Life sometimes seems like a storm.

I know mine does.

Working 16 hours days, being physically and mentally exhausted, looking for the Light at the end of the tunnel…

All too familiar to me lately.

So when Hurricane Sandy hit I was ready to look for a lesson from God.

I started with the obvious. 

The ones about power.  How we take it for granted. About having back-up generators or water reserves.  Spiritually speaking of course.

But the more I thought about those, the more I thought that it was what I was thinking.  That I wanted it to be about power, about the Spirit, about the darkness and the Light.

And don’t get me wrong, it was.

But the best lesson He gave me through this came after the storm.

As I walked the dog I noticed something.

I couldn’t recall he last time the sky seemed so clear to me.  I could see stars that I knew must be there before, but ones that I hadn’t noticed or been able to see.

The storm that caused so much devastation on earth brought so much clarity in the heavens.

And that is really what I want… perhaps what we all want… to see heaven clearly. 

It will take some time to clean up the mess that the storm made (sounds like life again) down here.  But the promise of the storm is always what we get to see in the heavens.

It was true of the rainbow.

It is true of the stars.

God clears the skies for us… using whatever it takes… so that we can see Heaven more clearly.

If your life is in a storm phase… if it seems that the mess is too much to handle… take a minute to look up…

He is clearing the skies for you.

SDG

The Potiphar Principle

If you have ever been in a place of demotion, in a place of being wrongfully accused, in a place of feeling the judgment and ridicule of man…

Then the Potiphar Principle may apply to you.

Man’s punishment can serve as God’s placement.  The judgment of man moves us into the jurisdiction of God.

If you remember the story of Joseph – whose brothers sold him into slavery – you may recall that he landed in Potiphar’s house.  Potiphar was “an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard.” (Gen 39:1)

It wasn’t long before Potiphar “saw that the LORD [was] with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all [that] he had he put into his hand.” (vv. 3-4)

Joseph seemed to be on the fast track to recovery, to redemption, to being justified.  He may have felt that God was finally fulfilling the plan that had been shown to Joseph in the dreams.  No more bottom of the pit for Joseph.  The well was a thing of the past.  Everything was going to be okay.

And then…

“it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.” (v.7)

Joseph refused, giving way to Potiphar’s wife’s anger and pride.  She accused him of attempted rape to the men of the house and to Potiphar himself.

“And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.” (v.19)

Potiphar’s wrath was kindled, true… but Potiphar knew Joseph… and he knew his wife… so Joseph, whom Potiphar had seen God favored, was given grace.  He was not executed as would be required, but only imprisoned.  It would appear that perhaps Potiphar’s wrath may have been partly toward his wife.

“And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners [were] bound: and he was there in the prison.” (v.20)

Potiphar could have placed Joseph in any prison, but he didn’t, he placed him in the place where the king’s prisoners were.

And had he not wound up there… in the king’s prison… he would not have come in contact with the butler or the baker… and ultimately with Pharaoh himself.

You see, the judgment of man… the punishment of people… if viewed through temporary lenses would have seemed definitive:

Joseph was in prison therefore he must have been wrong.

Bob got demoted… John got laid off… therefore they must not have been doing a good job.

Greg hasn’t been to church in a while, therefore…

But the Potiphar Principle doesn’t say we are therefore… it says

We are there for a reason… to glorify God… to be in the right place for His plan.

So don’t be discouraged if you have felt the punishment or judgment of man…

It may well be that you are being given

placement under the jurisdiction of God’s Kingdom.

And you will find that you are THERE FOR a reason…

To glorify God…

To make Jesus known…

To be in line for a promotion…

To minister to the butler or the baker…

 

He is the Defender of those who are wrongfully accused.  He is the Comforter of those who have been cast out. 

He is with us when others are against us.  He is for us when others ignore us. 

And He wants others to see Him through us… through our situations… through our prisons and our promotions.

For the falsely accused, harshly abused, hurting and confused… He is The Redeemer.

Wherever you are right now you are there for a reason.

Be there… in Christ.

SDG

 

“… how much more when I am awake?”

It was raining.  I was driving.  I had been praying.  That is when I heard the Lord speak to my heart wonderful words of encouragement.

“… how much more when I am awake?”

It took me a little off guard, and didn’t make much sense at first.  But then I realized that I missed the first part. 

So He spoke again, “There was safety in the storm even while I slept… how much more when I am awake.” (see Matt 8:24-27)

No matter where you are in your life… no matter where I am…

If there is a storm you are in, or one that is beginning…

There are two types of forgiveness… and forgiving yourself isn’t one of them.

(I am going to build on concepts from This Post on Forgiveness…  from back in Dec ’11 so you might want to re-read it… before or after… it doesn’t matter.)

Forgiving yourself isn’t only not necessary… it’s unbiblical!

The “self-help” gurus tell you that in order to love yourself and be happy you need to forgive yourself… that you need to realize that everyone makes mistakes and that until you forgive yourself you really can’t be happy.

The only problem with that is that it is actually completely opposite of the Gospel.  It is a deception of the world… of the enemy… devised to prevent people from coming to repentance of their sins and accepting Jesus: Who, by the way, “hath power upon earth to forgive sins.” (Luke5:24)

We have neither the right nor the authority to forgive ourselves. 

The Bible speaks of forgiveness as being something we receive.  It is transferred from one to another.  It is an agreement to go back to before an offense.

The Two Types of Forgiveness are:

Not receiving is robbing

I have been in that place where I was in need and I felt like I had no one to turn to.  I remember a day when about 13 years ago, I was out of gas, and didn’t even have $5 to put in the tank.  So, rather than ask anyone for the money I walked the 6 miles to work.

I can come up with a lot of reasons as to why I would… I can make them sound good… I can make myself “right”… but in the end it was just my pride.

And not the pride that is the first thing that comes to mind… the one where you don’t want anyone to see you as a failure… this one was worse…

It was a resentful pride… a pride that said, “I would never take anything from them.”

Dealing with Difficult Seasons of Life

Often I will pick a book up because of its title.  Maybe it is catchy.  Or maybe it is concise: letting me know that the focus of the book is just what I am looking for.  Either way, if the title doesn’t get me… chances are I won’t pick up the book.

But titles can be tricky, and often misleading, so before I invest time or money into a book I check one more thing… the Table of Contents.

I want to see if what this author has to say is of interest to me.  If it is a novel or fiction I look for a story line I can relate to or one that seems exciting.

Of course, not every page of the book turns out to be perfect.  Some pages are boring.  But when you go in order you give the characters time to develop… the story time to unfold.  And at the end, even if you say, “it could have done without chapter 5”… you aren’t the editor. 

So in order to “finish” the book… you “get through” the dry, boring chapters where little side stories develop; side stories that make you think things like, “Oh they are just setting up a sequel” or, “They want to make this into a movie.”

And all along – even if you disagree – you have to come to the conclusion that the author had a reason for chapter 5.

It is his right… he is the author.

How often it goes the same way when I look at my life. 

It's all just a chocolate chip cookie

I was standing in line at the coffee bar.  It was on “Deck 5 – Mid.”  For you cruise type people you will know what I am talking about.

There I was just enjoying a cruise that had been a gift from God.  It was day 6 of the 8 day cruise.  I had been to the coffee bar at least twice a day for the six days.  Three drinks each time.  One for my wife, one for our daughter, and one for me.

I had gotten the drink order and left our stateroom, made my way to the coffee bar and now, because the line was pretty long, and the service very relaxed… I waited.

And as I waited I noticed that the young man in front of me was ordering a chocolate chip cookie.  I didn’t even know they had them.  It looked pretty good.  It was a pretty big cookie.

I thought about getting one, but then I realized that me, sugar, and a cup of coffee first thing in the morning… not such a good idea.

“Ah,” I thought, “I’ll bring one back for Rachel… our daughter.

Got my drinks, and the cookie, and headed back to the room.

Hearing from God in Sterizo: Romans 1:11-12

It isn’t a type-o. It is a revelation… at least for me it was.

“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” Romans 1:11-12

The word translated in the King James as may be established is stērizō. It sounds like stereo because it is like it. In fact stereos (in the Greek) is a synonym for it.

Everything sounds better in stereo than it does through one speaker only.

And that is what Paul is getting at.

Are you like a certain ruler? (Luke 18:18-23)

In Luke 18:18-23 we read of an exchange between Christ and a man who remains describes simply as “a certain ruler.”

When reading scripture, it is the very subtle things that can mean so much.  Whenever a person is actually named, we take note, because that name can mean something.  And so, when people are only described in scripture we should do the same.

Because that description can be for everyone.

And so we need to look at what the description is and then ask ourselves, “Do I ever fit this description.”

The word for “ruler” is archōn

It can be translated as a ruler, commander, chief, or leader.  It is translated magistrate once in the New Testament and that is in the Luke 12:58. 

A magistrate is one who judges a situation and determines a fair course of action.  Sometimes the fair course of action doesn’t seem fair.

Do you ever see yourself as a leader?  Do you ever see yourself having to act as the magistrate?  As a husband; a father; a businessman?

If you have you can appreciate that the certain ruler may have been at the point of wanting to know…

The two most powerful sentences: Matthew 6:12

I usually try to build anticipation before “showing my hand.”  But today I will simply say…

The two most powerful sentences are…

 Please forgive me.

And

I forgive you.

I love you seems over used and misappropriated… we use it to express how much we enjoy lasagna and then assume it is an expression of taste rather than commitment and sacrifice.

I am sorry takes no responsibility… as when we when express our sympathy over someone losing a job or a loved one.  On one hand we think that simply to say it is to meet our obligation, and on the other we realize it does not suffice to express our feeling of empathy, of shared pain.

But please forgive me… that comes from a place of humility… it recognizes responsibility, it recognizes position… it recognizes that we become indebted to others when we wrong them.  When we say please forgive me we acknowledge our sin… our debt.  We admit that we have become bound.  We place ourselves in a position of vulnerability, a place that says “I am now at your mercy.”

“There shall no evil happen to the just:” Proverbs 12:21a

When we read verses like this it is hard not to ask, Why?

If the just is supposed to be exempt from evil then why? Why are evil people allowed to hurt the Christians?

When we see a brother in Christ going through a troubling time… when we experience one ourselves… when we turn on the news and see the horrific things that happen to people it is hard sometimes not to read verse 21 and say, is this really true, because it doesn’t seem to be?

Stress and Strength: When God tests you

The other night we had some friends over and we got to praying.  During the prayer I felt the Lord say very clearly to my heart two words:

Stress and Strength

It is through stress that strength is revealed.  It is not until the weight to be lifted or carried is in our hands or on our backs that we realize the strength of the Lord – His joy – within in us.

We make judgments as to how strong people are.  That is why we refer to “super-human” strength when we see someone who lacks the physical appearance of strength lift something that we feel is too heavy for them.

Some people we expect to be stronger than they are because they look like they should be able to carry the weight.

We need stress to reveal strength.

The next picture I received was of a fire and a waterfall.  I asked if anyone felt that the Lord was putting something on their heart about these two pictures.

The Buggy Whip

God has a funny way of speaking to us.  He often uses images and metaphors that we understand in order to speak directly to us.

It was that way with me this Sunday.  He spoke to me in a way that I get… at a time that I needed it… and it encouraged me.  But I felt that this word was not just for me and so I shared it with a few people.  And they, too, seemed to get encouraged by it.

So I will share it with you.

How is it that we hear? Acts 2:8

We all should be craving a Pentecost… A visitation of the Holy Spirit with power... An empowerment as a result of it.

Jesus Himself said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict the world of sin.

HE would convict the world of sin. HE would do that work. WE do not need to.

One of the hardest things to do is to convince someone that what they are doing is wrong. Pride will not allow it. The person’s identity, their security, having shifted to who they are rather than Who Christ is within them, is challenged.

When this happens… pray that the Holy Spirit come.

I remember learning about Pentecost as a child. I remember learning about it again later in life. One of the amazing things that was discussed was how the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in different languages.

But something slipped through the cracks on this one… something huge. Something that gives us a hint into how the Spirit has no respect of persons. (meaning that He see all men equally)

Let’s take a quick look at the following passage:

One thing have I desired: Psalm 27:4

“One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4

These are the words of King David.  Can they be ours?  Honestly?

I know that it is hard for me to say that they can.

If I’m honest.

I want to want this.  I want to be able to say that I only want to behold the beauty of the Lord.  I want to be able to declare that my first thought is for Him always.

But I can’t. 

I’m married.

Submitting evidence to the court: Luke 12:58

“When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, [as thou art] in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.”  Luke 12:58

As blood bought believers in the body of Christ we abide… we live… in Grace.

And yet… on a daily basis, we live under the law by choice.  We appeal not to God’s grace but to our own works, our own justification.

And we hold others to it, forgetting that when we judge others we enter the court room of the Law.  And whoever is in the court room… whether prosecutor or defender… the plaintiff or defendant… it is the Law that rules them.

We tend to assume our own righteousness when we read scripture.  Take, for instance the above verse in Luke 12:28.  How many of us read it carefully enough to realize that the one who is cast into prison can be the same one who brought the case against his brother!?!

The word used for “goest” is hypagō… which can mean to lead. 

Take it outside

I remember hearing these words when I was younger… I remember saying them too.

And they always implied that there was going to be a fight.  And, rather than have anything damaged in the house or “other” place the owner would say, “Take it outside!”

I heard someone say this again just the other day… to me.

It was actually said as a response to a question that I had…

Coming boldly to the throne of Grace – Hebrews 4:16

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

To me boldness is a word that brings together three things: obedience, honesty, confidence.

Obedience is giving ear to; listening to; (where listening is an active verb that means to act on what you have heard).

Honesty is adherence to the facts.

Confidence is knowing what has been given to you.  As in when someone confides in you.

Prayer to me is a conversation with God.  And I believe that it is a conversation that He starts.  Whenever I get the urge to pray I take that as Him gently tapping me on the shoulder saying, "I would like to spend some personal time with you."  So prayer is a response to God speaking to us.  Just as we can love Him because He first loved us... we can talk with Him (not just to) because He first talked with us.

Just as every conversation we have with other people is different because every person is different, I believe that our conversation with the Lord is going to demonstrate who we are and reflect where we are with Him.

So "boldness" in prayer, to me,

Bringing every thought into captivity: 2 Corinthians 10:5

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Continuing on the theme of spiritual warfare…

I love this passage because it gives me great hope in the victory that Christ has won for us and giving us what we need to daily live out an effective faith.

We are not left to fend for ourselves, but are given weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.

And one of the keys to pulling down those strong holds lies within verse 5.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.”

What are imaginations?

Are you going to fight with me?…(Ephesians 6)

Or for me? 

Because I am fighting for you…

In the war between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light we are either on the devil’s side, or the Lord’s side.

When we fight with each other… we have chosen the side of the devil.  Because the devil seeks to divide.

But when we realize the reality of the spiritual war we are engaged in… when we realize that we indeed do wrestle with principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12)…

Getting rid of the geese: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

I believe that the next great equipping of the church will come in the area of spiritual warfare.  I believe that it has to.  There are too many strongholds in our lives that prevent us from moving into the great inheritance in Christ that we have.

While we have been charged with fighting the good fight, resisting the devil, and putting on the armor of God… have we really taken this responsibility as men of God in our lives?

Have we cast of our concern for what people would think of us and be determined to both realize and act on the fact that we truly do wrestle against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”(Eph 6:12)

In the past week the Lord has confirmed on different occasions that in order to advance in the kingdom of God… in order to move into the abundance, the inheritance, the intentions of Christ in our lives…

When does your day start?

Happy New Year! 

There is often no greater encouragement for me than when, in my most needed time, I receive encouragement from the Lord.  When He looks at my situation, bears with me, and tells me exactly what I needed to hear… to know… at just the right moment.

Yesterday was one of those days.  And that He told me this on 1/1 didn’t go un-noticed.

I hope this encourages you as much as it did me.

When does your day start?