What's going on in that car? It's just you in the car - what's going on in the car? Imaginary conversations, exactly! We love imaginary conversations. We love them. Come on, am I the only one that likes a good imaginary conversation? We love imaginary conversations, and you should - do you know why? Because you never lose, never!
In an imaginary conversation, you always win; and let me help you: if you're having imaginary conversations, and you're losing - get your head checked man - it's YOUR imagination! You can win!
For 20 minutes home – oh, you're letting him have it! Oh yeah, you're letting him have it - and he's cowering in the corner somewhere. And then there's a group of people, when you get home - and they're all taking your side, yeah!
You walk in, and all you're aware of is your anger; and when you walk in that house, I promise you, you minister your anger through the whole house. You walk in, your husband says: what's the matter with you? Oh, nothing!
Do you have any trouble ministering the name of Anger? No. If you were angry with me, you could let me know without saying one word. Why? Because you're a ‘minister of the name’!
You can minister depression. Has anybody, besides me, ever had a good, successful depression? It's fantastic! You can make your face look sad; you could sit off all by yourself; you could cross your arms. People will notice - they come over: what's the matter? Nothing! Why? Because you can ‘minister depression’.
You can minister in the name of: insecurity, rejection, abandonment - or you can minister in the name of the compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiveness God.
What is the name of the God that you walk in? Each of us will walk in the name of something.
If I understand this correctly, this is what God's saying:
Don't say that you walk in my name, and then walk in the name of something else - which disappoints the hope that rests upon it. If you walk in My name, then be compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Manifest the hope that rests upon it.
So they understood it as a realm that could be lived in.
7) A force that brings about the best life
John 20:31 – “these are written, so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, you might have life in His name”.
So now the name even expands even further, and the name is a force that brings about the best life. Actually it takes Micah's revelation, (the name is an awareness that you can walk in, or out of), and it says: if you live your life completely aware of the name of God, it brings about the best life - so it's a force that brings about the best life.
8) Creates the best life.
The next revelation is found in the Book of Acts 5:40-41, and it says: “and they obeyed him, and calling the apostles, they beat them; they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go”. Once again, this is a reference back to Micah.
“In the name of Jesus" has nothing to do with saying: "in the name of Jesus"; it has to do with Being in the name of Jesus.
What they were speaking, was actually ministering out of a realm of awareness (Micah 4:5), that they were in the name. Acts 5:40-41 -“they speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go; then indeed they departed from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be shamed for His name”.
So now the name creates a life - in John 20 the name creates the best life. In Acts 5, they realise that the name creates a life that is so good, it's worth dying for, it's worth suffering for.