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June 9, 2020 · 5:46 AM

Curing Sin

People will often ask me, “Why would you drive six hours one way to go to the doctor?” It’s a legitimate question. My answer is always the same, “He is interested in curing me instead of treating me.” There’s a big difference between the two. Most of the American system of healthcare is designed to treat the symptoms of a disease instead of attacking it at its root because the money is in treating it rather than curing it. Think of all the over the counter medicine we buy. We’re reading the symptoms on the box that it treats so that we can be relieved of them for about four hours. Then, we have to take that medicine again just to get rid of the symptoms again. We go back and buy a new bottle when we run out. What if there was a medicine that stopped what was causing the symptoms with one dose? Would you rather take that? That’s the difference in treating diseases versus curing them.

That same line of thinking that treats the symptoms creeps into our Christianity. We look at the symptoms of our brokenness and try to treat them. Each of us have certain propensities to sin based on the way we’re broken inside. We get mad at ourselves for falling for the same temptations over and over and vow not to commit that particular sin again. We try to remove the triggers, we try to make sure we’re not in those situations again or we think we somehow have the willpower to beat it. None of those work because they’re dealing with the fruit of the sin rather than the root of it. As long as we do that, we will continue to commit the same sins over and over. We’re been conditioned to think our salvation is based on our behavior rather than God’s grace.

In Mark 2, Jesus was addressing the same thinking in the Pharisees. Some friends lowered a guy through a ceiling to be healed by Jesus. The first thing Jesus told him was that his sins were forgiven. Why? Because that was his greatest need. His physical condition was a result of the fall of man. He then healed the man, but the Pharisees got angry. Jesus later called Matthew and then went to his house for dinner. The Pharisees couldn’t believe Jesus’ behavior because their relationship with God was based on symptoms and behaviors rather than grace. I’m verse 17, Jesus replied, “Who goes to the doctor for a cure? Those who are well or those who are sick? I have not come to call the ‘righteous,’ but to call those who are sinners and bring them to repentance” (TPT). Jesus didn’t die to relieve the symptoms of a fallen world. He died to make you whole and to cure the disease of sin within you.

Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash

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June 8, 2020 · 5:56 AM

Choosing To Be Thankful

Years ago I learned the Law of Thanksgiving. It simply states that the more you give thanks, the more you have to give thanks for. Think about that for a second. When’s the last time you were thankful for something? So far 2020 has been a crazy year. I see a ton of people complaining about it and wondering what’s next. We can be thankful that World War 3 didn’t happen, that COVID-19 didn’t kill the percentages that we were told it would, we got to spend some time at home with our family and we’re learning to have some long overdue conversations. I’m not minimizing the seriousness or impact any of the events that have happened so far this year, but there are reasons to give thanks in all of them.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus” (TPT). No matter what’s going on in your life, there’s a way and a reason to give thanks. In my darkest days, I learned to thank God that I didn’t have things as badly as someone else had it. It took a conscious effort to change my mind from, “I don’t think Job had it this bad” to “God, I realize things could be a lot worse in my life. Thank you that it’s not.” The more I began to change how I saw my situation and found reasons to be thankful, the less bitter I became. I believe it shortened the long term negative impact it could have had on my life.

Psalm 107 is a great chapter to teach thankfulness. I recommend reading the whole chapter, but today I want to share verses 8-9. They say, “So lift your hands and thank God for his marvelous kindness and for all his miracles of mercy for those he loves. How he satisfies the souls of thirsty ones and fills the hungry with all that is good!” To cultivate a thankful heart, you can’t just keep your thanks inside. You need to share it. Even though it’s not November as I write this, try thinking of one thing each day that you are thankful for and share that with others. Try doing that for 30 days or even longer. You will find that your outlook on life will change and that suddenly you will have a lot to be thankful for.

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

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June 5, 2020 · 6:05 AM

Love And Justice

I recently watched the documentary “Free Burma Rangers”. It is the story of a man training every day people to fight for the ethnic minorities who are oppressed in Burma. They get medical supplies to those who need them and treat the wounded. At one point, he was asked to deliver medical supplies to Mosul, Iraq. At the time, it was controlled by Isis. As he tried to help people, the Iraqi army was working to free Mosul. After freeing a family and giving them supplies, the got on a tractor to head for family. It wasn’t 10 minutes after they were freed that they hit a land mine left by Isis. The main guy was angry and told the camera all he could think about was killing Isis at that point. Then God spoke to him and reminded him that vengeance belongs to the Lord and he needed to keep working for justice.

He said, “I realized in that moment that vengeance and justice look the same and often have the similar outcomes, but justice is done out of love while vengeance is done out of anger.” It’s no wonder that God is a just God and wants us on the side of justice. We are to be known for our love, but also for being on the side of justice. The two are designed to work together because love and justice together bring correction. God does not leave us in our sin. Instead, He lovingly corrects and disciplines us in order to get us where we need to be. He corrects the wrongs in our lives and works through us to correct the wrongs in this world because of love.

Here are some Bible verses on justice.

1. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

Isaiah 1:17 NLT

2. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.

Amos 5:24 NLT

3. Justice never makes sense to men devoted to darkness, but those tenderly devoted to the Lord can understand justice perfectly.

Proverbs 28:5 TPT

4. You are doomed, you that twist justice and cheat people out of their rights!

Amos 5:7 GNT

5. He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

Micah 6:8 AMP

Photo by Regine Tholen on Unsplash

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June 4, 2020 · 5:30 AM

Release Worry And Anger

Two the most taxing emotions are worry and anger. Worry robs us of our strength and anger blinds us. I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about things that may or may not happen. My mind is excellent at going through all the worst case scenarios. If there’s a possible bad outcome to any situation, my mind will think of it and make me worry. That stress then wears me down to the point that my mind and body get exhausted. It hinders me from accomplishing the things I need to get done.

On the other hand, I’ve been so angry before that I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I could only picture a bad scenario. That got me upset, got my heart racing and my blood boiling. It made me fantasize about doing evil things to pay them back that were worse than what they did to me. I didn’t want to get even, I wanted to get so far ahead that they never wanted to mess with me again.

These two emotions were given to us by God for a reason, but we can’t let them run wild and free or they will destroy us. Psalm 37:8 says, “Don’t give in to worry or anger; it only leads to trouble” (GNT). Notice how the writer didn’t say, “Don’t feel them.” No. He said, “Don’t give into them.” Don’t let them rule your mind. Left unbridled, they will destroy your well being and later your life. You can’t dwell on them. In both cases, you have to release them.

I know that’s easier said than done, but it is possible. In both situations, the way to release them is to trust God. Do you trust God to do what’s right for you? Then let go of worry and trust His plan. Do you believe that vengeance belongs to the Lord? Then let go of your anger and trust Him to do what’s right in the situation. If you’re struggling with either of these, pray and give the situation to God. When you release it, you will watch the worry and anger go with it.

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

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June 3, 2020 · 6:00 AM

The Master’s Hand

I’ve been thinking of an old poem by Myra Brooks Welch turned into song and sung by Wayne Watson. It’s called, “The Old Violin: The Touch Of The Master’s Hand”. It starts off, “’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while, to waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.” He asked for a dollar for it, maybe two. Then an old man came up, tuned it and played a beautiful melody. The auctioneer then asked for $1,000. It then switches and says, “And many a man with life out of tune, all battered and bruised with hardship, is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd, much like that old violin…But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can understand, the worth of a soul and the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand.”

In Matthew 14, Jesus is grieving John the Baptist’s death and just wants to be alone. He gets in a boat and sails to the middle of the Sea of Galilee, but the crowds follow His every move from the shore. He goes to the shore and heals the sick all day long. By late afternoon, the disciples catch up and presume to tell Jesus what to do. “You should send the crowds away to the nearby villages to buy themselves some food.” But Jesus has other plans and told them to feed the crowd. They answered in verse 17, “But all we have is five barley loaves and two fish.” “Let me have them,” Jesus replied” (TPT). He then fed the 5,000+ crowd with so little.

If you’re like me, you look at your life and say, “God, how can use you me? I have so little to offer.” But going back to the poem and the story in the Bible, value is measured based on whose hands something is in. You and I can only do so much with what I have to maximize our potential. The exponential change and growth happens when we surrender our lives to Him and place them in His hands. Your background, past and brokenness limit you in your own hands, but becomes limitless in His. Where you disqualify yourself, He tunes up and plays a beautiful melody that touches others. Submitting our life to Him is the greatest thing any one of us can do because that’s when we place it in the Master’s Hands.

Photo by Kenny Luo on Unsplash

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June 2, 2020 · 5:56 AM

Motives Matter

In one of the sales psychology courses I took and later trained, there was an assessment you had to take beforehand. In the class, we read through 12 types of individuals and their accompanying behaviors, then we got our results. Mine said I was a Hyper Pro. I took it as a badge of honor when I saw the title. Who wouldn’t want to be hyper professional? Then I started reading the description, the behaviors and how it was holding me back. One of the things it said was that I project success in order to attain success, meaning I care more about my outward appearance hoping it would influence the buyer. In my mind, it was questioning my motives and I took offense to the assessment. That night I was discussing the results with my wife and how upset it made me. She listened to me vent, then simply asked, “But is it true?”

No one likes to have their motives questioned, but it’s something good to examine constantly. The answer to her question changed my life and how I live it. I realized I needed other people’s approval and it was driving so many areas of my life. My motives for how I dressed, what I drove, where I lived were for others. God challenged me that night to get to the root of my need in doing things. While man looks at outward appearances, God looks at our heart and motives. Are we doing things so that we look good and get the accolades? Are we trying to impress others, influence them, get “likes” or shares so that our name is magnified? Those are tough questions to sit down and answer as you look in the mirror.

Matthew 6:1 says, “Examine your motives to make sure you’re not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your Heavenly Father” (TPT). Each of us are to examine our motives in all areas of our lives, but especially those where we are representing God. If we’re doing it so people will think better of us, we’ve got our reward. Verse 3 tells us how to keep things in check. “But when you demonstrate generosity, do it with pure motives and without drawing attention to yourself.” Can you give, help or represent God without trying to show the world to garner “likes” or accolades? I’m not saying we shouldn’t record, post or promote what we’re doing. I’m saying, we need to check our motives first. Motives matter to God.

Thanks to @styleanthropy for making this photo available freely on @unsplash

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May 29, 2020 · 6:01 AM

Honoring Others

One of the things Mary Kay taught her salespeople was that every person they meet has an invisible sign around their neck that says, “Make me feel important.” She knew the key to building great relationships was to treat each person as important. John Maxwell says the way he adds value to his teammates is that he imagines each person has a “10” stamped on their forehead. He’s found that when he treats people based on their potential than their performance, they respond by increasing their performance. He also says that when we are with people, we either add value or subtract it. Adding value takes an intentional effort. You and I have to push past our unconscious biases to make sure we add value to each person we come across.

The Bible uses the word “honor” in these cases. Over and over it tells us to honor people or to add value to them. Part of the culture my church tries to cultivate is honoring people. We say, “Honor up, honor down and honor all around.” We want people to see others as being made in the image of God, and are therefore worthy of being honored and respected. It’s easy to honor and add value to people who are our leaders, but are you honoring those who aren’t as well off or as far along as you? Do you carry the attitude that you are better than others whether consciously or unconsciously? The Bible is clear that valuing, esteeming and honoring all people is a priority for us as believers who represent the God who knitted each person in their mother’s womb and made each person in His image.

Here are some Bible verses on honoring people.

1. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Ephesians 6:2-3 NLT

2. That is also why you pay taxes, because the authorities are working for God when they fulfill their duties. Pay, then, what you owe them; pay them your personal and property taxes, and show respect and honor for them all.

Romans 13:6-7 GNT

3. Honor and help those widows who are truly widowed [alone, and without support].

1 Timothy 5:3 AMP

4. Show respect to the aged; honor the presence of an elder; fear your God. I am GOD.

Leviticus 19:32 MSG

5. Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family. Try to outdo yourselves in respect and honor of one another.

Romans 12:10 TPT

Thanks to @perrygrone for making this photo available freely on @unsplash

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May 27, 2020 · 5:56 AM

Desperate Prayers

If you’re reading this, you’ve been overwhelmed by problems before. You’ve probably spent some time pouring your heart out to God asking for an immediate miracle. Every one of us has been there at some point. When we’re there, Psalm 102 is one we can relate to. It’s official title is, “A Prayer of One Overwhelmed with Trouble, Pouring Out Problems Before the Lord”. Can you relate? Verses 1 and 2 are words we have said. They say, “Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you” (NLT). There’s desperation in those words and an urgency for God to answer. Know that God is not offended by your honesty in prayers. He’s not looking for flowery prayers from us. He longs for us to have real conversations with Him.

After pouring out his problems to God in the first several verses, the psalmist then writes in verse 12, “But then I remember that you, O Lord, still sit enthroned as King over all! The fame of your name will be revealed to every generation” (TPT). It’s a great reminder to any of us who are overwhelmed with things going on in our lives to stop and remember who it is that we’re praying to. When we put God in His place, it puts our problems in theirs. When we remember all He has done, it builds our faith and helps us to look at our problems through God rather than looking at God through our problems. That perspective is important in desperate times. God is greater than whatever you’re facing in that moment.

Finally, I love verses 17-18. They say, “He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord” (NLT). God hears your desperate prayers and your tone. When all you have is God, you have more than enough. Through faith, look ahead to God answering your prayers. Keep a prayer journal so you can share how God has been faithful over your lifetime. It’s great for you to look back on, and it’s great for your children and grandchildren to read. Over the course of time, as you look through that journal, you will see how God had His hand on you throughout all your times of desperation. You’ll see that He may not have answered the way you were asking Him to in that moment, but He did get you through it and work things out for your good. When you’re overwhelmed, it’s important to remember that and keep praying. God is listening and working on your answer even as you read this.

Thanks to Jude Beck for making this photo available freely on @unsplash

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May 26, 2020 · 6:04 AM

Chasing Illusions

One of my buddies is a pretty good magician. He has mastered the art of illusion. Over the years, I became his set up man for his tricks we would do in trainings. Because of my investment, I got to see behind the scenes to each illusion. One of our favorites was a disappearing coin. He would show someone two different coins of different sizes and have them open their hands. He then placed a coin in each of their hands. We would have them close their hands on the coin and identify which was larger. They then clasped their hands, shook them up and separated again. Once they identified the larger coin, they would open their hand and show us. When they opened the other hand, it was a coin exactly like the other. They always wanted to know where the smaller coin went. So he would send them back to their seat and it would be in their book or purse, and neither of us moved.

All illusions trick the brain into believing something other than what’s true. Once the brain believes it, it’s very difficult to convince it otherwise. There are so many illusions that our enemy uses to distract us, and to get us off the paths God has for us. We end up chasing something that looks good, and our brain believes is good, but in the end, it’s just an illusion that distracts us from what God wants. We all fall for them because we’re human and the devil is a master deceiver. He is constantly trying to disrupt our focus, our direction and our relationship with God. His goal is to get us to believe something other than what God said or meant. Think of Adam and Eve in the garden. The fruit was the illusion to distract with the belief that God was holding out on them. The moment they fell for it, they realized they had been fooled.

The main way to combat the illusions and lies of our enemy is to know God’s Word and put it in our heart that we might not sin against God (Psalm 119:11). David knew this importance and wrote a prayer just a few verses later. It says in verse 37, “Help me turn my eyes away from illusions so that I pursue only that which is true; drench my soul with life as I walk in your paths” (TPT). Asking God to help us keep our eyes on Him is another important thing we can do to keep from falling for illusions. Any accomplished magician has mastered the art of distraction. So has our enemy. Keep your eyes on Jesus, stay in His Word and pray that you stay focused on Him. The enemy’s illusions end up leaving you empty handed chasing after something that isn’t real, but God’s paths lead to fulfillment and life.

Thanks to @omkarn285 for making this photo available freely on @unsplash

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May 25, 2020 · 5:55 AM

Your Innermost Circle

When I was a kid, I began to hear my parents tell me, “You become like those you run with. Choose wisely.” Those were wise words to a child, but they’re also wise words to you as an adult. We like to think that people don’t change us, but the truth of the matter is that each of us are being sharpened and shaped by the people closest to us. They’re the ones whom we let down our facade the most with to show who we really are. Because of that vulnerability, they become the people who shape our decisions, our interests and even direction of our life. Your innermost circle of friends even determine the level of success you’ll have in life. You can’t soar with eagles if you’re scratching around with turkeys all the time.

The Bible has a lot to say about friendships. It gives examples of people like David and Jonathon who were willing to sacrifice everything for each other. There’s also Paul and Timothy whose friendship was one where Paul was a mentor as he shaped this young pastor. However, Job had some friends that gave him bad advice and weren’t able to endure the suffering with their friend. They used their influence in his life to try to misrepresent God and affect his relationship with Him. The people we let in our innermost circle of friends shape even our relationship with God, so it’s eternally important to choose wisely.

In Psalm 101:6 David says, “My innermost circle will only be those whom I know are pure and godly. They will be the only ones I allow to minister to me” (TPT). He understood the importance of that group on his relationship with God and wanted to protect it most. Who are you allowing to minister to you and to shape your relationship with God? Are they pushing you closer to Him or are they misrepresenting God to you? If they’re not making you sharper, challenging you to grow more or improving your relationship with God, they’re holding you back. David was selective about who he let into that group, and we should be too. God is calling us to greater maturity, faith and relationship with Him. Are the people closest to you influencing you in that direction?

Thanks to @lyrawhite for making this photo available freely on @unsplash

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