All-In with Jesus: How to Tell

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Last time we looked at six signs if you are living a partially-consecrated life with Jesus. The fence-riding halfway life which ends up in a regrettable place.  link

This time, we’ll look at four practical signs of living a consecrated life; all in with Jesus.

God is jealous. He wants all of you and me; no halfway anything. Recently, a friend and I were discussing what living all-in for Jesus looks like. He mentioned the word fervor; and intense passionate burning emotion. Zeal. Granted, no one lives in a condition of what I’ll call rock concert energy all day. We’re not talking about that. We’re talking about an underlying drive to know and experience the presence of God in all of life.

Consecration has religious connotations. Synonyms include: dedication, devotion, allegiance.

Here are four signs of a consecrated life.

1. Allegiance, not just belief.  The Bible says that the demons believe in God and shudder. Belief can be relegated to the mind. I can ascend to the mental cognition of who Jesus is. I can believe that he was crucified, buried and rose again and that such took care of the legal obligations of my sin. But, such belief does not save.  

Allegiance is an all-in loyalty. It’s Jesus always and ever. If a philosophy or other religion or a person demands my allegiance, I refuse; even if it costs me my life.  “We would rather obey God than man.” Peter once said. 

Allegiance speaks to character. A sense of constancy. A willingness to experience the presence of Jesus 24/7. There is no place or situation where you are going to turn your back on Jesus. 

2. Morality decisions shift.  Your moral compass begins to shift to the True North; Jesus. Whereas you may have fudged the books a bit to make your reports look good, your conscience isn’t comfortable with that anymore.

The other day, a musician-friend and I were talking about his cash receipts from concerts and how to report them on his taxes. “I want to be ethical and moral about all of this, but do I have to report every dime?” Deep down, he wants to honor Jesus in how he conducts the business-side of his musical life. He saw where the tax brackets were hitting him hard. As he admitted, the tension to not report it all was tempting.  In the end, we discussed how living with a morality that reflects Jesus is a far better place to be, even if you have to “render to Caesar” more than you’d like to. 

A young unmarried couple who love Jesus decided to move-in together “to save money.”  “We won’t have sex!” he assured me. It didn’t take long and they were sharing the bed. A few months later, he felt convicted over them having sex. To make things right, they got married. In 1 Corinthians 7, we’re told that if we burn with passion, it’s better to marry than to struggle with lack of self-control. The distance from the couch to the bedroom was about 15 feet. God captured both of their hearts and morally decided the right way to handle things was to get married. Now, they are sharing the same bed and are growing in how to love each other the way Jesus loves.

3.Priorities get reordered. Have you noticed how many retail stores are changing how they route customers to the registers?  Instead of multiple lines, they now have one long serpentine queue stocked with hundred if not thousands of last minute impulse buy products; frankly stuff none of us need. 

Instant gratification is a priority killer. How many times have I picked up my phone to send a message to a friend only to succumb to a series of reels?  20 minutes later, I put the phone down forgetting all about the message I was to send. 

When we are all-in with Jesus, our priorities shift. Things that build deeper friendships, strengthen my character, cultivating priorities that align with what Jesus valued. My Spotify list reflects my values. So does my calendar and my bank account. 

Years ago, I read a book entitled “Your Finances in Changing Times” by Larry Burkett. As a 25 year old Jesus-follower, I was figuring out how to manage a budget on my own. God used that book to do a radical shift in how I viewed money. I was called by God to steward what He blessed me with, not hoard it or spend it on myself. 

When you are all-in with Jesus, your priorities get reordered.

4.We become attentive to God. There’s a collection of books I’ve read over the past several years that center on hearing God. Dallas Willard’s “Hearing God” book is a phenomenal read on the various ways we can be attentive to God throughout the day. A “random” word of courage from a friend. An unexpected discount on a purchase. Sensing the Holy Spirit calm your anxieties over an upcoming surgery. 

Another book is by South African author Trevor Hudson. “In Search of God’s Will” . Learning to slow down, pause and hear God speaking in His Word and in the circumstances around you.

Two other books that have helped me become attentive to God are “The Familar Stranger” by Tyler Staton and “How to Hear God- A Simple Guide for Normal People” by Peter Greig. Both hone in on discernment and the way to have a conversational relationship with Jesus.

John Eldredge of Wild at Heart calls it “becoming ordinary mystics” .

Before you conclude that being all-in with Jesus means you have to read a lot of books, the key is as you are anchored in the Word, you ask God to open your eyes to how He is working in and around you.  “Jesus, help me see you today.”

Like working out at the gym, your spiritual muscles will strengthen as you practice these four signs of being all-in with Jesus.

One final word.  All-in with Jesus is a process. You don’t become all-in on day one of your spiritual journey. However, as you keep walking with Jesus, like the couple on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-35), you will find your “heart burning” with an ever deepening passion for Him.

Warrior On!

MW Editor’s Note:  Need help figuring out what being all-in with Jesus looks like for your life?  Reach out to us at info@mentoring-warriors.com