whom I’m talking?

John 12:49 records that Jesus only said what the Father told Him, even how to say it. This meant that Jesus talked (not asked) with His Father all the time. He was aligning His human will with the Divine.

Am I approaching the Father in the same manner? Even when praying for workers for the harvest, which Jesus said to do, am I open to how the Father might want me to approach Him on that subject?

He is God, not me. He has the power, not me. Therefore, how am I approaching Him?

Currently, my lack is revealing that I need to know something about my Father that I don’t currently know. This means I must get off my high horse/throne and approach Him with humble acknowledgment that my current experiential knowledge of Him is lacking.

My lack, though, will not change until I ask the Spirit to again change me to be more like Jesus, who lacks nothing. When I do, then, my conversations with my Father will not leave me lacking or sleeping!

Emptiness is not wrong…if it leads you to want more of Jesus. So, talk with your Father about your lack so He can fill it! It’s all in the approach. Your lack is His to fill.

A hope that anchors the soul.

In the book of Numbers, whenever the people faced adversity, they looked in the rear-view mirror to their past rather than the windshield to their future – the Promised Land.

Parched lips? Let’s head back slavery. Growling stomach? Old life wasn’t so bad. They glorified their yesterday and wished to return to the hands of harsh slave masters.

Instead of looking back, they should have remembered what God did, He took care of their past, and looked forward to what He gave them – hope for a bright tomorrow in the Promised Land. Change, a better life, was possible. 

The Father gave us a new life through the living hope brought in Jesus’ resurrection (1 Peter 1:3). Think about it. I know it’s a simple concept, but sometimes we stumble on the simple truths of Scripture: Resurrection can only happen after something died!

Yesterday is gone – ours and others mistakes and failures. The only place it can stay alive is in our minds…if we choose to look back. Resurrection is a new birth, which implies the old is gone. So, why do we want to go back to the slavery/our old habits that brought us nothing but harsh treatment (sin-guilt/shame-confession cycle)?

Jesus is alive, right?! Then why focus on your past that He already died for? You might say, “You don’t know what I did?” Or, here is one better, “You don’t know what others did to me?”

Gotcha. Question, who do you want to be in control of your today? If you have not received Jesus’ forgiveness at the cross, or have not forgiven yourself or others since the cross, you are allowing the past to control your present. Why? It keeps you looking in the rear-view mirror to yesterday.

You can’t change yesterday, only right now. Blunt, but true. Therefore change, the life the Father has for you, is possible when you focus on the hope He has already given you because of Jesus. Since He is alive right now, so are you! So why not focus on the life that is ahead of you?

We have a resurrection hope that allows us to look through the windshield to a better life, regardless of life’s adversities. Therefore, when you focus on life ahead, rather than a dead past, you are glorifying and worshiping Jesus, a living hope.

You will never want more of Jesus until you experience emptiness.

Here’s something to think about. Is who you are right now worth leaving behind to experience who you can become?

Before answering, let me share an illustration of being full that you might already have seen. Take an empty cup and place rocks in it all the way to the top. Is it full? Yes, so do you want more? No, because the cup can’t contain any more rocks.

Add fine sand, which fills in the cup’s crevices. Now is it full? Yes, so do you want more sand? No, because it is full.

Finally add water, which fills in all the spaces you couldn’t see. Is it finally full? You’re probably beginning to doubt what “full” means, right?

Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10) – a full container. Yet, the only way we can understand abundant is when we allow Jesus to let us experience the lack of fullness.

We have to stop settling for who are at the moment – good or bad. We have to want and believe we can have more of Him. This is why we feel empty at various times in our lives. And maybe, even wonder why are we still here.

Emptiness is good! It allows you to know that you are empty and to ask for more of Him, more of the abundant life He promised.

Hopefully now we are ready to answer the above proposed question in order to ask Him to change us even more into His image so we can experience more of Him in our lives.

You go where you focus.

“You are so good.” This statement can be both true and false at the same time. The difference is your focus: before or after the cross.

Jesus was called good. He responded by saying that no one is good except God alone (Matt. 10:18). Jesus stated two truths here. One, humans in and of themselves are not good. And two, He is good as He is God.

Thus, the statement is false if one is looking to the cross; however, it is true if they are looking from the cross.

The Spirit had penned what appears to be a contradictory statement in Hebrews 10:14, “By one sacrifice he (Jesus) has made perfect those we are being made holy.”

Notice the cross is the starting point of making the believer in His death both perfect while at the same time putting them into the process of becoming perfect (holy).

Huh? You have to shake your head at wonder of this truth: We are perfect-imperfect children of God based on what Jesus did at the cross.

Our incompetence was before the cross. After the cross, we are now competent. We are now good enough (i.e. righteous) to make healthy choices (i.e. righteous) right now.

Where is your focus: before or after the cross? If you have already put your faith in what Jesus did on the cross then stop looking back to the cross by focusing on the shame and guilt of who you were, with its corresponding unhealthy choices (i.e. sin) in the present.

Instead, focus on who you are in Christ, someone who is good enough to have a relationship with a loving Father and to make healthy choices at this very moment.

Your focus will determine the reality of your choices today. Choose to focus on who you are in Christ right now because of what He did on the cross.

Let it grow!

Distracted with or maybe a little stressed about providing for yourself or your family that forces Jesus to take a back seat in your thinking (Matt. 6:30)?

Life starting to overwhelm you, like waves upon waves of unwanted or “never experienced this before” situations (Matt. 8:26)?  

Doing what the Father asked you to do, but are beginning to feel like you’re in over your head? Getting uncomfortable in your comfort zone (Matt. 14:31)?

Having difficulty grasping what Jesus has been repeatedly trying to teach you (Matt. 16:8)? Or, heading in the direction the Spirit led you to go, but facing headwinds that are keeping you stuck in one place (Matt. 17:20)?

Jesus’ disciples faced all these situations and failed because of one thing – their lack of increased faith in who Jesus was and what He could do, despite all they heard Him say and saw Him do.

Then along comes an entourage of people sent with a request from a Roman Centurion who also heard what Jesus had said and done. Yet, this gentile had the faith in what Jesus said He could do, which led to the healing of his near-death servant (Matt. 8:5-13; Lk. 7:1-10).

In all the above scenarios, the amount of a person’s faith was the common denominator. Solution? It’s time for a faith payer, literally. Ask Him to do what only He can do, “Lord, please increase my faith.”

Let your faith grow my friends! The world around you must see what only Jesus can do, give them life today, tomorrow and into eternity.