Pastor Steven Furtick

I don’t know where I originally heard the term swagger jacker. I don’t think it’s technically a theological designation. But I want to sanctify it for a minute and bring it over into a ministry context.

Have you ever faced any swagger jackers in your attempt to do God’s will?
I’m identifying a swagger jacker as anyone who tries to back you down from doing what you know God has told you to do. There are plenty of swagger jackers exposed in the pages of the Bible. They make a lot of noise. They inflict a lot of pain. But they simply can’t stop the purposes of God-if God’s servants stay focused on God’s will.

The swagger jackers laughed at Noah for building a boat to prepare for a flood before anyone had ever seen rain. They weren’t laughing on day 40 of the storm.
Joseph’s swagger jacker brothers threw him in a pit. But they couldn’t keep him from rising to a position of prominence in the palace-and ultimately saving their lives despite themselves.
Nehemiah faced swagger jackers like Sanballat. They insisted he halt the work of the Lord and come down off the wall. He stayed on the wall and finished the work.

And so on. You see the point.

I’ve seen too many men and women of God stripped of their courage by swagger jacking critics, haters, and generally negative or mediocre people.

Keep building your boat.
Stay faithful in the prison.
Remain on the wall.

Don’t concede your confidence in Christ. No one can take away your swagger if your swagger is rooted in Jesus-powered by grace-activated by faith.

I read a post by Seth Godin in 2005 about how smart companies make new rules.  It was all about redefining markets and challenging the status quo.
I never forgot it.

It got me thinking about different approaches to the Christian life:
you can either keep the rules, break the rules, or make the rules.

Most people associate Christianity with keeping the rules.  Don’t murder or commit adultery; do serve & give to the poor…etc.
Of course, God’s laws are perfect, and His principles should be honored.
But Christianity is so much more than a set of rules to keep.
Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law.  We live by grace, through faith.
When you try to be a rule keeping kind of Christian, you always come up short, and will probably eventually burn out.  You’ll also miss the essence of the Gospel.

Some people opt to reject God’s Word altogether and break the rules.
We’ve all seen people who profess to be Christians drift off into rebellious, sinful, destructive behavior.  Sometimes they even justify their loose living by claiming that they’re expressing their freedom in Christ.  Of course, this is nonsense.  How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?  Carnality is the worst form of bondage-and the furthest thing from freedom.

I believe Jesus came to make the rules.  New rules.  To upgrade our paradigms and renovate our hearts in His image.  Jesus redefined religion.  And those who follow Him should be a part of creating and exemplifying this new standard to the world.

Some people keep the rules.
Others end up breaking themselves against the rules.
True followers of Jesus make the rules…set the standard, and change the world.

-Pray out loud.
-Write your prayer out.
-Read your Bible out loud.  Start here.
-Apologize to someone.  Even if it’s not primarily your fault.
-Talk to someone you trust.  If you don’t have someone, hire a professional.
-Rest.
-Exercise.
-Start eating better.
-Drive around listening to a sermon.
-Turn up some worship music really loud.  Shut the door.  Sing along.
-Go back and do the thing you know you were supposed to do.
-Get organized.
-Repent.
-Encourage somebody who would never expect it.
-Get back in church.  Serve somewhere.
-Quit complaining.
-Go on a date with your wife.
-Tell somebody thank you.
-Give some money away.
-Call on the name of Jesus.
-Remember how far He’s brought you.
-Realize that He’ll never ever leave you.

Just a few ideas to get you started.

You can take it from here…

Ephesians 3:20 is one of my all time favorite verses:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…

That’s a hot one right there.  An astonishing promise.  God can do so much more than what you’re expecting.  His performance isn’t limited to the confines of your imagination.  The implications of this statement are hard to believe…but simple to understand.  It’s a straightforward fact:
The wildest dreams you can conceive don’t even compare to the endless power of God.

I must have quoted that verse hundreds of times.  And every time I do, I kind of interpret it this way:
God wants to give me more of whatever I’m asking for.
If I ask for a certain level of provision, He can exceed what I need and give me even more provision.
If I ask for favor with a certain person, He can give me even more favor than I asked for with that person.

But I’ve learned that sometimes God doesn’t bless you with more of the thing you asked for.

Instead, He blesses you with something completely different.  He rewards you with a different kind of currency.  He switches the category altogether.  Sometimes the way God exceeds our expectations isn’t by giving us more of what we think we need…He gives us something that He knows we need even more.  Instead of repairing the thing that’s broken, He gives you brand new equipment.

In other words, sometimes the immeasurably more takes on a completely different form.

Instead of giving you the promotion at work, He gives you more opportunity to spend time with your family.
Instead of sending you a boyfriend, He sends you more opportunity to serve Him in your season of singleness.

Sometimes God gives you more of the same.
Sometimes He gives you something even better than that.

Be confident that whatever He gives you is the best option available.