Tuesday

Healthy Dissatisfaction



I recently started a message out by stating some things that I was unwilling to settle for. My message was about heavens government and its impact on how we as the local church express the kingdom of God here on earth. When we believe that the kingdom of God is being established today on earth, it changes what we can believe is possible. I speak with a lot of passion and conviction when sharing on this topic because Ive experienced many diluted or mediocre forms of Christianity … and I know there is more. These past experiences created a dissatisfaction in my heart that, for many years, I thought needed to be suppressed and just tolerated. As Ive grown in maturity as a believer, Ive found that God has given me these healthy dissatisfactions – to push me to not simply tear down what I saw, but to push into the unseen. When such passion is channeled appropriately, it can be a catalyst for radical transformation. Criticism, negativity and dishonor bring confusion, but pursuing love, excellence and honor creates a momentum that defies odds and makes comfortable things tremble. This healthy dissatisfaction has pushed me to take the greatest risks of my life, and its yielding the greatest season of my life. Its become one that has defined Melissa and me.  

Heaven and earths beautiful dance

Life can only come out of this tension of dissatisfaction when we have a foundation of knowing Gods design for mankind. Much of Western thought is based off a Greek value system of believing that deities were exclusively good, enlightened, and the earth as well as its inhabitants were inherently evil. While the curse of sin is real, we weren’t made in its image, and it has no authority over our lives that we didn’t give in the first place. When we accept Father’s love and profess Christ as the messiah who rose from the dead, we eliminate the authority of Hades over our life. This restoration is heaven and earth being reunited. What becomes possible when heaven begins to interact with earth? It creates big questions that require the leading of the Holy Spirit to walk out. I love the picture of a husband and wife dancing as partners the waltz or tango. Theres a tension needed in the hands, arms and shoulders when dancing together that allows for leading and communication. It creates momentum to spin or push out for a moment of beauty. Jesus communicated this tension in His prayer to Father when He said, On earth as it is in heaven.” They are meant to be one, and we get to live in the tension of allowing heaven to lead us in all we do. Beauty is found in the embrace of this tension of now and not yet.  

Changing our perspective

We live in this tension every day. We have decisions to make about whether we will settle with what is being decided around us, or if we will push into a higher perspective and believe for greater things. Ive decided to believe in greater things, and Im seeing them all the time. What is the determining factor in what you believe is possible? Do we just believe what weve been told? What we heard in psychology classes 10 years ago? Or, are we willing to accept that what God says is possible really is? We can either have a common worldview, or we can have a kingdom view. If earth is to be as heaven is, it demands the question what is heaven's culture like? What does a kingdom with King Jesus on the throne actually look like? It definitely looks like something.  

This is the beginning of a point of no return.  

If you study scripture and see the 85 plus times Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God interacting with earth, it starts to build a longing in your heart for the unthinkable. It starts to demand transformation on levels only possible if God were present, and guess what He is. Through us. Many have created small views of God because they are waiting for Him to come down and do His Im God and Im in control, so get out of my waything, but thats not His plan. His plan is you. Just you. Jesus was the example, and we are the ambassadors of this example of reconciliation of the whole earth to Himself. When you believe Jesus’ words, you begin to have a healthy dissatisfaction with what you currently know and begin to be willing to jump into the unknown. The unknown of radical love, endless peace, unspeakable joy and relentless hope. It’s the realm of embracing mystery, miracles and immediate breakthrough that always ends with, It could have only been God. The more I realize who God is and what His design for me actually looks like, the more l lay my life down to see His reality become my own. This is what I say yes to and is indeed good news. Hopefully Ill never be satisfied …