Jan
19
Written by:
Julie Arduini
1/19/2010 11:00 PM
This week I take a look at Chapter 5 of the late Jill Austin's book Dancing with Destiny.
Chapter Five has a lot of words that might be unfamiliar to you--visitation, signs and wonders to name a few. We as a society have a way of labeling everything and throwing it in a category. I guess if I have to do that, I would say this chapter deals with charismatic issues. To some, that means a segment of Christians who have a radical relationship not just with Christ, but with the Holy Spirit.
I know that can be a scary description and I tend to live what Christ called us to have--a childlike faith. I'm pretty simple minded. This chapter to me is about being hungry and wanting more. If I can give you a visual, in my opinion it's like being a kid that just had a chocolate chip cookie, the best. You want more, and within bounds, you're going to do your best to get another cookie.
A life with Jesus isn't foremost about rules and doctrine. It's about relationship. He LONGS to be with you and see the dreams Your Heavenly Father purposed just for you come to pass. He truly is your best friend and I don't know about you, but I love my best friend. I want them around and I want the best for them as much as they want the best for me.
That's where I'm at with Jesus, and yes, I rely on the Holy Spirit for that maximum relationship experience. It doesn't mean I fly off chandeliers and forget that God is a trinity, there are three parts to Him. I just listen to that loving, still voice of the Holy Spirit. It will never ask me to do something unbiblical or something that would be about giving glory to myself or another person. It will always be about Jesus and I have to stay at all times in the heart of my motives. There are a lot of surface things I've done or others have in the name of Jesus that He never asked us to do. So it means constant relationship and accountability. My hunger isn't just to know Him better, it's that you would hunger for Him, too.
I don't approach people with a "Hey, God said you're moving to Africa in two years..." That's God's job to be that specific with you, not mine. What I have done is allowed God to use the broken vessel called me to perhaps bring a question to light that the person can go to God for. God's transformed lives just by people seeking God through believing a lie that God never spoke to them, or praying about a lost item that God wants to show them.
That's what this chapter is to me. It's about me wanting more of Him, and being willing to be used by Him for Him. It means 90% of the time I might not say a word, but when I do speak, it's for you to hunger for God and give Him glory. I have no claims of being perfect, God, psychic or the mentalist. I'm a hungry kid that wants more of Jesus, and I want you to know Him like I do, even more.
Shows like the Medium, Ghost Whisperer, The Mentalist and the like are well received more than great writing and/or acting. It's that we are a hungry lot. We are desperate for relationship and answers. The difference is that many operate on what they think is their strength. Some are choosing to operate from a source that is not God.
God can do far more than we can even imagine. I won't even pretend to guess what's on His agenda. But the chapter is about someone who loves Jesus being open for more, from Him, for Him.
That's me.
Does it ring true for you?