Taking the Limits Off

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...”

Proverbs 23:7a KJV

 

Routines –

You know, the day-to-day stuff you and I repeat Sunday through Saturday?

We all have them.

We all also have our own ‘personal culture’ established out of the thoughts of our hearts.

Our personal culture will set limits on the scope of our lives.

Because it is set by our thoughts it tells us what we believe we can and cannot do, what we are and are not capable of and even what we believe concerning what others think about our capabilities and talents.

Our lives will change when our personal culture changes and that happens when we transform our thinking.

Will you believe what you, and others, say about yourself or will you believe what God says about you?

That really is the crux of the matter.

In order to live beyond the natural limits imposed by natural thinking we must begin to think and live according to the supernatural word of God and what He has to say concerning our lives.

He has called each one of us to partner with Him and live a purpose-filled life not out of our own strength, wisdom and abilities but according to the divine and supernatural enabling He puts in each of us.

Where will your personal culture lead you today – the same-old, same-old or into the adventure God has for you?

Passing Up the Honored Seat

“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said,

 “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Mark 9:35

The seat of honor:

At a wedding, it’s the head table.

For a king or queen it is the throne.

In a courtroom, it is the judge’s chair.

Jesus came and took His place among...the servants.

He challenges us to do the same.

Imagine going to the back of the line and not pushing to be first.

Imagine serving others and not ‘demanding’ rights and places of honor that might otherwise be due you.

That is what we are called to.

It is no false humility that seeks praise out while ostentatiously ‘serving’ those ‘beneath you’.

Rather it is a heartfelt desire to serve and not be served just as Jesus did.

It is recognition that we, as servants, are not greater than our Master Jesus who:

“...rather, he made himself nothing

    by taking the very nature of a servant,”

Philippians 2:7a

Come with a blank page

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

God desires to write His laws on our hearts.

  But, like any writer, He needs a blank page to write on.

But often times, when we come to the Lord, our pages are already full.  Full of preconceived notions, full of religious doctrines and traditions.  Full of past hurts and disappointments.

Or, instead of a full page, we give God only a small corner of the page to write on.  We ask Him not to write outside the margins and give Him restrictions on what He can write.  We subconsciously say “Lord, you can write this, but don’t write that.”

The next time you sit with the Lord, present Him with a blank page. Clear your heart and mind and ask Him to fill it with His truths, His thoughts, His desires.  Ask Him to give you fresh revelation as you read scripture and allow Him to write a personal version of His story on your hearts, tailored just for you.

Though they will contain the same truths and principles, no two hearts will contain the exact same story.

And, if you are having trouble presenting God with a blank page, He’s got the world’s biggest eraser.  Ask Him to erase from your heart what doesn’t belong.  Ask Him to remove any words that aren’t His.

God wants to write His story on your heart today, but He needs a blank page to begin.

May It Be So In Each Of Us

“you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

I Peter 2:5

The church is made up of living stones.

You and I are those living stones being built into a spiritual house.

We are not to be one thing when we gather together as believers and be something different at the job site Monday through Friday.

Erasing the divide between the church service and the workaday world we all live in can only happen when there is no dividing line!

It happens when what we are at church is identical to what we are at work.

The world will not be won inside the four walls of our church building.

Increasingly, we are seeing less and less interest in the non-believer even darkening the doors of our churches.

Jesus’ greatest impact was not inside the synagogue.

It was on a hillside, in a boat and ‘along the way’.

He was out ‘in the world’ as much if not more than He was in the synagogue preaching or teaching.

And no one would accuse Jesus of being a hypocrite.

His thoughts, beliefs and behaviors were identical inside and outside the four walls.

There was no need for erasing the divide between the two for Jesus because not only is He the same yesterday, today and tomorrow but He is (and was) the same in heaven, in hell and in everywhere in between.  

He is the unchangeable God.

As we become His unchangeable witnesses regardless of our audience we will see our impact in the earth grow and grow!

May it be so in each of us.

Let God Be Magnified – In Me!

“...These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”

Acts 17:6b NKJV

Imagine the magnitude of impact a church would have when they magnified God in their midst.

No longer a mere tremor or an aftershock impact, but a church that splits the earth wide open for the glory of God.

Individual lives, neighborhoods, cities, regions, nations and the whole earth changed because the church began to understand the God they served is bigger than they had realized before and well able to do all He says He will do.

That is a church that will impact the world for God.

Do you want to be a part of that church?

It can start with you.

What is amplified in your life?

Who or what do you magnify: the problem or the problem solver?

Is it more about you or more about Him?

Guess what – when you make more room for Him, He will take it.

That begins to magnify His impact through you, changing the world around you for Him!

Let God Be Magnified!

“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee:

and let such as love thy salvation say continually,

Let God be magnified.”

Psalm 70:4 KJV

Simply defined the word magnitude means: “great size or extent”.

Using that definition then, let me ask you a simple question:

What magnitude does God hold in your life?

Is there room to make Him bigger?

John the Baptist said of Jesus:

“He must become greater; I must become less.”

John 3:30

Is this a year of less of you and more of Him?

Will you let Him be magnified in your life?

Can you believe Him for greater manifestations through you to others?

Are you facing anything in your life right now that is too big for God?

If you answered yes to that then there is room for an increase in the magnitude of God in your life.

Nothing you face is too big for God to handle.

Is there anything too hard for God?

No!

Let God arise in your life.

Let God be magnified!

Before You Ask, Seek or Knock...

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

Often we read this verse and the idea we latch onto is Aladdin granting us three wishes.

Money, fame, power, you name it.

Of course we don’t voice that, it wouldn’t be proper – still we often think it.

So what if we helped to clarify these verses by placing them in the context of John 15:7 where Jesus says:

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

You see, when I remain in Christ and He in me, I find that my heart desires seek to please Him.

What I ask for apart from remaining in Him will be quite different than what I ask for when I do abide in Him.

So, it’s not a genie granting you three wishes, it is not Publishers Clearing House at your front door and it is not the winning ticket in the lottery.

As we remain in Him though,  the promise is more sure than anything we can imagine.

Remain in Him, then...

Ask, seek and knock, then...

Continue to remain in Him!

Overshadowed

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. (Acts 5:15)

I’m sure it safe to say that it wasn’t Peter’s shadow that was healing people, but rather the presence of God that overshadowed Peter.

That same Holy Spirit that resided within Peter also resides within.  Imagine the presence of God being so strong upon us that people are healed when they walk by us.

Interestingly, Peter didn’t sit in church and wait for people to come to him.  He was out where people were.  You and I too are called to take the presence of God to our neighborhood, workplace, grocery store, etc.

God desires to overshadow you with his presence, not so much for your benefit, but for the benefit of those you come in contact with.

God wants us to be carriers of His presence so that He can be glorified. We are not just here to talk about God, but to demonstrate His love and desire to set captives free.

Imagine millions of carriers of God presence all over the world whose heart is yielded to Him and are expectant of His power flowing through them.  

The next time you are out in public, be expectant knowing that wherever you go, the presence of God goes with you.

Temptation is Not Sin

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.

And God is faithful;

he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted,

he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13

“...and God is faithful...”

God is faithful!

That does not mean that you will not be tempted – it does mean that He will provide a way out of that temptation.

Too often we read that verse and incorrectly interpret it to mean we are given a way of escape from being tempted.

But that is not what is promised, while temptation will come we can have victory over the sin that temptation is trying to draw us into.

Perhaps temptation comes as an enticement to view something we shouldn’t.

Perhaps it comes as a thought of revenge on someone who has hurt you.

Temptation can take many different forms and we all face it.

But when it comes, not if but when, do you look for and take the provided way of escape?

It’s there, we just don’t take always want to see it or take it.

It might be as simple as turning our thoughts to the promises of God’s word.

Perhaps it’s a knock at the door, the ringing of a phone or the calling of our spouse’s voice to pull us away from the temptation.

Look for the ways God provides and take them!

The Great Escape - Part II

“Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)  When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

John 18:4-6

This was perhaps the best moment Jesus had to escape from those who had come to arrest Him.

After all, He had slipped away on other occasions when they tried to seize Him.

But this time was different.

Though the opportunity presented itself, Jesus did not take it.

You see, the fullness of time had come for Jesus to fulfill the Father’s purpose.

That is what made the difference – obedience and a desire to please His Father!

The timing mattered now because obedience to His Father mattered.

Jesus discerned the hour.

He did not try to escape – though He had before.

What would you have done?

Would you have seen this opportunity as Gods’ hand of deliverance and made your way of escape in the moment or would you have seen it for what it was, a choice between self-preservation or surrender.  

Jesus chose surrender – what will you choose?

The Great Escape?

“Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)  When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”

John 18:4-6

Jesus did not run or hide from what He knew He was facing in the next several hours.

Instead, He went out and asked them who it was they wanted.

He knew they were there for Him but His asking was a way for them to publicly declare their intentions in seeking Him.

I don’t know about you but I sometimes run in the opposite direction when the least little bit of conflict is headed my way.

That usually only makes it worse!

When it cannot be avoided, it must be confronted.

Jesus knew why He came to earth and part of that included His arrest, persecution and crucifixion.

He faced His future head on and completed what He had come to do.

When you face difficulties do you face them head on or do you fold.

Sometimes those difficulties are meant to be embraced and not run from.

Sometimes your destiny is fulfilled just beyond the hard part.

It is never easy.

But it is necessary.

Don’t run from what God brings in your life, even when it is hard.

Embrace it!

Who Are You Relying On?

Todays’ blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

We’ve all done it.  We receive a gift from someone with a warm smile and a “thank you” only to put the gift on a shelf or in a drawer somewhere to collect dust.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, at the time, we received it with joy and went on to think about all the ways we were going to use the new gift, but life got in the way.  We became busy with other things, and soon forgot we even had the gift.  (On a personal note, I have tools that were given to me over a year ago and are still in the box, unopened.)

Now imagine I have a job in front of me that requires cutting a lot of wood, and I proceed to manually cut the wood with a hand saw forgetting that I had this nice shiny power tool on the shelf and still in the box.  Pretty foolish, uh?

Yet, as Christians we do that with the Holy Spirit.  We received the Holy Spirit with much joy and gladness from our heavenly Father, but then, somewhere along the way we stopped relying on Him, and instead started relying on our own strength.  We relegate Him to a back seat in our life.

We have this daunting task in front of us – living a life that honors God in a world that opposes us at every turn, but we forget that the Holy Spirit of God was given to guide, empower, and comfort us.  Instead, we go through our Christian walk struggling to do the right thing in our own feeble strength, which often leads to failure and feelings of discouragement and frustration.  We view the biblical promises of “peace that passes all understanding” and “joy unspeakable” as unattainable goals, rather than reality, as we drudge through life.

Listen to what the bibles says in John 14:26 about the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives – “But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.” (AMP)

What an incredible and powerful resource!  God gave us His very Spirit to lead us through life.  Today, let’s choose to rely on the Holy Spirit and not our efforts.  When we do, our sinful nature will be put to death (Romans 8:13), and our lives will be marked by repeated victories, rather than defeats.

A Wolf at the Door

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.

So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.

Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.”

John 10:11-12

Should churches welcome terrorists?

I know that sounds like a dumb question but it really isn’t when you consider the question: Should churches be welcoming places?

After all ISIS issued a hit list of churches for their followers to attack this past Christmas season.

Should any of those churches have welcomed them?

Of course not!

They were not interested in hearing the Gospel, they were only interested in harm and destruction, they were bent on evil intentions.

Most terrorists don’t wear a sign declaring who they are.

They are disguised, discreet and hidden.

An ‘angel of light’ to deceive, if it were possible, the very elect of God.

Only after they have wrought their carnage do they take credit for it and are exposed for who they really were. 

Another example for you -

Who is Dylann Roof?

“Dylann Storm Roof is an American mass murderer and white supremacist convicted of perpetrating the June 17, 2015, Charleston church shooting, also known as the Charleston church massacre.”

Dylann Roof was welcomed into that church in Charleston.

He sat through their prayer meeting and then killed nine people, six women and three men, all black, including the Pastor who was a state senator.

He did this in the hopes of igniting a race war.

He was welcomed into their church.

Should sheep folds be welcoming places?

I think back to my military service and a time I visited the catacombs in Rome. Why did believers go into hiding? Because they were facing persecution, torture and martyrdom for their faith.

I am not advocating we go into hiding.

I am not advocating we so shutter the doors of the church that no one feels welcome.

I am saying that we need discernment and wisdom in these days and there will be times when some are not welcomed freely into the church or allowed to stay – and for good reason.

Wisdom and discernment (and yes, even love) sometimes dictate that we ‘dis-fellowship’ some.

In other words we invite them out of instead of into our fellowship.

Not because we are mean and not because we do not welcome others but because not everyone comes with good intentions.

Shepherds and Sheep

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.

So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.

Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.”

John 10:11-12

Churches sometimes cannot and should not be open and welcoming to all.

No church would welcome a known terrorist into their midst.

Remember how reluctant the 1st century church was to receive Saul of Tarsus into their midst?

Even after the Holy Spirit spoke in a vision to a disciple in Damascus called Ananias, that same disciple at first resisted going to Saul because Saul was, what today we might call a terrorist.  Only after reassurance form the Holy Spirit “...he is a chosen vessel for me, to bear my name before the Gentiles...”

did Ananias hesitantly go and pray for him to receive his sight back. 

 So short of intervention by the Holy Spirit the 1^st century church would not have opened its doors to a terrorist any more than they would have invited in the devil in an attempt to ‘reform’ him. 

And yet, in one form or another, we often have done just that.

Of course, we don’t knowingly do it but that in itself is not something we should boast about. Naiveté is not a characteristic the church should boast in when God has cautioned us with these words spoken by Jesus to his disciples in

 Matthew 10:16:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

God has wisely chosen to give the sheep shepherds who are to look out for the sheep.

Have you prayed for your shepherd today – that he might wisely discern and guard the sheep in his fold?

Welcome?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep.

So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.

Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.”

John 10:11-12

Should churches should be welcoming places?

Uh oh, be careful not to answer to quickly!

If the answer is yes, then to what degree are we to be welcoming places?

Is it an unconditional welcome like Gods’ love?

Is everyone welcome? If yes, then what are the implications of that?

All are welcome without regard to...to what?

The fact is I can’t always honestly answer with an emphatic yes or no.

Let me tip my hand just a bit by re-phrasing the question this way:

(Let’s see if this changes or tempers your answer at all)

Should sheep folds be welcoming places?

To what degree are they to be welcoming places?

Is everyone welcome in the sheep fold?

If so, what are the implications of that?

Are wolves welcome into the sheep fold?

No? 

Well then, sheep folds are not necessarily welcoming places to all are they?

There just might be some discrimination necessary.

Maybe if I change that word discrimination to discernment – does that help?

Let’s use discernment and discipline wisely to keep wolves out of the sheep fold.

Dig In!

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

II Timothy 2:15

Have you ever questioned a message you heard on Sunday morning?

If so, what did it cause you to do?

Did it cause you to question the Pastor’s theology and call three other people in your church to sow seeds of doubt concerning the message...or...did it send you to your prayer closet and to the Word to search out the scriptures?

The Spirit of God has a way of sometimes challenging our beliefs when those beliefs are founded in tradition rather than His Word.

Those kinds of thoughts and questions on our part are always good. I am speaking of those thoughts that drive you to His Word and to dig into it to search out and rightly divide scripture for yourself.  

We need to listen, receive and grow through our continued study of the words spoken to us.

Are you well taught?

If so, I hope you understand that that is a word of encouragement not only to those who teach and preach but also to those who hear and receive that teaching too.

It all has to do with what we do with what we are taught.

Questioning what we are taught in order to better understand it and to grow from it is always a good thing.

Dig in to the message and let God grow you! 

A Different Kind of Weapon

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15

While reading a book this week, I read a quote from a Christian author who said “rest can be a weapon” for a Christ follower.

I never looked at rest in terms of a weapon, quite the opposite actually.  But, the more I thought about it, the more I came to understand how true that statement was.

I began to recall times in my life when choosing to put my heart at rest and trust God allowed me to overcome difficult circumstances.

I would even go so far as to say that there are very few spiritual weapons greater than rest.

A heart at rest in God can overcome the greatest of storms.

A heart at rest in God can position us to hear God’s voice even in the midst of chaos.

A heart at rest in God is able to trust Him even when we can’t see where we are going.

A heart at rest in God is able to show love even when love is not being reciprocated.

I challenge you to cultivate a restful spirit, a quietness of soul this week, and watch how you will be able to rise above even the most difficult of situations.

Rest in the hands of a Christ follower is a powerful weapon.

NEVER!

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

    his mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

When does the love of God cease?

When do His mercies come to an end?

His word says: NEVER!

NEVER means just exactly what you think it means, NOT EVER!

We struggle to grasp that truth because our love and our mercy ebb and flow based on circumstances, our mood or the behavior of others.

God is love.

In that respect, He is not moved by the same things that move us to remove or temper our love toward others.

We try to understand the love of God in the same way we experience our love (or lack of love) with and for others.

The perfect love of God cannot be understood through the imperfect love of man.

Perhaps, in part, that is why Jesus said:

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

John 17:3

It will take eternity to begin to grasp that wonderful love!

“...with gratitude in your heart...”

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Colossians 3:16

They hook you up to a machine and put you on a treadmill.

Slowly at first, you walk.

They increase the incline and ask you to increase your pace.

There are a number of medical staff standing by – just in case.

“That’s a real confidence booster!” – You think to yourself.

All of the probes sticking to your chest measure heart function.

You complete the test and they address their findings with you.

Imagine for a moment if that same equipment measured gratitude or complaints.

How would your heart measure up?

Of course, there is no such equipment but there is an indicator.

Scripture tells us that the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart.

Your words disclose your heart condition.

What do your words reveal concerning your heart?

It is so, so much easier to complain isn’t it?

We must discipline ourselves to recognize and express gratitude.

As you journey through each day – don’t forget to thank God for His blessings!

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” ~Author Unknown

Three Strikes against Discouragement!

Are you discouraged today?

It takes no super discernment for me to say that you are not alone in that discouragement.

We all face it at one time or another.

The bigger question is what are you going to do about it?

Here’s how one hero of the faith handled it –

“When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured...David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.”

Talk about some troubling circumstances!

We are not told specifically how David “...found strength in the Lord His God.” but let me suggest to you some strong possibilities that are great antidotes to discouragement and defeat.

First, David may have spoken aloud to himself the promises of God as we wrote of in an earlier post.

Second, David spent time in worship and praise acknowledging that the only one who could deliver them was the God of Wonders.

Third and final, David may have rehearsed in his mind the many times God had faithfully delivered him in the past – maybe he recounted the story of a certain Philistine giant that fell at David’s feet through the delivering hand of God.

So you see, it’s one, two, three strikes and discouragement is out!

Finding yourself discouraged?

Encourage yourself in the Lord!!

Grab Hold and Hang On!

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

II Corinthians 1:20

With a title like that you might think this post is speaking of a roller coaster ride.

Maybe you’re thinking “I bet he’s going to talk about the events of 2017”

Well, in both cases – sorry, but you’d be wrong.

We need to grab hold and hang on to the promises of God.

No matter what the year brings and no matter how stomach churning a coaster ride might be, the promises of God do not fail and they are a sure and constant to our spirits in a world short on sure and constant things.

Here’s the thing though – you have probably believed what someone has said before and been disappointed – maybe bitterly so.

God is not like that!

Listen to what His Word declares:

“God is not human, that he should lie,

    not a human being, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act?

    Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Numbers 23:19

You can walk through life – even through the valley of the shadow of death with the unshakable knowledge that the promises of God are sure and true!

Through sickness, through trials, through heartache and loss His promises remain.

What a wonderful strength that brings to us.

Grab hold of His promises –

Grab hold and hang on!

Enjoy this video titled “Promises” from Sanctus Real

https://youtu.be/sPO3meEuU24