A word from God given through Gary Dietrich in 2021:
Most people would say that life is a journey. Yes, there are probably going to be some obstacles along the way, possibly even some major pitfalls. And even though the headlines declare daily that all is not well with the world, we go from day to day, week to week, thinking that as long as it is not affecting me, everything is still okay.
So why, as Christians, do we go around with our head in the ground as if nothing good is happening, yet subjugating ourselves to the same fears that everyone else is suffering from? Why do we act like we are the same as everyone else, unable to bring about meaningful change? Is it possible that that we do not know who we really are, that we do have an actual destiny to fulfill? Have we forgotten that we are to be a blessing to all those around us, that we are to speak a blessing over the country that we live in? Have we also forgotten that we are sojourners in this world, that life here is not our final destination?
If you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, the bible says you are a new creature, a new creation, something that has never existed before. So exactly what does this mean? Physically, we have not changed on the outside, so it is not a natural change. It is a change in the spirit realm whereby our spirit man that once was dead is now alive to see and understand the things of God. It now means that we have the opportunity to cooperate with the realm of the supernatural to be manifested through us into the natural realm surrounding us. If we are willing, we are conduits to manifest the love of God. We don’t control it, but as we grow in intimacy with the Father, and as we surrender to his will, Holy Spirit will then work through us.
Intimacy is not a one night, a one week, a one month, or a one year relationship. Intimacy with the Godhead is a lifestyle, ever evolving, ever changing as we become more like Jesus. It is a lifestyle of surrender, of giving up control, of realizing it is not about you, but it is all about obedience to the Father. Jesus said I only speak what I hear the Father saying, and I only do what I see the Father doing. The transformation of a carnal mind does not happen by self-help books, but by maintaining the vision of a kingdom that is ever expanding, never retreating, always expectant of the impossible becoming possible, looking not at the negative surrounding us, but always looking to a faithful, loving Father.
So why don’t we see more of this happening in our lives? Because we don’t really believe that we are actually capable of doing it. We look at our lives, our life experiences, and all the negative things that people have said about us over our lifetime and then we put more stock in our own failures and what others have said than we do in who God says we are. These lies take up root in our subconscious mind where they are continually reinforced by our enemy. You’re no good, you’ll never amount to anything, just who do you think you are, you’re just a man or a woman, you can’t do anything right, you fail at everything you do. These are just some of the many ways the enemy taunts us. He is continually trying to get us to compare ourselves to those around us, forgetting that we are all broken people in some way or another. He is either stroking our pride (you’re better than that person) or tearing us down. If we listen long enough, he can entice us to do some really foolish and stupid things, actions that may force us to pay a very stiff penalty.
So what is the church‘s role in this scenario? Jesus said I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The bible says that Jesus is the head and we are his body. Just as evil spirits need bodies to do their work in this realm, so also God chooses to use human bodies to advance his kingdom. He is not advancing the church as an institution, he is advancing the church as his living, breathing body here on the earth. We are actually his hands and feet in this natural realm, not because we choose to be, but because he has chosen us. He created us with a destiny and purpose in mind. However, we sometimes get the cart ahead of the horse and we act out of our understanding, strength, and knowledge, without asking what God would like to do in a given situation. Without realizing it, we are now getting the recognition and glory. We may be advancing “the Church”, but are we advancing the kingdom of God? If everything in this natural realm is going to pass away, should not our spiritual identity take precedence over our natural identity?
Everyone has this void in their heart that can only be filled by the love of God. We try everything possible to fill that void in our own strength and understanding, not realizing that if we would just surrender to God, he would do far greater things through us than we could ever imagine. We forget who the creator is and that he created us with a destiny in mind. He now calls us sons and daughters. His heart aches for all his children to be in right relationship with him and he desires that we be the conduits through which he pours out his love to those children who have wandered away. He gave us the perfect model to follow in his son, Jesus, who never pointed the finger to himself, but always gave the glory to his Father.
But what about this, what about that, what about all the evil and bad things in the world – the sickness, diseases, the abuse, the violence? There must be an understanding that there is an enemy who is out to steal, kill, and destroy not only our destiny, but also our relationship to the Father. If he can get us preoccupied with what he is doing, or what is being done to us, the he can effectively neutralize us from fulfilling our God given destiny. Being sidetracked means you are no longer heading in the direction of your final destination as your eyes are no longer seeing clearly. The children of God are created for greatness, not mediocrity. Refocus, reboot, back up if you have to, but get going in the right direction again.
Do we really believe that the God of the impossible cannot do the impossible through us? He tells us to heal the sick, raise the dead, caste out demons, preach the gospel – sounds like the impossible, yet here he is telling us to do it. Why, because he believes we can do it. He believes in us. Isn’t that the most amazing statement? The God who created the universe believes that his sons and daughters can work miracles. He has given us his power and authority through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and now it is up to us to develop that intimate relationship, so that we can know the Father’s heart in every situation. We must go deeper, go lower, so that he might raise us up to be the light that truly chases the darkness away. We just have to believe that our lives are not meant to be ordinary, but that we are on an epic journey, filled with many glorious encounters with the living God who we get to partner with in demonstrating the supernatural in this realm, by which heaven is actually invading the earth.
The problem with asking questions is you also have to ask yourself how do I answer those questions? If you don’t do that, you have no right to judge how another person answers the questions.
