January 31, 2011

Being a doer of the Word

The book of James is awesome.  It totally hits me where I live.  Don’t just hear God’s word – do it! 

I am still in the process of cleaning out my office, garage, kids’ closets, and eventually, I’ll get to the attic.  I have a confession:  there are a lot of unfinished projects at my house.  And I have another confession:  it’s easier to think of a new project and start that one than to look around my house and finish what I’ve already started…

James says, it’s kind of like that with truth.  We don’t need to go looking for new truth!  If we would just start to put into practice all God has told us up until now, it would keep us busy until He returns. 

For some, there’s a rush in acquiring new knowledge.  But James is clear:  knowledge is useless unless we put that knowledge to work in our lives.  There’s pride involved in chasing down the best teaching out there…  God isn’t interested in how much we know, He’s interested in how well we love.

So like the unfinished projects in my house, instead of looking for the next new thing, I need to take the truth I know – the things God has spoken to my heart – and put them into practice.

January 30, 2011

Discipleship:  follow me as I follow Christ… 

Who are you discipling?  Whom are you being discipled by? 

These are weighty questions.  The second one is easier, right?  The point being that we are never beyond needing someone else’s input into our lives.  If we ever get to the point where we think we don’t need to learn – we’ve heard it all before – we’re in a dangerous place. 

For the most part, though, we are well aware of our lack.  Finding someone to connect with in a discipling arrangement is usually the hard part.

And for the first question – who are you discipling – did that make you a little nervous?  It’s understandable.  If it didn’t, you probably don’t really understand the weight of responsibility involved. 

But before you get freaked out, it’s a simple question of, Who are you influencing?  Whose day do you totally make when you pay special attention to?  Who will listen to your encouragement?  Or when you have a word of advice?  You didn’t realize it, but you are discipling that person.

I believe the challenge for today, for me anyway, is to recognize those opportunities, and to make the most of them.  Having someone’s trust and friendship is a special thing, but it’s not just meant for my enjoyment – it’s meant to further both our maturity in Christ.  (I will grow as I look to grow other people.)

I loved this:  Discipleship is being before doing, maturity before ministry, character before career.  May we be aware of, and take advantage of, discipling opportunities every chance we get.

January 29, 2011

Spiritual authority

Another post on spiritual powers…  Today, I found myself wondering why all the focus on spiritual warfare.  Aren’t we supposed to focus on what we should be doing – loving others, telling folks about Jesus, etc.? 

Thinking it through, here’s what I came up with…  The purpose of this book, as evidenced in the title, is to teach us who we are in Christ.  What we do will flow out from who we are.  Our effectiveness as Christians, then, depends on our understanding of what has been given to us because we now belong to God.

Near the beginning of January, I compared being a child of God to being royalty.  Because of a king or queen’s position, certain things are already in place – they don’t have to strive for income, respect, security or authority.  Don’t ask about their love lives – that’s where the illustration wears a little think.

But in terms of authority, a king or queen is absolute in their kingdom.  I need to keep that picture in my head when it comes to spiritual stuff.

Even having grown up in the church, I still feel like I’m going to get the cooties if I mention the devil or demons, let alone have an encounter with them.  It’s human nature to fear what is unknown.  And oh, yeah, evil.

But Neil says, In Christ you have every resource to defuse and dispel any threat of darkness in your life or family.

My authority in the spiritual kingdom is based on the fact that I’m the daughter of the King, not my performance or knowledge. 

My prayer today is that God allows us to grasp more fully the authority He has given to us because we belong to Him, and that the understanding would translate in to action.  

January 28, 2011

It’s not about the rules…

As I thought about today’s entry, trying to get to the heart of it and what it means to me today, it’s this:  don’t get caught up on what things look like.

Don’t get stuck in thinking about what someone might think of me if I wore the wrong thing…  Superhero t-shirt at church?  (Wolverine – not the best example, but it’s what’s in my drawer)  Church t-shirt at my kids’ school?  What are the stereotypes I’ll be seen through if I do? 

Don’t get stuck on what church is supposed to look like…  For as open-minded as I am, I’m surprised by the things I hold sacred (or, at least, really nifty) that don’t matter at all in eternity.  Worship?  Bulletins?  Well proof-read written materials?  What are your things?

Don’t get stuck on what someone else’s life should look like…  Sure, there are going to be the issues of maturity that, on occasion, I’ll have an opportunity to work with someone on, but my job is to remind my brothers and sisters in Christ to listen to the voice of the Father.  He’s working things out in their lives, just like in mine.

And last, don’t get stuck on what I think His work in my life looks like.  Sometimes it comes through conflict (dang!); sometimes it comes through betrayal.  It has come through working at a tough job, and through caring for a special needs child. 

Equal to not assigning spirituality to spiritual-looking things is being able to find God where He surprises me.

January 27, 2011

Decisions, take two

More stuff to add to my list!  Now all I need is a life-altering choice before me…  (Nooooo!  I was kidding!)

Favorite quote from today (#7):  The faithless man asks, “What do I stand to lose if I do?”  The faithful man asks, “What do I risk losing if I don’t?”  May God grant us all the boldness to take those risks He’s appointing for us!  Risks that have been qualified by answering all the other 9 questions, of course. 

Neil kind of reminds me of the Dr. Phil question:  So this is what you’re doing right now.  How’s that working for ya?  The greater risk is to do nothing!  And from a believer’s perspective, my life is not my own – who would have been impacted if I had taken that step of faith? 

I appreciate question #8 (I got busted yesterday for going out of order), about being sure to ask opinions of well-grounded folks, not just friends who will tell you what you want to hear.  I need to seek out those friends, and be willing to be one of those friends. 

When I have to tell a friend something I know they don’t want to hear, it feels like conflict, and my first inclination is to run.  Run far.  But I’ve learned, I’ve practiced on a few people, and I’m starting to get the hang of it, although I’ll probably never enjoy it.  But telling the truth in love is putting someone else above myself and my comfort, and I’ve asked God to put truthful friends in my life, too.

And question #10 – follow the peace – is a method Loren and I have done over the years.  If we can’t arrive at an answer together by prayer and some of the other steps, we test out a decision.  Kind of like a practice run.  We’ll say, Okay, the answer to this is yes, and let’s sleep on it.  More than once, by the next day, we knew in our hearts that yes wasn’t the right answer.  We found the peace by stumbling upon the lack of it.  Confused yet?

Well, two things I’m so grateful for today – that God does indeed have a plan for our lives (it’s not just up to us to make the best of it), and that He’s ready and waiting to make that plan clear to us.  

Probably you know this one by heart:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for Me in earnest, you will find me…”  -Jeremiah 29:11-13

January 26, 2011

Decisions

Anyone in the middle of making a big decision?  How great – Neil gives us a list!  Who doesn’t love a good list? 

For the benefit of any non-football readers (I love you anyway!), a fourth-down punting situation would be pretty much a last-ditch effort.  The first-down huddle is the planning part, sort of, for the play that comes next.  Probably you got that from the context, but we don’t want anyone to feel left out! 

I love Neil’s comment that we aren’t supposed to make our plans and then ask God to bless them; rather, we’re supposed to pray and wait on Him to hear what He has in mind, and then plan accordingly.  Easy to say (ok, write), but hard to do.  

I had to think for a bit about #5 – Am I acting responsibly?  - and what it had to do with faithfulness.  I think it has to do with integrity…  I couldn’t come up with a life choice that fit the bill, but I’m always grateful for a reminder that God pays attention to how faithful I am (or should have been) in the little things. 

And I was challenged anew by #2 – Is it consistent with the Word of God?  It’s up to me to read and digest His Word, a little at a time.  He has done His part in communicating with me, and it’s up to me to read it, learn it, and know it.  I’m so grateful for the Holy Spirit who brings it alive in my heart and life as I read! 

(Now, whose feathers did I ruffle by talking about the points out of order?  Yeah, I thought so!)

I’ll keep this list handy.  It’s good to know I have it for when I’ll need it next…

As always, I so enjoy those of you who post comments.  Thanks for making me think!  For today, tell us about a decision you’ve made, are making, or just about a point that hit you as you read!  Thanks so much.

January 25, 2011

One more on spiritual warfare

Hang in there – tomorrow, the topic changes, but we’re still on the tough subject of spiritual warfare.  I was amazed at the story of Daisy and the simplicity with which she was able to do battle in the name of Jesus.

The imagery of pulling the covers over one’s head (like the spiritual ostrich) challenges me to be willing to look for the spiritual causes behind events in my world.  But not in a weird way.

Several years after Loren and I got married, he had to take a business trip to Japan.  It was a week-long trip, before texting or even email, really (but they did have airplanes!), so that week was one of the longest of my life.  I’m a big baby when I have to be alone.

And sure enough, on one of the first few nights he was gone, I was awakened from a sound sleep by the sound of someone pounding on my front door.  I was terrified.  (Sound sleep, remember?  Don’t judge me.)  Eventually, I got the nerve to go and look to see what was going on, and of course, I saw nothing. 

Did I dream the noise?  Had the friend of a neighbor had one too many and came to the wrong house?  Usually, bad people looking to break into a house don’t announce their intention with loud knocking, I reasoned.

Then I prayed, kind of fiercely, Lord, I know there’s an angel – at least one – who’s 20 or 30 feet tall, guarding the edges of our property.  Please show that angel to whoever is out there, if there is anyone. 

And in that moment, God gave me the picture I was asking to send to the bad guy – I imagined the angel God had protecting me, and it wasn’t just a nice thought – I understood that it was reality.  Because of that grace to me in that moment, I fell right back to sleep and have not had an experience like that since.

The spiritual world intersects with the natural one all the time.  With an understanding of the power that we’ve been given by the blood of Jesus, we don’t have to live in fear or under oppression of any kind. 

My prayer today is that we all might have an open mind, an open heart, and better vision.

January 24, 2011

Bondage and freedom

What’s the relevance of demonic powers in 2011?  My first reading of today’s entry left me wondering, how does this relate to me? 

Well, first, as a Christian, it’s worth taking a good look at my past to see if I have opened any doors for spiritual bondage.  Examples would be Ouija boards (as mentioned), spells, exposure to spirit guides, astrology, drug use, and things like that.  When we went through Neil’s seminar Freedom in Christ many years ago, I think the only things I came up with in my past were questionable slumber party games from my childhood.  I don’t know if they counted, but I prayed over them just to be sure.

There have been plenty of people in my life who are now mature Christians, but whose past included some things on that list.  It’s like a fish that got free of the fishing line, but the hook is still stuck into it, hindering it from being fully healthy and functional.  As believers, we need to pursue freedom. 

And second, we need to understand what’s at work in the lives of unbelievers we’re in contact with.  Seldom do we meet people who are fully under demonic influence.  More often, we might have a co-worker who believes in the healing power of crystals, or mixes some traditional views of God with hard-core astrology. 

Knowing where the battle lies will help us be effective in reaching out to them.  Prayer and spiritual warfare need to be done.  And knowing the powers behind these practices will help us speak truth with boldness.  They aren’t benign – they are powerful and harmful. 

In Neils’ prayer, I love this:  Help me not to be a spiritual ostrich…  Sure, growing in my faith means responsibility for some heavy stuff, but it’s nothing God hasn’t written about in His word and prepared me for. 

If you’ve got questions, please post them here, and we’ll sort it through together.  Blessings to you!

January 23, 2011

The spiritual realm

In our care group earlier this week, we talked about heaven, and someone made the comment that they don’t spend a lot of time thinking about heaven, ever, really.  Our lives are full, our schedules are packed, and the what’s immediate fills our thoughts, for the most part.

And yet, Colossians says:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power.  Let heaven fill your thoughts…  (that’s Colossians 3:1-2)

Why?  Well, heaven is actually a much more real place than earth, to my thinking, since earth will all be gone and heaven will last forever. 

In the same way, the spiritual realm, while invisible, is both completely real, and worth thinking about (but not obsessing about).  There are spiritual forces that war against us, and we need to be prepared for battle. 

I’m sure we’ll unpack lots more about how the spiritual realm intersects our physical one, but for now, we’ll accept the reality of it all, and look to do what Neil says:  “…as you daily embrace Christ and His truth, you will be able to recognize Satan’s lies and choose the truth.”

May we embrace Christ and His truth today.

January 22, 2011

About those fleeces...

Today’s entry connects to the one two days ago (Jan 20^th), talking about knowing the will of God.  (I’m sure yesterday’s entry about priorities ties in there, too…)

The story of Gideon has always strikes me as strange…  God puts up with so much from Gideon!  And yet He knows what He has planned to do with Gideon in charge, so He plays along…  God, just give me one sign.  Okay, well, just one more.  Did I say one more?  I really meant two…

In his defense, Gideon wasn’t living in a time when people served God much.  Idol worship had diluted the faith of God’s people.  Israel had been at peace, more or less, with her neighbors for some time, so the people had no recent battle experience. 

But still, Gideon saw the angel of the Lord!  Getting a visit from God is where we get direction.  Then it’s up to us to follow through.

I’ve known people who live by the phrase, that must be a sign!   Personally, I believe God does speak to us through circumstances and people, sometimes in obscure ways, but He has gone to great lengths to make sure we know what He wants.  We have His word!  God sent His Son!  His Holy Spirit speaks to us through His word! 

My prayer is that I not miss the obvious as I look for His will…

Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, “If you look for Me in earnest, you will find Me when you seek Me.  I will be found by you,” says the Lord…

January 21, 2011

Priorities

I love the entries where Neil tells us stories…  How cool is it that he worked on the Apollo mission! 

My thought was that it’s pretty obvious when we take the big events in our lives, line them up, and see which ones really matter.  Probably we would all pick the right ones as most important.

But if the biggest, most important things in our lives are relational, not accomplishments or achievements, doesn’t it also hold true in the small things?

It’s a daily struggle for me to focus on my kids in the midst of all the work it takes to keep them fed and in clean clothes, etc.  I don’t want the phrase they remember most from childhood to be, Just a minute, let me finish this…

Sure, tasks have to get done sometimes, but my struggle most often is in being flexible as to how and when those tasks get done.  I get grumpy when I don’t get my way – I had a plan!  It was going to work!  I have just enough time to get this done… 

How does the saying go?  Man plans, and heaven laughs…  I don’t think God is mean about it, but His ways are just so much higher than mine…  I need His perspective in the small things as well as the big. 

Sitting and reading a book to a child might not seem all that important, but my laundry won’t be on the list of what I’m held accountable at the end of my life…

What are your most important moments?  Your answer doesn’t have to be deep and meaningful – we’ll just enjoy reading and celebrating with you.

January 20, 2011

God's will

Wow…  Sometimes, I try hard to figure something out, when I should just accept that it’s deep, it’s true, and that I’m not really going to grasp it. 

What a simple thing, that the thing we have to do to find out God’s will is just to be willing to do whatever it is!  That should be a piece of cake, right?

The bad news is that it is the same old struggle I have:  I want to be the boss of me.  Seems petty, but sin is basically selfishness, putting myself above others, getting my own way… 

Having kids, this gets played out for me every day. 

Mommy:  Please take your clothes and put them in the laundry basket.

Child:  No, but I wanted to read this book first instead.

It’s amazing – they always have a better idea for what they should be doing at any moment in time, and the willfulness ranges from mild opposition to full-blown defiance. 

How many times do I tell my Heavenly Father (with actions, if not with words), I’ve got a better idea…  Or, I’m not gonna! 

But the good news is that this deal isn’t based on my performance, it’s based on my willingness.  God knows my heart!  If I’m honestly trying to please Him, but I make an honest mistake, that fact that I was trying to please Him pleases Him.  (I may have just confused myself…)

When I was in youth group or college class, we talked about wanting to know God’s will for our lives, and not wanting to miss out on it, as if God's will was one particular set destiny for our lives.  Mostly, I think we were concerned with who to date or marry, but careers and other life choices factored in, too.  Looking back, I think we put a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves.

It turns out that the will of God is something we get a little at a time, and the way I’ll know it is to keep my heart right before Him.  

January 19, 2011

Sin nature

Okay, so today’s reading was a bit of a downer, especially with the zombie imagery stuck in my head from yesterday’s entry. 

Nonetheless, it’s such a foundational thing – we were born into sin.  The stuff we’re made of?  That’s what it does!  And on our own, we can’t do anything to change. 

The lies of the enemy aren’t new or sophisticated.  You can live without God!  Look over here – this will make you feel significant/meaningful/loved!  And the results are always the same:  whatever was supposed to make us feel better (or more important, etc.), ends up making us feel worse.

I’d love to see into the spiritual realm when someone gets saved.  What does that look like?  The process of someone’s spirit being reborn, shiny and new – how cool!  While it takes time for us to figure out all about our new life in Christ, it’s all there.  We’ve already been totally forgiven, totally set free from sin’s power. 

The challenge, then, is to tame the flesh…  The underlying cause of the illness has been dealt with, but the symptoms persist, to use medical-eze. The good news is that we now have the power to overcome sin.  The more I practice, the easier it becomes, because I’m re-training my nature.

January 18, 2011

Adam and zombies

If you could sit down and talk to Adam, face to face, what would you say? 

I’ve heard from friends that given the opportunity, a good head-slap would be in order:  Adam, what’s up?  All you had to do was one thing – stay away from that tree!  Pretty simple, right?  And you messed it up for all humanity!

For all the truth there may be in there, I was struck again tonight by how the story of Adam is the story of us all…  He had everything, was asked to obey in one matter, and threw it all away in an act of disobedience. 

Before I get on my high horse and, well, think mean thoughts about Adam and what an idiot he was, I get that if it were me, I would have done the same thing.  Really, I’m glad I wasn’t the one in the garden. 

And in addition to being the one that people throughout time point to as the cause of pain and suffering, Adam had it even worse – he knew what it was to walk with God in the garden.  We can only imagine what it was like, but Adam mourned that loss for the rest of his life, I’m sure.  

So because of Adam, basically, we’re all zombies.  The walking dead.  Wait, I think I just grossed myself out.  But it’s quite a picture!  Anyway, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we are transformed back into beings that are alive both spiritually and physically. 

The zombie imagery (sorry!) motivates me in this way:  I get lulled into thinking that my relatives, neighbors and friends who don’t know Christ are really nice people, and are basically the same as me, without that final step of receiving God’s forgiveness, when in reality, they are spiritually dead inside, regardless of how they look on the outside. 

I’m so grateful to have been saved by Jesus’ sacrifice, and I’m compelled to reach out to those who need that same transforming life.   

January 17, 2011

Being in Christ 

I’d like to pull three ideas from today’s reading…  The first is that the idea that living in Christ means that I’m walking in union with God.  I wasn’t meant to live independently.  That not only means that I must come to salvation, but that I must live with an awareness of my dependence on Him every day of my life. 

Dependence is a tough thing…  Most of us like to be in control, right?  God has given us all we need – intelligence, gifts, and abilities – to live a fruitful life.  His intention, though, was for us to live at His feet, submitting our plans and circumstances, and waiting to hear His voice. 

It’s a tough thing because it’s the exact opposite of what my flesh wants, and that is exactly the point.  The closer I become to God, the more I have to say no to my old, sinful self.  I may think I’m growing in my faith if I’m experiencing new things, but the measure of being more like Christ is that I become less of myself (the selfish me).

Second, eternal life isn’t something we will someday attain.  We have it, in full measure, right now!  What a concept.  We don’t know what life beyond this earth will look like, of course, but God’s not waiting until we die to spring it on us.  He’s already given us the full package!

And third, how does the fact that eternity has already started, spiritually speaking, impact me today?  How do I live my life differently in light of this fact? 

I can remember when my Grandma died, and I was faced for the first time with the immediacy of the question, is heaven really real?  Of course, I knew it in my head, but I was at a point where I had to know for myself, because I was now living with the reality of someone I loved now living somewhere else.  It sounds pretty abstract, but I had to expand my concept of heaven from something that’s a someday to something that’s important right now. 

Knowing that eternity is just a few steps away is tough to wrap my head around, but it’s the reality I live with.  It shifts my priorities and motivates me toward greater dependence on Christ.  I appreciate what Neil wrote in his prayer:  Help me live today with eternity’s values in view.

January 16, 2011

Body and spirit

How very simple:  life means to unite, and death means to separate.  That works both in the sense that Neil is talking about – when we’re alive, our body is united with our spirit and when we die, not so much – and also in the sense that as we’re alive, we’re together with family and loved ones.  In death, a person’s spirit (their true identity) becomes separated from them, along with their physical body.

As I read the first part of today’s entry, I was thinking very deep and profound things about the nature of the relationship between our spirit and our body.  And then I got to the end, and he says, So hey – take care of yourself!  You need your body!  I had to laugh at myself. 

I suppose there’s a spectrum here…  On one end, you’ve got people who are all about the body (they spend lots of time at the gym and Whole Foods).  At the other end are people who are clueless about the body because they’re so spiritually minded.  There’s lots of middle ground; Neil’s point is that we stay in the middle, not giving too much or (too little) attention to either. 

My tendency is to feel vain when I worry about what’s on the outside of me, and I tend not to take very good care of myself.  I write it off as a mom thing (I don’t have time!), but the bottom line is a lack of discipline.  It’s more fun to stay up late than to get a good amount of rest.  It’s easier to take on a new project than to spend time exercising.  But poor self-care is not a godly quality, and I’m feeling challenged to make some improvements.

Come to think of it, it would have been easier if today’s topic was strictly theological!  

January 15, 2011

What time period or event in your past do you look back on as the good times?  Were you part of a group of friends, a team, a cause?  What are the sweet memories as you look back?

Now that I’ve got you waxing nostalgic, if you’re like me, those good memories probably have to do with close relationships.  And food.  Okay, and some crazy road trips.  But mostly, relationships.  Some were times spent working together on a missions trip or a church remodel, and some were just a combination of people in my life who were my closest friends.

It’s the church girl’s version of everyone shouting “Norm!” when I walk into the bar.  (If that makes no sense, it’s a Cheers reference…)

When I boil it all down, for me, the best it gets here on earth is a good, healthy friendship.  Marriage is a great example, and I’m so blessed to be married to my best friend (hi, honey!).

Reading today’s entry, it all makes sense – we were created for relationship!  One of our deepest needs is to know that we matter – that we have significance in the world – and Adam and Eve totally had that! 

Neil makes a list of the things we all need:  eternal life, identity, purpose, significance, security, and a sense of belonging.  What Adam and Eve had and threw away we’ve been looking for ever since.  It’s no wonder – it’s like we’re not running well because our engine is missing some parts! 

Only in heaven will we truly experience these things to the fullest; what we have here on earth, however, is a down payment on that promise. 

Ephesians 1:14:  The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people.  This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.

January 14, 2011

Handling failure

What an opener:  your children need to see how you handle failure even more than how you handle success. 

Thoughts on failure… 

Failure is an event, not who we are (from Spiritual Leadership by the Blackabys).

The point isn’t that we fail; it’s what we do afterwards that matters most.

Batman Begins:  Why do we fall?  So we might learn to pick ourselves back up.

Life is as much about learning how to lose as it is about striving to win. 

Our human default is to hide our failures.  We don’t want to analyze, process, or even acknowledge them because it’s uncomfortable for us in the moment.  How many life lessons do we miss because we stuff those skeletons deep into a closet?

It’s a shocking truth:  we all fail.  (Sorry to burst your bubble!)  We all blow it – sometimes big, other times, with the smaller stuff.  So why the need to hide?

Guilt is God’s means by which we end up back at His feet, looking for restoration.  Having a tender conscience is a beautiful thing, a godly thing.  Our enemy has warped this gift, though, and through subtle lies, he takes the conviction of the Holy Spirit and turns it into condemnation, driving us away from God and His forgiveness. 

Another default setting when we’re faced with failure is to rationalize, justify, spin, or minimize.  We play it like it’s no big deal, and we try to convince ourselves in the process.  And unless you do this better than I, it doesn’t work. 

We all hate it when we blow it.  And yet there’s such freedom in standing tall and announcing it to the world (or at least, to the appropriate parties):  I really blew it!  Suddenly I don’t feel shame; I don’t have to defend myself or what I did, and now I can think with compassion about the person or people I’ve hurt.

I strive not to take myself too seriously.  I must get better at admitting my mistakes.  This entry was directed at parents, but there are always people watching us, especially in those critical moments, to see how we will react. 

I love Neil’s conclusion:  You will never lose esteem…when you do what God requires you to do.  You gain esteem because you are an honest person…

Care to weigh in? 

******

Also, on a side note, if you’re reading this and haven’t yet posted a comment, is it because you’re having trouble getting the comments to work?  If so, let me know!  We plan on posting a how-to section for blog newbies (I qualify!) soon.

Blessings!

-michelej

January 13, 2011

What is faith?

If you asked 15 people today (think man-on-the-street interviews), What is faith?  You’d probably get 15 different answers, right?  There’s an idea out there that faith is what you make it.  Some people equate faith with religion; some would say that faith, in and of itself, is an end; some would call faith the passionate pursuit of something, even something false. 

I have known non-believers to have faith in angels and heaven, ironically.  They were not honest seekers.  They had just added a sprinkling of truth into their casserole of beliefs, which included crystals, astrology, and other things.  Not to mix my metaphors, but the proof is in the pudding, right? 

One key concept is that we must have an accurate knowledge of God to fully believe in Him.  The deeper our understanding, the stronger our faith will become. 

But along with that, if we do not walk in the truth of what we believe, our faith is useless.  James says it this way:  So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith.  Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead and useless.  (James 2:17)

Why do we complicate faith?  Jesus said, blessed are those who come as little children…  The story of Wilma Rudolph gets to me every time.  Nobody told her she couldn’t overcome her limitations; she was told God could do it, and so she believed it. 

Here’s the question, “What could I accomplish if I took God at His Word?”

My prayer begins with this:  Lord, please perfect a childlike faith in me.

January 12, 2011

Prayer and warfare

Today’s entry is powerful.  I’m so impacted by the reminder that prayer for an unbeliever is the most effective thing I can hope to do to win them to Christ. 

I was just in a conversation with someone who said that one day, she felt led to pray for an aunt who is heavily involved in the new age movement.  The next day, that aunt initiated contact with her after years of barely keeping in touch. 

I get lulled into complacency when it comes to praying for the unsaved people in my life.  My thinking is so focused on their free will that I forget all about the spiritual battle raging just out of sight, and the impact that it has in the world we can see.

Prayer is absolutely about dependence.  Neil’s points were that prayer is expressing to God my dependence on Him, that God is more ready to act on my behalf than I am to ask for His help, and that until I get to that place of turning over control, God may not act.  Crazy stuff; totally profound.

And then the Holy Spirit steps in to pray on my behalf when I just don’t know what to pray…  I love that!  It’s as if God is saying, Pray your best, but since you won’t do it perfectly all the time, I’ll cover you!  God’s amazing in the ways He cares for us…  He gives us every resource at His disposal to keep us close to Him.  I’m amazed.

January 11, 2011

Walking in the Spirit

First, I love that we get to have ambitions in our walk with Christ.  I love that we get to want to be the really, really big bulldozers…  That’s a good thing.  We start out as a wimpy lawn mower, but we have such potential! 

Walking in the Spirit – what is that, exactly?  It has to do with the choices we make each day, each moment.  We are provided with multitudes of choices every day – in what we think, in what we say, and in what we do.  It has to do with who we are listening to…

Our default was the flesh; before letting God be in charge, we pretty much looked out for ourselves.  Selfishness is easy for us!  But the longer we walk with the Lord, and the more mature we become, we find the ability to say no to ourselves and yes to loving and responsible actions, thoughts, and words.

I loved the clarification that the Holy Spirit is a person, not a thing, hence His dealings with us will be different for each person.  What an awesome God we have!  It is only the Holy Spirit within us who can make the change in our default settings from selfish to God-centered and loving. 

May we walk forward in that endeavor today…  

January 10, 2011

False teachers

What an interesting description of a false teacher – it isn’t necessarily what he or she is teaching that’s false.  It’s they, themselves, who are false.  In other words, we are to evaluate our leaders as we follow them, not to criticize or second-guess (which involve huge amounts of pride), but to discern their heart and motives. 

And more than that, it’s our own motives we must discern, right?  We must understand why we are at a certain church or follow a certain leader; is it because they seem to have it all going on, or because God has called us to follow them?

Where are you called?  There are plenty of folks around who float from one church to the next, and their criteria often belies a lack of honest seeking…  For this reason or that, they change churches.  A mature Christian seeks God, and doesn’t move unless God directs, and only then to the place where they are called. 

Neil identifies a Christian leader as committed to truth, living a righteous life, and having a servant’s heart.  This is how I can know whether someone is a false teacher.  More than that, these are to be the markers of my life…

January 9, 2011

The power of the resurrection

It’s a strange thing to remember an assignment given in a college class, but I’m thinking about an essay assigned in Dr. Charlie Self’s class…  I was at Bethany Bible College, the class was probably New Testament, and the question was this:  What is the significance of the resurrection? 

It was one of those times I had to learn about what I already knew…  Sure, resurrection marked Jesus’ defeat of sin and death.  Without it, we wouldn’t have Easter, right?  But what did that mean to me, right now? 

I still remember the answer - the resurrection means everything!  Sure, it was symbolic, but the power of God to recall Jesus from death is the power that pulls me from death into life; it erases my sin, and it propels me into a new life in Christ. 

An amazing thing about God is that although He does things in different ways, He is still the same; His character is the same, His power is the same. 

Despite the fact that our culture marginalizes God, He is no less powerful.  He’s not just getting by – there’s absolutely nothing He can’t do!  Nobody is beyond hope, and no situation is too hard for Him to fix or redeem. 

That gives me hope and freedom.  And then comes the next part – that Jesus’ authority is above all, and that we are seated with Him in the heavenlies (metaphorically), therefore we share His power and authority.  He has chosen to give them to us.  Again, my mind is blown.

On Friday we read that who we are is central to what we do.  God wants us to deepen our understanding of who we are.  Imagine what will happen once that understanding is locked in.

January 8, 2011

Free from the past

Wow – what an incredibly tough topic. 

But the thing that stands out to me is, this horrible experience is something that happened to you.  It’s not who you are. 

I can’t even begin to imagine where a victim of rape would begin to separate her identity from what happened.  What an unfair burden for her to bear – she now has to take responsibility for herself by forgiving and moving on.  She’s bearing the weight of what someone else did, and it’s not likely that she will ever get an apology. 

It’s easy to see what will set Cindy free – it’s an extreme example – but it’s no different from the emotional scars in my life.  I can forever live as the victim of what that hurtful person in my life did, or I can stand up, forgive, and move on.  I give up my right to stay hurt. 

Forgiveness is a powerful thing.  Neil says, “As a Christian, you are primarily the product of the work of Christ on the cross.”  His act of forgiveness makes me a new person.  And because of what He did, there’s nothing that’s happened to me that is too big for me to forgive.

January 7, 2011

Self-concept

Who are you?  When I stop to answer that question, I think I focus on the externals, too…  The first things that come to mind aren’t my appearance, it’s my roles – wife, mommy, daughter, friend, Sunday school teacher, etc., that hold meaning as to who I am. 

When we did Emotionally Healthy Spirituality at WellSpring two years ago, it was such a revelation to me that I actually felt, deep down, that serving God wins me His approval.  It was so uncomfortable to imagine that His love and acceptance was because of who I am, not what I do…  Two years later, I’m still working my way through that. 

I love the idea that what we do is determined by who we are.  It’s kind of cliché, but the Queen of England behaves the way she does because of who she is.  She’s got tremendous resources at her disposal, and the admiration of a country behind her, but she does what she does because she has an understanding of being a royal. 

If we could picture ourselves as children of royalty (the well-behaving ones), how would that change us?  Have we been living as paupers when we had been given the whole kingdom? 

Ephesians 3:14-15 says, When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit.

January 6, 2010

Health and freedom

Do you believe in the devil?  He’s real, so it doesn’t really matter if you believe in him or not…  The Bible is pretty clear about who he is and what his intentions are as it relates to God’s people and life here on earth.

He tempted Jesus in the wilderness to try to subvert God’s plan of redemption.  I guess he’s still doing the same thing today, right?  If he can distract us from reality, we’ll never experience the fullness of life that God has ready and waiting for us.

My mind is blown:  “If we really knew God, our behavior would change radically and instantly.”  Yeah, that’s pretty much it, isn’t it?  

And the good news is that God is ready and waiting to be known!  Jeremiah 29:13 says, “If you look for Me in earnest, you will find Me when you seek Me.”  It’s as if He’s just sitting, waiting for us to get over ourselves and our own stuff, so we can really talk and get to know one another. 

One of my favorite things about reading the Bible is what I learn about God’s character.  Today, from Isaiah 62, it was this – that God won’t rest until He brings restoration.  His people suffered devastating consequences of walking their own way, but even through it all, God was faithful and just waiting for the day when He could restore them. 

“They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the Lord.  And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken.” 

Isaiah 62:12

It speaks to my heart that God’s character is that He brings beauty out of the ashes – even the things that I’ve burned to the ground all on my own.  That’s a truth that speaks to me, and brings me freedom.

January 5, 2011

Freedom and maturity…

Wow – that’s deep.  You can’t have maturity without freedom, right?  And freedom comes as we stop listening to the lies that drag us down…

For me, some of those sound like this:  Look at what you’ve done in your past!  You’re stained by that sin!  You’re forgiven, but you can’t erase what you did.  – or – You know all those times you’ve failed before?  You’re still the same person, a pretty weak one, and given the right circumstances, you’ll fail again. 

As much as I know those things aren’t true, they feel true.  I don’t think those things all that often, but when I do, it feels like a secret I’m carrying around…  I can see now how it limits my freedom!  I’m not going to step forward into something God wants for me if I’m worried that people will find out the truth about me – I’m not all that great – forgetting that we’ve all come from the same place!  We’re all saved by His great grace.

Christ paid a huge price for my freedom, and I’m making up my mind not to volunteer to be held prisoner by those thoughts.  Besides, it’s not about me, it’s about Him and what He’s done and where He’s taking me…and that’s pretty amazing.

January 4, 2011

More on goals vs. desires… 

(If you missed yesterday’s entry, you might want to go back and read January 3^rd – look a the bottom of crosswalk’s page and you’ll find the last several day’s readings.)

Don’t you love someone who will tell an embarrassing or unflattering story about themselves?  Quite endearing, I think.

So Neil’s goal was a special, happy family breakfast.  What should it have been instead of a goal?  Say it with me:  a desire!  Yes, I need to keep that level of expectation (big & important) reserved for things that depend only on me, right?  Because the inevitable will happen – someone will come along and mess it up.  And I’ll be ticked…  And whose fault is that?  Yup, it’s mine, because I had an expectation that was too high.

I found my self pondering his wrap-up, though, and trying to nail down the significance.  Why is it such a big deal that we differentiate between a goal and a desire?

I’m thinking it has to do with the fact that we tend to gauge who we are by what we’ve accomplished…  I can feel pretty crummy about myself when I look around my house at all my unfinished projects.  Without putting it into these words, though, I rehearse to myself that these are desires, not goals. 

So what are my goals?  They need to be the things worth laying down my life for, right?  Keeping everyone fed and in clean clothes; being the wife and mommy God wants me to; hearing from God and doing what He’s telling me to do. 

If the end result of this is not feeling like I’m in the waves being battered against the rocks – circumstances, mean people, etc. – it’s worth the effort.

What did you think?  Where are you on setting goals in your life?  And why do you think it’s such a big deal that we get goals and desires really well defined in our minds?

January 3, 2011

Goals and desires

Did today’s entry seem a little bit confusing?  Hang in there. 

Here’s one idea to take away…

January usually finds us evaluating the past year and setting priorities for the new year.  Whether you call them New Years’ resolutions or not, the idea’s the same – we’re figuring out what we want to accomplish.

So the discussion of what’s a goal and what’s a desire is a pretty good one.  It goes like this…  A goal is something that has to do with thing I can control.  For example, I can control what I eat, what I read, how I speak to people and what I think about (among other things).  I can set goals for these things, and I can actually meet those goals, if I put in the work.

Examples of things that are out of my control are people and circumstances.  It would be a bad idea for me to set a goal of having our family get along better, or for improved relationship with a co-worker or a boss.  I can do my part, but if they don’t cooperate, I won’t meet that goal. 

In the same way, I can make it a goal to buy a house or get accepted into a program at a school or to win the lottery, but there are forces beyond my control at work.  I’ll be frustrated, anxious, even angry if someone or something blocks my goal, right?  (Picture a soccer ball being smacked down by a goalie...)

So for the things that are beyond my control – all or in part – I need to call them what they are.  They are desires.  I will still work hard for them, but I’ll be able to have a more reasonable reaction if my desires aren’t met, right? 

A goal is almost like an ultimatum.  Progress is good, but either I’ve met it or I haven’t, right? 

I’m challenged to re-evaluate my goals for this year and see which ones are beyond my control.  It’s all about the expectations.

I’m so thankful for Philippians 1:6:  And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

January 2, 2010

The first sentence got me:  Trusting God for tomorrow is a question of our worth.  Lots of times, I don’t feel like I’m worth very much!  What a good thing to pick apart and see how very much God thinks I’m worth (you, too, by the way).  When I think of how much I love my kids, I get it a little bit.  Sometimes they worry about things, and I’m thinking, how silly!  I’ve got it all under control.  Maybe God thinks the same of me.

And God providing for my needs isn’t about me – it’s about Him!  It’s not what He might do for me, it’s who He is.  If I do my part, He will do His; therefore, I need to do those two things:  obey, and trust.  So simple, but so huge.

Here’s Matthew 6:33 in the NLT:  …He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

January 1st - Happy New Year!

It’s January 1^st!  If you haven’t already, you can visit www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/dailyinchrist and read today’s entry from Daily In Christ by Neil and Joanne Anderson.  Don’t forget to share your comments below…  Thanks!

On to today’s entry…

I’ve never flown a plane – I’ve flown in a small plane, though, and the description of that young pilot’s landing was terrifying!  What a clear example, though, of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

The connection between the pilot knowing (practically memorizing) the manual and the air traffic controller being able to bring that to bear was cool to me.  It’s the difference between the stuff we know in our head, and what we can actually put to good use, right?

Somewhere in that exchange, I see that I have a responsibility in the extent to which the Holy Spirit can guide me!  Wow. 

I’ve shared what God has put on my heart for this year (above, in the intro stuff).  How about you?  And, what in today’s entry hit home with you?  What's on your heart for 2011?