Who Takes The Initiative ? (Part 1)

As Christians, we want God to move in our lives on a daily basis, not just when we respond to Jesus’ offer of being born again.  The problem: who is suppose to initiate? Is God suppose to tell us when he plans to move or are we suppose to ask him to move? Truthfully, I think it is both!

There are times when God gives us a “Heads Up” about his intentions by a prophetic word in scripture or a person moving in the Holy Spirit who knows how to move prophetically. He may have told a prophet years ago about a specific time, maybe even thousands of years before, like he did with the birth of Christ.  God long foretold about the messiah but the leaders of Israel missed it completely. They knew the scripture but lost their anticipation for its fulfillment.  It is easy to become passive in our walk of God and lose our hunger for God to move in what He promised!

There are other times when God expects and waits for us to take the “initiative” by asking Him to move. God never intended everything he planned to do by what he promised and no more. He intends that we should be creative and act out of our own desire and motivation. I have met many Christians who gave their hearts to God with the expectation that He would tell them when and what He wanted to happen in their lives.  This belief contributed to them falling asleep in their relationship with Him. Instead of a relationship of interaction, individuals can very easily fall into a spiritual slumber because they incorrectly believe that God was in charge and would always move first.

Let’s look at two different times that Jesus moved in people’s lives.  What he communicates was and is the Father’s heart regarding who should initiate.

There was a man who was lame for a long time. Some people may think he was in this condition because God was not ready to heal him until the day Jesus came by. Look at what the scripture says about him and why he probably in this condition so long.

John 5:5-8                                                                                                    

A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He *said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” ⁷The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” ⁸Jesus *said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”

Jesus finds this guy and asks him if he wants to be healed. What a strange question! I have often heard people say Jesus asked this because he needed to decide if he really wanted healing but what if Jesus asks this question because he was blaming circumstances for his sickness and for his healing. What if Jesus is saying to stop being “stuck” because you are waiting for things to change rather than you changing your “luck” and becoming a “Launching Pad” for a miracle? Instead of becoming comfortable in pain and sickness, Jesus was saying that you should take the initiative! 

It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting to blame people and circumstances for our hindrances in life.  All my life, I have heard people blaming “Luck” when luck has nothing to do with it. Our hinderances happen because we live in a world of brokenness where people’s choices often collide with one another and set the stage for a train wreck that leads to others getting hurt. The things that hinder us could be sickness, a lack of education or a lack of finances….or many other things.  Life can often seem unfair and that others get all the breaks but in reality we have power over things that block our personal progress and happiness. This man probably knew what caused is problem but he seemed to refuse to take responsibility for where he ended up and as well how to change is our life but his own actions. Look what Jesus says to him the end of this story and you get a hint about his attitude and his dilemma .

John 5:13-15                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 

In this situation the man’s own choices brought about his sickness. His deliverance happened partly because he acted on the challenge to stand up. Jesus was trying to help him by first asking the question…. do you want to get healed?  Sometimes we need to be challenged to rise above what seems an impossibility though there is a possibility if we see life through God’s eyes. This man, however, showed the rut he was in because even after being healed his evil heart did not change.  He exposed Jesus to the Jewish leaders who hated him and were looking to kill him.

Taking ownership of how we got to a bad place is half the battle when it comes to our desired miracle. Complaining about our circumstances in life doesn’t make things better nor does it open our eyes to the possibilities of a miracle. Miracles become possible from God’s perspective when we get honest with ourselves and God. That is when He can build our faith to rise above our obstacles.

Sometimes opportunities pass us by but we can still change things if we respond with honest waiting for another chance at change. This man more than likely had 36 years to adjust before he saw Jesus. One of the amazing things is he didn’t even know it was Jesus who challenged his thinking and his acting. He just sensed that Jesus’ words were true, even though he had been stuck in a blaming mindset for years.

My friends, I am not saying that what we lack comes from our own sin all the time but that we also have to pull ourselves out of our problems. I think positive change is far more likely in our life if we act in faith rather than blame. Who know what possibilities await us all if we lived in more honest reflection and acted according to the word of God. I know that when I look back at the choices that I have made in life that, if I had been more honest about how I got there, I could have seen greater opportunities to grow and overcome with God’s help.

In my next article on this same subject, I wanted to look at a man who did the opposite of this last fellow.  He saw the pattern we all need to copy so that God’s power can truly be manifested more in our on lives.

Questions:

1) Is there something that seems to hinder your life that you blame others for? Consider your own choice and then reflect.

2) If you recognize personal mistakes you have made have you confessed them? Remember, confession is half the battle.

Pastor Dale