Tag Archives: spiritual

April 17, 2013 · 8:35 AM

Spiritual Apnea

One of the things you may not know about me is that I have sleep apnea. What happens is that when my body is at rest, the air pressure outside my body is greater than on the inside causing me to not only snore, but also can deprive my brain of oxygen. To fix the problem, I sleep with a CPAP machine and mask that pushes air into me. The machine creates a positive air pressure in me so that the pressure inside is greater than the pressure outside.

You and I walk in a world that is constantly trying to force us and to shape us into its mold. We are pressured from every side to compromise, to give in or up and to conform to its ways. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It’s a clear command that we are to resist the pressures that are on the outside.

Sometimes the outside pressure is stronger than our inside pressure to resist. When we give in to those pressures, our spirit is deprived of the things it needs to stay strong and healthy. We start to exhibit the side effects of spiritual apnea. We fall asleep spiritually, our prayers cease to have the power they once had, our faith begins to wane. We eventually allow this to be the norm for our spiritual life. There is no growth only maintenance.

The good news is that God has given each of us His Holy Spirit to create a positive pressure in us to combat the external pressures of this world. Acts 1:8 says, “But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” God has given us the power, ability, efficiency and might to combat the pressures that come against us. Just like I have that CPAP machine, if I don’t use it, it’s wont help me create a positive pressure inside. We can be guilty of having the Holy Spirit and not using the power He has given us to have a positive pressure.

II Corinthians 4:7-8 tells us, “This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side, but we are not crushed.” The power and pressure God has given us will not allow us to be crushed by this world. His desire is not to just equalize the pressure between our inside and the world, but to create a greater power and pressure in us that extends into the world. We are not to maintain, but to advance. We are to conquer.

Romans 8 says that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. God wants you to walk in victory today. We were not made to be defeated. Quit living like you’ve been defeated today because that’s not who you are in Christ. Change your mindset, access the power of the Holy Spirit that is dwelling in you and go create positive change today in your world. You have the power and ability according to what we read. Now walk in faith believing in the victory God has given you.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 22, 2013 · 8:06 AM

Training for Godliness (Pt 5)

This week, I’m doing a series on training for Godliness. Many Christians don’t look at the life they lead as a marathon and therefore don’t train their spirit to handle struggles that come. These lessons will provide you with the tools you need to keep your spirit strengthened for a lifetime. Our core scripture I Timothy 4:8. It says, “Physical Training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. (NLT)”

Links to previous parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Training

Once you can do everything that we discussed this week, it’s time to really start training. Training is about pushing yourself beyond your limits. Jesse Owens, the Olympic sprinter, talked about how he learned to push beyond the pain. We must too. We can’t let life’s pains stop us from our training and running our race. We can’t let other people’s faults interrupt us from reaching our goal. It’s time to start really putting our faith into practice daily. Each day I ask God to allow me to be His hands and feet to at least one person. I ask that He would use me to speak His words to someone.

Training is hard work. Hebrews 12:2 in the Message says, “It means we better get on with it. Strip down, start running – and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – He could put up with anything.” Start running and never stop. Keep your mind on things above and look to what awaits those who finish the race.

Keep your mind on the prize. Paul said it like this in Philippians 3:14, “Friends, now don’t get me wrong; by no means do I consider myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus.” Just like in a marathon, you need to keep your mind on your goal of completing the race and hearing Jesus say, “Well done.” Hebrews 12:1 says that there is a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on! We aren’t alone in this race. We have others who are out there to help us complete it. Find a running buddy and challenge each other daily to keep going further than you ever thought possible.

Conclusion

There are many similarities in training for a marathon and training for godliness. Both require mental strength and endurance. One is for temporary gain and the other is for eternal gain. Set your mind on the things that are above and remember that this world is not our home. We should be working towards our eternal home. Spend time each day working on getting there. Philippians 2:12 says, “Work hard to show the results of your salvation.” Keep working. Keep pushing. Don’t let set backs discourage you. You are not running this race alone. You’re in it to win it!

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 20, 2013 · 8:00 AM

Training for Godliness (Pt 3)

This week, I’m doing a series on training for Godliness. Many Christians don’t look at the life they lead as a marathon and therefore don’t train their spirit to handle struggles that come. These lessons will provide you with the tools you need to keep your spirit strengthened for a lifetime. Our core scripture I Timothy 4:8. It says, “Physical Training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. (NLT)”

Links to previous parts Part 1 Part 2.

Nutrition

Proper nutrition is essential when in training. It will keep you strong and keep you going. You need to have a steady diet of God’s Word in you. Thats what will keep you strong in your faith and keep you going in the difficult times. When researching nutrition for a marathon, they recommended that your diet should consist of 65% complex carbohydrates, 25% unsaturated fats and 10% protein. As a Christian, I believe you should be getting 65% of your nutrition from your study of God’s Word and in prayer. It is important that you are feeding yourself.

You should get 25% from your church. It should not be the bulk of your diet. The food you get there should balance out what God is giving you personally. It should help give you more nutrition beyond what God is speaking to you. For too many of us, the only time our spirit gets nutrition is on Sunday morning. Your physical body won’t last long eating once a week and neither will your spirit man.

The final 10% should come from other trusted places. I recommend reading books or blogs on living a Christian life. There are a lot of places where you can get daily doses of God’s Word. Find books or blogs that challenge you to do more than you’re doing now. Some book authors I recommend are Mark Batterson, Chip Ingram, John Bevere and Max Lucado. These men write things that challenge me to grow and help change my perspective.

Hydration

You will go no where if you get dehydrated. You must carry water with you and drink it often if you are running a marathon. Dehydration causes weakness, dizziness, confusion and sluggishness. Spiritual dehydration causes the same symptoms. If you are weak, you are vulnerable to attack. If you are dizzy or confused, it is easy to get lead astray. If you are sluggish, you should go to the ant and consider her ways according to Solomon! These things will slow and stop your spiritual growth. Just as dehydration physically is dangerous, it is more so to be dehydrated spiritually.

We all go through the dry times our lives. We must continuously pour the water of God’s word into our spirit. In the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13:3-9, Jesus talked of the seeds that fell among the rocks. It says, “But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. (NLT)” You need roots to get water. The water for your spirit is in God’s word. Dig deep into it and plant your roots in it so you can stay spiritually hydrated. If you don’t read the Bible much because you don’t speak personally in “thee’s” and “thou’s”, then read a different translation. I recommend the New Living Translation. It’s easy to understand and is in language that you speak.

Tomorrow we will look at how to avoid injury and some pre-training things you need to do before you really start training for Godliness.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 19, 2013 · 8:13 AM

Training for Godliness (Pt 2)

This week, I’m doing a series on training for Godliness. Many Christians don’t look at the life they lead as a marathon and therefore don’t train their spirit to handle struggles that come. These lessons will provide you with the tools you need to keep your spirit strengthened for a lifetime. Our core scripture I Timothy 4:8. It says, “Physical Training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. (NLT)”

To read Part 1click here.

Setting Goals

The next important step in spiritual discipline is setting goals. Each of us set goals in our daily lives whether it’s for work, retirement, our family or leisure. Why don’t we set spiritual goals? Proverbs 21:5 says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity. (NLT)” We need to plan out our spiritual growth. Where do you want to be in your walk with God one year from now? Five years from now? Ten years from now? What would that look like?

It’s going to take hard work to achieve those goals. Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen over night. It takes time, planning, dedication and hard work. I also encourage you to write out your goals. Read them out loud every day. Tell yourself where you’re going and keep your eye on the prize. Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. (NKJV)” You are not running a sprint race. You’re running a marathon. If you’re going to run, you need to write it down and read it so you can continue to run in the hard times! Having the right goals for the right reasons will help you to be successful. A few months ago I wrote an entire post on setting spiritual goals. You can read it here.

Wearing The Right Gear

In physical training and exercise, the right gear is of utmost importance. Your gear can help you or hinder you. In I Samuel 17:38 – 40 we read where David was about to go out to fight Goliath. Saul wanted David to be dressed for battle so he put his own armor on him. The Message says that “David tried to walk around but he could hardly budge… Then David took his shepherd’s staff, selected five stones from the brook, and he put them in his shepherd’s pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.”

Knowing what gear you need to be spiritually disciplined is key. While Saul’s armor was too big, God’s armor is just right. It was tailor made for you! Ephesians 6 tells us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood so physical armor won’t do any good. We need spiritual armor. It also tells us that we should put on God’s complete armor. Half way dressed for this won’t cut it. You will be in trouble quickly unless you fully suit up.

In a marathon, your shoes are one of your most important pieces. It’s the same in our spiritual race too. Ephesians 6:15 says, “And having shod your feet in preparation to face the enemy with firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news of the Gospel of peace. (AMP)” If you’re going to resolve to be spiritually fit and to grow spiritually, you need to be prepared to face some opposition from the enemy. You need the Word of God to help you keep your footing while you are fighting. Jesus used the Word of God to keep His footing while being tempted and you should too.

Tomorrow, we will look at having the proper nutrition and staying hydrated.

5 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 8, 2013 · 7:13 AM

Abba Father

I want to wrap up this week of the names of God with one that I feel is most important: Abba Father. I spent the entire week in the Old Testament, so I thought I’d bring you one from the New. It’s a name we may use in prayer, but really never give much thought to. Abba is really like saying “Dad”. If you have a relationship with your earthly father, chances are that you call him “Dad” and not father. Dad implies a certain relationship. One that is close. One that is personal.

That’s what God wants to have with you. A close, personal relationship. He wants you to call him “Dad”. When you were born into this world, you were a spiritual orphan. We are all born without a spiritual father. Our sin nature separates us at birth. God saw that we were separated and couldn’t just leave us in an orphaned state. He chose to adopt us as His own.

As you may know, adoption isn’t cheap. Ours cost Him His blood son’s life. He gave up His only son so that you and I could be adopted into His family. Think about that for a minute. He had a son, yet He saw us fatherless and chose to pay the highest price possible because He thinks you are worth that much. Yes, you. The adoption process was long and hard. He had to wait until just the right time before He did it.

Romans 8:15 says, “You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father’.” God didn’t want us to be His slaves who had to do what we were told because He was our master. Instead He wanted us as His own children who would serve Him out of love. There’s a huge difference between those two relationships.

You may not have had a dad growing up or you may have had one that wasn’t really there or involved. Psalm 68:5 says that God is a father to the fatherless. He wants to be more than your father. He wants to be your dad. He wants to be who you never had. He wants to fill that relational void in your life. He’s not content to just have you believe in Him, He wants to talk with you, walk with you and to provide the kind of wisdom and insight that you would get from an earthly father.

I don’t fully understand what it is to adopt or to be adopted. I have many friends who have adopted or are in the process of adopting. I can tell you that my friends who have adopted love their adopted children as their own because they are their own children. They don’t see them as adopted. They see them as blood. That’s how God sees you, not as adopted, but as His own, because He bought you with His blood. You have a dad both physical and spiritual in your Abba Father.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 28, 2013 · 6:36 AM

Move Forward

There’s a commercial out right now for the 2013 Lexus GS that caught my eye. It starts off with a Zack Morris phone on its side. All of a sudden it starts to vibrate on the ground and then it gets sucked backwards. It’s quickly followed by a Sony Walkman and then a record player. The announcer starts off and then says, “Anything not moving forward is moving backward.” Other things you recognize from years past go flying by as the camera moves forward to the car. It starts to get sucked backwards, but it peels out and moves forward.

It’s a great example of our spiritual walk. We are constantly being pulled backwards. We are being drawn to our old lives and the things we’ve left behind. While we’ve had successes in the past, we cannot rely on them to keep us moving forward. We must constantly be finding ways to move forward in our walk with Christ. Paul said in Philippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal.” He knew it wasn’t so etching easy. It was something you have to strive for.

If anyone could have rested on their past successes, it was Paul. A couple of verses before he said that, he said, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have reached perfection.” He knew there was more to do. He has not yet attained so he needed to keep pressing on. We all need to make sure that we don’t rest in our walk with Christ. We have not attained where he wants us. There’s always room for growth.

Just like the commercial said, “Anything not moving forward is moving backward.” So are we in our walk with God. The gravity of our old life, of this world is pulling us backward. We must break the bonds of the things that pull us back so we can move forward. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to strip off every weight that slows us down so we can run with endurance and not get tripped up. Those weights slow you down to the point that it’s easier to move backwards than forwards.

Pray today and ask God what weights are holding you back. You probably already know what they are. Whatever it is that is holding you back from moving forward with God, must be cast aside. Your spiritual life is more important than your physical comfort. Free yourself of the things that hold you back so you can embrace the future God has for you. Keep moving forward and drawing close to Him each day. He will not only draw close to you, but you will no longer miss the things that once weighed you down.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 4, 2012 · 7:56 AM

Want to Trade?

I grew up going to a Wednesday night scouting program through my church. We earned badges, learned how to set up a campsite and went camping. There were competition camp outs with the section and district that I enjoyed. Every four years there would be a national camp out where people from all over would attend. There were people from all over who attended.

At the national camp out, each district brings hat pins with them and trades them with kids from other parts of the US and world. Just like anything that is traded, some pins become popular and more difficult to get and others are less popular which no one wants. Every where you go, people are stopping you to see what pins you have. They are hoping to make a trade. Without any good pins, it’s hard to make a trade with anyone.

There was a man not far from where I was camping who set up a table outside his tent. He had a towel stretched out with pins from all over the world on it. There were Russian military pins, pins from European countries, pins from national monuments and pins that blinked. His collection was amazing. Word spread to everyone where he was set up. I walked over to look at his collection. It truly was amazing. He had been collecting for years.

As I stood in line to see, I got close enough to hear what was going on. Each boy that walked up to the table heard him ask, “Which one is your favorite?” The boys would think long and hard then point to their favorite. He’d tell them the story of how he got it and then he’d ask another question. He’d ask, “Which pin do you have that you like the least?” The boys were quick to point out which one they didn’t like. He then asked, “Would you like to trade that one for your favorite?” It didn’t take very long for each kid to jump on that trade.

It got me to thinking of how each of us have things, habits and flaws in our lives that we don’t like. We can all point to our mistakes and say, “I wish I could trade that for something better.” What I’ve learned about God is just that. He takes our worst and gives us His best. Galatians 5 mentions the flaws we have: immorality, impurity, indecency, selfishness, envy and the like. Then it tells us what God gives in exchange: love, joy, gladness, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

I’m not sure why we hang on to some of those old habits when you look at the list of what God wants to trade. Letting go of those is hard for us somehow. Accepting something so much better is somehow more difficult. We know the trade is completely in our favor and I think that makes us feel guilty or unworthy to accept it. Romans says that not one of us is worthy, but God showed us His love by sending His Son to die for us while we were still sinners.

What do you have to trade today? What have you been holding onto that you want to let go? Make the trade. Tell Him what you want that He has and what you want to trade for it. He’ll gladly do it and you’ll be better off for it.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 3, 2012 · 8:07 AM

Liaisons for the Lost

If you knew someone famous and your friends knew it, would you give in to their pleas for you to introduce them? Most of us probably wouldn’t. We don’t want to jeopardize our friendship with the famous person in order to satisfy our friend’s desire. I wonder how many of us fail to introduce our friends to Jesus. We won’t introduce them for the opposite reason though. We don’t want to jeopardize our friendship with them instead of being concerned with our relationship with Jesus.

In Mark chapter two, four friends take another friend to see Jesus. When they arrive, the place where Jesus is speaking is full. There are so many people that they are spilling out into the street and these four guys can’t even get near the door. They are desperate for their friend who is paralyzed to see Jesus. They take him up to the roof of the place where Jesus was speaking and then start digging until they’ve created a hole big enough to lower their friend through.

When Jesus sees the faith of the friends, He speaks to the man who was lowered down and forgives his sins. Jesus was more concerned about healing him spiritually than he was physically. I don’t even know if is friends were thinking he needed a spiritual healing. I’m sure they were just looking for a physical healing. A physical healing is pointless without a spiritual healing first though. A physical healing is temporary, but a spiritual healing is eternal.

A friend of mine spoke to me yesterday about being a liaison for Jesus. When he mentioned it, I though of this story. These men were liaisons and made sure their friend was placed In front of Jesus. They didn’t care what else was going on, what Jesus was doing or whose house they were tearing the roof off of. They just knew that their friend needed help and Jesus was the one who could heal.

Each of us have people in our lives that need to be taken to Jesus for healing whether it’s physical, spiritual or both. What are we doing about it? Are we just mentioning our friend in passing? Do we get to the door, see it’s full and go back home? Or do we find a way to get on a roof, dig through all the layers of things that separate us from Jesus and make a way to get in front of Him? It was always those people who got more than they hoped for.

The woman with the issue of blood couldn’t get to Jesus. She wasn’t big enough or strong enough to push through the crowd to get to Him. Instead she got on her hands and knees and crawled through the dirt and muck so that she could at least touch the hem of His garment. Where’s that kind of tenacity in our prayer lives today? Where’s that kind of determination to see people healed and forgiven? I know I need to have more of it. I think when we get that kind of fire in us, we’ll start to make the difference we were called to make.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

November 19, 2012 · 9:39 AM

Your Spiritual Ancestry

I read a book last year by Mark Batterson called “Primal”. It was one of the most spiritually challenging books I’ve read. In it, he starts off by going into the catacombs in Rome. As he is looking at the graves of early Christians, he refers to them as our spiritual ancestors. I had never thought of the early church as ancestors or what they would think of the church today. They made sacrifices for the faith that many of us will never have to. They faced lions, ridicule, beheadings, torture and more.

I would call it bravery what they did, but I think it was more than that. It was the epitome of faith. Being sure of things hoped for. They believed with all of their heart in Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven and salvation. They did not count this life on earth as more valuable than the life which is to come. Their faith was certain even in the face of death.

I often wonder how I would react if I were ever in their situation. It’s easy to sit here in my air conditioned living room in a free nation to say I believe in my faith enough to die for it. It’s another thing to have those freedoms erased and having to live my faith in secret. I’ve lived in places and am friends with people who aren’t as fortunate as I am. They meet in secret to hold church. They are under constant threat of their lives for their faith.

I’ll never forget being with some of these friends one night. After our service, when we got back to the place we were staying, men formed a circle with me in the middle. They leaned over me as I squatted and walked from the car to the house. Their bodies were shields for me from snipers who would like to kill us for being Christians. It’s an humbling thing to have others risk their lives to save yours as if somehow your life was more valuable than theirs.

For generations ahead of us, our ancestors, spiritual and otherwise, have made sacrifices so that we could enjoy the heritage and freedoms that we have today. When I think of that, it challenges me to want to make sure I continue the heritage that was passed to me. I don’t want to be the one who the line ends with. I want to make sure that my children and the next generation receive it and carry it on. One day I will be someone’s ancestor and I want to make sure they can look back in gratitude on the part I played in handing it down.

What can you do to pass on the heritage you received? How will that shape the decisions you make today, how you raise your kids or how you share your testimony? Each of us are a part of a greater story. Our role is to live how God called us to live so that our faith is interweaved into the next generation. To put it how Paul put it in Ephesians 4:1, we should live a life that is worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. You have been called. What are you doing with it?

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

August 3, 2012 · 10:21 AM

Chic-Fil-A, The Church and Jesus

I’ve read a lot this week about whether people going to Chic-Fil-A was right or wrong, whether the church failed or not and whether CFA was evil and hateful or good and right. Some people went to protest the protest, some went to speak out against homosexuality and others went to support a fellow believer under attack. Some spoke words of conviction while others spoke words of condemnation. It’s been an emotional roller coaster to watch and be a part of this week.

Jesus faced the same thing in his day. In Matthew 11:12 he talked about how the kingdom of heaven had suffered from violence and that violent people were attacking it. A few verses down (18 & 19), he mentions how John came and didn’t eat what others ate and he was demonized for it. Then, when Jesus ate and drank with sinners, He was called names too. Christians have been attacked whether they do or they don’t. Lately, those attacks have been coming from within though.

How are we supposed to respond when our faith is under attack and one of our own is being ridiculed? If we stand up for them, we are hate mongers. If we stay quiet, will we be attacked next? How do we show love to those in sin without compromising our message. If all we do is show love and don’t bring the truth of the cross have we really accomplished anything than approving of their sin? The message of the cross is just as hard on believers and nonbelievers alike.

Jesus preached in the temple and in the synagogues. His message was tough on the religious leaders. He didn’t pull any punches. They hated Him for it. He pointed out in Scripture what He came to do: preach Good News to the poor, set those in captivity free, open the blind eyes, to deliver the oppressed and to proclaim the day of salvation (Luke 4:18). He was clear in His mission.

He also preached on the hillside where those who couldn’t / wouldn’t go to a synagogue or the temple to hear His message. Even there, He was clear in His message. It was still about repentance. In Luke 5:32, He was being attacked for taking His message out of the synagogue. His response was that He did not “come to invite and call the righteous, but those erring ones (those not free from sin) to repentance [to change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins] (AMP).”

Jesus was able to preach repentance while showing compassion. He didn’t hide behind the walls of the synagogue. He went out to the people, even those whom the religious leaders thought were the worst of sinners. He made Himself accessible to all who wanted to come near. When people wanted to debate Him or trap Him with questions, He didn’t crush them with His response. He asked them questions or made plain His view without destroying the person. They usually left without saying anything in response because His answers left no room for question.

How do we do that today? It seems our goal in debates (internally and externally) is to destroy the other person, not to bring them to your side. Christians proved they could be mobilized and unified (for the most part) this week. Whatever your reason for going or not going to CFA, the Church sent a message (good or bad depending on your perspective). That mobilization caught the attention of the country and part of the world. What if we showed that kind of unity and mobilization to do something for the least of these instead of for ourselves next time? What if next time we buy those chicken sandwiches and deliver them to homeless shelters and feed others instead? What message would that send? We have the opportunity now to stay mobilized and unified to do something with compassion. Keep this energy and momentum going and channel it into doing something positive that will bring repentance to others and souls into the Kingdom.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,