He Was Here First

If you are anything like me you pray to God like this,

“God I need you to move in this situation.”

“I need you to show up in my life here.”

“I need to come and change this for me.”

“I need you to do something here”

The truth is we have it backwards. 

It’s always been His plan. 

This is His universe. 

He has created us into it. 

It’s always been His “party” and He has just invited us to it.

He was the one who was here first.

He is the one who is orchestrating all things. 

He is working all things to work to the end for His own glory. 

All of this… this… stuff is here so that He will be glorified in it.

When we start to pray, “God, where are you? How come You are not showing up here?”  Are we not restating what already is?  If God is already here and He is already working, what are we really crying out for?

Sometimes when we are praying, we are trying to manipulate God into doing what we want done, rather than praying for God’s will to be done.

Psalm 131 

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

Battling Sin

What are you tempted by?  

Lust

     Anger

               Money

   Power

                    Jealousy

           Success

                              Resentment

Which of these do you bring into your marriage?  Which of these do you bring into your home?  Is your spouse safe?  Are your children safe?

Hebrews 13:4

Let marriage be held in honor among all,

and let the marriage bed be undefiled.

None of us are exempt from sin.  We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.  It's true.  We just need to look in a mirror and see it for ourselves.

The other side of that coin is just as true.  For those of us who are in Christ, we are new creation, the old has gone away, the new has come.  We have been justified by faith through Christ.  Just as if we never sinned.

So how do we go through this life as a sinner/saint?  How do we walk with Christ, dealing with sin?  Many books have been written on this subject alone.  Seminars, CDs, DVDs, you name it, it's out there.  Below are some steps that I have found to be good in battling sin.  Please when you read this, don't think that I don't struggle with sin. I certainly do struggle with it, but I am learning where the true battle lies.

Regardless, I hope these help.

I know you don't feel like this, but you are a good man.  God has created something in your heart that is good.  He is moving you in a new direction.  The battle is sure (Romans 7 reminds us of that), but the grace of God, through the Spirit, is shaping you to be more like Christ.  That is a promise.

A few things to ponder:

• Recognize what temptation is and how it works.
• The devil will not just tempt us not with sins to just bring us down, but also with sins to help us boast of our self righteousness.  
• Remember not to give into the temptation to boast of your sinlessness.
• We walk by the Spirit - in humbleness, both the good days and the bad days.

Galations 5:25

If we live by the Spirit,

let us also walk by the Spirit.

• Remember not to listen to the devil.
• he is a liar. 
• he is a thief.  
• he wants to destroy you.  
• he would love for you to listen to him tell you how horrible you are.

James 4:7

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal

and kill and destoy

• Remember your depravity. 
  
• As long as we are on this earth, we will never know how deep our sin is.  How horrible our sin is.  How base our sin is.
• Jack Miller used to say "Cheer up.  You are a whole lot worse than you are.  God's grace is a whole lot bigger than you can imagine."  We will never know the depth of our sin, nor the richness of God's mercy.  I praise God for the one and increased knowledge of the other.

Romans 7:24

Wretched man that I am!

Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Revelation 3:17

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered,

and I need nothing,

not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable,

poor, blind and naked.

• Confess your sin.  Repent.
• This is not a little thing.  Confession is good for the soul for a reason - it ushers in a promise, a response from a loving and forgiving Father.
• Repenting from our sin sets us straight again.  It realigns our sanity.  

Psalm 32:5

I acknowledged my sin to You,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"

and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

• Serve Christ.
• Nothing helps to get your mind of off sin like submitting yourself to the service of Christ.  Commit yourself to get out of your comfort zone.  
• Spend time with someone who does know Christ.
• Serve at a food pantry.
• Give stuff away.
• Give your time away.
• Don't do this out of guilt, do these acts of service as true acts of worship.

2 Corinthians 5:20

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ,

making His appeal through us.

• Worship Christ alone.
• Submit yourself to God and His glory.  Commit yourself to worshipping Him.
• In song
• In reading the Word

Psalm 95:6

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker!

• Find someone who will disciple you.
• I have had the privilege of having many men speak into my life. 
• Contact your pastor, elder, friend or me.
• Walk with someone else in your journey.

 Hebrews 10:24-25

Let us consider how to stir up

one another to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together,

as is the habit of some,

but encourage one another,

and all the more as you see

the Day drawing near.

• Put on Christ today.
• The Gospel calls us to war.  War with the devil and war with our sin.  When Paul instructs his followers to put on the armor of God, he is not merely suggesting it to them as a good idea.  This is a command, for we are at war.

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore take up the whole armor of God,

that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,

and having done all,

to stand firm.

• Remember to rest in the active work of Christ.

Ephesians 1:7-8

In Him we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of our trespasses,

according to the riches of His grace,

which He lavished upon us.

Colossians1:13-14

He has delivered us from the

domain of darkness and transferred us to

the Kingdom of His beloved Son,

in whom we have redemption,

the forgiveness of sins.

Forgiveness is found at the cross and empty tomb.

THAT IS GOOD NEWS!

 

I Want to Believe God.

I don’t want to just believe in God anymore.

I want to believe God.

What I mean by that is that I don’t want to be identified with just the same belief that the demons have.  In the book of James we read that the demons believe in God.  I don’t want to settle for the same as that of a demon.

I don’t want to stop at believing in God.  I want to make sure that I am believing God.  Period.

For anyone can believe in God, but not everyone believes God.  Here is a list of promises from God for those who are His:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  -- Romans 8:38-39

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." -- 1 John 5:4-5

"The Lord remembers us and will bless us... he will bless those who fear the Lord - small and great alike. May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." -- Psalm 115:12-15

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." -- Psalm 46:1-3

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." -- Psalm 18:2

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me." -- Psalm 138:7

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." -- Isaiah 43:1

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." -- Isaiah 40:29

What other promises are you believing today?

Shaken/Unshaken

Job 9:5-6

He who removes mountains, and they know it not, when He overturns them in His anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble…

Psalm 29:8

The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

Isaiah 13:13

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of His fierce anger.

Isaiah 24:19

The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.

Haggai 2:6

For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.

2 Corinthians 1:7

Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Hebrews 12:28

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe…

Le/Re - The Prefix Says it All

Back when I was in high school, the French car company, Renault, made a very unique car. Actually, I take that back, it wasn't very unique. It was just a car. It looked similar to that of my 1978 Honda Civic. What made this car stand out, I guess, was that it was not just any old car, but the French company added a "Le" to the front of it. They made "Car" into "Le Car."

Perhaps the people who purchased and drove Le Car felt that they were experiencing the fullest extent of French living. In all honesty, I never owned or even drove a Le Car. I thought they looked funny.

What intrigued me most, was the prefix. I assume that Renault felt that it would stand out more with the "Le" in front of the name. The prefix said it all. It wasn't just another car. It was "Le Car."

I am not here to really blog about Le Car, but about prefixes. If you would like to know about Le Car, go here.

So if the prefix "Le" can change the uniqueness of a car, I wonder if there are more significant prefixes...

Wikipedia offers the following as samples:

• unhappy : un is a negative or antonymic prefix.
• prefix, preview : pre is a prefix, with the sense of before
• redo, review : re is a prefix meaning again.

I love the "re" prefix. Not so much the prefix itself, but rather how it radically changes words.

For instance, think of the word "new." At one time we were all new. When we were born, we were new. Now, on the other hand, we are not new. We are all getting older. We are losing our innocence. We are losing our strength. We are not new.

BUT

If you add the "re" in front of the word "new" something dramatic happens. What was once old becomes new again. RENEW.

Revelation 5:21 says, "And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

The good news is that God is renewing. Right now. He is renewing you. Sometimes you may not feel it, and somedays you may even doubt it. I assure you though, He who began a work in you is faithful to complete it. You are being renewed.

How about generating. For many of us our lives consisted of generating the wrong things. Sin. Rebellion. Angst. Hate.

BUT

When you add the prefix "re" in front of generating, you find a completely different meaning. REGENERATED.

Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."

Think of all the possibilities here:

1. restored/restoring
2. recreated/recreating
3. redeemed/redeeming
4. reconciled/reconciling
5. reformed/reforming
6. resurrection
7. relearning
8. recreating
9. replacing
10. revitalizing
11. reborn

Never forget my friends, what our Savior is doing in us. Psalm 65:5 says, "By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas."

Live in the freedom of the prefix today. It says it all.

Graduating Up

So here we are in August, more than half-way through the Summer. When I was a kid, I thought that as soon as the last week of July was come and gone, my mind went to regretting the fact that school was so close.

You may say, that I am kind of jumping the gun here, but perhaps I am not alone.

In our small group, we certainly have a lot of young people and to my knowledge all of these kids have graduated from one grade and are moving up to another.

So, with that in mind, I thought that I would give some thought to both young people that are "graduating up" and their parents.

First, the youngsters...

1. To borrow the John Piper line, "don't waste your" grade. Know that the Lord has called you to this time for a purpose of bringing glory to Him first and foremost. School and all that it comes with (drama, grades, fights, dances, new music, new friends, etc) sometimes feels like it is the most important thing in our lives. But that is not the case. School IS important, but know Christ is even more so.

   1 Peter 2:21--"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps."

2. Don't forget the Word. Be in the Word. Stay in the Word. Know the Word. Pray the Word. Hear God speak to you in His Word. We all can be so busy doing "stuff" that we forget to feed on what can truly sustain us. Stay in the Word.

   Psalm 119:105--"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

3. Don't forget the wisdom of your elders. I am not just suggesting myself here. There are a lot of wise men and wise women that are older than you are. Seek them out. Listen to their words. Ask them about their struggles, pain. Seek advise from people who have "been there" before. You may save yourself a lot of pain and heartache.

   Colossians 2:10 & 19, "You have been filled in Him, who is 'the Head of all rule and authority.' Not withholding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God."

4. Don't forget the Church. I know of one of us who will be moving away for college and others of us will be joining the college bound in a year or so. When we move away from home we can easily slip into a routine of not going to church. Not being in fellowship with other believers. I know this to be true - even while I was at Bible college, no less. The saying is true, as a single coal is removed from pile of coals and thus looses it's heat, so the same for an individual when they are not part of church.

   Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

5. Trust the Gospel to be true. Trust in Jesus who has saved you. Whom should you fear, for who can stand against you?

   Romans 1:16a, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."

Parents...

1. Show your kids that you are proud of them. This is not a time to "boast" about your freedom from your kids. The world does that. This is a time for you to encourage them by telling them how proud you are of them.

   Proverbs 23:24, "The father of the righteous will greatly rejoince; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him."

2. Pray for your kids. As our kids head out into the world, there are a lot of ideals, philosophies, and thoughts that are completely counter to who they are as followers of Christ. Go before the throne of Heaven and plead for their protection.

   Matthew 21:22, "And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith."

3. Trust in our Sovereign God to sanctify them. This is His promise for you, for them. Rest in this. Trust God.

   2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this come from the Lord who is the Spirit."

4. Remember that you are your kid's parent for a specific reason. God placed you there. You have a huge responsibility. It's your job to raise your kids for the glory of Christ. Remember you don't do this alone, you do this through the strength of the Spirit of God, who is in you.

   Psalm 127:3, "Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."

We still have a while before summer is done... So don't panic. Enjoy this time with your kids.

I Heard God Speaking to Me

A couple of years ago, John Piper sent a letter to his congregation regarding the topic of hearing the voice of God. It caused quite a stir for reasons I think you would agree with.

He opened his letter by saying the following:

Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today.

He goes on to say that he was on a staff retreat and for some reason was not able to sleep, so he got up. He went to an area in the center that they were staying in that was quiet, where he would be undisturbed. He began to pray.

Piper continues,

As I prayed and mused, suddenly it happened. God said, “Come and see what I have done.” There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that these were the very words of God. In this very moment. At this very place in the twenty-first century, 2007, God was speaking to me with absolute authority and self-evidencing reality. I paused to let this sink in. There was a sweetness about it. Time seemed to matter little. God was near. He had me in his sights. He had something to say to me. When God draws near, hurry ceases. Time slows down.

I wondered what he meant by “come and see.” Would he take me somewhere, like he did Paul into heaven to see what can’t be spoken? Did “see” mean that I would have a vision of some great deed of God that no one has seen? I am not sure how much time elapsed between God’s initial word, “Come and see what I have done,” and his next words. It doesn’t matter. I was being enveloped in the love of his personal communication. The God of the universe was speaking to me.

Now at this point, as I am reading this letter the hair starts to rise on the back of my head. What? God doesn’t speak to people anymore. The Cannon of Scripture is closed. Most importantly – is John Piper now a charismatic? What is going on here?

Piper continues,

The words came again. “I turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There they rejoiced in me—who rules by my might forever.” Suddenly I realized God was taking me back several thousand years to the time when he dried up the Red Sea and the Jordan River. I was being transported by his word back into history to those great deeds. This is what he meant by “come and see.” He was transporting me back by his words to those two glorious deeds before the children of men. These were the “awesome deeds” he referred to. God himself was narrating the mighty works of God. He was doing it for me. He was doing it with words that were resounding in my own mind.

There settled over me a wonderful reverence. A palpable peace came down. This was a holy moment and a holy corner of the world in northern Minnesota. God Almighty had come down and was giving me the stillness and the openness and the willingness to hear his very voice.

At this point it almost appears as if Piper is having an “out-of-body-experience.” I am thinking he has gone over the edge. He continues by saying that this experience is “breathtaking,” “serious,” “almost a rebuke,” “a warning.” Piper is saying that it’s one thing that God spoke those words, but that He specifically spoke them to him! That is what is incredible. And frankly, I tend to agree. Why Piper? Why him and not me?

He continues more,

Think of it. Marvel at this. Stand in awe of this. The God who keeps watch over the nations, like some people keep watch over cattle or stock markets or construction sites—this God still speaks in the twenty-first century. I heard his very words. He spoke personally to me.

What effect did this have on me? It filled me with a fresh sense of God’s reality. It assured me more deeply that he acts in history and in our time. It strengthened my faith that he is for me and cares about me and will use his global power to watch over me. Why else would he come and tell me these things?

It’s at this point that the “light” turns on in my mind and I am beginning to figure out what Piper is really saying…

[God speaking to me] has increased my love for the Bible as God’s very word, because it was through the Bible that I heard these divine words, and through the Bible I have experiences like this almost every day. The very God of the universe speaks on every page into my mind—and your mind. We hear his very words. God himself has multiplied his wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us; none can compare with him! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told (Psalm 40:5).

And best of all, they are available to all. If you would like to hear the very same words I heard on the couch in northern Minnesota, read Psalm 66:5-7. That is where I heard them. O how precious is the Bible. It is the very word of God. In it God speaks in the twenty-first century. This is the very voice of God. By this voice, he speaks with absolute truth and personal force. By this voice, he reveals his all-surpassing beauty. By this voice, he reveals the deepest secrets of our hearts. No voice anywhere anytime can reach as deep or lift as high or carry as far as the voice of God that we hear in the Bible.

So, this begs the question, why would I be sending you this info. Well, this past week on this blog, I posted the poll with the statement: I schedule my day around spending personal time alone with God

The results? Strongly agree – 0, Agree - 28%, Disagree - 42%, and Strongly disagree - 28%

My thought is that ultimately we are not aware of the fact that the God of the universe is the One who will speak to us everyday. I think that if we were really, consciously aware, we would go to His Word.

I don’t say this to bring guilt on us, but to really say that if you want life, abundant life – go to the Word and hear your Father speak to you. Hear Jesus speak to you.

My friends don’t be afraid. Jesus loves you and He wants you to hear His voice.