What Impresses You?

God gave me a message to share today.

For the last few days, He's been asking me a simple question: "What impresses you?" He followed it up with:

"Because what impresses you is what you will copy."

I've always loved to observe, but never knew why. Now, most of what God has me do is just watch people. He wants me to notice the things He notices and see things the way He see them.

Lately, what God has had me notice is what we, followers of Jesus, find impressive.

I love seeing people do big things for God. In fact, one of the things He's repeatedly told me is that He wants His children to think big and be not satisfied with living permanently with lesser versions of the vision or instructions He's given them.

He doesn't want us to despise small beginnings, but also does not want us to get too comfortable on the lower rungs of the ladder He's called us to climb.

That said, today He asked me, "What impresses you?" and I immediately thought of my favorite people who are climbing quickly and making big moves, the ones I admire. Then He showed me the face of someone much lesser known and how beautiful this person is to Him.

He let me see the heart of that person as it reflected their face: their gentleness, their kindness, their peace, their love, and I realized that this person embodied all of the fruits of the Spirit.

I saw His countenance, His light, shining on this person like the sun. He was and is pleased.

This person isn't loud. There is no showy-ness. I know this person to be a faithful, humble Christian who impacts thousands of people's lives every day, but with almost no pomp and circumstance.

The main thing on display is the fruit of the Spirit as clear as day.

Galatians 22 lays out the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

As a child, I saw a lot of religion but no power, so I was drawn to manifestations of the Spirit as an adult. They dazzled me. Finally, I had proof that God is alive and real.

But without realizing it, over the years I began to equate manifestations of God’s power to spiritual rightness in a person. I saw power as proof of God's approval of a person's life.

While Jesus came to give us authority to tread snakes and scorpions, and do great things for Him, influence is not a fruit of the Spirit.

The Word works. The name of Jesus works even in the mouths of compromised leaders because of who He is not because of who they are.

We have seen leaders of great ministries fall. Secrets get exposed. But under these ministries many were saved, delivered, millions raised, and cities changed. How? Because the Word is powerful and alive all on its own.

It's easy to ascribe the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, and the power of Jesus to a human person when one sees them wield the sword of the Spirit, but when God asked me, "What impresses you?" He wanted me to be careful when it comes to how I lift up human beings.

In 1 Samuel 10, Saul was declared king and prophesying. By 1 Samuel 15, his kingship was in its final chapters.

"What impresses you is what you will copy."

Have you noticed that people behave exactly like their spiritual mothers and fathers? You can tell what ministry a person was saved under and follows based on how they act and treat other people.

Would Jesus be proud of how you treat people? Not just people who can do something for you, but the least among us?

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' " -Matthew 25:37-40

The line between honor and idolatry can be very thin at times.

"What impresses you?"

Be sure that what impresses you in a person, what you look for to know where they stand with God is the fruit of the Spirit and not simply influence or charm.

The verse He gave me is from Matthew 7:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’"

Matthew 7: 21-23

As followers of Jesus, we are not looking for celebrity believers. It is better that we find men and women who embody the qualities of Christ and mature fruit of the Spirit along with manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

"What impresses you?"

Is it what impresses God?

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

There is a call going out in the Spirit to re-establish the love of holiness.

There is a call in the Spirit that will see the fruit of the Spirit being honored in Jesus' church alongside powerful manifestations of the Holy Spirit again.

We can be enthusiastic and excited about the magnitude of what God is doing in this hour and still look like Jesus.

When I came to faith it was because I had an encounter with Christ. I didn't see His face. He stood behind me. I could feel both His power, His undeniable King-above-all-Kings power alongside this gentle, humble love.

It was so incredibly unique and life-changing because in this world, power and humility are rarely side by side. But in God's kingdom, it's those very qualities that led Jesus to the cross for us.

We can retain His heart and His ways.

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29

"Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you." 2 Corinthians 10:1

It is Jesus who we will stand before one day, not a celebrity Christian.

It is good to have spiritual mothers and fathers. Look for the fruit. Look for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Look for holiness.

"Be holy, for I am holy." Leviticus 11:44

"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

Jesus loves you.

<3 Bunmi