Oftentimes when there’s an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, there’s a great move of God, there are a lot of alarms that go off. And some of them are worthy. Whenever there are extraordinary things that happen, we always want to make sure we don’t go overboard in the sense of excess or into error or some of those things. But, I have an approach that has kept me safe so far.
I don’t pay attention to the warnings of possible excess from anyone who is satisfied with lack. There are a lot of people who want to make me like them. They’re not doing anything. They’re not changing anything. They’re not impacting the world around them. They’re a nice, safe Christian, and I might or you might scare them, and that’s what I want to do. I want to scare people out of complacency. I want people to become jealous over what God might do in and through them. And I feel like as a people of God, we have a responsibility. I've noticed that if I act cautiously and very reserved, everybody around me will applaud me and call me wise. I just won't move many mountains. I just won't change the world around me. I was not called to play it safe. I was called to take risks in the Name of the Lord. I suppose a word of caution should be stated. For me that means, I take risks, but I do that in a company of a lifeline of people. It doesn’t mean to be an excuse to be independent or in any way rebellious or disrespectful. What it does mean is I find people with like heart and mind that are willing to live this lifestyle of risk, and we say, “Listen, let’s watch each other’s backside. Let's keep each other safe. If there are attitudes that develop that are arrogant or independent or whatever, let’s make sure that we bring correction.” And we do, we've done that, but we’ve chosen to live a lifestyle that’s not just convenient, that’s not just comfortable. I’ve chosen to live a lifestyle that doesn’t make it easy for people to become relaxed. I want people to be challenged into greater faith and into greater effectiveness. There is no uniqueness about my life or the people around me. The only uniqueness is Him. He is the extraordinary One. He is the extravagant One. Someone said once, “He doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” And that’s what He’s doing right now, He’s taking people like you and me that will make the ultimate, YES, and say, “God I’m willing to live a lifestyle of risk. I’m willing to be in a place where I am inconvenienced, when I'm uncomfortable, where I actually have to depend on You constantly. I’m willing to step into that kind of lifestyle.” And first I want You glorified through the offering of my life, and secondly, I want the people around me to truly be free. I want them to taste what it looks like where the Spirit of the Lord is their strength. I want them to taste that lifestyle that is completely immersed in the wonderful, wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you, take the big plunge and say, “God, I’m willing to live a lifestyle of greater risk.”
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