I have what adults like to define as "Authority Issues". Here is how my mind works. If someone tells me I can't do something, as in I am not allowed to, my mind automatically wants to do that certain thing...even if I would never do it in the first place. As a kid pushing buttons was not only my favorite pastime it was my natural talent. Call it "disregard for authority, lack of maturity or just plain stupid" if you want, but my heart has always been inclined to stand in the face of authority. God is working on my heart...oh yes He is! Before I go any further, let me say that I never defied the kind of authorities that carried guns around their waist....even I have my limits! I saved my authority issues for the people that would send me to detention, give me pink slip to take home...or the worst, the kind that carried a ruler and hits you where the sun doesn't shine.
Who gives someone authority? How do they earn it? Is there criteria for getting it?
As I continued my reading today I felt an increased excitement in my heart and this is why. I believe with all my heart that Jesus is not ONLY my King, BUT THE KING OVER ALL AND EVERYONE! If a king here on this earth sent me with a message to be delivered and on that message he stamped his seal, I would be traveling with the protection and authority of my king. How much more than, am I protected and given POWER and authority because MY KING has sent me?
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus...the One with all authority is sending us out. But there is more to it than that. We are not going out alone. He promises us that The Holy Spirit will give us POWER!!! Here's what amazes me. The disciples know that The Spirit is coming, but they just don't sit around....they pray together and ask. They want it...they need it...they seek the Holy Spirit. They desperately want what Jesus has promised. As I read the words I was struck to my heart and asked myself, "Do I Want What Is Promised?" The people are gathered and praying and when the Spirit comes it rains like a force that demands attention. People are changed and they stand amazed. Peter stands up and preaches and 3000 people come to believe...3000! On a side note I wonder if they put them in small groups or organized a peer mentor-ship system...how in the world do you disciple 3000 people?? (If Peter was alive today I guarantee he would be speaking at every Church Conference in America...Main Session "How To Grow You Church In One Day", Speaker - Peter)
I love the authority and POWER that Peter speaks with. He is so intense that the leaders have to ask him in Acts 4:7 "By what Power or by what name do you do this?" I love that Peters response is not just his words, but the author says that he was filled with The Holy Spirit as he responded to them. I have read the book of Acts many times, but more than ever my eyes are opened to the boldness of the disciples. They CANNOT HELP TO SPEAK ABOUT WHAT THEY SEEN AND HEARD!!! The reality is we talk about the things we love...we cannot help it. Reading those words I was convicted and to repent before God that I have been quiet for too long. My words have not spoken about the things that God has done and what He is doing, and I was ashamed of myself. I wondered why I did not have the boldness I once had. My heart was searching for an answer. My mind was perplexed and confused. My answer was just a few short verses away...
""And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:29-31
I realized that I have failed to daily seek my God in prayer, and ask once again for The Holy Spirit to give me the boldness that I need. The disciples understood that prayer and asking for the Holy Spirit was not a once time event, but a daily occurrence that they desperately sought after. I was excited as I read their words, and saw the Holy Spirit come upon them again. I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace, knowing that The Holy Spirit is the daily source of strength and POWER. I am learning what it means to be constantly dependent on The Holy Spirit, and I am eager for each new morning that I am allowed the opportunity to seek Him. This challenge is captivating my intellect, energizing my heart and stirring my affection for Christ, and I am so much more aware of His grandeur.
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