“Man does not see what the LORD sees, for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b (HCSB)
In my teens, many years ago, I had a 1969 VW bug! We are told not to judge a book by its cover. Well, that was true with my VW! It was beige and looked very average, except for the chrome wheels, and a nice exhaust system. But you can’t judge it by its looks! It was fast. Not just fast for a Bug. One time it actually beat a Porsche in a street race. Oops, was I supposed share that? But yes, it was my teenage days! Well anyways, I had invested all my part-time job earnings in rebuilding the engine into a high-performance machine. From the outside you could not tell the power that was packed under the back hood. It was only when the pedal went to the metal that you could see and hear what was inside.
Likewise, followers of Christ usually look just like those around them until God’s power and truth is manifested in us. We are called to press the pedal to the metal and let others see what’s inside! In this hour, we are not to be undercover believers, camouflaging our faith from the world. We are meant to look and sound different. We are meant to set the pace not simply run with the pack!
Btw, it was a real pain and quite costly having a high-performance average looking VW. I had to tune it, all the time, like every week, constantly tinkering with the duel carburetors and adjusting the valves. I actually got so quick about dropping the motor, that with a friend’s help I could take it out of the vehicle and have the heads to the machine shop within 30 minutes. In this hour, true believers must rise up as high-performance warriors for Jesus, no matter the cost. This requires constant attention to details as the Holy Spirit does His work in, through and on us!
Invite the Holy Spirit to do whatever is necessary to make you operate as a high-performance lover of Jesus. Ask Him to search your heart, and install whatever new parts are necessary for this hour, and removing the dead weight of unnecessary equipment. Ask God to connect you with other wholehearted, passionate lovers of Jesus, who will journey with you in this next season! Pray that your church would become a place for wholehearted lovers of Jesus to gather, grow and move out on assignments to fight the battles for our city, and nation. Pray that wholehearted lovers of Jesus and warriors of God would unite across our city to a new level! Pray that the roar of our “engines” would be heard and felt across our city and beyond!
