Have you ever noticed that most people don’t like it when you tell them what to do? How do you respond when people try to control you? Whether you’re at home, at school, at work, or at play, as soon as people with power try to force you to do what fits for them but doesn’t fit for you, there’s a clash of clans.
As I engage with people, I’m discovering a growing, pervasive, debilitating force that’s taking over our world: fear. I’m afraid of getting sick. I’m afraid of people. I’m scared to death. I’m scared of dying. I’m afraid of failing. I’m afraid we’re going to shut down or be shut down. I’m afraid that life, school, church, and business are never going to be the same again. I’m afraid I’m not going to get a job.
Is the force with you, or is the force against you? Your true God-given nature is not fear-based. God gave you a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. But if you cave to culture and if you feed your anxious brain, you can become an anxious mess.
People are a lot like pets. We need attention, love, food, drinks, shelter, and let out. We don’t want to be caged in. My adopted cat got stung by a yellow jacket, so now he’s scared to death to go outdoors. Every sight and sound outside triggers a panic response, and he runs for his life and hides. I wonder if he’ll ever get over his fear. I wonder if we will ever get over ours.
What if God’s force and power is made perfect in our weakness? Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). When you come to the end of your rope and your anxious striving for what only God can provide, you will discover a Force that is always with you. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you and will transform you into a powerhouse.
Are you being stifled and forced to conform to do what isn’t you, or are you surrendering to the Force that transcends and transforms you into the likeness of Jesus? You can know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit lives in you, and the Force He gives you will make your fear and felt insecurities disintegrate.
My friend, please don’t conform to the pressures and patterns of this world. Instead, I want to encourage you to live in the power, love, and Truth that God gives you—even when you don’t feel it and when you think you don’t deserve it. “The strength of a horse does not impress Him; how puny in His sight is the strength of a man. Rather, the Lord’s delight is in those who honor Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love” (Psalm 147:10,11).
May the Force of God’s love and God’s Truth set you free!
What if we make power choices by living in others’ preferences for the sake of the gospel?
In Christ you lack nothing—especially power!
Be careful not to get sucked into playing the victim role.
You’re an overcomer!