I recently reread a great book by Mark Buchanan called “Holy Wild.” In one chapter he talks about our will power only having so much ability in our lives to change things, and in reality it’s not our will power that is lacking for so many of us but our “Won’t Power.” Let me explain by using my own life as an example.

Success in our walk with God often requires getting all the help we can because of the unseen world around us.  Yet, many believers never consider angels in that equation, including me. Why would we overlook such help in times of need? Many may believe that we are not important enough for such assistance.  Others may be discouraged because few pastors teach any kind of practical knowledge about angels.  Unfortunately, it seems that the average seminary that prepares pastors for ministry either doesn’t believe in the supernatural or they just have no experience with it….. or both.

I heard this statement in a sermon and although it was just a passing comment there is some real validity to it with regards to how so many professing Christians relate to Christ. Many people want to live “WITH” Jesus without the commitment of being married to him. Is this what the New Testament says? Do we have the option of being saved and not being committed? What should a relationship with Jesus look like?

One day Jesus was teaching people about various topics and he brought up the subject of “PRACTICING” a person’s faith, and how some people like to to brag about what they believe. Jesus here is attempting to get people to think about why they feel the need to boast about their faith rather than cultivating a walk with God in the depths of our soul. The pharisees, for one, liked to brag about their own piety when in fact they were just religious, often having very selfish hearts.

When reading the gospels, it seems Jesus is constantly having to “INTERPRET” what he had just said while teaching.  For the average listener, He spoke in parables.  However, for the common person who asked questions, they were not satisfied with what they heard in the nice stories even though he was sharing the depth and wisdom of God.

A few days ago I wrote on my Facebook page the idea that sometimes we need to forget in order to move forward into the things God has prepared for us. The example I used was how my wife, Susan, had to forget her natural family in order to walk in the new relationship God had prepared for her. This idea of forgetting should cover many other things in our lives, but unfortunately we keep repeating them and get stuck in our past.

I wonder how many believers even realize that this world is not our permanent home if we truly have given our hearts to Jesus? Let me unpack what I mean by this and what I don’t want to convey.

The first Christmas story was sharing scripture or preaching a sermon that revolved around real life and participating in the divine moment God was unfolding. When people think about sharing their faith in God or witnessing for Jesus during the both of December they often get intimidated by all the complexity of the story rather than keeping things simple and to the point. Jesus made it simple for all of us when he said:

John 13:34                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 

When we find ourselves in a struggle that seems we must have a miracle to overcome, I think we often jump to conclusions about what that miracle is meant to look like. All to often God works miracles in tandem with natural means and thus we often don’t think they are miracles at all.

I started the topic of Jesus coming back like a thief a few weeks ago because I think the topic is both important to believers and is often overlooked because of certain concepts being taught in the greater body of Christ.