The Vision - Locked Up!

This past weekend I went to a prayer conference. On the first night I was there we had a time of worship before the speaker came on. As I was singing, I looked around me and noticed that almost everybody was super into the music. People's eyes were closed, their hands were raised, they were sometimes singing their own stuff, one lady blew a kiss up to Heaven and I was amazed at how how into it everybody was. It didn't seem like anybody was ashamed to be singing or ashamed to just praise God as they wanted. Watching everybody, I became jealous. Sometimes when I sing in church or other places where there is worship music, I feel awkward dancing. I may feel awkward raising my hands or doing whatever I feel in the moment. But I know this isn't because of other people...this is because of me. I fear what people will think of me. I know realistically it shouldn't matter...but I still care. At no point has anybody ever made me feel stupid for how I worship...but I still fear that somehow I will look or feel stupid.

So back to Friday evening. As I watched everybody worshiping around me with such freedom I was left jealous. Then God gave me a vision. In the vision everything was black and I could see Jesus standing in front of me. I looked down and my ankles were locked together and my wrists were locked together. I couldn't dance or lift my hands if I wanted to. I didn't like being locked up, so I asked Jesus to unlock me. He did...and then a few seconds later I was locked up again. This cycle happened a few times. Jesus would unlock me, I'd be free momentarily and then I'd be locked up again. I asked him why I was locked up again and then the vision panned out and I could see a bunch of people beside me also locked up. We were all locked up the same.  Then it hit me....I'm locked up because everybody beside me is locked up and I was choosing to be locked up just like them. Jesus wasn't locking me up and neither were the people beside me. I was choosing to be locked up because everybody beside me was locked up. We could still worship God and be with him, but we weren't free to move around. Then I looked the other way and saw a bunch of people dancing and having a great time. They were having a party. I wanted to be like them, so I asked God to unlock me again. He did, but within a few seconds I was locked up again. II'm stuck like this until I choose not to be locked up. Until I choose not to care what the other locked up people think, I will be stuck like this because of my own fault.

So the question is.....are you locked up and worshiping God or are you free to party and worship God? If you're locked up...it's because of your own choice. The people in the vision were still worshiping God, but they weren't having nearly as much fun as the people who were free.

The god of Technology

If somebody is claiming to be a Christian...they are claiming that Jesus is Lord and that he is the only true God. But why do we serve the god of technology? I'm not talking about the fact that we use technology...that is not wrong. But what is wrong is that we are slaves to technology. Think about it...

Answer these questions:

1) How many hours a day do you spend in front of a computer (not counting for school work or your job)?

2) How many hours do you spend with God...through prayer, worship and reading the Bible?

Time alone shows our hearts. I wake up and almost daily I immediately go on Facebook. Is this wrong? No. But I am doing it before I even speak to God some days. 

Again I'm not saying technology is wrong...but I'm saying my heart puts technology first. I am a slave to Facebook, email, internet games, TV, music, etc....when I should be a slave to Jesus. Maybe I should go on a technology fast... except for school work of course. 

I'm wondering how many of us REALLY spend time with God daily? If you follow somebody...you have to know them...and to know them...you have to spend time with them. Sunday church and mid-week programs is not enough. We can learn about God...but we can learn about movie stars or musicians too. I can learn about Lady Gaga in the news and I can read about her...but I will never know her. I don't want to do this with God. I don't want to know about him...I want to KNOW Him. 

The god of technology has taken over and the ironic thing is that Christians don't even know they are serving it. You're in or you're out...you can't have two masters....so choose. The God of the Bible or technology?

In or Out?

Over the past few months I have been challenged to think about my walk with God and have heard numerous times...that as a follower of Christ, you're either all in or all out. This middle ground business shouldn't exist. Yet somehow I think most of us in North America are middle ground. Comfortable. Do we actually pick up our cross daily? I don't. 


I'm wondering how many of us are just observing Christianity and signed up to be a comfortable Christian and how many of us are actual followers of Christ...because although to be a follower we need to confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead..you will be saved. But what about turning the other cheek? What about picking up your cross daily? How IN are we? I think I sit on the fence often..and I want off. I don't want to be comfortable...I don't think we're called to be comfortable. 


Time to pick up my cross. Will you follow him or will you just observe and sit on the fence. You have to choose. You can't be on the fence...you're in or you're out. The choice is yours. Don't say you're in if you're really not.