"They took us to a Ugandan church service, and we're in this shuttle van type thing. I can hear the music down the street and I just began to feel the Spirit of God and something was happening in me. I hadn't felt that change that everyone else on the trip had, it was just me, just tattooed and cynical. We're riding in this van and we get there and its a place made out of mud, and there is 2,000 Ugandans just...Just the presence of God there was the realest...it was there and I just began to sob and im standing there. And this was just a few months ago, so I'm trying to hold myself together and I just began to sob. I said, "God, why can't I experience this? Why can't we as Americans experience this? Why can't when I get on a stage and play music, why doesn't it work this way? What's the problem?" and I felt God say to me, "Aaron, these people are worshiping me for one reason. They lift their hands and they worship Jesus because HE IS! No more and no less! Just because He exists."
It says in Hosea 6:6, "More than our sacrifice, and more than our 'I'm sorry' and more than our 'I promise', God wants to know us. He wants to be in communion with us." I guess for me, I want my life to be an outpouring of that.
-Aaron Gillespie, I Am Living.
http://youtu.be/wqspnJSLcxA
Those words are the cry of my heart. I want to know God! I want my life to be an outpouring of God! Nothing More & Nothing Less!
This video has quickly become something that I find myself watching almost weekly ever since I first saw it this past summer. Every time I watch it, the Holy Spirit stirs up something new, something refreshing, something convicting inside my soul. Tonight as I sat down and watched it, I was met by the Spirit's presence saying "I want your life to be an outpouring of Jesus!!" I immediately thought to myself, absolutely God, I want your will to be my way! That's the desire of my heart so let it happen! But then I began to think, 'Why was I being confronted about this? What do I usually desire? Basically just, Why?'
I believe that in America today we sometimes have to get something from God before we are willing/wanting to worship Him. Think about it, if you have an awful day you are probably less inclined to worship than if you were just given a blessed and joyful day....That's the culture that America has established for us. Now what's wrong with this picture? I think it's exactly what Aaron pointed out in this video. A majority of the time we don't worship God purely because HE IS, instead we worship the blessings and gifts He has graciously given us. I want to break free of this 'gift and blessing mentality' in worship and have a heart that worships daily, just simply because He exists. Simply because HE IS!
I desire for my life to be a outpouring of Jesus. I desire to love on every single person that I come into contact with. I desire for God to be a contagious freedom that is dripping out of my pores!
I don't desire for this walk with Jesus to be for my own personal gain.
I simply want to worship Jesus because HE IS!
I don't want material possessions, peoples impressions, or routine obsessions to cloud my view from worshiping the God that deserves honor and praise, simply because HE EXISTS.
So, ask yourself right now: "Currently, where is my heart in worship? Do I worship God simply because HE IS, or is there something more attached to that?"
Together, lets break off anything extra that we have attached to God, and simply worship Him because HE IS!
Be blessed.
Jack
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Grace.
With lent starting yesterday, so many people are talking about what they will be giving up for the next 40 days. I personally believe that this is a potentally dangerous tradition. Why you ask?
Throughout the years when I was raised Catholic, I would always give up something for 40 days. After those 40 days, I felt as if God loved me more afterwards than He did before. I believed that I was in a higher standing with God after the 40 days than before.
This is a lie from the pit of hell!
Ephesians 2:8-9 says this, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
Don't get me wrong, I believe that it is very beneficial to fast from things that hold an unneccesary pedestal in your life. God uses fasting to speak to us in the absence of those things that were once taking His place.
The point that it becomes dangerous is when we believe that something/anything we do, has something to do with our salvation or standing with God. If we have to work for our salvation, that is a distortion and abomination of the Gospel. Jesus Christ took my place and your place on the cross to bridge the gap between people and God, therefore Jesus already did all the work needed for salvation.
So I challenge you to make sure your heart is in the right place with what you are giving up for lent! Don't believe the lie that anything you do over the next 40 days changes the way God feels about you. God decided how He felt about you BEFORE you were born.
You are loved.
Jack
Throughout the years when I was raised Catholic, I would always give up something for 40 days. After those 40 days, I felt as if God loved me more afterwards than He did before. I believed that I was in a higher standing with God after the 40 days than before.
This is a lie from the pit of hell!
Ephesians 2:8-9 says this, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
Don't get me wrong, I believe that it is very beneficial to fast from things that hold an unneccesary pedestal in your life. God uses fasting to speak to us in the absence of those things that were once taking His place.
The point that it becomes dangerous is when we believe that something/anything we do, has something to do with our salvation or standing with God. If we have to work for our salvation, that is a distortion and abomination of the Gospel. Jesus Christ took my place and your place on the cross to bridge the gap between people and God, therefore Jesus already did all the work needed for salvation.
So I challenge you to make sure your heart is in the right place with what you are giving up for lent! Don't believe the lie that anything you do over the next 40 days changes the way God feels about you. God decided how He felt about you BEFORE you were born.
You are loved.
Jack
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Perspective.
Life is full of simple tasks and difficult challenges. Good days and bad days. Joys and sorrows. Life is full of choices.
Are we going to walk through life always looking at the bad side? Or are we going to find that there is a positive side to every single situation? In other words, are we going to focus on the world and what it tells us, or are we going to focus on what God tells us? Now, I'm not saying that with God everything will be peachy, flowery and rainbow-ey. I'm saying that God works good out of every situation for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28.)
Having said that, today I was reading through the scriptures and I came across this passage in Colossians.
It made me think... If we are truly born again into the family of God and into the things of heaven and not of this world, why do we focus on things from a worldly perspective so often? Some of you might say to yourself, "Well Jack, its because we live in the world, DUH!"
I will be the first to admit that I'm guilty of using that excuse at times too, but I would argue that excuse is a complete cop-out to living in a Godly way. Now obviously changing this is something that way easier said than done, but i believe that it is what God is calling us to do as his disciples!
In John chapter 18, Jesus is about to be arrested, and then one of his ding dong apostles (Peter) chops a dudes ear off and then proceeds to deny Jesus three times. Lets just say that He is probably in a rough spot in His life. Nearing the end of this chapter, as Jesus is being tried and sentenced to death by the people, he replies to a question by Pilate saying this in verse 37:
The way that Jesus responded in this situation speaks volumes to who He is and what perspective He calls us to have. Jesus, who is about to be unfairly tried and murdered (which he already knew), had a perspective that doesn't look at His situation or at anything the world has to offer. Instead, I hear a sense of calmness and peace in Jesus' voice when He says that His Kingdom is "not of this world". Jesus was not phased because He had His eyes on heaven and the hope God provides for us in heavenly things. He was able to see the hope in this situation, and it's because of the perspective that He lived out. I completely believe that we as Christians can have that same perspective, but it is not going to be easy or come naturally. We need to fight to maintain a Godly perspective amongst a culture that tells us to find our identity in world.
If you are reading this, I want to challenge you to take a renewed and Godly perspective into your daily walk with Christ! Pray through these scriptures, confess worldly struggles you deal with, and trust that God is willing and able to change your perspective to bring you closer to Himself!
Peace. Blessings. Joy.
Jack
Are we going to walk through life always looking at the bad side? Or are we going to find that there is a positive side to every single situation? In other words, are we going to focus on the world and what it tells us, or are we going to focus on what God tells us? Now, I'm not saying that with God everything will be peachy, flowery and rainbow-ey. I'm saying that God works good out of every situation for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28.)
Having said that, today I was reading through the scriptures and I came across this passage in Colossians.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds
on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:1-2.
It made me think... If we are truly born again into the family of God and into the things of heaven and not of this world, why do we focus on things from a worldly perspective so often? Some of you might say to yourself, "Well Jack, its because we live in the world, DUH!"
I will be the first to admit that I'm guilty of using that excuse at times too, but I would argue that excuse is a complete cop-out to living in a Godly way. Now obviously changing this is something that way easier said than done, but i believe that it is what God is calling us to do as his disciples!
In John chapter 18, Jesus is about to be arrested, and then one of his ding dong apostles (Peter) chops a dudes ear off and then proceeds to deny Jesus three times. Lets just say that He is probably in a rough spot in His life. Nearing the end of this chapter, as Jesus is being tried and sentenced to death by the people, he replies to a question by Pilate saying this in verse 37:
"My Kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." John 18:37
The way that Jesus responded in this situation speaks volumes to who He is and what perspective He calls us to have. Jesus, who is about to be unfairly tried and murdered (which he already knew), had a perspective that doesn't look at His situation or at anything the world has to offer. Instead, I hear a sense of calmness and peace in Jesus' voice when He says that His Kingdom is "not of this world". Jesus was not phased because He had His eyes on heaven and the hope God provides for us in heavenly things. He was able to see the hope in this situation, and it's because of the perspective that He lived out. I completely believe that we as Christians can have that same perspective, but it is not going to be easy or come naturally. We need to fight to maintain a Godly perspective amongst a culture that tells us to find our identity in world.
If you are reading this, I want to challenge you to take a renewed and Godly perspective into your daily walk with Christ! Pray through these scriptures, confess worldly struggles you deal with, and trust that God is willing and able to change your perspective to bring you closer to Himself!
Peace. Blessings. Joy.
Jack
Friday, February 8, 2013
Purpose.
Thank you.
Thank you for taking some time out of your insanely busy lives to read what God is teaching me. I pray that the content in this blog would stir up a Holy longing to see Jesus move in your life, whether you are a believer or non-believer.
Honestly, I don't know how much I will update this....or what I will talk about. One thing I can assure you, is that this blog will be about someone much greater than myself. JESUS CHRIST! The content of these pages will be directly inspired by Him and for Him. So, together, lets walk closer and closer to His throne of loving grace.
My life is nowhere close to perfect, so the vulnerability in this blog at times might make you feel uncomfortable. I believe that my vulnerability will lead to vulnerability in your life, which will then lead to God working in your heart to bring unmatched growth out of our daily failures.
Until next time, chew on this:
"You believe that there is One God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder." James 2:19.
What sets you apart from them? What in your life reflects something more than the demons?
I'll be the first to say that sometimes for me, there is absolutely NOTHING that distinguishes me from them.
Jack
Thank you for taking some time out of your insanely busy lives to read what God is teaching me. I pray that the content in this blog would stir up a Holy longing to see Jesus move in your life, whether you are a believer or non-believer.
Honestly, I don't know how much I will update this....or what I will talk about. One thing I can assure you, is that this blog will be about someone much greater than myself. JESUS CHRIST! The content of these pages will be directly inspired by Him and for Him. So, together, lets walk closer and closer to His throne of loving grace.
My life is nowhere close to perfect, so the vulnerability in this blog at times might make you feel uncomfortable. I believe that my vulnerability will lead to vulnerability in your life, which will then lead to God working in your heart to bring unmatched growth out of our daily failures.
Until next time, chew on this:
"You believe that there is One God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder." James 2:19.
What sets you apart from them? What in your life reflects something more than the demons?
I'll be the first to say that sometimes for me, there is absolutely NOTHING that distinguishes me from them.
Jack
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