There is nothing we need more than the fire of God’s presence. If we are hungry for the world to change, we must first be desperately hungry for the presence of the Lord. Our insatiable appetite for Him will be the most attractive thing about us, because it speaks to something far greater than anything we can physically offer to the world.

 

We’ve gotten it backwards in our communities these days, we’ve placed the mission over the Presence and in doing so have committed ourselves to execution of our plans, programs and visions. I see publications, articles and forums regularly focusing on the modes and models of ministry, but few focused on the practice of His presence.

 

I was flipping through some old books from my university days, looking over the titles, when this feeling of sadness and frustration came over me. I spent so much of my time frustrated at the institutional church, so much of my energy raving against the machines of ministry that I lost focus on the desperate importance of the face of Jesus.

 

Of course this is the strategically deceptive plan of the enemy.

 

He wants us to focus on ministry goals, fundraisers, what others are doing right or wrong and the like. Satan would love nothing more than for the church to live in a place of frustration and disunity over our models, doctrines and dogma.

 

I’ve noticed a need in my life over the past few years to spend far less time focusing on my ministry efforts and more on the face of Jesus. In that time I’ve seen more ministry fruit, felt more fulfilled in my life and calling and fell more in love with Jesus than ever before. I’ve noticed my character and even demeanor change before my very eyes, everything about me in some way has changed because of a priority on the presence of the Lord.

 

Perhaps if we focused more of our efforts and energy on the face of Jesus, the Glory of His holy fire, we would have a world around us clamoring to know Jesus.

“He’s better at fighting than you are” She said to me.

I had just finished talking to a friend of the family (and incredible counselor) about a situation involving a young man who was dealing with heavy Spiritual oppression. My instinct was to fight, to get angry and frustrated, I wanted a fight… I was looking for one.

In an instant, she had read me like a book.

I had come at this situation in the same “spirit” that was fighting to control this young man. The guy, we’ll call him “David”, had been through a terrible life; He had been abandoned, adopted into a family of drug-runners and witchcraft, military tours in Iraq, jail-time and more.  He knew how to fight, he had been doing it his entire life and here I was standing on my high-platform of religious superiority, looking down my learned nose trying to entice a fight to get him “free”.

I wasn’t broken for him. I didn’t want his freedom like I wanted my own. I had no chance at victory.

It wasn’t until later, when I got alone with the Lord, that everything became clear. I’m not the guy who comes into the fight waving my sword above my head like gladiator and enticing the enemy to come get me. I’m just not that guy. It comes across as inauthentic and carries no weight in the Spirit. I’m designed to be the guy who comes in low, filled with compassion for the person and appeals to love, joy and peace. I’m supposed to be the guy who talks you off the cliff, not the guy who fights you on the way. I’m supposed to come in the opposite Spirit.

I guess I always wanted to be a front-lines kind of guy, bad to the bone and all of that but honestly, I’m just not. Or maybe the army of the Kingdom is different than I imagine, maybe it’s not like our armies at all… maybe it is filled with singers and worshippers. Perhaps the army of God is filled with Holy Ghost drunkards who drag their sloppy, joy-filled selves to the front lines, so filled with the love of God that no demon can stand being near them. Perhaps the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

I think it’s the whole opposite spirit thing. In the Kingdom, we are often called to come into this world in the opposite stance. We see disease ravaging a body and we pray for the opposite, healing. We see a young girl who has been used for her body and we tell her she’s beautiful all the way, we speak life. We see the demon possessed being destroyed and we love, hug, laugh and pray. We come another way.

My friend was right, I’m not good at fighting my way, but I am awesome at enjoying Him and that is all the warfare I need.

Love. Joy. Humility. Repeat.