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Without Faith
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
“I feel like I have gone as far as I can possibly go…WITHOUT FAITH.“
I sincerely believe that where many of us are in life today is not actually a testament of our faith in God, but rather a testament of our individual skills and talents. And there (for many of us) lies the problem.
As believers, we tend to exercise our faith only in areas that we have seen God move before.
But when it comes to the unknown, our faith remains still.
Which as Hebrews 11:6 indicates, is not faith at all. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Sometimes I wonder if we find more security in knowing who we are or have been in times past, than we do in believing who God is. As we enter this final stretch of the year, many of us have come to the end of some rather long roads in our lives that now require faith to move forward.
As we examine our hearts and lives today, many of us must come to the realization that the skills and talents we so heavily relied on in the past can no longer move us forward.
Neither can the resumes (and perhaps associations) we worked so hard to build.
Challenge:
What lies before many of us now is a faith in what seems to be impossible.
A faith that fosters a sense of restlessness, yet at the same time, a sense of peace.
May you and I lean hard into that peace today.
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Consider Your Ways
Haggai 1:5-6 “Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”
When something bad happens to us, we are often quick to ask, “Why me, God?” Or, when something good happens to someone else, we may ask, “Why not me, God?”
In God’s Word, we are instructed to ask questions of ourselves about ourselves when things aren’t going as we’d planned or desired. Haggai 1:5-6, tells us to “consider your ways” to find the root of many problems:
In other words – if you feel like you’re trying and trying, but still not succeeding, it might be time to “consider your ways!”
It’s time to consider what you’re thinking…what you’re saying…and what you’re doing. Although asking tough questions of ourselves can be painful, it is also often the key to breaking the mindsets, belief systems, and behaviors that keep us from truly achieving our goals in life.
It’s true that you might get uncomfortable looking at yourself with such deep, introspective consideration. You might not like all that you see when you stare long and hard into the depths of your own soul. But you must be willing to identify, and then confront, those things inside of you that continue to keep you from victory. Remember: you can’t conquer what you don’t confront!
I heard a story about a man who once took him two years to venture into his basement after he’d moved into a new home. When he finally descended the staircase, he didn’t like what he saw! “I found evidence of critters that had made their way through a broken window screen; there was rust on the water heater that was troublesome; there was debris everywhere, and the critters had made their way into boxes of old clothing and paperwork I’d put there when I first moved in. It was a mess!”
It took the man four weekends and two trips to the city dump to get the basement in good order; but after he’d accomplished the job, he said, “I felt like I’d moved a mountain. Nobody else was aware of the work I’d done, but I certainly slept better at night knowing that I had a reliable water heater, and a clean organized basement I could actually use.”
Cleaning out, sorting, or repairing the damage in your inner self is very much like the work that man had to do to clean out his wreck of a basement. Its hard work – and nobody else may see or appreciate what you’re doing. But it’s incredibly beneficial, and may be the key to restoring order to things in your life that are out of order.
Challenge:
So take the first step and “consider your ways” – to break through to victory, God’s way!
Look inside yourself instead of looking at everyone else… start a search in your life first, and then maybe you can be of assistance to someone else.
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God In the Ordinary
Ephesians 3:12 “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
God calls us in a real world …. He doesn’t communicate to us by stacking stars in the heavens or reincarnating grandparents from the grave….
He’s not a magician or a good-luck charm or the man upstairs. He is, instead, the Creator of the universe who is right here in the thick of our day-to-day world who speaks to you more through cooing babies, and hungry bellies than he ever will through horoscopes, zodiac papers, or weeping Madonnas.
If you get some supernatural vision or hear some strange voice in the night, don’t get too carried away. It could be God or it could be indigestion, and you don’t want to misinterpret one for the other.
God speaks in our world. We just have to learn to hear Him… amidst the ordinary.
Challenge:
Today God will communicate to you through the ordinary things that you will encounter.
Be on the look-out for His marvelous hand working in your life… don’t miss the small things because that is probably where you’ll find Him.
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The Savior Won
Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
A transformed group stood beside a transformed Peter as he announced: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” No timidity in his words. No reluctance. About three thousand people believed his message.
The apostles sparked a movement. The people became followers of the death-conqueror. They couldn’t hear enough or say enough about Jesus. People began to call them “Christ-ians.” Christ was the model, their message. They preached “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” not for the lack of another topic, but because they couldn’t exhaust this one.
What unlocked the doors of the apostles’ hearts?
Simple… they saw Jesus. They encountered the Christ. Their sins collided with their Savior and their Savior won!
Challenge:
Have you encountered Him? The real Jesus Christ?
If not, then call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-13) and meet the resurrected Savior.
If you have called upon Him… then has it affected you to the point where you can’t stop talking about Him?
This is a new week… make it a point to speak to someone about their eternal destiny this week.
Then share with me your result… positive or negative.
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The Clothing of the Cross
1 Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
When Christ was nailed to the cross, He took off His robe of seamless perfection and assumed a different wardrobe… the wardrobe of indignity.
The indignity of nakedness. Stripped before His mother and loved ones, Shamed before His family.
The indignity of failure. For a few painful hours, the religious leaders were the victors, and Christ appeared to be the loser. Shamed before his accusers.
Worst of all, he wore the indignity of sin. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness…”
The clothing of Christ on the cross… was sin—yours and mine. The sins of all humanity.
Challenge:
As we worship today remember His humiliation enables us to be able to worship.
Draw close to Him today and lift your voice to Him.
His shame became your boldness to approach a Holy God.
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Hoax
2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
I decided to look up the definition of the word ‘hoax’ this past weekend after I, like millions of Americans all across the nation, was made aware of this interesting development. Here’s what I found:
Hoax: to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous.
While probably not to the extreme the Heene family ( the boy and the flying saucer baloon) apparently took on last week, if we were all honest with ourselves for a moment, many of us as leaders have been guilty at times of also creating some hoaxes when it comes to making some form of impression on those we lead.
There is something innate within us all that seeks for the acceptance of others. We want our lives to mean something. We want our work to mean something. Despite how we (as believers) tend to say that we don’t, we do. Perhaps some even more than others.
In an age where social media has provided millions around the world with a newfound freedom to express themselves now without restraint, one would have to agree with marketing guru Seth Godin that the new mantra for not only the web, but perhaps our emerging culture as a whole… is to be noticed at any cost.
Challenge:
My prayer is that we will always be mindful of that cost.
And reach for something far better.
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The Elephant In The Church
Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Ever heard this phrase used before: The Elephant In The Room?
I’m sure you have. Around the office water cooler, and perhaps even the dinner table, it’s an old English idiom that many of us use to describe an obvious truth that is either being ignored, or at times, rarely being addressed.
We all realize how impossible it is for an elephant to be ignored. They are the largest land animals in the world, weighing anywhere between 9000-12,000 pounds. The trunk of an elephant can have up to forty thousand individual muscles in it, making it sensitive enough to pick up a blade of grass, yet strong enough to tear down a small tree.
So you would think that if you and I were in a room with an elephant, we would probably know it!
While doing a little soul searching this week, I began to ask myself this question: As Christians, what are the elephants you and I have in the room today? Digging a little deeper…
What is the biggest elephant we have in the church today?
I’m quite sure, depending on who you ask, the answers to that question would differ greatly. It could be money, divorce, racism, homosexuality, politics, or sexism. The list is endless.
There is however one “elephant” in particular that we as Christians rarely seem to uncover enough. Despite its size and ability to frighten all in its path, this elephant has been chained to the rooms (and hearts) of every believer by God Himself. It simply cannot be avoided.
That elephant is Accountability.
Out text says in, Romans 12:16 says, “Be of the same mind toward one another. Mind on high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”
Can I be honest with you? I have always had a difficult time asking for help. Whether it was from a family member, friend, or even a fellow believer, I have always equated a need for help as a sign of weakness. Nothing like figuring things out on your own…or so I thought. This has been very costly to me and the ministry. We all need each other whether we are the leader or the follower. As a pastor I need the help of the people in the church as much as they need me as the shepherd and teacher of the church.
As Christians, there is nothing more important than seeking out and embracing the accountability of the friends and loved ones God has placed around us. More often than not, many of us can fall victim to a dangerous belief system that our relationship with Christ (and no one else) is all that we need to be successful in our daily walk with Him.
Although I still consider myself to be a young man, there is one thing I have come to know for certain: Without accountability, the voice of God can sound a lot like your own.
Challenge:
I encourage you today to become a person of accountability. Please do not, under any circumstances, become wise in your own conceit. Those who do may unfortunately find themselves surrounded in peanuts the rest of their lives; because when it comes to the elephant of accountability…
…it’s here to stay.
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The Power Of Accountability
Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.”
If you want to deepen your experience of these daily devotional messages and thus your relationship with God, consider choosing a prayer partner to share this journey with you.
Going through each devotional with a friend or prayer partner creates a great opportunity to discuss your thoughts, feelings and insights along the way, deepening your understanding. It is also helpful to have someone who will hold you accountable and challenge you to stay on track. And of course, as we know, where two or more are gathered, He is there. So with a prayer partner it’s a mini-prayer meeting!
Whatever frequency you set up, daily, weekly, or even monthly, you can meet in person or by phone. Try starting each meeting with a prayer. You can read the daily devotional out loud, and discuss any insights that emerge. Or, if not meeting daily, each of you can bring one devotional that has touched you since the last time you met. Take turns reading your devotional message and explaining why it resonated with you.
You may also want to prayerfully commit to your partner that you will take certain actions or make changes in the time before your next meeting. Close with a prayer to strengthen you and your prayer partner for the journey.
At your next meeting, you can check in on whether you were able to accomplish your goals (or not–we are human!) and how the discussion topic showed up in your actions and attitudes. Sharing this journey with a partner will significantly increase your ability to learn to live God’s joy in the world; it can double your joy! Having a partner keeps you accountable and therefore makes a more powerful impact on your life.
Challenge:
Are you willing to experience the power of accountability?
If you’ve decided that having a prayer partner is right for you, take time now to list three potential prayer partners. Get in touch and if your first choice isn’t available for this journey right now, keep trying until you find someone who is.
You are on your way!
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Miraculous Moments
Colossians 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Jesus was not a godlike man, nor a manlike God. He was God-man.
Midwifed by a carpenter.
Bated by a peasant girl.
The maker of the world with a bellybutton.
The author of the Pentateuch being taught the Pentateuch.
Heaven’s human. And because He was, we are left with scratch-your-head, double-blink, what’s-wrong-with-this-picture moments like these:
A cripple sponsoring a town dance.
A sack lunch satisfying fifteen- thousand tummies.
What do we do with such moments?
What do we do with such a person?
We applaud men for doing good things. We enshrine God for doing great things.
But when man does God things?
One thing is certain, we can’t ignore Him.
Challenge:
Let this same Jesus lift your heart and do something miraculous in your life today!
He has not lost His power nor His willingness to be God in your life.
Release Him to be God in your daily routine… and your routine will never be “routine” again.
Think and pray about it.
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The God You Need
Isaiah 45:18 “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
You don’t need what Dorothy found.
Remember her discovery in the Wizard of Oz? She and her trio followed the yellow-brick road only to discover that the wizard was a wimp. The wizard was really nothing but smoke and mirrors and tin-drum thunder. Is that the kind of god you need?
You don’t need to carry the burden of a lesser god… a god on a shelf, a god in a box, or a god in a bottle. No, you need a God who can place 100 billion stars in our galaxy and 100 billion galaxies in our universe. You need a God who can shape two fists of flesh into 75 to 100 billion nerve cells, each with as many as 10,000 connections to the other nerve cells, place it in a skull, and call it a brain.
And you need a God who, while so mind-numbingly mighty, can come in the soft of night and touch you with the tenderness of a gentle March rain.
Challenge:
Think about your powerful and wonderful God today… it just might make you “big” problems seem a little more tolerable.
Consider Him before you reduce yourself down to a “controllable” god.
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