Stop chasing the power

Stop Chasing the Power and Start Seeking the Presence

Are You Wearing a Bathrobe or a Uniform?

What if the very thing you've been desperately chasing is actually the thing that's keeping you from experiencing it? What if the reason so many of us feel spiritually powerless isn't that God is withholding something from us — but because we've been seeking the wrong thing entirely? Jesus had something profound to say about this, and it might just change everything.

What Jesus Told His Disciples Before He Left

After the resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples. For the first time, their eyes were truly open. They finally understood — He was the Messiah, the King of Kings. They could see Him throughout the Old Testament scriptures. They were ready to go tell the world. And then Jesus said something that stopped them in their tracks.

In Luke 24:49, Jesus tells them, "Stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

It's such a simple but profound verse. Jesus had spent all this time talking to them, preparing them. And He says this most profound thing at the end — stay in the city. Wait until you're clothed with power from on high.

He essentially told them: you've got the knowledge, your belief has been fixed, you know who I am — but you lack the power. And the only way to get this power is to learn to sit.

The Problem With Our Packed Schedules

Here's what I want you to hear. Jesus wasn't just telling them to kick back and relax. He was telling them to tarry — to rest in His presence, to learn a new way of being with God now that He was physically leaving them.

And one of the biggest things we do in the church world today is we never rest any longer. We move from one thing to another. We are on a tight schedule. We want God to move, we want revival to happen, but it's got to happen in an hour and a half — because we've got lunch plans.

The enemy is so good at packing our schedules. We can't have a Sunday night any longer. Nobody shows up because we're busy. God forbid that people came out on Wednesday nights, Monday nights, and Thursday nights, learning to sit and tarry together.

Paul points out in the book of Ephesians that first you've got to learn that you're seated with Christ, then you learn to stand, and then you learn to walk. Church, we've got to learn to sit. We've got to find these times where we rest in His presence, not only within the church body, but even in our homes, where we actually carve out time for God.

Bathrobe or Uniform — Which One Are You Wearing?

Here's where it gets real. When Jesus says we are to be clothed with power, that word "clothed" means more than just being covered or comforted. It means being shaped by what you put on.

Think about the military. When you put on the uniform, you are shaped by the uniform. There are procedures, there are things you fall into all of a sudden. It shapes how you act. You know you're a representative of something greater than yourself. You know you're fighting for a purpose and a plan.

But a lot of us have put on a comfy bathrobe instead. We say, "Holy Spirit, I need you so you can comfort me, fix my world, help my kids." And then we go to the next step and say, "Holy Spirit, I need your power."

Here's the problem with that thinking — we want the power without the relationship. We want the ability without the accountability. But Jesus says, no — when you clothe yourself with the Holy Spirit, the power will happen. Remember who you're answering to.

Stop Seeking the Power. Start Seeking the Presence.

I want to tell you about two moments that God brought to mind while preparing this message. One time, I was playing basketball and not even thinking about it — just playing — and my elbow hit the rim on a layup. Before that moment, every time I tried to dunk, I could barely touch the rim. But this time, when I wasn’t consumed with the outcome, I easily could have dunked. My teammate looked at me and said, "Why didn't you dunk that?"

Another time, I was playing golf with a buddy who'd just had back surgery. I was so focused on helping him that I wasn't even keeping my own score. I ended up shooting a 74 — the best round of my life. But the moment I found out and started thinking about it on holes 17 and 18, I bogeyed them both.

As Christians, that's our problem. We're so consumed with our outcome that we miss the power that's already there. We miss the power that comes from simply being with Him.

Jesus said, " Don't seek power. Stay in the city. Learn to be in my presence. Then I will overflow. I will fill you up with my power, and then you can go and do great things for me.

Pregnant With Possibility

At 3:30 in the morning, God woke me up and told me something I believe He wanted me to share with you. He said: "James, your church is pregnant with possibility, but they're unwilling to go into labor."

You're pregnant with possibility, but you're unwilling to go into labor. You know labor is going to hurt. You know it's going to take something out of you. And so you're unwilling to do what God has called you to do because you know it's going to cost you something.

What is it that God desires to birth in you? He's impregnated you with possibility, with life. All you have to do is go into labor. All you have to do is say, "God, here I am. Use me. Whatever it is, would you bring something great out of me?"

Putting It Into Practice

So here's my challenge for each and every one of us — I don't care how mature a saint you are:

Stop seeking the evidence and start seeking the presence. When I stopped seeking the evidence of the Holy Spirit and started seeking God Himself, it happened automatically. The power came out because the presence has come in.

Carve out real time with God. When's the last time that you took some time out of your calendar — more than a couple of seconds — and said, "God, here I am. I'm going to sit in Your presence. I'm not doing other things. I'm just staying with You."

Take off the bathrobe and put on the uniform. Ask yourself honestly — are you wearing your robe or your uniform? Have you submitted yourself to God and said, "No matter what You want to do, do it. God, would You shape me, transition me, transform me into something I wasn't before?"

Be willing to be used anywhere. If you're saved, sanctified, filled with the Holy Spirit, the power must come out — not just at church. At work, at the grocery store, at the restaurant. The Holy Spirit should be able to use you in every situation.

The God you serve does not do mediocre. He desires to find somebody who will say, "Okay, God — I know I'm not the best of the best, but if You can use a donkey, You can use me."

He's got everything we need. He's there. He's saying, "I want to fill you with my presence so that you can be useful out there." The question is — are you ready to go into labor?