by Aaron Davis
This is not simply about talent; there are a lot of people who have multiple talents. It’s about understanding who God created you to be and then being comfortable with filling that lane.
OPERATING IN YOUR SWEET SPOT
Early on in ministry, my aspirations were to be a worship leader and evangelist. For years, I played whatever instrument was lacking on the worship team, sang backup vocals, and led worship. I enjoyed it, but in my thirties I realized that while worship is something I enjoy and a personal passion, it is not part of what I am called to be in the body of Christ. It’s not my lane.
As a result, I’ve taken the time that I used to practice music and focused that time on things that are more directly tied to what God has called me to contribute to the world. I spend my time now reading, studying, and writing books, where I used to apply it to writing music, practicing the latest worship songs on the piano, and trying to better myself in a field that was enjoyable but would never be my primary position in the body of Christ.
In Jim Collins’s book, Good to Great, this is referred to as the “hedgehog concept,” where you simply recognize what it is that you do better than everything else (or in this case, what you are purposed to do in the kingdom) and focus on that.
As was the case in my life, this can sometimes take years of trial and error to actually discover. In my twenties, no one could’ve convinced me that I would one day travel the world as a worship leader, but eventually I came to an understanding of what my lane was and pursued it with intentionality.
Mark Twain said it this way: “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” I think sometimes our calling or gift is discovered through experience, and sometimes it is revealed by God in a moment of clarity. But most of the time, I think it is a combination of both.
If everything in creation and what we know of nature has an interdependent reliance upon other created pieces, why would man be any different? And this is why I think it is so necessary to acknowledge that when we seek first the kingdom of God, it’s in full recognition of the fact that God created people with diverse talents and gifts, intentionally for their contribution to the establishment of His kingdom on the earth. And as a result, each person is fulfilled in his own level of contribution to the establishment of the kingdom of God through his own exercise of individuality and authority. In this kingdom environment, everyone has something to offer and everyone has something to learn from each other.
An inescapable biblical reality is that we have all been commissioned by the same Christ to fulfill our part in establishing, governing, and advancing His kingdom, and I can’t help but consider the weight of the responsibility behind that commission, in spite of our differences. In the end, the advancement of this kingdom is a ship so much bigger than any one of us.
COMMISSIONED
During my tenure on the SWAT team, there were a couple of guys who did not like me. Truth be told, I wasn’t their biggest fan either. One guy in particular was especially difficult. It was a combination of conflicting personality differences coupled with what I think, on his part, was some jealousy over favor, promotion, and positioning that he probably thought I didn’t earn or deserve. As a result, there were some emotional words exchanged over our differences, and quite honestly, in the end, there was little if any resolution.
It went beyond an agree-to-disagree situation. It was an environment where not communicating was healthier than the alternative. But in the end, we were on the same SWAT team, and when we received our call to fulfill our duties, we were both resolved to put our differences aside, gear up, and go into battle together. When we strapped on ceramic-plate-filled bulletproof vests (designed to take high-velocity rounds), put on gas masks and all-black uniforms, and sat in that SWAT van loading our machine guns, we weren’t thinking about what we didn’t like about each other. There was a threat out there to our community, and our commission was bigger than our differences. If we didn’t function as a team, lives hung in the balance.
In those moments when we stormed into a building, not knowing what was on the other side of the door, I can tell you in full honesty, as much as I didn’t like that guy, I would have taken a bullet for him without even thinking. I would have killed someone in a second without even a moment of hesitation if they were a threat to him. Reflex would have trumped biases because we trained as a team to function in unity when it mattered most.
In fact, anyone who couldn’t have operated in that capacity who could not have been trusted by the rest of the team and would not have been deemed fit to fill that position. Putting aside differences and functioning in unity was chosen above our personal differences. This was not optional.
I just wonder if there isn’t spiritual application to this physical example where more than life and death are at stake but eternal issues like legacy, liberty, and kingdom advancement are hanging in the balances of our willingness to choose God’s way of doing things. Too often, Christians allow what they think or how they feel to influence their willingness to walk in unity. If they don’t like how someone else worships or they disagree with their theological position, rather than recognizing the importance that person plays or how our lack of focus might take us out of our lane, we become preoccupied with the differences instead of focusing on the common enemy and his impact upon the establishment of our kingdom.
KINGDOM INTENTIONALITY
If by no other example, history reveals that this kind of united establishment does not happen by accident. As it pertains to the establishment of kingdom principles and the kingdom of God on the earth, it seems to me that there must be an exercise in intentionality! I’m just not convinced that we will simply fall into them or evolve toward them without intentional application and focus. It almost seems to me as if there would necessitate a strategic plan toward applying some of the principles addressed, like unity and our declaration, so that we do not fall back on what may otherwise come more naturally.
If pursuit is proof of desire, I wonder if the application for those of us who honestly desire to see the kingdom of God established on the earth will begin in the pursuit of intentional unity (as Christ prayed in John 17:21 would be the sign to the world of who He is). This would include acceptance and allowances of other Christians who are different (maybe in every way) from ourselves, our passions, and our ministry callings. And I wonder if, in the acceptance of that which is different, we may also see revealed the piece of what was missing in our previous experience without our exclusion of their input or presence.
Luke 12:48b (AMP)
. . . For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required . . .
If we are to experience the kingdom of God in a way that is different from what has been encountered in the past, it would stand to reason that we will need to do something differently than what we have done in the past. And maybe this is not just a suggestion but a requirement for the next level.
If even a portion of the revelation in this book is accurate, the weight of responsibility in what we should do with it is significant. If it is a matter of “to whom much is given, much is required,” then I wonder if this information necessitates an absolute requirement to do things differently and to seek and find out exactly what that looks like for us, both individually (as members of the body of Christ) and collectively as the bride of Christ.
THE NEXT LEVEL
I know there are likely a lot of questions arising from what has been presented in this book. I also know people (including myself) often want to be told the answers outright. I don’t pretend to have an absolute answer for how faith and science work together. I do, however, wonder if it is possible that God is using this material to get the wheels in your mind spinning with the intention of building off of this platform. And perhaps you have passions God has placed in your heart and revelations of kingdom principles that He has given you to take this to the applicable next level in your life and experience.
Alth
ough it’s not my place to tell you the entire application for your progress, I can tell you what I envision corporately for our next-level Quantum Christianity experience:
I envision people around the globe being challenged to think outside of the box of power-limiting, traditional, us-and-them exclusive teachings. Understanding who God is and pursuing God in faith for wisdom and understanding as it pertains to operating in the established kingdom of God and the greater capacity that He intended for it to be manifested and even foreshadowed in His Word.
I see us, the bride of Christ, walking in the intentional love and unity together as expected by her groom, willing to overlook the differences of another because they understand the danger and obliterating reality of a kingdom divided against herself.
I see a church whose passion for a united front against the kingdom of darkness far supersedes their personal, ego-driven need to be right.
I envision each person reading this book being encouraged to seek out clarity to the mysterious depths of their God and seeking the leading of His Holy Spirit for direction in their lives and as a display of kingdom power for the lives of others.
I envision a generation of leaders willing to take a step of faith past the “no line” drawn in the sand by a previous generation, and taking ground that has before been considered impossible.
I see the body of Christ functioning as an undivided whole as they stand as one against the established kingdoms of darkness in the earth, reclaiming man’s dominion for the furthering of their God-ordained authority in the kingdom of God!
In this establishment, I see men and women previously bound by sin and addiction set free from their bondage by the anointing of God manifested through kingdom-intent people driven by seeing liberty manifested through the power of God!
And although I may not know you, I see you pursuing and fulfilling your divinely inspired destiny in the fullness of who God created you to be: an essential and intentionally created member of the body of Christ!
I for one am convinced that God not only loves you but created you to fulfill a destiny that is specific for you. You are intentionally created and matter to Him. He’s not mad at you; He is overcome with love for you! And He would love nothing more than to see you, His child, walking in the fullness of the strength and authority that He created you to walk in.
He knows your strengths, and your weaknesses do not surprise Him. The truth is, in your weaknesses you are able to see the strength of who He is because God empowers you to operate in His strength when circumstances arise outside of your gifts or comfort zone. He has put you in this game at this point in history to take the shot that you were created to take. But you have to be willing to shoot the ball in the face of the opposition.
TO SHOOT OR NOT TO SHOOT . . .
In John 5, Jesus talks about how He didn’t do anything except what He was led to do by God, which is why I believe it is essential that we are hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit as it pertains to what He would have us do. We also need to be clear on what our authority is so we don’t find ourselves doubting in the midst of God’s leading, and as a result operating in fear instead of faith and hesitating when we should be moving forward and taking the shot.
Esther 4:14b (AMP)
. . . And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?
My intent isn’t to tell you what to think, but rather to challenge you again to think, to dream, and to believe outside of the box in a God who is so much greater than we can even imagine!
The applications for what has been proposed in this book may be as diverse as the readers. Some may resonate with large portions of what was written, and others may walk away with a single foundational concept that drives them into their next level of relational reality with their Creator. Perhaps something will trigger a thought that wasn’t even proposed in these pages. If you have been challenged to think outside of a traditional box, then take it a step further and ask the Holy Spirit what His application is for this information in your life . . . and run with it.
For me, I will continue to search out the deeper things of God. The Bible says in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you know not of . . . ” If there is ground to be taken, wisdom to be sought, and knowledge to be attained . . . I want it. All of it!
TRIPPING ON WAVES
In Matthew 14, the disciples are in a boat in the middle of a lake during a significant storm. It’s so bad they genuinely believe that they are going to die, when they see what appears to be a ghost walking on the water toward them. As it turns out, it’s Jesus. Peter yells out to Jesus, “If it’s you, Lord, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus responds to Peter and tells him to come to Him, and for a moment, Peter is walking on the water. The story goes on to say that Peter sees a large wave coming, takes his eyes off Jesus, looks fearfully at the wave, and begins to sink.
People are often critical of Peter for taking his eyes off Jesus, but let’s not forget that he is the only one who exercised enough faith to step out of the boat! The way I see it, if I’m going to trip, I want to trip on a wave during a stretching of my faith in an attempt to believe God and see something manifested in the kingdom that has never before been seen.
It’s easy to criticize the man who sunk while walking on the water to see Jesus, but realize this: nobody before or since has done it. Even if I try and fail, I want to be the one who extends their faith believing for the impossible, even if it means that my faithful Jesus has to throw me a life preserver to save me from my own disbelief or my failure to focus at times.
Bill Johnson said:
This generation is a generation of risk takers. And not all the risks taken will be seen as real faith. Some will come to light as steps of foolishness and presumption. But they must be taken just the same. How else can we learn? Make room for risk takers in your life that don’t bat a thousand. They will inspire you to the greatness available in serving a great God . . . People who refuse to step out and be used by God become the critics of those who do. Risk takers, the ones who thrill the heart of God, become the targets of those who never fail because they seldom try.108
Approaching the same idea from a sports angle, Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” and Michael Jordan said, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” My prayer is that I always take the shot to advance His kingdom, even if I miss.
My hope is that something in this book has challenged you to do the same . . . to seek deeper, to know Him more, to enquire of Him the answers that call to your spirit, begging the resolve. I pray that you are moved beyond complacency of ignorance and willing again to seek God with childlike wonder, faith, and a willingness to dream again.
It has to start somewhere at some time with someone. Why not here? Why not now? Why not with you?
Tomorrow’s revelation and kingdom establishment begins today with your pursuit of the one who holds the answers.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Atomic Interconnectedness
“When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be writing a book purporting to show that the central claims of Judeo-Christian theology are in fact true, that these claims are straightforward deductions of the laws of physics as we now understand them. I have been forced into these conclusions by the inexorable logic of my own special branch of physics.”
— Frank Tippler, Professor of Mathematical Physics, author of The Physics of Christianity and The Physics of Immortality
Closing out this book and reflecting on what has now been a multi-year journey of research and development, I find myself looking at life through lenses that
are considerably different from what I experienced throughout the nearly forty years of previous life. Even now, as I look at the wind blowing through the changing fall leaves of the tree just outside, my awareness of physical property and what makes all of what I am experiencing possible is mindboggling.
There are innumerable numbers of bonded atoms creating the elements that make up the matter between me and the tree just a few short feet away. It’s as if endless and indiscernible micro-galaxies exist in every direction that I look, and all I can see is the end product of their intricate interconnectedness. As I ponder these avenues of perspective, I find myself even more deeply awestruck by the complexity and overwhelming immensity of the God of this universe who is as small as He is big.
As I process the intentionality of this atomic interconnectedness, I also ponder the human parallel. Should these atoms fail to connect, or if they could divide themselves, everything we know would cease to exist. At the most basic level of existence lies a principle of unity from which matter and life exist.
As I sit here, I’m reminded of a simple and profound biblical reference:
Mark 3:24 (AMP)
And if a kingdom is divided and rebelling against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
The unity that we see in what composes our physical existence is not an optional one. Should a single atom within a compound be divided from the whole of an element, the element ceases to exist and a different element is created. For instance, if you take one hydrogen atom away from water (H2O), you no longer have water but hydroxide (OH), and water—the single-most essential element for life on earth—ceases to exist.