You know those seasons when you feel drained and like you are just going through the motions? Its those times when nothing is really going wrong, but you know that something is missing.
That was me a couple of months ago.
But, like an angel swooping in to save me, my buddy invited me to try this thing called Jiu-Jitsu. It sounded pretty spiritual at the time, so I went for it. Let me tell you, it was the perfect distraction from the daily grind. Until, of course, it came time to learn that my role as a white belt was to take an ass-whooping night after night.
That's where the broken ribs come in.
On a fateful night, I was paired up with an experienced blue belt; Huge dude, big bully, like 5'4, 150 pounds. I mean, this guy could take down a lion! So I tried to keep myself from being choked out again and before I knew it, the guy did some crazy Morpheus/Neo stuff put me in a deep armbar and I immediately felt a pull on my ribs!
I tried to play it off like everything was cool.
Guys, you know how that is: We could have just lost an arm and still feel the need to mention that we are “okay” and can keep going.
Nope! Not this time!
I headed off to the E.R to see what was going on, and WHAM! There it was, clear as day, an X-Ray showing two broken ribs! I spent the whole next week asking God to heal my ribs. Night after night, I was awakened by the pain and the inability to take deep breathes.
I grew so desperate for God to touch me that I began making a sort of 'pact' with God.
DON’T DO THIS AT HOME!
I began to say, "God, if you heal my ribs I will not shut up about you! I won’t shut up telling people how awesome you are and how you are a Healer."
And then the time came!
I was listening to Randy Clark usher in the Holy Spirit and I felt my expectations for an encounter grow within me. My spirit swelled with hope and faith that God would touch me that very moment. I prayed my pact again. Let me tell you, my heart was right.
But God.
In all his might and splendor spoke so gently to my heart and said,
"Son, Why have you shut up about me?
It crushed me! I felt like 4 more ribs broke and I began to cry. There I was trying to make a 'deal' with God but He so graciously inquired why I was not already declaring his goodness.
I started to beat myself up and wondered how long I had allow that to go on for? How long had I been dry? How long had I kept from declaring God's goodness to the people around me? But as I got to thinking more about it, I realized that there is NO WAY that I am the only Christian who had been there;
Feeling like I'm just going through the motions of life and needing a spiritual awakening, just to find out that the awakening was at the tip of my tongue.
That night I repented deeply and purposed to not allow the declaration of his goodness to leave me. From that place, the Reign In Life YouTube channel was born, and a devotion to encourage the body of Christ and to see this generation rise up and take hold of their identity in Christ.
So, I want to ask you these three questions;
Have you shut up about God?
Have you stopped talking about God to those at your school, work or even in your home?
Is the joy that you first felt at salvation still visible for all too see?
Brothers, I hope that this would encourage you to seek after the heart of God in a way that you haven;t before. Be encouraged by the words of the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 12. There it says:
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.