Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

commitment

Devotion

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I’m a big fan of determining a theme for the upcoming year. One of my favorite themes from a few years ago was, “Consume less; contribute more.” Orienting my life around that mantra led to many positive changes that have endured to the present. As I contemplated my theme for 2016, I admit I was at a bit of a loss.

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Several unexpected turns over the past year left me feeling a bit uncertain of what future direction I should pursue. As I stood in the shower praying last week (I’m convinced all great revelation occurs in a warm shower!), my 2016 theme became very clear to me. It’s not a phrase or a mantra, but rather a single word: devotion.
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The Unmaking

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Nichole Nordeman had written some amazing lyrics over the years, and one of her latest songs, “The Unmaking”, is no exception. While the entire song makes one do some serious soul searching, one simple line in the song sticks with me more than any other. It says, “Had to lose myself/To find out who You are”. It’s a recurring theme in my life these days.

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To truly know God, we have to empty ourselves of everything that is not God. This is both daunting and uncomfortable. It has caused me to confront things in my life I would rather have left undisturbed. But my ultimate goal remains to know God fully and to be utterly consumed by Him. This requires a bit of unmaking. It means I have to lose myself to find out who He is.
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My Kingdom Go

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Commenting on Aldous Huxley’s quote, “My kingdom go is the necessary corollary to Thy kingdom come”, A.W. Tozer said, “His kingdom can never be realized in my life until my own selfish kingdom is deposed. It is when I resign, when I am no longer king of my domain that Jesus Christ will become king of my life.” Before any kingdom can come to power, another kingdom must be kicked out.

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Two kingdoms can never coincide within the same boundaries of another. One is always in power, and all others are subject to it until such time as it is overthrown. The same is true in the soul of every individual. In order for the Kingdom of God to come into my life, first my kingdom must go.
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Getting Satan’s Attention

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I can imagine few fates worse than being ignored by the devil. Disciples of Jesus make it their business to go about getting Satan’s attention.  Our goal should be to be so effective for the Kingdom that Satan cannot ignore us. I read a prayer once that said, “Lord, it’s not hard to see why Satan attacks. May I continue to be enough of a threat to him to merit his attention! Don’t ever let me become so anemic in my Christian walk that he doesn’t need to bother with me. Amen.”

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That should be our prayer as well. If we’re not getting Satan’s attention, then we are living lukewarm, weak, and ineffective lives.
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Know Your Why

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It’s difficult to live for Jesus. Everything in this world conspires against you. You want to serve well and follow in His footsteps, but the cares and circumstances of this life keep getting in the way. Nowhere is this more evident than when you attempt to put some spiritual disciplines into your life. It seems as soon as you set the alarm clock for an hour earlier in order to pray and study, some crisis hits that finds you getting to bed two hours later than planned.

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When the alarm clock goes off the next morning, you quickly rationalize your way through hitting the snooze button a few dozen times. You have lost your motivation as quickly as you had found it. I am convinced the problem is you don’t know your why; your “why” is the reason you do what you do.
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