Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Fifty Questions

When was the last time you felt God was really doing something new in your life?
How many of us have our testimony as an historical narrative but have no current revelation of the Spirit’s work in our lives?
Is there a momentum carrying you into whatever buffer zone still remains between you and Jesus?
Do you think I am speaking of something mystical, something that God is doing specifically to bring you to a greater level of obedience, trust, and worship?
Are you living in yourself or in Him, and is your spirit soaring over all your problems or are you chained to your circumstances?

Can you actually hear the voice of the Spirit or are you even listening?
Does the Word leap in your spirit or are those Words just doctrinal pieces to some dead orthodoxy?
Does eternity permeate your being and cause you to walk with a pilgrim’s mentality?
Can God speak to you at any moment?
Do some people consider you a fanatic or is everyone comfortable around your benign brand of Christianity?
Are you even weary of the mundane practice of religion or are you hungry for a life that walks with Jesus in such a way as to have some effect on those around you?
Would you be willing to sell everything tomorrow and start a journey without first knowing the destination?
Is your faith predictable and at its strongest when you can actually see what you are trusting?

Do you believe Jesus desires a deeper and closer walk with you?
Does your prayer closet have more shoes and coats than prayer?
When was the last time you earnestly fasted with no thought of weight loss and with a passion to see God’s face?
Are there places that have mildew because of the tears of intercessory prayer?
Have you come to the place that you do not care about anything but following Christ?
Are there still plans and strategies that have captured your heart or have you given everything to Jesus and are resting completely in His wisdom and will?
Do you travail in prayer or does it seem like hollow words while your mind wanders?

Have you been brought so low that you can only see Jesus or are you still clinging to something about you that makes you feel worthy?
Is your own understanding how you interpret things or are you relying on the leading of God’s Spirit regardless if goes against all you “know” to be true?
When was the last time you were actually physically immobilized in prayer way beyond the time you planned to spend?
How do you plan to spend the rest of the life God has given you which is in reality His to spend?
Are you willing to return to the place of salvation itself and begin again and turn away from all the mistakes you have made before?

If you felt the tugging of the Spirit to radically change all that you are doing, will you have to get it approved by others?
Or will it have to be approved by you yourself?
Are you willing to take steps backward and even risk the ridicule of friends and foes alike in order to get out of the comfort of the dry boat deck and walk by faith upon the waves that rage around you?
Is Jesus in your boat or is He calling you from in the midst of the storm?
Can you actually risk the danger of exposing everything to God’s inspection or will you allow a few minor adjustments?
If no one else sees what you see or hears what you do will it affect your passion and determination?

Are you willing to repent of even the smallest sins and can you be trusted not to become a judgmental legalist concerning others who are careless in their lives?
Will you be humble, painfully humble, without being prideful in your humility?
If God does use you to bring His power and grace to others will it elevate you in your own eyes?
If others are drawn to you because they are thirsty as well will it make you feel good about you or good about Him?
Are you prepared to love those who you could never love before?
If God touches something about you that you never thought He would will you be immediately obedient or will you resist?
When God tells you words to speak to someone, words that might be extremely embarrassing and uncomfortable, will you speak them?
Are you ready to be completely shocked when the Spirit reveals to you the level of narcissism that has dwelt inside you for years?

Are you willing to worship Jesus publicly with an abandonment that does not purposely draw attention to yourself but makes no concessions because of the presence of others?
Will you endure unwanted attention because of the conspicuous changes in what used to be your life?
And will you handle criticism with grace and joy while rejecting any hint of being a self serving martyr?
Can you be trusted to give all the glory to Jesus without allowing the flesh to create a pseudo-piousness that projects selflessness but is actually self righteousness?
Will you grow weary when you fall or will you get up and begin anew and afresh?

And when all is said and done, will you live and share Jesus in everything you do and say regardless of the consequences or inconveniences that must come with a dynamic divergence from the mainstream of western Christianity?
Will you be honest with God and yourself concerning all these questions?
Are willing to pursue what it really means to walk in the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
Can you endure the spiritual pain of deconstruction?
Can you receive His strength necessary to rebuild the broken walls and burn the walls that were never in God’s original design?

Are you ready to die to live?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is an incredible list of challenging questions. Thank you so much!