I have the privilege of sharing an email I received today by permission of the author, Alicia Smith.  Alicia is a dear sister in Christ whom I’ve known since living in Hutchinson, KS. She has a great love for the Lord and a heart for people.  There are times she will send a significant spiritual reflection that is refreshingly raw.  It’s an unreserved outpouring from her heart; but more importantly, it is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit through Alicia’s heart.  This is what she shared today, and I just felt a need to publish this because her message resonates with me. How often do we ask the Lord to help us hear His voice, and yet when He clearly speaks, we are not obeying Him? 

Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated to Thee

      The Lord spoke something to me profound the other day as I was driving and listening to K-Love in the car.  The d.j.’s were talking about the shootings in Colorado and asking why this happened and how God could allow this if He is everything the Bible says He is.  People tend to say,  “Well I don’t know why. He allowed this to happen but He has a plan.” We are not outright blaming Him, but yet we really are.  The Lord distinctly then said to me, “Well why haven’t My people taken My light into the world and destroyed all the works of darkness?!!!?” 

      It caught me a little off guard to be honest, and I immediately repented.  In Genesis when He created man, He chose to give us the authority here on this earth, and He never violates His Word.  He has mandated that WE go out into all the world and take authority over all darkness and fill everything with His glory; His truth; His light.  It’s not us doing these things, but rather us allowing Him to work through us.  He could do this without us, but instead He chose to let us be a part of it and do it through us.  He has given us free will and ultimately will never force us to do anything; He won’t violate the free will He has given each of us.  He has a plan, but it requires our participation!!!!!!   

     If we as the church had been listening intently after Him every day and obeying what He had told us to do in each of our “circles of influence” in this life, then the man who shot those people in Colorado could have gotten the help he needed before he did what he did.  It’s a spiritual battle Ephesians says and not one of the flesh.  That man needed Jesus to set him free from his demons and the devil.  And only christians who know how to listen to the Holy Spirit can offer the help that man truly needed.  Jesus is walking in the flesh in each of US, so in order for Him to continue to heal and preach and teach as He did 2000 years ago, WE must learn how to listen after Him and obey without another passing thought.  It should just be how we live.  It’s truly the normal christian life as the Bible teaches us.  

     It’s really not about us at all, but rather about Him filling all of us with His magnificent glory.  That’s the end goal.  How awesome that He has allowed us to be a part of His plan, but yet what an awesome responsibility.  We will all on judgment day have to answer to Him.  May we learn these things NOW in this life, instead of in the next life as we stand before Him and weep at what could have been.  

Alicia Smith