First off, I know that all pawn shops aren't bad. I know that a lot of them are good. I've watched Pawn Stars on the Discovery Channel with my brother many times. So don't get me wrong.
At a pawn shop you take in your valuables or what someone else thinks is valuable and you sell it so that you can get some cash. Sometimes it's something that you really love, something that's really important to you, that it breaks your heart to have to give up, but you're just in desperate need and you need the cash for whatever reason. Hospital bills, mortgage, bills, car repairs, food, whatever the case is you just need the money. You walk in grasping it tightly, not wanting to make the deal. You probably have to sell it for a lot less than what it's worth. A little guilt ridden as you walk out, but knowing it has to be done.
Redeem- to buy back.
Jesus is called the redeemer, the great redeemer, the future redeemer, the redeemer of nations. Essentially, what this means is after we've walked out of the world, after selling and giving away our most valuable possessions, (our heart, our virginity, our love, our temper, our time, our minds, our lives, our souls), and after we've given it away at a much lower price than deserved for it, we walked out and spent what little bit we did have. Jesus met us in the parking lot, he met us in our home, he met us at our work, he met us at the bank, he met us wherever we were and said "let's go get it back." He doesn't accept the answer that we don't have enough money, or really any money to even put forward to it. He walks into the store, into the world, and from his hands, he pays more than three times what our valuables were originally worth. He bought back our lives and every aspect of them when we had nothing. He has redeemed us with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgement; ex 6;6 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:14
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. - 1 Peter 2: 17-18
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Jesus?
What do you think about Jesus?
No, not what do you think about church. Or what you think about other Christians.
Not, what do you think about religion, but what do you think about Jesus?
Separate what you may have heard or thought about the whole religion or Christianity, and just stop and think about Jesus himself. What do you think about the man who walked on the earth, taught with power and authority, healed the sick, raised the dead, offered the God-only power of forgiveness for all wrongs, took such a drastic beating that you deserved, then died of a broken heart, was raised back to life, now sits beside the ultimate power of God and stands up and fights for those on his side.
Yeah, what do you think about that guy?
Ultimately, the end question: are you gonna let your own, or someone else's religion going to stop you from following him?
No, not what do you think about church. Or what you think about other Christians.
Not, what do you think about religion, but what do you think about Jesus?
Separate what you may have heard or thought about the whole religion or Christianity, and just stop and think about Jesus himself. What do you think about the man who walked on the earth, taught with power and authority, healed the sick, raised the dead, offered the God-only power of forgiveness for all wrongs, took such a drastic beating that you deserved, then died of a broken heart, was raised back to life, now sits beside the ultimate power of God and stands up and fights for those on his side.
Yeah, what do you think about that guy?
Ultimately, the end question: are you gonna let your own, or someone else's religion going to stop you from following him?
Random Thoughts
Random thoughts I've heard and wanted to share.
The Christian life is not a journey to God, it's a journey with God.
Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone.
It's not what you're saved from, it's about what your saved for.
A Christian leader is not one who proclaims himself as such. It's usually one who doesn't even know it. It's someone whose trying to be a following and is following after God and then occasionally turns around and sees other people following him.
I'm not letting you go,
I'm just giving you back to Him.
The mission of God - Follow Me.
When He looks at me, he can't see me clear,
because he looks at me through blood stained tears. - Reggie Dabbs
The Christian life is not a journey to God, it's a journey with God.
Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone.
It's not what you're saved from, it's about what your saved for.
A Christian leader is not one who proclaims himself as such. It's usually one who doesn't even know it. It's someone whose trying to be a following and is following after God and then occasionally turns around and sees other people following him.
I'm not letting you go,
I'm just giving you back to Him.
The mission of God - Follow Me.
When He looks at me, he can't see me clear,
because he looks at me through blood stained tears. - Reggie Dabbs
Sunday, July 18, 2010
You Are Good
You,
You are good for the sunshine,
You are good for the rain,
You are good for this life, that's now filled with pain.
You are good for the days I have no complaints,
You are good for the broken chains and constraints.
You are good for Your love and all of it's ways.
You are good for expressing it each of my days.
You are good for the righteousness you've given to me.
You are good for the price paid so it can be free
You are good for the breath that fills up my lungs
You are good for speaking all tribal tongues
You are good for the hair on my head.
You are good for the sleep I got in my bed.
You are good for the feeling in my toes.
You are good for understanding each of my woes.
You are good for the blood that flows in my heart
You are good for the hurt when we are apart.
(Please add your own lines in here and add them as a comment if you would like.)
You are good despite what I say.
You are good for your absolute way.
You are good.
Good.
You are good for the sunshine,
You are good for the rain,
You are good for this life, that's now filled with pain.
You are good for the days I have no complaints,
You are good for the broken chains and constraints.
You are good for Your love and all of it's ways.
You are good for expressing it each of my days.
You are good for the righteousness you've given to me.
You are good for the price paid so it can be free
You are good for the breath that fills up my lungs
You are good for speaking all tribal tongues
You are good for the hair on my head.
You are good for the sleep I got in my bed.
You are good for the feeling in my toes.
You are good for understanding each of my woes.
You are good for the blood that flows in my heart
You are good for the hurt when we are apart.
(Please add your own lines in here and add them as a comment if you would like.)
You are good despite what I say.
You are good for your absolute way.
You are good.
Good.
Practice What You Preach
It's practice what you preach,
not preach what you practice.
Sometimes you have to preach what you have to practice.
you can't wait till you practice it to preach it.
you preach what needs to be practiced,
then you have to live up to what you just preached.
Every week after teaching, the words that God spoke through you,
will come back around and God will give you a chance to live it out.
You can't wait until you are practicing before you preach it.
Ultimately, between the time you hear it and the time you preach it,
you should start practicing or work towards it.
So lets go. Shut up and start walking what we should be talking.
not preach what you practice.
Sometimes you have to preach what you have to practice.
you can't wait till you practice it to preach it.
you preach what needs to be practiced,
then you have to live up to what you just preached.
Every week after teaching, the words that God spoke through you,
will come back around and God will give you a chance to live it out.
You can't wait until you are practicing before you preach it.
Ultimately, between the time you hear it and the time you preach it,
you should start practicing or work towards it.
So lets go. Shut up and start walking what we should be talking.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Creation Brainstorming...
I wanna know the conversation between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit before time began. Just to sit in on that.
I know God is a complete genius and knows everything, but do you think he planned? I wanna say he planned. I mean there are things that are so intricate that needed planning. Not only the intricacy of things, but also how things relate and tie into each other and feed off each other. You can look at the big things like the the main objects on earth, humans, dirt, trees, and water. What humans expel (carbon dioxide) is the same thing that trees need to live. What trees expel as a bi-product (oxygen) is the same thing that humans need to live. 60% of the human body is made up of water - 70% of the world is covered in water. Humans were made from dirt, and when humans die, they turn back into dirt. The dirt, along with the water, gives nutrients and life to the trees which supply food and air for the humans. Isn't this kinda a fun cycle? (Sorry for those of you who just got carsick trying to follow that.)
Now that's the big obvious things about the physical world. Look at the history of the world: we'll use the Bible as a history book for a moment. There were over 300 prophesies or prior predictions that a man would come and fulfill all of these. The man showed up named Jesus and fulfilled all of the predictions. I think that took some planning ahead of time to call out all of those shots. That at just the right moment in human history, all the pieces of the puzzle fit together that he could fulfill those. That's some good timing, and some planning.
But I want to sit in on this planning meeting. This brainstorming session. Was there any ideas that got scrapped? Probably not sense they were always right. Maybe the angels gathered around as they started laying out the blue prints and leaning over shoulders to try and get a peak at what was about to happen. Gabriel calling over Michael to check out this idea the three had just shared called, "pine trees", and another angel snickering when they announced how farting would help relieve internal gas build up created by the digestion process. Maybe one angel just runs over and puts his ear up to another angels belly to listen for a digestion process, then with a question on his face looks back at Jesus and says, "wait, so how was that gonna work again?"
But no seriously, to sit in and listen to them create waterfalls and porcupines, funnel cakes and nano-technology, the light spectrum and the sonic boom. As pure extravagant creativity flowed among them, out of them, into these plans for creation, all of heaven must have gathered around to see. Then... the grand finale. The 3 look at each other and smile, then look around at all the angels eagerly waiting in anticipation. How can you top off the digestion-process of a grizzly bear? or the majesty of when this ball of burning hydrogen atoms hits the horizon, how a small section of the light spectrum is blasted across the sky? Is it possible to top this?!
Then they begin to reveal the plans for the newest creation, the pinnacle of everything they've made. They've saved it in. They go around the circle, The Father starts and explains part of it, then Jesus explains a little more, then the Holy Spirit explains more. Round and around they go more and more excited as they just begin to reveal their plans to the angels. The angels stand with eyes plastered opened and mouths gapped. They applaud with praises of "Holy, Holy, Holy." It seems to be the only word that begins to describe such a beautiful phase. A background of praise grows as they explain the digestive system and how the neurons of the eye connect to the brain and send pulses to interpret. They explain how the minds will be able to think and learn, to create and make this new thing they just invented called music. That all of these things made possible because they have a much simpler version of the Brain of the Father. The angels rejoice as such a miraculous invention as free will and the power of a choice. It seems phenomenal.
Then the conversation takes a downturn as the Father continues to explain how they will use this freedom of choice. The angel's face turn into pain and repulsion, disgust and not understanding. "But how could they?" they ask. "After all that you've just made, after this amazing presence flowing from them, after You being everything that is good, how could they leave that?" Angels step back nauseated at the sound of what the humans would dare to do. Saddened yet amazed at how far they could run away, how they could deny the existence, how they would use creativity to make up pieces of different materials into the shape of animals and other things to give them credit, how they would know the right they should do, but chose to go the other way. "This isn't' right! This can't be!" God nods his head. "But you won't be able to be with them?!" one making the statement that hadn't occurred to the other angels. They gasp. Eyes even wider than before, holding their breathe. The pain swept over them. "That's right," God replies. "What will you do?" the angels question. "Scrap it? Change it? Remove the free choice? Get rid of it all?"
He smiles, "For my love is far too great to be separated from them forever." The angels all wide eyed leaning in feeling the warmth of the essence of Love emanating from the throne. "Jesus will go." The angels step back in shock and look at Jesus. "He will die in their place." Jesus nods in agree-ance. Waves of Love rippling away from the throne like_______ waves pulsating through the angels bodies. They drop to their knees and just cry "Holy, Holy, Holy." The only word ever good enough. "Holy, Holy, Holy" they repeat over and over. "Holy, Holy, Holy." It never seems to be enough. "Holy, Holy, Holy". The best word invented just for this purpose still cannot capture it. "Holy, Holy, Holy."
The sharpest and most intense pain rings throughout the heavens, but is overwhelmed by a greater Love. They cannot fathom, but it makes perfect sense. How can it be that the King of Glory, would go live among them. Not even as the supreme ruler of the world having Kings report to Him at the very sound of his name, but instead live among the poorest. A near insult for anyone to just suggest, yet he does it. He struggles with them, de-robeing himself of his powers to struggle along side them. He remains sinless. Then after blessings and miracles have been poured onto him, God raises him up like a prized sheep for all to see, spotless. He leads him off of the pedestal and walks him into the slaughter house. He dies. He's brutally beaten and murdered. Don't they know who he is? Don't you know what he's given you? What he's made for you? That he's made YOU. "This is NO treatment for the KING!" the angels cry out, "How could they?!" The angel's listen as He describes taking Jesus lifeless body from the cross and hiding it in a grave. He describes the battle Jesus has in Hell and how He will raise Him from the dead 3 days after. The angels clap with joy. He describes how Jesus will reappear to many and many will see and believe. Then that God would bring Jesus back into the realms of Heaven to rejoin Him and prepare a new place. Many will see and believe, but many more will hear and believe. They will turn and repent, accepting the cross and being reunited with their maker. Then, the Father will send the Spirit to help them, to call them to Him, to guide them, to help them walk in His ways. They angels jump in celebration. Dancing and shouting "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Father, "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Son, "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Spirit. "Holy, Holy, Holy" over and over they cry out. A celebration like none ever before.
God, Jesus, and Spirit turn and smile at each other. Excitement fills the air. "Let's do this." They turn, and God created the heavens and the earth...
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." - 1 Peter 1:18- 20
"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."- John 12:27-28
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was with God i the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3
I know God is a complete genius and knows everything, but do you think he planned? I wanna say he planned. I mean there are things that are so intricate that needed planning. Not only the intricacy of things, but also how things relate and tie into each other and feed off each other. You can look at the big things like the the main objects on earth, humans, dirt, trees, and water. What humans expel (carbon dioxide) is the same thing that trees need to live. What trees expel as a bi-product (oxygen) is the same thing that humans need to live. 60% of the human body is made up of water - 70% of the world is covered in water. Humans were made from dirt, and when humans die, they turn back into dirt. The dirt, along with the water, gives nutrients and life to the trees which supply food and air for the humans. Isn't this kinda a fun cycle? (Sorry for those of you who just got carsick trying to follow that.)
Now that's the big obvious things about the physical world. Look at the history of the world: we'll use the Bible as a history book for a moment. There were over 300 prophesies or prior predictions that a man would come and fulfill all of these. The man showed up named Jesus and fulfilled all of the predictions. I think that took some planning ahead of time to call out all of those shots. That at just the right moment in human history, all the pieces of the puzzle fit together that he could fulfill those. That's some good timing, and some planning.
But I want to sit in on this planning meeting. This brainstorming session. Was there any ideas that got scrapped? Probably not sense they were always right. Maybe the angels gathered around as they started laying out the blue prints and leaning over shoulders to try and get a peak at what was about to happen. Gabriel calling over Michael to check out this idea the three had just shared called, "pine trees", and another angel snickering when they announced how farting would help relieve internal gas build up created by the digestion process. Maybe one angel just runs over and puts his ear up to another angels belly to listen for a digestion process, then with a question on his face looks back at Jesus and says, "wait, so how was that gonna work again?"
But no seriously, to sit in and listen to them create waterfalls and porcupines, funnel cakes and nano-technology, the light spectrum and the sonic boom. As pure extravagant creativity flowed among them, out of them, into these plans for creation, all of heaven must have gathered around to see. Then... the grand finale. The 3 look at each other and smile, then look around at all the angels eagerly waiting in anticipation. How can you top off the digestion-process of a grizzly bear? or the majesty of when this ball of burning hydrogen atoms hits the horizon, how a small section of the light spectrum is blasted across the sky? Is it possible to top this?!
Then they begin to reveal the plans for the newest creation, the pinnacle of everything they've made. They've saved it in. They go around the circle, The Father starts and explains part of it, then Jesus explains a little more, then the Holy Spirit explains more. Round and around they go more and more excited as they just begin to reveal their plans to the angels. The angels stand with eyes plastered opened and mouths gapped. They applaud with praises of "Holy, Holy, Holy." It seems to be the only word that begins to describe such a beautiful phase. A background of praise grows as they explain the digestive system and how the neurons of the eye connect to the brain and send pulses to interpret. They explain how the minds will be able to think and learn, to create and make this new thing they just invented called music. That all of these things made possible because they have a much simpler version of the Brain of the Father. The angels rejoice as such a miraculous invention as free will and the power of a choice. It seems phenomenal.
Then the conversation takes a downturn as the Father continues to explain how they will use this freedom of choice. The angel's face turn into pain and repulsion, disgust and not understanding. "But how could they?" they ask. "After all that you've just made, after this amazing presence flowing from them, after You being everything that is good, how could they leave that?" Angels step back nauseated at the sound of what the humans would dare to do. Saddened yet amazed at how far they could run away, how they could deny the existence, how they would use creativity to make up pieces of different materials into the shape of animals and other things to give them credit, how they would know the right they should do, but chose to go the other way. "This isn't' right! This can't be!" God nods his head. "But you won't be able to be with them?!" one making the statement that hadn't occurred to the other angels. They gasp. Eyes even wider than before, holding their breathe. The pain swept over them. "That's right," God replies. "What will you do?" the angels question. "Scrap it? Change it? Remove the free choice? Get rid of it all?"
He smiles, "For my love is far too great to be separated from them forever." The angels all wide eyed leaning in feeling the warmth of the essence of Love emanating from the throne. "Jesus will go." The angels step back in shock and look at Jesus. "He will die in their place." Jesus nods in agree-ance. Waves of Love rippling away from the throne like_______ waves pulsating through the angels bodies. They drop to their knees and just cry "Holy, Holy, Holy." The only word ever good enough. "Holy, Holy, Holy" they repeat over and over. "Holy, Holy, Holy." It never seems to be enough. "Holy, Holy, Holy". The best word invented just for this purpose still cannot capture it. "Holy, Holy, Holy."
The sharpest and most intense pain rings throughout the heavens, but is overwhelmed by a greater Love. They cannot fathom, but it makes perfect sense. How can it be that the King of Glory, would go live among them. Not even as the supreme ruler of the world having Kings report to Him at the very sound of his name, but instead live among the poorest. A near insult for anyone to just suggest, yet he does it. He struggles with them, de-robeing himself of his powers to struggle along side them. He remains sinless. Then after blessings and miracles have been poured onto him, God raises him up like a prized sheep for all to see, spotless. He leads him off of the pedestal and walks him into the slaughter house. He dies. He's brutally beaten and murdered. Don't they know who he is? Don't you know what he's given you? What he's made for you? That he's made YOU. "This is NO treatment for the KING!" the angels cry out, "How could they?!" The angel's listen as He describes taking Jesus lifeless body from the cross and hiding it in a grave. He describes the battle Jesus has in Hell and how He will raise Him from the dead 3 days after. The angels clap with joy. He describes how Jesus will reappear to many and many will see and believe. Then that God would bring Jesus back into the realms of Heaven to rejoin Him and prepare a new place. Many will see and believe, but many more will hear and believe. They will turn and repent, accepting the cross and being reunited with their maker. Then, the Father will send the Spirit to help them, to call them to Him, to guide them, to help them walk in His ways. They angels jump in celebration. Dancing and shouting "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Father, "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Son, "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Spirit. "Holy, Holy, Holy" over and over they cry out. A celebration like none ever before.
God, Jesus, and Spirit turn and smile at each other. Excitement fills the air. "Let's do this." They turn, and God created the heavens and the earth...
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." - 1 Peter 1:18- 20
"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."- John 12:27-28
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was with God i the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3
Desperate Confidence - Amendment
This is based off of the previous entry, which you may need to scroll down and read first then come back to this one.
I started thinking. This isn't just the way we should pray. This is the way we should live.
I don't know if it's because in America we have such a hard time coming to a conscious acknowledgment that everything we do is dependent on God because we have so many blessings around us, or maybe it's something else. Maybe it's that in America, we live in our comfort too much. It's not that it's too hard, but it's that we're too complacent. We're too self-sustaining.
Think I'm wrong?
When's the last time you did something that you had to depend on God to come through, otherwise you were screwed?
Hopefully, you can say this morning, or yesterday, or currently. But I have a feeling for too many of us, we miss opportunities and we sit comfortably by while we miss out on the God of the universe living and acting around us. We sit back oblivious in our comfort.
In what way are you depending on God today?
I started thinking. This isn't just the way we should pray. This is the way we should live.
I don't know if it's because in America we have such a hard time coming to a conscious acknowledgment that everything we do is dependent on God because we have so many blessings around us, or maybe it's something else. Maybe it's that in America, we live in our comfort too much. It's not that it's too hard, but it's that we're too complacent. We're too self-sustaining.
Think I'm wrong?
When's the last time you did something that you had to depend on God to come through, otherwise you were screwed?
Hopefully, you can say this morning, or yesterday, or currently. But I have a feeling for too many of us, we miss opportunities and we sit comfortably by while we miss out on the God of the universe living and acting around us. We sit back oblivious in our comfort.
In what way are you depending on God today?
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Desperate Confidence
Jeremiah 29:13 says we'll find Him when we seek him with all our heart. I think another way to put that is to seek Him with desperation.
Maybe that's what we're missing in our prayer life. . . desperation. Confident desperation. Completely depending on God and confident he is who he says he is.
The prayers that God loves to answer are the desperate ones. Where we come with the right state of mind and admit, "I can't do this on my own. Nothing I have can do this by itself." No medicine. No planning. no special steps to take. No fancy words, but just a broken and contrive heart. Finally in reverence and awe of who we are and who He is. It's not pre-scripted or sold or conjured up. It's a broken heart given by God to finally see our proper position.
I used to ask for revelations as to why this was happening or what I could do to fix it. I received many revelations and much wisdom but it only seemed to feed the issue, my starving soul, long enough to get by. They always seemed to b things I could do better on, things to do or to cut out. Lots of things that I could do, which futher promoted my independent living style for God.
I was doing everything I knew how to do.
Trying to pray.
Trying to read my bible.
Trying to get involved more in church and other people's lives.
Trying to encourage them.
Trying to wait patiently.
Trying to prepare.
Trying to stop trying so much.
Trying to hold it together and trying to let go of whatever it was I was holding onto.
Trying to make things right between you and me.
Trying to just do something right.
Trying to have a vision for what's coming up next.
Trying to give it to you and trying to be okay with that.
Trying to get back on track, and
Trying to just let it be right.
Then after months of this striving and pain, God reveal it to me as it's my dependence on myself. My lack of knowledge of who it was that was with me. Who it was that I serve. Who it was I was asking. Really? Did I forget who God was? Or did I just make it about me? That's the part of the problem, back at the beginning I said it. I was doing what I could for God, and not by God. How much of our life do we try to do for God, we try our hardest, but how the good news kinda gets going is by the fact that we can't do it on our own. But somehow once, we're saved we want to give it back and we get caught trying to surprise God with our gifts. There's no surprise parties for God. But the key is that we can't do it without Him.
So much of times in ministry we try to figure out the best way we can do it, what we need to learn more of, or the culture to learn, or the religion to learn. But lets face it, break it down into confident desperate prayer. If we break down before God and honestly desperately admit that we can't do it, we don't know enough, but we realize the fact that God is greater than any religion, any culture, any teaching, any language barrier, that God loves greater than any differences and any lies, and that he can break through any of these things to let someone knows how much he loves them. Then we should desperately ask God to fulfill this promise, to prove who he is, to enflame the desire in their heart that they already have been made with (to know their creator). Then we confidently walk in that fact. The fact that God loves them more than we do, has more invested in their salvation than we do, and has the ability to work things out in a ridiculous way much more than we do. We count on it and we confidently go with it. Knowing that somehow, (we might not and probably don't know how, yet or ever) that this will happen, but somehow it will happen and doors will be opened and hearts will be changed as we follow him.
Jesus said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God" - Mark 10:27
Maybe that's what we're missing in our prayer life. . . desperation. Confident desperation. Completely depending on God and confident he is who he says he is.
The prayers that God loves to answer are the desperate ones. Where we come with the right state of mind and admit, "I can't do this on my own. Nothing I have can do this by itself." No medicine. No planning. no special steps to take. No fancy words, but just a broken and contrive heart. Finally in reverence and awe of who we are and who He is. It's not pre-scripted or sold or conjured up. It's a broken heart given by God to finally see our proper position.
I used to ask for revelations as to why this was happening or what I could do to fix it. I received many revelations and much wisdom but it only seemed to feed the issue, my starving soul, long enough to get by. They always seemed to b things I could do better on, things to do or to cut out. Lots of things that I could do, which futher promoted my independent living style for God.
I was doing everything I knew how to do.
Trying to pray.
Trying to read my bible.
Trying to get involved more in church and other people's lives.
Trying to encourage them.
Trying to wait patiently.
Trying to prepare.
Trying to stop trying so much.
Trying to hold it together and trying to let go of whatever it was I was holding onto.
Trying to make things right between you and me.
Trying to just do something right.
Trying to have a vision for what's coming up next.
Trying to give it to you and trying to be okay with that.
Trying to get back on track, and
Trying to just let it be right.
Then after months of this striving and pain, God reveal it to me as it's my dependence on myself. My lack of knowledge of who it was that was with me. Who it was that I serve. Who it was I was asking. Really? Did I forget who God was? Or did I just make it about me? That's the part of the problem, back at the beginning I said it. I was doing what I could for God, and not by God. How much of our life do we try to do for God, we try our hardest, but how the good news kinda gets going is by the fact that we can't do it on our own. But somehow once, we're saved we want to give it back and we get caught trying to surprise God with our gifts. There's no surprise parties for God. But the key is that we can't do it without Him.
So much of times in ministry we try to figure out the best way we can do it, what we need to learn more of, or the culture to learn, or the religion to learn. But lets face it, break it down into confident desperate prayer. If we break down before God and honestly desperately admit that we can't do it, we don't know enough, but we realize the fact that God is greater than any religion, any culture, any teaching, any language barrier, that God loves greater than any differences and any lies, and that he can break through any of these things to let someone knows how much he loves them. Then we should desperately ask God to fulfill this promise, to prove who he is, to enflame the desire in their heart that they already have been made with (to know their creator). Then we confidently walk in that fact. The fact that God loves them more than we do, has more invested in their salvation than we do, and has the ability to work things out in a ridiculous way much more than we do. We count on it and we confidently go with it. Knowing that somehow, (we might not and probably don't know how, yet or ever) that this will happen, but somehow it will happen and doors will be opened and hearts will be changed as we follow him.
Jesus said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God" - Mark 10:27
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
At War with the Wasps
I walked out my front door and down the ramp infront of our house toward the motorcycle, I was headed over town to read a little bit at the park before supper. At the bottom of the ramp something caught my eye, a black spec came and attached itself to my leg and WAM! The wasp stuck it's stinger into my calf muscle. I grited me teeth and growled as I hobbled off swatting the side of my calf to get him off. I staggered over to the far side of the carport to check the damage and assess the situation. It was true, I had got stung by a wasp. What the crap? I wasn't doing anything wrong, nothing to bother it, just walked by it for the first time.
Just then Mom pulled in the driveway. I took some of the groceries and started telling her the story of how I just got stung. As she walked back up the ramp, myself following a sworm of them came out. I won't lie, I yelped a little like a little girl as I got stung 3 more times. I yelled to mom to just go, nearly tackling her up the ramp to push her ahead. "Go Go Go" I yelled, for Mom is allergic to bee stings. I hunched over up by the door and started counting the places where needle-like stinging was occurring. I got Mom in the door then it was game on.
You can only get stung by a wasps so many times before you wage war. Apparently, my number is 4. I armed myself with two fly-swatters from the kitchen and marched back out the front door on the war rampage. It was game time. It occurred to me that the vibrations of walking down the wooden ramp shook them loose and started the attack. I approached slowly, then pounded the next three steps on ramp, jumping down to the bottom both arms flailing like a trained ninja. Of which, I am not. One. Two. Three went down as I stepped back to reassess the enemies strong holding. Four. Five went down as I my eyes caught their movement.
I found their nest underneath the left hand guardrail. Two wasps still conniving as they crawled around the hive. Like a windmill of rapid fire flyswatters I was in there. Two more flew out and we began our dance of flying, swatting, dodging each other, and them going down. I knew one thing, I was bigger. I was faster, I was ticked and I had a much better chance of either hitting them or messing with the air around them so that their flight would be hindered and my foot would meet their landing on the ground. I dropped the hive to the ground and smashed it like a steamroller as I snapped one flyswatter in two and 3 swats later I broke the end of the other off. I quickly retrieved it and temporarily retreated to safety while I performed maintenance on my weapon, I put it back together and back into the war I went. I began the hunt for any other nests that could possibly harbor the enemy to my family. I was not about to let them get my family. I was on the war path. Two more wasps out and down. 3 Nests found and destroyed. I jumped the railing to chase one coward down. He met his maker, my swatter, and my foot.
I went back inside for a few minutes as all but two of the wasps were dead. The other two left like two fighter pilots escaping to plan their re-attack. As I went back outside, ignoring the throbbing and stinging of the pain in my legs from the attacks, I crouched down scouting out my opponent. One stomp on the edge of the ramp to trip their position and begin their attack, one came out. Like a crouching tiger and a hidden dragon I sprung forth whapping the wasp as I flew through the air. A quick land and spin move, afforded me the sight to see the last of the Mohicans on a bee-line towards me (pun intended). The sword was out and we were dancing two swats then he went off into the field. I chased him off. But retreat by the enemy is not victory. Death is the only victory, for he will always come back.
I walked down to get the mail and as I closed the lid, the sound of a fly by occurred, I ducked and swatted at the same time. No luck yet.
As I was fighting this off, I realizing that this is the battle against sin. It comes and attacks you whenever you are doing nothing to provoke it sometimes. In fact, I was going to read my Bible and out of the blue, the attack occurred. Frustrated I blew it off, but the next time there was multiple attacks. My pain was overcome by the concern for my mom, my family. Hurt me, yes. Hurt my family, Heck no. It war. Forgetting the pain caused by the sin, I overcame it and went on the warpath against this sin. I approached it quietly, drew it out and then attacked with everything in me. I knew I was bigger just like we know our God is bigger. Our God is greater and we do not have to take this. We will not be bullied out of where we are meant to be due to some sin in our life. I was not about to allow some little punk wasps stop me or my family from using our front door. I went on the hunt. Single-minded and forgetting everything else, I was on the hunt for anything that could and would damage my family. Why do I not do this with sin? Go on the hunt for it, not just fight it if it starts to bother me but in a mad furious rush attacking anything that could possibly do damage. Thwarting the opportunities for pain, not only did I kill the wasps themselves but I demolished where they stayed. No nests for sin will be staying around, not only the sin itself but anything that might allow that sin to make a home here again. Not only the first nest I found, but every nest in the area. Not just the one sin that has hurt us before in the past, but any possibly linked sin, any sin we find we demolish.
I was furious, not just chasing them off but killing them all. Retreat by the enemy is not the answer, death is the only victory for he will always come back. "Put to death all" Do not make them retreat, do not knock them out, do not put them to sleep, do not smack them down and let them squirm on the floor with the possibility to get up again. Smack them down, Stomp on them. Stomp multiple times. Hammer them down. Kill them. Put them to death so that he cannot come back to this place with more of his friends. Claim victory over him by the cross.
There is one who is left. One still out there. I chased him out into the yard then he flew into the meadow. I'm going back after him because I'm not satisfied with 11 of them dead. I'm not satisfied with the nests gone. I want every last wasp dead. This is purity. This is safety. This is protection for my family and this is putting everything that comes between me and God or God and my family to death because I will not live in fear. I will not live in panic. I will not live in unnecessary pain. I will not live hindered from what I want to do. I am free and I am at war.
Just then Mom pulled in the driveway. I took some of the groceries and started telling her the story of how I just got stung. As she walked back up the ramp, myself following a sworm of them came out. I won't lie, I yelped a little like a little girl as I got stung 3 more times. I yelled to mom to just go, nearly tackling her up the ramp to push her ahead. "Go Go Go" I yelled, for Mom is allergic to bee stings. I hunched over up by the door and started counting the places where needle-like stinging was occurring. I got Mom in the door then it was game on.
You can only get stung by a wasps so many times before you wage war. Apparently, my number is 4. I armed myself with two fly-swatters from the kitchen and marched back out the front door on the war rampage. It was game time. It occurred to me that the vibrations of walking down the wooden ramp shook them loose and started the attack. I approached slowly, then pounded the next three steps on ramp, jumping down to the bottom both arms flailing like a trained ninja. Of which, I am not. One. Two. Three went down as I stepped back to reassess the enemies strong holding. Four. Five went down as I my eyes caught their movement.
I found their nest underneath the left hand guardrail. Two wasps still conniving as they crawled around the hive. Like a windmill of rapid fire flyswatters I was in there. Two more flew out and we began our dance of flying, swatting, dodging each other, and them going down. I knew one thing, I was bigger. I was faster, I was ticked and I had a much better chance of either hitting them or messing with the air around them so that their flight would be hindered and my foot would meet their landing on the ground. I dropped the hive to the ground and smashed it like a steamroller as I snapped one flyswatter in two and 3 swats later I broke the end of the other off. I quickly retrieved it and temporarily retreated to safety while I performed maintenance on my weapon, I put it back together and back into the war I went. I began the hunt for any other nests that could possibly harbor the enemy to my family. I was not about to let them get my family. I was on the war path. Two more wasps out and down. 3 Nests found and destroyed. I jumped the railing to chase one coward down. He met his maker, my swatter, and my foot.
I went back inside for a few minutes as all but two of the wasps were dead. The other two left like two fighter pilots escaping to plan their re-attack. As I went back outside, ignoring the throbbing and stinging of the pain in my legs from the attacks, I crouched down scouting out my opponent. One stomp on the edge of the ramp to trip their position and begin their attack, one came out. Like a crouching tiger and a hidden dragon I sprung forth whapping the wasp as I flew through the air. A quick land and spin move, afforded me the sight to see the last of the Mohicans on a bee-line towards me (pun intended). The sword was out and we were dancing two swats then he went off into the field. I chased him off. But retreat by the enemy is not victory. Death is the only victory, for he will always come back.
I walked down to get the mail and as I closed the lid, the sound of a fly by occurred, I ducked and swatted at the same time. No luck yet.
As I was fighting this off, I realizing that this is the battle against sin. It comes and attacks you whenever you are doing nothing to provoke it sometimes. In fact, I was going to read my Bible and out of the blue, the attack occurred. Frustrated I blew it off, but the next time there was multiple attacks. My pain was overcome by the concern for my mom, my family. Hurt me, yes. Hurt my family, Heck no. It war. Forgetting the pain caused by the sin, I overcame it and went on the warpath against this sin. I approached it quietly, drew it out and then attacked with everything in me. I knew I was bigger just like we know our God is bigger. Our God is greater and we do not have to take this. We will not be bullied out of where we are meant to be due to some sin in our life. I was not about to allow some little punk wasps stop me or my family from using our front door. I went on the hunt. Single-minded and forgetting everything else, I was on the hunt for anything that could and would damage my family. Why do I not do this with sin? Go on the hunt for it, not just fight it if it starts to bother me but in a mad furious rush attacking anything that could possibly do damage. Thwarting the opportunities for pain, not only did I kill the wasps themselves but I demolished where they stayed. No nests for sin will be staying around, not only the sin itself but anything that might allow that sin to make a home here again. Not only the first nest I found, but every nest in the area. Not just the one sin that has hurt us before in the past, but any possibly linked sin, any sin we find we demolish.
I was furious, not just chasing them off but killing them all. Retreat by the enemy is not the answer, death is the only victory for he will always come back. "Put to death all" Do not make them retreat, do not knock them out, do not put them to sleep, do not smack them down and let them squirm on the floor with the possibility to get up again. Smack them down, Stomp on them. Stomp multiple times. Hammer them down. Kill them. Put them to death so that he cannot come back to this place with more of his friends. Claim victory over him by the cross.
There is one who is left. One still out there. I chased him out into the yard then he flew into the meadow. I'm going back after him because I'm not satisfied with 11 of them dead. I'm not satisfied with the nests gone. I want every last wasp dead. This is purity. This is safety. This is protection for my family and this is putting everything that comes between me and God or God and my family to death because I will not live in fear. I will not live in panic. I will not live in unnecessary pain. I will not live hindered from what I want to do. I am free and I am at war.
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