More than a Conqueror

My parents just got back from "family camp" yesterday. They brought home all of these books and cd's from Ted Haggard. Well, I grabbed one to read today for my devotional time at work and I tell you what...that book will shake you. It's about reaching your city. It's Ted Haggard's story of when he first started his church. Wow. He went up against some huge demonic forces. He would have calls every week from people threatening to kill him and his family. There was a huge cult that pretty much controlled the area until God showed up and put Ted Haggard there. Every other church had failed there, but his kept on growing and the enemy's hold started to loosen. It's a powerful story. As I was sitting there reading it an urgency to pray for the people of Bloomington came over me. So, I put the book down and grabbed the phone book. I just started going down the list and praying over the people by name. I didn't make it past the first page, the Spirit of God showed up so strong. He started telling me what to pray for specifically over each person. Then when I stopped, I began to think "I will probably never see these people." But, my spirit was checked and I started claiming out loud that I would see every one of them in Heaven. Something Ted Haggard said really stuck with me. He said that one day during a service his hands started to feel heavy and dirty. He tried shaking them off and rubbing them together and nothing worked. He then realized that what he was feeling was the responsibility he had been given. The blood of the people he was called to reach were on his hands. I realized that that was true for not only him but all Christians. I don't want to make it to Heaven and find out that I "allowed" people to die and go to Hell when God gave me a chance to reach them. When I pass on an opportunity to reach someone for the kingdom, I am passing over their soul. I am tired of the mindset so many Christians have and I HAD. This life is not mine. "Giving your life to Christ" is not just some metaphor we made up. Giving your life to Christ means you die to your will. How can I call myself a Christian if people do not see Christ in me. Christ raised the dead, healed the sick, cast out demons...we are to do the same. The word "Christian" is thrown around so flippantly that it has lost it's true meaning. I will not call myself a Christian just for the sake of saying it. You know, everything I thought I knew is nothing. When we get passed the point of using our 'Christian knowledge' and allow God to reveal to us his secrets....wow. There won't be any stopping the Church. Did you know that over the past hundred years the church has been teaching Christians how to lead someone in the sinner's prayer but have not really taught them how to BE Christians? Sure, we all hear in Sunday School that we have to read our Bible, pray, worship, and tell people about Jesus...but, what else? The Church doesn't tell you to go and cast out demons or raise people from the dead. Don't get me wrong, there are some that are starting to get it, but most every church is not getting it. Christians are being taught how to live a good Christian life, that's the bottom line. That's not what it's all about!!!! For goodness sake, wake up, doesn't that sound B-OR-ING!!! YEAH!! If suddenly we all said, "Jesus, I love you and I give my life to you for real, no joke, I will die for you and spend every day doing what you did on earth before you were crucified" Hades would shake in fear and the glory of God would fall so fast, so strong, people wouldn't know what hit them!!! Yet, we don't believe we can be all that Christ said we would be. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We are "more than conquerors through Christ." Do you have any idea what a conqueror is? The dictionary's definition of conquer is this: To defeat or subdue by force, especially by force of arms. To gain or secure control of by or as if by force of arms. To overcome or surmount by physical, mental, or moral force. (v. intr.) To be victorious; win. n. for conqueror: someone who is victorious by force of arms [syn: vanquisher] A conqueror is someone who is victorious, who overcomes, who defeats, and who vanquishes. The Bible says that we are MORE than that. Yet, we still doubt who we are in Christ. Why? For one moment imagine what it would be like to stand beside Jesus and see him face to face. Imagine him handing you a sword and saying "take this to all the nations so that they may believe that I am their Lord." You take the sword and put it on the ground and say "it is too heavy for me, so I will just tell them about you." Jesus looks at you and says, "but, I am giving you this so that you will be victorious in what I am asking of you." Then you say, "isn't that your job?" Isn't it true, though? We want to be Christians and yet we want to leave all of the "big stuff" up to God.