Man's Perspective vs. God's Promise

When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside. (Matthew 9:23-26 NLT)

Just like in the case of the officials daughter, what the world tells you will often not line up with what God says about you. You have a choice to believe the Truth, or to receive the lies. Most people I know receive the lie so easily because they do not really know what the truth is. I walked in this rut for most of my adult life. I finally realized that no matter how many great sermons I heard, no matter how many Christian books I read, and no matter how many awesome podcasts I listened to, the only way that I could change this pattern in my life was to start replacing the lies I was believing with Truth from the Word and to really know the Truth myself so I could reject the lies as soon as I heard them. To know the Truth I had to start reading it with a new mission- to learn about my Father, what He says about me, and what He has given me. I started praying for wisdom and revelation to know God better (Ephesians 1:17-21), and I started journaling what God revealed to me as I read His Words. You have heard that the Truth will set you free, but it is only the Truth that you know that will set you free.....so how much Truth do YOU know?

You've Already Got What You Need

Ever catch yourself saying, "Man, if I only had "x" I could do "z"?  Or, "I wish I had "a", so I could do "b"?  I catch myself doing this all the time.  It is a really bad habit that I need to break.  I say I believe the Bible is all true, but then I believe lies that I dont have what I need.  Paul says it best in 2 Corinthians 9:8:

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

What lies have you believed about what you don't have?  It says right there you have all you need to abound in every good work.  The Greek word here for abound is "perisseuo" and it means to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous; also to cause to superabound, increase, or be more abundant.  Dang!  All this time I have believed the lies that I am lacking, and I really have a superabundance?  Wow.  Thank you Jesus for providing all I need.  May I not forget that I have it all the time.

All That I Have is Yours!

This was such a great post by Joseph Prince, that I had to share it with you.  You can follow Joseph Prince here.  Enjoy this post from his Daily Grace Inspirations:

‘All That I Have Is Yours’ Luke 15:31 31... ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. After running a few errands for his parents, a little boy went to his father and said, “I know why you and mummy had me.” “Why?” asked his father. “So that you guys would have someone to run errands for you!” exclaimed the boy. Like the little boy, do you see God as a Father who demands obedience and service from you? Have you ever felt that unless you obey Him and keep all His commandments, you don’t have a right to be blessed by Him? Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son to show how some of us call God “Father” and yet don’t know His heart. There are two sons in this parable. We know what happened to the prodigal son, but we can also learn something about the older son. This is what he said to his father when he discovered that his father had thrown a party to celebrate the return of his irresponsible, spendthrift brother: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.” (Luke 15:29) Now, this son believed that his father had brought him into the world to serve him. He saw his father as someone issuing commandments to him all the time. And he saw himself as someone who had to obey those commandments to enjoy his inheritance. But the truth is that the father had already given him his inheritance. (Luke 15:12) The father even reminded him lovingly: “Son… all that I have is yours.” And I am sure that that inheritance included more than one goat! Have you, like the older son, failed to understand your Father’s heart? Your heavenly Father already gave you a rich inheritance in Christ when you became His son. He wants you to know that you have received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) So call out to Him, “Abba, Father!” and know how much He loves you. Because you are His heir, all that He has is yours to enjoy today!

Blame it on the Rain

Everyone leads something.  Maybe you lead the organization you work for.  Maybe you lead a small group.  If you are a husband and dad like me, you lead your family.  What we lead is our responsibility.  Not everything that happens in our organization / small group / family is our fault, but it is always our responsibility.  

I have found that our society somehow has fostered the idea that responsibility is an old-fashioned value...a thing of the past.  I see many people pass the baton of responsibility off to someone else on their team when something goes wrong, but when things go well they claim all of the success for themselves.  No leader will last very long acting in that capacity.

As leaders, we must realize that we need to lead out of love.  My friend, Johnny Roberts (you can follow Johnny here), told me recently, "Love well, lead well".  So how do we lead out of love?  Lets look at what our Authority says love is:

4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I love the part about how love is not proud.  As leaders, we have to swallow our pride and take responsibility when things go wrong.  We have to stop blaming others.  It reminds me of a song that was popular when I was a kid.  Any of you that were born before about 1982 will have heard the song, Blame it on the Rain by Milli Vanilli.  The lyris said:

Blame it on the rain

Blame it on the stars

Whatever you do Dont put 

the blame on you

If you remember the song, they were obviously being sarcastic.  Great leaders dont blame others, they love others and take blame.  I want to lead well.  I want to lead strong.  I need to love more.  How about you?

It's Been A While...

"Long time, no see" as we say here in southwest Oklahoma!  I've been on a blogging hiatus for a little over a month.  Since the last time we talked I have sold my house, moved to another house, packed half of my belongings in a giant storage unit, and had my third beautiful baby (that's her pic above).  Now that our life is getting back on a regular schedule, I want to get back to sharing with you.  To kick off this next season of blogs, I want to get some feedback from you, Ok?

So what I need to know is which of my blogs so far have you liked best?  Which ones did you like the least?  Why?  What would you like to hear from me about?  Are there any questions you would like me to answer in a blog post?  Are there any topics you would like to know my revelation about?.....You get the idea.  I want to know what you like :-)

Please post your comments below, share with your friends, and look for my responses coming soon!

Jason

One Thing is Needed

I read this post from Joseph Prince today and I wanted to share it with you.  It's something I really needed a reminder of.  Our baby girl that is due October 1st is named Mary, as in Mary the sister of Martha.  I chose this name because she chose the one thing that was needed.  Funny how soon we can forget our own convictions!  I hope you enjoy Joseph's post.

George Müller, who lived in the 1800s, cared for more than 2,000 orphans in his five large orphanages. But he never allowed his huge responsibility to take him away from the Word of God. He said that every day, he would set aside time to study the scriptures until his inner man was happy in the Lord.

Once, Müller met a man who worked between 14 and 16 hours every day. He told the man, “You are destroying your health. You don’t have time for your family and, most importantly, you don’t have time to nourish your inner man with the Word of God.”

The man replied, “I hear you, but I can’t see how I can cut down my working hours and spend time in the Word because even with the 14 to 16 hours I put in each day, I still can’t put enough bread on the table for my family.”

As the man walked away, Müller said, “He doesn’t believe that if he gives time to God’s Word first, God will take care of all his needs.”

Likewise, do you really believe that every day, only one thing is needful? Even if the bills don’t get paid, the children are not making any headway in their studies and the office work is not completed, all these things can wait. Only one thing is needful — that you spend time in the Word of God.

When Martha complained to Jesus that her sister Mary had left her to serve alone (Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and hearing His Word), Jesus defended Mary by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41–42)

My friend, you will not lose out when you take time to sit down and listen to God’s Word. Even your health and well-being will be blessed. (Proverbs 4:22) So take time today to meditate on His Word. It will make your way prosperous (Joshua 1:8–9), and give you divine health and good success!

Learning to Lead

Just finished up a quick read, Leadership 101 by John Maxwell.  Even though it's not a big book, its loaded with great leadership nuggets.  I highly recommend you read it if you have not already.  Above is an illustration from the book that outlines 5 levels of leadership.  I am a visual learner, so this really made an impact with me.  You see, you have to have the foundation of level 1 laid to proceed to level 2.  Then you must have each level of structure from levels 2-4 if you will ever have the chance to reach level 5 leadership.  You cannot neglect the lower levels even as you grow to higher levels of leadership.

Being a leader is hard work.  It doesn't happen on accident.  Where are you on this graph?  What things do you need to change today to ensure you grow as a leader tomorrow? 

Your True Identity

Recently I lost my wedding ring.  I've been married to my smokin' hot wife for 10 years, and I've only taken my ring off a handful of times and only momentarily.  I don't even remember taking it off, but somehow while I was doing some painting this past weekend I lost it.  It felt so strange to not have it on.  It was like part of me was missing.  That ring identifies me as belonging to my wife.  It says I'm a married man.  I'm taken.  I chose her.  She chose me.

There are many such things in our lives that we place our identity in.  Some of them are good, and some are not so good.  If you are believing something about yourself that does not line up with the Word of God, then it is not the truth about you.  The Bible says if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that you have been crucified with Him and you no longer live, but Christ lives in you (Galatians 2:20).  If Christ lives in you, then your identity is in Him.  How rawesome is that!!!!

Have you ever felt rejected, insecure, and insignificant?  I know I have.  The truth is, though, that to believe those things about yourself is to believe the lies of the enemy.  You see, having put your faith in Christ, you are Accepted, Secure, and Significant.  God says he chose you before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:3-6)!!  Wow!  It says in John 15:15 that Jesus calls us friend!  In Romans 8:28-39 we learn that nothing can separate us from Gods love, and that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called to His purpose.  In Ephesians 2:10 is says you are God's workmanship; that he created you.  You are His masterpiece, and you are priceless!  It says He created good works for you to do already!  He loves and believes in you so much that He already knew how rawesome you are and prepared things for you to use your rawesomeness to bring glory to Him and show his love to others! 

So you see, God's word clearly shows that He loves you, you are accepted, He is your security, and you are significant.  If it is hard for you to believe these things are true about you, its because you have not been renewing your mind with the truth.  You will be transformed and your faith will be activated if you read the Word; but the Word cannot transform you sitting on your shelf collecting dust.  You want faith to always trust that you are accepted, secure, and significant?  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the words of Christ (Romans 10:17).

Everything You Need is Free

Imagine a place you could go to get everything you will ever need for free....how awesome would that be?!  The truth is that you do not have to imagine that place!  It is resting in God's grace...look at what 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
It doesnt say having "some" or "most" of what you need...it says having ALL that you need.  So how is this free you say?  Ephesians 2:8-9 shows us: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.  How great is that!  It's the best gift you will ever recieve, but you may not even know that God wants you to have it.  In my next post I want to share with you the truth that God's grace is available to everyman.  Until then, grace is all you need :-)

Bap-ti-tized

Bap-ti-tized.  That's what my 5yr old son calls it.  I type this holding back the tears of joy because tonight, that 5yr old boy is getting baptized!  A couple of months ago he told us with giddy excitement that He loved Jesus and he asked Jesus to live inside him!  I was so excited that I ran around the house yelling and screaming "woo hoo, praise Jesus!"  Proverbs 22:6 says Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.  Before I had kids, heck even when my 1st born was young, I thought that meant I needed to teach my kids right from wrong, the ten commandments, and to obey the law.  Fortunately, I came to understand the truth before they were all grown up.  You see, "the way" is Jesus.  Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."  Jesus, not the law, is the "way" we should train our kids to go.  Once I started seeking Jesus for a relationship, my family naturally followed....including my 5yr old son.  He knows the truth because we talk about it all the time.  We are so excited about truth in our house that we cant talk about anything else.  We are being transformed as we renew our minds in the Word.  Thank you God for loving me, and my family!  Thank you for my son, who is also your son; adopted into your royal family!  May he reign in life by the power of your Spirit!

Why Are You Striving These Days

  I love the lyrics to this Tenth Avenue North song By Your Side.  I posted them below, so read them and let them sink in.  Life is so much better when you understand the gift of grace and God's love that is available to you.  Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9 

Tryin's Lyin'

When I was 13 I had a really bad accident where I played a good game of chicken with an ATV.  I won the game, but it turns out it wasn't really a win for me!  A cracked knee cap and a fractured femur later, I ended up in traction for 6 weeks and a body cast for 2 months after that.  After my fracture had healed, I started going to a personal trainer to help me get my strength back so I could get back on the basketball court.  I had to get back in shape so I could practice my Michael Jordan moves!  (I still stick my tongue out when Im driving to the rim :-p)  So, anyway, back to me getting in shape- my parents hired a hard-core personal trainer to help me.  Her name was Ladawn Hladick.  She was really sweet until it was time to workout, and then she got her trainer face on!  She was gazelle intense as Dave Ramsey would say.  She was on a mission to get me back in shape, and wasn't taking any excuses from me.  She was always pushing me beyond what I thought I could do.  If she ever asked me to do something and I said, "I'm trying", she would always say, "tryin' is lyin', just do it."  That was 19 years ago and I still remember it to this day.  Ladawn was right because if I was saying I was trying, I already had doubts in my mind that I could not do it.  She was challenging me to change my perspective.

What doubts do you need to let go of?  What do you need to stop "trying" to do, and just do?

Change your "Should" to a "Must"

Last night, I was at a men's group we call Truth Group, and a good friend of mine named Steve Mielke was there.  It just so happens that he is a Team Beach Body coach (order you Beachbody supplies here and let my good friend Steve help you succeed).  He has been encouraging me to get myself back in shape for longer than I care to admit.  I always tell him, "I should do that workout" or "I should start drinking Shakeology", but I never do any of those things.  Last night Steve told me I need to start changing my "shoulds" to "musts".  WOW!  Some great wisdom from the best Team Beachbody coach I know.  Turn my "should" to a "must".  Brings a whole new perspective doesn't it.  I decided to take a look at the long list of things I have been saying I "should" do and start converting them to a list of things I "must" do.  It's really just a hard look at my priorities.  The way Steve said it just really clicked in my mind.  Hope it helps you too.

What "shoulds" do you need to change to a "must"?

Read the Instructions First

I'm one of those weird guys that likes to read the instructions before I assemble anything.  I have always been this way.  I'm a former/recovering perfectionist, so you other perfectionist instruction reading guys and gals can relate to my obsessiveness with reading instructions.  How else are you supposed to know what order to put things on and how clip things to this and screw things to that?  Some people I know think they know it all and don't need the instructions.  They just start putting things together and they just hope it is correct.  Most of the time when people do this, the item they assembled either falls apart, breaks, or doesn't work at all....and there are also usually many pieces left over that they just left off because they could not figure out where or how they went on the item.

Based on my word of mouth poll, I would say about half of you read the instructions before you put together that new trike for little Susie, and about half of you just wing it.  Based on another word of mouth poll only about 5% of those claiming to be Christians read their Bible consistently (for the purpose of this post I am defining consistently as reading 3.5 days per week).  Interestingly, about 95% of those I polled who claim to be Christians struggle with things like anger, bitterness, depression, fear, doubt, chronic illness, marriage problems, lust, etc.  See any correlation in my poll? 

Many people believe the Bible is not relevant to their daily life, but I believe that it is absolutely relevant and necessary for your daily life.  Who knows better what you need and how to communicate that to you than the One who created you?  The Bible is not about a set of rules for you to follow.  God saw that there was a better way than the law....it was JESUS!!!!!  The Bible is a love story.  The story of God's love for me.  His love for you.  He loves you.  The Bible is a manual on how to overcome, succeed, prosper, love, forgive, receive healing, and on and on I could go.  Dive into your Bible and start reading about how much God loves you.  I recommend reading  1 John, Ephesians, and Psalm 103-126 for starters. 

Just remember, its about relationship not results.  This post is not about condemnation for not reading your Bible, its a challenge for you to pursue a relationship with God. 

Learn to Love the Obstacles

Most people I know (including myself) have a tendency to freak out when faced with an obstacle in their lives.  Whether it be an unexpected bill you cant pay, you lost your job, you get a medical diagnosis that sounds bad, or your kid is failing the 7th grade, I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that you will face obstacles in your life.  So if we are going to face obstacles, why not try to embrace them?

I have found out in my short 32 years and 10 months of life experience that freaking out does absolutely no good at all.  It actually makes things worse.  Freaking out is just a selfish response to the situation because we are upset that things didn't go our way.  After all, it is all about us, right?  (sarcasm intended) (offense not intended) :-)

What if its not all about us???  What if we stopped thinking about ourselves and how horrible our life is because of this "obstacle", and, instead, just started praising Jesus for another opportunity for a miracle?  You see, I have learned to love the obstacles in my life.  I have learned that my God loves me so much that using obstacles for opportunities to do miracles for me is one of His favorite things to do!  He loves it when I trust in Him, have faith in what I cannot see, stand on the truth of His Word, and just BELIEVE!  I see miracles in my life all the time.  It's what I call rawesome! (more on my word inventions in a later post) 

Now don't misunderstand me...I don't believe that God causes or allows these "obstacles" so He can show off.  Many times, the obstacles I see in my life and the lives of others are just our spiritual enemy trying to steal from, kill, and destroy us.  Other times, they are just the consequences of our bad decisions.  Never are they from God trying to teach you a lesson.  He is your loving Father, not a harsh disciplinarian.  God doesn't need to create an obstacle in your life so He can show off.  He doesn't need to show off..., but just like a loving Father He likes to do it just for you!  He loves you! 

So what have you got to lose anyway?  If freaking out doesn't help, why not just try believing that God loves you as much as He says?  Why not just trust His Word instead of your circumstances?  I don't go looking for obstacles, but when one finds me, I start praising God for His healing, His provision, His promises, His prosperity, His blessing, His wisdom, and His love for me!  If you want to see miracles, you have to learn to love and embrace the obstacles as opportunities for miracles.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts!  Please comment below, share with your friends, and subscribe to future posts with the link on the right of the screen.

Are You Dehydrated?

This weekend we celebrated Memorial Day with some friends as we were hanging out in their pool, playing with the kids, and sharing our favorite foods!  It was close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside in the sun, but the pool was nice and cool so my kids and I spent most of our time in there.  After about 3.5 hours of fun in the sun, my kids were worn out and so was I.  Later that evening, I realized that I had only had one glass of water and one glass of lemonade all day long.  My body had started sending me cues that I may be dehydrated, like "please drink 10 gallons of water now!"  I was so thirsty that I drank several glasses before bed, but it was too late.  I woke up this morning with a splitting headache and feeling exhausted, just a couple of the symptoms of dehydration.

Dehydration is, according to the free online medical dictionary, the loss of water and salts essential for normal body function.  Although I have been drinking water all morning (about 32oz so far), I can still feel the effects of being dehydrated.  Until my body has taken the water I am drinking and carried it through my bloodstream to every part of my body, my body is not going to be functioning as it could and should be. 

As I was thinking about my situation, the Spirit gave me a revelation about this that I have to share.  You see, as I was hanging out in the pool I felt cool and I didnt think I needed any water because, well, I was in the water.  How could I get dehydrated if Im covered in water right?  Obviously this type of thinking is flawed, and its the same type of flawed thinking that has penetrated the Church.  We think if we go to church on Sunday, listen to Christian music, and only hang out with "good Christian friends from church" that we are keeping ourselves "spiritually hydrated."  It's just like when I was in the pool.  The problem is that these things do not line up with God's Word on how to stay hydrated.  Look at what Jesus says in John 4:10-14:

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." 11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?" 13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Jesus, not church, music, or our friends, is the source of the living water that keeps us hydrated.  He is a never-ending supply of living water that will allow us to never thirst again.  However, if we do not consume the living water, how will we be filled?  So how do you consume this living water?  Jesus is the living water, and John 1 tells us that Jesus is also the Word.  If you are consuming the Word daily, I'm talking about the Bible, you will stay hydrated with the Living Water!  Don't be deceived like I was in the swimming pool.  You can't get the Living Water you need from 1 hour at church on Sunday, listening to your Christian music, and hanging out with your church friends.  Those are not bad things, but if you are not immersing yourself in the Living Word of God, you will become spiritually dehydrated.  Spiritual dehydration also has negative side effects just as my physical dehydration did.  If you are feeling condemned, hopeless, afraid, depressed, burdened, broken, selfish, dirty, shame, etc, you need to get yourself hydrated in the Word of God!!!

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts so please comment below!

Don't take credit

When I first started out in my insurance agency, I was having a lot of success. I had never had a sales job before, so I knew without a doubt I was walking in God's favor and blessing. I knew my success was all because of Him.

After about a year and a half, I had a slump in my life insurance sales. I was in some kind of terrible funk. I had to get things going again so I focused all my energy on selling life insurance. I thought I was in the slump because of something I was not doing right and/or something I was doing wrong.

Because "I" was working so hard I started taking credit for life sales. I did not know this at the time, but I realize now that because I blamed myself for the decrease, it also led me to take credit for the increase. Taking credit for God's blessing is dangerous territory to be walking in. When we do that, we are basically elevating our self above God, and we are denying our need to rely on Him.

Whether things are going great or if they are terrible, we have to remember the truth of God's word. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10 NLT).
Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. (James 1:17 NLT)

If you start taking credit for your failures, you will also be tempted to take credit for your success. Don't take credit. If you are in what seems like knee deep failure, resist the enemy who is stealing from you and start praising Jesus for your success even though you don't see it yet. If you are floating in a river of success, praise Jesus for blessing you. Give thanks and praise Him at all times! Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

I would love to hear how this truth has impacted you and how you see failure and success!

7 Leadership Lessons from Craig Groeschel

I recently attended the Gateway Church pastors Connect Conference at the Gateway NRH Campus in Ft. Worth, Texas.  My pastor, Craig Groeschel, spoke to us, and it was such great wisdom I thought all of my friends in the blogosphere would benefit from it as well.  So, here are 7 leadership lessons from Pastor Craig Groeschel:

1- To step toward your destiny, you have to step away from your security....It's time to get out of the boat.  Wouldn't it be better to be sinking in the water with Jesus at arms length instead of back in the boat?

2- We generally overestimate what God wants to do in the short run, and we underestimate what He wants to do in the long run....The greatest enemy of your success is the limitations of your mind.

3- God's strength is made perfect in your weakness...Stop with the excuses that you cant speak in front of people, or you aren't a good team builder, or that you don't know what you are doing because God knows what He is doing.

4- The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the pain you are unwilling to endure...Maybe you need to end a relationship, let a division causing staff member go, or admit a mistake you have been covering up.

5- You have everything you need to do everything God wants you to do...Stop putting your faith in yourself, and put your faith in the Almighty God!

6- You should live poised and prepared for a miracle...5 year plans are out.  Prepare (time and resources) for what God wants to do and follow His lead/plan.

7- Everything rises and falls on leadership...If you feel like things are falling apart stop whining, your sharp, fix it!

You are Blessed to be a Blessing!

I have a treat for you today!  My friend, Jay Randolph, founder of Favor Communications International, is sharing a word with us today from his "Weekly Word" e-newsletter.  You can read more about Jay, Favor Comm, and sign up for the "Weekly Word" at www.fcint.org.  Here is a great word from Jay about generosity!  Enjoy

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.             Philippians 1:21-26

Faced with the tremendous opportunity of being able to go home to the Lord in heaven, Paul was not only thinking of himself. When confronted with the very real possibility of being executed due to his faithful witness of Christ, the apostle was more concerned about staying and helping others than he was about escaping all his problems and enjoying his eternal rewards. He simply practiced what he preached.

In the very next chapter, Paul encouraged believers to esteem others better than themselves (Phil. 2:3). He continued saying that everyone should look out not only for their own interests, but also for the interests of others (Phil. 2:4). The Lord Himself is our example (Phil. 2:5-11). Timothy and Epaphroditus, other early church leaders, were good examples too (Phil. 2:19-30). Mature believers in Christ are not self-centered; they're Jesus and others-centered.

In today's world, I find myself coming across more and more people who are completely self-absorbed. Even in the church, so many are just focused on themselves. Their wants. Their needs. Their problems. Their interests. Me, myself, and I (the three of us) are the center of all their thoughts and conversation! Seldom do they esteem others better than themselves. Not very often do they look beyond their own interests to the interests of others. Instead of dying to self and cultivating the fruit of self-control, self has free reign (Gal. 5:22-23).

As maturing believers in Christ, our focus is on worshiping Jesus and serving other people. We've received our needs met through our intimate relationship with the Lord, so we're able to overflow His love to other people. We recognize that we're blessed to be a blessing. As His provision goes through us, there's plenty for others too. Instead of being like the Dead Sea, which receives intake but has no outflow, we are open channels for God's living waters to flow through us to those all around. We lift Him up, and we reach out to others. As we interact with different people, we're constantly alert and asking the Lord, "How can I be a blessing to them?"

Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). God is the biggest Giver of all. He gave His only Son for us (John 3:16-17). Let's manifest His unselfish nature. Let's consider the other people in our life, and how the Lord wants to use us to minister to them. It may be a smile, a hug, or a listening ear. It might be a word of encouragement or a gift of some kind. Just be observant of others' needs and open to the Holy Spirit's prompting. He'll lead you!

Father, thank You that all our needs are met in You. Our spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial needs are abundantly supplied through what Your Son, our Lord, accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection. We are now complete in Christ (Col. 2:10). As we interact with others in Your body and in the world, may we overcome self-centeredness by fixing our eyes on You and looking out for the interests of others. Amen!

Transformed by the Word

This is my friend Ty. Not only is he a great friend, but he is my mentor. He has a great testimony of how the Word transformed him. Watch this video and let it challenge you!



Obtain Truth - Ty from Sheri Yates on Vimeo.

Strip Club Row

I'm a pretty strong guy.  I wont tell you what I can bench as to not make you feel badly about what you can bench :-), but I think I am pretty stout.  The problem is that even though we may be strong physically, our attitudes can lead us to a dangerously weak will.  Three attitudes that make strong men weak are:

1. Lust:  I want it.

2. Entitlement:  I deserve it.

3. Pride: I can handle it. 

I know so many men that get sucked into a world of sexual sin because they let these three attitudes make them weak.  Read this text a good friend sent me recently:

"Working OKC I sometimes would have to back up officers on strip club row.  Every place would be packed. The line of men outside waiting to go in wrapped around the building.  It was like cattle waiting in line to be slaughtered.

The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,
calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way. “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave. (Proverbs 9:13-18 NIV84)"

In my next post we will talk about attitudes that make weak men strong.  For now, go read Judges chapter 14 and see how these three attitudes affected the strongest man ever, Samson. 

Pride Comes Before a Fall

20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant,21 and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them.  22 The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”
23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.  Acts 12:20-23


Just as with Usman "Uzzy" Ahmed, the boxer in this video, Herod's pride led to his fall.  Pride makes strong men weak.  According to Dictionary.com pride is a high or inordinate opinion of ones own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority.   Do you think that the "great" things you have accomplished are because of how awesome you are?  Do you think that your own strength, intelligence, or determination is really what has made you successful?  Do you go around dancing and celebrating yourself like Uzzy?  We are successful because God gives us the strength, intelligence, and determination.  It is NEVER about us.  Once we start making ourselves the main character in the story, we have made an idol out of ourselves.  We have a high opinion of our own superiority.  That's pride.


It says in Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

I have allowed pride to cause me to fall many times in my life.  When I was 14, I spent 6 weeks in the hospital, and 2 months in a body cast because I decided I knew more than my parents did.  It was my pride, thinking I was so smart and my parents were so ridiculous.  As a man, I now find myself doing the same thing I did when I was a kid...I think I know more than my Father.  I think I know what's best for me.  I think I can do everything on my own.  I think I know it all.  This is a lie.  The only "I" statement I should make is "I need Jesus".  I have to constantly guard myself against pride, and repent immediately when I see it.  Thankfully, we have all been forgiven, and by God's grace through the Holy Spirit I am learning humility, which is the opposite of pride.  If you are struggling with pride, ask God to teach you humility as you read His Word.  He loves you.

Share a story about how pride has led to a fall in your life.

Gas or Water?

In any relationship, conflict is inevitable.  It may start because we did not meet someones expectations of us.  We may have sinned against someone unknowingly, or even purposely.  Maybe our values are different from theirs, or our maybe we assumed something we should not have assumed.  Whatever the cause of the conflict was, we have a choice-

THROW GAS ON IT OR THROW WATER...

Proverbs 15:18 NLT says 

"A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them." 

 Is it any wonder that when we respond to anger with anger, the conflict grows?  Why do we think that retaliation is going to end a dispute?  The reason we "throw gas" on the fire of conflict is because we see the other person as our enemy, and we are letting our identity get wrapped up in what they think about us.  

The truth is that we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:12 NLT

Your enemy is Satan and his demons.  Your friends, relatives, co-workers, boss, facebook "friends", and me....we all have something in common...WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY.

People do and say the most hurtful things.  These actions are driven by lies from our enemy, Satan.  You need to know the truth, God's Word, so you know how to recognize a lie when you hear it.  When you start to recognize the lies, you will also remember their source...Satan, who is the father of all lies. 

You have a choice...

You can react and throw gas on the fire so everyone can be consumed, or

You can put life giving water on it to calm the quarrel.

Chose Life.

God Doesn't Like Leftovers

If you are like me, there has probably been a time in your life that you have said something like this:

"I would love to give some money to my church if I have some leftover after I pay all these stinking bills!"

The problem is that we often have what I like to call "spiritual dyslexia".  What I mean is, we look at things logically, and we end up getting them sdrawkcab.  God doesn't operate on logic, He operates on faith.  He asks us to honor Him with the firstfruits of all our produce, meaning give to Him before you keep any for yourself or give to anyone else.  This takes faith of course, and  Hebrews 11:6 says it is impossible to please God without faith.  There are so many people wanting a piece of your pie- the mortgage company, the IRS, the credit card companies, your Sallie Mae school loan, and on and on it goes.  But we make sure we get them all paid, and then we give some to God if we have it LEFTOVER.  That requires no faith at all.   Hence my argument that God doesn't like leftovers.

The issue here is the same as with everything I write about.  It is your identity.  Is your identity in how much money you have in your bank account?  Does it really provide you the security you think it does?   Do you think it's all up to you?  Or is your identity in Christ?  Do you trust Him to be your provider?  When it comes to money, its never about the money.  Its always about worship.  Do you worship the Lord Jesus, or do you worship your money?

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. (Proverbs 3:9, 10 ESV)

Don't Drink the Poison

As I reflect on 2011 and look forward to 2012, I realize that I have some bitterness I need to deal with.  A great way to check your heart for bitterness is to write down things you are thankful for.  If you are ungrateful, you can usually trace it back to bitterness.  I am striving towards understanding my bitterness, forgiving those who hurt me, and releasing my issues to God to handle for me.  I hope that my thoughts and God's word about the subject are helpful to you.

I really like the quote, "Bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." Have you ever been bitter towards another person? I have. Who ended up feeling badly?  I bet the other person did not even know about your bitterness, but it was making you very sick. Am I right?  I have made myself physically ill by holding bitterness in my heart.  Hebrews 12:15 says Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. http://read.ly/Heb12.15.NLT. You see, if I have bitterness in my heart, my bitterness is hurting me. It is a poisonous root, and it is poisoning me.  It is also contagious...corrupting many, the verse ends in saying.  I have noticed that when I am holding onto bitterness, people around me start to have a bad attitude too. 

So what do you do if you are bitter? First, you have to recognize that bitterness is selfish, and it is a sin.  You must repent, and ask God to kill the root of bitterness in your heart. Confess to the person you are bitter towards, and forgive them.  Bitterness grows in the soil of unforgiveness.  Stop looking back at the past. Pastor Mark Driscoll said, "Bitter people are like archeologists. They can dig up anything from the past."  Look to the future, to the good things God prepared for you long ago. http://read.ly/Eph2.10.NLT. Forgive and be thankful.  I had to make a decision that I was going to forgive those who hurt me.  As I reflect on my life and relationships, I realize how much I have to be thankful for.  That bitter root in me is already withering away.  Fighting bitterness is a battle.  If you are really bitter, it may take a while.  You have to decide to not allow bitterness to control you anymore.  So what's your decision?  I choose life!

Relationship vs. Results

Average....that was what I used to think about myself.  I thought I was average.  Now, being a man, I would brag about myself like I was really awesome, but I was just trying to hide that label I had applied to myself.  No one gave it to me, but I gave it to myself because I was always comparing myself to others.  I could always find someone better than me at whatever I did, so I thought I was just average.

What label have you applied to yourself?  Maybe its Depressed, Addict, Cheater, Lonely, Afraid, Poor, or something else.  I don't know what label, or identity, you have taken on, but I do know if it does not line up with what God's word says about you it is a lie.   Lie's come from the father of lies, Satan.  He comes to steal, kill, and destroy by telling lies, and so many times I have believed him.  You see, I knew what I was supposed to believe about myself, but I chose to believe the lies instead.  When you boil it down, I was trusting Satan over God!

I am very fortunate to have some great friends that loved me enough to tell me what I was doing.  Nothing slaps you in the face like, "You are trusting Satan over God."  I was in denial at first.  I mean, how can I be a pastor and be trusting Satan over God?  After all, I sold my business and gave up my affluent lifestyle for Him right?  I trusted Him a little, but the problem was I did not know God well enough to believe what He said about me was true.  I am going to say that again...I did not know God well enough to believe what He said about me was true.  I was too busy reading books, paying bills, and looking for Bible verses to tweet.

My business that I sold was an insurance agency.  I was pretty dang good at selling insurance.  I know I already confessed that I thought I was average, but in reality I was very successful.  What helped me be successful is that I understood people and relationships.  Every sale I made was not about the sale itself, but about the relationship.  I knew that if someone was going to trust me with their business they had to get to know me.  We had to build rapport.  I always spent the majority of my time with clients building rapport, or trust.  I put the relationship ahead of the results.  The same is true of our relationship with God.  So many times, I would use God for results and not relationship.  I was not able to believe what He said about me was true until I trusted Him....so I had to get to know God.  Who He really is.  I found out He is my father, comforter, provider, protector, conqueror, healer, counselor, and on and on I could go.

Once I started making a point to know God, only then did I start to believe what He said about me was true.  Now I know I am not average.  If your father is a king, that makes you a prince right?  I encourage you to pick up your Bible, our only source of truth without error, and read it.  Not for results, but for relationship with Him.  Write down every characteristic of God that you see in your journal.  Then read over them to remind yourself who He is.  Don't get too busy for the most important relationship you have.  He is waiting patiently for you.