. The tears began were streaming down my face anyway, and as I reached for a tissue, I heard God's voice loud and clear: "You are not accessing the power I have given you! You're caught in the middle!" But wait a minute! Did this mean that I was not being all that God meant for me to be? It all reminded me of a familiar passage from the book of Revelation :
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm , and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth …" (Rev 3 :15-16 NKJV). Suddenly I understood! God was calling me out of lukewarmness! He was calling me to take hold of the gifts, of the promises! He was calling me to fully comprehend who I am in Christ! He was calling me to be on fire for Him! Whoa! That's strong! But what does it really mean? Just this: when we accept Christ into our hearts, we are saved. It's as simple as that. But something else happens. The door to God's unlimited power opens, giving us access to that power! Yes, friends, this IS Biblical: "Because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God , which also effectively works in you who believe." (1 Thess 2 :13-14 NKJV). Not convinced yet? What about the gifts of the Spirit? "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles , to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits , to another different kinds of tongues , to another the interpretation of tongues. " (1 Cor 12 :7-10 NKJV). The bottom line is this: When we accept Jesus into our hearts, the door is opened for far more than salvation! It is opened so that God's power can flow through us! So why aren't more Christians doing miracles? Being healed? Standing in faith? Sensitive to the presence of evil spirits ? Why am I not prophesying? Speaking words of wisdom ? Abounding in knowledge? Because, friends, more often than not we all stand at the doorframe of that power, but we don't enter into it! We have utmost power and we are not wielding it! So what does this all have to do with a New Years message? I would like to challenge each of us for this New Year to step into that power that Christ has promised for each of us! Let's stop standing at the doorframe! Let's go forward as warriors! Let's stand firm in Christ, being an effective instrument of His power! Let's break free "from the middle"! But how do you do this? The message to the church of Laodicea also tells us this: "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." (Rev 3 :18-19 NKJV) Oh, there is much in this text. God is calling us to allow Him to refine us, to purify our hearts. But the point I want to drive home today is this: He is calling us to let Him open our eyes that we may see! But just what is it we're supposed to learn to see? "… the eyes of your understanding being enlightened ; that you may know what is the hope of His calling , what are t he riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints , and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power …" (Eph 1 :18-19 NKJV)
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