He said to them, ’This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting’ —Mark 9:29

The disciples wanted to cast out the demon but they were unable. What I must remember is that God is not interested in me doing something flashy or spectacular in His name. What Christ is most focused on is my personal relationship with Him. My relationship with Christ will determine my relationship with every other thing, including the spiritual realm of dealing with temptation and the evil one.

Power to overcome anything will not be found in myself or the disciplines of life but solely on the power of Christ in me which only flows out of my relationship with Christ. Jesus Christ is glorified when He is the main subject of my life, not my own perfection, power over demons, or performance of some great deed. When Christ is first and foremost, there is no need to seek out things to do in Christ’s name, those things will come about naturally and Christ will be exalted.

Christ is to be the main concern in my life and I need to fight with all that is in me to keep it that way. I need to clear the path, rid myself of anything that comes between me and Him. Whatever is blocking the path or flow, has to go. Bring it all to Christ. Don’t hide it, ignore it, or pretend you have the power over it. Only Christ can give you strength to move through it.

Learning to soar as an eagle and learning to walk as a man are both important for the Christian. I have to be able to do both. However there will be much more time spent walking than soaring. Therefore, learning to walk with endurance, patience and steadfastness is vitally important. The valleys of life are humble times and filled with “ordinary” things. Though we would all like to live in the elated states of mountaintop experiences, I have to recognize this is not the way God has set things up. God wants me to face things as they come, as they are, not as how I wish they were. I cannot do anything apart from Christ and my future is in His hands. I have to learn to face anything and everything in the reality of Christ in me and His Presence with me. As I do, I will experience God and there is no greater experience , regardless of soaring heights or walking valleys.

For more on this topic, read My Utmost For His Highest