We Have Ignition!!

On the 17th of July, 2015 I was honored to be a part of the Ignite Conference at my church. God revived my spirit. Tasked with the responsibility of bringing a monologue to serve as the opening act, this is what was presented:

MONOLOGUE 

How's life? Oh, same old, same old, can't complain. 

Isn't it sad that that's my honest response to that question. Same. Old. Same. Old. No change. No progress. 

How am I here? When did life hit the pause button? It just seems like nothing is worth waking up to any more.  

I remember back when I got saved. To this day I still feel chills run down my spine when I think of it. It felt like I'd won a war I was sure to lose. I walked from darkness into light. Marvelous light. To know that God has my back...that everything would work out for my good...that there was a purpose attached to my life was the best thing ever. 

But if you're like me, you may have realized that being a Christian is not the most popular identity you can bear. Be funny. Cool. Be a sinner. Better. Be a Christian? Can't hang with us. It seemed like after salvation life got harder. Even the people I was cool with started changing on me. And it seemed like all I now was was a Christian. They called me Pastor in the hallways at work. My friends didn't have too much free time any more. It got kinda lonely...but I had God, right?

I've never seen myself as a people pleaser. But I thought it wise to maybe not bring Jesus up everywhere. My salvation is real either way...and so is Jesus. Also, in an attempt to win over a few, perhaps I should let a few of those nasty jokes and stories slide. I forgot that all the strength I had is not my own. It belongs to the one who lives in me.

Ever since those decisions, I started on a downward spiral. What once was a struggle against sin is now a fight to excuse sin cycles in my life. I forgot about the great cloud of witnesses and they've all turned to blasphemy and I still don't think I'm to blame. Meanwhile I go through the motions giving zombie-service...seeming alive by outward appearances but knowing I'm dead within. 

But no more. I want to live out the abundant life that I received  I'm sick of trying to work things out on my own. I've fallen and I can't get up!! I refuse to die in this wilderness of my own making, knowing that I have a God and Father who longs to be gracious to me. There are also too many people waiting to be impacted by my abundantly-lived life. I know I cannot elicit the change on my own...believe me, I've tried. But after all the failure, I know what to do:

Lord, teach me to trust in You, to live in rooted submission. To know that one cannot live abundantly except within Your will. I give up every yoke I've submitted to...I've tried them all and they are brutal. But Your yoke is easy, Your burden is light. Your commands are not burdensome either. I ask that You would ignite the flame in me all for the glory of Your Name. Amen. 

STAY ALERT!!!

       "Cherish therefore the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, judges and governors shall all become wolves." 


These words were written by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Edward Carrington. What I saw in them was a warning against inattention...also known as distraction. More so I think that what Jefferson warned against is the utter definition of the current state of affairs in our world. 


We have become a people heavily relient on distractions for entertainment, social status and unfortunately, this may flow into education. A lot of the information we receive has been truncated, leaving out a lot of the details that would fuel a change....a differing view....a critical thought or opinion. 


We cannot stress enough the value of attentiveness. There is no way to bring about change in a circumstance if one remains unaware of the nature of said circumstance. In other words, we cannot change a thing whose existence we do not acknowledge. My mentor brought this point out at a meeting where he said,"The problem we have at times is that we are at war with the enemy but are unaware of it. We have issues to pray over but our busy lives have us so distracted that we downplay the importance of prayer in our lives. In those times it takes extreme situations to bring us back to our knees, and that only until they have been resolved." 


I was reading a devotional drawn from Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield of The Mind" message, in which she gave a story of a Christian lady whose world was crashing under the immense weight of the awareness of her imperfection. When she looked at her life, all she saw was sin. I know that position only too well, and many are the times I wanted to give up on salvation simply because I could not see how God was working on me. Joyce point that out as Satan's strategy for discouragement and distraction, encouraging us to focus on what God has accomplished in us and to rest in the assurance that He who began the good work in us is faithful and well-able to complete it.


In I Peter 5:8(NIV) we are warned to "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Distraction will cause us to focus on what we lack rather than what we have. This causes discontent, and the thanksgiving due to God is never heard on our lips. Moreover, Paul gives us the exact strategy to live the Christian life in Philippians 3:13-14: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." It is IMPOSSIBLE to live out that scripture without alertness in our spirit. If we are not aware of the enemy's schemes, we will not know what weapons to use in warfare. This may result in exhaustion, frustration and probably a downturn in our faith.


SIGH!! I started somewhere and ended up here, but in between I hope you find encouragement and blessing. :)

Food for Thought

Zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse.

What a statement!!! I never got to squeeze out all the juice on this one, but it's rather self-explanatory from the get-go. I will use a brief analogy, and I pray that scatter-brain doesn't end this eight or so topics away from the main aim.....haha!!

For a horse to serve his master correctly, he has to be bridled. This is for the purpose of guidance. Left to himself, the horse will probably head in the direction he feels will yield food. However, under the master's control, every step the horse takes serves a purpose, bringing both he and his master closer to a goal or desired destination. The bridle serves to control speed and direction, which gives both the master and the horse the most effective results for each stage of the journey.

The bridle feels burdensome, but it comes with perks. As long as the horse yields to the master's control through the bridle, it is guaranteed food. No good and wise master will work a horse and not keep him well-fed. Also, by it the master communicates his desires, based on the journey's purpose, the current terrain and the horse's feedback. In this way, the master will neither put the horse on a gallop on rocky ground, nor on a slippery slope.

Before this slips away, lemme try bring it home. Zeal, like a runaway horse, can be fueled by desire and emotion. Either one of these can change for the better or for worse, therefore directing the impact in a similar direction. Zeal without knowledge paves way for indiscipline. One such example would be a person who yearns to speak truths, but neither considers the audience no the timing of his speech. In such an instance, a truth with a potential to cause positive change in someone's life might evoke feelings of condemnation and guilt, both negatives.

Zeal without knowledge can also be annoying. Consider an aspiring drummer without a clue on how to use a drumset. Any band would be more willing to play without drums than to employ the services of such a person because any attempt they make at playing would result in noise. In this case, the zeal would cause more harm than good, and the resulting impression may be hard to shake off, even after the knowledge is acquired.

All in all, I want to live a life where my zeal will stay hidden until the master gives the instruction to move forward. I am assured of the fact that by the time He gives the command, He will have prepared me to know exactly what the goal is.

God bless!!

SQUASHED TOES!!

I love powerful sermons, but there are those that center so much on the stuff we do wrong but are unwilling to admit...and we feel as though whoever's speaking is stepping on our toes: THE TOE-GRINDERS!!

This is one of them...
DISCLAIMER: This may sting a wee bit!!

It is on wayoflife.org, and the actual link is
http://wayoflife.org/files/924bd47dc7809a285d0e271583e0d0d7-878.html

The title is THE WISE MAN'S FOLLY
Be blessed!!

The following is by Buddy Smith and is from Heads Up! September 9, 2011, smiletex@bighpond.net.au -- 
"For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods." I Kings 11:4-8
 
How could the wisest king in history go so terribly wrong? He began his reign so well, and ended it so poorly. Where did he go wrong?

 An answer, you already know, is in our text. "...his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father." 
 
Solomon reasoned that it would be politically astute for him to marry Pharaoh's daughter. Surely her father would be an ally if his daughter lived in Solomon's capital city, wouldn't he? Politically, he was correct, but biblically, he was in error.
 
There is a deep, foundational error in the wise man's strategy. He was violating his own maxim, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)  Ahem, Solomon, old chap, who ARE you trusting? And have you looked in the mirror lately? You've acquired quite a lean there. And this part about "ALL thy ways", what about that?  Have you forgotten the warnings God gave in Deuteronomy 7:3,4, where he commanded, "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." ?
 
So why did Solomon fall into this trap? Why did he allow reason to prevail over revelation? What basic philosophical premise was at the root of all this? Yes, we know he married Pharaoh's daughter, and then the daughters of all the kings of the nations around Israel, and then he took wives and concubines until he had 700 wives and 300 porcupines, oops, I mean concubines. (One commentator says that, in order to marry 1000 women in forty years, Solomon would have had to marry a new wife every two weeks. Talk about disaster!) But what was the basic error in his thinking? There is a taproot for every poisonous weed in the garden of the heart of man, you know. What is Solomon's taproot?
 
Some years ago, the Lord led me to I Chronicles 8:11, "And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come." And this verse reveals the single basic error in the wise man's thinking.
 
Here is the taproot. Solomon divided his life into two parts, the sacred and the secular.
 
Read the verse again. Solomon said, "I build a house for my wife, separate from my house because it is holy and she can't live there. My house is holy, consecrated to God, but my wife isn't. There are parts of my life that belong to God and they are holy, and there are parts that belong to me and they aren't, and I will have to keep them apart."
 
This is the master key to the decline and fall of Solomon. Solomon reasoned out a basic fallacy that destroyed him, deluded his son after him and ultimately devastated his kingdom. Solomon made the mistake of dividing life into two compartments, the sacred and the secular.
 
Is this a serious matter? When I preach on this subject, I hear the hurried whispers of disturbed hearts, and see the saints squirm in their seats. I see the nervous glances between husbands and wives, and see the surprised eyebrows of children lifted. (Surely, pastor, you jest! You cannot possibly be saying that the Christian's life is to be entirely consecrated to God? I mean, we believe in holiness, but that's going a bit far, don't you think?) Well, let's just try on a few Bible verses for size. How about this one, does it fit? "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication" (1Thess. 4:3) Or this one, "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." (1Thess. 4:7) Or maybe this one, does it suit? "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Thess. 5:23) These three simple verses sum up the Bible truth about sanctification and make clear to us what we are to do about sacred and secular areas of our lives.
 1)    It is the will of God for each of us to be sanctified. You want the will of God for your life? Start here.
 2)    God has already called each of us to holiness. Don't wait around, hoping to hear from Heaven, He has already spoken!
 3)    God is at work in us to sanctify, to make holy our spirit, our soul, and our body! Every part of me, and every part of you is to be holy. Are we there yet? No, by no means! But we need to embrace these truths and take God's side against ourselves. We need to say, "There will be no toleration of sin in my life."
 
I once heard an old preacher say, "For the Christian, every piece of ground is holy ground, and every bush is a burning bush!" That is what Solomon, in all his wisdom, did not perceive. He permitted the grey matter above his eyebrows to overrule the Scriptures that spoke of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, as He confronted Solomon with the Word of God. He permitted Reason to prevail over Revelation. His greatest error was in dividing life into sacred and secular compartments.
 
This is what is destroying the saints at this very moment, individually and collectively. Men, women, and children, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, in fact, whole churches have divided all that life contains into that which belongs to God and that which belongs to ME!
 
Consider the results of Solomon's faulty logic. If a child of God is happy to divide life into two boxes (God's box and MY box), it is almost impossible to prevent that which is in God's box decreasing and that which is in MY box increasing. So it was for Solomon. One pagan, unsanctified wife led to two and two to a thousand. One wife worshipping her idol in HER house led to Solomon building high places for Ashtoreth, and then Milcom, and then Chemosh, and then Molech. Reason prevailing over revelation in private led to the practice of this faulty hermeneutic in public. Is it any surprise that his descendants added to his pantheon until it destroyed them?
 
Have you considered what this reasoning is doing to our homes and churches? In most homes there is a shelf for the Bible and a shelf for the vilest propaganda from Hell. Not in my house, you say. Well, would you be willing for the Lord Jesus Christ to sit down with you and watch the DVD's you feed on more than you feed on the Word of God? Would he approve the profanity and nudity, the drugs and drunkenness, the pornography and blasphemy of your favourite movies? And what would he think of the New Age errors your children feast their hearts on as they watch the Disney DVD's you buy them? It all started when you embraced Solomon's doctrine of dichotomy, "I am justified to have in my life Sacred things and secular things, and they are to be kept separate."
 
We are seeing it in our churches, more and more. Whether we keep the KJV in the pulpit, and the NIV in the pastor's study, or whether we keep hymns in the Sunday morning worship and the world's music in the youth department, it simply is not possible to keep the leaven of ungodliness from leavening the whole lump. It is the nature of that which is ssssssssecular and ssssssssssssinful to grow and expand like leaven. (If you read that last sentence out loud you can even hear the Serpent's hiss.)
 
Oh, how much better it would have been if Solomon had prayed, "LORD, give me a godly wife that will live in the king's palace with me, and will worship You with me, and will help me to train our children to consecrate everything in our home to God!"
 
What is urgently needed in this hour is pastors who will say to God and to their people, "I am committed, so help me God, to strive to make every part of our church sacred. The pulpit, the baptistry, the study, the Sunday School, the missionary program, the choir, the special music, the musicians, the men we train to preach, the evangelists we have in to speak, the soul winning program, and even the pastor's marriage, all we do must be consecrated to God. We will not divide our church into sacred and secular. We will consecrate it all to God!"
 
Wise men can become fools.
 
All they have to do is divide life into two boxes, sacred and secular.
 

Discipline Determines Destiny

This is from a sermon at www.InTouch.org

Actual sermon link: http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv

 http://www.intouch.org/resources/sermon-outlines/content/topic/discipline_determines_destiny_sermon_outline

Discipline Determines Destiny

Charles F. Stanley

Scripture:1 Corinthians 9:23-27

I. Introduction: As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s only right that you and I want to fulfill His purpose for our lives. But without discipline, the distractions of life interfere with our God-given destiny. Like athletes in training, we must exercise self-control and restraint—living with a specific goal in mind (1 Cor. 9:23-27). Simply wanting to fulfill God’s will for our lives is not enough. It is discipline, not just desire, which determines your destiny and mine.

II. Clarifying Terms

1. Self-discipline is personal training that develops self-control and character, resulting in an orderly and efficient life. You and I must practice self-discipline in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Divine discipline is God’s correction when we step out of His will or disobey Him (Heb. 12:5).

III. Why is Self-Discipline Necessary?

1. Self-discipline is essential to godliness (1 Pet. 1:15; Tim. 4:7-8).
2. Unless we submit our natural desires to the control of the Spirit, they will dominate our lives. Food, rest, companionship, and sexual intimacy are good things, but they must be surrendered to the Lordship of Christ.

IV. What can we expect when we fail to practice self-control?
And undisciplined life causes us to . . .

1. Indulge our fleshly, carnal desires. Usually, we will find ourselves stepping out of God’s will if we fail to practice self-discipline.
2. Become defensive about our sinful lifestyles.
3. Hinder our health.
4. Harm our finances and get into debt. Credit card companies thrive on undisciplined people.
5. Perform poorly on the job. In extreme forms, a lack of discipline can result in job loss.
6. Be overlooked for promotion. In contrast, discipline often prepares you for the next opportunity.
7. Develop slothful habits.
8. Speak recklessly.
9. Arrive late.
10. Waste time and energy. Live by a schedule, setting your priorities for each day and following through with them.
11. Have a poor testimony. An undisciplined life compromises a believer’s witness (1 Cor. 9:27).

V. What is required for a disciplined life?

1. Have a definite purpose. Goals clarify what disciplines are needed for achievement.
2. Detach from things that draw you away from your goals.
3. Pursue your objectives with diligence. Reflecting on the worthiness of your goals will help keep you on course.
4. Be consistent. The full benefits of a self-controlled life can be found only through regular practice.
5. Practice self-control. Even if you fail sometimes, continue to work on self-discipline.
6. Say “no” in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Remember, the indwelling presence of the Spirit is available to empower you.

VI. Rewards of Discipline

1. A more orderly and less stressful life. Self-discipline can increase your peace, joy, and confidence.
2. Improved self-esteem. Setting and achieving goals will give you a sense of accomplishment.
3. Increased productivity. A well-planned day is generally more fruitful.
4. Better health. By eating right, exercising, avoiding drug and alcohol abuse, and getting proper rest, many illnesses can be avoided.
5. Positive impact on others. When we live disciplined lives, we often inspire others to do the same. To this day, the foundation my mother laid in my life helps motivate me to work with excellence at whatever I do. In turn, I taught my son and daughter to be disciplined, which has helped them succeed as adults.
6. Eternal reward. The most significant benefit of discipline will come from Jesus the day we stand before Him.

VII. How to Begin a Life of Discipline

1. Spend time each day reading God’s Word.
2. Make time for prayer. Wake up earlier or limit other activities in order to give God priority in your life.
3. Tithe your income. By being disciplined and obedient with finances, we give the Lord the opportunity to build our faith.
4. Attend worship every Sunday. Meeting with fellow believers to fellowship and study His Word deepens our relationships with Him.

VIII. Conclusion

The Lord designed you for a special purpose, one that will satisfy you like no other. Don’t allow your natural desires to hinder your ability to reach His purpose for you. The sacrifices of a well-disciplined life are nothing in comparison to the rewards of fulfilling your God-given destiny. It’s a prize well worth the training.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

.........follow your heart........

...........Follow your heart.........

................Follow Your Heart........

....................FOLLOW YOUR HEART...........

REALLY?

I don’t think so. Everyone says to do so but after a lot of thought, I politely refuse to follow my heart. My heart has exposed to me the wretch that I am. Jeremiah was not kidding when he declared the heart “deceitful above all things” (Jer. 17:9).

I was compelled to be honest with myself: I can think of several times when, had I followed my heart, I would not be here to say this. My heart represents the core of me...my emotions, my strengths, my weaknesses, the good and the bad that may reside within.....my SELF. Introspection has exposed  and conformed my worst fears: There is a lot of “bad” in me.

Yes, I’m saved. Delivered. Set free from the bonds that once held me. But my heart has tried to hold dear the very things I wish to elude. I thought I was alone in this until I saw Paul’s confession in Romans 7:15-25....what a relief!!!

So yes, while I admit my heart carries a cargo I wish to ignore, the Master is at work, chiseling away at the misshapen heart. He constantly empties it of its shameful contents and fills it with Himself. Yet my heart remains imperfect, somehow managing to retain bits and pieces of the past....past hurts, past blemishes. 

I therefore look to a day when He who began the good work in me completes it. Until then, I remain conscious of the evil that still lingers in my heart. Why? Because it remains an influential part of my decision making. Paul shows me an “out” though: Like him, I choose to hold dear the word of God, to meditate on it and allow it to transform me. My mind will be filled with God’s commands and not my heart’s demands. My heart may tell me what I want, but God’s word tells me what I need!!

Follow my heart? No, thank you. Intuition? Are u kidding me? I believe my heart will very much need to be led. I will subject my heart to the unconventional practice of following me...wanting what God says to, reacting as God says to. Moreover, I will subject myself to learning God's word...that way I will have a complete manual for my heart to adhere to.

I CHOOSE TO LEAD MY HEART!

Everything But The Needle

        A servant was once sent to a carpeted house by his master to find a needle that had fallen onto the carpet. He set out to accomplish this task with one guiding thought: He would only keep his mind alert for a shiny object. Upon arrival at the house, he saw a sign at the door requiring all visitors to take off their shoes prior to entry. He complied and proceeded to open the door to the living room.

To his dismay, the floor was covered with roofing nails and quarters from wall to wall. This made the task all the more daunting but the servant was determined to complete his assignment. Before he took another step into the room, he acknowledged a looming thought: “If I try walking into this room, my feet will be turned into mush by all the nails! Furthermore, I have little chance of noticing the needle with all these shiny quarters. I will therefore pick up all the roofing nails and all the quarters first, and thus give myself a sporting chance to spot the needle.”

He began to collect the nails and coins, and though the thought of finding that needle continued to nag him, he kept reminding himself of the risk involved with not following his earlier thoughts. Several hours later, he reached the opposite end of the room with bags full of coins and nails. He sat down, letting out a contented sigh, only to see his master at the door. The master, having awaited his servant’s return for far too long, requested that he hand over the needle. The servant could only look to the ground as he realized he had collected everything but the needle.

We are not very different from this servant. We are willing to admit that we have been placed on earth for a purpose. We know that God has required us to seek Him FIRST and then have him add ALL THESE THINGS unto us. However, many a time we have enough time in our day for everything and everyone except God. He becomes as diminished to our spirit as a needle is to our eyes. We want to praise Him but we also want to avoid troubles,such as debt , so rather than seek Him who supplies our needs, we focus on working to earn the money that seemingly covers our needs. Instead of praying to the Author of favor, we try to please people so they’ll do us a favor. Rather than read His Word for understanding and discernment, we call our friends and see if they can help us understand our issues and suggest solutions.

If we look to our circumstances, our hard work and time spent on the hustle appears to be with good reason. Nevertheless, we know how badly that formula works out, so let us remember that while we can spend our time being busy and accomplishing much, we still have assignments that mean much more. Let us look to God FIRST in order to receive guidance on that which we should focus on.