Revive…to activate, set in motion, or take up again, to make operative, to quicken, or renew in the mind, to reanimate or cheer…
As we end this year with our 12th Household Well habit, remember our 2022 theme verse:
Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?
Psalm 85:6
The gift of responsiveness revives the soul. There is transformative power in an obedient personal response to Jesus’ voice .
So often we think about obedience as a weight, duty, or obligation. What if we viewed it as a gift?
In fact, thinking about each of our 12 habits that we have discussed this year can and should be seen as gifts. They are habits that open us up to a fullness of the life that Jesus offers. Compassion, witness, discipling, commitment, awareness, listening, praying, rest, work, stewardship, relationships, and responsiveness…all gifts! Open them. Use them. Enjoy them.
Lord, revive our responsiveness! Revive us again O, Lord, that we might rejoice in YOU!
Throughout December we will be exploring the gift of responsiveness. For the rest of this article I would like to share one word of encouragement that I think is a key to the revival of our repsonsiveness.
Resist the Second Voice
The personal benefit we enjoy as we activate the life and presence of Jesus in the everday lies in learning to resist the “Second Voice” – that inner dialogue which tells you that you can’t do what Jesus is telling you to do – and reject its attempt to hijack the leadership and encouragement of Jesus.
Seems like such an obvious thing to say. Yet, how often do we choose to resist His instruction or encouragement because we give in to fear instead of saying YES to Jesus. Through this realization, we recognize our Second Voice (the voice of self-doubt). We also begin to see that the Second Voice is attempting to take control and convince us that what Jesus is telling us is too grandiose or unrealistic. In doing this, it can almost feel as if we are rejecting the very idea of leadership from Jesus Himself which isn’t intended! It shows just how powerful the human mind can be when trying to hold you back; but you don’t have to let it. Knowing who you are and who God is can open so many new doors… including, of course, the opportunity for greater control over your own life!
Identifying the Second Voice and rejecting it in favor of heeding Jesus’ presence and promptings doesn’t have to be a chore – make it enjoyable!
Look at every response to Jesus’ voice as an experiment, an adventure. Assume His presence, His power, His purpose, and see how it turns out.
The gift of responsiveness to Jesus is a blessing in and of itself. There are often additional blessings that we do not expect. We may find that responsiveness
1) brings us peace, or
2) guides us into an unexpected direction. Responsiveness can also allow us to
3) live in union with our Triune God
When we are presented with a prompting from Jesus that pushes us out of our comfort zone,, it’s natural for the Second Voice to try and delay our response. There is an enemy that is attempting to keep us from experiencing the fullness of life in Jesus.
If we can remember this and the amazing gifts awaiting us in the response, perhaps we can act with immediacy and courage.
After all, God so loved the world that He sent! What a response!
