Relentless

Over the last 6 months of so I have been on a journey to discover the meaning of faith. I have discovered that faith in Jesus is essential, but the faith of Jesus in me is the true faith. Along the way God has reminded me of a cosmic Kingdom truth, one that I have known for a while, but have never fully  grasped. It is this:

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14: 20 NIV).

“Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave Me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me” (John 17: 21 — 23 NIV).

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3: 16 NIV).

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you; the hope of glory” (Colossians 1: 27 NIV).

These passages, and more like them, paint an amazing picture. For the man or woman living in the Kingdom of God, we have living in our hearts, right now, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If God the Father is in Jesus, and Jesus is in us, it stands to reason that the Father is in us as well. (My favorite syllogism — if a=b and b=c, then a=c).

God, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of Kingdom men and women. And God has given us an inheritance and power:

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1: 18, 19 NIV).

This is the God who created the Universe. This is Jesus who healed many, cast out demons, raised the dead, and was Himself raised from the dead. And this is the Holy Spirit who cries out “Abba Father“, Who helps us in our weakness, and intervenes on our behalf. The Holy Spirit Who will guide us into all truth, Who will take from what is Jesus’ and make it known to us, Who will tell us what is yet to come. And who is God’s power in us.

God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit — all living in the heart of the Kingdom man and woman today.

Early on Wednesday morning in a time of prayer I heard God speak to me: ” John, do you really understand what this truth means? It means that you have power to release my Kingdom for my glory in ways that are incredible. You have the power in you to perform signs and wonders that will confound the world. Do you know that?”

I answered God: “Yes, God. Hypothetically in some fantastic fantasy way I kind of understand what you are telling me. But the fact is, I haven’t been able to do much in the way of signs and wonders. Certainly not anything like what you are suggesting I should be able to do. So God, what is my problem? And I am fairly sure the problem is not on your end.”

God answered, with one word: “ relentless.”

That is not a word I associate with Jesus. But that is what He said.

And then He said: ” I want you to be relentless. Love the ones I love relentlessly and hate what I hate relentlessly. This is what you must do to release the Kingdom of God into the world with the power I have given you. Relentless love, relentless hate.

OK. Love I get. Love relentlessly makes sense and sounds like something God would say. But relentless hate? Then God reminded me that He hates sin and the powers and principalities who have set themselves against God and His eternal purposes. God hates evil and He is calling me to relentlessly hate evil also. God is also commanding me to relentlessly hate sin, especially the sin in my own life. What is evil? It is whatever God says it is in His word. I don’t think He is calling me to hate people — our battle is not against flesh and blood — but the demonic powers that steal, kill, and destroy the lives of the people made in His image, which are all of us.

“But God”, I said, “how do I love and even hate relentlessly?”

And God answered: “You love and you hate from your emotion — that part of your heart (or soul) which is where your emotions reside. Those emotions control who and how you love and hate. And it is through your emotions that you connect most directly with me. You, John, have not been able to love or hate relentlessly because your emotions, those deep feelings (not the shallow ones associated with enthusiasm or excitement), have been repressed and bottled up for most of your life. I want to set you free, which means I want to heal your emotional brokenness so that you can begin to live a whole and healed life. This is the life I died to give you. This life is the only way you can be the conduit for my power, all of the power I have given you, to flow into the world to transform, heal, and destroy evil.”

Or words to this effect.

So, in spite of the fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live in me, my emotional brokenness prevents me from being the man of power that God calls me to be. Of course, not power for my benefit. Power for His glory and Kingdom.

That was all God told me. This is what I took away from that brief conversation with God: Man or woman of God — know who you are! And cry out to God for spiritual and emotional healing. Until we are set free from emotional bondage, we will not be able to fulfill our eternal destiny. We will be spineless, weak, and impotent in our fight against evil — always ineffective. But as we are healed emotionally, we will be relentless, unstoppable, unyielding, and unflinching in our love for God’s people and our hatred for God’s enemies. And the manifestation of His power will be miracles — signs and wonders, including healings that no doctor can explain. These miracles will not be for our sakes, but for His name and glory so that His Kingdom can be released over the entire world and people will come to know and ‘fear’ the name of the Lord — Jehovah.

Final point. As I am reading this at midnight God spoke one other word to me: relentless faith!! (OK, two other words). Which is, now that I think about it, the faith of Jesus.

Be healed. Be made whole — spirit, soul, and body — in Jesus’ name.

John