It Is NOT Over!

 

It is NOT over!!!

 

Dec 31^st 2010

 

I’m sitting in my living room listening to Ricardo Sanchez’s song, I Call Your Name playing silently on my Ipod which plays around the clock in my house and reflecting on the past year.  The good times…The not so good times… The laughter… The tears… The fun… The Pain…and I’m thankful.

 

Things didn’t always go the way I wanted them to go or even the way I thought that they should have gone… But, as I sit here and reflect, through the good and the not so good, I’ve been blessed.

 

The lyrics of the song really convey my heart and the emotion that I feel as I reflect back over the past 12 months that seemingly flew by…

 

Holy
Lord God Almighty
ancient of days
giver of faith
Lord I need you
Worthy
Lord your deserving
of all I have
I lay me down
Lord I need you

I call your name
Lord you reply
You bring your kingdom
To stand by my side
giver of life
all that I need
father your everything that is precious to me
There is no one like you lord in all the earth

 

 

I’m not sure where I would be or in many cases how I would have made it  without Him…As I said earlier, I am thankful…  I’m thankful because I choose to be… I could focus on what didn’t happen in 2010 and if I chose to allow that to be what I highlighted in my mind and heart for 2010 then I would enter 2011 with an ungrateful attitude…  But I CHOOSE to see how much good there was in this year and let the things that weren’t on my “happy list” simply be a small part of a greater whole.  God is so faithful!

 

I stood two feet from where I am typing this yesterday holding my almost 3 year old son, listening to music and carrying him around a dark living room praying over him remembering the day he was born… the weeks following in the NICU when machines were breathing for him and I couldn’t hold him or let him put his head on my shoulder like he was at that moment… and I was thankful…. Just him being here and all the fun experiences that I had this past year that he was a part of is enough to have made 2010 a good…a GREAT year!

 

The memories created with my family and friends… The people that I was able to influence… The lives that were saved and changed because God used me to be his hands, feet, and/or voice…. I choose today to remember those times… and I believe that 2011 will be full of MORE of those kinds of memories!

 

I believe that the rest of my life is the best of my life… I believe that seed sown always produces a harvest… I believe that what God observes in secret He rewards openly… I believe that my tomorrows are filled with hope and destiny!  …I believe!

 

I heard my pastor say yesterday, “Once you are where God needs you to be, you are one day from stepping into destiny”… He was referencing Joseph in the old testament who at 17 was sold into slavery by his brothers who told his father he was killed by an animal, then he was lied about, he was lied to, he was cheated, he wronged, he was put into prison for crimes he didn’t commit and he spent 13 years in that repetitive cycle that he didn’t deserve…but he was being molded and God used that season in his life to prepare him for the responsibility of becoming the second in command over all of Egypt (the most powerful nation on earth at the time) under Pharaoh…and that promotion took place for him overnight.  That promotion saved Egypt from starvation and devastation.  Although, the road to the palace was not paved with gold…It was that season that positioned him to save the lives of every one of his family members and an entire nation… I believe that, in spite of what we have had to endure, each of us has destiny to fulfill!  If you are still here, you still have a voice of influence!

 

A friend of mine recently said to me, “Aaron, I’m convinced that God never wastes pain”… I love that and am actually a walking model of it!  I’m not saying He is the author of it…I’m not saying that He is the reason for it…I’m saying that He will use it to better you and propel you beyond where you have been to where you need to be to have the most significant impact…I, for one will not be satisfied leaving this life without changing the world…Literally!  As the scripture says, “He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose…So, as we close out a year that many have struggled through with blood, sweat and tears…Be encouraged!  He who has begun a good work in you IS FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE IT!  It may be the end of a season called 2010, but IT IS NOT OVER!!!  2011 is MINE!!!  Who’s coming with me?!

 

The rest of your life IS the best of your life!

 

I love you all!  Happy New Year!

 

Aaron

 

Grace and Sin…The Great Debate

The Great Debate…

 

“Wholeheartedly loving God is the prerequisite to responsibly applying and understanding Grace…”- AD Davis

 

So recently, I was having dinner with a friend and the topic of Grace came up.  Those of you who know me know that I have a pretty open view of “Grace” as it pertains to people, sin and where they fit in with God.  My friend asked me, “Do you believe grace covers…(undisclosed topic)”  and my own answer even surprised me.  I looked at him and said this, “I believe that Christians use the topic of grace to irresponsibly excuse sin…even though it is technically covered by Grace”

 

The apostle Paul actually addresses the topic of Grace on several occasions in his letters to the new testament churches.  The book of Galations in the NT is a phenomenal exposition on the topic of Grace and I would strongly advise anyone reading this who is questioning specifics of this topic to read Galations in the Message version of the bible (www.BibleGateway.com). It is very informative and a very short read.

 

In 1 Corinthians 10:23 Paul makes a very powerful statement when talking about freedom in Christ as it pertains to an issue involving the Law.

 

23″Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. In essence he was saying, “yeah, there are things that are covered by grace BUT it is important to be responsible with how you exercise your freedoms because the exercise of them may cause you more harm than good”.

 

Being one who has a passion for history and also has a lot of experience with the legal system I immediately made a comparative statement…I told my friend, “The reason that there is such a difficulty with people understanding or walking in Grace (as it was intended by God) is because of human nature.  Man, by his very nature is selfish and has a self-serving/self-excusing nature.  Which is also the reason that a utopian society has never and will never succeed. In concept it is a great “idea” but it is absolutely idealistic and irrational to believe that people will naturally follow any format that requires them to mutually respect others without a mandated set of laws.

 

There will be those who would follow the expectation just because it was the right thing to do, but there would always be others who would immediately take advantage of the system to serve their own lusts and evil desires.  Even with Laws that severely punish crime and those who exercise behavior outside of their liberties, we still have a society that is hell bent on serving their selfish nature to the point that they will go so far as to take the lives of others just to gratify their own sinful desires…”  (Our prisons are proof positive of what I am talking about.)  Without a common denominator of honesty, mutual respect, and even a love for our fellow man…there will never be utopia…

 

Although I do believe that grace covers the topic that my friend and I was addressing in conversation, I think that the question he asked actually addressed the wrong perspective…It is not a matter of forgiveness or grace vs condemnation but rather an issue of love, the heart and the motives of the person/people in question…As a result, the conclusion I came to in my example was this…The subject of Grace within Christianity is much like the utopian society…Without the common denominator of walking in or at least ATTEMPTING to walk in the Great Commandment (as outlined in Mark 12:28-32 below)… People will not walk out Grace as it was intended by God…

 

Mark 12:28-32 (Amplified Bible)

28Then one of the scribes came up and listened to them disputing with one another, and, noticing that Jesus answered them fitly and admirably, he asked Him, Which commandment is first and most important of all[in its nature]?

29Jesus answered, The first and principal one of all commands is: Hear,O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord;

30And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.

31The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

 

Simply put, Jesus is saying that the #1 and #2 most important issues to God are these. Love God with all your heart mind and strength and Love your fellow man…This is what is commonly referred to as “The Great Commandment”.

 

I love my wife. There are things that I do BECAUSE I love her…(Not because I have to but because I WANT TO)… and equally as important, there are things that I DO NOT do BECAUSE I LOVE HER…

 

I don’t sit around trying to figure out how much I can get away with and her still forgive or love me.  I don’t say to myself, “I know that this behavior will hurt her and could cause a significant wedge in our relationship…but because she will forgive me… I’m going to do it…” That is just a selfish and inconsiderate way of thinking about her and where we stand in our relationship. Because I love Lisa, I don’t WANT to do what would hurt her, regardless of whether or not she would forgive me…It’s a given, I’m a grown man and I can do WHATEVER I choose to do… but if what I choose to do has negative consequences and significant repercussions it doesn’t benefit me to act on those desires EVEN IF I will be forgiven later.  As a result, If I love my wife, my reasoning and justification for what I do or don’t do is defined by my love not by her willingness to forgive or extend grace…

 

This is why I listed the quote in the beginning of this chapter, “Wholeheartedly loving God is the prerequisite to responsibly applying and understanding Grace…”

 

I think that people who are PRIMARILY concerned with “Grace” and how it applies… miss the importance of FIRST LOVING GOD before even trying to understand Grace…If you first apply the Great Commandment, Grace becomes secondary NOT primary…Completely loving God FIRST actually settles much of the “Grace” debate. Don’t ask, “How much can I do or not do” but rather, “How much can I love God”… then tell me what your views are on what you “do”.  From that perspective the paradigm of Grace should change significantly.

 

Looking at it from this perspective, I think that the person who is looking for an “excuse” as to why it’s ok to sin and do something that they know would displease God is actually struggling with a much deeper issue and has not yet learned or understood what it means to “Love God”…I think that the very action of “looking for the loophole” is a direct indicator of a lovelacking heart condition.  The man who is looking for a way to get away with hurting or cheating on his wife just because she will forgive him is missing something in understanding what it means to LOVE and appreciate his wife…and I believe that this applies to God as well.

 

I will end this chapter with a bit of a disclaimer because I know how people are and I know religion and how what I have said could easily be used to justify “Legalism” and “Rule Keeping for Rules Sake”…

 

There are a lot of issues that Christians call “Sin” that simply cannot be backed up scripturally. They have personal convictions or thoughts about what they “think” God might think about an issue and as a result will often come up with “doctrinal rules” based upon their own personal prejudices or dogmatic pontifications…This is NOT what I am addressing in this chapter!  Let’s call a spade a spade.  There are issues in scripture that are CLEARLY sin and SIN is what I am addressing here.

 

God’s Grace and Love covers our sin and removes it as far as the east is from the west…It’s a DONE DEAL!  But I think that there is a greater and deeper place of intimacy with God that every Christian should be aspiring to reach where we are not just “Not doing what would displease God”… But rather seeking to know Him and Love Him in a new and deeper way every day!  In that place, Grace is secondary, Love is primary and our daily walk with Him is the object of our every aspiration, motive and action as it pertains to our relationship with Him.

 

When we are seeking to Love God with everything that we are, It becomes clear that Grace is simply the instrument that makes it possible for us to be able to have the relationship with God that we do…

 

When understood and used responsibly, Grace it is the KEY not a convenient loophole… No, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s Grace… But I think that there is a LOT we can do to take advantage of and inappropriately use it…

 

If youcan dig it…Say Word!!!

 

…And know I AM God

…I Am God!

Remember seeing the little kid that is lost in the mall, frantically looking for his parents? “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!!” He is so perplexed, overwhelmed and distraught that there is little that you can say or do, short of showing him his father…

I was pondering a scripture earlier…

Matthew 11:28 (Amplified Bible)
28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

As I pondered that scripture in a prayerful state, I saw the scene I explained above with the lost little boy play out in my mind… I knew God was trying to show me something so I asked Him, “What are you trying to convey to me?”… The answer tugged at the heartstrings of my own “father” nature…

This is what I believe He was showing me…For any number of circumstances, so many of God’s children run around frantically looking for God like some lost child… Crying out, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy…” Running this way and that way completely perplexed and without any guidance or intentionality of direction… They are acting as though somehow, GOD is lost and THEY have to find HIM…

God is NOT lost…and the frantic, anxiety driven, blind pursuit is NOT the solution to the problem…As a matter of fact, it will likely make it worse!

Here is the point… I KNOW my son’s cries… I could be in a room with 10,000 people and if he cried out “Daddy” I would immediately tune in to the ONE voice that matters… the voice of the one that has my heart…My Son’s!

YOU are God’s Son or Daughter…HE ADORES YOU…YOU HAVE HIS HEART! God hears the cries of His children, He is concerned about that which concerns you, He asks you to call unto Him and confirms that He will answer you…Time and time again, throughout scripture, there is confirmation of this desire of His heart to hear, answer and intervene… This is the FATHER nature of God!

As I considered this entire scenario, the scripture hit me… “Be still and know that I AM GOD…” The God who created the UNIVERSE with billions of light years between its ends, cares about YOU… He is saying with that simple statement of “be still” … “I am your loving Father! I know exactly what you need! I know exactly who you are! I know exactly WHERE you are… Be still…You’re not God, I am…So quit trying to do MY job!”

When we know who our Daddy is, and that He is watchfully aware of us… In that time of anxiousness or even disillusionment , we can be still and wait on our Father who has promised to watch over, protect and provide for us…He WILL answer and will come to us and take our hand…

Running about blindly when we feel “lost” only makes it more difficult for us to hear HIS voice calling us to the direction that He IS…

When we STOP with all the emotion and commotion, we can hear HIS voice saying, “Come unto me… You don’t have to run yourself ragged trying to find me…I’m right here and I will give you rest…”

Isn’t it amazing how when a distraught “lost” child finally slows down enough to hear their “Daddy’s voice” or see their “Daddy’s face” , the entire atmosphere changes for the them…? Everything that so perplexed them just moments before melts in the presence and realization of their Father…

Jeremiah 29:11 (Amplified Bible)
11For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome…

HE has plans for YOU! The God who created everything that we understand from the smallest atom to the unfathomable vastness of the universe has a plan that is unique and specific to YOU!!! Once that reality REALLY sinks in to our finite minds and we even vaguely understand the intense weight of who we are to the God that is THAT immense and intense… it almost seems ridiculous to concern ourselves with the circumstantial!

So at the point where we go, “I don’t know what else to do…” Just BE STILL and rest in the work that He is doing on your behalf… It’s His plan, so until He gives you a directive, simply rest in Him … Busy is not always better…particularly when, like the lost child in the mall, it’s driven from a place of fear, anxiety or lack of direction…

…and know I AM GOD!

If you can dig it…Say Word!!!

Put It On and Keep It On!

In the last chapter we referenced Ephesians chapter 6 and spoke about the Sword of the Spirit aka “Word of God” being the only offensive and defensive weapon listed in the “Armor of God” and the very thing that Jesus used against the Devil when he was tempted by Satan. Although, “The Word” is an imperative piece of that armor it is not the ONLY piece that is essential for our success! As a result, I would like to further elaborate on this subject of overcoming spiritual attacks…

No one in their right mind would choose to go into a war zone without the necessary armor and weaponry if it were at their disposal! If you could clothe yourself in invincibility armor with weapons that would, not only give you the upper hand, but actually ASSURE your victory, you’d be a FOOL to decline or attempt to go into the battle ill equipped in any other way! YET so often this is what we do from a spiritual perspective!

Ephesians 6:11
Put on the FULL armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (NIV)

“Taking a stand against the Devils schemes…” Based upon the next verse in that chapter (Ephesians 6:12) we understand that our battles are not rooted in the physical realm… they may manifest themselves as physical but they are rooted in Spirit.

Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Not understanding the meaning of the FULL armor of God or the COMPLETE armor of God can be detrimental to our successes as it pertains to fighting against the Devils attacks.

Each piece of the armor is intended to protect, defend and/or fight against the attacks of our adversary. Leave a piece of that armor off and you leave an aspect of yourself exposed to attack and/or injury. BUT when fully clothed/protected in “God’s Armor”, the enemy doesn’t even see YOU he sees God because, it’s HIS armor!

Lets read Ephesians 6:10-17 and then break down the meaning of each piece of the Armor of God…

Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The first piece of the Armor mentioned is “The Belt of Truth”. There are a few things that I would like to point out about this first piece, “Truth”… The #1 essential understanding about “truth” is that the Word of God IS truth! It is an all-important prerequisite that we recognize that God’s Word is the FINAL authority! It is TRUTH whether or not we are seeing the manifested application of it in our lives …YET! Knowing that Word and having that Truth tightly wrapped around your other armor is an essential to keeping the rest of the armor in place during battle! All that God has promised us in His Word is FOR US! It is TRUTH! It is LIFE! If there is a promise in the bible…it is FOR YOU!!!

To quote a pastor friend of mine (Jeffrey Smith, COL ORLANDO!!! Whoop Whoop!!), “How can you defend your rights if you don’t know what they are? Memorize scripture! Don’t just read it, learn it!”

I think that statement says it all! The Word of God holds the Truth that we need to understand but if we don’t READ it, we can’t KNOW it, and if we don’t KNOW it, we can’t USE it… The rest of the Armor of God literally rests and is secured on this first piece!

The next piece of the Armor of God is The Breastplate of Righteousness. If the bible says that “our righteousness is as filthy rags to God” then why is this listed in the Armor of God…? Because it is not OUR Righteousness! First of all, let me define Righteousness in layman’s terms, “Righteousness” means “Right-standing with God”. We become the “Righteousness of God” through Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22). We are literally MADE righteous by the blood of Jesus and as a result can walk IN God’s righteousness by following His leading and Word for our lives once we are in covenant with Him! It is true that we are not “made righteous” by anything that we do or don’t do per se’…HOWEVER, we CAN step outside of “Right-standing with Him” when we choose to do things that oppose His leading or that is not in agreement with the TRUTH of His Word! (See the connection?) Just because we are saved or in covenant with God does not mean that we cannot step outside of His will or desire for our lives…It doesn’t mean we are not saved but it could leave us exposed if we TAKE OFF HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS…

It’s interesting to me to think about what “Righteousness” covers… The Heart, the lungs, the digestive track, the liver, spleen…All covered by Righteousness! Think about the spiritual parallels for the function of each of those physical organs! (That could be a chapter all in itself!)

The next piece is the “Shoes”… “Feet fitted with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace…” Initially when I considered this piece of Armor, I was a bit “under-impressed”… but then I thought about it a bit deeper… Consider being in a battle, you are weighed down with armor, the terrain is rocky and dry, the enemy is coming against you and you are having to FIGHT for your very life… how difficult would it be to maintain traction, to think about the fight, to concern the attack of the enemy, to mount any kind of offensive attack if you were having to consider your feet being cut, bruised, broken…etc… The “Readiness of the Gospel of Peace” I think is two-sided, In order to be ready WITH the Gospel of Peace, you have to first understand and POSSESS IT!!!

The bible says that our PEACE was purchased at the same time that salvation was purchased! “The Chastisement of our PEACE was upon Him”… Jesus went further to say, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you…Let not your heart be troubled”… David talked about this kind of “peace of God” in Psalm 23 when he says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemy”… I love that scripture because he is literally referring to sitting down and eating in peace with God while surrounded by those who would KILL him! THAT IS THE PEACE OF GOD!

This “Salvation” that we have IS a gospel of Peace! It levels the playing field, it takes no account of our past or who we have been… This gospel places us in a position to have peace about eternity, about our relationship with God, about our past sins, about our future…because they are ALL covered! So, we have a “Readiness” in this Gospel of Peace to be able to apply it to our lives, to WALK IN IT (That statement is SOO POWERFUL…We walk in God’s Peace, how appropriate when talking about our shoes), and to convey it to those we come in contact with…

Our feet which bear the weight of the rest of our body AND the rest of the armor…surrounded by the Peace of God… Peace is ours, but we won’t understand it, know it, or walk in it until we first secure “Truth”, which helps us understand God’s “Righteousness” which allows us to walk in His “PEACE!”

Next is the “Shield of Faith” which helps us to extinguish or guards us against the attacks/fiery darts of the enemy. I recently had someone ask me, “Aaron, do you think I just don’t have enough faith…?” I didn’t think that was the case at all, but I DO think that the OTHER pieces of God’s Armor work in CONJUNCTION with and COMPLIMENT the other pieces! And if all are not applied, there could be an area that is under equipped…We understand the Truth, we apply/put on God’s Righteousness, We walk in HIS Peace, THEN when the fiery darts come against us, our shield of Faith is in full functionality!

The bible says Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the WORD OF GOD… Literally, each piece of this armor becomes interconnected with our body and as a result, each other…we are the link between each piece! And Ephesians 6 uses the action words “PUT ON” to emphasize that it is OUR responsibility to equip ourselves with the armor that is available to us!

It’s A LOT easier to have “Faith” when you have “PEACE”! It’s SO MUCH easier to trust God when you know that you are walking in HIS Righteousness! And it’s the difference between Night and Day when you come to a Heart knowledge that His Word is TRUTH and what it says is, FOR YOU!!!

The final two pieces are addressed in the same sentence…The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

Psalms 140:7 (NAS) says, “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation [Yeshua], You have covered my head in the day of battle”

Jesus (Yeshua) in Hebrew means Salvation…So that previous scripture literally means that Jesus/Salvation covers our head in the day of battle!

Colossians 1:18 says “He (Jesus) is the Head of the Body, the church.”

Salvation is understood because of our acceptance of the Truth, Righteousness, Gospel of Peace and our Faith in the totality of the work accomplished…We can have faith because of the understanding we obtain and ultimately the application of our understanding as we then extend our faith and receive salvation which allows us to have the “Mind of Christ” for life and the battles that we come against. We can have the wisdom of God because of our covenant with God through Christ and the Salvation that He has provided… This “helmet” protects the mind, the eyes, the ears and the mouth, all of which are used in navigating our battles…Interestingly, the mouth actually becomes the very tool implemented to wield the next and final piece of armor… The Sword of the Spirit!

And as we amply elaborated on, in the previous chapter, it is the Sword of the Spirit that is used to defend against, attack, take authority over and overcome our enemy!

Salvation is understood by learning the truth, and the Sword of the Spirit is properly wielded against our enemy because of our understanding and application OF that Truth!

One final note: The FULL/COMPLETE Armor of God, is all frontal armor! It’s intended for FORWARD progress! The Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”… There is no “retreat” armor… Through Him we are more than conquerors! We are an unstoppable force when we are adequately clothed in God’s Armor!

I think, many times, people look only at ONE aspect of the Armor of God (The Shield of Faith) and assume that they simply don’t have a big enough shield to stand against the devil… The bible says that we have each been given a measure of faith… and even a SMALL, minute measure of faith can move mountains… As a result, I think it may be more probable that we have taken off or failed to put on a different piece of that necessary FULL armor, and, as a result, may be leaving ourselves exposed… Just a thought that I think is worth pondering…

Ignorance is simply, “not knowing what we don’t know…” I hope that this may have shed a bit more light on what it means to equip ourselves with the FULL/COMPLETE Armor of God…PUT IT ON and KEEP IT ON!!!

You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free…

If you can dig it…Say, “WORD!!!”

…That I Might Not…

How many times have you been in a situation where you were weak, or down, or frustrated, or angry, or sad and, to add insult to injury, it seemed that something that you thought you were long “past” comes back to tempt you or try to further steer you off course… Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!!

The bible says that the Devil comes as a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour… and that he comes to steal, kill and destroy…That is his Modus Operandi!

I’m a bit of a discovery/history/science channel nut and I LOVE to watch documentaries… Thanks to those who have studied and documented the hunting habits of predators like the lion, I have some insight on this scripture.

Lions, do not target the strongest, fastest, most resilient prey… They will approach a pack of “prey” animals and they often will run right into the pack and target the small, or lame, or wounded, or tired, or the one separated from the rest of the pack. In those circumstances they pose the least resistance and least likelihood for injury to the predator… They’re smart hunters, they are skillful and they are VERY methodical! With that said, it places a different perspective on the previous scripture about how the devil targets us…

In my own life and in the lives of the hundreds that have come to me seeking pastoral advice over the years, I have seen this same M/O of attack manifested time and time again in people’s lives! They are going through a hard time, they are tired, they are weak, and then they are hit with an attack that they didn’t expect or didn’t see coming…and many times they fall!!! When times were good, it seemed like they were smooth sailing, as if nothing could touch them… Then they fall on some hard times and BOOM the sneak attack takes them to the ground!

Ever been there? OF COURSE YOU HAVE! We all have! EVEN JESUS!

Think about it! In Luke chapter 4, Jesus goes into the wilderness and fasts for 40 days…After praying and fasting for 40 days, spiritually, he was likely as close to God as he had ever been! BUT His body was weak, he was hungry, he was malnourished, and the devil comes against him tempting him and attacking him with issues that naturally would be difficult for ANYONE, in his shoes! He didn’t come against Jesus when He was with his disciples, and teaching, and seeing miracles, and physically strong… He hit him when he was alone, and hungry and weak… See the pattern here?

So how does this relate to us now? The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12 That we Wrestle NOT against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places…

We see that it was Satan who came to tempt Jesus… It was a “physical temptation” but it had SPIRITUAL ROOTS! The attack was NOT physical although it did appeal to the “flesh” side of Jesus! It WAS SPIRITUAL!!! And how he dealt with this attack is the key to this entire chapter!

I had a friend come to me recently needing advice… He told me that he has been doing GREAT for so long and then, out of the blue, when other issues started going down hill, he was hit with an attack that he “thought” was long behind him… He asked me, “What do I do? Do I need to pray more or read my bible more or what?”

All those things are well and good… Yeah, you can pray more… Yeah, you can read your bible more…(especially if those are areas you have been neglecting) BUT when the devil attacked Jesus, what did HE do? He used the WORD OF GOD to take authority over the temptation…

We are in a very interesting position because we are in covenant with God…The sacrifice of Christ purchased our freedom from sin and it’s bondages…We have been given authority over circumstances and situations that would have before had authority over us… We are NO LONGER bound by sin or subject to it’s control! The Devil and his attacks are subject to the authority that we have in our covenant with God… But ultimately, it is our choice if we choose to invoke our authority!

When I was a police officer I had an authority that was recognized by my community. The badge gave me permission to take control of adverse circumstances and dictate the actions thereafter… If I chose NOT to use that authority, it did not change the fact that it was at my disposal. I was “Commissioned” and given the right to invoke the powers of that authority at my discretion…Whether I used them or not…

In previous chapters I have written about “finding out what the Word of God says concerning your circumstances”. When Jesus was attacked with hunger, he replied, “Man does not live on bread alone…” When tempted with pride and dominion he replied, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only”… When tempted with showing the devil “his power” he replied, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”… The bible says, that when the devil had tried to tempt Jesus and He did not give in… he left…This is the KEY to combating the Devil!

So, I ask again, “What does the Word of God say relating directly to YOUR circumstances?” Knowing that information is absolutely ESSENTIAL! If you don’t know, you NEED TO FIND OUT! Because when the Devil comes against you with temptation, it is the “Word of God” that is your weapon of defense! It’s why it is called “The Sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians chapter 6… It is the only piece in the “Armor of God” outlined in that chapter that is offensive AND defensive! It is what you are to use to defend yourself and wound your enemy!

The devil knows that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). He knows that it is SIN that can keep us from operating in the fullness of our destiny! He knows that sin kills and destroys and as we cited in the beginning of this chapter, we know that stealing from us, killing and destroying us is what Satan is out to do!

Recognizing this, it should be SO obvious to us that the temptation to submit to sinful desires is ABSOLUTELY an intentional attempt to derail us from our destiny and God’s intention for our progress! Just like he did with Jesus, the Devil is trying to keep us from stepping into what God has for us by tempting us with sin! The fact that it happens so many times when we are at our weakest is further confirmation of the Devils M/O! We have to recognize this for what it is! You ARE NOT fighting a flesh and blood enemy… These circumstances that you are warring against ARE NOT rooted in the physical and you cannot physically fight a spiritual battle! Jesus says in John 6:63 that his Word is Spirit and Life! It is THE WORD OF GOD that we use as our weapon to take authority over the spiritual attacks and temptations of the devil! WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY ABOUT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!!!?

So when you are struggling with temptations to worry or fret you find that John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you”… and when you are struggling with feelings of worthlessness, you find in the bible that Romans 3:22 says, “You are the righteousness of God in Christ”… and when you feel alone, you find that the bible says in Hebrews 13:5 that “God will never leave you or forsake you”… and when you are struggling with feelings of abandonment, you see that Psalms 68:5 says that “God is the father to the fatherless”… and when you are struggling with feelings of lust, or concerning your past, or concerning your future, or concerning anger, or concerning addiction, or concerning anxiety…etc we see in the Ps 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7 that we are to cast our cares and anxieties on the Lord because He cares for us!

WHATEVER you are struggling with, there ARE biblical promises that you can stand upon to overcome!!! Combat the lies and deceptions with the TRUTH of God’s Word!!!

As I left my friend who was asking me “what do I do?” the other day… I offered him one final word of advice as I patted his shoulder and walked away… I said, “You’ve been given authority over it… but what you do with it is up to you…”

Psalm 119:11
I’ve hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you…

If you can dig it, Say “WORD!!!”

You Just Can’t Do Enough…

Having been in ministry in the capacity that I have for many years, I have had NUMEROUS occasions to talk with people concerning what they “believe” it means to be a Christian and furthermore, what it takes to “maintain” a “Christian” status…

To many, Christianity is like a car that they have to do routine daily maintenance on in order to keep it running or they think it will quit working when they need it to run the most! (Like in an emergency situation)…

It is an interesting perspective and not one that I haven’t had to work through, in some capacities, myself.  I mean, it’s difficult to turn on the TV or sit in a church service and not hear SOMETHING that might lead you to believe that there are a laundry list of things that you have to do in order to maintain that “Christian” engine…

Being one who has written several books, both published and unpublished, I have written chapters in times past about “disciplines” in our “Christian Walk” and what I am about to say may sound contradictory if not prefaced with a bit of explanation… What I am about to address, is NOT about sin or refraining from sin…Or even disciplining our thoughts so that they line up with God’s word… I believe that sin IS under our authority and for those who love God, there should be a cognizant effort exerted to attempt to avoid circumstances or situations that may cause us to find ourselves in a “setback” situation that we know according to His Word would be displeasing to Him… but these “disciplines” are simply ways that we honor Gods leading and Word in our lives…NOT an adherence to any “rule” that somehow makes us more saved or better than others…This is where personal convictions vs legalisms take a very different stance… Personally, I know that God will deal with different people differently about issues that could cause them personal set backs, others would disagree with that statement…it is an area where we must simply agree to disagree…

For example, God may tell one person not to go down to the “Red Light” district because they are not in a place where it wouldn’t be a temptation for them, where He might ask another to go into that environment and minister to the hurting in that industry… Just because God deals differently with one does not mandate His requirement for the other… which is why we “work out our own salvation…With God”.

Too many doctrines teach a legal adherence to “rules” as an outward sign of holiness…and this is simply not a requirement from a biblical perspective.  Just this week, I have had SEVERAL people contact me with questions about leaders in their lives placing unbiblical requirements upon them for the sake of rules and/or legalism… One young man wanted to go out and minister on the street with a team of people and was not permitted because he had on shorts…Another questioned the love of God for them because of their past and sins that they have committed and they felt that they didn’t “measure up” to the other Christians that they knew or their perceived “expectations”…and the list goes on… I’ve only been a Christian “this long”… “I haven’t read the bible all the way through yet…” etc…

All of these ideas come from unbalanced teachings about doctrinal issues that do NOT have biblical foundations!  And this is why I am writing this chapter today.  My hope is, that perhaps, what I am about to present will offer a bit of balance, perspective and peace to minds and spirits that are unnecessarily burdened by “Religious Expectations” that have no biblical foundation!

Jesus said in Matthew  Chapter 11 vs 30 (Msg Version)

28-30″Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Another version says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”… Jesus didn’t come to make things complicated… He simplified what religion had previously made so difficult!  And even though it is so simple, PEOPLE still try to make it harder than it needs to be by adding burdensome yokes and expectations to a relationship with God that should be liberating… It’s as if they just don’t believe that it can possibly be as simple as God and the bible have made it, and they feel that they have to do something “extra” in order to measure up…

Check this out, as I wrote in a previous chapter, Paul (who wrote 2/3’s of the new testament) was at one time one of THE MOST legalistic and religiously bound individuals of his day!  He actually sought to kill Christians for what they taught because it contradicted his “religion” and belief system.  Then he has a miraculous encounter with God that completely changed his entire perspective and he became a completely new man with a new purpose in life!  He turned 180 degrees around and actually set out to undo and confront all of his previously unbalanced teachings about God and His desire/love for mankind!  He learned a truth that he simply could NOT keep silent about because he recognized that the religious chains that once bound him and thousands of others like him were UNNECESSARY!  God had provided freedom and Paul was on a mission to relay that “Good News” to the world!  Eventually, this passion and conviction cost Paul his life and he was executed… But his tenacity and willingness to die for what he came to believe and understand and ultimately convey to us just goes to show how convinced he was of the truth of it and the immense importance to him that this truth that he came to understand was passed on to the rest of the world!

In Galations Chapter 3 Paul says some profound things that, considering my recent conversations with people, leapt off of the page at me this week, as I saw something that I had never really seen before, even though I had read this passage so many times!

Let me preface by saying, Paul is writing this chapter to a group of people that he had already preached the life giving gospel of Jesus to… he left with an understanding that they “GOT IT” and that they understood that what Jesus had done for them had freed them from their previous legalistic bondages… then, some other teachers came along and messed up what Paul had taught them. The Galatian people, began to embrace a bastardized version of the gospel which once again incorporated undo burden and religious/legalistic rules.  Paul, disgusted with what was being taught and the similarities to what he himself used to be completely bound and driven by, set out, in a letter to “set the record straight” once again!

Galatians 3 (Msg Version)

Trust in Christ, Not the Law

1 You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

2-4Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!

5-6Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don’t these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.

7-8Is it not obvious to you that persons who put their trust in Christ (not persons who put their trust in the law!) are like Abraham: children of faith? It was all laid out beforehand in Scripture that God would set things right with non-Jews by faith. Scripture anticipated this in the promise to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed in you.”

9-10So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: “Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law.”

11-12The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: “The person who believes God, is set right by God—and that’s the real life.” Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: “The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.”

13-14Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it…

18-20What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us… the original promise is the direct blessing of God, received by faith.

21-22…For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time.

As Paul addresses the Church at Galatia, he explains to them that serving God is not about the rules, it’s not about the legalistic adherences, it’s not even about anything that we could do for God… it’s ALL about what God has done for us!

As I read this chapter, the words in verses 11-12 were like a beam of light on the page… The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you.

That sums up the WHOLE teaching!  Doing things for God is the OPPOSITE of entering into what God does for you!

There is a “rule of thumb” that most churches adhere to when establishing “doctrine” and  I will stick to it as well as I attempt to disrupt the legalism applecart.  The rule is that “Doctrine” is established with agreement or repetition of 2 or more biblical teachings that agree and as a result make the teaching doctrinally sound… So, here are a few more just to solidify my doctrinal antithesis on this issue…

Psalm 127 (NIV)

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

28-30″Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 (New International Version)

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

John 3:16 (The Message)

16-17″This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted…

Romans 10:9-10 (New International Version)

9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

…and the list could go on… but I think these scriptural references solidify the “doctrinal” prerequisite…

I had a thought this week and it is still something that I am chewing on, but will share with you as it pertains to this whole concept about where we stand with God as it pertains to having a relationship with Him…

Jesus, in Matthew 22:14 makes a statement in a parable about salvation that “many are called but few are chosen”…

I think that every Christian denomination would agree that salvation is obtained/received through faith in agreement with the scriptures that I have listed above and additional scriptures that also parallel and establish the doctrine for salvation…  Most would agree that it is a free gift that all are able to embrace if they “will”… but this scripture in Matthew is often quoted by those who feel that there is a “work” that we can do that makes us “chosen”…

Personally, I think that, IF there is a “work” after receiving salvation that we can do that somehow puts us in a different “class” (not necessarily saved vs unsaved but maybe usable vs MORE usable) I think it may have to do with submission to the work of God in our lives as outlined in the paragraphs above and entering into what God is doing for us…

I think most just don’t submit to the work of God in their lives and instead are trying to always “make something happen” because that is what they have been wrongly taught was how we “do it”… As a result, “many are called” but simply do not step from “servant status” into their rightful “son status” in order to receive the inheritance of being a Son!

They constantly strive as a “servant” would without inheritance in hopes of somehow pleasing God instead of comprehending that they are actually more than a servant because of the work of Christ and the cross…Ultimately rendering their menial and labored “righteousness” attempts, worthless and possibly even viewed by God contemptuously on some levels because, to Him, OUR righteousness (outside of Christ and His sacrifice) is viewed as “filthy rags”… (that scriptural reference to “filthy rags” is actually referring to the uncleanness of a menstrual towel that a woman would use during her monthly cycle… During the time that this was written, under Jewish law, a woman was considered “unclean” and even “untouchable” from a intimacy/covenant perspective…For this analogy to be used in scripture to explain this point, definitely puts God’s view of “our righteousness” in perspective doesn’t it?)

Back to being “chosen vs called”, I don’t believe that “eligibility” per se’ is earned, I believe it’s simply RECEIVED by a submission to the work of the Father!

Hosea 4:6 states MY PEOPLE perish for a lack of knowledge…

Key words being “MY PEOPLE”!  Not “outsiders”, not other nations, God is speaking to HIS people dying because of a lack of knowledge… Meaning that they have a relationship with Him, they are His people, yet still perish…because they ultimately don’t understand something about what it actually means to be in a covenant relationship with Him…is it possible that perhaps this has something to do with those many who are called and few who are “chosen”?

My thoughts are, if there is a set of “rules” that we need to adhere to after salvation, it rests in a simple teaching from Jesus that states that, as we seek to Love God with all our minds and hearts and submit to allowing the love of God to extend through us, to our neighbor… Then we fulfill all of the “expectations” that God has for us!  At that point, we are postured to receive the work from Him that NO EFFORT of our own could establish!

The old testament (old covenant) is richly established in the “Law” where man, in his efforts, is in passionate pursuit of God… The New Testament (New Covenant in Christ) is established in the Love and Grace of Father God, where God is in passionate pursuit of Man and having an intimate relationship with him!

The paradigm shifted and God gave ALL so that we could have the relationship with Him that He originally created for us to have!

He makes it SO SIMPLE that it almost seems unfair on His end, yet, when this covenant is mutually embraced and the Love is reciprocated the way that He intended and we recognize that all of it is, HIS WORK and HIS DESIRE as we are just simply recipients of what He wanted to do for us!  Then, at that point, I believe that we can step into the fullness of the “chosen” destiny that He created and desires for us…I say “step into” because, it’s already established…

Anything we “attempt” to do, to make it better, or to make ourselves more “worthy” is simply futile… You just CAN’T do enough… and in actuality, anything you try to do, is too much…The great things is, Christ did for you what you NEVER COULD DO YOURSELF!!!  So just roll with it and embrace that relationship with Him that He CHOSE to have with you!

I’ll reiterate the Word one more time… “The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you…”

When Jesus said, “It is finished”…that’s exactly what He meant…

If you can dig it…SAY WORD!!!

How Dead Are Ya…?

Galatians 2:20 (Amplified Bible)

20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

It’s interesting to me the way that we are often attacked by the same repetitive strategies of the devil. I mean, it’s a rare occasion that something comes against us that we have never had to deal with before isn’t it? In actuality, it seems like the same battle OVER AND OVER again with different circumstances. We all have had “our fleshly vices”.

Over the years my flesh has become more and more subjected to my spirit and what I know to be right, as I have seemingly grown and matured. Still, occasionally, I have had a “flesh out” moment, particularly when I am not expecting an attack and get blindsided by some catalyst that provokes an area of previous weakness…

Most of us spend a lifetime of cultivating, nurturing, protecting and even hiding our predispositions to sin and then at some point we find the conviction of the Holy Spirit prodding us to make a change and take steps in the direction of God’s leading as it pertains to our lives… For me, that “decision” to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and do what I know is right has also been a sure fire opportunity for opposition from the enemy.

Territory is usually not gained without a fight, so the opposition is not an unnecessary battle, and at least in my experience, any time I have determined that I was going to do things “God’s way” or make a change that would contradict my previously unbridled fleshly response, It’s been like volunteering for a round with the gladiators in the coliseum… It hasn’t ever come without some blood, sweat and tears… but the victory is ALWAYS worth it!

Although I believe the scripture above from Galations 2:20 is truth, I also believe that there is a responsibility on our part to guard our hearts and be EXTREMELY cautious about operating in areas of previous weaknesses. I heard a question posed once that asked, “Why would you take a detour in the neighborhood of your previous weakness?”

The point that we have “victory in Christ” and that we have “overcome” in Him does not negate the fact that we are still human beings in bodies of flesh whose nature has been redeemed but is still capable of temptation if we are not at the very least wise concerning the areas of previous difficulty.

I know that the argument can be made while citing the above scripture that it is our “old nature” and we are a new creation in Christ, I don’t argue that, as I can say I have seen some people who experienced an amazing and complete metamorphosis of their nature when they became a Christian, still, I have seen hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of occasions where people with good intentions and Godly desires have fallen HARD in areas where they previously assumed that they were unmovable. So I reiterate that it is an arguable point that wisdom is the KEY as it pertains to how we navigate our lives.

Now, I will be a bit transparent to drive this point home… Over the years, two areas in my own life that have been territories that were difficult for me to take dominion over and keep under control were, Pride and Self Control (particularly in the arena of anger/rage). I could site so many unnecessary examples, but just understand that over the years I have had to really discipline myself and seek Gods direction on how to not lose control in the arena of my temper.

In my case, I believe that one weakness actually fed off of the other as the Pride in my “size” and “ability to physically control a situation” was perhaps a catalyst in me submitting to the rage when I would become angry… Not to mention, many times the “rage” has been triggered by occasions when my “pride” was hurt… I’m glad to say that these occurrences seem to be less and less and I have continued to “grow up” and mature through the years…but I would be naïve to assume that I will never have to exercise dominion over this area again just because I am a Christian…Which leads me to my example:

A couple of years ago, Lisa and I moved into a new home. Our first purchase was a plaque that we saw in the bible bookstore which we hung on the wall above the doorway leading from our dining room to our living room. The plaque read, “Christ is the Head of this Home, the Unseen Guest at every Meal, the Silent Listener to Every Conversation”.

It sounds nice doesn’t it? Of course as Christians this is how things “should be” as we are, according to Galations 2:20 “Crucified with Christ” and “Christ lives within us”. So naturally, when we read the plaque, we were moved emotionally and wanted to have that daily declaration and reiteration posted for us to see in the most trafficked area of our home.

Well, for reasons I have long since forgotten, on this particular day, I took back the reigns from Jesus… He was NOT the head of my home on that day… It was “I who lived” and NOT the nature of Christ within me…I got stupid angry about something, lost my temper, stepped back into my previously “flesh driven” nature, threw a fit of rage, drew my leg back and kicked one of Rocky’s heavy toys (fracturing a bone in the top of my foot) while standing directly under my beautiful little wooden plaque that declared, Christ was the head of my home, which then proceeded to fall off of the wall and crack me right in the top of my head… (Tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor- but I wasn’t laughing…) Emotions went something like this when it bonked my head, Anger/more Anger/Conviction/Regret…I knew instantly I had screwed up as my foot began to swell and I could feel the cracked bone in my foot… I had done so well for so long… and I just fell of the wagon hard enough for God to club me in the head with a lump of wood…HA!

Now, here’s the point… I can’t tell you how many people who have messed up and have come to me feeling condemned because they made a mistake and assume that because I am a pastor or evangelist or whatever that somehow I’m beyond being “touched” by difficulties and are even shocked when I share that I am no different than they are and have had to deal with the same issues…

The truth is, if you are seeking the direction of God in your life and desiring to do what is right, you can almost be guaranteed that, at some point, there is some opposition that the devil will send your way to try to distract you from the goal that is set before you. How you handle that “test” may greenlight your progress or possibly hold you back for a minute…

When the bible says that God works all things together for our good, I believe that this is EXACTLY what is being talked about…

You don’t see the what’s in the fruit until it’s squeezed…The squeeze will show you what’s in your heart and whether or not something in you needs address and to be overcome. If something comes out in the squeeze, all it lets us know is that “we are not dead enough” from a Galations 2:20 perspective…If we are willing to learn from our circumstances, then going through them will not be in vain. It’s simply a learning opportunity and the Holy Spirit WILL teach us if we will submit to His instruction EVEN IN THE MIDST OF A PERCEIVED FAILURE!

I’m not pretending to say or imply that I have “made it” per se’ and I know that if I am not diligent or cautious, I could again fall into an area of relapse … but I do believe that, since this time, I have grown…

Case in point, a few months back, I had another occurrence that, in the past would have and HAS triggered the “rage” behavior… When this event transpired I was actually amazed to notice my response, I took a deep breath, evaluated the situation, and felt “Peace” right in the middle of what previously would have been the catalyst to respond physically…

As I drove my car away, I saw the red ink stamp in the upper right hand corner of the white paper of my life that said, “PASSED”…

The truth of the matter is, all of us are in a different place as it pertains to growth and maturity, and ALL OF US are capable of moving forward! As we learn to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives and feed our spirit man we find that remissions into “former” behaviors become fewer and fewer…but it’s not usually an overnight transformation…We do have to continue to seek God in our lives…

I believe that there is a place where those behaviors become completely subjected to the Spirit of God in our lives as we learn to walk closer and more intimately with Him… but we are ALL in a growing process and anyone who believes that they have “made it” is deceived as there is ALWAYS room for growth.

With that said, don’t beat yourself up if you’ve fallen down…You’ve got two choices when you drop the ball, Give Up or GET UP! But know this, you are ABSOLUTELY capable of victory when the God who is GREATER than your circumstances is given control in your life! With Him, ALL THINGS are possible! And regardless of how bad or how many times you’ve screwed up, HE LOVES YOU and wants to see you succeed and be everything that He has created you to be! He created you with DESTINY! You are the only one in this world capable of being who He created you to be!

Today is a new day! The bible says that His mercies are new EVERY morning… I looked outside today and the sun rose in the east…CLEAN SLATE… New Beginnings…Embrace them…

If you can dig it, say “WORD!!!”

Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Constituency?

Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Constituency?

A CONSTITUENCY is any cohesive body of people bound by shared identity, goals, or loyalty. Constituency can be used to describe a business’s customer base and shareholders, or a charity’s donors or those it serves. In politics, a constituency can mean either the people from whom an individual or organization hopes to attract support, or geographical area that a particular elected official represents. (from en.wikipedia.org)

Driving to church last Sunday I took the same path that I always take on a Sunday morning, which leads me past one of our “larger” churches in Nashville. This past Sunday however my drive involved a different sight than usual. I could see in the distance picketers on all four corners holding up signs in front of the church entrance. My initial thought was, “Hmmm, that’s a smart stunt for a pastor to pull to get attention”…until I got close enough to read the signs….

“God Hates Fags”, “Your Pastor’s a Whore”, “Fags are Beasts”…and several other hate filled messages for every passing motorist to read. Across the street were the “rebuttal” signs, from every other perspective…and it all just seemed so chaotic and negative to me… No, that’s an understatement…it was just plain hateful and evil feeling…

When I arrived at my church I asked around to find out what the picketing was all about. I was informed that this was the same “CHURCH” group that pickets other churches around the country and also pickets the funerals of American Soldiers who were killed in action. Apparently, they were on assignment this past weekend against two of our larger churches in Nashville.

This is actually a topic that is very difficult for me to not become emotionally involved with as it pertains to the church and Christians. I have heard it said that what you are passionate about is probably what you have been called to fix. And this topic strikes at the core of the ministry that God has called me to and placed in me!

I’m one of those guys who really enjoys watching movies… Several years ago, a movie came out that was full of political and geographical satire as it relates to the “old south”. In the movie, the character, “Homer Stokes” made a statement asking a crowd of people at his political rally, “Is you is, or is you ain’t my constituency?” Being one who incorporates movie lines into daily conversation for the sake of humor and making a point, I felt my brain highlight and file that line as one that I would want to use one day.

Pondering Sunday’s events and the inconsistency between the Word of God and what I was seeing displayed by the “picketers” in the name of God, my mind pictured a bloody Christ, flesh torn from being beaten by a cat of nine, beard pulled out, side pierced, hands run through, crown of thorns on his head, standing behind a huge archaic microphone, on a wooded floored stage in an old southern architectural concert type building with the old sepia colored lighting…looking at the crowd of people holding up their signs he asks, “Is you is or is you ain’t my constituency”…(in the language that the ignorant, unlearned, blinded crowd of picketers would understand…)

It is beyond me how anyone could perceive the ultimate act of love, service and sacrifice displayed and exampled by Christ any other way than from a love perspective. He didn’t endure such horrific punishment because of a “hate” for anyone. It was his love for man kind and his desire to restore the relationship between them and God that he was willing to lay down his life. Those who ignorantly and un-learnedly use the Bible as a weapon to spread hate, vengeance and wrath have mistaken the entire reality of redemption. Redemption from sin is a LOVE message! Not a condemnation message! Sin carried it’s own condemnation; Love set us free from it!

Look throughout scripture and see how Jesus responded to people who were living beneath their God ordained potential and you will see the heart of God displayed to people through Jesus.

God used a murderer, adulterer (David and Bathsheba) and a prostitute (Rahab) in Jesus’ bloodline. Jesus was known to prefer the company of sinners over the “religious” of the day and was criticized for it. When a woman, involved in an adulterous relationship, was caught in the act (which was punishable by death in the jewish culture), the crowd wanted judgment and death, Jesus offered a hand of love, acceptance, forgiveness and redemption. When another from a group of people who were considered unworthy to be addressed and discriminated against by the “religious” came to Jesus at a well having been divorced several times and presently living with a man who was not even her husband…Jesus didn’t offer any condemnation. He didn’t call her a sinner or a hatefully discriminate against her…He showed her love when others only judged her. Fast forward to the writer of 2/3’s of the New Testament, Paul (formerly known as Saul of Tarsus) the man who was involved in sentencing and executing several Christians… Yet God used him to pioneer Christianity for the world!

It is amazing to me to see the example of Christ and how God REALLY feels about people and His willingness to give grace and offer second and third and 50th chances to those who many would have simply written off as untouchable by religious standards…and that is the point that I am attempting to make, the religious standards are not in line with who God is or what He examples in His Word.

PEOPLE take something so simple and pure and make it so complicated and perverted! How could someone possibly believe that they were representing a “loving” God by picketing a fallen soldiers funeral with words of hatred, judgment and condemnation. How could they possibly think that they were following after the heart of Christ who prayed, “God let them be ONE as you and I are one…so that the world may know that you sent me”…How could they possibly believe that spreading discord, dissension and hatred in any way reflects the heart of God who describes himself in one word… “Love”…

In this chapter I have addressed a subject that is the OBVIOUS cancer. It is the huge, unavoidable growth in the metaphorical “body of Christ” (and I use that term very loosely as I refer to them and their actions)…but what about the more subtle, silent cancers that actually come from the same foundation or root, but just don’t “appear” as repulsive.

Holding up the sign “Fags are beasts” doesn’t feel or appear the same as holding that same hatred in your heart secretly…but it IS the same root…just producing different fruit. Hatred is STILL a cancer! Unrighteous judgment is STILL functioning outside of your God-given authority.

We have been commanded to LOVE! Nowhere did Jesus ever advocate treating people hatefully or expressing anything but LOVE as it pertained to our fellow man…the only time he ever even became visibly angry was when the religious people intentionally perverted the Word of God or used the church to misrepresent God and His intentions by cheating people.

Paul understood as well as anyone this position. He was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. He was literally raised in the house of religion and stepped into the role as an adult! He understood the inconsistencies with what “religion” taught about God and who Christ exampled as it pertained to Love! And Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:

1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Why do you think he addresses “Tounges” and “Prophecy” and “understanding the intricate things of God with a depth of learned knowledge” and how it compares to “Love”…The reason is, because he WAS that man! He said “If I” over and over again in that chapter…Not “If you”… He was using their knowledge of who he was and is to be an example for them…He WAS the trained, educated, knowledgeable, learned religious man as a Pharisee! And he realized that all of those things were nothing when he did not understand the love of God and how to example it in his own life! He knew what it was like to have all the understanding but miss the essential aspect of who God is, and he wrote to the church to warn them of the dangers of allowing that “religious” spirit, that he spent a lifetime cultivating, to take root in their own lives.

It is a given that most of the churches are not out waving banners of hatred for the world to see…but there is still a cancer in the body of Christ as it pertains to “loving” people who are not like “us”. Most would adamantly oppose and deny “hatred” in their own hearts, but might balk at the question, “Do you love_____(fill in the blank)”.

Ultimately, we have a responsibility for how we conduct OURSELVES as it pertains to people and how we reflect Christ in our lives. Only we know what is in our heart. We can’t make other Christians love, but we can discipline ourselves to be the proper example of God’s love within our sphere of influence. I would challenge you today to search your heart and ask God to reveal to you the areas where your heart does not properly convey His.

If you find an inconsistency, address it. It might take time to “unlearn” some of the perspectives that we have had emotional attachment to, but it couldn’t be any harder than Paul letting go of an attachment that he was willing to kill for before God gave him the proper perspective.

If you are willing, God is able…

“Is You Is or Is You Ain’t His Constituency?”

If you can dig it, say “Word!!!”

The Forest for the Trees…

When You Can’t See The Forest For The Trees…

Transparently, “Documenting the Journey” today… It is what it is…

I just got off the phone with my dad.  I’ve been kind of struggling with some things lately as it pertains to successes and perceived failures.  As the story of my life goes, I’m presented with yet another “opportunity”.  The opportunity looks promising but so did several others that have presented themselves over the past several years.  I told my dad today, “It’s hard to believe in yourself when you know that other’s don’t believe in you…and rightfully so, I’ve felt like other opportunities were good opportunities only to have them be another in a list of failures”…

Dad’s response kinda messed me up…He said, “You just haven’t seen the end result yet…”.  In other words, what I perceive as a failure just hasn’t manifested its worth yet…or maybe I’m just failing to perceive the purpose of the season…Maybe what I thought was a business failure was never intended for my financial success but was more about investing in people than financial or business success…and as I think about it… that may very well be the case…

In one business “failure” I became very close friends with a man who at the time was at the end of his rope.  I was able to be the friend that he needed in that season and invest myself into him.  Later, he thanked me for being there through that season and told me that he might not be here today if I hadn’t been.

In another “failed” business endeavor, I was flown to another city to meet with the CEO’s of a company during their national convention and to speak with them about my online marketing/networking experience.  While there, I was introduced to very influential men and women, most were multi-millionaires and one was a billionaire…but nothing ever seemed to benefit me from the experience… However, while there, I did meet a pastor and the two of us immediately gelled.  This man preaches all over the world and has a very unique ministry to those in the business world.  It may be possible that the “end” of that has not yet been revealed…  Now, a year and a half later, this pastor does still call me about once a month just to “check on me” to see how I am doing and let me know that I am still on his mind.  I can say honestly, I really felt “good” about going on that trip… In hindsight, maybe I didn’t “miss it” as much as I thought I did but just fail to see the purpose yet…

I’ve been seriously questioning my ability to discern what is right for me to pursue, when what I felt was “right” in the past did not pan out the way I thought that it would or should… Maybe what I have failed to discern was not, “whether or not” it was right but “WHY” it was right… and maybe I just haven’t been patient enough to see it through to the end before making the final determination of whether or not it was a failure or a tremendous success…

I’m thinking now, (or maybe better put, realizing) perhaps, the reason I was there, pursuing the opportunities, was only the carrot that God was placing before the jackass (yeah, I did intentionally call myself a jackass), but actually had nothing to do with what I thought it did and everything to do with me standing in the place where He needed me to stand to be what He needed me to be…Maybe it had little or nothing to do with my faith in Him, but rather, His faith in me, knowing that if I were there, if He sent me, I would be willing to do exactly what He needed done once I was positioned in the right place…That perspective is actually kind of humbling to me as I ponder it…Because, if that is the case, then I know I “passed” a test that I previously thought I had altogether failed…

I’ve prayed all my life the words that Isaiah did in chapter 6 of his book, “Here am I Lord, send me!”  But I’m realizing that maybe I have not grasped the importance of my positioning in those times as it pertains to the people influenced and relationships built in those seasons…

Dad said one more thing that got me thinking today during our conversation, “Son, I believe that in all of this, you are closer to the center of Gods will than you might think that you are”.

I know that there have been necessary lessons in the events surrounding the “failures” of the past few years… But maybe the perceived failure wasn’t what I thought it was at all as  “God working all things together for my good” or taking a “bad situation and turning it around for my good” but actually an example of Him positioning me so that I could be the servant who He used (both then and in the future), to accomplish EXACTLY what was/is needed in the lives of people that He loved/s.

I’m starting to wonder if maybe these experiences were an answer to my own prayer… “Lord, send me…”

There is a lot that I still don’t understand, and many areas that I absolutely need to see “breakthrough”…but pondering this today actually brings a bit of “peace” to the scenario for me…I’ve struggled a lot with the repeated perception that “I missed it, AGAIN”…and have felt gun shy about stepping out on what “felt right” because what “felt right” in the past didn’t seem to “turn out right”… but am realizing today that maybe that was a MISperception…Perhaps, I didn’t “miss it” at all, but actually hit the bulls eye that I didn’t even realize existed…

I’m now considering, it may be possible that the “FAILURE” was only in my ability to perceive the actual purpose behind the encounters from the beginning…and that changes the entire paradigm…

I’ve got some re-calibrating to do…

Daddy, You Wanna Dance?!

Walking through the grocery store recently, my two-year-old son, Rocky just broke out and started dancing to whatever song was in his head…I love that about kids!  I love the willingness that children have to be and do whatever it is that they are feeling and to just enjoy themselves without feeling dumb or foolish or awkward or concerning what other’s might think about them if they do what is in their hearts to do…

I have found myself tapping back into that willingness to embrace and enjoy life like that, as my son continues to teach me things that I had long forgotten or failed to prioritize…

When Rocky started treating freezers in the frozen food isle like the two sides of a soul train dance off line, I smiled and decided to jump in right behind him…and the two of us made it a full isle dance party for the fish sticks, klondikes and security camera personnel to enjoy…and you know what…?  It was fun!

Why am I sharing this?  Because, often, I think we become adults and forget that it’s ok to still be US! (whatever that might mean)  We’re told that certain things are “socially unacceptable” on “Politically incorrect” and we are constantly pressured to fall within the guidelines of societal “normalcy”… But I’ve seen the people who “live” that way… I’ve read their books.  I’ve studied their lives…I don’t like them… They’re miserable and miserable to be around… They look down their noses at others who enjoy life and pretend that they are better because somewhere along the way, they “grew up”… (Man, I don’t know who wrote the book on “growing up” but if what is implied by society is what it means to be “grown up”…I think I’m gonna stick to reading Peter Pan…)

He’s not going to be 2 forever. He’s not always going to ask his daddy to dance with him around the living room or in the grocery store or walking down the street.  So, I’m taking every opportunity to make and embrace those moments. I want my son to be the kid who remembers the daddy who didn’t care to look foolish for the payoff of having fun, building his character and establishing the memory!  He’ll have enough pressure on him to be “like everyone else”…I want to encourage him to be himself!  I want to teach him to not be bound by legalisms or doctrinal inconsistencies.  I want him to think for himself and be a man after the heart of God, not the conformities of man… Too many people “Just Exist”, I want to teach him to LIVE!  This adds a whole new dimension to the scripture “Train up a child in the way he should go”…

As I sit here writing, the thought came to me, “I want to teach him what it REALLY means to be a man”… but I’m finding the more that I think about it, the more I am realizing that he is teaching me as much about “being a man” as I would like to teach him…

The Bible in Mark 10:15 states: “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

The statement “kingdom of God” is often also translated, “Gods way of doing things”… I believe that there is supposed to be a freedom in living life and serving God that is usually NOT encouraged in our churches or society!  But just because it’s not taught or encouraged does not mean that it’s not intended for us to walk in…

We so often put God in this “box” of what we think He should be like… And we develop these ideas about what we think God would want us to “look” like.  Usually, those images are “polished” and “professional”…It’s not entirely “our fault” that we think about it that way, it’s what has been modeled for us and even what has been expected of us but I’m not seeing that demonstrated or expressed in what I read in God’s Word…

Last night I sat outside and looked at the stars as I often will do at the end of my day.  I had this thought and wrote it down…

“What I see with my eyes in the night sky is more enormous than I’m capable of comprehending. What levels me is that still, He is mindful of me… I came to an understanding tonight about why the night sky is so impressive to me… The day sky and the suns light only allows us to see what is immediately surrounding us in our atmosphere… We are literally blinded by light… But at night I can see beyond our atmosphere and am even more aware of just how incredibly magnificent and omnipotent a creator would have to be to create something so immense! I feel so small… And my “problems” seem so insignificant from this perspective… During the day He is “Lord of the earth” but at night I see the what “Lord of the Universe” means… I stand in awe…”

God is so much more than we have given Him credit for in our “God in a box” mentality.  He created the universe, containing innumerable galaxies.  The light that we see from  our NEAREST star  is 4.3 light years away from us…meaning that the light we see today left that star nearly four and a half years ago and traveled 186,000 miles per second to get here …and that is the CLOSEST star to earth!  The Milky Way is believed to be twenty-seven THOUSAND light years long!  Meaning, it would take 27,000 years, traveling at 186,000 miles per second to span it…and this is just one galaxy, OUR GALAXY which contains 200-400 BILLION stars!  And our galaxy pales in comparison to our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy containing at least 1 Trillion stars!

I know, these are ridiculous numbers and information that is mind boggling… But when you consider that every one of those stars contain solar systems and planets and moons like our own, the complexity of the God who created this is more than we can possibly fathom!  And we attempt to process “Him” and His infinite omnipotence with our limited understanding and finite minds, as we put Him in our little “this is God” box…

The God who created all of that, also purposed your existence and created you with your personality and your gifts.  Don’t allow people who “think” they know, to place limits on who you were created to be!  If they were as smart as they think they are, they would realize that they are clueless… They barely understand the aspects of God that He has revealed to us, who could possibly fathom the complexities of what He has not… (I believe that this is why the bible tells us that the angels cry “Holy Holy Holy” around the throne of God… I believe that moment by moment He reveals yet another aspect of “who He is” to them and they are once again, moment by moment floored by the new revelation…)

So, as you live this life that He has given you, enjoy it!  Be the YOU that HE created, not the you that has been dictated… It’s amazing and completely awe inspiring to me that God would create man with the desire and intention of having a relationship with us.  But He did… I can’t even rationalize it beyond what has been revealed in His Word, but it’s got to say something about how He really views us!  We are His heart… He calls us His children!  And although we cannot possibly understand all of His complexities, we do know that He cares for us beyond a “human” understanding of love… and if that is the case, then He appreciates that which makes us unique!  It’s a reflection of an aspect of His DNA in us!

Just like I laugh and appreciate when I see Rocky do something funny or see something about his nature that reflects mine or his mothers or another family member and I see aspects of our family DNA revealed in him…I believe that God has that same appreciation and affinity for us and our individuality… Don’t allow that individuality to be subdued by people who have no authority to be oppressive…You’re God’s Kid FIRST… Be who HE created you to be… and invite Him to be a part of you LIVING!

“Daddy, you wanna dance?”

If you can dig it, Say “WORD!”