#2 The Future is Now
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
When I look around at the body of Christ, I see so many believers who feel stuck. They’re waiting for something — waiting for God to speak, waiting for circumstances to align, waiting for someone in authority to give them permission. But here’s what I said in this message: “You think you’re waiting on God, God’s waiting on you.”
The future is not some distant, far-off moment when everything lines up perfectly. The future is now. God has already equipped us, empowered us, and called us to move. The only question is, will we step out?
The Spirit That Raised Jesus Dwells in You
Romans 8:11 declares, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Think about that. Jesus was in the grave, cut off, dead, and God’s Spirit reached into death itself and pulled Him back to life. That same Spirit now lives in you.
I said it this way: “That same spirit that raised Him from the dead dwells in you. He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your physical body.”
Do you feel the weight of that? This means you don’t lack anything. You’re not waiting on more of God. “The Spirit of the living God dwells in you in fullness. You lack nothing.”
So if the Spirit that conquered sin and death is already in you, why are you still waiting?
The Misunderstanding of Waiting
A lot of us have been conditioned by church culture to wait. Wait for revival. Wait for a sign. Wait for God to drop specific instructions into our laps. Or worse, wait for someone else’s vision to play out before we feel like we can step into our own.
But here’s the reality: signs are not meant to direct you, they’re meant to confirm what God has already placed inside of you. I gave the illustration of a road trip: “If you know you want to go to Birmingham and you start driving that direction and you see a sign that says this way to Birmingham, you already know you’re going. A sign doesn’t make the decision for you. It just confirms it.”
Too many of us are wandering around looking for a sign to tell us where to go. That’s backwards. God has given you a new heart, and His Spirit is united with yours. You already have inward direction. Signs simply affirm what you’ve already chosen to walk out.
Freedom and Responsibility
Here’s the paradox: You don’t need anyone to tell you who you are in Christ, but you deeply need community. No one has spiritual authority over you, yet we desperately need each other for discipleship, encouragement, and sharpening.
“It’s such a huge misunderstanding in the body of Christ today to think that any person, man or woman, has authority spiritually over you because they don’t.”
That doesn’t mean we live like “Lone Rangers.” I even joked, “Do you kids know who Lone Ranger is?” The truth is, we need each other. But we need each other in a healthy way. Your role is just as important as anyone else’s. In Christ, there are no ranks — just different functions that make up one body.
So don’t wait around for someone else to tell you who you are. Know who you are in Christ, find a place to express that vision, and move forward.
Making a Decision and Trusting God
Scripture is clear: God is not blocking us from moving. He’s partnering with us as we go.
Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” What does He bring to pass? Your way. Proverbs 16:3 adds, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” And verse 9 echoes, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Here’s how I put it: “God is not standing in your path to block you. He’s standing beside you, asking, ‘Where do you want to go?’ And when you answer, He says, ‘Alright, here’s how.’”
That’s why I challenged us: “You think you’re waiting on God, God’s waiting on you.”
Even if you take a step that isn’t perfect, God can redirect. “A ship tied to the dock is not going anywhere. But if it sets out, even if it goes in the wrong direction, you just course correct, set the sail, the wind blows and then you go.” In other words, moving is better than staying stuck.
Wisdom for the How, Not Just the What
Many of us are asking, “God, what do you want me to do?” But often, God is more interested in showing us how to do what’s already in our hearts. Proverbs 2:2 says, “If you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding…”
Wisdom is not more information. Wisdom is application. I said it this way: “Wisdom manifested from God by His Spirit in your heart and in your mind oftentimes feels like your own thoughts. It feels like intuition.”
That’s why Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts. God gave us new hearts at salvation, hearts that can naturally follow Him. But we must direct our hearts, not simply follow them blindly. As I explained: “We’ve mysticized hearing God to sound like booming Old Covenant prophecy. But you’re one with God. You have the mind of Christ. His Spirit dwells in you. It’s perfectly natural for your thoughts to be in alignment with God’s thoughts in and through you.”
Practical Application
So let me make this really practical. Here are a few questions I asked in the message, and I encourage you to ask them of yourself today:
Who am I in Christ apart from my job, relationships, or church role?
Am I waiting for someone else to tell me what to do?
Do I believe I can make plans that God will help me establish?
What do I want to do?
What are my next three steps?
If you’re waiting on God to make everything clear before you move, you’ll be waiting a long time. But if you know who you are in Christ, and you’re willing to step out in faith, God promises to direct your steps and establish your plans.
The Call to Action
This isn’t about arrogance, it’s about humility. Humility is agreeing with God about who you are. “The most humble thing you can do is to honestly stand before the Father and say, ‘I am the righteousness of God in Christ.’”
So don’t bury your gifts. Don’t hide behind excuses. Don’t wait for some distant future. The future is now. The Spirit of God lives in you, you are equipped, you are empowered, and you are free to move forward.
“It’s not too late and you’re not too old and you’re not too broke… We’re the body of Christ. Let’s be it.”
