Downshift

We are entering a time when there will be great acceleration in the gifts and ministries God has given. This means you! God is getting His people ready to do some powerful things in the earth. However, there may need to be a downshifting first. In a vehicle, downshifting is necessary if you are in too high of a gear for your speed. When this happens, the car sputters and stalls. This can be very frustrating. Especially if you really want to go somewhere! Do you feel as if there has been some sputtering and stalling out in your life and call? You might need to downshift.

Downshifting means you pull back from doing things. You slow down. Oftentimes, we get so excited about what God has called us to, and rightly so, but we try to go out and do everything all at once. We know we're supposed to be flying down our life's road at 80 mph, but we keep stalling out! What's happening is that we're trying to do it in our own strength. We have great motivation to do what we're called, but we don't have the power of God backing us. We need to slow down, get into His presence, and allow ourselves to be driven and empowered by Him.

You may have a great desire to move in a higher gear of the Spirit, but take the time to sit before the Lord so you can become motivated, driven, and led by Him. Get rid of all the attempts to self-accelerate. You might have great ideas and plans, but you'll stall out if they are not in alignment with the heart of God. Be led and driven by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness (Mark 1:12). We need to allow ourselves to be driven, led, and motivated by the Spirit of God. It's great that we have desire and passion to do what we're called to do, but we also need His drive in order for us to accomplish what we need to. If we are so stubborn that we keep trying to accelerate while in too high of a gear, we will encounter failure over and over again.

Think of it as the speed you are going is the motivation and passion of your call. You are called to do a certain thing, at a certain speed so to speak. The gear you are operating in is like the motivation and passion of God. If your speed is not in sync with His gear then it won't work. You'll stall out. If you're trying to fly forward without the heart and passion of God driving you, then you won't have His power backing you. This really is a good thing because without His heart and power motivating you, you could be dangerous.

However, once you align your passion and call with His heart and nature, then you can accelerate quickly. You will be able to shift gears at the proper time, your speed in alignment with the heart and power of God. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). The Spirit of God and power of God always go together. The fruit of the Spirit reveal God's nature (Galatians 5:22-23). Because Jesus had the Holy Spirit, He had the heart of God, His character. Along with that came the power, and He was able to go about and "do" what He was called to do.

Line up the passion for your call with the nature and character of the Spirit, and you'll have the necessary power to fulfill your ministry. You'll be in proper sync and timing, and will accelerate at just the right time without the frustrating process of stalling out!