Perception

I think we all need to have a better perception. In this society, we are very quick to pass judgement or complain about our situations. There are a lot of critics out there who never really know what people have gone through. You never know where people have been or where God is leading them. You have to know where people are coming from to understand where they are going.

Trials are usually what occurs before we gain success. We all want to skip the battle and just receive the victory but many people will tell you that some of the most successful things that have happened to them came through some of the most difficult and painful experiences. You don't have to look far to hear of some examples...just look in the Bible. Joseph suffered for years through abuse but he would not have been the great powerful man of God that he was if he did not suffer through slavery and adversity. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then tried to cover his tracks by murdering her husband…but God restored him through His grace and David changed and became known as a man after God’s own heart. Rahab was a prostitute but turned her life over to God and is known in the Bible as a woman among the righteous and as having active faith. Peter denied Jesus three times but went on to be one of His most faithful disciples leading thousands to Christ. Paul persecuted hundreds of Christians and began to destroy the church before he was saved, he then became arguably the most influential Christian of his time and wrote most of the New Testament. Adversity is what brings a deeper bond, not success.


A new perception gives you hope even in times of grief. It allows you to see people and situations the way God does. We want to have God's heart for people and see their purpose and potential but we often times tend to focus on the negative. My friend Reggi asked me this question that helped change my perception, "How do peoples weaknesses in the flesh reveal their strength in the Spirit?" That is a change in perception that will allow you to see people the way Christ sees them.

In Luke 5:1-11 you have the story of Jesus telling Peter to put down his nets into the water. They catch so many fish that their nets began to break. This is a great illustration of the way we can sometimes complain about the blessings that God gives us, especially after praying for it. Would you rather have breaking nets or empty nets? You see, we complain that life gets too hard instead of giving thanks for the breathe that God allows us to have. We complain over crying babies instead of giving thanks for having a healthy baby when people all over the world can not even conceive (or lose their child to tragedy). We complain that our church has gotten too big and we don't have the people or resources to supply the need instead of praising God for answering the prayer of growing the church. We complain about the food we eat when people are dying from starvation. We complain about not having the coolest fashion, fastest car, or nicest home when God has supplied all your needs according to His riches (Philippians 4:19). We complain about not having a significant other when God might be trying to teach you something about yourself right now...you can't look for the right person until you are the right person. The list goes on...maybe you should pause right now and give thanks to God who has blessed you with so much!

Pastor Britt Merrick in California talks about a different perception he has when dealing with his daughter's battle with cancer (His sermon titled Struck Down But Not Destroyed is phenomenal). He says that the last year was the worst year of his life, yet the best...and that this year was going to be worse than the previous, but even better. Even when we go through hell on earth, we must trust God. How selfish, wrong, and arrogant is it to think that God is good while others are going through hell and then think God is not good when we go through those exact same trails? God is good no matter what and we are made stronger through the storms we encounter.

We must change our perception about life and about others. I must honor people, regardless of the choices they make, because people are made in the image of God. When I don't honor people, I don't honor God. I need to not live for the moment...I need to live for the moments after the moment. I have no idea what God is going to do in 10 years but I can expect God's best and accept what He allows. We will reap a whole lot more that way. We also need to remove this sense of entitlement that we all struggle with. We feel like we deserve something. Hillsong church uses this phrase with its staff, "The thing that I am apart of is so much bigger than the part I play." That is important to know while doing ministry so that our focus is always on God. I must have the right perception and be faithful when no one is looking. Colossians 2:6-7 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Detailed Itinerary (God's Will)

Trying to find out God's will for your life is something many of us struggle with. We want a detailed itinerary of what God wants us to do for our lives. However, in the Bible, you don't see people trying to find out what God's will is for their lives. They just lived life trying to honor God. You know God's will by doing God's will. Faith is active.


Sometimes God will even hide His will from us. If He did not hide it from us we would be all about His will and not Him. The question we need to be asking is are we coming to know God better through what we are doing?


Here is some Biblical support in finding out what God's will is all about...
     1) It is God's will that one is saved...1 Timothy 2:3-4 "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
     2) It is God's will that one is spirit-controlled, filled with the Holy Spirit...Ephesians 5:17-20 "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
     3) It is God's will that one is sanctified, living in purity and abstaining from sexual immorality...1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."
     4) It is God's will that one is submissive and obedient to authority within the principles of Scripture...1 Peter 2:13-15 "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people."
     5) It is God's will that you suffer for Christ, suffer for doing what is right...1 Peter 3:17-18 "For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit." 2 Timothy 3:12 "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
     6) It is God's will that you rejoice, pray, and give thanks always. The glory is God's in everything...1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."


We keep God's commandments because we love Him. When you love God, your desire is to please Him. When your life lines up with these 6 principles, it is hard to do anything outside of the will of God because you are living a life that reflects Christ and is guided by the Spirit. If you trust in God and are saved, are spirit-filled in all you do, living a life of purity, submitting to the authority that God has placed in your life, living, sacrificing, and suffering for what is right, and always rejoicing and giving thanks for all the many blessings that God has given you, then your desires are going to line up with God's. Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." God will bless you all the more for living a life sold out for Him. Just act out in faith knowing that God establishes your steps (Proverbs 16:9).


Psalm 48:14 "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
Psalm 31:3 "Since you are my Rock and my Fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me."
Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans."

Completion Date vs. Release Date

Pastor Furtick used this illustration in a sermon when talking about anxiety and worrying last weekend but I was fortunate to hear it first in his office a couple weeks back with some interns. I have been processing a lot of it and after talking with so many students about the future and the 'unknown', I think it is a topic that most people grapple with. Why do we worry? We have faith, but why do we still doubt? We have seen God deliver multiple times in our past but we still are anxious for the future...Worry is an extremely negative thing. Corrie Ten Boom says, "Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." Francis Chan expresses the unknown as a great thing. We are to be thankful for the unknowns because it forces us to run to God and trust Him. If God gave us all the details of our lives and told us everything we needed to know, we wouldn't need to seek after Him and rely on His power...in fact, we wouldn't need faith. If we knew all the answers, we would trust in the plan and not in God.

Matthew 6 gives us confidence that Christ will always provide. Philippians 4 calls us to rejoice always and not to be anxious but instead seek God through prayer and praise for the countless blessings He has already given us. Verse 19 in Philippians 4 says that God will supply all our needs according to His riches. 2 Corinthians 4:18 tells us to focus on things that are not seen because things that are seen, are temporary, and things that are not seen, are eternal. There are many other biblical principles as to why we should just trust God and not worry because God is in control. The reality is, you just have to believe. You have to train your mind and heart to trust God because He is always faithful.

In life, there is a completion date and a release date. You see this most often with musical artists or authors. If you have ever been on the inside of the production of a movie, cd, or book, you know that the finished product is done way before it is officially released. This gap in time is the difference between the completion date and the release date. The finished product has already been completed...it just hasn't been released yet. That illustration is the perfect picture of our lives. God has already completed your story...He already knows what you are going to go through. He has already set you up for success. God already completed the finished product and He knows when to release things into our lives. He has the right job for us, that position just might not be open yet. He has the perfect person for you, you just might not be ready to receive them. Just because we haven't seen the answer yet, does not mean God hasn't met the need. He will deliver everything we need but it will happen in His perfect timing...on His release date. But do not be mistaken, it is already completed. Tomorrows history has already been written...

Be God's man or woman in EVERY situation and EVERY season of your life.

Crossroads

It's hard not to be emotional when hundreds of students praise a God who sacrificed Himself so that we might find life in Him. Clayton King says, "We find life by losing our rights, our cravings, our wants, and our obsessions." We find life by surrendering our lives over to God, but He has better control of it anyways. Some would say we are surrendering our 'freedom', but really, we freely surrender to be free. Galatians 5:13 says, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." Jesus did this perfectly and we ought to mirror who Christ is. This week we took 600 students and chaperones to Crossroads Worldwide Camp. Clayton King and Pastor Steven Furtick spoke powerful messages into our students this week. We saw 120 students give their lives to Christ the very first night and had 85 students express that God was calling them into full time vocational ministry or mission work. Praise God.

The theme of this week was the Kingdom. The Kingdom is God's rule and reign over all things. The key to the Kingdom is a relationship with Jesus Christ. There is a difference between believing God and believing in God. Belief is not agreeing with facts and figures but is total surrender to Jesus. The need is not new rules, new answers, or new efforts...the need is a new life found in God. Jesus did not come to make bad people good, but to make dead people live...

The cost of the Kingdom is significant. Fortunately for us, Jesus already paid the price for our sins through His blood on the cross, but that does not mean we can act foolishly because our sins are forgiven. God's rule over all things starts in our heart. The things that we value the most are the things that we sacrifice for. The choices we make reflect who or what we are living for. There is no guarantee that our lives will be easy but we need to quit making excuses. The reality is, rejection will always happen. Most people however are not rejecting you, they are rejecting God. It is still our job to be obedient and share the love of Christ with others.

Your treasure is what you put your priorities in and how you spend your time. Matthew 6:21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The temptation is to remove God from your life and replace Him with wealth, pleasures, and earthly desires, but we are called to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). We need to trust in Him because when God guides, God provides...If it's God's will, it's God's bill. God's past provision is the best proof for His future faithfulness. Make your treasure Jesus and live your life seeking Him.

In reality, we really are unstoppable. Pastor Furtick brought a powerful message to the students about being the unstoppable Kingdom of God. Acts 5:12-42 proves it.
1) If you're not willing to face opposition, you're not ready to be used by God. Big blessings bring big battles. Are you willing to be lonely for Christ? Are you willing to be the only one standing up for what you believe in? Do not let people talk you out of what God has called you to do.
2) When God gives you specific instructions, do as you have been told...immediately. Read Acts 5:21, the apostles did "as they had been told." The best time to do the right thing for God is right now. Waiting to do what God tells you to do makes it harder to do it. God wants you to be an influencer, not someone who is influenced...meaning be a person to fill others with the influence of God. Obey God, rather than men.
3) When you want what God wants for the reasons God wants it, you're unstoppable. This is where you just need to trust God and believe.
4) Day after day, never stop. Acts 5:42 says that day after day the apostles never stopped teaching and proclaiming Jesus Christ. It doesn't say that they never failed or that they never got tired or discouraged. It says they never stopped. Tough days will come, hard circumstances will unfold, but stick to what you know and never stop living for Jesus...it's always worth it.

It truly was an incredible week to see the lives of so many changed. God is always faithful and worthy of our praise!

Authority

Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Transforming your mind is giving the authority back to God. It's as if you were a glowstick...you must let God break you and turn off the lights, which then allows His glory to shine through in your life. We must remove our individual 'Goliath's'. Goliath wasn't dead when the stone hit him and knocked him down. It wasn't until his head was cut off and taken from him. It wasn't until David held up his head and placed it on the stoke for all to see as the Israel army rejoiced in triumph and the Philistine army trembled in fear. Often times we have people or sins in our lives that we think are done with. We think we have 'shut' the door but in reality, a crack is still left open. We must gain the authority that God wants us to have, but that cannot happen until we 'cut off the head' of bad things in our lives. The head represents the authority, like Jesus is the head of the church and in our lives. David took the head of Goliath and gained the authority back for Israel. The authority that makes the devil and his demons tremble in fear because even they know God is God James 2:19. It's time to live the life that God wants us to live...with Him leading the way.

What Is The Gospel?

I think of verses such as 2 Timothy 4:2, "Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season..." and 1 Peter 3:15, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." So the question is, what is the Gospel? What are we defending and what is it that we really believe?


The word gospel means 'good news'. If the Gospel of Christ means the good news, what is the bad news? If He is the Savior, what is He saving us from?


The Gospel is an event. It is an achievement (God saved us on the cross and justice and love was fully served). It is a transfer that must be applied to our daily lives. Therefore, we must live in light of what the Gospel really is. God is the Gospel and when you get God, that is enough!


God's wrath is active and we all deserve it (Ephesians 2). Romans 3:23 says that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The bad news is that we all are sinful from birth. We are all evil, sinful at the core and need to be saved from ourselves. That is hard for some people to hear and understand. Sin is a sickness that separates man from God. We all have a disease that needs a cure, and the only way to cleanse us is through the willing sacrifice of someone perfect (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus preached that He was the cure to a disease that most people will refuse they have. Jesus is the only one that saves us from the wrath of God. The cross is the symbol of the reception of God's wrath on our behalf. We think that Jesus saved us from the literal place of hell. This is true but hell is really anything that has the absence of God. 

The Gospel is simple. It is not just the good news of Jesus Christ. It is not just a report or biography of the events of Jesus' life. The Gospel defines His virgin birth, teachings, death, burial, and resurrection in an authoritative manner. The Gospel is that "God gave up His only Son for us all" (Romans 8:32). 

The Gospel and life of Jesus Christ means nothing to us if we don't share it. Our words and actions must line up. DC Talk says it best, "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." The Gospel is not an argument to be won but a lifestyle to be lived. When sharing with people it is important to understand that you can be 100% right yet still be wrong. How we share is important and needs to be done with love, gentleness, and respect.

God created us to be with Him. (Genesis 1-2)
Our sins separate us from God. (Genesis 3)
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. (Genesis 4 - Malachi 4)
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew - Luke)
Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. (John)
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. (Acts - Revelation)

Satan is...

The Devil
-lies (John 8:44)
-tempts (Matthew 4:1-3)
-disguises (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
-sifts (Luke 22:31-32)
-snatches (Luke 8:12)
-blinds (2 Corinthians 4:4)
-enslaves (2 Timothy 2:25-26)
-destroys (1 Peter 5:8)

God is the identity-reveler where Satan is the identity-deceiver. Satan is powerful. Often times we allow him to have victory in our lives. He knows us very well and is the king of manipulation. He knows our weaknesses and often times will trigger thoughts and actions in our weakest of moments. He is a liar and deceiver. He disguises himself because he knows Scripture so well, but he takes it out of context. This is why it is so important for us as believers to know the Word of God. Ultimately the devil tries to destroy us through temptation as a stumbling block and make us slip in any way. But God uses temptation to develop us as a stepping stone. Satan hates those that make the Kingdom of God grow. It is a compliment in our lives if we have opposition from Satan because it means we are doing something right. And usually, our biggest temptations come right before some of the most triumphant victories in our lives. In fact, having head on collisions with the devil is a great thing. Pastor Steven Furtick says, "If you haven't had a head on collision with the devil recently, it may be because you are heading in the same direction." That is a convicting phrase. 


But we sometimes give the devil too much credit. He is powerful, but our God created him...and defeated him. Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Satan can only speak against you what God has spoken for you. He has no original thought. In order to fight a spiritual enemy, you need spiritual weaponry. He can be easily defeated if we use the Word of God...if we stand firm on its truth...if we implant it in our heart and minds...meditating on the promises of God. The more we are Spirit-filled, the more we are able to withstand temptation and glorify God. Ephesians 6:10-13 "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm."

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Pastor Steven Furtick is so good at taking a concept or phrase and apply Biblical truths to it that will drastically change your life. He talks about the concept of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The devil tries to keep you in your past, in yesterday, and keep you from growing with God. He constantly tries to say "Remember when..." and God responds "Remember who..." God has already won the war. He conquered death on the cross. In 1 Samuel 14, David remembered when God delivered him from bears and lions when he was going into battle with Goliath. He remembered God's past faithfulness and trusted in Him with his present battle. Our God is the God who delivers. The devil also tries to keep you in the moment, in today, and living for earthly pleasures. He says "Live for now..." and God responds "Live for later..." Matthew 6:20 tells us to store up treasures in heaven. This is done by how we live for Christ now. Obey God now and put your treasure in Him. Don't settle and live for moments of selfishness and pleasure but live for your future ministry, bride, and family. Finally, the devil tries to keep us or stall us in our walk with God, in tomorrow, and procrastinate growing in and with Him. He says, "Do it later..." and God responds "Do it now..." James 1:22-25 calls us to be doers of the Word and not merely those who hear it. We are to be actively worshiping God with our attitude, actions, thoughts, and words. Don't wait to be older to start making an impact for Christ. Don't wait for later to receive the blessings that God wants to give you now! In order to have a visionary mindset, we must act in immediate obedience. The harvest is now...

In The Middle - By Reggi Beasley

So my main man Reggi Beasley wrote this on his blog yesterday and it is so good. He has been so influential and one of my closest friends this summer and I am extremely grateful for his friendship. Good things ahead my friend...

The bible has a lot to say about ‘middle’ things. In Genesis 14, Hagar found herself in the middle of Kadesh and Bered after she fled from Abraham’s camp. In Judges 7, Gideon and his 100 men reached the camp during the middle watch. And after leaving Pharaoh’s palace, Moses found himself positioned in the middle of the Egyptian army and the Red Sea.

As believers, we often find ourselves in the middle. But when we are there we must stay reminded that in that moment we can choose- like Moses- to be swallowed up by the enemy, or to press on until breakthrough occurs. We have a propensity, as humans, to look onward to the next thing, or to linger in the memories of what used to be for us. While both of those attitudes are appropriate in their season, being paralyzed by a goal or a memory removes the ability for us to see God moving mightily where we currently stand.

It is important when you are in the middle that you stay focused on becoming something. In Matthew 4, when Satan was tempting Jesus, he told the Son of God to tell a stone to become bread. Even though his request was entirely irreverent, Satan was actually speaking out of a clear biblical principle. The principle is simple: Everything that God has called you to be, he gives you the power to become. We become something by how we respond to the seasons and challenges that offer themselves up to us as tests. These decisions form who we are. You are how you react. What is it that you have been called to become? How would that person respond to the situation you currently face?

Remember that for Hagar as she was in the middle of Kadesh and Bered, there was a wellspring of water that provided hope, peace and nourishment. For Gideon, during the middle watch was his opportunity for victory. For Moses, the intensity of ‘the moment in the middle’ supplied him with the faith and audacity to see a mighty miracle of God. Paul and Silas praised God in the MID-night hour, and saw chains broken. And in the middle of two robbers, on a hill called Calvary, was crucified humanities hope of redemption.

Good things are found on middle ground. Don’t ever forget that God has you where He needs you. You are there so that He can create something in you that can sustain you once you finally get out of the middle.

What Is Love?

Many people refuse to believe in God because of the unjust suffering that happens throughout the world. They wonder why God can allow such evil. However, just because one may abandon the belief in God doesn't make the problem of evil go away. In fact, a belief in God doesn't take away suffering and painful experiences but it provides a way to face them. Belief in God gives one hope and courage to endure because our loving God already experienced suffering and pain like none of us ever will. Timothy Keller puts it this way, "God takes our misery and suffering so seriously that he was willing to take it on himself...if we embrace the Christian teaching that Jesus is God and that he went to the Cross, then we have deep consolation and strength to face the brutal realities of life on earth. We can know that God is truly Immanuel-God with us-even in our worst sufferings."

Often times I hear arguments such as, "How can a loving God send people to hell? or Why do bad things happen to good people?" These questions need to change to "How can a just God send people to heaven? and Why did the worst thing happen to the best person?"

We have all these questions for God, yet we don't even look in the mirror to see how we can be making a better difference in the world. Francis Chan asks, "Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you? Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?" That is some pretty deep stuff to think about. My life is not about me at all, in fact, it is all about God and how I can be giving Him the glory in every circumstance. We are not in control...God is, and if we had all the answers to life and were in control, we wouldn't need God's help or seek Him and rely on His great might. That is why we must seek God. That is why I am thankful for the unknown, because it forces me to trust God. But we have His amazing promise in Psalm 9:10, "Those who know your name will trust in you. For you, O Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." I love God, therefore I will naturally run to Him in everything, not because I feel like I need too or because I feel guilty when I don't. When you truly understand love, you make time for God because you understand how much He loves us. You want to grow and make a difference because His love is life changing. You share Jesus freely with others because our love for Him is so large. We are here to give hope to a broken world through what Jesus did on the cross. You understand what it means to truly live life for God. Chan concludes chapter 3 in "Crazy Love" by saying, "Our love for Him always comes out of His love for us. Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you? Do you really know and believe that God loves you, individually and personally and intimately? Do you see and know Him as Abba, Father?"

It is impossible to know what love is until you experience it from the One who created it! 1 John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." That would make love a sacrifice...a sacrifice of personal preference or "rights" to meet the needs of someone else. Love relationships involve mutual, unselfish service, and a mutual loss of independence to attain greater intimacy. In our relationship with God, love was first given to us. He adjusted to us in His incarnation and atonement. He sent His only Son to sacrifice His own life so that we may be saved through Him. It's not about giving up your freedom, rather it's finding your freedom in Christ. John 14:15 says if you love God you will keep His commandments. The choices you make in life determines the person you become. The awesome thing is that we all can make a difference for Christ and start making choices that impact the Kingdom of God if we will only pick up our own cross. The choice is yours...