Moving Different: The Power of Divine Distinction
- Pastor J. Bradford Johnson Jr.
- Jun 24
- 5 min read
There's a word that has the power to transform how we see ourselves and our journey with God: distinction. It's more than just being different. It's about carrying a quality so recognizable that it draws a line of separation between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Distinction operates on three powerful levels. First, it creates a noticeable difference that's impossible to ignore. Second, it marks excellence that exceeds all ordinary expectations. Third, it highlights unique characteristics that make someone unmistakably identifiable. When God cultivates distinction in our lives, He's not just making us different. God is making us unmistakably His.
The Year We Live THE Victory
Many of us spend our lives simply living in victory, defining success by our own standards. But there's a profound difference between living in victory and living the victory. The specific, God-ordained triumph that He has designed uniquely for you. This distinction will be so noticeable that it draws a line of separation. It will mark your life in ways that cause others to acknowledge that God hasn't merely met your expectations but has surpassed anything you could have imagined.
When Moses encountered God at the burning bush and asked for His name, God's response was revolutionary: "I AM THAT I AM." God was establishing that He cannot be categorized, compared, or confined. He exists in a category all by Himself. The Hebrew phrase literally translates to "I will be what I will be" or "I shall be what I shall be."
This means God is saying: "I won't just give you healing; I AM healing. I won't just provide; I AM the provider. Whatever you need Me to be, I already am that attribute." And because God speaks from eternity, He was simultaneously promising to be what the Israelites needed then, what we need now, and what future generations will need tomorrow.
The Expression of God's Goodness
Nothing compares to our God. This is why we serve and praise Him, because His goodness stands apart from everything in creation while remaining present in everything. We can't even find adequate English words to describe Him, which is why "Hallelujah" transcends every language. It's a word reserved exclusively for the One who defies all comparison.
God's goodness appears most clearly in His dealings with His people. He is not only good in general. God is good to us. When you think about where you came from, when you remember the struggles you've overcome, when you recall the moments you shouldn't have survived, you realize His goodness has been personally, intimately directed toward you.
Here's the transformative truth: God uses us to become the expression of His goodness in the earth. When the Holy Spirit fills our lives, He produces fruit that displays our new life and the character of God. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, and kindness aren't foreign qualities. They're divine attributes that believers embody as we grow in Christ.
The Parable That Changes Everything
The story of the Good Samaritan isn't just about helping those in need, it's about how we categorize our love and limit our compassion. A lawyer once tried to test Jesus by asking, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responded with a parable that exposed how we create boundaries around our love based on social status, ethnicity, and religious affiliation.
In the story, a man fell among thieves who robbed him and left him half dead. A priest saw him and passed by on the other side. A Levite did the same. But a Samaritan, someone who by cultural standards should have been the man's enemy, stopped, showed compassion, bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn, paid for his care, and promised to return to cover any additional expenses.
The profound truth is that at different points in our lives, we are each of these four men. We've all been robbed by sin and left half dead. We've all played the role of the priest or Levite, walking past someone in need because of our own concerns. But Jesus is the ultimate Samaritan in all our stories, finding us, healing us, and paying the price for our complete restoration.
Four Lessons for Moving Different
The Samaritan teaches us four essential principles for those who move differently:
1. The Precedence - The Samaritan set a precedent by allowing compassion to override cultural animosity. When you move different, your actions shouldn't mirror everyone else's. Your treatment of people should set a standard that demonstrates you belong to God.
2. The Priority - The Samaritan made the wounded man a priority, ensuring his wounds were bound, his transportation secured, and his continued care guaranteed. If we want God to make us a priority, we must prioritize the people He places in our path. We can't treat people as disposable while expecting God to treat us as valuable.
3. The Promotion - Here's what we often miss: the Samaritan didn't return to get the man, he returned to pay the bill. He understood he was a resource, not the source. The best way to help people flourish is to recognize that you're not meant to be their permanent solution. You're the bridge, not the destination. You're the resource for help, not the source of help.
4. The Proliferation - When Jesus commanded, "Go and do likewise," He moved the story from narrative to imperative. This wasn't a suggestion, it was a divine demand. And embedded in that command is a promise: when God commands you to help others, He ensures you have enough resources to care for your household and someone else. You're being pushed into a season of more than enough.
Breaking Free from Struggle Culture
We've created a culture in the church where we're more tied to our struggles than to the goodness of God. We stand to testify, spending more time highlighting our problems than celebrating our Deliverer. We focus on the storm while Jesus is asleep in the boat with us, and if He's resting in the storm, why are we panicking?
It's time to shift our focus. Every morning should be a fresh reminder: He's good to me. Not because I deserve it, but because that's who He is. Goodness and mercy don't just follow us occasionally, they follow us all the days of our lives.
Your Season of Distinction
You are the beneficiary and the expression of God's goodness and kindness. In this season, you're not just surviving, you're positioned to live. You're not barely making it, you're moving into more than enough. You have the power to overcome scarcity, to break through limitations, and to demonstrate that the God you serve is the God of abundance.
When you move different, you move with purpose. When you move different, you move with power. When you move different, you move with the assurance that the One who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.
The storm may rise. The billows may roll. But you've heard the Master of the sea, and He has lifted you from the waters. You're built differently because you're built on the promises of God. And upon this rock, the very gates of hell shall not prevail.
It's time to ascend. It's time to mount up with wings. It's time to move different.
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