There is Power in the Name of Jesus
Sometimes I feel like I'm running on an empty tank and I don't want to "do" anything.
Literally nothing.
Sometimes, you really just want an Almond Milk Chai Latte for the road.
Sometimes, you think it's your day off so you are just not on guard.
More often than not, those are the times when the best surprises usually happen like the one I'm about to share. This event in particular reminded me that I'm not living on my own time nor am I using my own tank of gas anymore. I am here for God to be used FOR moments like this. I am completely on cruise control using God's tank of gas...He also has the wheel.
#surrendered
(Sorry for the car metaphor but it makes sense to me 😂)
I seek discipleship at my home church, Reality LA (@RealityLA). Bare with me but the restaurant below the church's office has these AMAZING baked chips ➡️ Yes, CHIPS! I actually have dreams about these specific chips because they're THAT good. So, one day after my discipleship time, I go downstairs to get some and the cashier says, "Hey, we're closing so you can have all these chips on the house." I stood there stunned about to cry of joy, thanked him, and skip hopped away munching on my free chips.
“Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them... do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
I left the office soon after for choir rehearsal but since I was early, I decided to stop for a coffee. I Yelped the nearest 4/5 star spot as any smart American would and headed there. As I approached the register to put in my order, the cashier shouts to the dude behind me saying, "Hey, you gonna buy your chips? They're $1." I figured that I got free chips earlier so I should pay it forward. I told the cashier, "I'll get his chips". The DUDE behind me says, "Oh wow! Thanks so much. Christmas came early." I said, "Haha yeah. Praise the Lord. Jesus is real." (Christmas is based on the birth of Jesus... Not. Santa. 😜)
This guy looks dead into my eyes, drops his smile, and asks if I am Christian. I nonchalantly said that I am even though inside I was exploding with excitement that he asked + You could see the tsunami that was happening within him too. His astonishment from that simple answer took over his mind, his heart, and everything in between his soul.
He said that he's been praying for me. I said, "Um, what?" Dami, the dude, tells me how he just moved to Los Angeles from Nigeria, he's living on a friend's couch, not many people are nice to him in this town (so sad), he wants to pursue acting and to see the "wonderful" lifestyle of L.A., and that his family is Christian but he hasn't found a strong relationship with the Lord yet. He then told me how he's been asking God to bring a miracle into his life as he's losing all hope. He then shouts, "And here you are! I bought these chips so I could use the coffee shop's bathroom but then you popped out of no where. You said Jesus's name out loud! No one does that! What does it mean to you to be a Christian? "
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
“Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. ”
First off, I said that we SHOULD say Jesus's name out loud more often. You never know who is listening. Secondly, for me to be Christian means that I embody the world and culture I live in but IT does not define ME.
Small example ➡️ Marijuana was legalized by law but I don't follow that law. If murder became legal by law, I am not of that world either.
The Holy Spirit gives me the wisdom to know what to do when moral rules don't provide clear answers. Whether I book an acting job or not, if a casting director approves of me or not, if I'm famous or not, if I'm wanted or not, these change nothing as I am the same in Christ today, tomorrow, and forever. God speaks truth through His word in the bible and tells me that I am enough, I am worthy, I am beloved, I am pretty, talented, and perfect in His eyes. He doesn't see me the way I see myself. I also don't see Him for who He truly is because I am human so therefore, my image of Him is broken. I also do not belong to myself because I was bought with a price (price of Jesus) so I don't live for myself anymore. It means my soul identity that is rooted in Christ is steadfast, constant, promised, and sealed for all eternity. I am a child of God inside a beautiful temple of a body that He uses as a weapon against the devil and as a light in this city. Christianity is not something I'm passionate about; this is my life and who I am. This is what it should mean to all who are Christian. Unfortunately, there are many who say they're Christian but do not have Jesus. Did that answer your question?"
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who ejects me rejects Him who sent me.” ”
When I stopped talking, Dami just stared at me. He blinked 3 times, took a deep breath, inhaled...then exhaled. He said, "You're pretty. You could use your beauty for your glory. Christian girls usually aren't pretty." I rebuked him immediately! LOLL I said, "You're about to get culturally shocked because most girls who loves Jesus in Los Angeles are stunning on the outside but what makes them radiant is their completion in Christ." I also said that any beauty he sees in my outer flesh appearance is a gift from God that He entrusts me with to use for good and not for selfishness.
Lastly, I told him this "L.A. lifestyle" you're dreaming of-- it's a [[ LIE ]]. I worked at the leading talent agency of our world and that party lifestyle, flashing lights, red carpets, fame, and fortune is momentarily satisfying but at the end of the night, it's over. Lights shut off and all rented equipment goes back into the trucks. It is not lasting or true happiness so do not fall for the lies of our billboards and the media. I told him there is nothing that can offer you more joy and freedom than Jesus Christ.
He kept rubbing his face while his eyes filled with joyful tears. He kept apologizing for not having the words to express his gratitude. I told him that there is no need to thank me- these are just truths that God wants him to know. We talked for another 15 minutes and exchanged Instagram names (@_jessicachow) and I invited him to Reality L.A. on Sunday. As he left, I grabbed my coffee and turned around to find the entire coffee shop staring at me (with a smile) as they all overheard our conversation. It was such a rewarding and satisfying moment that saying the name of Jesus, ONCE, spread through the "nation" of this coffee shop LOL! It was also the most awkward experience like, "Hee...hee...anyone have the wifi password?😬"
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ”
I sat down laughing to myself like, "Dude. God. You are hilarious. I just wanted a coffee and you chose to drop THAT on me. Thank you. Thank you for filling me up when I thought I had nothing left in me that day. Thank you for reminding me that my life is not my own. That I DELIGHT to serve You. Nothing makes me happier than watching someone's eyes light up with the Holy Spirit. Watching someone be filled up with eternal joy. Seeing chains being broken as they allow God to soften their hearts. There is POWER in the name of Jesus!!"
Dami showed up at Reality L.A. on Sunday and plugged right into a community group through some friends I introduced him too. Ain't that just any evangelists Cinderella story. May we continue to trust in Jesus's name by speaking it boldly even if it doesn't make sense. God's way is not our way. He doesn't make sense to us more often than so. A Christian life does not make sense. No one wants to swim against the stream. No one wants to be executed when proclaiming Christ. I'm sure Jesus didn't want to go to the cross either. But He did it for us and because His faith is perfect.
For those of you who don't know Him, clearly, there is something deeper that is beyond our understanding that drives us to rebel against our world with joy, peace, and confidence that He LIVES. May that stir you up today. =)
Thanks for reading guys!! I'll post more of these testimony moments if you "liked" this. Please click LIKE below if so!! I didn't realize how much it encourages many of you when I told people this story verbally so thank you for letting me know.
All the power comes from Him, is of Him, and IS Him. Praise. Da. Lawd. 🙌🏼
Photo Credit: Kat Hennessey! Check out her Instagram @kathennessey <3
