Even If i Walk Alone

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

Discipline

Persist Without Exception

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One of the most appealing characteristics of the life of Jesus was his dogged persistence, His refusal to give in or give up. In the face of ridicule and persecution, He pressed steadfastly toward the mission for His earthly life. As Napoleon Hill would say, Jesus had a well defined “definite chief aim”. He knew what He was here to do, and nothing was going to prevent Him from achieving His goal. In the book “
The Traveler’s Gift”, author Andy Andrews relates the seven most important decisions one can make in life. The seventh decision, the one that ties the rest together, is to “persist without exception”. As Mr. Andrews writes, “I will continue despite exhaustion. I focus on results. I am a person of great faith.” Those are powerful words; we would do well to heed them in our walk with Christ.

Constantly, we are tempted to cut corners or to take the easy way out. It has been my experience following Jesus that He has never once chosen the path of least resistance. Without fail, He seems to choose the more challenging road. The people you encounter along that way are infinitely more interesting than those you might encounter on “Easy Street”. On the rugged road of life you find warriors, beaten and bloodied people, some on the verge of giving up, others who already have. On this path you will find opportunities to learn and to serve. By contrast, the smooth road that most will take is filled with blasé people content to coast through life oblivious to the richness and wonder of it all. As I’ve said many times, following Jesus is hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it. Everyone would sign up for their “fire insurance” and be done with it. This, however, is not the case.

Following Jesus means you will face struggles; you will have to endure difficult challenges. When the trials come, you will be faced with a choice: will you press forward, persist, and endure what has come into your life? Or will you lie down on the side of the road convinced you have done all you can and that you can go no further? While he’s certainly not a theologian, I like the way personal development guru Brian Tracy puts it: “Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.” Our goal is the biggest goal to which anyone could ever aspire; our goal is to live a life that looks like that of the Son of God. It doesn’t get much bigger than that.

With large goals come large enemies. Satan will do everything in his power to discourage, dissuade, and disorient you. He hates God and he hates you. You need to realize and understand this going in. The reason following Jesus is so difficult is because demonic powers of great strength will oppose you. You may suffer financial loss, emotional turmoil and spiritual discouragement. Demonic oppression is not only real, it is certain for those diligently seeking to affect their world with the love and power of Jesus. You will face trial and you will face pain. It is during these times that we will choose to follow or to flee.

On the other side of each tribulation is Jesus. He has gone before us and leads us down the rugged path of truth and light. The road is there before us. In our own power, we could never walk it; but by keeping our eyes on Jesus, by breathing deeply of His power, we are able to overcome whatever lies between us and Him. Whether or not we make it through depends largely on whether or not we will persist. Will we give up when the pain increases, when the joy we thought we’d find seems light years away? Will we fold when challenged, or cower when threatened? Or will we persist? Jesus has provided the way and beckons for us to follow. As we pursue Him and begin to encounter the obstacles between us, will we fall away or will we press on? Determine with me today that you will push forward, and that you will persist without exception.

Relentless Pursuit

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Are you satisfied with your progress as a follower of Jesus? Do you feel comfortable with where you are in your walk? I have to be honest, I am definitely not. I have learned so much in the past few years, and my life has definitely changed for the better. Without a doubt, I reflect Jesus much more clearly today than I did even a couple of years ago. Each day is an opportunity to learn a little more about Him and to affect new changes in my life so that I might look more like Him. But it’s not enough. I’m so far from where I want to be that it almost seems that I’ve made no progress at all.

I will not begin to be content until my entire life is consumed by Jesus and His love. Once consumed, I will be free to love others with the same immeasurable love that God has for me. Once consumed, I will live without fear and act boldly for Him every time, regardless of the cost. My words will no longer be used to tear someone down but rather will only be used to build up everyone around me. My thoughts will be pure and free from evil; envy, jealousy and rage will be foreign to my life. I will forgive as soon as I am offended. I will live only to serve others. I will shine brightly in all situations because the love of the Messiah will reflect off me with an intensity that is unmistakable. This is not the man I am today, but this is the man I aspire to be.

I recently read a quote by Leonard Ravenhill that said something to the effect that we don’t have Elijah’s in our world today because we have no one seeking God like Elijah did. Simply put, we don’t manifest the power of God because we have not fully surrendered our lives to Him. This surrender is not the emotional breakdown we might experience at a worship or prayer service, a concert or listening to a convicting sermon. This is not about a moment in time, no matter how special or amazing that moment may have been. No, total surrender is demonstrated in every breath we breathe and in every movement we make. Total surrender means there’s no more selfishness or self-interest. It means seeking God in prayer at all times, and consulting with Him in every concern. God is present; He’s with us at every moment. The love of Christ is shining all around us. We need simply allow Him to start removing the dirt and grime from our lives so that He might reflect brightly off of us and toward someone desperately in need of the unconditional love that only He can offer.

Living a life wholly devoted to Jesus is not easy. In fact, it is very hard. The rewards, however, are out of this world! I can’t be certain what rewards await us once our time on earth is done. That’s okay; I am at least as happy with the rewards of living for Him right here, and right now. The peace that overwhelms me when I reflect on Him and spend time in solitude just praying to Him is beyond compare. The strength and happiness I feel at the very thought of Jesus is something I would not trade for anything. The knowledge that I am doing the work He created me to do is a feeling that has no equal.

Are you satisfied with your walk? Are you consumed with Him to the very core of your soul? Do you desire Jesus more than anything else? Never stop striving to answer ‘yes’ to each of these questions. I’m not there yet, I sometimes fall. I struggle with the best and sometimes I outright fail. Failure is a fleeting moment, however, and I will not stay down. I will live my life for Jesus and Him alone. I will spend my days in relentless pursuit of the One who gave His life so that I might live. I will not quit, I will not tire; I will not rest until I burn with Holy fire. I am far from satisfied.

God with Us

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I just finished reading Greg Boyd’s latest book (“Present Perfect: Finding God in the Now“), and I cannot recommend it enough. The book deals with the spiritual discipline of “practicing the presence” of God. Essentially what this means is to keep God first and foremost in our thoughts at all times. I have read Brother Lawrence’s classic, “The Practice of the Presence of God”, and while I loved the concepts he spoke of, I was never able to personally apply them to my own life. Boyd’s work provides plenty of exercises to help you apply this discipline in your own life. I was slightly concerned that the exercises would be “hokey” or that I would feel silly engaging in them, but these fears proved to be unfounded. As I write this I am indeed learning to practice the presence of God in my own life.

Being consciously aware of God at all times is not easy, though the reasons why escape me. We devote our lives to Him, we forsake everything for Him, but we cannot keep our focus on Him? What are we missing, and how weak is our faith that we can’t regularly stay in His presence for an extended amount of time? It makes me sad to realize that had I been with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I too would have probably fallen asleep (Mark 14: 32-42). We have become self-absorbed and self-indulgent people. We give lip service to God, but turn immediately back to our own endeavors. We are distracted by the slightest interruption or diversion. It is frustrating to me how I can be absolutely devoted one minute and anything but the next.

Being mindful of God in every moment is both restricting and limiting. The restrictions, however, are both welcome and necessary. Being aware of God’s presence as you engage in conversation with someone else not only restricts the words you say, but also alters your attitude towards the one to whom you are speaking. Seeing that person as someone for whom Christ died, someone whom Jesus loves just as much as you, allows us to put aside our judgmentalism and see that person the way God sees them. People cease to be unwelcome distractions or uninvited interruptions; instead they become divine appointments. In case you were unaware, as representatives of God’s Kingdom, every encounter we have is, by definition, a divine appointment.

The choices we make and the thoughts we think are greatly impacted by being mindful of God’s presence. At last, I am truly learning how to take every thought captive. My initial, judgmental thoughts when seeing someone are immediately filtered as I bring to mind the fact the God is in our presence. When practicing the presence, being aware of God in your midst, you are able to stop a negative thought in midstream and redirect it to a God pleasing and affirming thought. Smiles come easier and stress becomes far less frequent or relevant. Temptations no longer seem so inviting. Imagining God in your midst (for indeed He is) makes it profoundly difficult to choose a sinful thought, word or deed. Once we become aware of God’s presence in our lives on a moment by moment basis, our thought patterns are radically altered. We no longer have the ability to slip into a sinful behavior; instead we must now purposefully choose the sinful path. Once we have slowed down the decision making process to a conscious choice, it becomes amazingly simple to reject sin and choose Christ. This is incredibly freeing and the true beauty of practicing the presence. Not only will our lives look more like Jesus, but we will be filled with the purity of walking in His light.

If you let it, this spiritual discipline will radically rock your life. You will find freedom from patterns and behaviors you had long given up on defeating. We have lost sight of the fact that one of the names given to Jesus was “Immanuel”, literally, “God with us”. By practicing the presence we are able to rediscover the truth that God is indeed with us in every moment of our lives. I encourage all of you to purchase a copy of this book. You can do so by clicking here or going to your favorite bookstore. Once you’ve read the book, I encourage you to come back and leave a comment about how it impacted you, and how you’re doing on “practicing the presence” in your own life. Remember God is with you no matter where you are, or what you’re doing. We need only be awakened to the reality of His presence.

Intensity

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Each of us has a finite amount of time in which to live our lives; this is a given. As followers of Jesus, this should be a cause for rejoicing. We get the privilege of serving Him in this life to be followed by the far greater joy of serving Him throughout eternity once our time in the physical realm is over. However, we are not to simply wait around for this life to end. We mustn’t disregard the privilege of service on this earth in anticipation of the joy of seeing Him. There is a reason we were created as physical beings; that reason is to serve and glorify God as His loving creation. There is no higher call, nor any larger responsibility. It is up to you and me to bring the reality of God’s kingdom into the world in which we live. It is a massive assignment, one that is made even more so by the realization that we have an extremely limited amount of time with which to work. How can we possibly hope to carry out the mission of Jesus?

The answer is intensity. We will need to be fully surrendered to God in every area of our life. Each and every moment will need to be lived as one of total commitment to Him. Taking our eyes off of Jesus for even a moment will jeopardize our mission. This race requires laser like focus and unwillingness to compromise. Loving Jesus, serving Him, living for Him must so permeate our lives that we can think of doing nothing else. This is serving with intensity; this is what it looks like to live out loud for Jesus, to be a true follower of Christ. We must breathe Him in with every single beat of our heart. We must move toward Him with every step that we take. There is no time for seeking self-centered activities. When we work, we must work for Him. When we seek pleasure, we must find it in Him. When we rest, we must rest in Him.

Living with that kind of intensity can appear to be exhausting and perhaps not even possible. If that is your opinion then might I suggest that you are forgetting that God surrounds you at all times; He is present and surrounding you at this very moment. His Spirit weaves in, through and all around you. You have the power of God at your fingertips; it waits simply to be exercised by you. We limit God so frequently that I think we have forgotten how powerful He truly is and that all of that power is available for us to bring to bear on any circumstance. It is He who gives us the power to live; it is He who sustains us. He gives us breath, so breathe Him in. He causes our heart to beat so move in rhythm with Him. He has created and gifted us to accomplish His work on earth. He has sent us out to be His witnesses into the entire world. We have been equipped with everything we need, and we have no excuse to not make use of those blessings in a way that shines the love of Jesus to the ends of the earth.

Embrace the power of God. Seize all that He has given to you. Our time is short, but our mission is clear. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Care for the poor, the sick and the hungry. Serve the orphans, the widows, and the elderly. Love everyone; serve everyone. Never turn away from someone in need. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Live with intensity.

Measuring Up

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Being a follower of Christ is more than just proclaiming yourself to be one. Following Jesus is an active pursuit, not suitable for those more comfortable sitting in the stands or even on the sidelines. To be a follower of Jesus requires purposeful action and a definiteness of direction. Ultimately, whether we are or are not a true follower will be determined by our actions. You can believe in Jesus right where you are, but you cannot follow Him until you move from where you are to where He is.

We should always be working to improve our character, moving ever closer to the life modeled by Jesus. The way we follow Jesus is to do the things that He would do, to go the places He would go. The entire life of Jesus was marked by integrity. He was always focused and stayed on mission. While some of the religious leaders of His day questioned His character, they could never find any flaws with Him. Try as they might, they always went away from conversations with Him having their tail tucked between their legs. Jesus never had to worry about people seeing Him doing something questionable, because there was no room in His character for questionable activities. We can live the same way. Having first determined to be a person of integrity, we can spend the rest of our days strengthening that same resolve. All questionable activities must be immediately rejected; all negative and derogatory speech must be stopped before it leaves our lips. These are not impossible achievements for us. They are matters of choice and discipline.

Modeling our life after Jesus requires that we act with kindness and generosity towards others. These “others” would include everyone we meet. Jesus loves all people equally and so we must strive to do the same. Become know as a person of compassion, one whom can always be depended on to provide an encouraging or comforting word. People long for someone to listen to them, to share their pain. Let’s be that person they turn to when life has them down, regardless of the circumstances. Following Jesus means we will be living a life that looks quite different from the world around us. What better way to start than with a tender and compassionate heart for everyone we meet? Make certain the love you share with others is genuine and not forced. With practice – lots of practice – loving others can truly become second nature.

It’s easy to claim that we are followers of Jesus. It’s easy to articulate our beliefs and encourage others to join us in those beliefs. The difficulty arises when we realize that we must put those beliefs into action. Regardless of how deeply held your beliefs are they will be inconsequential until you take action on their behalf. You can’t love people without actually loving them. Love that matters is not simply a concept, it is an active verb. So it is with all our beliefs. If we do not act them out, they are ultimately useless.

In the end, we may have talked a great game. We may sound like the holiest person on the planet. But if we haven’t given of ourselves to live out our faith, if we haven’t lived sacrificially in order to share what we have with others, we will have missed the entire point of God’s love. It will be up to us whether or not we believe the cost is worth it. However, if we would be a follower of Jesus, this is a price we must be willing to pay. So how well are you measuring up to Jesus? Are you merely practicing a tired rhetoric or are you living your faith out loud and in full view of everyone? All that matters is what we do with our faith. We are known by our confession but measured by our works for Jesus. Are you a true follower? How do you measure up?