More

You hear people talk about wanting more. Nowadays, everyone always wants more of something. Whether it’s a girl who wants more clothes, purses, jewelry, etc. or a guy who wants the newest technology, laptop, tablet, phone, smart watch, etc. We continuously want the latest and greatest thing. Moms seem to always want more cookware or kitchen gadgets, a nicer vacuum cleaner, maybe nicer bed sheets, and then maybe even some new furniture. Dads are always looking at fancy cars wishing they could have the next Mercedes Benz, Porsche, BMW, Audi, etc. Or maybe move into a new house with a game room, media room, a couple of porches and balconies, maybe a pool and a gym while they are at it. Kids want more toys, more TV time, more electronics. We may want more money, nicer things, and sometimes better friends and even family. We as a people are constantly asking for more.

If you are anything like me, I am always asking for more food. New restaurants to try, new foods to eat, fancy desserts to devour…

We never seem to be satisfied with what we have. We want, sometimes even need, something bigger and better. Something that is flashier or something we can brag about. Something that is tastier. Anything that will beat what we just experienced. We want better things constantly. Sometimes, if we don’t get these things right away we get upset or angry. Or if we were expecting something and it doesn’t turn out the way we want it, we can get flustered at the outcome.

The one thing that I haven’t really heard or seen people want more of though nowadays is God.

Recently, I’ve entered into a season of life of wanting more. Specifically, I’ve been wanting more of God. More of His tangible presence. Less of His hands and More of His face.

More of Jesus and Less of me.

Because here’s the thing. I’ve learned that more of everything else is futile. It all fades away. The food, the clothes, the money, the friends, the relationships. Unfortunately, nothing really lasts. It really is kind of tragic when you think about it. We put all our time and effort into collecting more things, having more friends, getting a better job, having a nicer house, buying a fancier car, and constantly striving for more in our lives. We put more hours into our jobs so we can make more money so we can buy more stuff which we think will bring us more happiness but at the end of the day it doesn’t. And here starts a vicious cycle that seems to never end.

Well, I have decided to end the cycle in my life.

I’m not going to be a hypocrite and say I’m not going to buy any more clothes, shoes, or purses. I’m not going to say I will stop buying pointless things that I probably don’t need. I’m not going to say I’m going to stop buying different foods and eating yummy desserts (because that would be heartbreaking).

But I am going to say I will stop dreaming of the American Dream. Of my white picket fence house in a great neighborhood with fantastic neighbors, a great job, fancy cars, 4 beautiful children, and a husband who loves me. Because while those things are great, they don’t define my life. These “things” that we have dreamt about our whole lives amount to nothing at the end of the day if we don’t have Jesus.

If I don’t have more of Jesus my life is nothing, because without Christ, I am nothing.

I am tired of a generation who has stopped wanting more of Jesus. We are so excited to buy the latest book on our Kindles, or read the latest gossip on Twitter, or read about someone else’s life on social media, but we can’t spend 10 minutes reading the Bible.

We’ve substituted reading the Bible with our fancy devotionals or our “Bible Topic” themed books but we haven’t opened the actual Bible in months.

I’m tired of a generation of people who when asked to pray, there’s silence, no hands are eager to pray. And after a solid couple minutes, it’s always the same two people who pray because they can’t stand the awkward silence.

I’m tired of a generation who is two-faced where their life during the week doesn’t match their raised holy hands on Sundays.

I’m tired of a generation who is complacent with mediocrity.

I’m tired of a generation who says “No” when asked to pray or to lead an event.

I’m tired of a generation who can watch hours of Netflix but falls asleep 10 minutes into reading their Bible and praying.

I’m tired of a generation of people who say they are excited about Jesus but do nothing to prove it.

I’m tired of a generation whose works are dead.

I’m tired of a generation who takes one step forward and then takes several steps back….

Hey Generation,

I’m Tired.

I want to see miracles, signs, and wonders. I want to be blown away. I want amazing things to be of the norm. I want to be wowed by blind eyes opening, the dead being raised to life, little children prophesying . I don’t want these things to be a thing of the past as everyone seems so convinced it is. Because guess what? Jesus said I can do what he did while he was on Earth. I can actually do greater because greater is He that is within me, than he that is in the world.

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” ~1 John 4:4

“I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” ~John 14:12

Jesus gave us all authority to walk with dominion over this Earth and we as a people walk around scared. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” ~Luke 10:19

If we truly believed what was written in the Bible, we would be doing actual damage to the enemy’s camp. We would have real power and authority. The devil would actually be scared of us.

So I urge you sisters in Christ, want more of the Lord. Ask God for more of Him so you can do some actual good in this life. That when you read scripture, it becomes life to your dry bones. So that when you pray you have actual power and your life is forever changed.

Because I am tired of not fighting. I am tired of losing our loved ones to cancer, natural disasters, mental illnesses, suicide, apathy, and depression. I am tired of seeing a generation run rampant after drugs, sex, alcohol, money, and fame. I’m tired of the enemy winning and we as a people just stand by as though there is nothing we can do.

May my greatest accomplishment not be the degrees I earned or the amount of money I made, but the souls I won for the kingdom and the life I lived for Jesus.