"...but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
-Isaiah 40:31
Waiting. Patience. Two words that the American culture, and society are not very well acquainted with. Not any more at least. At one point, life wasn't so fast paced, or at least that is what my parents have told me. I've never known a time in my life that patience was really necessary. We have little boxes that we stick food in and 4 minutes later, something that should have taken 45 minutes, is now ready. It's not as good, but, what do we care? We have food in one tenth of the time.
We have a generation growing up who have always had instant access to any kind of information they could ever hope to come across. On a computer first, but now, in their pockets, on their smart phones. It is hard sometimes, okay, who am I kidding? It's hard all the time, to understand that with God, time frames don't really matter that much. We are always looking to meet a deadline, or accomplish a goal. We are running into time constraints and restrictions, and we are always in a hurry, hurry, hurry, to get to the next thing that we have to do.
I am absolutely 100% grateful that I grew up in America. I am so thankful that I grew up in a nation that allowed me to go to church and worship my Savior without restrictions. I know there are millions of believers who do not have the same luxury afforded them, that I have in my freedom of religion. I do however, wish that America would slow down. Allow people to live their lives. Allow people to take time. It would absolutely make living as a Christian much easier. And maybe that's why we are here. Maybe there is a group of young people in America, who are going to rise up and teach people the art of waiting. The art of patience. You see, in a microwave society and a, get whatever you want right NOW society, waiting, and patience are not viewed as good things. This translates to impatient, upset, angry, irritable Christ followers, who don't understand the fact that our timeline doesn't work exactly how Jesus' time frame works.
So, what does this have to do with you? Everything, really. Most of you that read this, know the call that Jesus has placed on your life. You know the direction in which you are supposed to be headed. You feel like you understand exactly how to get there, but the process is taking FOR-EV-VER. You are not alone. I know plenty of people who are absolutely in love with Jesus, and who follow Him with everything that they have, but feel as though they are stuck in a situation. I actually happen to be one of those people. "God! I thought You said I was going to be in full time ministry! I thought You said that I would be traveling, and speaking places!" And He did. He just never told me when. I think God leaves time frames open for a very important reason. If we knew when He would move, and when He would make the other shoe drop, we would be ABSOLUTELY useless for the Kingdom until that appointed time. God is very much a God of the now. If He were to give everyone their ultimate future today, nothing would get done today.
You see, God has things planned out along the path to our future, that must be accomplished. Just because you haven't walked into your full on destiny, does not mean that today is a throw away. Listen, Jesus knew exactly who He was at 12 years old. He spent 18 years training to become the Savior. Some of us have known our calling for a few years, but we have been fighting the entire time to try and push the process along. We don't take the time to actually sit back, and ask God, "What is the purpose of this process right now?"
Last night I heard Jimmy Witcher say something at Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo that absolutely rocked my world. "If you are praying for deliverance from a situation, and you have not been delivered, it's because God has you there on purpose." God has you where you are right now for a purpose. It's time that we start embracing the process. It's time that we start allowing God to mold us in our waiting times. Then, we will have our strength renewed. We will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.
Why do sports teams have practice? Our high schools are about to begin two-a-days. It's not because the coaches hate them, and what the worst for their lives, so they put them out there in 100 degree heat and make them sweat all day long. The reason that they have two-a-days, is so they can prepare for the ultimate goal which is game day. The pain, and the frustration, and the blood, sweat, and tears, will pay off when they get out on the field under those Friday night lights. Imagine if a coach cancelled 2 a days, and cancelled practices, and just told the players that they were supposed to just go out there and wing it on Friday and hope for the best? First of all, this would be the worst coach of all time. Second, this would be the single most atrocious football team of all time. Absolutely no one would be prepared for anything!
Sometimes, God has to put us through spiritual two-a-days, so that we can prepare for the ultimate plan. If we haven't prepared for something, then nine times out of ten it will fall flat. We are, most of us, in spiritual training camp right now. We are getting stronger, faster, smarter. This process is necessary, because without it, we will surely fail. It's time that we start allowing God to mold, form, and shape us into who He wants, instead of being so absolutely frustrated by the process and questioning God at every twist and turn about timing.
I hung out at my worship pastor's house last Sunday evening. They have 2 little boys, and these kids think I am the greatest thing in the world. Which is awesome! I was playing Mario Brothers with their older boy, and the younger one kept asking if I would go in the back yard with him to look at their pet turtle. I kept telling him, "Give me just a little bit longer buddy." Thirty seconds later, he would ask again. And we did this interaction about 15 times, and I couldn't help but start to get tired of answering the question. Sometimes, I feel like we are the little kid asking God, "Well is it time yet?" Every. Single. Day. Over. And. Over. And. Over. Thinking that eventually we will wear Him down and He'll have to give us what we want.
I believe firmly, that God wants to gift us all patience, and a gift of waiting. Not waiting, and doing nothing, but waiting with purpose. Doing whatever it is that He is calling us to do in the waiting period. Ask anyone who has ever been in athletics. The games aren't the hard part. Practice is the hard part. That's where conditioning comes into play. That's where lifting weights comes in to play. Games are a breeze compared to practice! When you're in training camp or two-a-days, there is literally nothing more exciting for you, that getting to the end of training camp or two-a-days. You can't wait until it gets a little easier. Friday night is game night. Monday through Thursday is where the real work is put in.
Let's wait with purpose. Let's be intentional with our preparation and preparedness as we wait for our future to come. Let us not despise the purpose. Let us embrace purpose. Remember, if you've called for deliverance, and it hasn't come yet, most of the time, it's because God has you there on purpose. Allow Him to work. Allow Him to form, mold, and shape you. You will be better for it on the other side.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Stop Settling for Mediocrity
Can I present something to you that you might not have ever thought of? We have put an enormous amount of pressure on people to absolutely do away with sin in their lives, which in theory is not a bad thing. It would be an incredible life if we never sinned again, however, it is incredibly unlikely that we will actually live a 100% perfect life. I think for the most part, we also think that God thinks the same way that we do when it comes to the "sin issue." We have been teaching people forever how to manage their sinfulness, and do away with the "really big" sins, but keep the little ones hidden so that we can have the appearance of being really Godly and holy people. We continue to go back to these sins as a sort of place of comfort, because it is legitimately a place of familiarity, and we get comfortable in the sin.
I had a conversation with someone just last night in which this person told me that they didn't view the things they did as bad, because of the fact that they liked doing them. And that's the story from a lot of people in today's culture. "What's so wrong with it if I enjoy it so much? What's the big deal?" Well I think the overall big deal with continually going back to our old familiar sins, over and over again, is the fact that it is in effect crippling us. We get so comfortable in our sin, that it doesn't seem bad anymore, and after that, it's enjoyable, so it's no big deal. I know that when I was younger, in my mid to late teens, my spiritual life was a roller coaster at best. I would go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, and it all hinged on me doing something that I thought was awesome, or me doing something that was incredibly stupid. My life was a wreck, because I was basing my worth and my acceptance from God, off of whether I was doing good things, or doing bad things.
Here's something I've really only truly learned recently. God has already accepted and forgiven everyone. We have to accept His forgiveness, but it was given to us all when Jesus died on the cross. He knows when we are going to sin, and He knows when we are going to have weeks, months, or even years of continuous victory. His love and His acceptance of us is not determined by what we do. It was determined already, by who He is.
I am writing this tonight because of something that one of my friend's wrote in a blog today.You can read Justin's blog here. Do we use our sin as an excuse to live a mediocre life? I know most of us wouldn't think of it in those terms, but Christ has already set us free. Remember what He said in the book of John, "Whom the Son has set free is free indeed!" We have been freed from the curse of sin and death. We have been made alive in His resurrection, and in His life. We are free. Here's the big picture. When we come into a relationship with Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. We are now His tabernacle. That being said, Paul also tells us that wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. You have freedom living inside of you.
So how have we crippled ourselves? Well, first of all, we have completely allowed the enemy to run us through the mud. He is called the accuser of the brethren in scripture. We have allowed him to tell us that we are no good, and that we will never amount to anything. We have also embraced this ridiculous idea that says, "Well, I screwed up there...I might as well go for broke!" Did you know that Christ set you free with only one thing in mind? It wasn't for us to be good. Or to do good. Or to live a holy life. He set us free, simply, so that we could be free. We can choose every single day whether we will live a life that aligns with His plan, or not. He has given us that freedom. After all, it isn't freedom if you don't have a choice, right?
If His spirit lives in us, and He has set us free, then we don't have to sin any more. Did you catch that? You don't have to do that anymore. You are freed from being a slave to sin. You can be bound to righteousness. You can live the life that He's called you to now. This very instant. He isn't sitting up in heaven waiting to destroy us because we've been bad. He's anxiously waiting for us to finally understand that we don't have to live in that life any longer! Paul tells the Romans in effect, "Stop it!", when it comes to sin. He says in Romans 6:13, "Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." In other words, His solution for sinning is very simple. Stop! Stop it! You are in control of your life, and in control of your body! And because of the power that has been given to you because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, YOU. DO. NOT. HAVE. TO. DO. IT. ANY. MORE!!!!!
Ultimately this is the point I want to make tonight; stop using your sin as an excuse to live a mediocre Christian life. God paid for a much better life that the one that most of us are living. He took care of sin, and death, and hell on the cross, and He took care of giving us brand new life through the resurrection. We don't have to sin any more if we don't want to. Do I expect to walk through every day without stumbling one time? Honestly, no, I don't. Do I see a day where I stumble less and less and less every day? You bet your bottom dollar I do! Because whom the Son has set free is free indeed!
Through His cross, and through His blood, He has paid for our redemption. We don't have an excuse any more. We can live an incredible life right now. We don't have to settle for this mediocrity that we have grown so accustomed to. Let go of your sin, and grab hold of Jesus. He has an incredible adventure with your name written on it, and your brand new incredible life could begin right now. Take a chance. Jump into the wild blue yonder with no inhibitions. Leap into faith and run as fast as you can. Let's say goodbye to the sins of yesterday that we grown comfortable in. Let's throw away the mediocrity that we have bred over the years, and let's excitedly, expectantly, and joyfully go wherever the Spirit takes us! Why would you want to settle for such mediocrity when incredible fulfillment is just a choice away?
I had a conversation with someone just last night in which this person told me that they didn't view the things they did as bad, because of the fact that they liked doing them. And that's the story from a lot of people in today's culture. "What's so wrong with it if I enjoy it so much? What's the big deal?" Well I think the overall big deal with continually going back to our old familiar sins, over and over again, is the fact that it is in effect crippling us. We get so comfortable in our sin, that it doesn't seem bad anymore, and after that, it's enjoyable, so it's no big deal. I know that when I was younger, in my mid to late teens, my spiritual life was a roller coaster at best. I would go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, and it all hinged on me doing something that I thought was awesome, or me doing something that was incredibly stupid. My life was a wreck, because I was basing my worth and my acceptance from God, off of whether I was doing good things, or doing bad things.
Here's something I've really only truly learned recently. God has already accepted and forgiven everyone. We have to accept His forgiveness, but it was given to us all when Jesus died on the cross. He knows when we are going to sin, and He knows when we are going to have weeks, months, or even years of continuous victory. His love and His acceptance of us is not determined by what we do. It was determined already, by who He is.
I am writing this tonight because of something that one of my friend's wrote in a blog today.You can read Justin's blog here. Do we use our sin as an excuse to live a mediocre life? I know most of us wouldn't think of it in those terms, but Christ has already set us free. Remember what He said in the book of John, "Whom the Son has set free is free indeed!" We have been freed from the curse of sin and death. We have been made alive in His resurrection, and in His life. We are free. Here's the big picture. When we come into a relationship with Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. We are now His tabernacle. That being said, Paul also tells us that wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. You have freedom living inside of you.
So how have we crippled ourselves? Well, first of all, we have completely allowed the enemy to run us through the mud. He is called the accuser of the brethren in scripture. We have allowed him to tell us that we are no good, and that we will never amount to anything. We have also embraced this ridiculous idea that says, "Well, I screwed up there...I might as well go for broke!" Did you know that Christ set you free with only one thing in mind? It wasn't for us to be good. Or to do good. Or to live a holy life. He set us free, simply, so that we could be free. We can choose every single day whether we will live a life that aligns with His plan, or not. He has given us that freedom. After all, it isn't freedom if you don't have a choice, right?
If His spirit lives in us, and He has set us free, then we don't have to sin any more. Did you catch that? You don't have to do that anymore. You are freed from being a slave to sin. You can be bound to righteousness. You can live the life that He's called you to now. This very instant. He isn't sitting up in heaven waiting to destroy us because we've been bad. He's anxiously waiting for us to finally understand that we don't have to live in that life any longer! Paul tells the Romans in effect, "Stop it!", when it comes to sin. He says in Romans 6:13, "Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." In other words, His solution for sinning is very simple. Stop! Stop it! You are in control of your life, and in control of your body! And because of the power that has been given to you because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, YOU. DO. NOT. HAVE. TO. DO. IT. ANY. MORE!!!!!
Ultimately this is the point I want to make tonight; stop using your sin as an excuse to live a mediocre Christian life. God paid for a much better life that the one that most of us are living. He took care of sin, and death, and hell on the cross, and He took care of giving us brand new life through the resurrection. We don't have to sin any more if we don't want to. Do I expect to walk through every day without stumbling one time? Honestly, no, I don't. Do I see a day where I stumble less and less and less every day? You bet your bottom dollar I do! Because whom the Son has set free is free indeed!
Through His cross, and through His blood, He has paid for our redemption. We don't have an excuse any more. We can live an incredible life right now. We don't have to settle for this mediocrity that we have grown so accustomed to. Let go of your sin, and grab hold of Jesus. He has an incredible adventure with your name written on it, and your brand new incredible life could begin right now. Take a chance. Jump into the wild blue yonder with no inhibitions. Leap into faith and run as fast as you can. Let's say goodbye to the sins of yesterday that we grown comfortable in. Let's throw away the mediocrity that we have bred over the years, and let's excitedly, expectantly, and joyfully go wherever the Spirit takes us! Why would you want to settle for such mediocrity when incredible fulfillment is just a choice away?
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wasting Time Part 2
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Matthew 6:33
Last time I talked about the time that we waste on regrets of the past. Tonight I want to touch on the time that we waste on the angst of the future. When Jesus tells these people to seek the kingdom and God's righteousness first, He was telling them to stop worrying. "Which one of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"-verse 27 The people are fretting over the things they will wear, and the food they will eat. He is explaining to these people that the need to chill out on worrying and being anxious about anything, because if they will seek the kingdom of God first, they will be taken care of. The scripture says "all these things will be added to you..." The word added is the same word as forfeit. It will be given up to you and you will take part in the abundance of Him.
So what does that mean for today? Well I'll take a little while to tell you about some of the worries that I have and the stresses I have for the future. I can't tell you how often I have gotten caught up thinking about who my wife will be. I never thought I would see 26 AND STILL BE SINGLE. Now that I'm here, it's really not that big of a deal. Honestly the single life isn't really that bad. But I spent so much time worrying about whether or not I knew her yet, or was close to finding her, or what she looked like, or whatever, and all it did was make me long for someone I didn't know and gave me a lot of stress because of the fact that I didn't know her yet.
I have spent a lot of time over the last 5 years wondering about my calling and my position and why things weren't working out the way that I thought they would, and sometimes it has robbed me of enjoying the things that I do have and am experiencing right now. I have an amazing church family. I get to spend a few hours every week with some of the coolest teenagers on the planet. My worry and angst about the future has robbed me of countless hours over the years.
Those are just a couple of things in my life that still come up every day, and I have to focus my attention on Jesus in order to get those ideas and those things under control. You see, I am confident that God doesn't want us focused on our past, because it can trap us in the people we used to be. I am also confident that He doesn't want us focused on the future, because we can overlook the good things that are in store for us today! There is a saying, that is super cliche, but bear with me. Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present. Is it okay to plan for the future? Of course! I don't think it is a bad idea to have some plans and goals and dreams. Is it okay for the plans of the future to consume you to the point that you lose today? Absolutely not. You can't get to your future without living through today. And you can't live for today and make a difference and see incredible things happen today if you're so focused on the future.
If we will earnestly and diligently seek His kingdom first, then the future won't be a problem. The pieces will fit together and the gears will turn smoothly. He has designed us all with a purpose and a plan in mind, but we can't get ahead of the process or we will think we aren't getting anywhere, and we will start freaking out because of the fact that we aren't getting anywhere, and then we will stress about what tomorrow will bring, and then we will lose today. Embrace today. Meet it head on. Seek the kingdom, and slowly you will see those things that you worried about being added to you, and you'll wonder why you ever worried about them before!
Am I married yet? No. But I know that the Lord has set aside an incredible woman for me, and He has set me aside for her. Am I exactly where I want to be in ministry yet? No. But I know that right now, I can say that I'm full of hope and joy for where I am with my church family. Seek the kingdom first, and then peace will reign. Stress, restlessness, and angst will be out the window, and you will be completely wrapped up in Him. He is a great God, and He knows what He's doing. He's never late. He's never early. He's always perfectly on time, and He wants you to live a life that absolutely takes advantage of the only day that is promised, and that day is today.
Let's stop wasting time on tomorrow, and instead focus on redeeming the time today! What could we do if we really got a revelation of the difference we can make today instead of worrying about tomorrow and the things we might be able to do then. Do something awesome with the day that's been given. Make the most of every minute. And seek His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all the worries will be given up, and the spoils will be yours.
Matthew 6:33
Last time I talked about the time that we waste on regrets of the past. Tonight I want to touch on the time that we waste on the angst of the future. When Jesus tells these people to seek the kingdom and God's righteousness first, He was telling them to stop worrying. "Which one of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"-verse 27 The people are fretting over the things they will wear, and the food they will eat. He is explaining to these people that the need to chill out on worrying and being anxious about anything, because if they will seek the kingdom of God first, they will be taken care of. The scripture says "all these things will be added to you..." The word added is the same word as forfeit. It will be given up to you and you will take part in the abundance of Him.
So what does that mean for today? Well I'll take a little while to tell you about some of the worries that I have and the stresses I have for the future. I can't tell you how often I have gotten caught up thinking about who my wife will be. I never thought I would see 26 AND STILL BE SINGLE. Now that I'm here, it's really not that big of a deal. Honestly the single life isn't really that bad. But I spent so much time worrying about whether or not I knew her yet, or was close to finding her, or what she looked like, or whatever, and all it did was make me long for someone I didn't know and gave me a lot of stress because of the fact that I didn't know her yet.
I have spent a lot of time over the last 5 years wondering about my calling and my position and why things weren't working out the way that I thought they would, and sometimes it has robbed me of enjoying the things that I do have and am experiencing right now. I have an amazing church family. I get to spend a few hours every week with some of the coolest teenagers on the planet. My worry and angst about the future has robbed me of countless hours over the years.
Those are just a couple of things in my life that still come up every day, and I have to focus my attention on Jesus in order to get those ideas and those things under control. You see, I am confident that God doesn't want us focused on our past, because it can trap us in the people we used to be. I am also confident that He doesn't want us focused on the future, because we can overlook the good things that are in store for us today! There is a saying, that is super cliche, but bear with me. Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present. Is it okay to plan for the future? Of course! I don't think it is a bad idea to have some plans and goals and dreams. Is it okay for the plans of the future to consume you to the point that you lose today? Absolutely not. You can't get to your future without living through today. And you can't live for today and make a difference and see incredible things happen today if you're so focused on the future.
If we will earnestly and diligently seek His kingdom first, then the future won't be a problem. The pieces will fit together and the gears will turn smoothly. He has designed us all with a purpose and a plan in mind, but we can't get ahead of the process or we will think we aren't getting anywhere, and we will start freaking out because of the fact that we aren't getting anywhere, and then we will stress about what tomorrow will bring, and then we will lose today. Embrace today. Meet it head on. Seek the kingdom, and slowly you will see those things that you worried about being added to you, and you'll wonder why you ever worried about them before!
Am I married yet? No. But I know that the Lord has set aside an incredible woman for me, and He has set me aside for her. Am I exactly where I want to be in ministry yet? No. But I know that right now, I can say that I'm full of hope and joy for where I am with my church family. Seek the kingdom first, and then peace will reign. Stress, restlessness, and angst will be out the window, and you will be completely wrapped up in Him. He is a great God, and He knows what He's doing. He's never late. He's never early. He's always perfectly on time, and He wants you to live a life that absolutely takes advantage of the only day that is promised, and that day is today.
Let's stop wasting time on tomorrow, and instead focus on redeeming the time today! What could we do if we really got a revelation of the difference we can make today instead of worrying about tomorrow and the things we might be able to do then. Do something awesome with the day that's been given. Make the most of every minute. And seek His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all the worries will be given up, and the spoils will be yours.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Wasting Time
"...I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way, that He loves us..."-John Mark McMillan
I've wasted a lot of time. Like, an incredible portion of my life after coming to Christ, because I've been way too focused on the regrets of yesterday. I've been far too preoccupied with where I came from instead of where I'm going. Can anyone else relate? Why are we so worried about who we used to be? God isn't worried about it, so why should we be?
Well, I think the number one reason why we worry about it so much is the fact that the people around us have a hard time differentiating between who we were and who we are. The people who knew us when we were boneheaded and completely lost, still quantify us as that person. The bible says that if anyone be in Christ, that person is a new creation. So, remember, you are not who you were, and Christ took the punishment for who you used to be. He did this, so that we wouldn't have to be that person anymore. It's time to look forward, towards Him and His love. You can't move forward until you realize that your past is in your past for a reason. You aren't meant for that time. He is in the present, and He's leading us to a glorious future!
As John Mark McMillan put it, we don't have time to hold on to the regrets when we come into contact with the love of our Savior! Jesus love is so great, that when we are confronted with it, our regrets, our past, our shame, our sin, it all falls away, and we are left with nothing hindering us from Him. When His love really overtakes you, you can't help but reciprocate it. I think one reason that we worry so much about the regrets of yesterday and the slip ups of the past is because we fear that God didn't really take care of all of it on the cross. We don't really believe that Jesus really loves us that much. So we are fearful that He won't be pleased with us. This is one of the devil's greatest tactics. Fear. If he can get us trapped in a fearful spirit regarding God and His love for us, then He can keep us from really reaching out for the love of God. The bible says that there is no fear in love. Perfect love has cast out fear!
There's no time left for us to maintain those regrets. There's no time for us to leave those regrets on life support. It's time we pulled the plug and let our regrets and our failures of yesterday die. Today is a brand new day, and Jesus has new things planned for today. If we were meant for yesterday, we would have stayed there. Jesus is standing, beckoning, gently urging us along, to follow Him into our future. Jesus paid for our who we used to be, and adopted us into His family of righteousness.
Let us stop wasting so much time in yesterday. Let's not worry about what tomorrow brings, and let us live in today and for today. Let us make a difference today, and let us accept Jesus blessings for today, instead of longing to go back and correct what we did yesterday. I don't know about you, but I am tired of living in who I was, and worrying about correcting who I was. I'm ready to see what today's blessings and today's grace holds! Stop wasting time, and start redeeming it. Basking in His love for you today. As the song says, I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that He loves!
I've wasted a lot of time. Like, an incredible portion of my life after coming to Christ, because I've been way too focused on the regrets of yesterday. I've been far too preoccupied with where I came from instead of where I'm going. Can anyone else relate? Why are we so worried about who we used to be? God isn't worried about it, so why should we be?
Well, I think the number one reason why we worry about it so much is the fact that the people around us have a hard time differentiating between who we were and who we are. The people who knew us when we were boneheaded and completely lost, still quantify us as that person. The bible says that if anyone be in Christ, that person is a new creation. So, remember, you are not who you were, and Christ took the punishment for who you used to be. He did this, so that we wouldn't have to be that person anymore. It's time to look forward, towards Him and His love. You can't move forward until you realize that your past is in your past for a reason. You aren't meant for that time. He is in the present, and He's leading us to a glorious future!
As John Mark McMillan put it, we don't have time to hold on to the regrets when we come into contact with the love of our Savior! Jesus love is so great, that when we are confronted with it, our regrets, our past, our shame, our sin, it all falls away, and we are left with nothing hindering us from Him. When His love really overtakes you, you can't help but reciprocate it. I think one reason that we worry so much about the regrets of yesterday and the slip ups of the past is because we fear that God didn't really take care of all of it on the cross. We don't really believe that Jesus really loves us that much. So we are fearful that He won't be pleased with us. This is one of the devil's greatest tactics. Fear. If he can get us trapped in a fearful spirit regarding God and His love for us, then He can keep us from really reaching out for the love of God. The bible says that there is no fear in love. Perfect love has cast out fear!
There's no time left for us to maintain those regrets. There's no time for us to leave those regrets on life support. It's time we pulled the plug and let our regrets and our failures of yesterday die. Today is a brand new day, and Jesus has new things planned for today. If we were meant for yesterday, we would have stayed there. Jesus is standing, beckoning, gently urging us along, to follow Him into our future. Jesus paid for our who we used to be, and adopted us into His family of righteousness.
Let us stop wasting so much time in yesterday. Let's not worry about what tomorrow brings, and let us live in today and for today. Let us make a difference today, and let us accept Jesus blessings for today, instead of longing to go back and correct what we did yesterday. I don't know about you, but I am tired of living in who I was, and worrying about correcting who I was. I'm ready to see what today's blessings and today's grace holds! Stop wasting time, and start redeeming it. Basking in His love for you today. As the song says, I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that He loves!
Monday, January 21, 2013
We Can't Quit This Year
I've heard, and read a lot of words that people have given concerning 2013 and I feel like God has told me resoundingly through it all that this year will be a year that we HAVE to persevere. I was in the prayer room at church last night with 3 of my friends and God spoke very clearly to me. "2013 will be a year of incredible attacks and incredible adversity, but will also be a year of incredible victory and incredible breakthrough if we "seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God."
Because of the fact that we live in a society that wants everything as quickly and as easily as possible, it's easy to see why these mindsets would be parlayed into our Christian understanding. This, I believe, is one of the biggest travesties of modern Christianity. It throws out huge chunks of the scriptures, and has adversely affected the lives of many, many people.
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
James 1:2-4
Why would James speak of various trials if we were supposed to be sheltered and covered from them? Why would Jesus tell us before He left, that in this world we "would have tribulation", if we were supposed to be amnestied from it?
We tell people that when they come to Jesus and make a decision to be a part of His family that everything will be fine, and all of their troubles will just disappear, when we know that these things are bold faced lies.
Our problems, our issues, our troubles, do NOT end when we come to Jesus. Many times, the hard times and the hurt BEGIN when we come to Christ. The reason why Jesus is the better alternative is this, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Jesus offers us peace in this midst of the madness! Jesus offers us rest in the midst of adversity. It isn't about removing us from the issues and the problems, it's about Him throwing us directly in the middle of it all, but giving us peace, rest, and joy in spite of all of it! He is a good God, and He is a good dad, but parents who completely shelter their kids from the bad things in the world are in for a rude awakening when their children get to leave the house.
If you were to take 2 identical trees, and plant one in a green house, where it was completely unaffected by the elements, and the wind, and it had the perfect amount of sunlight and water, it would grow. It would appear to be a very healthy tree, but it wouldn't be able to grow very tall. If you take the second tree and plant it outside, and it is affected by the wind, and the rain or lack there-of, then it may appear to be unhealthy, but it will have much deeper roots than the tree grown in a greenhouse. You see, it has to grow it's roots down deep in order to find the water, which will allow it to grow very tall and very strong. If we were to take that tree out of the green house and transplant it to where this other tree is, then it would not be used to having to search for water. It would suffer wind and fall over.
If God were to protect and shield us from everything, we would never be able to grow in patience. If He simply allowed good things to happen to us at all times, then we would never have to worry about anything, and this whole thing would be useless.
This year, the enemy will try and get us to give up, at all cost. He will try, as hard as he possibly can, to rattle you and get you to quit. But remember, as James said, to rejoice in the trials, for in the testing of our faith, we can produce patience, which leads to maturity. This year could be the worst year of your life, or it could be the absolute best year of your life. The choice is yours. If I were you, I'd choose to rejoice through the trials, and to expect that through them, maturity and joy come.
Because of the fact that we live in a society that wants everything as quickly and as easily as possible, it's easy to see why these mindsets would be parlayed into our Christian understanding. This, I believe, is one of the biggest travesties of modern Christianity. It throws out huge chunks of the scriptures, and has adversely affected the lives of many, many people.
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
James 1:2-4
Why would James speak of various trials if we were supposed to be sheltered and covered from them? Why would Jesus tell us before He left, that in this world we "would have tribulation", if we were supposed to be amnestied from it?
We tell people that when they come to Jesus and make a decision to be a part of His family that everything will be fine, and all of their troubles will just disappear, when we know that these things are bold faced lies.
Our problems, our issues, our troubles, do NOT end when we come to Jesus. Many times, the hard times and the hurt BEGIN when we come to Christ. The reason why Jesus is the better alternative is this, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Jesus offers us peace in this midst of the madness! Jesus offers us rest in the midst of adversity. It isn't about removing us from the issues and the problems, it's about Him throwing us directly in the middle of it all, but giving us peace, rest, and joy in spite of all of it! He is a good God, and He is a good dad, but parents who completely shelter their kids from the bad things in the world are in for a rude awakening when their children get to leave the house.
If you were to take 2 identical trees, and plant one in a green house, where it was completely unaffected by the elements, and the wind, and it had the perfect amount of sunlight and water, it would grow. It would appear to be a very healthy tree, but it wouldn't be able to grow very tall. If you take the second tree and plant it outside, and it is affected by the wind, and the rain or lack there-of, then it may appear to be unhealthy, but it will have much deeper roots than the tree grown in a greenhouse. You see, it has to grow it's roots down deep in order to find the water, which will allow it to grow very tall and very strong. If we were to take that tree out of the green house and transplant it to where this other tree is, then it would not be used to having to search for water. It would suffer wind and fall over.
If God were to protect and shield us from everything, we would never be able to grow in patience. If He simply allowed good things to happen to us at all times, then we would never have to worry about anything, and this whole thing would be useless.
This year, the enemy will try and get us to give up, at all cost. He will try, as hard as he possibly can, to rattle you and get you to quit. But remember, as James said, to rejoice in the trials, for in the testing of our faith, we can produce patience, which leads to maturity. This year could be the worst year of your life, or it could be the absolute best year of your life. The choice is yours. If I were you, I'd choose to rejoice through the trials, and to expect that through them, maturity and joy come.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Word that Changed the World
35)He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36)And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.
Mark 14:35-36
A few weeks ago a buddy of mine gave me a copy of his audio bible, and it is incredible. It's called The Bible Experience...and you need to get it. For real. I didn't utilize it until this morning on my way into work. I listened to Mark chapter 14. And it absolutely wrecked me. I usually keep my emotions under control, but this morning driving into town it got to this passage. And I was crying. In my car. Looking like a completely ridiculous mess. I've read this account many times. I know what it says, and I feel like I understand the gravity of this situation...but never have I become that kind of emotional when reading it.
So I know most of you who read this have probably looked at that passage before, but it really hit me this morning. This was Christ's humanity coming face to face with His deity. This was Christ the man, understanding the gravity of what was taking place. He was about to half to walk smack dab into the middle of something He had never experienced in His entire life. He had seen 33 years come and go, without ever stumbling, without ever sinning, without ever doing anything to cross the boundary of the law that His Father had set up for His people...and He was about to experience ALL of it. Do you understand that? This was a man who had never had a bad thought. He had never said a bad word. He had never committed a sinful action in any way. Ever. In His ENTIRE life. And now...He was going to not experience His first sinful act. He was going to experience EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MINE. He was going to experience EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOURS. EVERY SINGLE SIN FROM BEGINNING TO END OF TIME. Can you even come close to grasping that? Can you? Because I can't. I sin on a daily basis. I fall short of perfection every single day. This man had gone over twelve thousand days in His life without ever falling short, without ever doing anything wrong. Ever.
This is why He says to Abba, "All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me." He's pleading for Himself. This is why He told the disciples, "Can you drink this cup?" Of course not! Of course they couldn't. Of course we couldn't! He was our only hope. And our hope was trying to find another avenue. This was the first time that Christ struggled with what His call was. He knew from the beginning that this was His job. Redemption was His calling, and it was His life's work. And our redeemer came face to face with His humanity and realized that He had never sinned. He realized that He was about to experience the most soul crushing thing He had ever felt. He would experience hate, anger, jealousy, wrath, guilt, shame, lust...all of mine, and all of yours, and all of everyone's from the beginning of time to the end of the world...all at once. This is why before He goes into the garden to pray, He says, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful...even unto death." Those weren't just words. He was literally dying inside. You see...for Him to free us from our sins, He had to take them upon Himself. For Him to unlock the chains, and for Him to redeem humanity, He had to experience the very thing He was redeeming, unlocking, and loosing us from.
Then there comes a turning point. "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me..." the next word uttered out of His mouth saved our lives. He is pleading with Dad to give Him another option...but then Jesus says, "nevertheless not what I will, but what I will." Nevertheless is one of the most important words spoken in human history. When Jesus uttered this word, He resolved within Himself that there indeed was no alternative. There was absolutely no other way. He HAD to be made sin on our behalf.
I used to think that He was worried about the gruesome death that He was about to face, and He didn't want to be bruised, scarred, and wounded. Looking at it now, I think He was much more concerned with experiencing sin. If He wouldn't have had to endure the sinfulness of humanity, I think He would have been like, "Peace of cake. Beat me and hang me on the cross. I'm still perfect." Instead, He had to be numbered among the transgressors. He had to be made into sinful flesh so that we could have redemption from sinfulness. He had to experience the fallen nature before He could save it. I'm still trying to grasp this. I'm still trying to understand the brevity of what Jesus endured for me.
Jesus said nevertheless, because He knew what was at stake. He knew the future of the world hung in the balance. He knew that His destiny was what John the Baptist said of Him. "Behold! The Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world!" Remember, Jesus went to great lengths to pay a great, and heavy price for your soul, spirit, and life. You were bought with a price. And Jesus thought you were 100% worth it. If you have accepted His forgiveness and His new abundant life, then hopefully this encourages you that Jesus went through everything you went through. He felt all the pain. He felt all the guilt, and all the shame on that night in Gethsemane. And He endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him. That joy was you and I friends.
If you don't know Him as your Savior. If you don't know Him as your redeemer, know this, He was in the garden redeeming all of humanity. Everyone who dies and goes to heaven, dies and is forgiven. Everyone who dies and goes to hell, dies, and they were also forgiven. The difference? Acceptance of the forgiveness. Acceptance of the invitation to the abundant life. Acceptance to His grace, and peace, and love. Jesus loves you, and died for you. He experienced all of your sin. And He left it in the tomb when He rose. His love knows no bounds and His redemption knows no bounds. Will you accept it? Will you RSVP to the greatest invitation of all time?
Be blessed.
Friday, November 16, 2012
All Doesn't Mean Some
And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.-Romans 8:28(ESV)
For some reason, I have taken certain words that are a part of the English language and have changed the meanings on them. Words that are completely inclusive, now have possible doubt attached to them. Many times, I don't mean to completely disregard the meanings of simple words such as 'all', or 'everything', or 'always', but many times when those words hit my brain, my reasoning filters them and they become, 'some', 'some things', and 'sometimes'. I think most of the time, it's because my experiences usually don't accept definite words as definite.
This is why the verse above gives us such trouble. We speak it, and we say we believe it, but how many of us usually discredit the above statement with a simple conjunction. We take a word like all, which means every, or any, or the greatest possible, and discredit it with the word, but, which means on the contrary, except, unless, or otherwise. We say, yes! I do believe all things work together for those who love God...but I don't see it in my situation. So we say we believe something wholeheartedly and then completely discredit and disregard our previous statement by saying, 'but'.
I know it is difficult to get past this for a lot of us. For me, it is always a struggle. I will quote scripture over myself or meditate on something like this verse in Romans 8, and then 5 minutes later I'm completely throwing it out the window because I'm reminded of a circumstance.
I've been praying a little differently as of late. I know my circumstances still look impossible sometimes. I've asked God thousands and thousands of times to change, or take away, or do something different in my life. It hasn't ever changed anything, then I get angry with God, and I just want to give up. So now, instead of asking Him to change my situation, I ask Him to always remind me of what He said. I've been asking Him to continually renew my mind, and remind me of the promises that He's made.
All things work together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I tend to read that verse and think, well yeah. All the good things in my life work together to continue to be good. I mean that sounds like a good explanation. It sounds like an alright idea. It's incredibly wrong. All means All. All does not mean some. We can't take words like all and turn them into indefinite words. There is no doubt in the word all. What this verse is literally saying is that if you love Him, He takes the good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent, and weaves them ALL together to complete a work that He finished, and ultimately it is for your good!
You're in a crappy situation? Well, wait. Wait it out. Eventually the bad will turn into the good and the process will be completed. He finds ways and has already set certain things into motion so that all of the junk and all of the blessings can work together to make a finished product that is in all actuality a good product. If you're reading this and you are a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of your soul, then this verse applies.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.-Jeremiah 29:11(ESV)
He hasn't forgotten His plans. He hasn't turned His back on His plans. He doesn't do things half way. He does thing all the way or not at all. He's not like us. He isn't even close to us. He is far better than we know, and He's far better than we give Him credit for.
I don't know what you're currently going through. I have no clue what most of you are dealing with. I'm sure I can't imagine some of your current predicaments, but here's one thing I do know. Our God is good. He is faithful. He said that He would never leave nor forsake us. He also told us He has a plan to prosper and not to harm, and He says that this present situation will ultimately work out for your good. Ultimately, all the stress, frustration, anger, happiness, joy, love, hard times, and good times, WILL work together for your benefit, if you love Him and are called with His purpose. And if you love Him, you ARE called, because we don't know to love Him except that He first loved us.
Don't give up. Don't let go. Even when you can't see it. Even when you can't feel it. Even when you don't understand it. Don't forget His promises. Don't forget that He has a plan. Don't forget that He will make this work out for good in the end. He loves you, and He will work it out.
If it isn't good yet, then it isn't over. Sometimes things happen that we couldn't possibly understand them working out for our good. I can't begin to explain how some of the horrible things that happen work out for our good, but I'm also not God. I won't pretend to have all the answers. I just know that I have the 1 answer. His name is Jesus, and He is enough for me.
All things will work together for your good. He has a plan. And He is faithful and trustworthy to complete it. There's a song by one of my favorite bands called To The Very End. These are the lyrics:
You know me, and I know You
You're the God who calms all my storms
You're the voice inside my head
Don't give up
Don't let go
Don't lose trust
Don't lose hope
You can have all my fears, God
You can have all my sins
You can have all my weaknesses
I know You're with me to the very end.
Friends, He is with you to the very end. He won't turn from You. He won't leave this unfinished. He will complete the work. He will see it through, and you will come out better than you were on the other side.
For some reason, I have taken certain words that are a part of the English language and have changed the meanings on them. Words that are completely inclusive, now have possible doubt attached to them. Many times, I don't mean to completely disregard the meanings of simple words such as 'all', or 'everything', or 'always', but many times when those words hit my brain, my reasoning filters them and they become, 'some', 'some things', and 'sometimes'. I think most of the time, it's because my experiences usually don't accept definite words as definite.
This is why the verse above gives us such trouble. We speak it, and we say we believe it, but how many of us usually discredit the above statement with a simple conjunction. We take a word like all, which means every, or any, or the greatest possible, and discredit it with the word, but, which means on the contrary, except, unless, or otherwise. We say, yes! I do believe all things work together for those who love God...but I don't see it in my situation. So we say we believe something wholeheartedly and then completely discredit and disregard our previous statement by saying, 'but'.
I know it is difficult to get past this for a lot of us. For me, it is always a struggle. I will quote scripture over myself or meditate on something like this verse in Romans 8, and then 5 minutes later I'm completely throwing it out the window because I'm reminded of a circumstance.
I've been praying a little differently as of late. I know my circumstances still look impossible sometimes. I've asked God thousands and thousands of times to change, or take away, or do something different in my life. It hasn't ever changed anything, then I get angry with God, and I just want to give up. So now, instead of asking Him to change my situation, I ask Him to always remind me of what He said. I've been asking Him to continually renew my mind, and remind me of the promises that He's made.
All things work together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I tend to read that verse and think, well yeah. All the good things in my life work together to continue to be good. I mean that sounds like a good explanation. It sounds like an alright idea. It's incredibly wrong. All means All. All does not mean some. We can't take words like all and turn them into indefinite words. There is no doubt in the word all. What this verse is literally saying is that if you love Him, He takes the good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent, and weaves them ALL together to complete a work that He finished, and ultimately it is for your good!
You're in a crappy situation? Well, wait. Wait it out. Eventually the bad will turn into the good and the process will be completed. He finds ways and has already set certain things into motion so that all of the junk and all of the blessings can work together to make a finished product that is in all actuality a good product. If you're reading this and you are a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of your soul, then this verse applies.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.-Jeremiah 29:11(ESV)
He hasn't forgotten His plans. He hasn't turned His back on His plans. He doesn't do things half way. He does thing all the way or not at all. He's not like us. He isn't even close to us. He is far better than we know, and He's far better than we give Him credit for.
I don't know what you're currently going through. I have no clue what most of you are dealing with. I'm sure I can't imagine some of your current predicaments, but here's one thing I do know. Our God is good. He is faithful. He said that He would never leave nor forsake us. He also told us He has a plan to prosper and not to harm, and He says that this present situation will ultimately work out for your good. Ultimately, all the stress, frustration, anger, happiness, joy, love, hard times, and good times, WILL work together for your benefit, if you love Him and are called with His purpose. And if you love Him, you ARE called, because we don't know to love Him except that He first loved us.
Don't give up. Don't let go. Even when you can't see it. Even when you can't feel it. Even when you don't understand it. Don't forget His promises. Don't forget that He has a plan. Don't forget that He will make this work out for good in the end. He loves you, and He will work it out.
If it isn't good yet, then it isn't over. Sometimes things happen that we couldn't possibly understand them working out for our good. I can't begin to explain how some of the horrible things that happen work out for our good, but I'm also not God. I won't pretend to have all the answers. I just know that I have the 1 answer. His name is Jesus, and He is enough for me.
All things will work together for your good. He has a plan. And He is faithful and trustworthy to complete it. There's a song by one of my favorite bands called To The Very End. These are the lyrics:
You know me, and I know You
You're the God who calms all my storms
You're the voice inside my head
Don't give up
Don't let go
Don't lose trust
Don't lose hope
You can have all my fears, God
You can have all my sins
You can have all my weaknesses
I know You're with me to the very end.
Friends, He is with you to the very end. He won't turn from You. He won't leave this unfinished. He will complete the work. He will see it through, and you will come out better than you were on the other side.
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