I Want it All!! - By Michelle Merriman

That statement can come across as greedy or money hungry. If we heard a child say, “I want it all,” we would think they were spoiled and needed correction. Under the condition of a threat, it sounds like someone better hand it all over or someone’s life would be on the line.

Yet none of those are the ways that I mean it.

I want it all! I truly mean that! I want ALL that God has for me. I want ALL that God has for my family. I want ALL that God has for my community.

I am not using this term in a “name it and claim it” way. Far from that!

Why do we often limit what God can do or will do for us or others? Why do we limit Him and put Him in box? Why do we limit ourselves and how He wants us to live? Why do we limit our spiritual growth or our seeking of Him?

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I Want It All in Church

As we have been visiting a different church every week (it is part of the journey God is currently leading us on), I find myself wanting every aspect incorporated into a church service. So often, it seems like a church might be strong in worship, but weak in the Word. Or maybe it is super heavy on the Word, but the Spirt of God is stifled or limited. Or maybe it is strong in the Word and in worship but lacks any time for the Holy Spirit to work freely in lives.

Why can’t we have it all? Why can’t we have a balance of all that?!

Over the past several months, I have found myself saying this multiple times, “I want to

be in a church that has it all! I want to be in a church that is strong on the Word, has powerful and engaging worship, and moves freely in the Spirit.” (Note, I am not trying to be judgmental on churches and what they are doing, but more my observations and my desire for all God has for us!)

Seriously, why don’t we see that very often in a church – all three parts of it?! Do we think only one aspect is important? Do we think the other aspects are not important, or maybe are they less important?

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I Want It All in My Personal Life

Not only do I want to be in a church that has it all, but I want it all in my own personal life! I want to be a person who is spiritually formed in all areas of my life.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul said, “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The body, soul, and spirit all affect one another. They are not individual units.

In Ephesians 3:18-19, Paul recognized the different aspects of our life in His prayer.

¹⁶ I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

(There is so much more that can be discussed that needs to be developed in our personal lives, but there is not time to discuss it now. Look below in the reference section for a couple of book suggestions.)

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Engaging in the “Kingdom Triangle”

Recently, I got the privilege of going back to school to work on a master’s degree! Do you realize this has been a dream of mine since I graduated from college?! (Um, yes, it has been a few years, but it is never too late to follow the dreams God has before us!)

Anyway, my first class was amazing as we studied about “The Personal Life of the Leader.” One of the books we read was a difficult read, but it challenged me. I was proud of myself because I felt like I read on Gary’s level of reading, and I did it! 😊 

J.P. Moreland in the Kingdom Triangle encouraged the reader to live in the fullness of God and to be developed in all areas of our lives. Here is a little glimpse into his words:

This Triangle must become part of your day-to-day life, and the structures of the local church must find ways to integrate them into its strategy to produce revolutionary individuals and communities that have not bowed the knee to the secular Baals all around us.

In this book I have been at pains to show that Triangle – namely,

• The development of the life of the mind, learning what and why one believes, acquiring a thoughtful Christian worldview

• The cultivation of an inner life, developing emotional intimacy with God, engaging in classic spiritual formation practices, absorbing the great formative literature in the history of the church

• Learning to live in and use the Spirit’s power and the authority of the Kingdom of God, developing a supernatural lifestyle, receiving answers to prayer, learning to effectively pray for healing and demonic deliverance, growing in hearing God’s voice through impressions, prophetic words of knowledge and wisdom, dreams, and visions – is central to Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels, in Acts, and in the first four centuries of the church. I refuse to believe it has to be an either/or. Why can’t one be intellectually careful, emotionally together, and comfortable with a life of intimacy with God and a vibrant inner life, and one who is learning to be naturally supernatural? This threefold cord is the way forward, and I pray for a revolution in which an increasing number of individuals and Christian communities and churches corporately will be aggressive in developing all three aspects of holistic discipleship (p.196).

As soon as I read this, I wrote in the margin, “YES! I want this!” I seriously do want this!

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I Want it All!

I want my mind to be developed to know God on a deep level and to be able to clearly articulate my Christian worldview. I want to hear sermons that are strong in the Word and make me dig into the Scriptures yet bring hope and conviction all wrapped up in one.

I want my inner life (my heart and soul) to be maturing and growing in my intimacy with God. I want my character and lifestyle to match my words. I want to know God more. I want to be in churches where my heart and soul are engaged through worship and the preaching of the Word, which stirs something deep in my heart to bring transformation.

I want to actively be seeking the Holy Spirit for my life and the lives of others. I want to see the sick healed, those in bondage set free, words of prophecies and knowledge to roll off my tongue because I have been in the presence of the Lord. I want to see churches make room for the Holy Spirit and to be actively seeking Him in our services. I want to make room to pray for the sick, to pray for the needy, to pray for the broken-hearted. I want to see God do His miraculous works and power to bring Him glory!

J.P. Moreland put into words and described what I am seeking. This three-fold spiritual formation is crucial to the believer and to the church. We all need to develop our minds, cultivate our hearts/souls (our inner life), and actively pursue the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Reading that, something ignited and clicked in my heart! I want it all!

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Questions to Ask Ourselves

1. What is most developed in your life – your mind, your inner life (heart/soul), or seeking the Holy Spirit’s activity?

2. What needs to be more developed in your life – your mind, your inner life (heart/soul), or seeking the Holy Spirit’s activity?

3. What is one thing you can do this week to work on one area of your life? (If you do not know, ask the Lord to show you! He will.)

4. Without being critical or judgmental, think about the church you attend. Is one area more predominant than the other? Is there a balance of all three aspects – developing the mind, cultivating the inner life (connecting with the heart/soul), and actively seeking the presence of the Holy Spirit in the service?

5. What is one way you can pray for your church and pray for your leaders to grow in that area more?

References & Resources

Barton, R. H. (2018). Strengthening the soul of your leadership: Seeking God in the crucible of ministry. InterVarsity Press.  

Moreland, J. P. (2021). A simple guide to experience miracles: Instruction and inspiration for living supernaturally in Christ. Zondervan.  

Moreland, J. P. (2007). Kingdom triangle: Recover the Christian, mind, renovate the soul, restore the Spirit’s power. Zondervan.

Moreland, J.P. (2014). Love your God with all your mind: The role of reason in the life of the soul. NavPress.

New International Version. (2022). Zondervan. (Original work published 1973).

Willard, D. (1997). The divine conspiracy: Rediscovering our hidden life in God. Harper

Collins.

Scazzero, P. (2017). Emotionally healthy spirituality: It’s impossible to be spiritually mature, while remaining emotionally immature. Zondervan.