Which Jesus Do YOU Want?

I've seen a good number of Facebook posts by Christians lately that talk about a Jesus I don't recognize. These posts include wording like:




God can't use you until He hurts you.
God can't change your life until you cooperate.
God can't use your life or heal your grief until you get an attitude adjustment.

This is spiritual abuse. If someone is teaching this to you, they are spiritually abusing you and their theology is messed up. They are practicing Secular Humanism and have allowed this to replace their perception of Who God is.

News flash: Jesus is not keeping a score card of our wrongs and 

withholding His grace in light of them. 

There are a few scenes in Scripture that fly in the very face of those who say, "God can't," because they show that God did. He did exactly what those people say He "cannot" do. Today, I want to walk you through one of these scenes.

In John 4:46-54, the Bible tells us how Jesus went back to Cana of Galilee and there met a nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. He heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, so he went to him and begged him to "come down and heal" his son because his son was at the point of death.

Jesus responded, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."

Then the nobleman did something completely unexpected and something that surely the ones who give us the above "warnings" about what God "cannot" do would take issue with. He ordered Jesus to "come down before my son dies!"

Did you get that? He ordered Jesus. The words he uses, "come down" are used as an imperative; they are not a request, they are an order.

Well, clearly this man needs an attitude adjustment. Clearly, God can't do one thing for him with that bossy attitude. The nerve of this guy!

But, wait, what happened? Jesus said, "Go your way, your son lives."

Then, that nobleman did two of the most amazing things. This bossy dude with an attitude of authority, #1 believed what Jesus said and #2 did what Jesus said to do and went his way. One of his servants met him on the way and told him his son lives. And he verified the time in which his son got better and found it to be when Jesus spoke to him. Scripture tells us, "He, himself believed and his whole household."

Now, which Jesus do you want? Do you want the "one" who is taught to have limitations put on him by humans and their attitudes? Or, do you want the ONE Who is the GREAT I AM and can do anything with anyone at any time?

You do not have to put up with spiritual abuse. 

You do not have to listen to people who promote this nonsense. 

Stop listening to them. 

Stop buying their books. 

Stop going to their speaking engagements. 

Cling to Jesus, the very Author and Finisher of your faith. 

Listen to no one who slanders His character.

When we get over ourselves and realize we have nothing to praise ourselves for, we will not be falsely representing ourselves when we sing our hymns of praise. If we have to adjust our attitude before our God can act in our lives, we are doomed because as soon as we "adjust" our attitude, we are lifted up with pride in the accomplishment. Don't you know it's His work in our lives that adjusts our attitude anyway? Don't you know that without Him you cannot so much as breathe, let alone adjust your attitude? 

When people tell you "God can't," realize God already did.

~Tricia