Checking the fluids

            If the amount of attention I give to my car is any reflection of how I deal with my spiritual life, I'm in trouble.  I was having some transmission problems.  You know, slow gear switching and funny noises.  Well a friend of mine reminded me, "Have you been checking the transmission fluid?  You know that car has a slow leak."  He knew this because I got the car from him to begin with.  And the car does have a slow leak, and he had told me about it, and I did plan on checking it.  I planned on it, but do you think I kept up with it?  Do I even have to answer that?

            Well when I did check it I was surprised at how clear the fluid was.  I mean it was so clear that you couldn't even see it on the dipstick.  I'm kidding, you couldn't see it because it was bone dry.  Well in the meantime I had developed a means to get around the slow startup.  I would start in Drive 2 and then shift to drive once I was up to speed.  But now I had fluid in the car.  Funny thing though, I think the damage may already be done.  That remains to be seen.

            In our spiritual lives we are very rarely blind-sided by temptation.  We know ahead of time what we may have a weakness for.  But when temptation comes, rather than make sure we still stand against it, we let the fluid run dry, just as I did with the car.  We know that we have to continually be on our guard against these temptations but the maintenance of our spiritual lives seems so mundane and grievous that we neglect it.  We try to make ways to get around the conviction that what we are doing is giving in to sin.  We make excuses, we compromise.  We wait to act on the obvious.  We set ourselves up for some major repair.

            We all know what leaks we have in our lives.  We know where we tend to fall short, what temptations we find too hard to resist.  So we have to check ourselves on them constantly.  And if someone else can see that we've neglected something too long and they come to us in love to tell us, we should listen.  Often we become immune to the rattles and clinks that our engines make because the car is still running.  We say to ourselves, "Oh the car is just getting old.  Those noises are normal."  Then a mechanic hears it and can't believe it hasn't died.

            Like the car, we may make it from day to day.  Our lives may not break down.  So we tell ourselves everything is fine.  But inside we know that it is not.  We are only hoping that everything will work itself out.  I have definitely learned one thing about cars, they don't fix themselves.  And we can't expect the "noises" in our lives to go away or fix themselves either.

            It's 11:00, have you checked your fluids today? 

SDG

Closing our umbrellas

            Have you ever walked outside to find it raining?  If you're lucky enough, you have an umbrella handy.  So you open it.  And of course you smile a bit when you see someone running to their car holding, I don't know, a brief case or a newspaper over their head.  There are a lot of reasons why you may want to use an umbrella.  They stretch from not wanting to catch a cold to worrying about your hair.

            But did you know that there are times when the last thing you want is an umbrella?  There are times when you want to shut the umbrella and let the rain fall on you.  It is when Jesus rains blessings down upon you from heaven.  His love flows so freely that is falls from heaven like rain and covers us.  If that were the case, the last thing we would want to do is open an umbrella, a

spiritual umbrella that is, and keep those blessings from drenching us.  Unfortunately, that is just what we so often do. 

            If we see someone in need and we don't help, we open the umbrella.  If we hold onto our money or material things because we are afraid to loose them, we open an umbrella.  If we continue to compromise our beliefs and allow for a "small" sin in our lives, up it goes.  If we choose not to practice the love of Christ, you got it, we open an umbrella.  And all of these umbrellas keep us from experiencing the blessings of His rain.  They are umbrellas of regret and shame. Of pride.  We may put them up in ignorance.  We may put them up in fear.  No matter how they get there, we choose to keep them up.  We choose to block His blessings for us.  But what we must realize is that in doing this we are listening to the enemy as he whispers lies in our ears.  "Be careful, you don't want to get wet."  "Boy God must be mad at you to put you out in this storm.  Good thing you have your umbrella to protect you."

            But it isn't protection.  It is hurting us.  It is holding us back from becoming rich, healthy, watered soil in which God can plant seeds of faith and trust. 

            The next time you are in a rain storm, think of closing your umbrella.  The way the rain falls, the way you can't avoid getting wet, that's they way He sends His blessing.  And I wouldn't worry about your hair.

SDG

Daddy, can I have a drink?

            "Daddy, can I have a drink?"

            Some of  you may have heard this before.  Many times.  Many, many times.  I remember one night when my daughter was younger and she and I were watching TV.  I heard it then.  She was really into the program.  Okay, okay... we were both really into the program.  A cartoon.  I had poured myself a cup of coffee and was reclining on the couch when she said it.

            "Daddy, can I have a drink of chocolate milk?"

            "Sure, Badoops."  (One of those terms of endearment.  No literal translation.)  And so I headed for the kitchen.  That's when I heard it again.

            "Daddy, can I please have a drink of chocolate milk!?"

            I peered out form the kitchen.  "Hey, Nutball. (term of endearment?)  I told you I'd get it.  What do you think I'm doing in here?"  Trust me.  I said it jokingly. 

            "Oh," she said with a smile, "I didn't hear you."

            It wasn't that I hadn't said it, she just hadn't heard me.  And why?  Because she wasn't listening.  She was distracted by something else.

            How many times have you asked God for "a drink of chocolate milk"?  How many times have you not listened for His response?  How many times have you been distracted and so you get frustrated with Him?  I could ask you to wait while I counted the times I have, but the body can't go without water for that long.  We do it all the time.  We pray to Him.  We put our lists of requests in front of Him.  But then we get distracted.  We have our eyes on something else.  We don't listen for His response.  So we get frustrated.  We think He isn't listening, that He didn't hear our prayer.  We think He isn't responding fast enough.  But guess what?  He heard you.  And He has responded.  Ask Daniel.

            "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words."

            Uh oh.  A snag.  Have you set your heart to understand Him?  Have you chastened yourself, disciplined yourself, before God?  Have you set out to desire what He desires?  Well if you have, then from the first day you prayed that prayer, He heard you.  And He's on His way back from the kitchen with the glass of chocolate milk.   Do you think He'll call you "Nutball"?

SDG

Feeling low

            One morning I was feeling, oh I don't know..., drab.  It seems an appropriate word.  I just felt drained.  My prayers seemed without oomph.  Somewhere between my heart and my head was a disconnect.  I knew what I wanted to pray about.  And I did.  But somehow something in me said, "You ain't foolin' Him.  He knows you don't feel it today."  I was distracted and I knew not by what.  I was being tested.

            Thank God He grades on a curve.  A pretty gracious one at that.  That morning, when I wasn't up to par spiritually, and I couldn't figure out why I felt so blah, the Father picked up the test paper with my name on it and gave me a grade based on someone else's answers.  You guessed it.  Jesus.  You see, the moment something happens and is gone, it is forgotten.  When we have been bought by the blood of the Lamb He is the only thing the Father sees.  Because God sees the end result.  And the end result for Christians is to be conformed to Christ.

            If you wonder why He can be so good to you when you aren't being so good yourself, don't.  His love and grace for you doesn't depend on you.  He's gonna love you no matter what.  And He'll help you and He'll answer your prayers.  Even when you are feeling drab and blah and you've got no oomph.  Just remember to keep pressing on for the prize.  Don't become content in one place.  Move forward.  Move toward Him.  However small the steps, know that they are double.  For as you come near to God, He will come near to you.

            I love that old saying, "Pick your chin up."  It means don't hang your head in disappointment, sorrow, guilt... whatever.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself.  Well you get the picture.  But the saying had more meaning to me when I came across this little phrase that describes Jesus. 

He is "the glory and the lifter of my head." 

            Every time you feel blah, realize that He wants so badly to lift that chin for you.  Get ready to feel the touch of His hand.

SDG

Time travelers…

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” Matt 6:14-15.

When I come across verses in scripture like this one… they make me think.  In my flesh and what I know of people, there is a tendency to look at verses like this as though our Father in heaven is a harsh judge… as though there is something we have to do in order to be redeemed.  But redemption and forgiveness are not the same thing.

One is being bought back the other is being brought back.

When Christ took upon Himself the debt of our sins when He died on the cross, the price was paid.  We were bought back by the Father who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The work of the cross is a finished work.  He said so Himself when He spoke the words, “It is finished.”(John 19:30)

So then, after the cross, how can it be that the Father, if we forgive not men, will not forgive us? In order to understand the answer to this question we must first truly understand what “to forgive” means.

I believe that forgiveness is a three fold cord.  It contains within it the strands of release, reposition, and restoration.

First, let us look at the word itself.  Forgive.  I eluded to the definition above… that of being brought back. 

Fore (for) – forward, former, earlier, before in time

Give – to yield to

When we forgive someone we consciously determine to act as though it never happened.  To go back to the point in time before the offense, hurt, pain, trespass was given to us.   We reposition ourselves.

But in order to do that, we must first release what we have, that which we have received, that which was “given” to us.  Why, because it is a paradox.  How can we return to a point, ever, where something was not in our possession if we still have it within our possession?  Wherever, or whenever, we go it is there.  We must release it.  Then we can reposition ourselves to that point before…

Only then can the relationship be restored; Only if both parties have determined to act as though it never happened; Only if both parties have released what they were holding on to.

When we think of forgiving being an act of release, repositioning, and restoration as seen above it makes sense that if we do not forgive men, then our Father will not forgive us.  How could He?  How could He bring us to a point in time where we no longer possess what had been given to us if we continued to hold on to it?

The verses we started this discussion with are not harsh words from and even harsher judge.  Not at all.  They are words of practical instruction from a Father Who loves us and wants to bring us back… back to before the original transgression… back to when He walked freely and communed with man as He had designed.  He wants us back.

The price has already been paid on Calvary… we have been bought back.

Now He wants to us make time travelers of us all… He wants us to be brought back.

Lord, that You would help us to release all of what others have given us… pain, insults, offenses, gossip, cold shoulders,… so that we can be repositioned to the time before, and so those relationships can be restored.  In the Name of Jesus.  Amen.

SDG

The Camera Don't Lie

            It was my daughter's fifth birthday.  Amidst all the cake and hot dogs and ponies someone had a video camera.  For the first time in a long time I saw myself from a distance.  I heard myself talk.  I watch my mannerisms.  I can tell you... the consensus of my second grade class was dead on.  I'm short, have big ears, and a generous forehead.  But now, to add insult to injury, my stomach classifies as a "gut".  (It arrived at the party about five minutes before I did.)  Will this exclusive video move me to action?  Meaning of course, yes that dreaded word, exercise.  In theory.  But it is yet to be determined.

            But I am glad for the tape.  At the very least it provides me with the wonderful opportunity for humility.  And it taught me a lesson I hope I don't soon forget. 

           

            You see, it helped me to see what was there all the time.  And, not to mention, what snuck up on me.  (You don't get this pouch overnight.)  But overtime I had stopped taking notice of myself.  When I was younger I was always worried about the way I looked.  I stayed in shape.  I still ate.  Don't get me wrong.  But I was more active.  I was very self conscious of my ears and my forehead.  I wore hats a lot.  As I got older other things became important.  My wife.  My daughter.  Cannoli.  I began to look in the mirror less.  Maybe for too long.  And I have paid the price. 

            How could that happen?  Well, simple.  I met someone who loved me for who I was.  For how they saw me.  And I forgot what I really looked like. 

            How often we do this with our sin.  We find Christ, who loves us for who we are, and we forget just exactly how  we looked when we first walked toward Him.  We forget the severity of our sin.  That very thing that made us realize the extent of His love.  We let things go as we get involved in our lives.  We get spiritual "guts".  Things we have compromised.  We enjoy the cannoli that the enemy has so cunningly put on our plates.  We stop looking in the mirror. 

            And why not?  We're paid for aren't we?  He loves us any way, doesn't He?  Yes, He does.  But should we sin that His grace may more abound?

            Seeing that tape made me realize that my wife certainly doesn't love me for my looks.  Looking at my short comings, my spiritual failures, my spiritual "gut"... makes me realize how incredible His love is. 

            What would the camera see if it were pointed at you?  And remember, the camera don't lie.

SDG

Emmanuel

It means "God with us".  It is the ultimate gift.  And deep within each of us... we long for that visitation.

We want it to be true.  We want to know that there is a God in heaven... and we want to know that He longs to be with us.  We want the greatest story ever told... to be real. 

And it is.

Unto us a child was born.  Unto us a Son was given.

For God so loved the world that He gave His Son.  And that Son, Jesus, gave... His life.

If you haven't already... receive that gift.  The perfect gift.  Given from a perfect Father who loves you. 

Accept the sacrifice He has made... so that you do not have to.  Accept the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

SDG

The kitchen sink

            The chances are you've heard the saying, "throwing everything but the kitchen sink."  Well, I was driving down the road and what do you think was on the curb in front of a house?  Good guess... the kitchen sink.  This guy went to the limit.  He must not have held anything back.  I mean, come on.  He even threw out the kitchen sink.

            It got me to wondering though.  When it comes to our spiritual lives, we've got to throw out everything about ourselves, right down to the kitchen sink.  Our spiritual curb should look like we gutted our house and everything is going to the dump.  Because that is what He desires of us.  He wants the old man to be put off, to be put on the curb for pick up and disposal.  And then He can put on the new man.  Don't be afraid of loosing something about yourself that you like.  Even if you feel that it something good.  If you are to have it, He will give it back, but only better. 

            True, throughout our lives He has been shaping us.  We've been in certain situations that we've learned from.  We've learned skills, and techniques that are good.  But until we've thrown it all away and emptied ourselves completely, we can't be filled completely with Him.  Have you learned how to play an instrument?  If you have, it is not the instrument you throw out, it is who you play it for that goes.  Have you learned a trade?  Same thing. 

            Don't get me wrong.  There will be things that He doesn't want you to have back.  Things that He wants to stay dumped.  But what those things are may surprise you.  You might have spent the greater part of your life preparing yourself for a career that He doesn't want you in.  That could call for some major changes.  It may cause you some uncertainty.  But what is more certain... your plan or His?

            So get rid of everything, right down to the kitchen sink.  You can be sure that what He gives back will be better.

SDG

Thy will be done

            My daughter and I were outside playing soccer when we saw three young boys walking through the parking lot.  They were looking for their cat.

            "Have you seen a gray cat with white on it?"

            We hadn't seen it but said we would keep our eye out for it.  After they left Rachel asked me if we could look for the cat.  I didn't see any harm in it.  I figured it would kill the time.  So off we went.  As we were walking I began talking to her about praying and what it meant when we said, "Thy will be done."  She was half listening, or so I thought.

            "Can we pray that Jesus helps us find the cat?"  I said sure.  So we stopped in the grass.  "You say it out loud," she said, "I'll just listen."   I told her that would be fine.  She could just listen to what I said and if she agreed she would say "Amen".

            No sooner did I start praying then she plopped down on the grass, folded her hands and cut me off...

            "I love you Jesus.  I love you Lord.  Help me find the cat.  Amen. You're beautiful.  Amen."

            "Don't forget to say 'Your will be done' Rachel."

            "Oh yeah.  Your will will be done."

             

            That wasn't a type-o.  She said "Your will will be done." 

            I was amazed.  He went ahead and taught me something through her again.  Where as I was ready to submit to His will, she was confident that it would happen.  And that is the way we should all see it.  He is in control. His will will be done.  It is futile to fight against it.  When we desire things that are outside His will for us, oh we can get them, but at what expense.  When we pray that His will be done we should pray that we have the strength to be in it.

            By the way, when we were walking back to our house, what do you think we found running across our lawn?... Yep, the cat.

SDG

When God does little things

            Everyday when I leave work I lock my desk.  It is a habit I have gotten myself into.  And I am the epitome of the creature of habit.  Once I am in one, it is very hard to get me out of it.  The other day I borrowed my son's car to come to work.  No big deal except for one thing, I left my key chain on the dining room table and took his keys with me.  My desk key is on the same ring as my car keys.  I thought nothing of it.  As a matter of fact, it wasn't until I got to work and sat down that I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get into my desk.  That was, of course, if God didn't do little things.

            You see, He knew that I was going to borrow my son's car that day.  And He knew that I would forget my keys.  So He simply took this creature of habit and did something little for me...  He made me forget to lock my desk the day before.  

            Some would call this coincidence, some would say that I was being trivial.  But whenever the sovereign Creator of the universe decides to take even the slightest amount of time to do something for me, I'm amazed.  That's how much He cares for us.  He cares enough to do little things, the things any parent would do for their children without a hitch.  You want to call it luck?, I feel sorry for you.  No really, I do.  Think of the joy you miss when you dismiss His caring hand for "Lady Luck."  When you put a limit on the time He would put into you.  When you try to push Him to a distance that He refuses to go to.  The Guy sent His Son to die for us.  Pretty big.  I bet He smiled when He made me forget to lock my desk.  He knew that I would have a reason to thank Him.  He knew it would make my day.  And I love Him for it.

            Keep your eyes open for the little things He does.  If we can even call them "little things".  When you remember something at the last minute, don't think, "I love this brain of mine that is so efficient at remembering things at the last minute."  But rather, try saying, "Thanks for the reminder Lord."  When you wake up before the alarm clock, realize He was the one tapping you on the shoulder saying, "Come on, it's time to get up.  You and I have a big day ahead of us." 

            And who better to spend that day with than Him.

SDG

All religions are the same…

I am going to put forth two arguments.  First, that all religions accomplish the exact same thing.  Second, that everyone has religion.

If these seem like an odd pair of statements to be coming from a professing Christian, they should.  But they are still true.  And here is why.

All religions accomplish the exact same thing:

The question then is: What? 

The answer: nothing. 

Religion accomplishes nothing.  It does nothing to get us to heaven.   One might argue that religion makes you a better person, but I would argue that it doesn’t.  In as much as “acting religiously” mirrors “discipline” in one’s life, it might improve the way you act toward others… but that is discipline, not religion.  I don’t care what religion or religious system you look at… even if you kept it perfectly and never made a mistake, it wouldn’t get you into heaven.  We can’t earn heaven.  (As we will see later.) 

And the reason for my second statement will give further support…

Everyone has religion:

I have never met a single person who is not religious; not one, including atheists.   Of course, they would argue… but allow me to explain.

We must first look at the definition of religion.  Not any particular religion, but the concept of religion.  And to do that, we must look at what the word itself means.

Religion = the action of relying on

Concept formed from the root “to rely” and the suffix “ion”, which indicates “the act or action of.

To “rely on” is to depend upon.

To rely on yourself (as some atheists might) is religion: the self-religion.  To rely on others is religion: the others-religion. To rely on anything is religion.  Some rely on the government, some on knowledge or education, some rely on adherence to a set of laws or “do’s-and-don’ts”.  And their actions demonstrate it.  It is the compilation of the actions we do that demonstrate on whom or what we rely. 

And so, whether or not you believe in God, you still have a religion. 

Doing things “religiously” is to demonstrate a constant dependence on.  Runners get up every morning and run religiously.  Coffee drinkers (which are more up my alley) will hit the fresh pot religiously in order to get their day going.

Does demonstrating constant dependence upon anything you can do make you a better person?  No.  It merely makes you more dependent. 

Any system of belief that requires strict adherence to a set of rules in order to gain God or gain heaven, or to earn it – is a false religion.  It is asking you to rely on yourself to achieve the unachievable. 

So what is the rub?  It is this… that the argument should never be which “religion” is right, but which “faith” is the right one. 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11:1

The difference between faith and religion is this.  Religion is relying on what we can do: Faith believes in what He has done.  It is not in what we can accomplish on our own, but in what He has already accomplished for us; the ultimate act of God’s grace; the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8

If your faith causes you to believe (act according to your confession) consistently enough that someone call you “religious”, praise God!  But never let it be that you are relying on anything you do to get to heaven. 

“But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags;” Isa 64:6a

Just have faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

We all depend on someone or something.  Even if we hold to the adage that you cannot depend on anyone but yourself you are still depending on someone- you.  I ask that you depend on Christ.  Do whatever you feel your faith requires in order to demonstrate your love and gratitude for what He has done, but don’t think for a minute that anything you do can earn you heaven.  Don’t rely on those things.

Rely on Him.  He is able.

There may be many ways to climb the mountain (religious systems that profess to make you closer to God), but there is only One who has shown He can get you off of it! JESUS.

Christianity is a faith, not a religion. And thank God for that.

SDG

Voice of the author…

John Maxwell, Daniel Pink, Max Lucado, Ravi Zacharias, Malcom Gladwell, Chuck Swindoll, Clayton Christensen.… this list represents the names of the authors of whom I have read multiple books that each have written: from leadership, to innovation, to anthropology, and, yes, to faith. 

So what?  Right?  Who cares what my personal bibliography page looks like?  It makes no difference. 

But what did I learn about myself from this list?  And what did I learn about my faith and my personal relationship with Jesus?  And what did I learn about my thirst for the Word?

There is something else that this list represents. 

I have heard each of them speak.

Whether in person, on the television, on the radio, or even over the internet; I have heard their voices.  And in hearing their voices I learned something more about them.  With the exception of only one author on that list, I read them before I heard them.  I found myself with one of their books, and I related to it.  I sensed truth in the pages.  Something of what they were writing resonated with me.  It piqued my interest.  And then… I heard them speak.  I have personally shaken the hand of at least three of those authors and have had correspondence from four of them.

And this is where I learned something important.

After having heard their voices… reading their work not only took on new meaning, but it became more enjoyable, and it became easier.

Why?  Because, before having heard their voice, I was reading them with mine.  It was starting with me.  Now, I cannot read their work without hearing their voice in my head.

It became personal.  It became relational.

Oh yeah, there is one other author that I forgot to list whose book I first read, and then, after having heard His voice and met Him. 

And reading the bible has never been the same since. 

Once you know the Author it is no longer a monologue to which you apply your voice.  It becomes a dialog, a conversation with the Author.  It becomes personal.  You are not reading some book of rules and regulations, but letters, personal notes, from a Friend.

The Word is alive.  The Author still in writing… He is finishing your story.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:2 (italics mine)

And it ends in joy.

I pray that we each hear His voice, that our relationships with Him deepen, that we open our hearts even wider that He might write His word upon them.

As you thumb through the pages of the story of your life, do not forget to Whom you have yielded the pen for its writing.

SDG

In the trenches

            Let's paint a picture.  You are walking down the street and you see a man attacking a good friend of yours.  Which of the following would you be most likely to do:

            a:         Kneel by your friend, hold their hand and say, "I'm here with you.  I feel your pain."  while the man continues to attack....

                       

                                    or....   

                       

            b:         Do everything in your power to stop the attacker.  To stop the pain.  To keep your friend from being hurt.  Jumping on the attacker.  Pulling your friend from the line of fire.  Getting into the fight.

            I'm confident that most would choose "b".  Yet change the context and you would be surprised how many would choose "a".  Make the attacker "money problems"  and you might hear "they got themselves into that mess, let them get out of it."  Or how about an addiction... "Oh isn't that a shame.  They should get some help." 

            How about a spiritual battle...? Pray for them? Of course.  But is that all?  No.  You have got to fight the battle with them.  This is spiritual warfare.  "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  "Put on the full armour of God."  We are enlisted men. On the front lines of a major war.  In the trenches.  We would do good to remember that.

            If someone you know is having a spiritual battle.  If they are feeling the effects of the enemies whiles... don't just sit there!  Get in the game!  Support them where the battle is.  Certainly you should pray for their strength.   But what about confronting the attacker?

            When Peter was trying to convince Jesus not to go to Jerusalem, he was being beguiled by the enemy.  Jesus knew it.  And so He went to the front lines and confronted Satan.

            You can confront the devil concerning others.  You have that authority given you by Jesus Himself.  If a friend seems unusually short tempered, pray for Him.  But pray also against the enemy.  "Satan, you son of perdition.  You murderous deceiver, BACK OFF!  You've already lost!" 

            Sound crazy?  Maybe.  But think about the picture above.  If you were the one being attacked, who would you rather have helping you... "a" or "b"?  I know who I would choose.

SDG

Checking your alignment...

By prayer and fasting…           

What does it mean to fast?  What is fasting?  Why is it that some things “goeth not out but by prayer and fasting? (Matt 17:21)

We too often focus on the flesh, even when we think of fasting.  We think of what we are giving up, what we are depriving ourselves of, rather than WHY we fast.

“Fast” and “fasten” share a common meaning. 

To fasten is to secure to. 

Fast means secure.

“Hold fast,” we are told in the bible.  Secure that which the Lord has given you.

When we fast we are releasing what we lean on and depend on in the flesh (food, TV, whatever…) and securing ourselves to the Lord.  We bring the flesh into subjection unto the Spirit and in doing so, we depend on Him. 

We are spirits who have bodies, not bodies who have spirits. 

But, living in the flesh, we often feed our flesh first and more often than our spirits.  When we fast we get our priorities straight.  We align ourselves more securely to God, Who is a Spirit, and Whom we seek to worship in spirit and truth. The kingdom of God is utterly contrary to the kingdom of this world. 

It says to lead… serve, to receive… give, to live… die, to increase… decrease, and to be filled… empty yourself.

As we fast and our flesh becomes hungry, our spirits become hungry for Him.  We open ourselves up to the storehouses of heaven, and in order to be filled, we empty ourselves.

If we are to be men of God, if we are to be effective followers of Jesus Christ, we should live a lifestyle of and discipline of prayer and fasting.  Fasting is as much a confession of faith as prayer.  We are, by acting according to the confession that He alone is our Strength, our Provider… that man cannot live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God… believing in Him, we are declaring that He IS our sustenance.  And when we do that Jehovah Jireh lives up to His name.  Why, because we have secured ourselves to Him.

If there is an obstacle that seems to not be moving, if there is a heavy decision weighing on your heart, if you simply want to check your alignment… I encourage you to fast.

May the Lord we love and serve, Who gave His life for us that we might live, give you grace and strength to secure yourself to Him and to hold fast.

SDG

When heaven opens

            There is a wonderful account, in Mark 7: 33-35,  of a instance when Jesus healed a deaf man.  As Jesus is about to heal the man He looks up to heaven and says "Eph-pha-tha", translated "be opened".  For a long time I read this as Christ commanding the ears of the man to be opened.  But when I read it this time something else seemed to grab hold of me.  Jesus looked up to heaven when he said "be opened", He didn't look at the man's ears.  Jesus commanded heaven to open.  And when it did the result was that the man was cured of his deafness. 

            Amazing things happen when heaven opens.  Heaven opened when Christ came down and became a man.  It opened when Jesus healed the deaf man and when Stephen was martyred.  It opened when Christ ascended, and it will open again when He returns.  And the amazing events that will follow can not be fully imagined.  But until He comes again He will continue to let heaven open just enough to rain down His blessings upon us. 

            When we ask for His help, when we are waiting for the answer, listen closely for that still, small voice.   Hear the command, "Eph-pha-tha".    Expect heaven to open.  Be joyfully waiting for the result.  As the rain falls from the clouds and brings new life, so the blessings fall when the gates of heaven are opened.

SDG

"X" marks the spot

            My daughter and I were out taking a walk.  She was just a few years old.   It was about 4:00.  The sky was a beautiful blue.  In the middle of the conversation about what we were hoping to get for Christmas she pointed to the sky and said, "Look daddy, a cross!"

            Two jet emission streams had crossed and left to long, white puffy clouds.  And she was right it did look like a cross, a slanted one, but a cross.  Aside from the fact that I was so happy for her to have pointed that out for me, I began to think.  It looked like and "X" too.  So my wheels were turning and I began to ask my daughter questions.

            "Hey sweetie, you know how when pirates have a map with an "X" on it?  Do you know what that "X" is for?"

            "It's where the treasure is."

            "Right."  So now I'm thinking, I'll lead up to my big delivery.  I'll teach her that heaven is where we want our treasure to be.  I'll tell her that sharing our toys and being nice to other people makes sure that behind that "X" in the sky is where our treasure is.  So I say, " If the "X" on the map means that the treasure is there, do you know what that "X" in the sky can mean?"

            She looked at me and, smiling, said, "Jesus is our treasure!"

            She trumped me again.  I smiled. Said, "You're right baby."  And shut up. (which is rare).

Out of the mouths of babes.

SDG

Check your calendar

            The stands are filled.  The band is playing the school song and the crowd joins in with the chant.  A big banner is drawn across the field intended for the team to run through.  The end zone displays the names of the teams in the appropriate colors and the quarter is all shined up to see who will receive the opening kickoff.  Then the voice of the announcer can be heard over the PA, "Okay Fans! Let's hear it for our home team!"  And with that the varsity team comes running through the banner proudly displaying the school's basketball uniform?!?.  Wait a minute.  I thought it was football season.  Let me check my calendar.  Yup, it's football season.  Something is seriously wrong with this picture.  Some one forgot to tell these guys what season it was.

            And yet, we do the same thing all the time.  We tend to want to relive our past or return to what we did best.  We try to recapture our youth.  To return to a time when we felt safe.  Comfortable.  Accepted.  A time when we felt like we were succeeding.  I'm not talking about going to the gym to shoot hoops or getting in a pickup game at the park.  I'm not talking about Wednesday night softball leagues either.  Physical exercise is great.  What I'm talking about are spiritual seasons. 

            God tells us that there is a time and a season for everything.  We wouldn't dress in summer clothes when there is snow on the ground.  Neither would we get into a football game wearing sneakers and no pads (discounting of course those crazy South Africans and there version of the game).  So why is it that when the Father calls us from one season to another we try so desperately to stay where we are?  There will be winters in our lives when we feel as though we are achieving nothing.  But God is.  He never sleeps.  He is always moving forward.  When we find ourselves feeling as though we can do nothing but crawl under the covers, or nestle in front of the fire to keep from the bitter cold, don't think that going outside in shorts and a tee-shirt will change anything.  You are bound for disappointment.  The season is over.  (For now?)

            If the Father has blessed you in the past, thank Him for it.  If He had given you a talent or ability that you enjoyed, terrific.  Consider a rose bush.  When it first blooms it is beautiful.  But as the season comes to an end a good gardener gets out the shears.  He then prunes, cuts back, all the branches.  Ouch!  But each year, when the spring returns, there are more flowers.  And each year the gardener prunes.  And again, more flowers.  Had the gardener not pruned then the bush would go barren. 

            Our Father is a well experienced gardener.  The flowers that bloomed for us in the past may have been cut off.  But, with our roots in Him, we remained.  And new flowers came, more flowers.  And again, snip.  Do you see the pattern?  If we refuse to allow Him to prune the flowers in His time, we hurt ourselves.  We must be willing to change with the seasons.  To accept some losses.  But to also look forward to the blossoms that He is preparing for us.

            Have you checked your calendar lately?

SDG