Chapter 6 - Skill 3: Spiritual Smarts (The Wholehearted Journey)
Jan 01, 2022
Joel
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Strap in and prepare for a ride as I transport you back to a pivotal moment in my life. Picture this: I was invited to share the gospel at Cal Palace, a venue that held deep personal significance for me. Who knew that this incredible opportunity would serve as the catalyst for hundreds of students to devote their lives to Jesus, thereby expanding my sphere of influence beyond my wildest dreams? Amidst these triumphs, I also encountered hurdles. I had to grapple with the demands of Ed, the event manager, whose stipulations almost breached our agreement. From this, I learned the value of attention to detail in partnerships and the importance of fostering relationships.
As we navigate through life's challenges and victories, it's vital to remember the ultimate liberation that Jesus has offered us - freedom from the shackles of sin. Just as the enemy is always plotting to have us sign unfair contracts, we need to be vigilant in guarding our hearts against these manipulations. As believers, we possess the authority to reject these deceitful deals and live in adherence to the Scripture, the most potent law there is. This enlightening discussion explores the significance of spiritual intelligence, the need for courage in the face of adversity, and the preservation of our identity as cherished children of God. Embark on this empowering journey with me and discover how to stand tall in spiritual warfare.
START READING/LISTENING TO THE BOOK NOW FREE... @ joeljohnson.org
Strap in and prepare for a ride as I transport you back to a pivotal moment in my life. Picture this: I was invited to share the gospel at Cal Palace, a venue that held deep personal significance for me. Who knew that this incredible opportunity would serve as the catalyst for hundreds of students to devote their lives to Jesus, thereby expanding my sphere of influence beyond my wildest dreams? Amidst these triumphs, I also encountered hurdles. I had to grapple with the demands of Ed, the event manager, whose stipulations almost breached our agreement. From this, I learned the value of attention to detail in partnerships and the importance of fostering relationships.
As we navigate through life's challenges and victories, it's vital to remember the ultimate liberation that Jesus has offered us - freedom from the shackles of sin. Just as the enemy is always plotting to have us sign unfair contracts, we need to be vigilant in guarding our hearts against these manipulations. As believers, we possess the authority to reject these deceitful deals and live in adherence to the Scripture, the most potent law there is. This enlightening discussion explores the significance of spiritual intelligence, the need for courage in the face of adversity, and the preservation of our identity as cherished children of God. Embark on this empowering journey with me and discover how to stand tall in spiritual warfare.
Speaker 1:
Chapter 6 Spiritual Smarts. Think of it All sins forgiven, the slate, wiped clean that old arrest warrant, cancelled and nailed to Christ's cross, he stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the cross and marched them naked through the streets. Colossians, chapter 2, 14 through 15. Less than a year later, I was called into the arena, literally. I received a call asking if I was available to speak to a large group of students. I quickly checked my calendar and said yes. I inquired where the event would be located. The voice on the other end of the phone said in San Francisco, at the Cal Palace. The Cal Palace. No freaking way, I thought to myself. I calmly thanked them for the opportunity and we ended the phone call. No way, I whispered out loud.
Speaker 1:
The Cal Palace was the place I went to watch live events as a kid. This arena is where the warriors used to play basketball. Some of the biggest acts ever have performed there. I mean the Beatles played there as well as the Rolling Stones, michael Jackson and you two, just to name a few. And now I was going to be standing in the center of the same venue I used to be a spectator in. I was speechless.
Speaker 1:
Two weeks later, I entered the arena. I preached the gospel before thousands. We laughed, we cried. Hundreds made decisions to follow Jesus Standing on the stage. It dawned on me the pain I had endured in the wilds of my youth was for. This was for them and for me. My mess became my message in my ministry. That moment catapulted me into a larger world, expanded my influence and set the trajectory of the following decade of my life, speaking before more than 2 million people, most of them teenagers, all around the world. But this transition into this new arena of communicating didn't come without its wildernesses, and neither will yours, whether your new arena is a new school, career, marriage or becoming a parent. As you transition, you'll need to be deeply rooted in your beloved child identity and deploy all the Christ-like courage you can muster, because you're likely to encounter some opposition from spiritual enemies.
Speaker 1:
At one particular conference, I received a request to meet from the event manager. We'll call him Ed. I agreed. I spoke during the Saturday night session. Hundreds of students flooded to the front of the stage. I could hear scores of teenagers sobbing. Broken hearts were being mended, hope restored, that same hope I had recovered as a young man I was seeing other teens receive. Now, afterward, I listened to dozens of teens share their history, the abuse they'd suffered, the pain they'd endured and the desperate desire to transcend it. It was heart-wrenching. I prayed with them, I encouraged them, I shared my story and we cried together. These moments are some of the most precious memories of my life.
Speaker 1:
After the last student left the venue, I made my way back to the green room. I heard a knock on my door. It was Ed's assistant, reminding me that Ed, the event manager, still wanted to meet. I said yeah, I'll be right there. I didn't want to meet with Ed. I wanted to head back to my hotel and sleep. I was physically, spiritually and emotionally exhausted, but I went anyways. I entered the room.
Speaker 1:
Ed was office-ing in for the weekend. The atmosphere in the room was more drear than the hour of our meeting. It was almost midnight. Ed asked me to take a seat. I calmly replied sure, what's up? He said I need you to sign something for me. I said okay, let's take a look. He slid a white sheet of paper across the table separating us. I looked it over. It was a contract sort of.
Speaker 1:
This new contract had a dozen or so demands, all of them benefiting him and the organization he represented. Now it's them to write things down. Especially in organizations of that size and complexity, it helps make sure everyone is on the same page and that all the details and expectations are clear. Doing so up front in writing helps ensure clear communication between the hundreds of people involved and reduces confusion and potential misunderstandings later on. Most importantly, it helps preserve relationships, and that's quintessential in any partnership, especially ministry ones. We took the time and care to work through all the details months before the event so we could focus on ministering to the thousands of students attending.
Speaker 1:
In the years that I had been asked to be a part of this particular gathering, I had never been asked to sign a new agreement mid-event, and that was exactly what Ed was asking me to do that night. It was one-sided and ultimately the demands had to do with the quantity of purchases transpiring at my book table. I didn't mind sharing the proceeds from my book with the organization months earlier when they asked for a percentage of each book purchased at their event. I was glad to share and invest into the impactful work they were doing. I believed in their mission and appreciated all the work they had done in organizing the event.
Speaker 1:
My major hangup with this new contract, so to say, was that Ed and the organization were clearly breaking their word and the law and demanding that I agree to their new terms. I was a legal student at the time. I noticed what Ed had handed me was not a contract, nor met the legal criteria for one. It lacked consideration for all you legal enthusiasts. I decided not to mention this to him. Instead, I said I'm not going to sign this. We already made an agreement months ago, like we had done for years, I thought. And how you're treating me right now is bordering on harassment.
Speaker 1:
I mentally began checking off the legal factors constituting harassment under the law. His behavior was definitely unwanted check and both intending to alarm and upset. Double check. He was wandering ever more closely to the legal precipice of harassment. I decided not to mention this either. Instead I kindly said listen, I don't feel comfortable with signing this. Give me a night to sleep on it at least. I'm tired and I need to process your requests. No, he said firmly, I need you to sign this now. His repetitious pursuit and condescending tone likely constituted torment and conduct Check, and with that Ed met every legal factor for harassment, excluding intent to terrorize. But hey, I thought the night's not over. I firmly responded I'm not going to do that tonight. I need to sleep and I need some time to think. He pressed again I need you to sign this now, I thought to myself. First, this paper does not constitute a contract. Second, if I did sign this, it most likely couldn't be upheld in a court of law because his badgering had reached such an unconscionable level that a judge might render it unenforceable per me signing it under duress. Ultimately, that night, I walked away without signing Ed's new contract.
Speaker 1:
We live in a spiritual war zone and there is a very real adversary that all of us must contend with. This enemy tries to get you to agree with his lies, especially when it's darkest, when you're tired and you're at your weakest. Just like Ed did to me. Your enemy will insist that you acquiesce to his demands, immediately harassing you until you believe this is how it's going to be from now on Submit or you'll be penalized. His arguments may seem logical, rational and irrefutable at the time. But whatever you do, don't sign that contract. Your enemy will whisper lies into your mind, like he did to Jesus in the wilderness, testing Jesus would not be enslaved to Satan a system or even a close relationship.
Speaker 1:
He was coming to set the enslaved free. He couldn't do that if he was enslaved himself. He couldn't show us how to be wholehearted if he wasn't. He couldn't set humanity free to enter into the expanse of life predestined for them. If he did not walk freely into his, he would make no such agreement, whether it came through friend or fallen angel.
Speaker 1:
Now here's some really good news. When Jesus was crucified, he emancipated humanity from their slavery to sin into our enemy. Colossians 2, verse 13 through 15. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, god made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all of our sins. Having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us, he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross, and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them. By the cross, jesus forgave us all of our sins and cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness. The enemy has no more legal authority over us Now, even though Jesus, the Son, has made us free. Indeed, these outlaws.
Speaker 1:
Our enemy, our spiritual adversary, looks for discrete ways to enter into one-sided contracts with each and every one of us, just like Ed was trying to do to me. These agreements will at best limit us and at worst enslave us. But here's the good news At any moment we discover them and we decide we no longer wish to be bound by these intellectual agreements, with the enemy trying to whisper these lies, get us to sign these internal contracts in our mind, we can proclaim our allegiance to walk in accordance with Scripture, the highest law in the land. You can issue a gag order to silence the opposition and bind those enslaving spirits to the judgment Jesus Christ has for them, because Christ has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. When you come under His authority, you are then deputized to stand up to any enemy you encounter intentionally, fight back, deploy troublesome truth cunningly, counter their jabs and refuse to sign their binding agreements ever again. You must stand up to your enemy and fight. This is how we guard our heart from the enemy and his ancient strategies and become spiritually smart.
Speaker 1:
You know that night where Ed was forcing this contract on me. I was a legal student at the time and I so wish that I would have just laid a little bit of legal truth on him. I would have spoken the knowledge that I had. But many of us who know the Bible, we don't verbalize it either. We may know it, but we don't stand up to our enemy and fight. But we have been deputized. Our sin has been nailed to the cross. We are seated with Christ, which means we have the same authority he has, and Ephesians 1 tells us that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. So don't just keep that knowledge inside, but stand up to your evil spiritual enemies and declare the truth to them. Renounce any agreements you've made in the past and do not make any new agreements when they come your way. Be spiritually smart.