Fully Surrendered, Fully Used

“Give me understanding, so that I may keep

your law and obey it with all my heart.”

Psalm 119:34

 

“God use me”, he prayed.

Then he added this addendum:

“Just don’t make me minister to the old, the sick or the homeless.”

“God let me be your hands and feet”, she implored.

“I will go wherever you send me!”

But in her heart she would not surrender her idols.

Sometimes our prayers come with caveats.

Like the infomercial playing on the television in the wee hours of the night we have a litany of disclaimers that we fail to verbalize to God but that He hears loud and clear!

Then we wonder out loud to the shepherd of the church we attend “Why won’t God use me?”

I don’t find Abraham offering God a set of conditions when the command came to him –

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you…So Abram went, as the Lord had told him;” Genesis 12:1,4a

What I do see is obedience.

Perhaps you think it would be hard to ask someone to leave their home and everything familiar but then consider another command Abraham received –

“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.”

Genesis 22:2-3

Can you find any hesitation on Abrahams’ part?

Maybe there was some, but certainly, it is not evident from the inspired text.

What’s the point?

Here’s the question, how surrendered are you?

Is anything less than full surrender true surrender?

I wonder if General Grant would have accepted terms of surrender if General Lee insisted at Appamatox Courthouse that his Confederate Army be allowed to continue to battle in three or four states.

Silly proposition, right?

And yet that is exactly what we try to do with God.

Will God use a person not fully surrendered to Him?

Sure.

Will that person walk in all that He has purposed for them?

Likely not!

We need only to look at Jesus as our example.

Fully surrendered; fully used!

 

http://youtu.be/oSgn-nmBpNY

 

Who Has Captured Your Thoughts?

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us

with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 2:6

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:10

 

If you and I are raised up with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms then we ought to have our thoughts on the things of the Kingdom and not on things of the earth.

There’s an old saying that someone “can be so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good.”

While it may sound ‘good’ it just doesn’t stack up with the truth.

When our hearts and minds are focused on Christ and the things of His Kingdom it can only enhance our lives here on earth and not detract from it.

To say otherwise is to make God and His word untrue.

We know that cannot be!

The mind fixed on Him is a mind at perfect peace.

The mind set on things above is a mind not distracted by things below.

It seems so often our mind wants to be pulled to yesterday or tomorrow.

Yesterday tries to pull our thoughts back to relive what ‘should have been’.

Tomorrow too often beckons us to jump ahead and miss the ‘now’ moments of God.

Don’t let your thoughts be apprehended by yesterday or tomorrow.

Instead let them be captivated by Christ.

 Perhaps the question can be best posed this way:

If my thoughts are captive to something or someone wouldn’t I be far better off to make the choice to surrender them to Christ?

 I find it valuable that the scriptures don’t instruct me to let my mind wander and be a ‘free’ thinker but rather to set my mind on things above.

What will captivate your thoughts today?

What will you set your mind on?

I encourage you to let it be Christ!

Think Outside the Box

Sound advice offered from David Trotta -

As humans, we have the tendency to judge others based on their outward appearance.  Unfortunately, that is also true when it comes to judging God’s ability to use someone.  We tend to disqualify someone from being used of God because that person doesn’t dress or talk like we do.  Or, because the person doesn’t belong to the same church denomination or has had past struggles with sin.

We need to look past someone’s outer appearance, because God will often use people that don’t fit into our little, narrow boxes.  We need to be very careful of getting into a mindset that we have the fast track on what vessels God will use or not use.

As a matter of fact, something similar happened to our Lord.  He was incorrectly judged by His outer circumstances, and of all places, it occurred in His hometown.  Listen to what is said in Mark 6: 1-5.

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

The people of Nazareth made a critical mistake.  They relied on their own understanding and what they saw with their natural eye, and because of that, they missed out on miracles God wanted to perform in their midst, and on a much more tragic scale, they rejected their savior.  All because they looked at where Jesus came from (His outer circumstances), instead of the manifested presence of God in His life.  In this case, their familiarity with Jesus’ family became a stumbling block to them.

Let’s blow up our little box and leave the selection of vessels up to the master conductor.  The bible is littered with examples of people God used who had humble backgrounds, struggles with sin, and even physical limitations.  He alone sees the big picture.  Instead of focusing on the vessel, let’s focus on what God is doing to ensure we don’t miss Him when He is in our midst.  He may have some wonderful gift to impart to us and if we are focusing on the wrong things, we will miss Him.

I’ve Got a Better Idea!

“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Matthew 14:34-36

 

When an anointing is flowing in an individual’s life and the power of God is present you can respond in one of two ways.

You can have faith in the power of God that is flowing through the person and faith in the instructions given to the person or…you can have unbelief in the power of God that is flowing through the person.

When I consider these two options I am reminded of the story of Naaman.

You can find it in II Kings 5.

Naaman went to the Elisha, the prophet of the God of Israel, because he had been told that God’s power was in him he could heal Naaman of his leprosy.

You might say that Naaman had faith in the power of God flowing through Elisha.

But he stumbled when it came to the instructions the man of God gave him.

Why would he ever want to dip himself seven times in the dirty old Jordan River.

How disgusting and ridiculous.

Only the persuasive words of a servant girl filled with faith caused Naaman to reconsider and obey the instructions he initially found so revolting.  

He had to have faith in the power of God in Elisha and in Elisha’s instructions.

When he finally exercised that faith, God healed him.

Could God have spoken different instructions to Elisha for Naaman to follow?

Sure.

Jesus sometimes healed by the laying on of His hands.

In our scripture for this week it was when others touched His cloak.

One time Jesus spit in a man’s eyes.

It wasn’t the specific method that Jesus used because His methods varied depending on the Father’s instructions to Him.

Rather it was a person believing that the power of God was flowing through Jesus to heal.

Don’t miss what God has for you as Naaman almost did.

When God gives instruction through His anointed servant, don’t let your response be:

“I’ve got a better idea!”

Instead, let it be – “Be it done unto me according to your word!”

His Wonderful Message

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

May His Blessings Rest on you and in you so that you

not only receive them but share them as well.

My prayer is that His light, His love, His anointing and His presence continue to grow in each of us in 2014!

Stephen Brisson

On Behalf of all of us at His Place

 

http://youtu.be/-61gjgy9GiE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Releasing the Anointing

“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Matthew 14:34-36

 

 

We said yesterday that if you want the power of God manifested in your life,

step one is to recognize when His power is present!

So you recognize it – now what?

The anointing of the Holy Spirit must be released.

The “…people brought all their sick to Him and begged Him…”

Their desire was to draw on that anointing in Jesus for their healing.

Jesus spoke of that anointing on Him when He said:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

    because he has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

    and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:17-19

In releasing the anointing to heal, Jesus was fulfilling (in part) the ministry given to Him by His Father.

What a wonderful message to remind ourselves of this Christmas eve.

God sent His Son, anointed Him and revealed Himself through Him.

God desires to send us, to anoint us, and to reveal Himself, through us, to a hurting world.  

As we release that anointing it will demand a response.  

We see the response with the words “…and all who touched it…”

Have you asked God to anoint you so that His call on you might be fulfilled?

Is His power being manifested in and through you?

Have you released that anointing so others might respond?

Some pretty powerful questions to ponder this Christmas season.

Who Goes There?

“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Matthew 14:34-36

 

 

You have to give ‘the men of that place’ credit.

Jesus came into their midst and they recognized Him.

That is saying a lot considering that Jesus often

comes into our midst and we fail to recognize it.

Maybe we are distracted with other things.

Maybe we are daydreaming about the rest of our day.

Our friends are calling, our hobbies, pastimes and diversions crowd in.

Maybe Jesus comes in a way we are not accustomed too so we simply dismiss Him with the thought that ‘it surely can’t be God!’

Do you want the power of God manifested in your life?

Then step one is to recognize when Jesus is in your midst!

“Well”, you say, “isn’t He always with me?”

Yes He is.

But the men of Gennesaret recognized that Jesus was in their midst, not simply to teach, but to manifest the Kingdom of God through healing the sick.

How do we know that?

By their actions!

They brought all their sick to Him and as many as touched His cloak were healed.  

 

Lord:

We ask for the revelation of the Holy Spirit to recognize when Jesus is in our midst.

We know that He can come to a people and be rejected or He can come to a people and fail to be recognized.

Open our eyes to see and our spirits to discern Jesus in our midst.

In His Name Alone We Pray

Amen!

He Calls You Friend

With the 'busyness' of the season it is especially important to remember our friendship with Christ. Let the message of this blog shared by Dave Trotta speak that truth to you today.

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

What comes to mind when you think of a friend?  I think of someone I will quickly recognize in a crowd.  Someone, whose company I enjoy.  When I think of a friend, thoughts of fondness spring up in my heart.  A friend is someone I can rely on in time of need.  They are welcomed in my home and at my dinner table.  A friend is someone who I have given special access into my personal life.

As friends, we have a special place in the heart of Jesus. You are not just an acquaintance (although we sometimes treat Him like that).  He has feelings of affection and personal regard for you.  He is fond of you and enjoys your company.  You are His confidant and He wants to tell you deep and wonderful secrets from His Father’s heart.

I am reminded of a popular worship song:

Who am I that You are mindful of me?
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me?
How you Love me
It's Amazing

I am a friend of God
He calls me friend

What a privilege!!  You are a friend of the King of Kings, the creator of the universe!  Let that truth sink deep into your heart and cause you to draw close to Him.  He is waiting for His friend.

http://youtu.be/ALvNy7GNeJk

 

Close at Hand or In You?

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Luke 10:1-12

 

Welcomed or not, a portion of the message the seventy were to speak in the towns they entered was the same. Read the verses above again and see if you can find it.

“…the Kingdom of God has come near you.”

That begs a couple of questions.

First, what is the Kingdom of God?

The “Kingdom” can be defined as God’s government on the earth through man.

Like the Lord’s Prayer – it is His will done on earth as it is in heaven.

And the second question: How “near” is the Kingdom of God to you?

Do you ‘rub shoulders’ with the Kingdom or are you a ‘carrier’?

Is it close at hand or is it in you?

Are you a citizen of the Kingdom?

Citizenship has its’ privileges but it also brings responsibilities.

Jesus revealed some of those responsibilities as He sent the 70 out.  

Heal the sick and declare the Kingdom has come near!

All of creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

It is waiting for the Kingdom of God to come near!

Will you submit to His Lordship?

Will His government be brought through you?

How ‘near’ is the Kingdom of God to you?

 

Beyond The Words

“By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].”

John 13:35

 

Search the four Gospels for the number of times Jesus said: “God loves you!”

What you might find remarkable is not that He never spoke those words, in one form or another, but how often He manifested, the love of the Father to those in need.

In the verse above Jesus didn’t say: “…if you speak love…”

what He was saying literally was: “…if you show love.”

Love ought to be expressed but that expression ought to be made with actions and not just spoken words.

The “…Word became flesh…”

Why?

Because “…God demonstrates His love for us…”

He declares it, but more importantly, He demonstrates it!

Paul spoke of those who make all kinds of ‘religious’ sounds but do not have love as being like a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.

It is a sound which may pierce the silence but does little to demonstrate the love of God to others.

Jesus caught the attention of many not because of His words alone, as powerful as those words are, but also, and particularly, because of the love of the Father He demonstrated.

When the church moves beyond only declaring the love and actually demonstrates it, then she too will catch the attention of many.

That love manifested then becomes like a platform opening hearts to the message of the Gospel.

That is the Good News of the Kingdom.

Yes, Jesus came to proclaim liberty but His proclamation put hands and feet to that liberty.

Read Isaiah 61 and see the purpose of Jesus ministry.

It becomes our ministry as well.

Is it limited to speaking well and declaring only?

Let it challenge you so that in this season you can demonstrate His love to others!

Revealed, Saved and Proclaimed!

“I have revealed and saved and proclaimed…   

…You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.”

Isaiah 43:12

 

What a wonderful picture the verse above offers of the work that God does in each one of us.

His revelation brings salvation and causes us to proclaim Him to the nations!

But please don’t see this as a one-time-only work of God in each of us.

Sure, it is true that God has saved us from eternal punishment and separation from Him.

Yes, this salvation happens as we respond to the revelation of our need in light of His holiness.

This in turn causes us great joy and rejoicing – we shout the news from the rooftops.

But please understand that you and I are in need of revelation every day.

We need this revelation to save us from bad choices, unwise decisions and remarkably foolish disobedience.

In other words there is a ‘saving from ourselves’ that God brings to us regularly.

He reveals His truth to us which saves us from heartache and ruin.

As we respond to that revelation and are saved from whatever we were about to do or whatever poor choice we were prepared to make we can proclaim to others that His saving grace is being worked in us day-by-day!

God open our eyes to see your salvation.

Give us ears that hear the voice of your Holy Spirit.

May the revelation and the salvation become, in us, a proclamation to the world that

God alone can save!

You bring to us revelation and salvation not just once but over and over and over again!

As you do, may we faithfully be your witnesses to proclaim that you alone are God!

 

Has He brought you revelation today?

Has He saved you today – from yourself and others?

Will you proclaim that to the world that they may know that He is God?

 

 

A Favorable Exchange Rate

“In the very place where it was said to them,

    ‘You are not my people,’

    there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

Romans 9:26

 

 

So you’re traveling to another country and you need the currency of that country.

What are you hoping for?

A favorable exchange rate!

You want to go to the bank and give them your cash in exchange

for the cash used in your destination country.

But more than that, you want the value of that money to allow you greater purchasing power.

That would truly be a favorable exchange rate.

There is no more favorable exchange rate than the exchange we can make with heaven.

We bring God our sin and He takes it from us through the work of the cross.

But it doesn’t stop there.

He adopts us as His children and gives us an inheritance.

But it doesn’t stop there either.

We can ‘exchange’ our faith for the will of God to be done in the earth.

We can use the ‘currency of heaven’ – faith – to bring His purposes to bear on the earth.

Jesus knew the ‘secret’ of faith working through obedient submission to the Father.

He brought heaven to earth.

We are to do the same.

Jesus did great works.

He said of His followers…greater works!

He made possible an exchange so favorable that those who were once dead in trespasses and sin (you and me) are now made alive and show forth His praises in the earth.

What an exchange!

Are you attractive?

I love that God sometimes is so patient with us that he repeats Himself through a word. Today's blog, submitted by David Trotta, may carry a thought similar to one earlier in the week so don't miss it's message.

As humans, we put a lot of emphasis on our outward appearance.  We spend countless hours and money trying to look our best.  As a matter of fact, in America alone, we spent nearly $11 billion on beauty products in 2012.  We have a strong desire to look attractive and be noticed by others.

Now we know that outward appearance is not important to God, but did you know the Bible teaches of an “inner” beauty that is especially attractive to our Heavenly Father?  Isaiah 66: 2 says “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”  Being humble, showing sincere remorse when we sin, and a great respect and reverence for God’s word are qualities that cause Him to stand up and take notice of us.

Imagine God looking to and fro across the earth, only to stop and pause when He sees you because your inner beauty caught His eye.  Wow, what an incredible privilege!

But it doesn’t end there.  Once you catch His eye, He promises to come along side you and be your strongest supporter.  2 Chronicles 16:9 says “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

Instead of focusing on outward appearances, let’s choose today to pursue true inner beauty that is attractive to the one that matter most – God!

Catching Heaven’s Heart

“When Jesus heard this, he was amazed…”

Matthew 8:10

 

 

What kind of ‘wealth’ on earth would be treasured and highly valued by heaven?

Could it be gold?

I don’t think so, after all that serves the same purpose in heaven as blacktop does on earth.

Could it be diamonds, emeralds, rubies and other precious stones?

Nope, it’s just construction material up there.

How about faith?

Now we may be on to something!

Listen to this promise from James 2:5

“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”

You see worldly wealth does not impress God.

The man or woman rich in faith catches the eye – or should I say – the heart of God!

There is an incorruptible inheritance waiting that far, far exceeds anything we might value and highly prize here on earth.

It is nothing less than ruling and reigning in eternity with God!

The wonderful truth is we don’t have to wait until this life passes.  

We can grow in faith – the ‘currency of heaven’ – as we walk here on earth.

We can be the hands, the feet, the image of Christ in the earth and walk in the faith that He walked in.  

Jesus was ‘amazed’ once or twice by the faith of others:

The Centurion who came on behalf of his sick servant and the Greek woman who begged Jesus to deliver her daughter of a demon

Will you be one who amazes Jesus because of your faith?

Oh, I know, it is easier to read those words and ignore them.

But can you dare to believe you can catch heaven’s eye – or should I say – heaven’s heart!

 

Growing in the Faith of God

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”

Romans 10:17 (KJV)

 

The verse above is most recognizable to us in the language of the King James Version of scripture.

But while it is recognizable, is it always understood correctly?

Does my faith grow simply by hearing the Word of God?

To press this a little further –

If I read the word 8 hours a day do I have more faith than the person who only reads it two hours a day?

Does faith simply grow based on how much of the Word I read or listen too?

I don’t think anyone would argue the value of reading and hearing the Word of God.

But there are many who read and walk away no stronger in their faith than before they read the word.

The word translated ‘word’ in the verse above is actually from the Greek ‘rhema’.

Another Greek word translated ‘word’ in other places in scripture is the word ‘logos’.

Logos simply means a written word.

In other words ink on paper.

Logos could refer to the bible text but it could just as easily apply to a text from Shakespeare.

Rhema means an ‘alive’ word.

The word becomes alive and real to you in a way ink on paper cannot.

Does an ‘alive’ word sound strange to you?

Consider John 1:13 as it speaks of Jesus: “the Word became flesh…”

Jesus the ‘word’ dwells in each believer.

As we read and hear the Word of God it bears witness with the Word in us and is made alive to us in ways no mere ink on paper ever can!

That grows our faith!

His ‘alive’ Word speaking to my spirit and becoming alive for me, in me and through me!

So why does all of this matter?

Faith grows, not simply because of applying myself academically, i.e. reading more, but through relationship with the Living Word of God Jesus Christ.

Faith, the ‘Currency’ of Heaven

“And Jesus answering saith to them, `Have faith of God;”

Mark 11:22

(Young’s Literal Translation)

 

One of the identifying characteristics of any nation or kingdom on earth is their currency.

Whether Dollars, Francs, Lire or Yuan’s if you are going to do business in that nation you will have to use the currency that is accepted there.

Heaven has a ‘currency’ too.

Do you know what it is?

Faith!

Faith has ‘purchasing power’ in heaven.

It brings heaven down to earth.

No, I don’t mean Cadillac’s, fat bank accounts or the latest and greatest self-indulgent ‘toys’.

Instead it brings those things which have value in heaven.

Faith speaks peace in the midst of chaos.

Faith heals what no doctor can.

Faith restores a broken marriage.

Faith brings redemption and hope.

Faith moves the hand of God.  

Why?

Hebrews 11:6 tells us:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Faith, the currency of heaven, accomplishes this!

A man or woman of faith is rich with the resources of heaven.

Are you born-again through faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior?

You have the faith of God within you.

Now, let’s see how it grows!

 

 

Humility, Faith and Expectation

“Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Daniel 10:12-14

 

 

So often we use these verses, rightfully so, to speak of spiritual warfare.

They also are a favorite selection when the topic is persevering in prayer.

But also clear in these verses is a lesson in having our prayers heard by God.

Why were Daniels’ words heard?

Why did his prayer reach heaven?

There are two thing recorded that Daniel did.

First, Daniel set his mind to gain understanding.

His was not a cavalier, lackadaisical approach in prayer but a determined and deliberate desire to gain understanding.

Daniel was ‘invested’ in his prayer through focus and desire.

The second thing Daniel did was to humble himself before God.

Pride has a way of silencing our prayers faster than anything else.

When we come to God in arrogance rather than humility we ought not to expect to hear Him.

We are told in James 4:7

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Pride turns that verse upside down.

Pride causes us to submit to the devil and resist God.

See how far that gets you in prayer!

Can you say “It’s pretty silent around here?”

Yes, Daniel’s answer was delayed but not because his ‘posture’ in prayer was wrong.

He prayed in humble expectation that God would give him the understanding he sought.

Do you pray in that same humble faith and expectation?

Let’s examine this thing called faith more closely this week.

Let’s, together, humble ourselves before God and come

expecting to gain understanding about the faith of God.

Where is Your Mind Receiving its Coordinates From?

Today Dave Trotta contributes this post and challenges us to take every thought captive!

These days, auto-pilot systems are pretty much standard equipment on large commercial airlines.  As a matter of fact, the installation of autopilots in aircraft with more than twenty seats is generally mandatory by aviation regulations.  The more sophisticated auto-pilot systems can receive data from a Global Positioning System (GPS) and execute a pre-determined flight plan without the interaction of a human pilot.

Obviously, the key to an auto-pilot system working properly is that it receives the proper information, such as the plane’s current location and the coordinates of its final destination.  If the system receives inaccurate information, the results could be devastating.

Our mind behaves in a similar fashion.  As Christ followers, we set out with a destination to live a life that is honoring to God.  However, if we are to be successful and reach our destination, we need to make sure our mind is receiving its coordinates from the only source that can produce holy living – the Bible.

How do we do that?  Well, one important step is revealed in 2 Corinthians 10:5 -- “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When we take captive of every thought and force it to line up with what Jesus and the Bible teaches, we fill our mind with the proper coordinates to keep our life safely on course to its final destination -- a life that honors God and reflects His love to those around us.  However, if our coordinates are wrong, we are sure to stray off path and the results could be devastating.

There are 365 Opportunities

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

James 4:17

 

 

I was going to write that yesterday we received our first Christmas card of the season but as I started to do so, I remembered that we had actually gotten one a week or two before.

No, this is not going to be a diatribe on how early the holidays are celebrated or a long litany of complaints about the “merchandising” of Christmas.

Instead, the early greetings got me to thinking about how different our world would be if we disciples of Jesus were so excited about our love for Him (and even more excited about His love for us) that we took EVERY SINGLE OPPORTUNITY to tell others about Him and to find ways – not just wait for them to fall in our laps but actually go out of our way – to bless others.

Suppose we didn’t wait until the 15 days before the 25^th of December to appreciate others that we might otherwise ignore the rest of the year?

Suppose we took a few moments to think about those – and lift them up in prayer – who have expressed to us their frustrations or hurts?

What if it wasn’t approaching Christmas but instead the middle of March and we just send them a card to tell them we’re thinking of them and praying for them.  

What if we ‘didn’t need an excuse’ to be kind to a stranger?

Well, we don’t.

Some might use the excuse, “Well, I still have to be led by Gods’ Spirit!”

Really?

So let me understand – unless you ‘feel’ led you can’t be kind?

Unless you feel led you can’t love someone unconditionally?

Unless you feel led you can’t bless them in Jesus name?

Do you see how silly that excuse sounds?

Of course we all want to be led by the Holy Spirit in our lives.

But there are some things already made abundantly clear in the Word of God that dictate how a follower of Jesus Christ should behave.

Not just one day of the year.

There are 365 opportunities!

 

You Are a Work in Progress

“For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?

    His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

Isaiah 14:27

Our text for today asks a couple of questions.

To paraphrase the first one: When God purposes to do something who can stop Him?

It is such an interesting question; not only for what it asks but also for what it does not ask.

It does not ask “…who thinks they can thwart Him.”

If that were the question then the answer would probably be: lots of people!

I think of Balak offering riches to Balaam to curse Gods’ people.

He didn’t thwart Gods’ purposes!

I think of Goliath – who scoffed at Gods’ shepherd boy, David.

He didn’t thwart Gods’ purposes!

I think of King Darius who had Daniel thrown into the lions’ den.

He didn’t thwart God’s purposes!

I think of the devil who wrongly thought crucifying Jesus was a victory.

He didn’t thwart God’s purposes.

No doubt in each case they thought they had a great plan.

They thought they would thwart Gods’ purposes.

They thought they would turn back Gods’ outstretched hand.

What has God purposed in your life?

What has He spoken that has not yet come to pass?

Let me ask you: Who can thwart Him?

Who can turn back His hand outstretched over your life?

Does that assurance strengthen you?

It should!

I am so encouraged when I bring this verse from Isaiah together with Philippians 1:6

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Be strengthened in the knowledge that God will complete His work in you!

Through Simple Obedience, Profound Change Can Come

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,

especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:10

 

I reached for a pair of scissors one recent morning and as I did I set off a chain-reaction.

There were objects falling everywhere from the shelf the scissors were perched on.

The scissors were in a plastic bin and there was the smallest of contact between the handle of the scissors and the tip of a box.

Leaning on that box was a jar.

When I took the scissors it was as if everything on the shelf was relying on that one pair of scissors to hold it in its’ place.

So here it was – 6:00 a.m. and the rest of the house was quiet.

My wife and daughter were sleeping.

Dozens of items, like a row of dominos, fell out onto the floor.

Perhaps there is a lesson about the Kingdom of God that we can learn from this illustration.

Let me explain.

We never know what little act of obedience we perform will set off a sort of divine, supernatural chain of events (perhaps even upsetting our little world of order) that God has purposed in order to bless or minister to someone else in some way.

Not merely a happenstance “pay-it-forward” kind of act but a God ordained, God purposed plan!

I had no idea that simply reaching for a pair of scissors would cause what it did to happen.

I doubt that the little boy who carried his lunch of fish and bread had any idea how it would be used for the Kingdom of God.    

Sometimes our lives can seem so out of order.

We try to do one thing and it seems like all the rest of our life comes crashing down on us.

Surrender every thought and every action to God and let Him bring glory and honor to Himself through that surrender.

Maybe a pair of scissors is not the best illustration but God wants us to understand that sometimes, even the simplest of acts done in His name, can bring profound change into the life of another person.

Don’t discount the simple acts of obedience God requires of you!

No Escape Clauses

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

 

As I write this blog it is Sunday evening.

This morning I was visiting a church family I have grown to know and love.

During our time of worship it was made so real to me that even though I wasn’t at my ‘home’ church I was still with family!

Go anywhere on this globe where they love Jesus and you are ‘home’ among God’s people.

They may not speak a language you understand.

Their culture and traditions may not be familiar.

But if they love the Lord, you are with family.

I’ve heard the refrain – you probably have too – “I love God, it’s the church I can’t stand.”

On one level I understand what they are saying.

Sometimes we can be downright mean to one another.

Of course we cannot excuse that behavior but it’s also not a reason to absence ourselves from fellowship.

I just don’t see an ‘out’ allowed by God when we discover others aren’t perfect

(Or when they discover that we aren’t either).

We always look for escape clauses.

It’s true that friction creates heat.

But friction can also be used to smooth rough edges.

If friction between you and another brother or sister only makes you a little ‘hot under the collar’ you have missed the opportunity to grow through those God has brought you into relationship with.

Sure, Sister Sandpaper and her husband Brother Bullhead might be difficult to deal with.

But it is precisely those difficult people that God may use to polish you!

A diamond is only created when pressure is applied.

Don’t forsake that work…