When I was praying this morning, I was just talking to God like he was in front of me. I was commiting the day to Him and I told Him that I want to do something that pleases Him. I told Him that I hoped I could do something that made Him say "that's my boy!". Then my mind immediately took me back to when I was a kid.
When I was a kid I loved making my parents proud, especially my dad. I liked making my mom proud but she always showed me that she was proud. With every A, every time I picked up after myself, or even every time I got along with my brother, my mom told me she was proud. Dad was a little different. He noticed when we didn't make an A or didn't pick up after ourselves or didn't get along and he was quick to let us know. My dad was/is a good man and he was a loving father but he just didn't always show it. But the times when he told me that he was proud made me feel so important. They made me feel special and like I had done something great. My dad's friends have always told me "if you grow up to be half the man your dad is, you'll be a good man" so when dad was proud of me, I knew that I had done something special.
I have a very poor memory, but I have one memory that I will NEVER forget as long as I live. When I was in 8th grade the Monday after a football game, our team was watching the game film. This was after the first game of the season so our coach forgot to turn down the sound on the TV. I was a running back and I had a very good game. We lived in the country where everyone knew everyone so the game announcer knew my family. There was one particular play when I broke through the line, broke three or four tackles, and ran for about 70 yards. During the run I could hear my dad on the tape yell "go son, go!". The announcer (Mr. Campbell, the one with one leg shorter than the other for those of you that knew me at Porter Middle School) said to my dad, and you could hear it on tape, "hey big John, what are you feeding that boy"? You could hear my dad say "beans and taters". And then Mr. Cambell says "that boy runs like a corn-fed mule". You could hear my dad laugh and I could tell he was soooo proud. But all I could hear was "go son, go".
That's the acknowledgement that I seek from God. I pray every day that I can do something that will make Him chear "go son, go!". Just like my dad, I don't seek God's acknowledgement for the sake of acknowledgment. I seek it because I love Him so much, all I want to do is make Him proud. Maybe this is a father/son thing, I don't know. All I know is that at age 40 (yikes!) I still enjoy making my dad proud. I also know that I enjoy making my heavenly dad proud too. I love them both.
I encourage you today and tomorrow to do something that will make God cheer for you.
God loves you and I do too!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
The battle is in your mind!
God laid something on Kim's heart that I just had to share with you. After reading this, I told her she should start her own blog. She listens to God's voice soooo well.
Strongholds defined...What if every negative, bitter, angry, unforgiving thought gave the devil power in your life? Would that make a difference in how you thought?
Imagine you begin each day with 1,000 coins. My mental image of these coins are much like the coins the Super Mario Brothers are trying to collect. These coins are used to buy GLORY, but we are not allowed to buy glory for ourselves. We must choose who we want to be glorified by our thoughts. With every thought you must pay one coin. If your thought is a noble, loving, good, or admirable one (Phillipians 4:8) then you give that coin to God to glorify Him. Does God need your coins (thoughts)? Absolutely not, but we all need to give them to Him (Ezekial 11:5). Because if our thought is an unmerciful, bitter, wicked, angry, jealous, unforgiving, or hateful thought then we must give that coin (thought) to the devil.
The devil wishes to have all of our coins because as long as we are giving our thoughts to him we give him power in our lives (Strongholds, Ephesians 6:12) and we do not glorify God. Wait a minute! Did you just say that I'm giving power to the devil? In MY life??? Does that mean that my thoughts can effect my everyday living, my families lives and all my relationships? Absolutely! (Prov 23:7, Rom 8:5-8) The devil came to kill, steal and destroy our lives (John 10:10). The devil wants us to be bitter, angry, wicked, jealous, unforgiving and merciless people so that he may own us one day (C.S. Lewis says the same thing in the Screw Tape Letters). So please understand that every thought you give the devil, YOU give him MORE power and incentive to wreck your life and to destroy your relationship with God. He feeds off your unGodly thoughts and will reproduce more unGodly thoughts once you give him the chance. Yes, we control our mind(2 Cor 10:3-6). Take responsibility of your own thoughts. We have the authority to choose to think of Godly thoughts or to dwell on the wicked(Phil 4:4-8).
Why do you think so many hurt people have said that their battle is in their mind? It's because one angry thought turns into 10 wicked thoughts. I don't know about you but when someone has hurt me I have spent a lot of time dwelling on the subject. The most innocent thought can remind me of a time when I have been hurt by someone. That one thought if left in my mind to dwell, will snowball and eventually cause an avalanche that will ruin the next few hours or even longer time of my life. All of the sudden I remember more reasons I should be hurt. Now I am not only hurt, I am angry. Jealousy, Rage and Revenge soon come busting in my mind and now I have all the elements for one wicked party. Truly, a wicked party taking place in my mind. Suddenly, I begin to rationalize how I need to hurt this person back....make them feel what I felt. God's grace and mercy are no where to be found because I didn't allow them to enter my mind.
How many times have you heard, "well, I can forgive but I will never forget". They might as well empty their coin bag into the devils purse because this person is giving the devil power in their life. The devil wants the battle to be in your mind. He wants you to never forget the hurt people have caused you. This gives not only power, but more opportunities to take your coins. With the coins, satan purchases strongholds in your life. He uses these strongholds to keep you right where he wants you until he is able to push you further and further away from your first love, God. We think, "well I just thought it, I didn't say it" will make us a better person. It may keep you out of an argument with your spouse or friend but thinking like that makes you a targeted person of Satan and his strongholds.
If we choose to take the thought of anger, hatred, bitterness, lust or hurtfulness and immediately change it into a merciful, loving, forgiving, obedient and thankful thought based on God's grace, we glorify God! Through God's power we are able to grow closer to Him and be restored.
Do not take lightly the thoughts of your mind. Just because they are not audible to others does not mean that they are not destructive. Pray that God will help you hold your thoughts captive. Talk to God every hour(1 Thessalonians 5:17), do not eat the bread of idleness when it comes to your prayer life. Think of prayer as your line of defense against Satan. If you want to be angry about something~be angry that the devil is looking to cash in on your thoughts. Take back your coins and give them to God...the One who wants you to not only live, but to live life abundantly (John 10:10).
God loves you and Kim and I do too!
Strongholds defined...What if every negative, bitter, angry, unforgiving thought gave the devil power in your life? Would that make a difference in how you thought?
Imagine you begin each day with 1,000 coins. My mental image of these coins are much like the coins the Super Mario Brothers are trying to collect. These coins are used to buy GLORY, but we are not allowed to buy glory for ourselves. We must choose who we want to be glorified by our thoughts. With every thought you must pay one coin. If your thought is a noble, loving, good, or admirable one (Phillipians 4:8) then you give that coin to God to glorify Him. Does God need your coins (thoughts)? Absolutely not, but we all need to give them to Him (Ezekial 11:5). Because if our thought is an unmerciful, bitter, wicked, angry, jealous, unforgiving, or hateful thought then we must give that coin (thought) to the devil.
The devil wishes to have all of our coins because as long as we are giving our thoughts to him we give him power in our lives (Strongholds, Ephesians 6:12) and we do not glorify God. Wait a minute! Did you just say that I'm giving power to the devil? In MY life??? Does that mean that my thoughts can effect my everyday living, my families lives and all my relationships? Absolutely! (Prov 23:7, Rom 8:5-8) The devil came to kill, steal and destroy our lives (John 10:10). The devil wants us to be bitter, angry, wicked, jealous, unforgiving and merciless people so that he may own us one day (C.S. Lewis says the same thing in the Screw Tape Letters). So please understand that every thought you give the devil, YOU give him MORE power and incentive to wreck your life and to destroy your relationship with God. He feeds off your unGodly thoughts and will reproduce more unGodly thoughts once you give him the chance. Yes, we control our mind(2 Cor 10:3-6). Take responsibility of your own thoughts. We have the authority to choose to think of Godly thoughts or to dwell on the wicked(Phil 4:4-8).
Why do you think so many hurt people have said that their battle is in their mind? It's because one angry thought turns into 10 wicked thoughts. I don't know about you but when someone has hurt me I have spent a lot of time dwelling on the subject. The most innocent thought can remind me of a time when I have been hurt by someone. That one thought if left in my mind to dwell, will snowball and eventually cause an avalanche that will ruin the next few hours or even longer time of my life. All of the sudden I remember more reasons I should be hurt. Now I am not only hurt, I am angry. Jealousy, Rage and Revenge soon come busting in my mind and now I have all the elements for one wicked party. Truly, a wicked party taking place in my mind. Suddenly, I begin to rationalize how I need to hurt this person back....make them feel what I felt. God's grace and mercy are no where to be found because I didn't allow them to enter my mind.
How many times have you heard, "well, I can forgive but I will never forget". They might as well empty their coin bag into the devils purse because this person is giving the devil power in their life. The devil wants the battle to be in your mind. He wants you to never forget the hurt people have caused you. This gives not only power, but more opportunities to take your coins. With the coins, satan purchases strongholds in your life. He uses these strongholds to keep you right where he wants you until he is able to push you further and further away from your first love, God. We think, "well I just thought it, I didn't say it" will make us a better person. It may keep you out of an argument with your spouse or friend but thinking like that makes you a targeted person of Satan and his strongholds.
If we choose to take the thought of anger, hatred, bitterness, lust or hurtfulness and immediately change it into a merciful, loving, forgiving, obedient and thankful thought based on God's grace, we glorify God! Through God's power we are able to grow closer to Him and be restored.
Do not take lightly the thoughts of your mind. Just because they are not audible to others does not mean that they are not destructive. Pray that God will help you hold your thoughts captive. Talk to God every hour(1 Thessalonians 5:17), do not eat the bread of idleness when it comes to your prayer life. Think of prayer as your line of defense against Satan. If you want to be angry about something~be angry that the devil is looking to cash in on your thoughts. Take back your coins and give them to God...the One who wants you to not only live, but to live life abundantly (John 10:10).
God loves you and Kim and I do too!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Have you drifted, Part 2
In church today my Pastor (Brad Bryant) asked a great question and used a great analogy. He asked "has there ever been a time in your life when you were closer to God than you are right now"? So I ask you the same question, has there ever been a time in YOUR life when you have been closer to God than you are right now? If there has been then you have drifted.
The analogy that Brad used was drifting at the beach. Have you ever been playing in the ocean and just get caught up in either having fun or just watching your kids that you didn't realize it but before you know it your beach umbrella is about 1/2 mile up the beach? The ocean's current is a slow pull and as long as you aren't trying to go against it, you don't even notice that it is pulling you away from home. That's the way life is. As long as we just go along with it, we don't notice that it is pulling us away from home, away from our first love. But just like trying to swim against the current, it is hard to go against the flow to get back to God.
Drifting from God happens so easily when you aren't carefull. It's so easy to get caught up in our day to day life and lose sight of what's really important, our relationship with God. For some it's our kids while for others it may be a job. For some it could be your marriage. The best way to get back to your beach umbrella is to get out of the ocean and walk back. The same holds true with God. The best way to get back to Him is to get out of the life that is pulling you from Him, get away from what has pulled you down the beach.
I don't know about you but being married is fun for Kim and me. We have a great relationship and love each other completely. We enjoy each others company so much that, before this year, we had put too much focus on each other and not enough focus on God.
It was this time last year when God called us out on it. He showed us if we put our focus on Him and work on our individual relationships with God then our marriage would be stronger and our relationship with each other would be better. He was so right. We have put God first in our lives and now we are so close to God and each other. Thats how we got out of the ocean to get back to our umbrella, we made a change in our marriage to put God first and spouse second.
When I asked if there was a time in your life that you were closer to God than you are today, how did you answer? Is your relationship with God important enough to you to get out of the ocean and get back to the umbrella, back to Him? I hope so.
God loves you and I do too!
The analogy that Brad used was drifting at the beach. Have you ever been playing in the ocean and just get caught up in either having fun or just watching your kids that you didn't realize it but before you know it your beach umbrella is about 1/2 mile up the beach? The ocean's current is a slow pull and as long as you aren't trying to go against it, you don't even notice that it is pulling you away from home. That's the way life is. As long as we just go along with it, we don't notice that it is pulling us away from home, away from our first love. But just like trying to swim against the current, it is hard to go against the flow to get back to God.
Drifting from God happens so easily when you aren't carefull. It's so easy to get caught up in our day to day life and lose sight of what's really important, our relationship with God. For some it's our kids while for others it may be a job. For some it could be your marriage. The best way to get back to your beach umbrella is to get out of the ocean and walk back. The same holds true with God. The best way to get back to Him is to get out of the life that is pulling you from Him, get away from what has pulled you down the beach.
I don't know about you but being married is fun for Kim and me. We have a great relationship and love each other completely. We enjoy each others company so much that, before this year, we had put too much focus on each other and not enough focus on God.
It was this time last year when God called us out on it. He showed us if we put our focus on Him and work on our individual relationships with God then our marriage would be stronger and our relationship with each other would be better. He was so right. We have put God first in our lives and now we are so close to God and each other. Thats how we got out of the ocean to get back to our umbrella, we made a change in our marriage to put God first and spouse second.
When I asked if there was a time in your life that you were closer to God than you are today, how did you answer? Is your relationship with God important enough to you to get out of the ocean and get back to the umbrella, back to Him? I hope so.
God loves you and I do too!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
I'm a sell-out!
In Matthew 13:44,45 Jesus gives some parables about the kingdom of Heaven;
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
These seem like two very simple parables that when we read them, we say "yeah, I get it, the Kingdom of heaven is worth everything". But do we really understand?
In the both parables, after finding the treasure and the pearl the man and merchant hid them again after he found them. Both knew that what they found was so valuable that the treasure and the pearl just had to be had. But think about the worry that was caused. If they had found them, what made them think that someone else wouldn't find them too? They knew that they must be diligent and hurry to get the money to purchase what they wanted before someone else found them. What a horrible thing it would have been to sell everything you own only to find out that what you so desired was gone. Knowing this risk, these treasures were worth selling out for.
Next, they actually had to not only sell everything they had but they had to get enough money for their possessions that could purchase these treasures. They had to find the right buyer that valued their possessions and had enough money to purchase them. Time was critical but these men couldn't settle for the first offer unless it was generous enough to meet their needs.
Once they found the right buyers, they had to make an offer for their desired treasures. What if the owners wouldn't sell them? They couldn't be concerned with that, they had to trust if they did what they had to, if they sold out, the treasures they so desired would be theirs.
After going through so much to get what they wanted, imagine the great joy and peace that they had when they were able to purchase the field with the treasure and the pearl. It's the same way with the kingdom of Heaven. It's not always easy to attain but if we do everything we have to, it will be ours.
This brings me to the real topic today. So many times, the Gospel of Christ is watered down so we can understand it or accept it. I find this more and more often when it's being presented to youth. So many adults believe that a teenager won't or can't accept Christ on the same terms that an adult can. How sadly mistaken this philosophy is. Teens are rebellious by nature. They don't want to do what is normal. I believe that teens are looking for something to sell out for. I believe that teens can be the most powerful evangelists we could have. Once they find something to sell out for, they have no shame or fear to try to get others on their bandwagon.
I believe we don't need to water down the gospel when trying to "convince" our teens to be Christians. I don't think we need to convince them of anything. I believe the best way to share the gospel with a teen is to show them these parables, present the gospel, and let them know that the gospel is worth selling out for. As a matter of fact, if you don't sell out you will probably come up short and miss out on the treasure altogether.
Jesus is worth selling out for. Have you sold out? Would you risk everything for your salvation? More than that, would you sell everything for your relationship with Jesus? Think about these things.
I love you and God does too!
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
These seem like two very simple parables that when we read them, we say "yeah, I get it, the Kingdom of heaven is worth everything". But do we really understand?
In the both parables, after finding the treasure and the pearl the man and merchant hid them again after he found them. Both knew that what they found was so valuable that the treasure and the pearl just had to be had. But think about the worry that was caused. If they had found them, what made them think that someone else wouldn't find them too? They knew that they must be diligent and hurry to get the money to purchase what they wanted before someone else found them. What a horrible thing it would have been to sell everything you own only to find out that what you so desired was gone. Knowing this risk, these treasures were worth selling out for.
Next, they actually had to not only sell everything they had but they had to get enough money for their possessions that could purchase these treasures. They had to find the right buyer that valued their possessions and had enough money to purchase them. Time was critical but these men couldn't settle for the first offer unless it was generous enough to meet their needs.
Once they found the right buyers, they had to make an offer for their desired treasures. What if the owners wouldn't sell them? They couldn't be concerned with that, they had to trust if they did what they had to, if they sold out, the treasures they so desired would be theirs.
After going through so much to get what they wanted, imagine the great joy and peace that they had when they were able to purchase the field with the treasure and the pearl. It's the same way with the kingdom of Heaven. It's not always easy to attain but if we do everything we have to, it will be ours.
This brings me to the real topic today. So many times, the Gospel of Christ is watered down so we can understand it or accept it. I find this more and more often when it's being presented to youth. So many adults believe that a teenager won't or can't accept Christ on the same terms that an adult can. How sadly mistaken this philosophy is. Teens are rebellious by nature. They don't want to do what is normal. I believe that teens are looking for something to sell out for. I believe that teens can be the most powerful evangelists we could have. Once they find something to sell out for, they have no shame or fear to try to get others on their bandwagon.
I believe we don't need to water down the gospel when trying to "convince" our teens to be Christians. I don't think we need to convince them of anything. I believe the best way to share the gospel with a teen is to show them these parables, present the gospel, and let them know that the gospel is worth selling out for. As a matter of fact, if you don't sell out you will probably come up short and miss out on the treasure altogether.
Jesus is worth selling out for. Have you sold out? Would you risk everything for your salvation? More than that, would you sell everything for your relationship with Jesus? Think about these things.
I love you and God does too!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Living with the effects of sin
Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ because we are set free by God (paraphrased). I don't know about you but I've done things that even though I knew I had been forgiven, I still felt condemnation sometimes. There are a couple of things that I want to touch on briefly that I hope will help someone.
First, if you don't want the condemnation, you can't stop at Rom 8:1. You have to get to Romans 8:5 that says "...but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." As you grow in Christ, you have to realize that you no longer have any rights or ownership of property. When you mature in Christ, you know that everything we have belongs to Him and you no longer have personal rights because you are a slave to Him. To grow into that realization you must have your mind not only on God (the Spirit in v.5) but you will also have your mind fixed on what He wants. When we do this, the condemnation must go away because God has forgiven us, so we don't have the right to feel condemned by sin even though He has forgiven us for it.
Second, let's face it, once you have committed a sin it doesn't go away. I can be forgiven for murder till the cows come home but that won't bring back the person that I killed. I know that is an extreme example but the same holds true for all sin. Sin has an effect. Whether it is lying, stealing, murder, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, or jealousy, there is always a scar left behind by sin. David said my sin is against you and you alone (Psalm 51:4), so why is it that someone else felt the pain of my sin? That's what I mean when I say that sin has an effect. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though we are forgiven of our sins as soon as we ask for forgiveness and repent (turn away from), we still must live down the effects of my sin.
If I steal from my boss, God will forgive me but I will probably still get fired. If I shoplift from Wal-Mart God will forgive me but I will still go to jail for shoplifting. If I lie to my friend God will forgive me but it will be a while before my friend trusts me. Where the devil tries to steal our joy and victory is when he tries to convince us that this act of living down the effect of our sin is condemnation. If he can do that then he can then begin deceiving you that either A) the bible was wrong, there is condemnation in Christ or B) you really aren't forgiven.
Now comes the hard part; the people that feel the effects of our sin the most (or the one's we have hurt), tend to remind us about our sin even after they have forgiven us. Ouch! It can really be hard when other people are effected by our sin because people are the best tools that the devil has to steal our victory and create strongholds. For that matter, let an old-fashioned church find out about your sin. You'll never get away from the looks of contempt, you'll never forget your sin. People are cruel and they forget that they have been forgiven and, like you, they aren't perfect either.
I know I could talk for days about this topic but I shouldn't so I'm gonna sum it up like this; if you have been forgiven you are not condemned. Others will remind you of your sin but don't let that steal your victory. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. Help others get past your sin by proving to them that you are worthy of their forgiveness by being Godly.
Let me know if you have an opinion on this or if you would like me to go deeper.
God loves you and I do too!
First, if you don't want the condemnation, you can't stop at Rom 8:1. You have to get to Romans 8:5 that says "...but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." As you grow in Christ, you have to realize that you no longer have any rights or ownership of property. When you mature in Christ, you know that everything we have belongs to Him and you no longer have personal rights because you are a slave to Him. To grow into that realization you must have your mind not only on God (the Spirit in v.5) but you will also have your mind fixed on what He wants. When we do this, the condemnation must go away because God has forgiven us, so we don't have the right to feel condemned by sin even though He has forgiven us for it.
Second, let's face it, once you have committed a sin it doesn't go away. I can be forgiven for murder till the cows come home but that won't bring back the person that I killed. I know that is an extreme example but the same holds true for all sin. Sin has an effect. Whether it is lying, stealing, murder, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, or jealousy, there is always a scar left behind by sin. David said my sin is against you and you alone (Psalm 51:4), so why is it that someone else felt the pain of my sin? That's what I mean when I say that sin has an effect. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though we are forgiven of our sins as soon as we ask for forgiveness and repent (turn away from), we still must live down the effects of my sin.
If I steal from my boss, God will forgive me but I will probably still get fired. If I shoplift from Wal-Mart God will forgive me but I will still go to jail for shoplifting. If I lie to my friend God will forgive me but it will be a while before my friend trusts me. Where the devil tries to steal our joy and victory is when he tries to convince us that this act of living down the effect of our sin is condemnation. If he can do that then he can then begin deceiving you that either A) the bible was wrong, there is condemnation in Christ or B) you really aren't forgiven.
Now comes the hard part; the people that feel the effects of our sin the most (or the one's we have hurt), tend to remind us about our sin even after they have forgiven us. Ouch! It can really be hard when other people are effected by our sin because people are the best tools that the devil has to steal our victory and create strongholds. For that matter, let an old-fashioned church find out about your sin. You'll never get away from the looks of contempt, you'll never forget your sin. People are cruel and they forget that they have been forgiven and, like you, they aren't perfect either.
I know I could talk for days about this topic but I shouldn't so I'm gonna sum it up like this; if you have been forgiven you are not condemned. Others will remind you of your sin but don't let that steal your victory. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. Help others get past your sin by proving to them that you are worthy of their forgiveness by being Godly.
Let me know if you have an opinion on this or if you would like me to go deeper.
God loves you and I do too!
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