It's been a little over a month since my last blog. For my regular readers, I'm sorry for the delay (I normally try to write one about every two weeks or so), but to say life has been interesting in this past month would be an understatement!
Some of you know that as I type this, I'm home recovering from foot reconstructive surgery on my left foot. Surgery was on June 5. I made the decision to go ahead and have the surgery about the time of my last blog near the end of April. Stress and worry have plagued me as the enemy has tried to attack both Michelle and I with not only our emotions, but our pursuits of our personal business successes as well.
Add to that the fact that a pastor that I served under in the recent past lost his job because of moral reasons. Now understand, this was a man that had abused me and every other member of his staff, had abused church members seeking to only have relationships with "friends" if he gained something from it, and had left hundreds of people in his wake! It was two years and two months of hell on earth and the worst season of 24 years of worship ministry! I had been praying ever since I left that God would intervene there, and He did.
For years I had carried anger and maybe even some forms of hatred toward this man. The very sight of anything that reminded me of him would stir those emotions deep within me! But then, I get this news. And after jumping up and down in my living room for about 20 minutes, which I had to repent of immediately after, God gave me a very sobering thought. See, I've been where he is now. I know the sting of coming face to face with my sin and the hurt that it caused to loved ones and the body of Christ. At that moment, a page turned and I was able to not only forgive him, but almost become a crusader for his restoration. His sin (as far as I know and based on my experience) was now in the past where my Father is concerned, thus it should be with me. Repentance sought. Forgiveness given. Grace in motion.
We all have a past. Technically speaking, you started reading this blog in the past. Every split second takes us further into the future and leaves a string of moments in its wake. For many of us, we have a past we're not proud of. The past consists of scenes that flash through our minds on a daily basis playing a film in high definition reminding us of our weakest moments, our times of which we are most ashamed, or seasons of searing hurt. For some of us, years separate the present from those moments. For others, only minutes. Some of you may find yourselves reading this in a desperate cry for hope because you're in one of those times right now!
Pasts are like fires. You can run or try to pull away from the sting when you feel it, but it's already on you, burning you. By the time you recognize the pain, the mistake is made. You can't take it back. You're on fire now. And the fire uses your mind and body for fuel. As long as there's a part of you left, it seems it will never stop. And if you do get the flames put out, you stand back up only to realize you don't look like you did "before." Your past has marked you. Grossly.
I remember looking in the mirror and not liking what I'd become. I remember the days begging God to take me out; to just kill me! I didn't want the suffering and pain and worst of all, I didn't want to see it in the faces of those for which I cared. And these things brought me face to face with that emotion that you always hear said, but until you've experienced it for yourself, you may think it to be hogwash: The hardest person to forgive is yourself. You think of yourself as a monster! Hope has faded as a single drop of water into a raging inferno.
But in that season of tremendous loss, God reminded me of something in His word about which I had written a song years earlier. Click on the following reference link to read Isaiah 43:1-3. It's not an "if," but "when" we walk through fire and deep water. And the deformity that we saw when we looked in the mirror is nothing more than seeing our sin in the light. However, we ARE NOT defined by our sin! Let me say that again, we ARE NOT defined by our sin! Make it personal and read this out loud: I AM NOT defined by my sin! If you are in Christ, a child of God is who you are. Again from Isaiah, "I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine."
Click here and read the story of the Prodigal Son. Jesus uses this illustration to give us a glimpse of the Father's heart. When the lost son was out doing his own thing, did the father get angry? Did he cut him out of the will? Did he renounce him from the family? No. He sat. Waiting. Knowing. One day, his son would be coming down the road back home. And the father wanted to be there to see him coming when the event came into play. Not to say, "I told you so," but to run and wrap his lost son in his arms and welcome him home! That's grace. That's what happened to me. The son's past was IMMEDIATELY just...passed. It was no longer relevant to the father.
Scripture says that upon repentance, God separates our sin as far away from Him as the east from the west. It says that our sin becomes white as snow when washed under the blood of Christ. That means that there is HOPE for us all! Thanks be to God, there's HOPE!!! There may be darkness for a time. But it doesn't last! Read here what the Bible says: 1 Peter 5:10.
Now let me take a moment to talk to the "saints" reading this. You may know someone who has fallen. Their sin may scare you. Really, it may damage your good standing in the community if you are seen associating with the likes of such sinners. They have damaged the name of Christ and the work of the church. The need to see if they are truly repentant wells up inside you because of those verses you've read about "wolves in sheep's clothing!" There's danger in the camp and you need to be the one to rid those you care about of that danger! Read this passage: Galatians 6:1-3.
Still think that way? Remember the pastor I mentioned earlier in this blog? I remember sitting in church and listening to one of his messages when he said, "Show me a man who's always talking about grace, and I'll show you a man who's looking to minimize or seek an excuse for his sin." I wonder if that's what he still believes? He now has a "past." One of those that have burned him like fire.
And remember how I said that I have almost become a crusader for his restoration? I haven't done that to earn a merit badge from Jesus! As a matter of fact, that could only happen because I had been - have been - the recipient of grace. It is impossible to give what you have never received. If you've never come to fact with the weight of your own sin and the fact that just yours would have still cost Jesus His life, then how can you expect to give it to anyone else? You can't. Impossible.
My pastor's poor statement was made with the thought that grace is an excuse to sin. That grace follows repentance. That grace is earned based on some sort of demonstration by the sinner. Maybe they haven't cried enough to suit you. Maybe you haven't seen them in the altar. So what?!? Did scripture say to make sure and look for those things, it just said to do it! The heart condition is up to God, not you! The repentance is because of Him, not you. But we are to have His heart. We are to act like the person we are - a child of God.
Grace comes before repentance! Grace begs repentance! It is not an excuse to sin, but the very reason to never sin again! When we become givers of grace because we have first been recipients; when we see others not as a danger to the cause of Christ, but as the HEART of the cause of Christ; when we stop looking for the faults of others because we can't face our own faults and make a bigger deal out of their sin in order to better hide our own, then we become bearers of HOPE!!! And hope is the one thing that every person on this planet needs every single day. Without Jesus, there is none. With Him, there's nothing else.
God told me something in a prayer time when I was being attacked by those who knew details about my past. He said to me, "Son, first know that I love you and am proud of you. Second, know that any time you are reminded of your past, it is never from my voice. It is always the voice of the enemy! How can I remind you of something that has been washed from your record by the blood of my Son and that I have since forgotten?" Grace is here. Your past is passed. Live in freedom of your future.
Don't forget to use the social media just below here to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. I welcome your comments! PLEASE leave one!!! Here's how:
1. Click on the words "No Comment" or " (#) Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph)
2. Write your comment in the box provided.
3. You must also choose a selection from the COMMENT AS drop down list. If you have a Google+ ID, AIM, or other you wish to use, choose that. Most of you should choose the NAME/URL option and leave your name in the space provided. You do NOT need to leave a URL unless you wish.
4. Click the PUBLISH button. THAT'S IT!!!
THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
Showing posts with label trial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trial. Show all posts
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Questions & Purpose
COULD IT BE
Michael Mushok, Aaron Lewis, Jonathan Wysocki, & John April
Recorded by: Michael Card
CHORUS:
Could it be You make Your presence known so often by Your absence
Could it be that questions tell us more than answers ever do
Could it be that You would really rather die than live without us
Could it be the only answer that means anything is You
When Michael Card was cool, I didn't know who he was. Quite frankly, aside from knowing him as one of the icons of Contemporary Christian Music, I still don't, really. But the first time I heard him sing this lyric, which hasn't been but about 6-7 years ago (the song is much older), Michael Card became a part of that list of artists who brought us songs that changed our lives. The verses are ok, but it was this chorus that really hit me! And this week, years after hearing the song, God may have, for the first time, shown me why.
For my entire life, I've heard the old phrase, "Ye have not because ye ask not." Scripture says, "Ask and you will receive." Click on this scripture reference and see it again from the very mouth of Jesus! These words would be in red letters of a red letter edition Bible. Read John 14:13-14. See the recurring theme? This week, as I was doing my Bible study, I came across one other verse I want you to read. Click this scripture reference: Ephesians 3:20. So not only is God telling us to "ask," but He's also showing us in the latter verse that He can accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or imagine!
Ok. Great! God can and wants to do that for each of us! But how many of you know that it don't always happen like that?!? I've made the bad choices! I've been to the bottom! I've been the guy with the gun to his head vowing to take his life because I'd messed up, lost it all, and didn't know what came next! And in that moment, when I was wanting the answers to those questions of what comes next, I ASKED!!! Nothing. No next step was given. No trust building, faith building answer that I expected after all those sermons I heard about "asking God" and the "answer is already on the way." BS!!! (To be quite frank.) It wasn't! I felt just as alone as I was before I ever asked the question!
Then...this past week...it finally hit me. I didn't need the answer. I already had it! Not to be cliché or steal an old lyric from André Crouch, but JESUS IS THE ANSWER! In Exodus 3:13-14 (click on the reference to read it), Moses was being sent by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. So Moses asks God to give him God's name so that the Israelites will know that it really is God who is sending him. "What's your name, God?" "I AM." God was the way out back then. He parted the sea, took care of the pursuing army, the whole nine! He made the way!
This happens throughout scripture. He made a way for Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery. He made a way for Daniel in the lion's den, Noah on the ark, 3 Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, Jonah in the belly of a whale, David when facing the wrath of both Goliath and Saul, Paul when he was facing stoning, fed 5 thousand men and their families with 5 loaves and 2 fish, calmed the storm when fear overtook His disciples, died on a cross for the sins of the world, and conquered death and the grave when He rose again! God makes the impossible possible, and the impassable passable. THERE IS A WAY AND HIS NAME IS 'I AM'!!!
So then, if we know the answer, why ask the question? And here is the precious gem of a lesson that God taught me this week: because we learn not just from asking the question, but asking the right question! Think about it this way. Remember algebra class? I HATED algebra!!! Almost failed it both years I had to take it! They give you some ridiculous thing like: a + b/c = 32. Then they'd want me to solve it! I'm like, DUDE! The answer is 32!!! That's what the "=" thingy means!!! DONE!! Move on!! But we learn more in algebra many times from what's on the left of the equals sign!
I know so many people that hit their faith ceiling at God granting them a close parking space at Walmart! They get out and claim, "I must be living RIGHT!" Hey God gives me those kinds of spaces too, but I don't know about YOU, but I want to be known for more when I die than the fact i was consistently getting the best parking spaces at Wallyworld!!! Here's the new math that I've learned for my life: my giftings and talents + my desire to seek the heart of God in all I do ÷ my willingness to obey = God's response and blessing in my life. Now honestly, maybe not EVERYTHING can be boiled down to a formula! God will not be bound by those!!! But if you use this as a general rule of thumb...
See we spend our time asking things like:
"Which job...?"
"Who will I marry...?"
"Should I go out to eat tonight...?"
It's not that questions like that don't matter to God, THEY DO!!! But God doesn't stop there! Think past that!!!
So I hear you saying, "Alright, Mr. Smarty Jeans, what would YOU suggest I ask?!? WHERE DO I START?!?" Thank you for asking. Let me tell you a short story and then I'll give you A place (not THE place) where you can start.
Alfred Nobel. His last name is probably best known for being the namesake of the Nobel Peace Prize. But it wasn't always that way. Alfred made his money as an inventor. Know what he invented that made him so wealthy? DYNAMITE! One day, Alfred's brother died. The local newspaper made a mistake and posted that it had indeed been Alfred who had passed! So the next morning, Alfred got the chance to do what I dare say few ever have, he read his own obituary! A French newspaper titled it: The Merchant of Death Is Dead. Upon reading it, he just couldn't let death be that for which his legacy would mark him, so he instead promoted peace and the Nobel Peace Prize was born. (Thanks, Jamie Brandenburg, for sharing this story with me!)
I'm going to ask you to start by taking a lesson from Nobel. I want you to write your own obituary and your own epitaph (that small phrase on your tombstone that will tell generations following you who you were: "loving husband," "devoted father," "gracious, kind and forgiving"). I don't think any of these would be your first choice:
"Always got front parking spaces at Walmart"
"#1 Manager in this district"
"Had 3 houses and 10 cars...they're not here, by the way"
NO! We want to know we left a legacy that made the world better than we found it! It doesn't have to be global! As a matter of fact, the very first place we're commanded to make a difference is in our immediate spheres of influence: families, friends, children, work places. See? Once you have what's on the right side of the equals sign (=), there are only so many problems/questions that can lead to that answer. The answer dictates the question! It's not just that we ask, it's what we ask! Is it in line with God's heart for the world? For YOU?!?
To find that answer, pray. Ask God to let you see you through His eyes. Give up your pride and your preconceived notions about you and just trust. Look at the ways He has gifted you--spiritually. I'm not talking about talents here. Sometimes they're involved, but I'm speaking of your Spiritual Gifts. Are you a giver? Compassionate? A Helper? Teacher? Pastor/Shepherd? Leader? Prophet? Evangelist? And the list goes on. Those core gifts will be at the core of the purpose for which God has placed you here. Those are the very DNA of God that marks who you are on this earth.
Remember our song that we started with? "Could it be the questions tell us more than answers ever do... Could it be the only answer that means anything is You?" YES! They do! And yes, He is.
Don't forget to use the social media just below here to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. I welcome your comments! PLEASE leave one!!! Here's how:
1. Click on the words "No Comment" or " (#) Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph)
2. Write your comment in the box provided.
3. You must also choose a selection from the COMMENT AS drop down list. If you have a Google+ ID, AIM, or other you wish to use, choose that. Most of you should choose the NAME/URL option and leave your name in the space provided. You do NOT need to leave a URL unless you wish.
4. Click the PUBLISH button. THAT'S IT!!!
THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
Michael Mushok, Aaron Lewis, Jonathan Wysocki, & John April
Recorded by: Michael Card
CHORUS:
Could it be You make Your presence known so often by Your absence
Could it be that questions tell us more than answers ever do
Could it be that You would really rather die than live without us
Could it be the only answer that means anything is You
When Michael Card was cool, I didn't know who he was. Quite frankly, aside from knowing him as one of the icons of Contemporary Christian Music, I still don't, really. But the first time I heard him sing this lyric, which hasn't been but about 6-7 years ago (the song is much older), Michael Card became a part of that list of artists who brought us songs that changed our lives. The verses are ok, but it was this chorus that really hit me! And this week, years after hearing the song, God may have, for the first time, shown me why.
For my entire life, I've heard the old phrase, "Ye have not because ye ask not." Scripture says, "Ask and you will receive." Click on this scripture reference and see it again from the very mouth of Jesus! These words would be in red letters of a red letter edition Bible. Read John 14:13-14. See the recurring theme? This week, as I was doing my Bible study, I came across one other verse I want you to read. Click this scripture reference: Ephesians 3:20. So not only is God telling us to "ask," but He's also showing us in the latter verse that He can accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or imagine!
Ok. Great! God can and wants to do that for each of us! But how many of you know that it don't always happen like that?!? I've made the bad choices! I've been to the bottom! I've been the guy with the gun to his head vowing to take his life because I'd messed up, lost it all, and didn't know what came next! And in that moment, when I was wanting the answers to those questions of what comes next, I ASKED!!! Nothing. No next step was given. No trust building, faith building answer that I expected after all those sermons I heard about "asking God" and the "answer is already on the way." BS!!! (To be quite frank.) It wasn't! I felt just as alone as I was before I ever asked the question!
Then...this past week...it finally hit me. I didn't need the answer. I already had it! Not to be cliché or steal an old lyric from André Crouch, but JESUS IS THE ANSWER! In Exodus 3:13-14 (click on the reference to read it), Moses was being sent by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. So Moses asks God to give him God's name so that the Israelites will know that it really is God who is sending him. "What's your name, God?" "I AM." God was the way out back then. He parted the sea, took care of the pursuing army, the whole nine! He made the way!
This happens throughout scripture. He made a way for Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery. He made a way for Daniel in the lion's den, Noah on the ark, 3 Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, Jonah in the belly of a whale, David when facing the wrath of both Goliath and Saul, Paul when he was facing stoning, fed 5 thousand men and their families with 5 loaves and 2 fish, calmed the storm when fear overtook His disciples, died on a cross for the sins of the world, and conquered death and the grave when He rose again! God makes the impossible possible, and the impassable passable. THERE IS A WAY AND HIS NAME IS 'I AM'!!!
So then, if we know the answer, why ask the question? And here is the precious gem of a lesson that God taught me this week: because we learn not just from asking the question, but asking the right question! Think about it this way. Remember algebra class? I HATED algebra!!! Almost failed it both years I had to take it! They give you some ridiculous thing like: a + b/c = 32. Then they'd want me to solve it! I'm like, DUDE! The answer is 32!!! That's what the "=" thingy means!!! DONE!! Move on!! But we learn more in algebra many times from what's on the left of the equals sign!
I know so many people that hit their faith ceiling at God granting them a close parking space at Walmart! They get out and claim, "I must be living RIGHT!" Hey God gives me those kinds of spaces too, but I don't know about YOU, but I want to be known for more when I die than the fact i was consistently getting the best parking spaces at Wallyworld!!! Here's the new math that I've learned for my life: my giftings and talents + my desire to seek the heart of God in all I do ÷ my willingness to obey = God's response and blessing in my life. Now honestly, maybe not EVERYTHING can be boiled down to a formula! God will not be bound by those!!! But if you use this as a general rule of thumb...
See we spend our time asking things like:
"Which job...?"
"Who will I marry...?"
"Should I go out to eat tonight...?"
It's not that questions like that don't matter to God, THEY DO!!! But God doesn't stop there! Think past that!!!
So I hear you saying, "Alright, Mr. Smarty Jeans, what would YOU suggest I ask?!? WHERE DO I START?!?" Thank you for asking. Let me tell you a short story and then I'll give you A place (not THE place) where you can start.
Alfred Nobel. His last name is probably best known for being the namesake of the Nobel Peace Prize. But it wasn't always that way. Alfred made his money as an inventor. Know what he invented that made him so wealthy? DYNAMITE! One day, Alfred's brother died. The local newspaper made a mistake and posted that it had indeed been Alfred who had passed! So the next morning, Alfred got the chance to do what I dare say few ever have, he read his own obituary! A French newspaper titled it: The Merchant of Death Is Dead. Upon reading it, he just couldn't let death be that for which his legacy would mark him, so he instead promoted peace and the Nobel Peace Prize was born. (Thanks, Jamie Brandenburg, for sharing this story with me!)
I'm going to ask you to start by taking a lesson from Nobel. I want you to write your own obituary and your own epitaph (that small phrase on your tombstone that will tell generations following you who you were: "loving husband," "devoted father," "gracious, kind and forgiving"). I don't think any of these would be your first choice:
"Always got front parking spaces at Walmart"
"#1 Manager in this district"
"Had 3 houses and 10 cars...they're not here, by the way"
NO! We want to know we left a legacy that made the world better than we found it! It doesn't have to be global! As a matter of fact, the very first place we're commanded to make a difference is in our immediate spheres of influence: families, friends, children, work places. See? Once you have what's on the right side of the equals sign (=), there are only so many problems/questions that can lead to that answer. The answer dictates the question! It's not just that we ask, it's what we ask! Is it in line with God's heart for the world? For YOU?!?
To find that answer, pray. Ask God to let you see you through His eyes. Give up your pride and your preconceived notions about you and just trust. Look at the ways He has gifted you--spiritually. I'm not talking about talents here. Sometimes they're involved, but I'm speaking of your Spiritual Gifts. Are you a giver? Compassionate? A Helper? Teacher? Pastor/Shepherd? Leader? Prophet? Evangelist? And the list goes on. Those core gifts will be at the core of the purpose for which God has placed you here. Those are the very DNA of God that marks who you are on this earth.
Remember our song that we started with? "Could it be the questions tell us more than answers ever do... Could it be the only answer that means anything is You?" YES! They do! And yes, He is.
Don't forget to use the social media just below here to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. I welcome your comments! PLEASE leave one!!! Here's how:
1. Click on the words "No Comment" or " (#) Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph)
2. Write your comment in the box provided.
3. You must also choose a selection from the COMMENT AS drop down list. If you have a Google+ ID, AIM, or other you wish to use, choose that. Most of you should choose the NAME/URL option and leave your name in the space provided. You do NOT need to leave a URL unless you wish.
4. Click the PUBLISH button. THAT'S IT!!!
THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
4 Lessons I Learned in 2013 That You Need to Learn Too
2013 brought so many things, and almost all of it good!!! I could tell you story after story of the way God showed His mighty awesomeness in our lives over the last 12-18 months! But there are two things wrong with that scenario. First, I'm really wanting to concentrate on the year that is, as I type this, in its fading moments. Second, the LAST thing I want is for this blog to have the tone of a bad Christmas letter!
So instead of reliving moments in my life that have nothing to do with you, my reader, I want to instead leave you with some life lessons that I've learned (or RElearned) that I hope will make a lasting difference in your lives as well. I honestly don't know that I could create an exhaustive list, but I'm going to pray and ask God to remind me of the ones that need to be included here. He knows who will be reading this and what all of you need to hear most.
1. God adores us. My friend, Debby Berry, says this all the time. Two years ago, because of decisions I had made personally, I called Debby. At the time, I would've said it was coincidence. From what I know now, it was a Divine appointment! She was the first person who drilled that into my head. I'd never heard it put that way before. A few months later, I remember laying in the altar of Gateway Church in Texas and God speaking to me so clearly saying, "You just need to let me love on you. Cast every worry on me. Nothing matters except that you let me love you." Since those conversations, I now wake up knowing that my Father in heaven ADORES me!!! Not for what I've done, mind you! That would disappoint even the holders of low standards! But because He made me, died for me, and still sees in me what He made me to be and knows my potential for His kingdom. And the same is true for YOU! Say it with me, "God adores me." Feels good, huh? Thanks, Debby, for that simple, yet life-changing lesson.
2. We don't deserve to be happy. Now before my fan mail starts crashing this server, hear me out. See, I tried that. Here's what I found. Happiness can be achieved only for fleeting moments at a time. It is not a sustainable state. But humanity gives a daily valiant effort at making it such and trying to convince the world that it's possible! Ok. So, I challenge you. Name ONE person that has sustained happiness. Not asking for a top ten list, not even three. Just one. Singular. YOU CAN'T! Because nobody has!!! Most people have for a time, but then it fades away like morning dew. Scripture tells us that we will face trials. Ever known anyone to jump up and scream, "YAY!!! Another TRIAL!!!! I'm so happy life tests me like this. BRING IT!!!" Me either. Not being serious, anyway. God was guaranteeing times of unhappiness. He knew they would come with frequency. He wants two things for us: joy & contentment. The first is from Him through Jesus. That kind of joy is sustainable. The second comes from experiencing the joy of knowing Christ. And when you add them together, you know what results? Happiness. Again, not sustained. But certainly more common and longer lasting than any we would hope to find in our own pursuits. So seek Jesus first. Then rest in the contentment that He brings. There, you will find the happiness you seek.
3. The importance of your spouse choice. Married people, don't cut me off here! I have come to realize full well that I love Michelle, my wife, more than the day I married her. Now there are a LOT of reasons why that this blog has no hope of provision for naming, but that's not the point. Whether you're dating or married, distractions happen. Distractions hinder the decision making process. Focus is key. Keep your eyes where they should be, and everything else will follow suit. Feel me? When distractions come, be strong in your resolve. Have accountability in your life of some sort. There is no wake up call that will hit you as hard as realizing too late that you made a mistake you can't take back. Nobody's perfect. I get that. But you have no idea the power of the devil where this is concerned, and you'd be wise to wise up! Pray over who you date AND who you marry. And NEVER STOP!!!
4. Speak truth into your life out loud daily!!! I grew up Southern Baptist. This is not something we did or that I was ever taught in Sunday School growing up. And I'm not talking about "prosperity gospel," at least what I always heard that phrase meant anyway. I'm not telling you to start claiming a Mercedes Benz and expect it in your driveway! But I am saying that we speak ourselves into the situations in which we find ourselves. My Pastor, Danny Chambers, said, "Who you are is who you've been saying you are for the last two years." I believe that. I've heard believers in Jesus say, "I can't... I won't... God didn't...." They'll talk about being a "realist" about their lives and situations. They've forgotten whose they are! I have a list of statements hanging on my bathroom mirror that Jamie Brandenburg, a buddy of mine here in Nashville, gave me. All of them are based on scripture and are just statements about who we are in Christ. I wrote them in a recent blog for you to be able to have and use. You can see them by clicking here. Go and print then off. Tweak them if you want. Add, subtract, it's your life you're speaking truth into. Make it your own! But you will see HUGE results if you do!!! I'm giving you personal testimony to that fact!!! Life is all about perspective, and saying things like this out loud daily helps keep a right perspective in our lives. Another quote by Pastor Danny says, "The Israelites looked at Goliath and said, 'He's so big we can't KILL him!' David looked at Goliath and said, 'He's so big I can't MISS him!'" It's all in perspective.
As I said early on, this isn't an exhaustive list. I think 4 is doable for anyone in any situation. Most of you will think that this was a nice blog and just close it. No, I'm not going to ask you to do a chain letter! I just want you to experience all God has for you. Just USE what Ive given you! If it doesn't work, I give you permission to call me a liar. But if it does, and I truly believe it will, then you can share it at your discretion. And no, your love of Jesus won't be affected if you don't! :-) I'm greatly annoyed by those emails and posts!
I welcome your comments! PLEASE click on the words "No Comment" or "Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph) and post a comment of your own. You must also choose a profile from the drop down list, or just choose "anonymous" from the list and type your name at the end of your comment in the actual comment box. Clicking the PUBLISH button posts your comment and you're good to go! Use the social media links there to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
So instead of reliving moments in my life that have nothing to do with you, my reader, I want to instead leave you with some life lessons that I've learned (or RElearned) that I hope will make a lasting difference in your lives as well. I honestly don't know that I could create an exhaustive list, but I'm going to pray and ask God to remind me of the ones that need to be included here. He knows who will be reading this and what all of you need to hear most.
1. God adores us. My friend, Debby Berry, says this all the time. Two years ago, because of decisions I had made personally, I called Debby. At the time, I would've said it was coincidence. From what I know now, it was a Divine appointment! She was the first person who drilled that into my head. I'd never heard it put that way before. A few months later, I remember laying in the altar of Gateway Church in Texas and God speaking to me so clearly saying, "You just need to let me love on you. Cast every worry on me. Nothing matters except that you let me love you." Since those conversations, I now wake up knowing that my Father in heaven ADORES me!!! Not for what I've done, mind you! That would disappoint even the holders of low standards! But because He made me, died for me, and still sees in me what He made me to be and knows my potential for His kingdom. And the same is true for YOU! Say it with me, "God adores me." Feels good, huh? Thanks, Debby, for that simple, yet life-changing lesson.
2. We don't deserve to be happy. Now before my fan mail starts crashing this server, hear me out. See, I tried that. Here's what I found. Happiness can be achieved only for fleeting moments at a time. It is not a sustainable state. But humanity gives a daily valiant effort at making it such and trying to convince the world that it's possible! Ok. So, I challenge you. Name ONE person that has sustained happiness. Not asking for a top ten list, not even three. Just one. Singular. YOU CAN'T! Because nobody has!!! Most people have for a time, but then it fades away like morning dew. Scripture tells us that we will face trials. Ever known anyone to jump up and scream, "YAY!!! Another TRIAL!!!! I'm so happy life tests me like this. BRING IT!!!" Me either. Not being serious, anyway. God was guaranteeing times of unhappiness. He knew they would come with frequency. He wants two things for us: joy & contentment. The first is from Him through Jesus. That kind of joy is sustainable. The second comes from experiencing the joy of knowing Christ. And when you add them together, you know what results? Happiness. Again, not sustained. But certainly more common and longer lasting than any we would hope to find in our own pursuits. So seek Jesus first. Then rest in the contentment that He brings. There, you will find the happiness you seek.
3. The importance of your spouse choice. Married people, don't cut me off here! I have come to realize full well that I love Michelle, my wife, more than the day I married her. Now there are a LOT of reasons why that this blog has no hope of provision for naming, but that's not the point. Whether you're dating or married, distractions happen. Distractions hinder the decision making process. Focus is key. Keep your eyes where they should be, and everything else will follow suit. Feel me? When distractions come, be strong in your resolve. Have accountability in your life of some sort. There is no wake up call that will hit you as hard as realizing too late that you made a mistake you can't take back. Nobody's perfect. I get that. But you have no idea the power of the devil where this is concerned, and you'd be wise to wise up! Pray over who you date AND who you marry. And NEVER STOP!!!
4. Speak truth into your life out loud daily!!! I grew up Southern Baptist. This is not something we did or that I was ever taught in Sunday School growing up. And I'm not talking about "prosperity gospel," at least what I always heard that phrase meant anyway. I'm not telling you to start claiming a Mercedes Benz and expect it in your driveway! But I am saying that we speak ourselves into the situations in which we find ourselves. My Pastor, Danny Chambers, said, "Who you are is who you've been saying you are for the last two years." I believe that. I've heard believers in Jesus say, "I can't... I won't... God didn't...." They'll talk about being a "realist" about their lives and situations. They've forgotten whose they are! I have a list of statements hanging on my bathroom mirror that Jamie Brandenburg, a buddy of mine here in Nashville, gave me. All of them are based on scripture and are just statements about who we are in Christ. I wrote them in a recent blog for you to be able to have and use. You can see them by clicking here. Go and print then off. Tweak them if you want. Add, subtract, it's your life you're speaking truth into. Make it your own! But you will see HUGE results if you do!!! I'm giving you personal testimony to that fact!!! Life is all about perspective, and saying things like this out loud daily helps keep a right perspective in our lives. Another quote by Pastor Danny says, "The Israelites looked at Goliath and said, 'He's so big we can't KILL him!' David looked at Goliath and said, 'He's so big I can't MISS him!'" It's all in perspective.
As I said early on, this isn't an exhaustive list. I think 4 is doable for anyone in any situation. Most of you will think that this was a nice blog and just close it. No, I'm not going to ask you to do a chain letter! I just want you to experience all God has for you. Just USE what Ive given you! If it doesn't work, I give you permission to call me a liar. But if it does, and I truly believe it will, then you can share it at your discretion. And no, your love of Jesus won't be affected if you don't! :-) I'm greatly annoyed by those emails and posts!
I welcome your comments! PLEASE click on the words "No Comment" or "Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph) and post a comment of your own. You must also choose a profile from the drop down list, or just choose "anonymous" from the list and type your name at the end of your comment in the actual comment box. Clicking the PUBLISH button posts your comment and you're good to go! Use the social media links there to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
Thursday, October 3, 2013
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!!!
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