Stop Disqualifying Yourself

As I was reading my devotional this morning I found myself in the 16th chapter of Mark. I have read this chapter many times but one verse stands out to me today. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James want to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body. They find the stone rolled away and a young man sitting there and he gives them a message that Jesus has risen just as he said he would. Then, the next part is what struck me this morning. Verse 7 says to "go and tell his disciples and Peter..." Admittedly, I have overlooked this part because I was so excited about what happens next but this is where I want to spend a moment of time.

How many times do we disqualify ourselves because of a past mistake or outright failure? As we ready the scripture previously in the crucifixion story, Peter is told he would deny Christ 3 times. He does it almost unexpectedly and realizes what he has done. Peter then counts himself as unworthy to be called a disciple. This is the same Peter that was ready to fight for Christ and was told to put away the sword. This is the same Peter that loved Jesus and was sent by Jesus. This was the same Peter that had enough courage to step out of the boat and walk on water to get to Jesus in the first place but doubted and fell beneath the waves. Now, he discredits himself as a disciple.

We do the same thing in our lives almost daily. We will face conflict and we will make mistakes. We must remember that Just as Jesus Christ reached down and took Peter by the hand and escorted him back to the safety of the boat Jesus is telling us that we are still worthy because of the price he paid for us. There is no doubt that Peter felt like a failure and that now he was going to have to answer for his over confidence, but God was trying to illustrate something here that we miss out on.

Jesus did die for the disciples but he also died for the ones who felt unworthy to be one. You may find yourself in that today. No matter what you do to be good you end up making a mess out of the situation. You try to serve God and end up sinning and making mistakes that in your mind would disqualify you from God's grace. He is telling you today just as he was telling those who believe and those who feel as though they failed, "I am going ahead of you" Jesus is still calling and still leading you wherever you are and all you need to do is look, listen, and obey.

So you failed. Success is measured on the amount of failures you stand on. I wish I could say I came up with that true nugget of wisdom but John Maxwell beat me to it. But, it applies right where you are. You will either be defined by your failures or you will defy them. What will your choice be today? Stand with truth and recognize Jesus Christ is right there with you waiting for you to simply speak to him. Repent of your failures and mistakes and walk in the grace and mercy of God.

Nothing But Noise

I challenge you before you read any further to take 3 minutes and write down every noise you hear and be very attentive to any noise that you may hear. It's ok. I'll wait...Welcome back. The first time I actually sat and did this exercise, I was surprised at just how much stuff I heard. Look at your list. How much stuff was just background noise? How much was noise that had to be noticed? It is amazing that we hear so much and process so much information with our brains. We process sound information even while we are sleeping. Thankfully, my wife has stopped processing my snoring. As you can tell from your list, our lives are noisy. We have sounds that we just ignore and other sounds that come into our ears that cannot be ignored. Many of us thrive on noise. The though of studying without music in the background makes me have a small panic attack. In 1 Kings Chapter 19 we read about Elijah and we read this about the voice of God. 

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Many of us have made it a saying in our life that we want to hear the voice of God, but I want to ask you today, if the Lord is speaking, do you actually hear him? Or, is your life to full of noise to make it out? When was the last time you actually heard his voice speak to you? 

We read numerous passages of scripture that speak to this. David had to find his secret place and even Jesus himself had to withdraw so he could get close to his father. Why do we feel like we can allow so much noise to interfere and never suffer the ill effects. The world competes with the spiritual every single day. It gets louder and louder. We as followers of Christ must set aside the noise and listen to him. 

How do we accomplish pushing past the noise? Here are a few practical steps to accomplish the task of spiritual hearing. 

1. Make quiet time with God a priority. Its easy to say but harder to do. Plan those moments where you will get alone with God. Not just a couple of seconds but make it a part of your schedule. Place it on your daily schedule and treat it as a can't miss appointment. 

2. Unplug from distractions. You've done it and so have I. You go to pray and all of a sudden you have a text from your wife and you look at your phone and lose focus. You feel the vibration of an in coming email and you read it. I challenge you to lay down your phone, tablet, watch, and other types of communication devices and focus on simply hearing him. It is so easy to justify why we cannot unplug, but justification in our flesh is tool the devil has used for generations. Take a pen and paper and journal or take an actual copy of the Bible, you know that thing that is made of leather and paper with gold leafing on the pages, and read it apart from the noise of efficiency. 

3. Create a culture in your home of the value of time with God. We may do devotions because it's what we should do, but do our children know that it is much more than obligation that compels us to know the savior more? Do they understand the holiness involved with coming into the presence of God? Are we modeling to them the importance of fellowship with God and walking with him? 

I was very surprised by the number of people recently I have spoken to who have never really felt the spirit of God speaking directly to them. They cited busy lives and crazy schedules as to why their relationship with God was superficial as best. God has a desire to know us and to continue to get to know us as we journey through our lives. 

God does not scream at us to garner attention. The number one mark of an abuser is their tone. They will yell to get their point across and God is no abuser. He is a God of compassion and mercy. Now should he choose, he can be angered, but his desire is to have fellowship and communion with us. He is no abuser. He speaks with that same still small voice and gentle whisper he always has. Will you quieten down the noise so you can hear him? 

No Luck Required

Most of us have heard people say "I was lucky" or "good luck". It is a pretty common saying. Not to long ago I was actually listening to a group of people talk about the certainty of heaven and one of them said "with God's help and a little luck we'll make it". I chuckled and got a strange look from the group of people. I looked at them and said I don't need luck to know for certain that I will be in heaven when my time here is done. Jesus Christ is a sure thing not a random series of events acted upon by an outside force.

I don't want to sound arrogant or self-righteous. I get what the guy was saying but it started a thought in my head. How many people feel like their relationship with God or it's failure hinges on one mess up or failure. To have that sort  of view is so against what we read in scripture about the character and nature of God. Look at the disciples. Peter outright denied Jesus just like he was told he was going to do. Paul was constantly in rebuke and teaching mode but was quick to speak of God's mercy.

I have always said I don't believe in luck. I think random things happen and people benefit from them or are effected negatively by them. What seems so foreign to me is that when it works for us, we call it luck. When it fails for us we call it fate or life. When does the Lord actually get credit for doing special things for his people. The question then becomes, what about those random things that just seem to happen? Every good and perfect thing comes from above. So, if you nail that last second 3 pt shot thank God for it. If you miss it just roll with it and don't blame God for your lack of aim. If you win that election thank God for it. If you lose, thank God for the opportunity that is coming because he has great things planned for you.

No offense to Saint Patrick or slighting the four leaf clover, but luck is not required to walk with certainty with Jesus Christ. It is a simple matter of your heart. If you accept his free gift to you, salvation is there. His grace and mercy are with you every step of the way. From now until eternity he is there guiding you and loving you.

Happy Saint Patricks Day

Sweeping The House

Have you ever lost something important? Maybe you didn't lose it but rather misplaced it. Not to long ago I lost my wallet. Thankfully it was not where I put it. I searched frantically. My mind played out scenarios of getting pulled over without my license or getting asked to show my minister's id at a hospital. My access would be denied unless I had those important things. I searched in places that were completely dumb. I searched in the freezer and other places like that. At last I found it on my dresser. I know I know it seems foolish right?

As I was reading in the book of Luke I read the parable of the lost coin. At first glance, I thought wow that is so amazing that Jesus searches for us like this woman searches for her lost coin. When she finds it she rejoices and calls everyone around her and they rejoice with her. Such a warm feel good story. When I was ready to move on, I felt impressed to read it again. This time something else hit my mind.

Are we seeking for the treasure as much as the treasure sought after us? 

Honestly, for many the answer is no. I have noticed a very real danger in our walk with Christ. It is this. When we first accept Christ and invite him into our life, we are all about what he wants. He takes residence in our heart. We communicate with him daily. We feel connected to him. Then, time happens. Temptation happens along with the other parts of life. Our communication with Him becomes a little less and then we find that we have isolated him to particular rooms of our lives.

You can be in the kitchen Jesus because you are my provider, but don't come into my bedroom and mess with my intimacy. You can be in my kitchen Jesus, but don't come and mess with my entertainment. We eventually have him so limited that he is all but hidden in our dirt.

If you look at the parable, you see the woman does three things in order to find the treasure that has gotten lost.

1. She lights a lamp

I hate to insult your intellect, but many times we grope around in the darkness trying to put our hands on something lost. We forget to communicate with God and simply go to church as if that will make all things right. In order to find something you must light the lamp. If you have allowed your dirt to cover your relationship with Christ then you have to shine the light of Christ on the dirt so it can be dealt with.

2. She swept the WHOLE house

Now that the light is lit, we must sweep the house. Every corner of the house must be cleaned. The act of sweeping can only be done by the individual. We cannot sweep out someone else's house. Many of us have rooms that are easier to clean than others. I can vacuum pretty easily. Please don't tell my wife that. I can even scrub toilets. The chore I hate the most is dishes. I would eat on disposable any time. I know thats not being a good steward of the planet but just being honest. I hate dishes. I will clean almost any other room in the house except the kitchen because that means doing dishes.

We are that way spiritually as well. We have areas that are easily restorable but then there are those areas that require tough time consuming work. It's easy to ignore them. You even feel better when the other rooms are dealt with but as soon as you walk into that room dread starts showing itself. You have to press through and sweep the whole house.

3. She finds the treasure 

Once the cleaning happened, she found the missing coin. If you are feeling disconnected from God, then you have allowed some dirt to cover your treasure. A little bit of dirt on a silver coin makes it lose its luster. We cannot isolate our relationship with God to specific parts of our life. The relationship with God is our life. When you seek after the things of God, you find the things of God.

If you are missing the connection, try lighting the lamp. Read the word of God, pray and start trying to communicate again, and then sweep your house. The search will show you the true treasure once again. Get connected with him again.

About Change

In many articles you read today, you find the word change. For many change is necessity and for others change is to be avoided at all costs. What really spurred this blog post is something that I have been seeing. It is the ability for churches to do events and record lots of salvations and ten later on find out that although salvation occurred the individual is no longer there or involved anywhere because they didn't change.

Why do we see salvation and no life change? For the answer to that questions look no further than the Christian book section of Barnes and Noble. Located on it's shelves you find countless books on living a better life and experiencing the full ness of life. What you don't see are books that speak of transformation and authentic life change.

Christians have began the process of self medication rather than open heart surgery. 

Don't misunderstand me. I would rather have medicine over surgery any day, but when it comes to my spiritual condition, I need surgery. Paul speaks of crucifying his flesh daily. David sings of a change that has occurred since he repented an honored God once again. Most people would agree that it is easier to treat symptoms than the problem, however those same people would say the only cure is to get to the cause of the problem and fix it.  It is a dichotomy that has plagued mankind since the beginning.  serve ourselves or serve others???

Jesus Christ's death was not for self help or to help you get through your day. His death was so that you would be redeemed by his blood that was shed for the remission of sins. Salvation is the reason. Then, we are instructed to make disciples. Followers of the way. How do I follow God now that I am saved? If we don't stick around for that how can life change happen? Following God goes agains the cultural norms of I do what I want. Following God is a pattern of life that must be developed and we as Christians and especially churches are supposed to be the institutions to make that happen.

When we accept Jesus the process of surgery begins. The great physician is the doctor but we are the surgical nurses keeping a close eye on what is happening and a close ear to hear what the doctor is saying. We are there for assistance not just a sudden jolt of energy when the heart begins to fail.

The self help books are nice to read. They make you feel better about yourself and give some inspiration and that is a good thing. However, if the only thing I am digesting is sugar won't I eventually develop diabetes? My body stops wanting protein and craves sweets. I concentrate on feeding my spiritual sweet tooth and my inner man begins to suffer because of it. I then become so jaded that I believe my sin is not sin at all and fall victim to creating an image of God that suits me and my beliefs.

It is time to lay aside the sugar and crave meat that comes from the word of God. It is time to allow God to use us to help others that are around us and ourselves as well to be disciples of Christ. Allow the spirit to convict us and allowing God to change us. It is then when we become recreated and defined in new terms set forth by God on us because we are his.

I Can Be Angry?!

Unless you have taken residence under a rock, you have probably experienced a time when an argument took place. It always seems to go that way. One person says something and then a snide sometimes cutting retort. Cue the bell. "Let's Get Ready To RUMBLE!" Back and forth the argument goes. Eventually, the argument gets you nowhere and you try to find some other way to win. Let me just start by saying this.

ARGUMENTS HAVE NO WINNERS ONLY LOSERS

Think about it. If you get into an argument with your spouse about the raising or the lowering of the toilet seat, is there a winner? If the husband relents and says sorry and then puts the seat down is it a win for the wife? Superficially yes, but what has happened in the process and progression of the argument? The husband has been compared to a child and therefor has had his manhood called into question. In the cutting remarks, the husband has also brought up the fact that his wife is just as guilty of offenses. Has anyone really benefitted? The answer is no. So, does this mean we don't ever say anything? Not at all but remember.

DISCERNMENT AND DISCUSSION DEFUSES ARGUMENTS

If we stop for a moment and avoid the red button, we can come away from a disagreement or just a mental slip with something that is truly great. UNDERSTANDING AND FORGIVENESS.

The toilet seat controversy or the toilet paper direction conflict are minor. What about the big deals? Those things that lead to more than just inconvenience that take your breath away and sidebar all rational thought. Does this still work? Yes it does. Scripture tells us that in our anger we should not sin. That is such a relief to me. I can be angry. It is easy for us to take anger to a whole new level. Anger builds like mineral deposits on shower heads.

If we don't discuss it, it will mark us and other people.

Shower heads become discolored first. We see a slight whitening. We are the same way. When we become angry and don't discuss it and just let it roll on past, we become slightly whitened. What do I mean? Your opinion changes about the person you are angry towards. You look at them and justify in yourself that you have done nothing wrong and are cleaner than they are. You take on self-righteousness.

No one wants to believe that but you can check it. Think about someone you were angry with. After the initial offense did everything they did seem to bother you? Could you find the good in them? That's self-righteousness.

The build up continues. 

It could be days, weeks, or even years before you can actually admit it and see the amount of build up that has occurred. Every interaction you have with that individual leads to more build up. The interesting part is that you find yourself interacting with them more. Why? Because your flesh wants revenge or retribution. You will alter your patterns just so you can be there to watch them crash and burn. When they succeed, you will justify why they did and at whose expense they did succeed.

Eventually you blow up. 

So the scale that builds up eventually leads to blockage and ultimately failure. It is an interesting parallel. The more blockage the less water. Streams of living water are supposed to be flowing out of us and the more we allow the anger to build the less of that water comes out. The flow begins to lessen and then ultimately stops. Pressure begins to build and then suddenly failure.

Cleanse the scale and let the water flow. 

The anger that we experience is natural, but the solution for the anger cannot be a fleshly one or we get those results. If we discern the offense and then go to that person and discuss it with the intent of making it right not winning, we find ourself removing scale and flowing with living water free from deposits of doubt, anger, insecurity, or fear. Handle things the right way. Matthew 18 gives the formula for the proper way to deal with offense. Use it and watch how things change.

Sticking Our Heads In The Sand

With all the different things that have been happening in the news over the past few weeks, the church has become virtually silent. It is almost as if it is afraid to make a stand. Even on issues that directly fly in the face of scriptural precedents and precepts they are still quiet. Why? Is it easier to stay silent and say nothing. Sure it is. Is that what we are supposed to be doing? Nope. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying use the pulpit for a propaganda machine. I am simply saying, the world needs the message of hope that is contained in scripture.

Sticking your head in the sand is easier. 

This may be true, but do you know what happens when you stick your head in the sand? The waves come up and takes your feet out from under you. We experienced this as a nation a few decades ago. We laughed as churches when someone took a case to the US Supreme Court and said we should not have directed prayer in school. Then the ruling happened and almost instantly we saw a pillar of the founding of education removed.

Just ignoring a problem is easier and for a while you will not even be effected by it. Many years ago, I had a vehicle that shuttered when I started it and shifted it into gear. I drove it for several years with the same thing happening. I would tell myself I gotta get that checked and still never do it. Then one day I could not drive forward anymore. I could drive backwards but not forward. My laziness to deal with an issue cost me a transmission. It also put my family at risk and caused extreme hardship on us for several months.

Looking the other way is easier but we have to remember that there is someone that is being hurt because of our inactivity. Loves response is not apathy. Loves response is action. Just because I choose to ignore domestic violence does not change the fact that daily it happens and the countless victims of it are increasing in number. We must unbury ourselves.

It is time we shake off the sand

We have fallen asleep standing up. The United States is still a Christian nation, but now more than ever before it is in name only. Christians have never been children of inaction. We serve a God of action that responds to the calls of his children. We are supposed to have his nature in us, so that means that sitting idly by is NOT EVER and option.

The church has to dig out but how.

1. Realize that Christianity is bigger than you are. 
Our message is a global one. We cannot stop and just be concerned about ourself. Church has became about the consumer rather than the prospective consumer. We got to have the lights right, the sound right, the look right, and the coffee has got to be just so or the church people with get upset and leave. Doesn't that seem backwards. Why do we set the lights and have the coffee just so? It is for them not you. I know that flies in the face of common practice but the sick need the physician. The message of Christ needs to be preached. The delivery can vary and that is good but when I realize that the guy off the street needs to hear this message and it is my responsibility to get him there. My place becomes obvious. "I AM SECOND"

2. We cannot compete with the world and assume we will not become like it. 
You must have protocols in place to keep the message of Christ the center of the ministry to the lost. Many churches have tried their best to make their Sunday worship encounter/experience/conclave/gathering/lifegroup/community/collective be like a U2 concert with a little Jesus and a lot of bass. Don't get me wrong I love bass. The more the better but I will take live change over experience any day. I have never been to a concert and walked away and said that concert changed my life. I have been inspired by what I have heard. The first time I ever heard the bass player for a heavy metal band that will remain nameless rip a bass solo for 2 minutes it made we want to go home and grab my guitar. There are some churches that you cannot tell where the world ends and the church begins. You see leadership of the ultra mega churches dilute the message to make it tolerable to the lost but in the dilution the conviction is diluted as well. A light design will not save anyone from hell. A 100,000 sound array will not draw anyone to Christ. It is what is coming out of it that does. The message of Christ must be forefront in all we do.

Am I against theatrical lighting and sound. Absolutely not! If you can provide the quality go for it. Just don't allow your quest for the bells and whistles overshadow you desire for the sinners hung the thorn bushes and thistles. The world desperately needs the message of Christ because they are toiling in the thorn bushes of life and it is gripping them so tight they are getting choked out.

3. Prayer cannot be a part-time activity.
The church must be in communication with God. It is not just about leadership praying. If the church is not agreeing in prayer with the leadership, the church will spin it's wheels and eventually blow out it's engine. A frightening statistic has emerged in the realm of evangelical Christian leaders. It was asked how many minutes a day do you spend in prayer. The common answer was 15 minutes a day. Do we really expect to hit the throne room of God and truly connect through 15 minutes a day? What if you talked to your wife 15 minutes a day? How strong would your marriage be? You more than likely would not have a marriage. We have to be quick to pray. We also have to be intensive when we pray. Put away the distractions. Leave your cell phone or iPad somewhere else and just pray and talk to God and ask for direction and how to speak.

The church has lost credibility because we have stopped getting results. The lack of prayer and connection to God is the reason we have stopped getting the results the world is looking for. We have what the world is seeking. We have a real supernatural God who is in control and still wants a relationship that is intimate and lasting with us. Unless we put the time we will still only get sporadic results.

I have always heard the church called the sleeping giant. It is time for the giant to get up, wipe the sleep from it's eyes and strengthen what remains.