Living Free…

I haven’t been posting all of the chapters from the book in this blog, but this is an essential follow up chapter to chapter 13 (freedom) that was posted previously so I am posting this rough draft chapter for those of you who are my “faithful readers” and may benefit from the continuation of the teaching…

Chapter 14- Living Free!

John 8:34-36

The Message (MSG)

 ^34-36Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through…

 

 

After repenting of sin, renouncing the strongholds in our lives and experiencing our first tastes of freedom, there is a tendency to let our guard down in the arena of temptation and sin.  We hear the truths from God’s Word, like the scripture above stating that we are free through and through and even emotionally we feel so different, in that time it is easy to assume that those days of warring against those strongholds are over… But I want to caution you in this area of thinking because there is still a battle and there is still an enemy that we have to fight against!

So often I have spoken with people who are attempting to walk out their relationship with Christ, many for the first time, and when they come to this understanding of freedom that they can experience from the strongholds and sin that they have warred against their entire lives there is an excitement!  Emotionally, the realization of having freedom in an area that has been such a burden for them for so long is absolutely liberating! And rightfully so!

Although I do not want to discourage the excitement and anticipation of continued breakthrough in your life, I also have to warn you that when the emotion fades and reality sets in, the devil will be waiting for an opportunity to try to slap those chains of bondage back on you!  It may not be today or tomorrow, but it will absolutely happen at some point and you need to be ready both mentally and spiritually for it when it happens.  Failure to prepare yourself for the attack will likely result in significant disappointment and feelings of failure if you are not expecting the attack and prepared for it.

As we stated in previous chapters, we are in a battle and our enemy is not a physical enemy but a spiritual enemy.

Ephesians 6:12

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

 

Recognizing that Satan had a plan to destroy your life from very early on and that he obviously had a reason for placing those strongholds in your life at a young age, it would be safe to assume that he had a reason for doing what he was doing.  The devil does not want for you to reach your God ordained destiny!  He wants you to go through life and never reach your fullest potential because as long as you are deceived into believing that you are less than God created you be, then, you are no threat to Satan and he is free to operate unrestricted in authority in this realm and in your life.  The problems arise for Satan when those he has deceived, come to the knowledge of truth that they do not have to be bound any longer!  When this happens, Satan loses his authority to operate and cannot fulfill his hate filled desires to destroy man and rob them of their destiny!

Many people do not really think about this, but we were created in the image of God, and Satan HATES God!  We are a constant reminder of everything that he is not and never can be!  We represent the authority that stripped him of his every selfish desire to be greater than God!  So, he accomplishes several purposes when he attacks man.  He hurts God because God loves us, he fulfills his own depraved desires to destroy and pervert that which God created to be good and he fulfills the pride that got him kicked out of heaven to begin with when men surrender their will to Satans desires for their lives instead of Gods.

With that understanding, you must know that the devil is not done trying to own you!  For years he has occupied a thrown in your life through the strongholds that you submitted to and he will not be content to simply give up the ground that he gained over you during your lifetime.  He’ll be back…and when he comes, you need to be ready!

1 Peter 5:8

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁸Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [^[a]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

The authority that the devil had in our lives through sin and strongholds was surrendered to him by our choices.  And although you have taken a stand and renounced his authority in your life, your choices can open the doors once again to allow him access to reestablish the strongholds that you just overcame!  1 Peter 5:8 (above) was talking to CHRISTIANS warning us as Christians that we need to be vigilant and cautious because the devil is looking for an opportunity to destroy us!

It will not likely be very long after experiencing a victory over Satan that he will come back and try to take back what was previously his.  He uses all kinds of tactics, all are deceptive, but one I have seen time and time again.  The devil comes in confronting what you experienced with doubt.  He tries to get you to question the truth that you just encountered posing questions like, Did you REALLY get free or is this just emotional?  He’ll say things like, You’re never going to be able to make it, you are a failure and always have been! etc…

What the devil is attempting to do is uproot the faith that you have placed in the truth of God’s Word so that you do not have anything to stand on for your victory!  He knows if he can deceive you into believing that you have not experienced real breakthrough, then you are likely to simply go back to the stronghold that once ruled your life.  What you have to realize is this, Satan is a liar!  He can’t tell the truth and when he attempts to twist the truth to deceive us into believing a lie he is doing it with an ulterior motive!  Below is a scripture reference that further substantiates my position.  Here Jesus is describing Satan’s nature by confronting those who are bound by his strongholds.

John 8:44

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁴⁴You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false.

 

In Matthew Chapter 13 Jesus actually addresses the very thing that I am talking about in this chapter as it pertains to Satan coming against us and attempting to uproot the truth that we have come to understand in an attempt to reestablish the strongholds in our lives.

Matthew 13:3-8 & 18-23

The Message (MSG)

Matthew 13

A Harvest Story

 ^1-3 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.

 ^3-8“What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

 

The Meaning of the Harvest Story

 ^18-19“Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

 ^20-21“The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

 ²²“The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

 ²³“The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”

Each person reading this book are the person Jesus was talking about in verse 23.  You are the ones who have heard the truth and are applying what you have learned to your life so that it can produce a harvest in your life beyond your wildest dreams.  But you will need to be aware that you are not beyond the devils attempts to deceive you into believing a lie. You can overcome him EVERY TIME but he will try to find a way back into your life!

What he wants for you to do is to reopen the door to him through your choices.  What I have noticed is that the devil will almost never throw a huge temptation your way initially.  Most of the time he will attempt to deceive you into making small compromises.  If you previously struggled with a stronghold, he will likely tempt you with sins that you perceive to be not as bad but lead you back to the bondage that you obtained freedom from.

I was speaking with woman named Gina who used to be a meth addict.  She came to me asking about smoking marijuana.  Gina said, I don’t have any desire to shoot up or smoke crack or do meth anymore, but recently I have been smoking a little pot just to relax at night… Based upon her experiences, she did not view smoking weed as a stronghold because she was never really addicted to smoking weed.  As a result, it seemed acceptable to her.

I asked Gina to think back on her life, before she was ever an addict, before she was ever involved in the sex industry, before her life spiraled out of control by her own admission.  Then I asked her, what was the first drug you used to get high?  She smiled at me and said, Marijuana… I then asked her, Did you ever planned on being an addict when you smoked that first joint?  She said, No… Then I asked her, If it had been meth or cocaine that was offered to you all those years ago instead of marijuana would you have taken it…? Again she responded, No…

I went on to explain to Gina how what she perceived to be a small compromise many years ago in smoking marijuana was the catalyst for her addiction and the horrible decisions that accompanied that addiction years later.  I then asked her, Why are you willing to take a detour from Gods destiny for your life through the neighborhood of your past weaknesses?

 

I pose that same question to you today… When the Devil attempts to tempt you with sins that seem trivial in comparison to what you used to do, take a moment and realize that you didn’t get to that point of bondage overnight and the way you ended up there last time was by making one small compromise at a time.

It’s in what we perceive to be little compromises that our lives become bound by sin and strongholds. How many of you have ever looked back on your life and said, How in the world did I get so messed up?! The reason for that feeling of shock is because it didn’t happen overnight and the small compromises didn’t appear to have much consequence attached to them until they set you up for the fall that the devil had been orchestrating for years!  Then, when you least expected it and likely in a moment of weakness, BOOM you are looking around at destruction and feel completely overwhelmed and dumbfounded as to how you ended up there…

The devil doesn’t care if it takes a year or ten years to get you back into bondage as long as your are progressing toward your destruction.  He has a plan and when you are blindly allowing yourself to submit to the small compromises, you are being deceived and manipulated like a pawn toward his big destruction for your life…One small move at a time!

This is why you have to be diligent and determined to not fall back into the devils trap for your life!  I have a saying that I use frequently when I counsel with people, Do what is right because it is right…  So many times I see people looking for a loophole to justify sin.  They are attempting to find a reason that it will be ok for them to compromise a little and they excuse it because they feel like they are doing so much better than they did before.

What you absolutely have to realize is this, sin is sin.  Big or small, the bible says that the wages of sin is death!

James 4:17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁷So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.

You’ve already spent enough time Doing Time or living life in bondage to sin and strongholds!  Don’t get free and then let your guard down assuming that you won’t go back to that bondage.  You’ve already proven to yourself that you are capable and even in some cases, predisposed to being bound by those strongholds so it is necessary at this point, once you have repented of the sin and renounced your agreement with the strongholds that previously bound you, that you now place your agreement in the truth of God’s Word.

When the devil comes against you with his lies, deceits and manipulations, stand your ground and speak out loud against him!

I love what Jesus exampled in the Bible as it pertains to Satan trying to tempt him.  Jesus was physically very weak.  He had gone 40 days without food and the devil attacked him, much like he does us…When we are already weak…

Luke 4:1-13

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Luke 4

 ¹THEN JESUS, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit

    ²For (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (^[a]tried, tested exceedingly) by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, He was hungry.

    ³Then the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, order this stone to turn into a loaf [of bread].

    ⁴And Jesus replied to him, It is written, Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone ^[b]but by every word and expression of God.

    ⁵Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [^[c]in the twinkling of an eye].

    ⁶And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will.

    ⁷Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [^[d]just once], it shall all be Yours.

    ⁸And Jesus replied to him, ^[e]Get behind Me, Satan! It is written, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.

    ⁹Then he took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on ^[f]a gable of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down from here;

    ¹⁰For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to guard and watch over you closely and carefully;

    ¹¹And on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

    ¹²And Jesus replied to him, [The Scripture] says, You shall not tempt (try, ^[g]test exceedingly) the Lord your God.

    ¹³And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, ^[h]stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.

There are a couple of things I would like to point out from this passage of scripture as we close out this chapter.  When Jesus combated the devils temptation, He did it with his spoken words!  As we addressed in the previous chapter, speaking out loud to the mountains in our lives is an aspect of how we use our God given authority in this earth.

The next thing I would like to emphasize is that Jesus spoke the Word of God against the Devil!  God has given us His Word and it is so important that we learn what it says as it pertains to the areas that we have previously struggled under bondage of strongholds!  That way, when the devil does attack, we can speak what God says about us and declare our agreement with the Word of God and who we are now in Christ, rather than allowing the lies of Satan to deceive us!

Finally, even after we experience victory, we have to realize that the Devil will be back when the timing is favorable or opportune (see verse 13).  So it is important that we continue to do what is right because it is right and make the choices for our lives that we know will please God.

If you are unsure of what that means completely, it’s ok, God is faithful to continue to reveal Himself to you and show you more and more what He desires for you and from you.  Just do your part by talking to God and asking Him to show you what you need to understand!

That’s the amazing thing about God, He loves us and wants us to succeed!  As we seek His desires for our lives, He will fill in the blanks with the necessary relationships, knowledge and understanding… This book is just one of those fill in the blanks for you today…  He is faithful!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁵Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

    ⁶In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

I AM Inspired

I AM inspired

As I’m coming to the end of this book, I find myself reflecting on so much that has transpired in this season… So many ups and downs, so many tests of my character, so many opportunities to “give up or GET UP”.  It’s interesting for me to look back over the course of the past few years and to see how much I have learned and as a direct result, grown.  It has been these God lessons that have inspired me to document the journey in a season where many times I did not feel like picking up a pen.

In a previous chapter, I addressed a conversation I had with God where I was talking to Him and asked, “Don’t you think I’ve been in this season a long time”, only to have him respond with a very direct and unexpected, “You had a lot to unlearn”.

I believe that I’m finally on the “other side” of that season in my life…Not that I don’t still have things to “learn and unlearn” but that a new chapter seems to be beginning as I am now seeing multiple doors opening and opportunities presenting themselves that I’m confident this past season has equipped me to handle.

As I spoke into a Television camera on Sunday, addressing a live audience all around the world, my mind was flooded with a myriad of memories.  In a matter of seconds I reflected on how confident and fearless I used to be and how several circumstances over an extended season stripped that from me in what I believe was an attempt of the devil to not only end my life but also to derail my destiny.  But in true God form, He worked those things together for my good and used those circumstances that were intended for my destruction, to actually build me.

As I reflected, I thought about how God has restored and continues to restore a confidence in me that is now so much less a “Self-Confidence” but “God-Confidence”.  I have come to realize that it is HE who has begun a work in me and HE that will complete it as I surrender to His will.  And that leads me to one more moment of transparency and expose’ of weakness, trusting that it will offer you strength as it relates to your own circumstances.  Some of what I am about to share I’ve never shared with anyone but my wife.

I’m not any different than most, in that Transparency for me has been a difficult pill to swallow.  I don’t like to admit or acknowledge failure, weakness or difficulty, yet I realize that transparency has been the MOST significant tool of ministry that God has ever used in me.  Like so many of you reading this, I have struggled in the past with feeling guarded concerning my emotions and not wanting to reveal areas where I felt wounded.  But, truth be told, every chapter in this book was written in one of those seasons as I determined to declare the Word of God over my circumstances and encourage myself in Him while trusting that what I have written would also be instrumental in your development and progress.  And I feel like these final chapters needed to be written from that same perspective…I can say confidently,  every chapter thus far was without a doubt a revelation exposed through blood, sweat and many times… tears.

I have found through my experiences that the Devil is methodical in his attempts at derailing our destiny.  Like a chess match he will intentionally plan several moves ahead and will often use the pawns or “little pieces” to set up the greater failures one small move at a time, many times not even revealing what the set up was until the hammer falls and we see everything in hindsight from a 20/20 perspective.  I addressed some of what I am referring to with my own life and the issue of confidence in an earlier chapter, Embracing the Mamma’s Boy, but I can say that the Devil didn’t stop attacking the area of confidence with one move…as a matter of fact there have been several attacks since then that I had to overcome.  And I’d like to share a few more examples from my life with you in this chapter to model how the attack of the enemy comes against us as believers and how the Word of God is applied in those situations…

As explained in previous chapters, having an attempt made on my life in many ways sent my world into what felt like a chaotic downward spiral.  Physically I was a mess, not being able to accomplish many of the normal daily functions that I previously took for granted, walking, driving, making my own dinner…etc.  In addition, I also lost my job, benefits, even my ability to work in familiar conditions.

Emotionally, I struggled more than I ever had as I worked through the difficulties of physical therapy and psychological therapy, both of which at the time did not seem to adequately address the needs that I felt that I had.  Not to mention the attacks on my perspective of what it meant to be a man and provider for my family.  I felt very broken and inadequate… These were all foundations for some of the future attacks as the battlefield for the mental assault on my confidence and self-esteem was established.

One area that I never previously struggled with, was my ability to communicate or speak publicly.  In years past I was one of the most self-assured communicators that I knew.  Even in college I took a public speaking class and aced it without ever writing a speech.  I recall several times, on the day I was to make a classroom presentation, writing an outline in class while other students performed their speeches and then getting up in front of the class with nothing but a sloppy outline and not only “winging it” but “NAILING IT”!

This confidence proved to be a two sided coin and could be interpreted as blessing and a curse as I can also recall seasons of laziness, where I did not invest adequate “study time” into a sermon that I was to preach as a Youth Pastor or Associate Pastor or even as an Evangelist because I knew that I would be able to once again rely on that communication gift and even with very little time invested, I would be able to pull off a decent “performance”.

I believe that when God told me that I had a lot to unlearn, self-assuredness was a significant aspect of what I had to unlearn.  There is a difference between having head knowledge about a subject and having heart knowledge about it…and what I’m about to say, I have always known in my head but I don’t know that I understood it in my heart until the past few years revealed it to me.

Every day is a gift, and I realize now, in a much more intense way, that every opportunity that God presents for us to speak into peoples lives should be recognized to potentially have eternal significance and/or consequence.  In years past, I simply didn’t weigh in my heart the depth of not hearing from God before addressing people.  I knew what the scripture said and how to present something that was “good” and then, relied on my gift to carry me through…and although God was still faithful to minister to people IN SPITE of me I was not fulfilling my end with any form of excellence.

In hindsight, it comes as no surprise that while I was already dealing with issues regarding confidence, that the one area I still felt “Strong” in was also brought under attack in three occurrences that played a significant role in me struggling with the area that I believe my future and destiny (from a ministry perspective) were tied to…Communication.

The first was a Sunday morning.  My pastor, who is internationally recognized among top communicators and worship leaders, had the flu.  As is his M/O he was still at church and was going to preach even though he felt horrible.  Just before the offering he turned to me sitting next to him on the front row and said, “Aaron, will you greet the people and receive the offering, I need to save my strength”.

I didn’t even bat an eye. Before joining our church I had been a youth pastor and/or an associate pastor for 9 years and had conducted that part of the service hundreds of times.   So, I simply said, “SURE!”

When it was time to receive the offering, I took the microphone, jumped up on the stage, and in front of hundreds of people I froze!  For the first time in my life, I completely drew a blank in front of a crowd!  I looked out at the congregation, I looked at my pastor and for a brief second I literally considered running out of the church!  (which now seems very funny but at the time felt devastating… )

Then I heard it, in the awkward silence, a woman in the second or third row said the words that I had heard many times over the years as someone had difficulty with a special song or didn’t remember the words in the church Christmas play…but never in reference to me…!  Lil’ miss second row whispers out…”Help him Jesus…” and for the first time in my public speaking life, I was the “Help him Jesus guy”!

After an awkward 30 seconds (which seemed like an hour) of trying to get my bearings, I was able to complete the task that I was asked to attend to, but it felt like a train wreck to me!  It was no help that one of the pastors on staff (a good friend that was just joking with me) came up after the service pretending to be an airplane with outstretched arms crashing into the ground while laughing and then asking “What in the world happened to you Aaron…?!” I had no answer for what happened, but this situation literally plagued my mind for months as I began questioning my ability to do what I previously believed God had called me to do.  Although this occurrence was frequently in the back of my mind, I did my best to not think about it and figured that it was a bit of a fluke and wouldn’t likely happen again…Until IT DID!

On a Friday night during a special service, my pastor turned to me out of the blue and said, “Aaron, can you go and greet our online audience?”  Which basically entailed taking the microphone, walking over to the television camera and saying hello to everyone watching.  This time, I immediately reflected on my “last failure” and as I approached the camera I became more and more uneasy.  When the red light came on letting me know that I was “Live”, once again I drew a blank and had difficulty even completing a thought.  As I recall I gave the wrong website address, the wrong email address for contacting us… I may have even gave them the wrong church name…I stumbled over nearly every word and I was completely humiliated!  I hid it well, but this failure, after beating myself up as bad as I had the last time, floored me!  The first time I wrote off as a fluke, but after this time, I felt like I was seeing a pattern…and at that Y in the road, my already damaged confidence plummeted.  I questioned my calling and whether or not I was even pursuing something that was “God ordained”.  The devil made sure to keep it very alive in my mind and I struggled daily with feelings of frustration and inadequacy.

The final blow came a few months later, adding insult to what was already significant injury.  I was in our youth chapel with a member of our staff.  We were attempting to watch a video for a service that we were collaborating on.  Our youth chapel has a HUGE video screen where song lyrics, graphics and videos are projected for the youth services, and this seemed a good place to watch the video so that we could get an adequate feel for what we were desiring to present on the big screen the following Sunday.  While accessing the video clip on the computer, the staff member clicked on an icon in the computer to play a video and by mistake, the video footage from a few months ago of me stumbling over my words in front of a live audience came on and I had to relive one of the greatest feelings of failure that I had ever experienced… He fumbled with the computer, attempting to get quickly off of the screen, but by that time the damage had been done.  Not only had I experienced it the first time, but now I had seen it with my own eyes.  It was never intended that I see that by whoever put it there, but I did… and at that point, I also had to contemplate the reasons that the footage had been taken off of our server, made a copy of and placed on a huge screen in a different part of the church for others to view and to put it lightly, I felt horrible.

Let’s just say, the devil had a hay day with that one in my head…Although, I KNEW what I was feeling and thinking was not even realistic because I was dealing with people who loved me, I warred with the most improbable thoughts as I found myself feeling betrayed and exploited.  I pictured people laughing while watching me fail in bigger than life form, I felt anger, I felt sadness, I felt a lot of things…but a resounding Failure, Failure, Failure, Failure, Failure, Failure was what I heard constantly in my head!

Isn’t it typical, in circumstances where we do not know the answer to “why” , that the devil makes sure to try to get us to focus on the absolute WORST case scenario, regardless of how unrealistic that perspective may be…?  I had to reel in those thoughts quickly and not allow them to take root, particularly the ones leading me to feel offended.  I knew that these thoughts were not sensible and were intended to be a distraction and if they took root that the results could be destructive.

In reality, I realized, even as I was going through it, that this entire scenario was orchestrated in an attempt to continue to further discourage me, but it was still an incredible struggle to not feel disheartened…And, at that point, I pondered the possibility of giving up and throwing in the towel all together…Anyone been there?  Of course you have… We all have…

While meditating on this subject I was reminded of a story from the Old Testament. In Genesis chapter 11 we see the family tree of Abraham (Abram at this time because it was before his covenant with God).  Here are the last couple verses from that chapter in the Message version of the bible:

^27-28 This is the story of Terah. Terah had Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Haran had Lot. Haran died before his father, Terah, in the country of his family, Ur of the Chaldees.

²⁹ Abram and Nahor each got married. Abram’s wife was Sarai; Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran. Haran had two daughters, Milcah and Iscah.

³⁰ Sarai was barren; she had no children.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and Sarai his daughter-in-law (his son Abram’s wife) and set out with them from Ur of the Chaldees for the land of Canaan. But when they got as far as Haran, they settled down there.

³² Terah lived 205 years. He died in Haran.

There is SO much that can be considered in this passage!  Abraham’s father Terah, had a son named Haran who died.  Although this was not elaborated upon any further, as a parent, placing myself in his shoes and imagining how overwhelming the death of his son must have been for him, I believe it would be safe to assume that this was an unplanned event in Terah’s life that rocked him to the core!

It is interesting to me that the bible says that Terah set out for Canaan.  Although there is no biblical reference for why he set out from Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan, I think, based upon God’s direct instruction to Abraham in the first verse of the following chapter to “Leave for a land that I will show you”, that Terah was at least being led by God if not directed by God to go to Canaan.

Gen 12:1-6 (The Message Version)

¹ God told Abram: “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you.

^2-3 I’ll make you a great nation
and bless you.
I’ll make you famous;
you’ll be a blessing.
I’ll bless those who bless you;
those who curse you I’ll curse.
All the families of the Earth
will be blessed through you.”

^4-6 So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him, along with all the possessions and people they had gotten in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan and arrived safe and sound.

A point of particular interest to me in the short story of Terah is what happened in route to the “destination” and perhaps even fulfilling his God ordained destiny.  Terah, the patriarch of his family, reached a place called Haran. Now, whether this is a place that was named after his deceased son, or a place his son was named after, it shared the name of what was likely the single most impacting event of his life, the death of his son and it WAS where he settled.

Genesis 11:31

…set out with them from Ur of the Chaldees for the land of Canaan. But when they got as far as Haran, they settled down there.

How many times does the memory of our single most impacting life event effect how or if we progress to pursue our God ordained destiny?!  How many times have we set out to the place where God has called us only to settle at the point in the journey where we are reminded of our own limitations, inadequacy, failures, or pain?

My mind immediately questions, What if Terah had not settled?  Would he have gone down in biblical history as one of the mighty men of faith?  Would God have been referred to for generations to come as the God of Terah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  Terahs entire life is summed up in six verses…But, what would have been his legacy if he had continued on through the painful memory of his greatest relational failure?  What if…?  I believe that these are at the very least logical questions to ponder.

Each of us has to face our place of Haran in our journey of life and each of us have to decide whether or not we will set up camp and settle or press through in those places.

The choice is ours.  We must determine that we will not be defined by our failures or willing to stop short of our God intended destiny!  In my life I have come to realize that my abilities are limited and there are areas that I fall short, BUT my bible says:

1 John 4:4 (Amplified version)

…He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

Philippians 4:13 (Amplified Bible)

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].

There is NOTHING that will derail our destiny if we will determine to press on through the adversity!  It is God who has begun the work in you and it is He who will complete it!

We simply must align our thoughts and intentions with God’s direction.  When contrary voices or memories or failures come against what we believe to be Gods directive, we must stand in the belief and understanding that God loves us, He believes in us, He placed destiny in each one of us and we will overcome!!!

Proverbs 23:7

“as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

How do you see yourself?  We must choose to see ourselves as God sees us!  In Him we are MORE than sufficient!  God makes up in every area where we lack! If we are not careful we will view ourselves in light of our circumstances and failures and human inadequacy, but God sees us from the perspective of the work in us that is completed through Christ!

Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you,
before you were born I set you apart

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Several times during the course of these chapters I have written about how we establish the Word of God as our final authority and truth!  When our circumstances contradict the Word of God we simply go to His Word, find out what it says about what we are contending with and then stand upon the truth of His Word in spite of our circumstances… When the devil comes against your mind attempting to derail destiny we are to take that Word and apply it to our circumstances and CRUSH the devils warped philosophy concerning the outcome of our future!

2 Corinthians 10:5

We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

We are who God says we are…PERIOD!

I am not anybody special and God is not a respecter of persons… What He has done for me, He will do for anyone who calls upon Him…He simply is faithful to His Word.

As I bring this to a close I would just like to encourage you to press forward even if it seems to be at a snails pace at times… Allow God to teach you through His Word and your circumstances and He will take those things that the devil intended for your destruction and use them as the foundation for fulfilling your intended purposes.  He is FOREVER FAITHFUL!  God placed you on this earth for a divinely inspired purpose!  He can’t wait til’ you get to see what that looks like!  You’re gonna love it!

… As I spoke into a Television camera on Sunday addressing a live audience all around the world, my mind was flooded with a myriad of memories…I smiled as I left Haran behind and set out toward my land of promise…

…I will fulfill my destiny!

I AM Inspired

www.AaronDavisMinistries.com

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

 

Voices…

 

Listening to Voices…

 

“The day has come where you do not have to fear the words of people Aaron…You don’t have to worry about how people evaluate you and talk to you…”

 

That is a quote from a man whose ministry was very instrumental in my progress during one of the darkest seasons of my life.  (Thanks Dr. Sandy Kulkin)  Recently, I have replayed over and over and over those words that he spoke to me a few years ago as he encouraged and spoke into me some valuable wisdom and direction from God…

 

Today, paralleling the quote above, I have been considering the subject of “voices”.  There are so many “voices” speaking into our lives at any given time.  And it amazes me how the voices often influence our perspective and outlook (sometimes even years down the road)…

 

Some of us have had the negative voices of parental figures bombarding our existence and still manipulating and molding us… “You are NOT,You will NEVER, You are ONLY…” Sometimes, even from the grave they degrade and belittle, and we can’t seem to shake the feelings that maybe the voices were right and “I am what they said I am…”

 

Others of us have had the picture perfect parental affirmation but still hear the cruel taunts of classmates that so tormented us during such formative years…And now, even years down the road, we still struggle with the insecurities that were birthed in a season long passed… “Fat,Ugly, Stupid, Nerd, Unpopular, Dork, Sissy, Panzee…”

 

Still others have been the perfect student, with wonderful life memories of School and family dinners and Christmas mornings…But there was an abusive spouse or relationship that blindsided us and robbed us of security and self-worth over months and years of abuse… “Worthless, Unlovable,Unworthy, Disgusting…”  It happens in some capacity to nearly ALL of us at some point in life!

 

People, words, intimidation, manipulation,hatefulness…Voices that still reverberate in our mind as if we were hearing them for the first time… Words that cut us to the soul and left a scar that is seemingly always just a thought away from resurfacing… Voices…

 

It’s amazing the damage that can be done when we buy into what the negative “voices” are telling us and accept it as our reality!

 

Over the past few years, I’ve also had to deal with, what”seemed like” my OWN voice in my mind telling me things that no one has ever said but that I felt about myself… “Failure, Failure, Failure, Failure, Worthless, Failure…”  I struggled with feelings and insecurities (voices) that I would have never assumed would be an issue in my life a few years ago. Yet, there they were!  I was out of work, my family was struggling financially, my wife was going to work every day while I stayed home with my infant son…The voices said,  “I wasn’t the provider that I should be… I wasn’t the man of my house… I was failing my wife and my family… I wasn’t fulfilling my place as the priest in my home…I was a sucky husband, I was a loser…” Over and over, day after day, these were where my thoughts would dwell if I even allowed them to wander for a moment…and the voices wore on me…ultimately leaving me to feel more than inadequate.

 

How does this kind of thing happen to a guy who had such confidence a few years before?  The faith preacher…?  The SWAT officer…?  How does one go from one end of the scale to the other…?  I’ll tell ya… I listened to the wrong VOICES!  I bought in to a LIE!

 

Yes, the voices that I was listening to confirmed what SEEMED to be my present reality… but what seemed to be my present reality did not make it the TRUTH!  Life is full of issues that look one way from one perspective only to be contradicted when presented with a different angle or element of REAL truth!  When light shines on a previously unilluminated or at least poorly illuminated surface the perspective changes as the light reveals what may have been previously hidden or masked in the darkness…

 

I had to make a determination…Whose voice was I going to listen to?  Was I going to listen to the voices of the critics who called me everything from an “anti-christ” to a “false prophet” (because of my stand on the love of God and redemption)?  Was I going to listen to the voices of some peers who didn’t “believe” in me?  Was I going to listen to the negative voices in my own head (which I understand were not MY voice but simply a lie from the enemy that I was choosing to listen to).  Was I going to listen to the voices of the ones who I know Love me and want what is best for me? Or was I going to listen to God, who ultimately has the absolute perspective of what “Truth” is for my life because He is the one who has ordained my destiny?

 

I had to make a choice!  I came to realize that the voices of conflict and contradiction will ALWAYS be there but their power to influence rests in our willingness to buy the lie or pursue the truth!  There is a place where we MUST decide that we will pursue the Voice of TRUTH at all cost! Because, ultimately, if we don’t, it may cost ALL!

 

With so many Voices speaking over us… We have to determine that there is ONE voice that we will listen to above ALL others!  That Voice is the Voice of God and can be heard in many different ways but is most easily discerned through the Voice of His Word…

 

When we want to know what God says about us…How He feels about us… Where we stand with Him…Who we are to Him…Who He created us to be… We can find that Voice so clearly spoken in the bible! I’ve heard it said, “Your life is moving in the direction of your dominant thoughts..”  I find it interesting, from my own experience that the voices that contradicted the Word of God got louder and more dominant in my thoughts when I did not meditate on His Word and His Voice…If I did not make the bible a primary voice and a part of my thought process…the other voices dominated…and my life mirrored my thoughts…

 

This is an example of why Psalm 119:105 says “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path…”  In times of darkness, there will definitely be voices calling our focus away from the light… but it is the Word of God that illuminates the path and confirms our direction.

 

I determined, in my own life, that God’s Word is TRUTH and the final authority…Understanding that TRUTH and applying it to my life was and is ultimately the catalyst for my freedom!  (John 8:32) …You shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall make you free!

 

I have come to the realization that Jesus IS the Way, the TRUTH and the LIFE (John 14:6)  I have accepted and applied that TRUTH and His Voice is the ULTIMATE authority in my life!

 

The voices that speak and contradict what I know to be the TRUTH are lies… The bible is clear on the fact that the Devil is the father of lies!  So when we are listening to voices that contradict what we discover in the Word to be TRUTH, then we can be confident that the source is not credible because the one speaking is a known, unreliable, LIAR!

 

Yes, I am implying that it is the Devil at the root of the lies, guilt and condemnation that we so often feel and buy in to… I’m convinced of it!  He will reiterate the voices and accusations from your past…He will use the insecurities and feelings of failures to speak to your mind and attempt to distract you from what will ultimately cause you to progress, succeed and SET YOU FREE if you will grasp it (TRUTH)…He will even attempt to make you think it is YOU who are thinking it!  I intentionally used the words earlier, “Seemed like my own voice in my mind”, because, sometimes I believe that the Devil plants thoughts and voices in our minds and it seems like a perspective of truth from our own subconscious…but it only SEEMS that way until held to the light of the TRUTH which reveals the fallibility of the presented argument that comes from a lying, deceiving, and manipulating enemy who is hellbent on your destruction.  DON’TBUY THE LIE!

 

With all the “voices” coming from every direction…Commit your focus to the ONE that loves you! There is a Voice of Truth and that Voice speaks Life and will set you FREE!

 

If you can dig it…Say Word!

 

 

Victim or Investor…You Choose

Because I have been following a direction from God (I believe) to “Document the Journey” of my life in this season, it seems many of these chapters have arisen from conversations that I have had with people that God later gives me instruction or a download into my spirit regarding some application to my own life experiences.

I had a few hours this week to talk with a friend of mine who is a pastor and motivational speaker on a drive back from Paducah, Kentucky .  While driving, my medical retirement from Law Enforcement came up. I told him, “Even though I knew my season in Law Enforcement was coming to an end, it is still difficult for me (now years later) because of HOW it ended, ultimately because it did not end on my terms.  Even though God has taken and worked it all together for my good, I can’t help but feel like I was robbed…”

This conversation took place two days ago and this morning while making coffee I had a flashback to that conversation.  Then, I heard my pastors’ voice in my mind and a quote that he will often say in reference to his family and our church… “We don’t ever lose anything…We sow it…”

For those who do not understand the context of that quote, what he is referring to is that some people have a victimization mentality as it pertains to what has been taken from them…Instead, the way he chooses to view life is that he doesn’t allow things to be stolen, taken or lost…Instead he chooses to sow those things…Now, here is why that mentality is beneficial…

For years I have heard pastors say, “What the devil has stolen from you, he must return 7 fold” (Referencing Proverbs 6:31)… Which is a good thing to stand upon and believe for…I mean, a 7 fold return is a good return no matter what system of math and accounting that you are using… BUT, when you understand the law of “Seed, Time and Harvest” when seed is SOWN the return is 30, 60 and 100 fold (referencing Mark 4:20).

Mark 4:20 (Amplified Bible)

20And those sown on the good (well-adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit–some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some [even] a hundred times as much.

So, the minimum return on what is sown is at least 23 times more that the return on what is allowed to be stolen or taken…From a victims perspective, there is a 7 fold return, from a sowers perspective there is at least a 30 fold return…

Now, it doesn’t change the fact that something was taken or stolen, but, from this perspective, the source of the return is different based upon how you perceive and choose to receive.  If you place the demand on the thief, then the thief pays back 7 fold…If you give it to God and allow Him to use the circumstances and SOW it into the lives and kingdom of God…then, GOD repays on the seed sown… It’s a pretty intense perspective…

As all of this flew into my mind at the speed of thought today, I immediately went to the words of Jesus in two separate scriptures.  The first was instruction given in Luke 6:29 pertaining to how we should handle offense and disrespect…

Luke 6:29 (The Message) 27-30

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.” Another version of this scripture that is commonly quoted is “Turn the other cheek” …

Is this WHY Jesus was saying what he said in this chapter…? Is he saying, Don’t let ANYTHING be taken from you… SOW IT because the return is so much greater for the seed sown…Is He saying, if you allow anything to be TAKEN then the only return is what you demand… if someone strikes you in the face, and you strike back, then that fulfillment of fighting back is your return…IF you give them the other cheek, now you have sown, not allowing anything to be taken and are choosing to allow God to repay you for the seed sown…If someone takes your coat…You can demand your coat back with interest or you can give them your shirt as well, at which point, they have no longer stolen from you, but you have SOWN into them!  It is an interesting consideration for me…

The next scripture that popped into my head was Jesus speaking in John 10:18 where He says, “No one can take my life… I lay it down voluntarily…”

Upon consideration of what was being revealed, I believe that Jesus was actually modeling the very lesson that was relayed in Luke 6 saying, “You can’t take from me what I am willing to give…It will be sown by me before I ever allow you to steal from me and void the greatest portion of harvest!”

When things are stolen, the thief is given the glory of having victoriously overpowered and taken something from you…When it is sown, God gets the glory as the one who richly blesses and returns handsomely on all that we have sown into His kingdom…

As I considered this today, in a moment’s time, my paradigm changed… My career and money and time and insurance was not stolen from me… I choose to sow it!  I choose to put it in Gods hands and allow Him to multiply it to the Nth degree as He takes all of the circumstances and all of the hurt and all of the frustration and all that was attempting to destroy me and multiplies it by accelerating my growth, increasing my potential, compounding my favor and placing me above and not beneath because my return doesn’t come from the one who stole from me… Vengeance is not mine, it’s Gods… I don’t want a return from a thief, I want a return on INVESTMENT from the seed that I choose to have sown in this past season of my life…I want my return to come from the blessing of God!

I’m not a victim…I’m an investor… Even these chapters of this book are fruit of that investment… If any of them have helped you or if any ministry that has come through me in this season has benefited you…Then, you are recipients of that seed sown…

No more victim mentality… I sow it voluntarily for the furthering of the Kingdom of God and the progress of my family!  God is FAITHFUL!!!

If you can dig it…Say Word!

AFTER THOUGHTS:

After reading some of the comments left both publicly and privately about this chapter there are a few things that I would like to point out.  Each person is in a different place having experienced completely different circumstances,  This chapter is about me, my circumstances, how I have navigated them, what I have learned from them (and more specifically how I think that they would directly affect me based upon how I continued to navigate them..) and how it may apply to others in similar or parallel circumstances…

I have had time to heal…The wounds are not as fresh…The pain is not as pronounced as it once was and definitely not as severe as others have experienced.  Recognizing this, I realize that what is said in this chapter may not be compltely applicable to everyone on every level in every circumstance or every situation and it is not intended to be insinuated as such.  It is certainly not a “blanket” that covers all aspects of all levels of pain and/or abuse…As I stated before, this is about me documenting MY journey and lessons that I am learning along the way as it pertains to my circumstances… If you can derive some wisdom and/or direction from what is writen…GREAT… If not, that’s ok too…

Still, with that said, I do believe that, when taken in context, it can parallel many lives on many different levels depending on where a person is at in the healing process.  I understand that some may not feel that it is applicable in their parrticular circumstance and in that event, this chapter may be something to put on a back burner and re-apply when they are in a  different position.

This is simply an example of how I believe God spoke to me as it pertained to my situation…and I believe that there is probably “something” that can be taken from it and applied to nearly everyones life in some capacity or at some juncture, even if they do not believe that it is applicable to every circumstance…Whatever the case… I’m confident that it is worth pondering…and applying where applicable…

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!!!

 

Where Life Begins…

Being Connected…

 

As I was walking into the house today something caught my eye. Recently, I had cut my bushes with hedge clippers. I threw most of the cut branches away but one, rather long branch, laid across the top of the bush. It was completely brown, withered and dead. When I saw it I had a thought…

 

That branch was in the same proximity as all of the other branches. If not for the difference of color, I would not even be able to differentiate the detached from the attached branches (which is likely why it was overlooked when throwing away the other branches when it was originally cut). It was surrounded by the other branches, it was even loosely connected to the other branches by literally laying on them, but it was not tied in to the bush any more and even the close proximity to the bush was not enough to sustain its life…

 

Then I had a bit of an epiphany… How many in the church experience the same parallel (spiritually)?

 

John 15:4-5

4Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and Iwill live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.

5I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

 

How many surround themselves and blend in to the surroundings yet are not actually “Connected” to the vine? One translation of the bible uses the words “Remain” in place of “Dwell” and would read, Remain in me and I will remain in you…

 

Those words Dwell and Remain are action rooted. There is an indication in using those words that there is an expectation or an effort needed to “Remain”, or “Stay Connected” to the vine. And if that is the case then there must be potential for us to “Disconnect” from the vine. I’m not of the opinion that you can be unknowingly disconnected per se’ but I do think that we can intentionally make choices that will disconnect us from the provision (or at the very least “fullness” of life) that is had when we are connected to the vine…

 

6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

 

When verse 6 says, “He is like a branch…” I believe it is pointing out that (from a physical parallel) the withered, lifeless branch cannot be used and is the type of branch that is usually simply discarded and burned up as “useless” because it’s dead…

 

Some preachers have paralleled “Hell” as the “fire” in their explanation of this portion of scripture, but I’m not sure that is what is being referenced. I think it is painting a detailed picture that apart from God and a life giving connection to Him (by having a relationship WITH him) there is no REAL life to be had and we find ourselves, ultimately, in a place where we feel used up, dried out,withered and NEEDING LIFE like a dead branch that, without HIS life would be alife “thrown away”… (as if our choices to operate outside of His provision and His best for us is the equivalent of throwing away our own lives by killing our true potential and destiny…)

 

There is also a promise at the end of that scripture for those who do “Remain” in Him… (remain indicates “Constant” connection to) Jesus says, “ask what you WISH and I’ll give it to ya…because, ultimately, your bearing fruit is giving glory to God and showing people that you are my disciples…” I think that’s cool…and I’m not to the point yet where I’m seeing EVERY one of my prayers and even”wishes” getting a green card… So I have to assume that I can probably be “more connected”, “Remain more consistently or CONSTANTLY” and ultimately produce more fruit than I have in the past…

 

I have to ask myself, how many problems and issues could have been avoided had we intentionally and constantly stayed connected…? Not to discredit the attack of the enemy, but I wonder sometimes if we would have had more of an ability to divert the attack or have had more strength or life to combat the attacks had we intentional and proactively “remained”connected. It’s a thought…

 

Interesting thing is this…I had this entire download in a matter of seconds by looking at something that caught my eye IN PASSING…

 

I have to assume that it was something that God was wanting me to understand and probably equally as important for me to share today for some of you who may read it.

 

Whatever the case, I feel challenged to pursue a more intimate and life-giving connection…

 

If you can dig it…Say Word!

 

Anxiety vs Faith…

Anxiety vs Faith…

According to a statistic I recently read, over 18% of adults in the US experience at least one episode of an anxiety related attack in any given year. That’s nearly 1 in 5 people confronting “Panic Attacks” in some capacity annually!

I’m writing this chapter today from a place of authority because I’ve walked this battle out! It is a given that every persons circumstances and catalyst (trigger) is different, so I’m not necessarily saying “because this happened to me this is for EVERYONE…” But, considering recent events and opportunities to speak into peoples lives on this subject, I think it’s time I shared my story and perspective for those of you who have struggled with this issue and have needed some input…

Let me first say, before I experienced an anxiety attack, I assumed that anyone who did was mentally weak and simply unable to logically control their emotions. My thoughts were, “Just quit worrying about stuff and you’ll be fine…!” Ignorance was bliss to say the least…

As I have elaborated on in previous chapters, I was an officer, moving up the ladder of promotion, Officer of the year, Detective Sergeant, SWAT team member…etc. I embraced the stereotypical tough guy image…and to a fault, much of the pride and arrogance that accompanies what you think of when picturing that “type” of person as well.

I had learned to control fear (which, as a child and adolescent had such a significant influence on me and my actions )… I honestly didn’t think I was afraid of anything any more, and even placed myself in situations where I thought I “might” be afraid just to see how I would respond…I felt that I had reached my fullest potential when I agreed to do the one thing that I was convinced would terrify me…I went skydiving. The plane ascended to 14,000 feet, I stepped to the edge of the door, looked out at the clouds and map below me, and to my surprise felt no fear as I nonchalantly threw myself out the door…

I HAD learned to control the one thing that once controlled me…FEAR! Until…

I sustained pretty significant injuries to my face, head, and most detrimentally, inner ears when a couple of guys tried to kill me on duty. Just as I had always done, I navigated the entire ordeal pretty well… I was really banged up… I had severe vertigo (which lasted for months), I went through multitudes of tests, cat scans, mri’s , I had to have physical therapy for months, I had 3 surgeries on my face …(yeah, I actually used to look like Brad Pitt so… imagine my wife’s feeling of loss…). And honestly, I was ok with all of that…BUT, what I didn’t know is this; traumatic injuries can also adversely effect hormone levels and after a month of walking through all of this stuff, out of no where, I experienced the first of many anxiety attacks… ME…The self-proclaimed tough guy… The guy who didn’t BELIEVE in panic attacks… There I was, beside myself, experiencing what I had previously rationalized and judged others for as “weakness” in their character or even faith… I was overwhelmed with unprovoked and uncontrollable feelings of terror and adrenaline. For me, I would liken it to walking down the street, the sidewalk giving way and you falling into a room full of lions eating another dude… It feels that way but then, your mind tells you, there is nothing wrong, you know you are not in any danger, there is absolutely NOTHING setting off the attack… but still, you feel completely out of control!

It was and is the single most debilitating and overwhelming thing that I had ever encountered. I was the guy that was used to always being in control… and there I was completely floored and unable to function normally because my body was acting completely irrationally and uncontrollably… I literally felt like I going NUTS because it made absolutely no sense… but what I was feeling, as irrational as it was, was MORE than real!

I began having these events take place more and more frequently and I started to experience anxiety about experiencing anxiety! It was a vicious circle of events as the catalyst for the repeated attacks seemed to be directly linked to the previous attack and the fact that I was concerning having another… I constantly felt like I was suppressing another downward spiral that was right on the edge of happening…and it messed me up BAD! I felt very alone! I wondered if anyone had ever REALLY experienced what I was feeling! I questioned if I would ever be “better”…

Taking into consideration all of my preconceived ideas about anxiety and the people who experienced it, my control issues, my obstinate rebellion against fear, the fact that I don’t like taking pills or drugs, and the issue of me being a preacher and how this messed with my ideas about faith and healing, coupled with the fact that I was in physical therapy for my injuries…you can see why I felt that I was COMPLETELY BIFFED UP!

I have always hated taking drugs. I am very adamant about my beliefs. I believe that the same scriptures in the bible that justify our salvation and freedom from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ also justify and solidify our healing and peace… But, I was in a position that I was not experiencing a “quick work” on the healing wagon and I was getting to the point where I could not function in any capacity while suffering with the anxiety attacks. I simply cannot explain to someone who has never experienced a panic attack how intense and completely debilitating it is…

I spoke with several people whose insight I greatly valued about my conflicting feelings regarding drugs and faith in the Word of God… and from all of them I received the same advice. “Aaron, right now you are not functional in the state that you are in…There are far too many irons in your fire to even be able juggle them or to try to make sense of how to work through… And if you don’t get these panic attacks under control so that you can work through the other issues that you are facing, you are on a road to crash and burn… God will use whatever circumstances you choose for your good…Take the drugs and fight one battle at a time…”

I HATED this position, but I knew they were right… There was no way I could continue having any kind of quality of life if I was experiencing these anxiety attacks so, I called my doctor and he prescribed a very common anxiety drug for me. I took it when I got home and it completely leveled me… I felt like a zombie! I was sitting there with really NO feelings and NO drive… I knew in my mind that I wasn’t going to be able to accomplish what I was trying to by taking the drugs if I was not functional… and I WAS NOT FUNCTIONAL! So, I called my doctor and he immediately changed the prescription to a drug that was much better received by my body… ( I share that part intentionally because there ARE options that you may not be aware of if you don’t ask).

I was still struggling with the idea of taking drugs but was SO relieved to finally have some peace in my life and the anxiety under control! Although I was able to focus on my other physical injuries and recovery without concerning the anxiety as well (which made it so much more tolerable), I needed some resolve for myself on the faith front with “the pills”.

I prayed about it, read some materials and finally came to a conclusion that felt acceptable to me. I believe that the Word of God is the truth! And just because my body was not lining up with the Word didn’t take away from what I believed, Jesus body was still torn and His blood was still spilled for my healing… I focused my attention and became more intent on walking this thing out until that healing that I believed was mine, was complete in me…

I did something that may seem strange to many reading this but to me it was a constant reiteration of my faith in God. Every time I took a pill, I took communion first! My actions, to me, were a declaration that I stand first on my covenant with my God and the work that was accomplished when His Son, Jesus sacrificed himself for me… If I was going to take a pill, it was literally going to be covered in and break down in the symbol of and reminder of my covenant, Jesus’ body that was broken and blood that was spilled for my freedom…

Every time I took those pills I told God, “I trust you, thank you for our covenant, thank you for redeeming me from my sin, thank you for healing me and giving me peace.…” then I asked Him to protect my body and that there be no adverse side effects from the pills… as I recall, my exact words were, “Only the good and none of the bad…” .

I’m sharing all of this for several reasons. So many people have experienced terrible things like anxiety attacks and have felt as if they were compromising their faith or somehow letting themselves or even GOD down by taking a pill to help them. In some churches or religious circles, people are looked down upon for issues like these. (Often by people who have never had the luxury of experiencing the hell that they are going through, themselves…)

The bible says that God works ALL things together for the good of them that love Him and are called according to His purpose. I think a lot of the time He leaves the ball in our courts and says, “You choose…and I’ll use it”. I chose to take the pills for a season… I know now it was the right decision for me and I’m GLAD I DID!

I learned a LOT from that entire experience…Quite possibly the most valuable lesson being “Compassion”. I KNOW that I am better for having experienced every aspect of what I went through. I don’t believe that it was “God’s will” or “God put it on me” Per Se’… But I do believe that He looked at my situation and said, “Ok, here’s how we are going to work this out for Aaron’s good and for the tens of thousands who He will influence in his lifetime”. I believe that I actually experienced acceleration forward by seemingly going backward for a season.

I am a different person than I was before experiencing this entire ordeal. It has prepared me for more effective ministry because I believe that my perspective, as it pertains to hurting people is actually more sensitive, seasoned and mature as one who has actually been through some fire myself. I can say with all assuredness (I think I may have made that word up) that I absolutely find myself in more situations where God is using me to relate to others who are hurting than He ever did before.

To date, I have not had an anti-anxiety or anti-depression pill in two and a half years. In that time I have had the opportunity to speak into and pray over many others lives who have experienced similar roads. Some have experienced instantaneous healing, while other’s have had to walk it out in roads more similar to mine. But my belief and confession in it all is “God is Faithful!”

I just want those reading this who have or are experiencing similar roads to know and understand. You are NOT alone and maybe even more importantly, you are NOT crazy for feeling what you feel as it pertains to anxiety vs faith. Do I believe that God heals anxiety attacks supernaturally? YEP ABSOLUTELY! I’ve seen it happen on many occasions… Do I think that some may have to walk it out with some time too…? I do… That was the case in my personal circumstances… Either way, I do believe that God’s Word is Truth…Every persons circumstances are different and as a result, I think that different roads are required toward the same goal. But I would like to encourage EVERYONE of the promise of God’s Word that says, “You shall reap if you faint not” or in a nutshell, hang in there, it’s hot, you’re tired, it’s been a fight… But God is STILL God!

He loves you! He cares about that which concerns you! He will come through!

Psalm 138:8
The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever…

If you can dig it, say WORD

When Perception Determines Reception

When Perception Determines Reception
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about being a cop and how, even after years of being retired, I can’t completely “turn it off” when I’m in a public or even a private setting.

As a law enforcement officer and detective I have spent hundreds of hours studying people, human behavior reading books and taking specialized classes to learn, what makes them tick… How they respond in given situations…What their responses indicate… etc.

I can watch someone’s eyes and know when they are creating details in their story that never happened or if they are recalling events that they personally observed… I can listen to verbal indicators (even specific word uses) to assess when someone is uncomfortable and trying to buy time to think of a way to paint the story differently and/or lie to me before they even tell the lie… I can listen to their breathing and vocal fluctuation, I can watch body language and tell more about what they are truly feeling (or hiding) than their words even indicate… Training has helped me to understand some of the more intricate details of human behavior, but nearly all of us do this on some scale naturally.

Our perception of people is determined within seconds of meeting them…and that perception becomes more and more solidified and increasingly more understood as we grow and spend more time with those people.

Now here’s the deal…Sometimes, the perception that people have of us is NOT what we would like to convey… At times we are portraying an image that is contrary to how we would hope that we are perceived. When this is the case, one of two things usually happens… Our pride causes us to simply go into a state of denial… or humility recognizes that, somewhere along the line, your actions have caused people to misperceive your intent… How people view you, whether it’s accurate or inaccurate is important, because something about your actions or how you have carried yourself has painted that perception in their mind… Your actions have determined a reaction… Their perception ultimately determines how they view and receive you!

After I was attacked on duty and an attempt on my life was made I went through an incredible time of recalibration… I assessed and reassessed many things about my life, character, and how I was perceived. One day, my pastor’s daughter came up to me and said, “Aaron, you are so different since the attack…” I asked her, “How so?”… Her response floored me… She said, “You’re approachable…you used to carry yourself differently and were actually kind of intimidating before…” I had NO IDEA that was how people had previously viewed me… ESPECIALLY MY PASTORS DAUGHTER! I went to family events with them, celebrated holidays with their family, the kids called me “Uncle Aaron…” but to her I was “Unapproachable…” Let me just say, that was NOT a win for me! It was NOT what I had hoped to convey! And until that moment, I was even unaware of it!

I could have handled it two ways… I could have made excuse… “Well, I’m a cop…I’ve been through a lot… I’m jaded… I gotta keep my edge…that’s just how I am…blah blah blah…” But where the rubber met the road, even with all the excuses I could come up with… It would NOT have changed her perception…and what she perceived was NOT what I desired to convey about myself… Her perception, if extended to other circumstances or if shared by other people, could absolutely effect my reception in an important or relative situation! Thank God for people who are willing to be honest with you when you ask them the question “Who do men say I am…”

It was her honesty that has helped me to remain cognizant of what I am conveying with both my verbal and non-verbal que’s…and it IS a discipline!

That was a long intro to set up what I am about to address. What people perceive about you can ultimately affect you! Whether it be a friend, a family member, a business associate, a professional, or an enemy! It is important to understand what messages are you sending to people? Is what you are conveying or NOT conveying influencing your progress with people or even God? Are there things or habits in or about your personality that are setting you up for a relational failure in the future? Who’s watching you? Who’s making perceptions about you…? The answer to the last two questions is EVERYONE!

I spoke with someone very very close to me a few years ago about this very subject and his answer to me, when I pointed out some of what I’m about to say was, “Aaron, I never even realized that I was doing that or that it was perceived that way…” That perspective alone is the catalyst for why I am writing this. I am writing this for those who have never been confronted with it or never really considered how their daily actions and habits may influence how they are received and ultimately could cost them influence with people or even progress in life!

So here are a few key points to consider:

#1 Shut up and listen- I will admit that this is one area that I STILL have to struggle with and why I will list it first! When you interrupt someone who is expressing a thought it sends several messages. A) That you don’t value what they are saying enough to listen. B) That what you have to say is MORE important to you than what they are saying. C) That you do not respect them enough to hear them out… etc.

Think about it, Would you interrupt the president if he was sharing some very important message with you? (Some of us might…HA!) But, in all reality, we are more likely to listen when we are in the presence of someone that we respect and whose words we value… When we talk over others and don’t wait our turn, we lose influence with those people as they perceive that we do not respect or value them. As a result, our actions effect their reception of us. I am one who immediately shuts down when I realize that someone is not listening… I won’t waste my breath on people who don’t care to listen… (How ironic that I am also the one who has to discipline myself to not interrupt huh?)

I will also point out that it is nearly equally as bad to disconnect and not listen to what someone is saying because we are so concentrating on what WE are going to say next… So, even though your mouth may not interrupt their expression of thought, you’re body language WILL! Be aware of it… I read a quote today, “Practice giving people your undivided attention. Very few things say “you’re a nobody” like texting during a conversation…@Jeffrey_A_Smith” I like it, simple example with profound depth!

#2 Look people in the eyes- This simple lesson will send the message that you are connecting with them and that you care! Nothing sends the message that you are not listening or connecting as looking around when someone is talking to you… It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. I am convinced that you can tell more about a person by looking in their eyes than any other non-verbal indicator. You can learn SO much from people just by actually “seeing” them. Pain, fear, anger, love, passion are all conveyed through the eyes! Be intentional with people by practicing looking at their eyes… If you are one who has a problem with #1 above, intentionally looking in the eyes of a person when they talk (not in a creepy intimidating way, just in a proactive attempt to pay attention) will send a message that you genuinely care and respect what they are saying. And with most people, knowing that they are respected, PARTICULARLY when you are in a position of authority gives deep perspective to them about your character. Not to mention, the influence that you may have in a position of authority to influence someone’s life or even be instrumental in being a part of it changing could be determined solely on whether or not you convey that they are important to you… and for those who practice this with EVERYONE, you never know when you may be talking to someone who God sent along to just “bless you…” and your response to them could make or break that “blessing”. (Promotion, job opportunity, investor…name it… When God wants to bless you, He will often send someone into your life to do it… Don’t screw it up for yourself with a lack of discipline in relational/social etiquette.)

#3 Don’t think too highly of yourself- The bible says that Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Regardless of who you are, or what your position is, deal with each person as an individual worthy of respect. If you are a Pastor, think about the model that Jesus set for leadership. The night before He was about to be betrayed by a friend and give his life, he knelt down and humbly washed the feet of the disciples that he had spent years walking with and mentoring… So many of us have the mindset, “I’ve worked so hard to be elevated to the position that I am, I deserve…(fill in the blank)” but that’s not what Jesus was conveying. Humility is a characteristic that speaks VOLUMES about a person…So does pride… for those who call themselves Christians, following Christ’s model should be our pursuit…

A friend of mine once told me, “Aaron, the second you begin to believe your own hype, you are on your way out…” I realize that this goes completely against many of the sales seminars that so many of us have attended… It contradicts the “establish dominance” principles and the learned non-verbal techniques/manipulations like making sure you extend your hand with your palm angled toward the floor to force the person shaking your hand into a non-cognizant position of submission to your authority (which by the way REALLY TICKS ME OFF WHEN A PREACHER DOES IT! Because I know what they are doing and it reveals so much to me about their heart!). Ultimately, that “establish dominance” principle has no place in the church or in our lives (for the most part)…Most of the time it is rooted in pride and pride is something that comes all too naturally to too many of us…it’s a part of our human nature and the way that we are wired… and, if it is, it is also an area that should be kept under close personal scrutiny. “Pride” is another area that I personally have had to be VERY proactive myself in weeding out of my own heart… (and I still have some work to do…)

#4 Do what you say- Integrity is a HUGE deal to God…It’s also a HUGE deal to people. When we say the words, “I will…(fill in the blank)” you are literally saying, “I submit my will” or “it is my will” to do what we have agreed to in this conversation (whatever that may be)…The bible says, “You don’t have to make an oath with people, but if you are a Christian, then let your Yes mean YES and your No mean NO! It also goes on to say that your word IS your oath! Yet, integrity is seemingly SO lacking in the church on so many levels! Christians often have the reputation of doing sub par work and expect that it be accepted because they put a little ichthus fish on their business card and are working for another Christian! They feel that they can say what they want and not follow through and should simply be given a pass because “as Christians we are not supposed to keep a record of wrong…” or “we are supposed to forgive 70 x 7 times a day”… the problem with that is, they are manipulating people and misrepresenting God by making excuses and using scriptures like that to defend a lack of integrity! God DOES care! And so do people! If you don’t, then you will find yourself lacking in relationships and promotion… Because, ultimately, you will reap what you sow…Seed, Time and Harvest is not only a spiritual law, it is a physical one…

#5 Be on time- I started to tie this into #4 but I think it merits it’s own section. Everything that was stated in #4 applies to #5 but this is the single MOST abused area where I have observed a lack of discipline in the church and amongst Christians…Quite frankly, it is just disrespectful to the people left “waiting” for you…

Time is the single most valuable resource in anyone’s life. How they use it or misuse it can be instrumental or detrimental as it pertains to desired outcomes or fulfilling destiny. It is a given that everyone is late sometime…There are accidents on the freeway and unforeseeable’s that can be encountered unexpectedly…BUT, for too many of us, tardiness is simply a lifestyle. The message that is being sent, whether intentional or not is, “My time is more important than your time”…or “I’m more important than the plans that I made with you, YOU can wait until I get there…” I do realize that sometimes this is NOT the heart of the person who is repeatedly late, but it IS the message that is being sent and received whether they want it to be or not…(back to perception determines reception) Particularly regarding those who place significant value on their own time.

I heard a quote this past week that really hit me, “I have yet to meet a successful person who was not very meticulous about their time and did not want to waste it… @drDaveMartin” Ultimately, EVERY relationship that I have ever had that has been notoriously late, WERE capable of being on time. (sadly, a HUGE majority of my “friends” have fit into this category very comfortably). They just chose to be late when it was convenient for them to be so… If they were meeting someone who they respected, they’d be on time… If they were going to experience some sort of loss if they were not on time, they’d be on time… If they stood to benefit from punctuality, they’d be on time… BUT, when it was “just Aaron…” that was the message that I received… “It’s just Aaron…” (20 min, 30 min, 45 min, 60 min….120 min! and I’m sitting around twiddling my thumbs during a time that I could have placed efforts elsewhere…) and ultimately, ended up resenting them for taking advantage of my time when I respected theirs enough to be there at the predetermined time…or early…

I’ve heard it said that, “What you tolerate, you authorize to exist…” so maybe I have unknowingly played a part in one of my own greatest frustrations with others by not being more confrontational… Kind of a catch 22 I think… For obvious reasons…
The bible says to be faithful in the little things…Although, I personally consider words VERY BIG things…Many people do not… so, even if you don’t think that your words and integrity are a big deal, we are still to be faithful in the “little things”… Time (even if it is not a big deal to you) is a big deal to many people and whether or not you send the message that you respect and appreciate another’s time can absolutely contribute to your reputation and future successes. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be thought of as “the guy whose word was worthless”… that kind of reputation could carry dire consequence in the arena of life and your influence with people.…

It is a given that most all of what was written above is considered “common courtesy”… Much of it we have been taught since we were little children, “don’t interrupt, listen when people are talking, don’t be cocky, tell the truth…” but somewhere along the road, as adults, the lines get skewed and we forget the simple lessons like the golden rule “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you…”

How you treat others DOES matter! And if it doesn’t, it should! Even recently, I have been attempting to refine my own focus by being very intentional in how I treat and respond to others and their needs. For me, sometimes it means hugging the person whose personality is like sand paper to me (very abrasive). Sometimes it has meant, listening to people talk, even when what they were talking about was bordering on nonsensical. Sometimes it has meant just loving on someone who needed it even when I didn’t feel like it… I believe it’s what Jesus would do… So, I’m trying… slow forward progress is better than no progress, right?

Ultimately, we prioritize what is important to us…

So, to end this chapter, I will leave you with one of my most beloved one-liners: Do what’s right…Not because it’s easier, or more convenient… But because it’s right…

Simple adjustments can change your life!

If you can 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!!!