Are You Naked?

Are you naked? was written by Tom Crandall. Tom is one the New Revolutionaries I have recently written about. I believe you will find this article to have the authenticity of the Holy Spirit.

In a day when so many leaders are chasing popularity and seeking to build a crowd with worldly methods it is refreshing to find those, like Tom, who have the heart of the Father, the mind of Christ and the Power of the Spirit. The proclamation of the Gospel and the Lord Jesus who is the King of the universe are without compromise in Tom's ministry.

May God reveal his message to this generation through these New Revolutionaries with His authority and power to a generation caught in the whirlwind of spiritual darkness, confusion, false god's, phony promises and false hope!
________________________________________________
Are you naked?
“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” -Adam. Have you ever felt vulnerable and exposed to the point that all you wanted to do is run and hid? I have, more times than I am willing to admit. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world!! You feel like everybody is looking at you and at that moment all the things you wish you could change scream at you; insecurities, secret sins, failures. The masks come off. I’m sure what Adam and Eve experienced that day in the Garden of Eden was very similar. “Oh no its God, hurry quickly under the bush, he won’t find us there! We’ll be covered.” Truth be known, that feeling that feels like a lightning bolt going through your subconscious telling you your missing something can be one of your best friends. After all, who wants to be naked and exposed before other people? Can you imagine (please don’t) if your neighbor walked out of their comfortable abode to get the news paper one morning with nothing but starbucks in hand! AAAHHH! Though most of us would make a mad dash for our front door, a good neighbor would scream on their way in, “you’re missing something!!” As funny as this sounds our walk with God can be very similar. This is why I am so thankful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

He is my most faithful partner in life. He let’s me know when I leave the house having forgot to put my pants on. I can honestly say that my greatest fear in life is no longer being rejected by people, preaching a bad message or looking bad because of a decision I made; it’s being naked, and I’m not talking about leaving the house having forgot my shirt, but leaving the house or doing anything for that matter not clothed in the manifest presence of God! Spiritual nakedness can come from eating the fruit of bitterness and unforgiveness, a critical spirit and judgmental attitude, or just being to busy for God. Remember the seven sons’ of Sceva from Acts 19? They approached demon possessed people and tried to do spiritual things with out having their own spiritual power but rather attempting to operate in someone else’s, can I say again they were naked; with out the presence of God they got beat up so bad that they left physically naked and bleeding from such a bad beating.

For me, the simplest thing such as loving a little child to mowing the lawn I need to make sure that I am clothed in the presence of God, and not showing the world that it’s ok to go shirtless. Adam and Eve were so use to being clothed in the presence of God that when it was gone, they freaked out. It wasn’t until God came and made the first animal sacrifice to cover their nakedness with the skins of an animal that they felt comfortable again. Jesus Christ has paid our price to be clothed or wrapped in his presence. His blood has provided us with the opportunity to put our clothes back on. Do you freak out and get as scared as I do when you’re to busy to get fully dressed in the morning, or are you in the habit of walking in spiritual nakedness.

The army of Israel was petrified of one man named Goliath because they were naked, but little scrawny David hit this giant trained warrior with a rock and cut his head off because he was wearing the right clothes! So the next time you get intimidated, or a friend tells you “you’re missing something,” get clothed in the power of God and you will stand with a confidence that is not in your own flesh but is in the presence of the one who spoke the world into existence with a simple word. Are you naked?

Tom Crandall
http://www.collidemovement.com/
BIO:

Pastor Tom Crandall serves as the Youth & Young Adult Pastor of Mountain View Christian Assembly, Sandy. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, he has a background in Evangelism & Outreach, Youth, and Young Adults. After having a radical encounter with God in the fall of '95, his pursuit has been to know Jesus Christ and to see others have a divine encounter with the Lord. Soon after his salvation experience, he felt the call of God on his life and attended the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry in Pensacola, Florida, from '97 to '99, where he received his Associates Degree in Practical Ministry. There he met his wife, Leslie, and they were soon married September 11, 1999. Since then, they have been on staff at churches in Texas and Ohio where they served with passion and love. Their heartbeat is to see the lost transformed by the love of Christ and the Church revived and walking in the character and power God has called her to. They reside in Salt Lake City, Utah, and have two incredible kids name Joel and Adelyn