Order My Steps

I heard this thought on the radio this week and thought it was worth sharing.  “If you allow God to order your steps and allow Him to lead you down the path of life, where you are is not where you’re going.”

I had to stop and think about it for a second…then I realized how profound it was.  If we allow God to be in charge of our path, then it doesn’t really matter where we are at the present, He has better things waiting for us just up ahead.  Psalm 119:133 says: “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”  And Psalm 23:3 says:  “…He guides me along the right paths…”

As I thought about the statement more and more, the image that came to mind is one of driving down a dark road and entering a tunnel, at the moment I’m in the dark and alone but I know when I get to my destination I will have light and will not be alone.

So many times in our lives we feel like we are in a dark place and can’t see our way out, we have nowhere to turn and are feeling hopeless.  When we come to this place we need to ask ourselves are we allowing God to order our steps.  We can’t look at the situation we need to look at our heart and be honest.  If the answer is yes, then don’t worry about the situation, keep your eyes on Christ and the road before you.  If the answer is no, then repent and ask God to order your steps.

I know life can be overwhelming but that is not how God designed it to be.  We are designed to have a relationship with Father God and in that relationship we find peace in the midst of whatever storm or dark place we are going through.  It’s been said: KNOW God, Know Peace; NO God, no peace.

The Prayer

This is one of my favorite songs, the message is encouraging and uplifting!

Mostly Dead

Have you ever watched the movie The Princess Bride? In the movie there is a scene where the hero Wesley appears to be dead and the comment is made that in fact "he’s only mostly dead". An explanation is given - “mostly dead” means “slightly alive”. I was thinking that as a whole this is a pretty good description of where most churches and believers have found themselves. We call ourselves a Christian nation yet when I look around at our culture I realize we are as far from Christian as we can get - from advertisements to news to movies to how we dress, and on and on.

I believe the Church has lost much of its effectiveness because we have become so tangled in religion that we have forgotten that it is about a relationship, not rules. With all of our judgmental attitudes toward sin, or should I say toward sinner, it is no wonder so many people want nothing to do with church or Christians. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying rules are not important or that sin is not sin. I’m saying that right behavior and obedience to the commands of the Bible can only sprout from a true and living relationship with God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

If we are not careful to cultivate our relationship with God we will find ourselves "fully dead" and have no impact on our world. In the book of Revelation the letter to the church in Ephesus says this: “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. 7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God. - Revelation 2:1-3 (NLT)

As the letter begins it sounds good. The church at Ephesus is commended for their hard work, endurance and lack of tolerance for evil. Good so far, right… but then in verse 4 we see the kicker, “You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” Wow, what a scathing comment! For a more personal example imagine coming home after a long day at work and having your wife of husband say: “Honey, you don’t love me like you used to!” That is what God is saying in this verse. No matter how well you get the religion stuff right, if you don’t love Him and your fellow man then you are missing the bigger picture.

Now let me say this - we should not confuse love with tolerance of sin. The two are not the same, nor are they in opposition to each other. Jesus could not stand sin but he loved people and wanted to see their lives change. He took them where they were and loved them into relationship. Matthew 22:36-40 says: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

So with all that said, how do we transform ourselves from “MOSTLY DEAD” to FULLY ALIVE? Simple - by cultivating our relationship with God, and loving Him with all our heart, soul and strength. When we do that all the rules and commands of the Bible become second nature. Those around us see the transformation and want to be ALIVE like we are.

Joseph from the big house to the storehouse

Over the last 24 hours something unusual happened - I heard a sermon on Joseph (Genesis 37-46). What, you ask, is so unusual about that?  Well it seems God must be trying to say something to me because I have heard almost the exact sermon three times, yesterday morning in church and twice in the car this morning on my way to work. There are so many things we can learn from Joseph’s story but today I am reminded that God is a God who wants to transform us.  Sometimes this transformation can happen without much notice being taken on our parts, but usually transformation happens by way of challenges, difficulties and pain. Growth is rarely painless! 

When he was a young man Joseph was shown visions of the future in his dreams.  In his youthful excitement he threw caution to the wind and made a big blunder by telling his brothers he would end up ruling them one day. This was the beginning of what was about to be a very long and difficult season in his life. 

Here we go rapid fire...  Joseph's brothers plot to kill him but sell him instead - great start, right? He is sold again to Potiphar, whose wife (let’s just say she was the original desperate housewife) tries to seduce him.  Joseph makes like Forest Gump and RUNS. Mrs. Potiphar lies and twists the truth so Joseph ends up being tossed from Potiphar’s house into the "big house".  While in jail Joseph has an encounter with the pharaoh’s baker and cup bearer which turns out to be good for one and bad for the other. Finally, he ends up interpreting dreams for Pharaoh and is placed in charge of all of Egypt. When famine strikes and his brothers end up on his doorstep looking to buy food Joseph, who could get even for all of their treachery, instead decides to have just a little fun at their expense. In the end he reconciles with his brothers and saves God’s people from starvation.

Joseph’s story is full of pain and difficulties yet he keeps his eyes on God, his pride in check, and he holds to the knowledge that God has a plan.  Slavery and prison were not pleasant to be sure, but Joseph allows God to use this time and these experiences to grow him, and as a result he discovers personal freedom and an ability to forgive his brothers that is almost incomprehensible.

No matter what you are going through today, keep your eyes focused on God.   Be cautious about casting blame, circumstances might not be anyone’s fault; it could be God redirecting your path.  I have heard several pastors say instead of asking God why, maybe we should ask ourselves why not.  I do not believe that God always causes our difficulties as punishment for sin - sometimes our difficulties have absolutely nothing to do with us but are there to draw others to God.

Whatever the reason for your struggle or difficulty be like Joseph and grow from it. You will certainly benefit yourself, but who knows, you just might be a blessing to someone else...or even save a nation.

RE-CONNECT

How shallow can we be? We hide our inmost pain and fears from others as we keep the people who could help us at arms length. What are we so afraid of? Hurt, separation, mocking are just a few of the things we are afraid of. Why do we struggle so? The Bible teaches us that if we share our burden it is eaiser to bear. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says: “Two are better than on because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if somebody overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands in to easily broken.”

We know it is easier to share our burdens yet we don’t. Why? We have become so self centered that others have no place in our lives. We have become a society of individuals without a connection to others and most importantly we have lost our connection to God.

The loss of our connection has been a slow process it was not lost over night. Because of this the journey back will not be an overnight process.

Rediscovering our connection begins with the realization that the connection has been lost. To regain your connection with others you need to surround yourself with good Christian men and women who will help nurture you and who will provide you with a safe environment to share your thoughts, struggles, burdens and other demons. Your connection to and with God is the easiest and yet the hardest to regain. You must first put aside anything that is causing the separation and confess any unconfessed sin in your life. Then just talk to God and tell Him what’s on your mind. Daily quiet time and prayer help maintain the connection and strengthen your relationship with God by conforming your will to His.

May God bless you as you get re-CONNECTED.

TRANSFORMED

As we live a life consumed by God we will find our lives being transformed into His likeness. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says: “We all with unveiled faces are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” I find the more I think about transformation two questions come up. First, do I want to be transformed and second, how am I transformed?

Do I want to be transformed? Transformation has a cost and am I willing to pay the cost? What will I have to sacrifice in order to be transformed? These are personal and often times painful questions we must ask as we search our hearts. Take a moment to soul search before you continue. Do you want transformation in your life?

So you want to be transformed. What next? First you must have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. For He is the Only Way, the Only Truth and the Only Life, you cannot connect to God without Jesus in your heart and life. Titus 3:5 says: “He saved us not by works of righteousness that we had done but according to His Mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit." After establishing that you have a relationship with God you must put aside things that are not glorifying to Him. Ephesians 4:22 & 23 tells us our old selves are corrupted by deceitful desires and our minds will be renewed by the Holy Spirit when we put them aside. Romans 12:2 says: “Do not be conformed but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good pleasing and perfect will of God.” How do we renew our minds? Let’s see, read your Bible and pray…regular worship attendance and discipleship with other believers helps too!

Transformation is a long process and you could argue that it is never complete in this life. Are you ready to begin? Take the first step.

CONSUME

The next few posts are older posts from another blog of mine.  I have been reading through them and felt they were worth sharing again.

CONSUME. To Consume: to do away with completely; to spend wastefully; to eat or drink especially in great quantity; to engage fully.

Consume can be either good or bad depending on how we look at it. If we let a situation consume us to the point where we are no good to anyone, including ourselves, we are consumed badly. I have allowed my circumstances the last several weeks consume me and rob me of my joy, this is a horrible way to be consumed and yet I have allowed it to happen. I know it is ok to grieve and be sad but I must not allow it to consume my every moment. God gives us grace to make it through so I need to keep my eyes focused on Him. Are you being consumed by something and allowing it to take your joy?

So, what is consumed in a good or beneficial way? In Psalms, David writes, "Zeal for Your house will consume me." God is referred to as an all consuming fire. It we allow ourselves to be consumed by the fire of God, we will put away things that separate us from Him and others. By doing this we allow Him to use and transform us into His likeness. By becoming more like Him, our lives will be changed along with the lives of those around us.

Allow God to CONSUME you, not the things that will keep you down.

Be CONSUMED and Transformed.

The Gospel