He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.              Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. (Luke 11:23-26)

Neutrality is a dangerous place in the spiritual realm.  I’m reminded of a scene in the movie, “O Brother Where Art Thou?”  In that scene Tommy (a young black guitarist) has just been picked up and given a ride by the three principle players in the movie – Ulysses, Delmar and Pete who had escaped from a prison chain gang a few days earlier.  The three asked Tommy what he was doing alone in the middle of nowhere and he told them that he had met the devil at a crossroads the night before and sold his soul for the ability to play guitar.  Delmar and Pete had just come upon a camp revival and had been baptized so that all their past sins and crimes could be forgiven.  As they rumbled down the road Tommy explained, “I had to be up at that there crossroads last midnight, to sell my soul to the devil.”  Ulysses then commented, “Well, ain’t it a small world, spiritually speaking. Pete and Delmar just been baptized and saved. I guess I’m the only one that remains unaffiliated.”

Many people have the idea that they can take a neutral or unaffiliated position in the spiritual realm and somehow stay out of the conflict and even enter heaven because they weren’t bad people.  Jesus spoke to that idea when he said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.”  Some actively and intentionally serve Satan while others make no commitments and remain uninvolved.  Jesus places both of those positions in the kingdom of darkness.  The truth is that everyone starts out on Satan’s team. Only those who choose to play for Jesus get to change uniforms.

The idea that I can pursue nothing spiritually and be okay because I’m not  pursuing evil things ignores the reality of the spiritual realm.  The enemy searches the world looking for vacancies and when he finds one he moves in.  Wherever he finds a heart or a life not filled with Jesus he camps there.  When a man encounters Jesus and spiritual freedom for a season but does not fill his life with the things of God….the enemy will return and bring others with him. He has the right to bring more because this man has tasted the things of God but not pursued them.  To fail to pursue the things of God is the same as rejecting them.

The warning and the encouragement is to never stop pursuing and filling your life with the things of God and his Spirit. The Spirit, like water in an old barrel, tends to leak out and must be replenished.  When enough of the Spirit that we once hungered for and pursued has leaked out, then a vacancy is formed in our soul and we become vulnerable to the enemy.  Paul instructs us to be filled with the Spirit (see Eph.5:18) because when we are filled we are fruitful but we also leave no room for the devil.

Back in my youth when I was faster and fifty pounds lighter, our football coaches always told us that the guys who were always moving and hitting hard didn’t get hurt.  The guys who were coasting or standing around on the field were the ones who got injured.  That was true most of the time and I believe it is true spiritually.  Keep moving, keep growing, keep serving, keep seeking, and keep filling up on God and there will be no vacancies or vacuums in your life that attract the enemy.  And remember, there is no one in the car who is unaffiliated because if you are not actively for Jesus  then you are against him.  No retirement in the kingdom, no coasting, no neutrality. We can all rest when we get home!  Be blessed today and fill up!

I’ve often talked about the need to take risks in the kingdom of God in order to grow your faith and to see miracles.  I have said that in the context of praying for healing, sharing prophetic words, sharing your faith, or commanding demons.  The premise is that when we step out and risk doing something that cannot be done without God, then God shows up.  I still believe that is true but in a small group conversation last night I was reminded that nearly all obedience to Jesus is risky.

We were discussing the astounding nature of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5-7. In that sermon Jesus gave a commentary on what the Jews had been taught by their teachers for 1500 years.  In a number of places in Matthew 5 he says, “You have heard that it was said….but I say unto you.”  In those sections he comments on the teachings the crowd had received about murder, adultery, divorce, taking oaths, revenge, and dealing with enemies.  His teaching was drastically different from what they had learned in the synagogues.

Under the Law the Jews had been taught right behaviors but Jesus took it all the way to the heart.  In so many words, Jesus said, “You have been taught not to murder but I’m telling you not to even be angry or use demeaning words towards a brother and if you have a damaged relationship go and heal that relationship before you even try to worship.  You have heard.  You have heard that you should not commit adultery but I’m telling you that having sexual fantasies about the woman at the office is the same thing so keep those kinds of thoughts out of your head and your heart.”

Jesus focused on our internal world more than the external and made out thoughts and the feelings produced by our thoughts that issue as much as our actions. The Jews had been taught that they could hate someone and wish them dead as long as they didn’t act on the impulse.  Jesus called them to a much higher standard and taught them to get the anger, the hatred, the revenge, the manipulation, and the pride out of their hearts before presuming to come before God in worship.

Jesus taught them and us to guard our hearts against lust; to stay in tough marriages except where there has been unrepented adultery; to avoid all spin, manipulation and half-truths in our conversations and business dealings; to turn the other cheek; to give someone more than they are suing us for, to serve more than our enemies are compelling us to serve, and to love our enemies and even pray on their behalf.

In practical terms each of these commands put us at a distinct disadvantage with unbelievers who won’t be playing by the same rules.  These unbelievers (or unspiritual believers in some cases) will likely take advantage of our godly behaviors…at least at first.   They will see our “turning the other cheek” as weakness, our refusal to speak badly of them while they slander us as naïve, and our willingness to give them more than they demand in court as capitulation.  In many cases we will feel as if we are enabling their bad behaviors through our gracious behaviors and our unwillingness to go for the jugular.

As you look at the teachings of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount, it becomes clear that obedience to these teachings always put us at risk.  The reason we violate these teachings so often is because we sense that they will make us vulnerable to a demanding spouse or an unscrupulous business associate.  Obedience makes us vulnerable to the manipulations and aggressive behaviors of worldly people.  Just living our every day lives with the heart of Christ turns out to be it’s own risky business from the perspective of the flesh. And, just like in healing and deliverance, if God doesn’t show up in the moment, we may well be presiding over a great disaster.

The truth is that we must have genuine faith to live obedient lives.  We must trust that God will defend us, vindicate us, provide for us, give us favor, and stand next to us in a court of law if we live out the directives of Jesus.  To live out the Sermon on the Mount is to lay aside all of our worldly weapons of defense, all of our instincts, all of our aggression, and all of our own dirty tricks and play by one set of rules while the opposition plays by another.

My conclusion is that it is just as risky to turn the other cheek as it is to pray for someone in a wheel chair at Cracker Barrel. It’s just as risky to stay in a hurtful marriage hoping for God’s transforming power to change things as it is to face demons or to share your faith with the Hell’s Angels having a meal at the next table.  It’s just as risky to take the moral high road while your “ex” is dragging you into court with the dirtiest lawyer in town as it is to pronounce a prophetic word to your entire congregation.

The truth is that truly living for Jesus in any form or fashion is typically risky and will be disastrous if Jesus doesn’t show up.  But here is the good news:  Jesus always shows up because he is always with us. Even the Father has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  In fact, since he lives in us he is always present.  But will he manifest his presence when you need him most?  You will know the answer by living a life of risk which is simply a life of true obedience where doing it God’s way puts us in the Master’s hands hour after hour.

I’m reminded of the story of the man who used to walk a high wire stretched between to tall buildings in New York City.   One day he crossed the high wire pushing a wheelbarrow.  He asked the crowd if they believed he could do it again.  Of course they all affirmed their belief.  He then asked if they thought he could do it with someone in the wheelbarrow.  They also shouted yes.  Then he asked for a volunteer.  No one raised his hand.  That is the difference between faith and belief.  It takes faith to get in the wheelbarrow because you must totally trust the one who is pushing it.  It takes faith to fully live out the gospel but if we want to meet Jesus that is the only way. “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (Jn.1421).

Hey … life is full of risks!  Be blessed today and be sure to risk a little.

Anyone who has read biographies of British evangelists, especially charismatic evangelists, have run across the name Smith Wigglesworth.  He was born in 1859 and died in 1947.  He was painfully shy and took every opportunity to avoid speaking in public until the Holy Spirit fell on him in 1907.  He received a vision of Jesus and the gift of tongues. After receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit he was a changed man filled with boldness and power.  His wife was astonished at the change.

Wigglesworth preached four principles that he believed should guide the life of every believer.

• Read the Word of God.
• Consume the Word of God until it consumes you.
• Believe the Word of God.
• Act on the Word of God.

Those four principles seem basic and almost self-evident but Wigglesworth radically followed each principle in his own life. He followed them so radically that he offended soft-spoken religionists across the United Kingdom. He often acted in extreme and bazaar ways but led thousands to Christ and maintained a phenomenal healing ministry for decades.

It’s documented that he punched a cancer victim so hard that he fell to the ground but was healed when he stood up.  Wigglesworth simply commented that he didn’t hit people but he did hit the devil. If people got in the way he couldn’t help it. He explained that you can’t deal gently with the devil or comfort him because he likes to be comforted.  Wigglesworth was never accused of being comforting to the devil or even to people on many occasions.  It’s also reported that during a meeting, Wigglesworth kicked a deformed infant all the way across the stage but when the child landed he was healed and whole. Another account finds him shouting at a crippled woman to walk and then impatiently pushing her until she sort of fell into a run with Wigglesworth chasing her up the aisle of the church shouting at her until she ran out the door.  She was healed.

Now, I’m not endorsing punching, kicking or chasing as a matter of style.  But here is the thing.

This man was radically committed to doing whatever he heard God tell him to do even when it was unorthodox, unpopular, extreme, strange or criticized by other religious leaders. His total goal was pleasing God not finding acceptance among men.

If you think about it, Jesus was just as radical.  He often healed on the Sabbath while religious leaders screamed that he was a devil.  He put his fingers in ears, mud on eyes, touched lepers who were never to be touched, stopped funerals and raised the dead, drove demons into pigs who then hurled themselves into the sea, and so forth.  He was radical, controversial, and totally obedient to the Father.

If we want to move in the power of the Spirit we have to catch a little (or a lot) of that spirit. I have often noticed that God uses extreme people in extreme ways.  God’s power often comes wrapped in strange packages.  That has always been the case. Take John the Baptist who lived in the desert on locusts and honey, probably never cut his hair, and wore camel skin garments. Extreme. Take Saul of Tarsus who marched through Israel arresting Christians and inciting crowds to stone them to death. He was just as radical for Jesus after his noonday conversion as he had been against Jesus. Extreme.

The church has tried so hard to be socially acceptable and to fit in with the wealthy and powerful of America that she has lost her power. We have become celebrity chasers who draw people to our churches with big names and talent because we have lost the ability to draw them with healing, transformed lives, prophetic words, and funerals that don’t get out of the parking lot because the guest of honor has been raised from the dead.

Wigglesworth was extreme. He did whatever he believed the Lord told him to do and he did it immediately.  Because of his faith and obedience he had a worldwide ministry of healing, deliverance, and evangelism. During his ministry it’s documented that he raised twenty-three people from the dead. Of course he was criticized, called a fraud, and accused of being in league with the devil. It was the same with Jesus. One often quoted phrase from Wigglesworth is,  “Only believe.  Fear looks.  Faith jumps.”

If we want to be great in the kingdom and move in the power of the Spirit we must be willing to hear the Lord and act on what he is telling is….not just in church but at the Mall, Starbucks, Home Depot, or wherever we find ourselves being prompted by the Spirit.  It is so easy to turn God down because we fear being wrong, causing a scene, feeling foolish, being in a hurry, or being rejected.  I struggle with the same thoughts and internal pushback in those moments. But being obedient and being willing to risk all of the above is truly liberating for your faith and God honors faith with action from heaven.

As we approach Easter, the most extreme moment in history when a dead man rose from the grave having conquered death and hell, perhaps we can choose to be a little more extreme in our own lives. If we will choose radical obedience then perhaps the church will choose it and once again simple men will turn the world upside down. Be blessed as you step out in faith doing the impossible with God who is even willing to raise the dead when there is faith and obedience.