When was the last time you faced a problem that you had no idea how to solve? Do you remember what that felt like? Maybe I’m speaking to you as you’re facing a giant problem today…you could be facing a challenge in your job and can’t see a clear way to work through it? Or, you’re a parent and something has happened with one of your kids that you have no idea how to work through? The truth is we all face questions every day, and it can be overwhelming and discouraging when we don’t have clear answers.
You may be thinking that this is a part of a Christian walk….Yes, being a child of God is having peace in the storms
and trusting God when we don’t know how things are going to work out in the end
. Yes, sometimes we will face trials in our walk with God. Those things are all true. However, sometimes I believe we stop short of the solutions of heaven because we don’t know that there’s more to kingdom life than simply riding out the storms.
What if God has actual answers to the problems you’re facing? What if you’re just one thought away from the revelation you need to break through in your life? I’m not saying God is a genie that you can just snap your fingers or make a wish and all of your problems will go away. That would be crazy! But what I am saying is that perhaps there’s a level of friendship with God
that you can start growing in today. And with friendship comes answers.
Check out more on today’s Flashback Friday video:
In a nutshell:
• John 15:12-15 says, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
• You’re God’s friend if you do what He tells you to do.
• The highest core value of slavery is obedience. When we first come to Christ we all come as “slaves”. We know God as Savior and Lord because we used to be slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to righteousness (Romans 6).
• God doesn’t just want to be Savior and Lord; He wants to be the Bridegroom. He’s looking for us to move from slavery, to friendship, and into matrimony.
• Bill Johnson is often asked where he gets all of his revelation from. I’m sure people are expecting the answer to be studying for hours a day or reading commentaries, but that’s not what he says.
• Revelation is not the product of laborious study, but it is the fruit of friendship with God.
• When you move from slavery to friendship God tells you His secrets, so you get stuff that nobody else knows.
• Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
• Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
• I have a sense that we will change nations through insights and revelation!
• It’s time for us to move out of slavery and into friendship,
and as we grow in this maturity we will lead nations to Christ!
• What if we’re just one thought away from a revolution? What if we’re one thought away from curing diseases?
• To have those kinds of thoughts we have to have a changed relationship with God, and get past just doing what we’re told.
• Until you can do what God tells you to do He’s not going to let you into a place where He tells you His secrets.
• What if you obeyed because you love God, instead of doing it because you’re a slave?
• You can move into the next level of relationship with God when you do beyond what you’re told…because you’ve caught God’s vision, captured His heart, and are motivated by love and compassion.
• God gave us a new mind and a new heart, and He’s waiting for us to use it! And as we do, we get to move into friendship with Him.
ARE YOU A SLAVE OR A FRIEND?
As you watched that perhaps you realized that there are greater levels of connection and relationship with God that you can begin to walk in. Today I want you to be encouraged by this revelation! Take heart in the knowledge that answers to your questions, to the biggest challenges you may be facing today, are ones that you can talk to your friend, Jesus, about!
If you have no idea where to begin in your friendship with God I want to give you some practical takeaways. Start by taking a look at how you respond to God’s calling on your life in this season. Are you doing the things He’s called you to? Are you leaning into the direction He’s guiding you in? That’s the first step—doing what He asks of you.
Then, the way that you serve beyond what you’re simply asked to do is by catching God’s heart and vision for His relationship with you. If you’ve never asked Him, then today I encourage you to take some time and ask Him what’s on His heart right now. Then move in love and compassion towards that very thing.
How do you cultivate friendship with God without partnering with religion? I’d love to hear about how you begin to walk in revelation in the comments! Tell me about your process of moving from slavery into friendship with the Lord.
