Spiritual Neuropathy

There's a condition that I have called Neuropathy. It's in my feet and lower legs. See, I was diagnosed with Diabetes back in 2001, and the disease has resulted in this condition. The nerves received too much sugar in my blood and it killed them. There are no longer sensations of pain, heat, or cold. I could literally walk across scalding hot pavement and never feel any pain whatsoever. To me, it'd be no more painful than walking to my kitchen. I actually DID walk across hot pavement on June 6, 2009. Second degree burns on the bottom of both feet. My skin melted down to the very bottom layer. I never felt a thing. 

Now to some, this would seem a good thing! "YAY! NO PAIN!!! What could be wrong with that?" you might ask. Plenty. Pain is the body's way of letting you know there's a problem. If I could've felt the pavement was hot, I could've saved myself 7 months of healing, 2 foot surgeries, and 3 months of giving myself IV antibiotics every day. But I couldn't feel it and didn't know. 

I didn't write this blog to give you a medical lesson , though. Bear with me a moment. Neuropathy is caused from too much of a good thing. Sugar is absolutely ESSENTIAL to life! Let the brain run low on sugar, and bad things start to happen. Yet too much, and nerves die. The ability to feel dies with them. 

And isn't that what the enemy tries to do as well? Sure it is. Have one more drink. One more look. One more taste. One more dollar. One more purchase. One more _________ (you fill in the blank). Soon enough, the "one more's" become an obsession. Then a habit. And then they define your character. They change the way you act, respond, think, ...feel. And when you can't feel the things that used to give warning or bring you pause, you no longer have the ability to know something is wrong. You've pushed the Holy Spirit aside so much that's it's now just second nature. You've developed Spiritual Neuropathy. 

Have you ever found yourself doing something that years, months, weeks, days, even minutes ago, you would've sworn you would've never done? Search back in the recent time periods. Look at the decisions you've made. The compromised choices. The "this one time won't hurt's." The indulgences. The "one more's." You will find stop signs that you blew through that have landed you where you are today. 

So. Ok. I've messed up. Am I hopeless? Lost? What now? None of the above. But you DO need a time of reprogramming. You've programmed your Spiritual nerves to not work. But that's reversible!!! You just need to DAILY remind yourself who you are in Christ.

I've put some statements in a blog that are confessions of who you are in Christ. Look back about a month or so in the archives. You'll find them. Say them OUT LOUD DAILY!!! Yes!!! It makes a difference!!! OUT LOUD, please. Set up some accountability for yourself to ask the hard questions about your private life and to give you an objective point of view. This person needs to be a trusted mentor and Christian leader. And be in God's word daily!!! Let the Holy Spirit nourish your heart and liven the dead places again!

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know that unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

Who's the Leader?

The loudest voice, or even the one with the title, isn't always the leader in the room. But look around. The one around whom everyone else is gathered IS!!!

See, leaders are influencers. REAL ones!!! Some SAY they are an influencer, but unless there are those who have been influenced by them, they are disillusioned. John Maxwell says, "Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less."

People are drawn to influencers. They are magnetic in some way. Most of them make you feel better about yourself. They have a way of motivating you to do better, be better, perform better.

People are drawn to them because morale is raised when the influencer walks in the room. There is a sense of "everything is going to be ok now that he/she is here." Situations seem more in control. And when things seem to be spinning out of control, the influencer is the one that others go to for advice.

Now that we have a picture of an influencer, what do teams look to their leaders to provide? Vision? Solutions? Control? Motivation? Instruction? Encouragement? What if the one with the leadership title isn't the influencer? Who do you think the team will turn to for guidance? The "leader," or the influencer?

There's an old proverb that says, "He who thinks he is leading when nobody is following is but taking a long walk!" If the "leader" and the influencer are not the same person, the "leader" falls into the category of this proverb! They are merely fooling themselves. Just as water seeks it's own level, your team will seek the influencer. And if you have the title, but not the influence, you've just lost your job whether or not you admit it. You will need other influencers on your team, but YOU had better be the influencer that your influencers seek. If this is true about you, you are the leader.

Through

"The best way out is always through."

                                 - Robert Frost

Ever felt stuck? It may be that you're stuck in a job you don't want or like; maybe you're a teenager and you feel stuck because you're ready to test your wings a little, but it's not yet time; maybe you feel stuck in a relationship or marriage; maybe it rained yesterday and you decided to drive in the yard and now you're LITERALLY stuck!!! Wherever you find yourself, whatever you're stuck in, try as you might to find another way, you can't find another way... except... through. 

Let's take just a moment to read some scripture:

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1, 2 NIV)

These verses let us know that being stuck is not an if, it's a when! Note what the scripture says again: "When you pass through the waters," "when you pass through the rivers," "when you walk through the fire." This passage also gives you the way out in each one: "When you pass through the waters," "when pass through the rivers," "when you walk through the fire." Scripture says much more about what we go through or find ourselves in, that what we go around. And even then, most of the time, an around journey often involved wandering, indecision, and disobedience. God's not in to wasting our time or His. The shortest distance between two points is still a straight line! And, for us, that means... through. 

So, yes. Hard times will certainly come. Uncertainty will mark days and even seasons of our lives. We will question. We will seek. We will dream of easier times when moments of rest will fuel our toil more efficiently.

But, just as certain as the water, the river, and the fire, so is through. The water, river, and fire are not destinations, they are but passing moments. And what awaits us on the other side is what God, our Heavenly Father, is dreaming up for us! And His ways and thoughts for us are SO much higher than our own for ourselves. And He has promised that even in times of trouble, He will never leave nor forsake us. He walks beside us. He holds our hand. And soon, relief will come. But first we must go through.

Please leave comments below! Ask questions! Tell your friends by clicking on the social media links and posting on your Facebook or Twitter or Google + accounts. It helps to know that these are being read and even helping YOU! I never know that unless you're doing these things and ESPECIALLY leaving comments!!! Thanks for sharing a few moments with me!

PS - Join me at OASIS CHURCH OF NASHVILLE this coming Sunday as we start a new series on getting your Breakthrough! This week, we will be giving away copies of the new book BREAKTHROUGH by Joel Osteen  to all our first time guests. Services are at 8:30a, 10:15a, & 12:15p. They are also online at www.oasischurch.tv. For iPhone and iPad users, they have a FREE app in the Apple App Store where you can watch services LIVE and streamed throughout the week! CHECK IT OUT!!!