For Lent, I am walking us through a book called Apprenticeship With Jesus. You can follow along 
by reading my highlights and reflections. Extensive previews of the book, including excerpts, can be found through Google Books and Amazon, as well as eBook purchasing options.
Day 8: Tapping Into The Force: Christ Incarnate In Me
– Secret to living well – learning to let go of personal power and control and tap into the energy of God.
– Man does not live by bread alone is a reference to living by the Spirit of God
– We need less of our own power and more of the power of God
– Learn from the mistakes we have made with our own power
I have often been frustrated in my Christian existence by what seems like a multitude of emphasis to choose from. But slowly I am learning that the Christian life can be summed up with Love God, Love Others and Quit Trying To Run Your Life On Your Own. There is just something about our nature that just screams, “I got this.” What we need to be screaming is, “You got this. I am just going to submit to the with-God life and we are going to do this together.”
Apprentice Activity: Using The Energy of the Kingdom
– Bring to mind one difficulty you are having in a relationship
– Say to God: “For the rest of the day- or the next few days – I want to avoid using my ability to control or manage the situation. Instead I want to tap into the energy of your Kingdom.”
– Invite God to work through you in a relationship
I teach a class that only meets twice a month and most of our interactions are online. I haven’t felt connected with this group of students and I feel that there is an unusual level of distrust between them and me. I want them to feel comfortable in the class and in relation to me. I want to see what God desires for this class and what he can accomplish through me. I don’t want to rely on my cleverness or efforts anymore.
What is Jesus teaching me? Here is a statement that I make in the “About” section of this blog: God has provided an abundance of tools and resources to help us grow in Christ and I would like to help others, just like me, tap into these resources and see Christ work in their lives in ways they only dreamed of.
I truly believe this and can testify how this has helped in my own life. One area of discovery has been a sense of freedom. To not be so enchained by my own sin and limitations but to turn these things over to God for him to handle is pure freedom. I didn’t need vast theological understanding or Biblical scholarship to just begin turning more and more of my life into God’s hands. All it takes is a choice and God does the rest.
Are you still holding on to your life? Are you reluctant to let go of things and aspects of your life? What can God do much better than you?
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