Subtle Suggestions

After having served the Lord for 25 years now, I am understanding the enemy's tactics are best seen in his subtlely. He always approaches very carefully. A full-on assault is not normally the way he operates. Think about it. He sows lying suggestions to you. This is the way he operated in the garden with Eve. It is the way he operated with Christ in the wilderness.

He is always trying to distort the Truth. Christ is all I need. Yet, he would have me believe I can hang on to Christ, while hanging on to other things. He would have me live in a double-mindedness. I cannot be satisfied with such a life. For, my Father in Heaven never intended me to live in such a manner. He intended I be fully His. This is why His Son was given as a sacrifice for my sin.

We must reject the lies the enemy would have us believe. Our rejection must be complete and encompass the subtle suggestions the enemy would have us embrace.

You think you know....

For those who know me, they would tell you I know myself. They would say (at least, I think they would) I am rather confident. Lately, I am finding out I may not know myself as much as I think I do.

This knowledge has been brought on by developments within the Body of Christ in the church I pastor. We are at a place where we need to think about delegating and refining processes. As the leader/facilitator of this congregation, the Spirit of God has been asking me some pretty tough questions. Things like, "Do you think you need to have your hands in everything going on?", "Are you doing this because you are afraid to let others do it?", "Do you have pride in your heart that would cause you to think you have created ministry, growth, etc.?" Yeah! It has been a painfully honest time of admision before God.

I remember hearing someone teach on the subject of blind spots. You know, those things you don't see in yourself, but others see in you. The faults that God brings you to know through His Spirit and confirms through the testimony of others. Now, understand, I want to know these things about myself. So, I am grateful to the Lord for this knowledge.

The fact that He is perfecting that which lacks in me through His Spirit encourages my heart. Yet, when you pray that God would work in you so His Kingdom comes, be prepared. He may reveal things about yourself which surprises you. Thank God, through His Spirit and by faith in Christ, there is healing today and progression tomorrow toward His goal of Christlikeness for me.

Your Identity

In a Philosophy class not long ago, discussion was had regarding the 3 questions of life. They are: 1. Who am I? 2. Why am I here? 3. Where am I going? I have been thinking lately of question number one, "Who am I?"

Have you stopped to think of that question? Who are you? When we answer that question, we often respond with things we do, who our family is, etc. Yet, the question goes deeper than that.

Last Sunday morning in church, I asked that question to our congregation. One of the men in the congregation quickly responded, "God's." I believe that is an accurate answer to the question, "Who am I?" My identity must be based in Something greater than me. It must be based in Something outside of me. If I believe that Someone created me, who I am is found in connection to that Someone, God.

We are constantly bombarded with things outside of ourselves which appeal to us to define us. I don't know about you, but many times in my life I have allowed those things to define me. Yet, when I reject the idea that things define me and allow my Creator and my connection to Him to define me, the result is contentment.

New Possibilities

The Enemy of our soul loves to squash Truth. You've heard his whispers of doubt and lies. He has whispered to you in the midst of difficulty. This enemy specializes in raising questions to enable a distrust of your Father.

Jesus came to this earth to demonstrate Truth. Although He came as Messiah, there were many moments when His disciples struggled to believe in the Truth that He was Messiah. Yet, their questions and unbelief didn't make it any less true that He was the Son of God and came to save them and us. Their despair didn't make it any less true that He died to set them free. Their discouragement didn't stop Him from rising from the dead.

We all face moments of questioning, doubt, discouragement and despair. We may have difficulty grasping the Truth that God is All we need. This is True because of what His Son accomplished for us in His life, death and resurrection.

The possibilities of the new year are already accomplished through Jesus Christ. Am I in the place where I can embrace His possibilities for my life? The reality of life in Christ. The reality of freedom in Christ. The reality of healing in Christ. The reality of fellowship in Christ.

There are moments in my life when I perceive God through the lens of my humanity. This perception is how I believe God is. I believe the essence of who He is is determined by who I am. His Godness is established through my personal viewpoint. My definition of God has become subjective.

God by His very nature defies defintion. His essence lies outside of my little perception. His nature goes beyond mere words or whatever description I may attach to Him. The mercy He shows may not make sense to me. The justice He executes sometimes perplexes me. The love He expresses may be uncomfortable with me.

You see, the God I serve doesn't fit comfortably in a box. Yes, the Word of God reveals some of Him to me. But, sometimes, in the comfort of my existence, God becomes like a nice old sweatshirt. You've had it for a long time. It is worn in. You love to wear it.

God is so much more than that and I am glad He is. I want Him to be more than definable. I want Him to defy description. I want His holiness to be awe-inspiring. I want His love to be so wild and free. This selfless love full of commitment which brings my response of adoring worship.

As Simple as Time

When I look back at the people who have had the most impact in my life, there is a common denominator. They were willing to invest themselves into me. They were willing to spend time with me. The time they invested was expressed through a listening ear, a hug, a prayer, etc. They gave something of themselves to me.

Recently, I had the opportunity to walk with a family through a dark time in their lives. Through this encounter, I was reminded of the need to spend time with people. Having spent this time with them, I was excited to see the impact of love in their lives.

May I remind you to take a moment to invest time as an expression of love to those you hold dear. This is a great time of year for us to show our family and friends we care through a listening ear, a hug, a prayer, etc.

The action of sin in its simplest definition is willful disobedience. The nature of sin can be defined as selfish independence. Sin's beginnings came about as a result of man's fall from God's perfect creation through the expression of selfish independence. The fall of man has marred who God intended us to be.

I don't know about you, but, I have moments of obssessive behavior. Something gets in my head and it is difficult to let it go. Sin appeals to me through personal weaknesses that others may or may not have. Being a fallen man can show its ugly head through my leadership as well. I can run from responsibility through doing nothing or I can be insistent that everything go my way.

While sin may have impacted you differently than me, its impact is still an ugly thing that needs the touch of God. This is the beauty of redemption. Although we failed our Creator, He came to us, lived among us, gave His life to address the mess we made. Thank God!