My Prayer this New Year
I was driving to a town in southern Ontario when I
first heard the song. It had a catchy beat and tune, so I turned up the
volume. That's when the words drew me in, the words, deep in meaning, rich
in their correcting power: "are we caught in the middle!"*
I didn't immediately understand, but it didn't matter. The tears began were
streaming down my face anyway, and as I reached for a tissue, I heard God's
voice loud and clear: "You are not accessing the power I have given you!
You are caught in the middle!"
But wait a minute! Did this mean that I was not being all that God meant for
me to be?
It all reminded me of a familiar passage from the book of Revelation: "I
know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were
cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold
nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth …" (Rev 3:15-16 NKJV).
Suddenly I understood! God was calling me out of lukewarmness! He was
calling me to take hold of the gifts, of the promises! He was calling me to
fully comprehend who I am in Christ! He was calling me to be on fire for
Him!
Whoa! That's strong!
But what does it really mean?
Just this: when we accept Christ into our hearts, we are saved. It's as
simple as that. But something else happens. The door to God's unlimited
power opens, giving us access to that power!
Yes, friends, this IS Biblical: "Because when you received the word of
God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as
it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who
believe." (1 Thess 2:13-14 NKJV).
Not convinced yet? What about the gifts of the Spirit?
"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit
of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to
another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another
faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the
same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another
prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another
different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues."
(1 Cor 12:7-10 NKJV).
The bottom line is this: When we accept Jesus into our hearts, the door is
opened for far more than salvation! It is opened so that God's power can
flow through us!
So why aren't more Christians doing miracles? Being healed? Standing in
faith? Sensitive to the presence of evil spirits?
Why am I not prophesying? Speaking words of wisdom? Abounding in knowledge?
Because, friends, more often than not we all stand at the doorframe of that
power, but we don't enter into it! We have utmost power and we are not
wielding it!
So what does this all have to do with a New Years message?
I would like to challenge each of us for this New Year to step into that
power that Christ has promised for each of us! Let's stop standing at the
doorframe! Let's go forward as warriors! Let's stand firm in Christ, being
an effective instrument of His power! Let's break free "from the middle"!
But how do you do this? The message to the church of Laodicea also tells us
this: "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you
may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of
your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve,
that you may see." (Rev 3:18-19 NKJV)
Oh, there is much in this text. God is calling us to allow Him to refine us,
to purify our hearts. But the point I want to drive home today is this: He
is calling us to let Him open our eyes that we may see!
But just what is it we're supposed to learn to see? "… the eyes of
your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the
hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His
power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
…" (Eph 1:18-19 NKJV)
Friends, the lyrics to this song can be accessed at
http://www.lyricstime.com/casting-crowns-somewhere-in-the-middle-lyrics.html
. I encourage each of you to prayerfully read these lyrics. May it be our
prayer each and every day of this new year to stop standing at the
doorframe, to put aside our common sense, our fears and our disbelief, and
to walk through that door! Let's pray that will be free "from the
middle" so that we can be on fire for Him!
If this is also your prayer for New Year, please email me at
helpmelearnaboutjesus@gmail.com ! I'll look forward to hearing how each
one of you plans to get into the power of His might!
Happy New Year!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org, with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org.
*Casting Crowns -- "Somewhere in the Middle", from their album: The Altar and the Door