Preach the word! —2 Timothy 4:2

We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us. The Son of God was His own message— “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message.

There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God’s truth. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God’s message in the flesh. “…you shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:8).

Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God’s message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.

Journal DJR
Good morning Lord,
What about “Bold Strokes?” …Chambers concludes, “Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.” Other language might be, “Grab life by the horns…” or “Carpe Diem.” We see that Paul certainly lived that way, both before and after your meeting with him on the Damascus Road. And you yourself took Bold Strokes a few times like tipping over the tables and driving out the merchants. I have two questions about Bold Strokes. The first comes from the times I’ve stepped out boldly in a direction, and it turned out to be the wrong direction. I assume, with the benefit of hindsight, that if I had been surrendered and connected, as we are now learning, that I wouldn’t have made those mistakes?

Yes, you’ve got that right. You can even think that you are doing right or doing good, but if you are not surrendered and connected with me, your own mind can easily lead you astray. And remember, there is an enemy that wants you astray. He has sweet sounding words, logical sounding words…

OK, I see that surrender and connection and Carpe Diem with Bold Strokes, when the time is right, is something that I’ll be working on for the rest of my days here. And maybe there. but we’ll talk about that another time.

The background of the other question is Saul-Paul’s life before and after Damascus Road. Before Damascus, he took bold strokes, albeit misdirected, like some of my initiatives. And after his surrender, connection and re-direction, he continued to take bold strokes. The question is what about the person who doesn’t naturally take bold strokes? In any direction, either good or bad? Should we aspire to do so? Can we change such seemingly hardwired personality traits?

You cannot, but I can. So the answer is, “Yes, We Can” Together, through surrender and connection, I can empower the most timid saint in bold strokes. In fact, if you read history, you will see many timid souls who became bold when I needed them. Moses and Jeremiah and others said they were unqualified and not ready… But with surrender and connection to my Spirit, they boldly “spoke truth to power” and changed history. You may not see a Pharaoh in your life that needs to be spoken to with bold strokes… Set my people free, like Moses did. But expand your thinking into metaphor and parallels, and you will see that there may indeed be Pharaohs in your life that need exactly those same bold strokes. Pharaohs and Kings, like addictions and destructive habits, need bold strokes. But don’t bother in your own will power. You’ve tried that and have experienced the same success as 95% of the New Year’s Resolutions that are made. Wait for my empowerment. That comes thru surrender and connection. Only then can you take those words and run with them…

“Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.”

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