Credit: Creative Commons, geezaweezer

Today Pastor Dan Gore of Destiny’s House Church (www.destinyshouse.com), my dear friend, wrote this.  It blew me away!  What a commitment he has to the Lord.  God will show up and honor commitment like this!  Besitos, Summer

THE CHURCH OF LOW EXPECTATIONS

II CORINTHIANS 12:9-10 “SO THAT CHRIST’S POWER MAY REST UPON ME… FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG”

More and more of us have gotten a taste of heavenly encounters & supernatural things. Those defining moments are so powerful we may talk about them for the rest of our lives. How often they occur for us can depend. But when they happen, it is nothing short of life changing. And oh how we are gloriously ruined – only wets our appetite for more!!

But soon after we begin to ask the question: Why are they not happening more? Why are some of the greatest miracles happening outside of the USA?  Many churches are great on preaching God’s love but weak on demonstrating any deliverance or spiritual power. We can cry out for His blessing & power night & day, but the truth is: He will not place His power and glory on unrepentant, flesh/comfort-addicted, selfish, spoiled, bratty little children who only want to play church.  There is a pretense/dignity and fake-ness in needing to appear “together” in front of peers that is hindering the churches. Some of us may need to take the lead and shock the congregation/system by demonstrating undignified brokenness.  Determine to lay prostrate and get down and dirty in the mud and blood at the foot of the cross for the next few weeks and wait for instructions.

WHAT IF: We are the first to put on the garment of unashamed brokenness & weakness in our church.  And if others followed suite, would not the tidal wave of His glory hit the church like never before?   What if we really engage this Holy calling by doing more hard things in order to be weak for God…that His power might rest upon us?  What if we began to embrace the spiritual disciplines of regular fasting, all-night prayer, sharing our faith with outsiders, giving up hours time blocks to seek His specific word for the here and now?  What if we exchanged our comfort for His power?  Oh, surely something good would happen!  How could He not respond to that level of hunger by pouring it on us?

Our American culture is very driven, busy, efficient, practical, disciplined, family & work oriented, productive and focused.  These are great strengths.  But they also hinder us from walking more in the miraculous.  Because anytime we feel a prompting to go do something difficult for God, our “flesh” tells us it is an interruption to our efficient lives.
For example, when I want to go on a fast, my mind is arguing with the Spirit that that would be an impractical thing to do. God wants me to work hard and be effective in this down economy.  If I fast, my blood sugar will be off and I will be tired and slow around clients which I need to serve effectively.  Therefore regular fasting is impractical. Right?

WHAT IF: We start exercising faith to believe that God will make up in the natural what we lose by venturing out into the sacrificial/supernatural. What if we first demonstrate brokenness to those we have been trying to impress?  What if we lose in order to gain?

Low Expectations are all around us.  Have we stopped requiring anything of the saints? Have we made it too easy – promising a crown without a cross?  Where are the Peter, Paul & Mary of our day?  😎  Thus says the Lord: You have next! You are up now. It is your turn to be miraculous; to become one of the rare ones – the Elijah generation.