Monthly Archives: July 2013

July 17, 2013 · 9:59 AM

Spiritual Fever

My son has had a fever for a couple of days now. Like most parents, our first thought was to grab some Motrin or Tylenol to bring it down. My next thought was, “What’s causing the fever?” Fever is a symptom that something else is going on. It’s the body’s defense mechanism to fight infections. It creates a hostile environment for infections to grow in and it triggers the body to produce more white blood cells that fight infections. Low grade fever is not the problem. It’s an indicator that something else is wrong.

If I treat the fever and not the real problem, I can prolong his sickness. I end up stopping the one thing that truly is fighting the infection. It makes me wonder what “fever” looks like in my spiritual life. What are the indicators that something is wrong in my life? When they show up, do I try to mask them or get rid of them without treating the root cause? Or do I dismiss them all together?

The Holy Spirit works In our lives as an indicator of when something is wrong. If I’m being tempted or in a bad situation, He starts going off like an alarm. Warning me that I’m in danger. When I’ve sinned, He indicates that I need to repent. In John 16, Jesus was introducing us to the Holy Spirit. In verse 8, He said, “When He comes, He will convict the world of its sin.” It’s up to each one of us to decide what to do with the indicators He gives us.

Sometimes we choose to dismiss them. We say, “I’m all right. I can handle this.” That’s when we refuse to listen to His indications that something is wrong. We figure we’ll let the situation run its course. What happens is we don’t get better, the situation gets worse and we get deeper into whatever it is than we intended. By ignoring the indications of the Holy Spirit, we pass on the cure.

We need to recognize the indicators and then respond to them. The Holy Spirit tells us when we’ve sinned and helps us to get back into a right relationship with God. Our response to His promptings should be repentance. Seek forgiveness from whatever it is and then treat the root cause of the sin. If we only treat sin at the surface level, we’ll relapse and fall back into it. Let the Holy Spirit do His work to create a hostile environment in you for sin and to eradicate the infection of it.

What are the indicators He gives you? How have you ignored them in the past? What do you need o do differently in the future when He prompts you? How we respond to the Holy Spirit determines our overall spiritual health. We need to respond quickly and do the things necessary to stay healthy spiritually. Don’t dismiss the indicators that God has given us to keep us healthy.

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July 16, 2013 · 8:07 AM

Looking for Rainbows

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I was driving east this morning through some rain. When I finally got to turn to the south, I looked back over my right shoulder to check for cars and I saw a rainbow. My mind went back to Genesis 9 where the Bible records the first rainbow. God gave it as a sign to Noah and his family as a symbol of the covenant He had made with him. Then in verse 16, God said, “When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant.”

I always knew it was for us to remember the covenant, but I don’t remember reading that it was for God too. I think it’s interesting that God placed it as a reminder for Himself. It makes me think that God goes around looking for rainbows so He can think of the promise He made to us. I don’t think He forgets. I think He’s just looking for a reason to think of me and you.

We get so caught up in the storms of our life that we lose sight of Him sometimes. When the rain is relentless and won’t stop, when all of the mountains that we’ve climbed are covered by the waters and when the floods won’t dissipate, we can remember God’s promises to us. We can remember that He has not forgotten us or left us. Even though it rained in Noah’s life and He was stuck on that boat for over a year, what happened beforehand was important.

God spoke to Noah and prepared him for the flood. He told him that it would rain for forty days and forty nights. He also gave him the instructions for building the ark. He didn’t have him go into the storm unprepared. He had given him everything he needed to survive the storm. God does that for us too. He gives us what we need and prepares us for the rain in our lives. He provides a way to get through it.

I wonder what Noah was thinking after the rain stopped and he was still in the lifeboat ten months later. God told him how long it would rain, but didn’t tell him how long he would have to drift along. Even after the storms and rains in our lives, we tend to drift along looking for dry land. When we eventually do find it, it’s a different place than where we were. God uses the rain and the drifting to get us to a place where He wants us. We, like Noah may have to start over too.

Wherever your dry land is, know that God will remain true to His promises to you. He’s out putting rainbows in the sky to show you He hasn’t forgotten or forsaken you. He’s painting the sky to remind you when future storms come that He’s not going to let you be destroyed. He has prepared you for what you’re going through and is preparing you for your future. If it’s raining in your life right now, you’re drifting along or if you have found dry land, take time to look for rainbows. God is.

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July 15, 2013 · 8:39 AM

Your Victory Has Been Won

We sang a song at church yesterday by Planetshakers. The words are still ringing in my mind this morning. It says, “Hallelujah! You have won the victory. Hallelujah! You have won it all for me.” As we sang it yesterday, I began to wonder, “How many Christians out there need a victory that has already been won for them?” Think about that for a minute. The victory many of us are looking for has already been won. Why do we still walk around defeated?

I see so many Christians who walk around with a defeated attitude. They aren’t walking in the victory that they are supposed to. Everything is doom and gloom. Nothing is going their way. They hang their head down and drudge along. They’ve allowed a culture of defeat to come reign in their life. That is not the life God intended Christians to live. That is not how someone who has had the war won for them should act.

Yes, we go through battles, trials and struggles. We aren’t going to be victorious in every one of them. We may even lose a lot in a row. Don’t confuse losing battles with losing the war. Battles are what we fight through to get to the end of the war. If you knew you were going to win the war in the end, wouldn’t you keep on fighting no matter how bad things looked now?

The person who has never lost a battle has not learned as much as those who have. It’s in our losses and failures that we find better ways to strategize and to grow. It’s in our losses that we get the determination to get back up. Proverbs 24:16 says, “The godly may fall seven times, but they will get up again.” It doesn’t say the godly won’t fall. We will. It’s part of life. It’s part of growth. Its part of what makes us who we are.

When I’m going through a time of multiple defeats, I hang on to Romans 8:37: Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours (mine) through Christ who loves us (me). I change it a little to personalize it. I make it my own promise from God. You should too. If you’re feeling defeated today, read that scripture again. Out loud. Proclaim it. Louder! Overwhelming victory is yours through Christ who loves you. You are not defeated. You are victorious in Jesus’ name.

You don’t have to walk around with your head down. You don’t have to keep your head down just because you’ve failed or lost a few battles. The war has already been won by Jesus. No matter how bad things get, keep that in mind. You can and will survive this and will be victorious in the end. Walk in victory today through Christ because He has won the victory for you. Hold your head up, child of God. You are victorious.

Click here to listen to that Planetshakers’ song on YouTube.

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July 12, 2013 · 7:45 AM

Supplementing Your Faith

Friday mornings at hotels are always interesting. People are up early, packed and ready to go home. The breakfast room is usually full. The travelers are in good spirits because they know they’re going home. Keys are dropped off, bills are paid and bags are in hand as they walk to their cars. There’s a certain sense of excitement. The week is nearly done. Your work is almost finished and you know you’re going to rest soon.

In II Peter 1, Peter said that God had revealed to him that he would die soon. He started to get ready to go home. Before he left, he wanted to give the church some final instructions that they would remember after he was gone. What was important to him as final instructions should be important to us as believers. We should look closely at what he wanted us to get.

In verse 5-7, he tells us to supplement our faith with things like good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness and generous love. He said with these active and growing in our lives, we would mature in our experience with Jesus. He also said without them we wouldn’t be able to see what’s right in front of us spiritually. These were and are important things that we as Christians should have active in our lives.

Passionate patience stands out to me in that group. All of us want patience, but none of us want to pay to get it. I know that patience is also a fruit of the spirit according to Galatians. It’s something that God wants each of us to have in our lives. It takes time to develop and to mature into who God wants us to be. It doesn’t happen over night. We go through things, make mistakes, pick ourselves up and try again. Our patience is developed by going through things that try us.

Another thing that stands out to me is generous love. In today’s world, we are known more for what we are for or against than for our love. We let disagreements on what is right and wrong divide us from those we are called to love. I Corinthians 13 teaches what love is. We typically apply this to marriage or relationships. What if we applied those things to the ones we are called to love? Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not boastful, proud or rude.

I Peter was onto something here. All those things we supplement our faith with start and end with love. When we learn to love our neighbors like ourselves, we’ll begin to see the lost saved. When we care more about their soul than if they’re right or wrong, our light will shine. When we have patience with others the way we want others to have patience with us, we will see a harvest.

Which of these supplements do you already posses? Which ones do you need to develop? As Christians we should never stop growing or developing. Peter was encouraging us to not be satisfied with where our faith is. He was saying that we can add to it to achieve the growth that God desires in us. Just like body builder uses supplements to lean down and build muscle mass, we too should be supplementing our faith so that we will grow our faith.

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July 11, 2013 · 6:30 AM

Delayed

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When you travel as much as I do, you’re bound to have days like I had yesterday. I left Mobile, AL early to get to New Orleans, LA for a noon flight. When it was time to board the plane, they said there was a short delay. Twenty minutes later, the incoming flight landed and deplaned. As soon as the announcer said we had to wait due to weather, the pilot walked up and said to let us board. Once we were on board, plans changed. The weather got bad again in Atlanta, GA where we were heading. We had a 45 minute delay on the plane now.

When the 45 minute delay was up, they came on and said it would be longer. People, like me, started to wonder about our connecting flights. The flight attendant got on the intercom and addressed our concerns. Not only were flights not being let into Atlanta, flights weren’t being let out either. So most of us should make our connections. When we finally got to Atlanta, the airport was crazy. Crowds of people were packed around each gate. People were frantically running. People were on their phones explaining to others what was happening. Above all, they were upset.

Aside from getting to my intended destination several hours later than I planned, there were no real hiccups. It looked like most of us were in the same boat. We were going to get to our destination, just not at the time we had hoped for or anticipated. I’ve learned (am learning!) not to get worked up when things don’t happen according to my time table. God is in control and this is a reminder of that.

If God had intended for me to get to my destination at the time I had planned and prepared for, He would have made a way. Who knows what all is going on behind the scenes that I can’t see? God could cause a delay to make sure I crossed paths with someone, open a door of communication to share His love with someone that wouldn’t have been there otherwise or to save a life from a disaster that could have occurred. The truth is, we may never know why we are delayed by traffic, weather or whatever so there’s no sense in getting upset and angry over something out of our control.

Delays aren’t a surprise to God. He knew when I got up yesterday what time I would arrive at my destination. The delay was built into His plan for my life. Getting upset and angry over it could put me on the opposite side of the argument from God. That’s not where I want to be. I’m sure that’s not where you want to be either. Learning to trust God through delays is something we all have room to improve on. Trusting Him when His answers are delayed takes even more faith.

How do you respond when you are delayed? Is there room for improvement? How do you react when the “deadline” passes and God hasn’t answered yet? Do you feel angry? Disappointed? Hurt? We may not understand now why we are delayed or why God delays in answering us, but we can trust in the fact that He is in control and we are not. He knows what is best for us even when we can’t see it. Trust Him through your delays and watch your faith grow. You’ll be a happier person because of it.

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July 10, 2013 · 8:42 AM

What Are You Building?

I was looking at some old photo albums at church last week when I came across one from 1993. It was pictures of my first mission trip where we went to a small village in the heart of Mexico to build a church. Not only was I 20 years younger, I was 20 years skinnier! As I flipped through the pictures, I got excited all over again. I remembered the fun I had, the blessings I received, the people we touched and the work we did. I spent more time on that trip building relationships than building the church building.

That trip not only got me excited for a lifetime of doing missions work, but also taught me the value in building relationships. I believe that the best way to grow the church is through relationships. When you look at the ministry of Jesus, that’s what He did. He went place to place building relationships with the people He came into contact with. He focused His ministry on building the kingdom not buildings.

Paul is another great example of someone who built their ministry on relationships. All the books in the New Testament that he wrote were to people and churches he had relationships with. You can’t speak to people the way he did without having first built a relationship with them. He not only spent time ministering in places he went, he spent time working beside fellow believers. He wasn’t just trying to preach to a large crowd, get an offering and leave. He was investing in the people he was ministering to.

If it was good enough for Jesus and Paul, shouldn’t it be good enough for us today? How many of us truly spend quality time getting to know others we’re ministering to or with? In I Corinthians 3, Paul said that some plant seeds, some water and some harvest. Planting, watering and harvesting are all done through relationships. The harvest doesn’t come unless someone has invested time in a relationship planting seeds and watering them.

If God’s desire is to have a relationship with you and me, shouldn’t we desire to have relationships with others? The underlying story of the Bible is God trying desperately to find ways to connect with us so we can have that relationship with Him. Ministry isn’t only done behind the pulpit. Ministry is done on the streets, in people’s homes, at your job and at dinner tables. Each of us have been called to go and make disciples. Discipleship is done through relationships.

Preachers, evangelists and missionaries aren’t the only ones called to ministry. If you bear the name “Christian”, you are called to ministry. You are called to build relationships. You are called to plant seeds. You are called to water seeds. You are called to harvest. You are called to disciple. You may not think of yourself as a minister, but you are. It is the responsibility of each of us to share what God has done in our lives with others.

What relationships do you have in your life that need work? What relationships in your life have you neglected? Who do you have a relationship with now that needs Jesus? You don’t win them by forcing Him down their throat. You win them through relationship. You win them because you’ve earned the right to share what God has done for you personally. Don’t spend more time building a ministry than you do building relationships. If you build relationships, the ministry opportunities will come.

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July 9, 2013 · 8:06 AM

Knowing Without Believing

A friend of mine recently posted a quote from A. W. Tozer that resonated with me. He said, “Anything God has ever done, He can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, He can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, He can do for you.” To me, that’s powerful. It’s something I know, but don’t always believe. The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That’s the scripture which Tozer based this on.

Think of all the amazing things God has ever done. You’ve probably read about them in the Bible. He still has that same power and ability today. Think of the testimonies you’ve heard from all over the world of what God is doing. He can do those same things right where you and I are. He can make a way where there is no way. He can part the seas that stand in your way. It takes faith to believe it and to see it.

What God has done for any individual in the Bible, He can do for me and you. If you need healing, it’s there for you. Reach out and touch the hem of His garment. If you need a miracle, He wants to do it for you. What Jesus did in the Gospels was not limited to that time period. He has the same power and the same ability today as He did then. It’s our faith that’s lacking.

Somehow we’ve let our knowledge trump our faith. We’ve allowed our intellect to allow us to believe in God, but not in miracles anymore. Faith is beyond knowing. Its about trusting God to do what only He can do. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.” We all hope that God will move in our lives, bring healing and intervene in our circumstances. We’re just not that confidant.

How do we get that confidence? I believe it starts with reading the stories of people in the Bible whom God intervened in their lives. I believe it continues with hearing stories of people today whom God is performing miracles for. Then I believe it continues with asking and believing God to do it for me. I have to trust and have confidence that He will do it and that He wants to. I have to act like I believe it. I can just know that He can do it.

What are you needing God to do for you today? Do you know He can do that for you? Or do you believe that He can do that for you? What He has done for anyone in history, He can do for you today. He has not changed and will not change. When Jesus left, He said we would do greater things than He did. Is that a scripture we read or is that something we believe and have confidence in? It’s time to move beyond our knowledge of what God can do and move into faith of what God will do.

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July 8, 2013 · 8:13 AM

The Check Engine Light

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The check engine light has been on in my car for a while. Like most people, I’ve ignored it. The car has run well and has not given me any issues, so I’ve continued to drive it. This month, it’s time to get the annual inspection done and you can’t get it inspected with the check engine light on. I’ve spent a lot of time this weekend trying to figure out what the problem is. I’ve been able to clear all the problems except one. I’m continuing to try to solve that one so my car will be in perfect working order.

I started thinking how many of us have our spiritual check engine light on. We ignore warnings that there is something not right in our lives. We see the light, but we keep going because we either think we’re fine or that it’ll be too costly to fix. I know because I’ve done it. The Holy Spirit would let me know that there was an issue, but I’d counter Him by saying, “It’s all right. This is a one time thing. I’m not going to make a habit of this.”

After we continue to ignore His warnings, it becomes like that light in my car, we hardly even notice anymore. We continue on in our lives, knowing what is right and continuing to do something else. What we said was a “one time thing” becomes a root for something even bigger. Sin rarely starts off big. It starts as a small step and leads to another small step. We justify each step until something happens and we realize we’re a long way away from where we should be.

We should each perform inspections like we do for our cars. In I Corinthians 11:28, Paul tells us to examine (inspect) ourselves before we take communion. For some churches, that’s every week. For others, once a month. However long it is between for you, that’s a perfect time to see if your spiritual check engine light is on. It’s also the time you need to figure out why it’s on and to do what’s necessary to get it turned off. The good news is that the price has been paid, we just need to do our part to replace the things in our lives that are causing it to be on.

What I’ve found is that the longer I continue to go without examining or inspecting myself, the more I have to repair in my life. Typically, it’s relationships that I have to repair, and my relationship with God is the first one that needs to be repaired. After that, I go to others whom I’ve ignored or offended and seek forgiveness. It’s not easy and it requires time and effort. I have to put things in place that keep me from going back and doing the things that caused my spiritual check engine light to come on in the first place.

What about you? Is there something in your life that you’ve ignored that God has given you a warning over? Have you continued on in your life so much that you hardly even notice anymore? How long has it been since you’ve done an inspection of your life? Let me encourage you to do it today. Don’t go another day without fixing the issues in your life that are causing God to warn you that something is wrong. It starts with repentance and ends with a life running full throttle for God.

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July 5, 2013 · 9:41 AM

Are you a Backseat Driver?

My wife and I took a road trip this weekend. The two of us were in the front seat and our toddler was in the back seat. All throughout the trip she would talk to him, play with him and occupy him while I drove. There were a couple of times when she was playing with him when a car in front of me had braked. I too applied my break. When I did, she would look up or turn around to see a car in front of me with their brake lights on and she would let out a yelp and brace herself with the dashboard. We laughed because it was unusual for her to do that.

After doing this a couple of times, I told her, “I got this. Trust me. I knew he was going to brake and I was prepared.” I explained that I had taken defensive driving classes plenty of times (don’t ask why) and that they taught me to look 10-20 seconds ahead to where I was going. As a passenger though, she wasn’t occupied with what was ahead. She kept getting startled and scared by what kept popping up in our path because she wasn’t looking ahead. She was looking behind mostly or right in front of us.

I think a lot of us live life that way. We are either constantly looking back while our lives are moving forward or we are so concentrated on what is right ahead of us that we fail to look ahead. We get caught up when something pops up that we didn’t expect and let out a yelp. We see brake lights in our path and grab our dashboard in fear. We get preoccupied with everything around us without looking ahead to where we are going.

When we do that, I can hear God say, “I got this. Trust me. I knew this was going to happen.” Instead of trusting Him though, we become a backseat driver to Him. We tell Him He should have braked earlier. He should have warned us. We question why He’s taking this road instead of that one. We tell Him to slow down or to speed up. Our lack of trust in who He is and in the plan for our lives begins to show up when we do this.

It kind of reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. The son who had left was returning home after he squandered all that was given to him. While he was walking, he was so concentrated on what he would say. He worried if he would be received and was practicing over and over what he would tell his dad when he got home. He was doing this so much, that he wasn’t even looking ahead. He didn’t know where he was, but his dad did. He was still a long way off when his father saw him and ran to him.

God is always looking far off ahead of us. He knows our path and His plan for our lives. While we are looking down or behind, He is looking ahead and preparing. When things happen suddenly, it may cause you to grab the dashboard and scream because you are unprepared for it, but He is not. Trust Him to do the driving His way. Just because where He is taking you doesn’t make sense at the moment, it doesn’t mean He has fallen asleep at the wheel. Trust Him with your life and try not to be a backseat driver.

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July 4, 2013 · 9:00 AM

A Prayer of Restoration

While my pastor was dismissing our service this past Sunday, he asked, “How many of you pray for our country and president?” It was rhetorical, but still hit home. It’s easy to sit and talk about what’s wrong with our country and about politicians we don’t like. If we spent the same amount of time and energy as Christians praying for both, our country would be in a much better place. I’m going to use today’s post to pray for both our country and our leaders.

Father,

Thank you for the blessing of living in the land of the free. I recognize there are so many other places in the world who are not afforded the luxuries and freedoms we enjoy here. Help us to not take those things for granted and to be better stewards of what you have blessed us with. Help us to use what you’ve given us to help those who are less fortunate.

Today, we are a nation deeply divided over what we perceive to be right and wrong. I’m reminded of the words Abraham Lincoln said: “My concern is not whether God is on my side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Help us to be more concerned with being on your side than being “right” in these arguments. Heal the divide that our nation has.

Your Son Jesus said that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. We are fighting against each other rather than working on what you want. We are squandering the blessings you have given to us rather than using them for your glory. Bring revival to our country. Call us out of the darkness we are in. Bring us into your marvelous light. Send your Spirit across this nation calling us to repentance. Restore us to right standing with you.

I lift up our president. I ask that you give Him wisdom in how he handles the affairs of this great nation. Give him understanding of how to govern according to your ways. I ask that you put Christians around him who will give him godly wisdom and help him to make good decisions for our country. Show him what path to take this country down. Give him the courage to make an about face in the areas that are against your will and the strength to continue on the paths that are aligned with your Word.

Protect him and his family from those who seek to do them harm. Guard them with your angels. Keep them in perfect peace. Let his family find their strength and salvation in you alone. Send pastors and teachers to them who will share your Word with them. Give them boldness to speak what you would have them to speak. Open the heart of our president to hear what you have to say. Draw him to your side.

I pray for all of our other politicians in Washington D.C. and across the country. I ask that from the smallest town the largest city those who govern them would seek you and your Word for wisdom. Let them come to know you and find common ground in the Bible. Let them live justly, walk humbly and love mercy. Help our congressmen and our senators to work together to bring us out of this recession using the precepts you have given for getting and staying out of debt. Give them wisdom in how we should be reaching out and helping other nations who are in turmoil right now.

This nation was founded on principles from your Word. Help us to return to those principles that have stood the test of time. We as a nation have sinned and left your path. Forgive us. Wash us white as snow and help us to turn from our wicked ways. Cause us to walk in right standing with you once again. Let us see you as our healer, savior and guide.

I ask that you would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Restore families in our nation. Not only is our government divided, our families are too. Bring them back together and bring healing in our homes. Help us to raise godly children. Show us how to put your Word in their hearts so that when they’re old, they won’t depart from your paths.

Thank you for hearing this prayer and for answering it quickly. We need your hand of providence to touch us and guide us once again.

In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen

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