The Front Lines


I’ve had a lot on my heart and my mind for the past few days – the Holy Spirit is stirring and I’m trying to stay on my toes, ready to learn what He wants to teach me.  Here’s a little snippit of what I’ve been learning:

In reference to the new life that we receive when we ask Jesus to save us from ourselves – when we decide that we want to love Him because He loved us first, and leave our old life behind to follow Him in a new one – this is what Paul has to say in Romans 8:12-17:

12-14So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

15-17This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

This concept is not easy for me, because my old self is timid.  And hates adventure.  God, therefore, forces me to do things that are bold and adventurous (i.e. moving across the country).  A few years ago I refused to even ask God what was next.  I just ignored Him entirely and then threw temper tantrums when He did things that did not fit into my “What’s next” anyway.  Now I’m at a place where I ask “What’s next,” but only while sporting a fearful grimmace on my face – like I’m waiting for Him to smack me.  That’s not how God works.  I know that, but my old timid self is still lurking around – and she does not know that.  I want to get to the point, however, where I am living on “the front lines of ministry.”  I believe I will be there when I am living in full and active obedience to God’s call on my life.

I want to give a shout out to those of you who ARE living in absolute obedience to His call on YOUR life.  And if we are honest, His call probably looks pretty different for all of us.  If you are being obedient to what He has called YOU to do, you are rockin’ it out on the front lines!  Yay you!

If you will allow me the liberty, I’m going to paraphrase Acts 1:8 in an effort to drive home my point.  Here goes nothin’…
 
When you get the power of the Holy Spirit, you WILL be my witnesses wherever YOU go.  In YOUR hometown, in YOUR homestate, in YOUR homecountry, and the places farthest from where YOU live.
 
I feel like the point is that once we get the big Holy Spirit, we’re representatives of Jesus.  Wherever we go.  Period.  God very well may want me to go halfway around the world someday, and I hope that if that prompting comes I will respond with an exuberant, “Okay, what’s next Daddy?!”  But going halfway around the world is not what it takes to be on the front lines of what God is doing.  You are on the front lines, friends, when your heart starts beating fast because you know God has asked you to tell your neighbor – or even some complete stranger – about what He has done in your life…and you do it.  You are on the front lines when the HS tells you not to take that job that would really help right now…and you don’t take it.  You are on the front lines when you remember a call God placed on your life a long time ago – a call that has almost been forgotten…and you and your family forsake the very comfortable life you’ve built for yourselves to follow that call.  You are on the front lines when you realize you’ve been wrong…and you humbly ask forgiveness from the one you’ve hurt.  You are on the front lines when you are obediently “training everyone you meet, far and near, in Jesus’ way of life [Matthew 28:18-20].”
 
Live on the front lines.  In obedience.  Always.  And you will face trouble…I mean do you know why they call them the front lines?  But oh the rewards that you will receive for faithfully serving smack dab in the front of God’s great conquest!  So do it – acknowledge the promptings of the Holy Spirit because He will always make sure you remain on the front lines – doing exactly what God wants you to be doing.  You just have to obey.  I just have to obey.  And He will faithfully reward.  He says so.  And He always does what He says He will do.
 
Keep on keepin’ it down and dirty, folks.  Love ya’ll like crazy!

2 thoughts on “The Front Lines

  1. Loved the post, I feel like I battle with the front line call every day. I wish sometimes I could feel comfortable with sitting back in the infirmary, but He knows the front lines is where we best feel is glory which is the best for us…

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