"My Utmost for His Highest" Series

 

Interference

Hit by O.C. again! The text of John 21:20-22 gets it started:

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Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

“What is that to you?” Jesus points out that Peter should not be worried about what He had in store for John, but to only be concerned with following Christ. Chambers expresses the great evil it is to believe that we are to be “THE interference” in others’ lives. Often times it is because of this belief that we find that we are actually a hindrance to that individual’s growth and maturity. Sadly, there have been more than a few examples of me thinking I was “empowering” someone that needed my help. Instead of empowering them, I was actually causing: 1. that individual to be dependent on me, 2. pressure on myself to continue being “god” in that individual’s life, and 3. a cycle of false righteousness for myself. 

Since I do feel that God has created me to be an “ear” of the Body, and sense God does frequently bring many individuals who need to be heard and encouraged into my life, I continually need to remind myself of this. God is the transformer who has a love for that person more than I could ever imagine. Will I trust Him to do the same in others as He has done, and continues to do, in me? 

How does this look practically? Two very important things are needed: questions and prayer. I remember one of my mentors explaining to me the practicality and wisdom of utilizing questions when hearing out or supporting someone. Questions help not only you to understand more fully what is going on in someone’s life, but they also help that person process and think for themselves about what may be happening or how God is maybe speaking to them. Questions do not “tell” a person what to do, but empower someone to think more deeply about what is going on. Questions help take me out of the solution (or trying to figure out the solution) and put God in His rightful place as the Guide of their hearts and lives.

Finally, we must remember prayer. Prayer is the act of trusting God and His way in that person’s life. It is a surrender and acknowledgement that I am not God. Prayer is the thing God was calling you to do the whole time when He brought that person into your life. 

 
Alyx Burns