Built To Be A Blesser

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. - Proverbs 11:24-25

God doesn't need your money. If you have lived in and around church enough of your life you have heard this. But if something, so near and dear to our lives and that takes up so much of our thinking and effort isn't consecrated to Him then what have we learned about how much God cares about us?

Like everything else in the Kingdom of God and associated with this earth, the purpose of money is not as straight forward as we might think. We are provided means to live, to trade, to earn and save as a way of serving others.

In our society God purposed that money should be a means to bless and be blessed by others. It is a way to show love, empathy and caring inside the Body of Christ and to the world. But, it is easy to be insensitive in this area. When we are in a season of lack we withhold money that God has designated for someone else.

Why? We argue that we can't give. Of course, then we have the story of the widows' mite (penny) and yet we reason it away.

No, God wants to bless through us, but His desire cannot be accomplished through us if we are disobedient. Or, to put another way, we can shut off His blessing by a lack of hearing His instructions to us.

This was the case for a business owner who tells of the time when God told him to forego a company bonus one year. God directed him to share his year-end bonus with an employee to show his appreciation for him. He wrestled with God for three full days before obeying the Lord on the matter. When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier. He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need. The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the business owner gave him. Our Heavenly Father, HIS Heavenly Father had already planned to provide for that man through his boss, the owner. The owner's hesitantly nearly cost him a divine opportunity to be an instrument of God's blessing in the employee's life.

My point? Hearing from God and obeying, is a daily event.

How many people do we let down because we feel the "harvest" God provides is all ours? Or, is it possible that there is a lack in the Body of Christ because we are insensitive to the instruction of the Holy Spirit?

Jesus said that we needed the Holy Spirit to come and that in His coming we would be provided Comfort…Can you see how the leading of God's Spirit provides for you and I and provides entry into God's purpose for, not just our intellectual and spiritual life but for our daily living?

And, just a quick thought on Spiritual Succession. Are we teaching the generations to come to be givers? If not, can we truly say we are following the commission given to us to raise up disciples? Heck, for no other reason than someday you will be old and feeble…TEACH YOUR CHILDREN GENEROSITY!

In the USA the pressure is always to get more; to have more. Jesus warned us about this. If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God's vessels of financial blessing to others; we will be insensitive to His spiritual leading.

We need open hearts, minds and an adventurers expectation when it comes to just how God will work in your life. We should expect big and unusual experiences. They should be the kind that seem impossible. "But God!" should be the bywords of our daily lives.

Our hands as well as our hearts and minds should be open; open to give and receive. Ask the Lord if you have an open hand when it comes to finances.

I remain…

InHISgrip, ~J~

Oh God…You're Late!

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. - Habakkuk 2:3 God has a storehouse of blessings that He has reserved for you and me. Part of growing in our relationship with our Heavenly Father is for you and I to daily better understand HIS timing for events in our lives. We cannot accept as a gift what we do not know exists. Believe it that God has a specific timetable for us. Without knowing His direction for our lives that timetable can be excruciatingly slow and emotionally painful. If you've been churched all your life you might be familiar with the Old Testament figure Joseph. He was the one that had the coat of many colors. He was also given dreams from God (Which ended up being the blueprint for his life). But much was to happen to Joseph before he would take hold of the wonders of God's promises to him. He remained a slave in Egypt and was then placed in prison after being wrongfully accused. That would seem cruel and uncaring of God. While in his distresses Joseph was given opportunities and saved lives. He did those faithfully. Yet he still didn't receive these huge blessings. Why? Because an early release would have disrupted God's perfect plan. God takes time to develop character before anything else. God could not afford to have a prideful 30-year-old managing the resources of an entire region of the world. But, more than that (and Joseph seemed to understand this) he had not sought God about the timing and didn't receive it. Not so much in his life, but in the lives of other Old Testament patriarchs we find God's blessing delayed because they refused to fellowship with Him. Moses was such a case. We have a saying that is quite biblical. God is good all the time! It's true. It's true even when it doesn't appear to be true. Just know that the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him! (Isaiah 30:18) If you are awaiting the fulfillment of a vision in your life, you can ask the Lord for His grace to sustain you. But before you do that, close in the gap between you and God. Walk daily in a way that allows you the chance to learn just how deep, wide and bountiful His goodness is to His children; those who "hear His voice." I remain... InHISgrip, ~J~

The Case for a Personal Leading from God

Or, God as Pilot (Note: There is no CO-) By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them.... - Exodus 13:21
  A few days ago, on FaceBook, I posted a sign I had seen in my Internet travels. Essentially it said when we ask God for answers He gives us one of three choices. Those Choices are, A) Yes B) No or C) I have something better in mind.

I've been thinking about that. I am thinking I believe it is true. I also came away with a verum prior, a prior truth. For most Protestant theologians of the 15th through the 19th century truth is built on truth. There is always something that preceded what we now believe to be true. Ultimately, this truth would find its way back to the source of all truth, God Himself.

 In this case, though I am sure those are the three end results of our queries of our Heavenly Father, what I believe to be a prior truth or, perhaps condition would be a better word, is that most of us are not prepared at all for Him to provide us, directly, with answers. Therefore, we substitute a more practical methodology.

At one level our ability to hear from God is tied directly to this question, "How are you at waiting on God?" And then, how do you determine if God is giving you the green light to move forward?

Most believers make the mistake of employing the double column list method where, by adding up all the pluses and deducting the minuses they conclude that God has given them the green light as affirmation outweighs the negatives. If they are sophisticated in this methodology they even conclude under what terms they should move forward.

The actionable reality of this method is this, several factors go into making a decision from the Lord but all of those factors are based on present reality (historical evidence as we interpret it) and not based on the Principles of the Kingdom of God and God's Rule.

I'll make this brief where it deserves much more information; but, here goes…

When we bring a matter before God it's important to do at least three things.

1. First, you should gather facts. Even the great Master Himself (er…Jesus) said a man counts the cost before He moves forward in a life decision. Fact gathering allows you to determine all the realities of a given situation. However, this does not ultimately drive a godly decision, but it can put a stop to it. For instance, if you were planning to build a major roadway and you knew the only way to move forward was to build it through a native people's homeland your decision may be made in advance. (Principle: care and concern for others and their interests should be the greater interest…providing there was no greater or appealing solution they would value.) But the principle is solid; God would not lead you to enter into unrighteous ventures that are harmful to others.

2. Is the Holy Spirit guiding you in your decision? If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm - Psalm 37:23. George Mueller cites that the steps are also "by the Lord." As a connected aside, God puts hedges around us, but many times we bull our way through the hedges under the guise of tenacity and perseverance. This too is unrighteousness. One wise brother in Christ stated that the greatest success we can have is to know when it is time to pull the plug rather than keep forcing a situation. Not all of life's circumstances are eternal. The problem is, because of a lack of time we have had with God, we are not familiar when He personally speaks into our heart. We lack His vision and an eternal perspective on the matter at hand. Practice the presence of God! And, that means actual extended periods of time on your knees, walking alone, looking skyward. It means learning from those who do practice His presence and stay in it themselves.

3. Has the action you believe God wishes you to take been confirmed? God has placed others around us to be used as holy sounding boards to our lives and to our actions; to confirm decisions and keep us from the deceit of our own seeming self interests. Paul, in speaking forcefully to the Corinthians once said these words, By the mouth or two or three witnesses shall every word be established - 2 Corinthians 13:1b. This is God's way of keeping us within the hedge of His protection and within earshot of His guiding voice.

I once read these words: "Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser." - anonymous

To this day I remember them nearly daily simply because I am so poor at listening to God. In my haste I go on before Him. In my pride I believe I can figure it out without Him. May you and I both today both slow down, calm down but most all all bend down and listen more often all the time to His guiding voice. It is why you will have the Holy Spirit forever within you; so you may walk with Him and hear His voice. (Yes, forever…check out your New Testament…)

I remain...

InHISgrip,
  ~J~

Putting Your Trust in A Cloud? Seriously?

So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning; when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. ~ Number 9:21

Imagine living with the uncertainty of this situation. One day you work at getting your yard planted, redecorating the living room and adding on a family room. The next morning a signal is given and you have to start packing boxes and loading up the SUV and move. Your personal ability to plan your life is totally gone.

Perhaps however is the greater temptation to move when the signal (the cloud) did not move because you felt it was time to move.

For the Israelites, a people of a Promised Land, and with all the moving in their history, perhaps the grass was no longer green. Perhaps the water was not easily accessible any longer. Perhaps the bugs were a problem or it was too humid (ergo, the bugs). Whatever the case, they were strictly prohibited from moving if the cloud, the presence of God, did not move.

This next part is the hard part. Mostly because it is not part of our spiritual tradition typically nor of our American culture. It is still the same today. We are not to move unless God, in the form of the Holy Spirit. instructs us to do so. We are not to make that business deal on the basis of whether or not it makes sense, but on the leading of the Holy Spirit's "cloud" in our life.

The Old Testament was our tutor according to what we are taught in the New Testament. Israel, spiritually, was following a literal cloud. For you and I it can be a difficult process to move only when we are directed, and to remain if we are not. Why? Because we are not used to following an inner version of "The Cloud." And even more of a challenge with no practice to hear and follow the pressure is always upon us to move, to plan, to act from external forces in our life. How much do you think this happens in the Church, the Body of Christ today? I'm guessing a lot! And to add fuel to the fire this might be even more true when our personality and preferences meet the timing of God.

God's kids learn over the course of a lifetime to move when God says move. But we need to embrace the spiritual fact that Jesus came to recreate that ability and for this to occur.  It is a sign of hope and an act of faith when, in complete surrender and dependence on God's Spirit to direct our steps we gain the confidence and then have the ability to act out of watching the Cloud and then moving to follow it.

Ask God today if you are sitting under His cloud. Or, have you moved when He said to stay put. Have you even considered God providing you with personal leading? If not you have much to question about your faith.

May our anthem be:

In the glory of your presence
I find rest, for my soul
In the depths of your love
I find peace, makes me whole

I love, I love, I love your presence
I love, I love, I love your presence
I love, I love, I love you Jesus
I love, I love, I love your presence - Anthony Skinner, I Love Your Presence

The more time in His presence you spend, the more familiar to His call, His voice you shall become.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Reflecting the Glory of One Whose Glory Should Be Recognized

They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. - Psalm 145:11-12

How do you measure your effectiveness in God, or should you even be thinking like this? I know it is quite popular to use a sense of reasoning about our spiritual "walk" like this:

God loves me and is all knowing. Because He is all knowing and nothing about who I am or what I do affects His love for me can I disappoint Him. After all, He knows me. He knows who I am and what I do. He made me! Therefore why should I even worry or even worse, feel guilty for being the person God made me to be


The early Church turned the world upside down in that first century. What made them so effective? Was it their theology? Was it great preaching? Was it due to one man's influence apart from Jesus? Was it an attitude reflected in the above paragraph? Could we validate that kind of thinking by any historical analysis? The answer to the last 2 questions is a simple no.

This little Bible morsel speaks definitively. It creates prophetic clarity that in a future time, God's people, would espouse a mighty message that created widespread knowledge of God, His glory and kingdom. I suggest this happened and can happen and it is what makes the the Bodies of Christ effective.

I am also convinced that it is at the core of God's heart. It is quite simple. God desires to reflect His nature and power through every individual. When this happens, the world is automatically changed because those who reflect His glory affect the world. The world "sees" God as He is.

I am also convinced we need to better understand words and their Kingdom meanings; vocabulary, if you will, from God's perspective. The Bible uses words like love, obedience, serve, servant, suffer and I am sure we flavor their meaning based on who we are and not what the Scripture clearly states what is truthfully meant; what is their fulness from God's perspective. Here is one we don't get easily: We serve a jealous God. He is a God who will not share His glory with anyone. (Check it out - It says it right there in that Big Black Book) God sets up situations in order to demonstrate His power through them and more than this to illustrate so we can get our tiny minds around his enormity. He does it. It is His doing. We might be arms and legs and a mouth in the process but it is His plan and His power that accomplishes. Why? That we might, in turn, understand just how little we make of Him and how tiny is the full grasp of our understanding about Him. And, more to the point so that through us His glory shines and people are drawn to Him!

Father God has visibly expressed His power and control and strength since the day He created man. His glory is His own. Only He can have it and express it. However, our God and Father desires to reflect His glory through you and me, so that all men may know of His mighty acts and the glorious splendor of His Kingdom and, in their knowing they would embrace their God-given and provided right to be on the inside of His love, affection, glory, grace, mercy and all of the other overly abundant joys His own should experience.

The apostle Paul understood this principle: My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" ( - I Corinthians 2:4-5.

If you do not see His glory being reflected through your life, then you need to ask why. Of course, you also might want to study the concept of God's Glory so you would recognize it should it be expressed in your life. It might not be precisely what you are thinking at this moment. Just know this, He has promised to use you and me to mirror who He is if we will walk in obedience to His commands.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6

That is an If/Then statement. There is in fact an our part and His part. You embrace it or you don't. Which will it be?

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! - Luke 11:9-13

As challenging as it is for you and I to understand, there is a truth here that says God does gives us a part in our relationship with Him. We get to learn, grow and become more today than we were yesterday. We are no longer under a shadow of guilt. It is not our lot to constantly wring our hands and wonder if God is pleased with us however. To do that we make His sufficiency, His power in us, His saving and redemptive skills weak. No, we just need to know we get to partner in growth so that who we are in Him shows clearly to the world naturally and draws all men to Him.

It was on my heart today...I hope it blesses yours...I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

My Internal GPS

Thus says the LORD: “ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD. - Jeremiah 9:23,24

There is a kind of thinking that goes like this..."If I am sensitive I will know that God has provided instruction, but then it's up to me." Does that sound about right? Or, maybe you are of a different school of thought regarding you and God's will. Maybe yours is as simple as, 'If I just knew the Bible better I could better understand God's will." Or, maybe yours is more mystical or more practical than either of the above. Nonetheless, there is a part about knowing and a part about doing.

My experience is this, those who are most in love with Jesus; those who crave Him most deeply and glorify Him most easily do not seem to have much of a problem with the whole issue of God's leading in their life. It just sort of flows.

Period.

The focus of our attention should be on the relationship that Jesus Christ came to earth to re-establish with us and that is, to get us back to a place where we realize and fully embrace God's love, acceptance and forgiveness and desire to provide direction for our lives so we can snuggle into a relationship with Him. The rest seems to just fall into place.

But, regardless, we must accept His instruction and apply it to our lives in order to see that He is in fact working in us and through us for His good pleasure and our fulfillment. It is then, and only then, that we can expect to cash in on the benefits of His leadership in our lives. My friend Chuck Swindoll would say, "application is the link between (God's) instruction and change (in our lives)."

I'm not sure that is what God is concerned about. Therein lies the rub. God doesn't lead us just so we do stuff. The end game for our lives isn't but it does include it.

Let's look at a realistic metaphor for this scenario and our most common way of interpreting what God requires of us.

Imagine that you work for a company whose president must travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other team members, "Look, I'm going to be gone to Outer Mongolia. While I'm gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I'm away. I will be in communication with you regularly. It most likely will be snail mail since I'm not sure that I'll always have Internet or that my cell phone will work there. But, when I do communicate, I will instruct you as best I can given your situation and give you what you should do from now until I return from this trip. The direction that I want you to take the company will be outlined in writing." Everyone agrees. He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, calls when he can, and tries to find enough Internet signal to E-Mail if possible...the point is though he is communicating his desires and concerns and most of the time, as he had indicated it was by written communiqué primarily. The more personal messages seemed to be fewer and farther in between.

Finally he returns.

He walks up to the front door of the company to find everything is in disarray - weeds flourishing in the flower beds, windows busted out across the front of the building, the receptionist is dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered massive losses. Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with beet red face and a frown asks, "What the *#@^! happened here? Didn't you get my instruction?" You say, "Oh, yeah, sure chief. We got all your letters. We've even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have 'letter study' every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters." I think the president would then ask, "But what did you do about my instructions?" And, no doubt, the employees would respond, "Do? Well, maybe not everything we should. The studies were helping us to determine what the correct interpretations should be. We didn't want to assume you meant what you said. But we read every one...a lot!"

In the very same way, God has sent us His instructions. But how do we use it? Did it provide you with an ability to understand general instruction (love, don't lie, cheat, steal, assist, care, show mercy, forgive, redemption story, how end times will occur, etc.)? Did you see the pattern of how you should be responding in life based on what you read? Was the written signals God has given you enough of a link for you to more deeply understand personally how you should act or, more importantly, when He is speaking to your spirit (heart, soul, mind, etc.) is the general messages and examples enough of a framework that you can discern His intimate communication to you?

God has preserved every word of much of His hearts desires and even provided great examples of how to live them out in a Book, the Bible. It's all there, just as He communicated it to us. When He returns for His own, He is not going to ask us how much we memorized or how often we met for study. No, He will want to know, "What did you do about my instructions; more succinctly, the ones I gave to you personally? Did any of your time in study of the Bible, did it link in to our specific times of discussion, meditation, and personal communication? Did you even listen during our one-on-one Skype calls? Were you even there? Did you even have any with me? Didn't you get that from the big black bound book; that I desire to speak directly into the lives of my children?"

One leads to the other. The Bible gives us hope. Not just the hope of salvation but the hope that God turns his attention and in earth time that attention is aimed directly to people who are very much like you and I. Just folks. Oh sure, a few Kings and prophets along the way got messages from Him. But our father spoke to white collar and blue collar working stiffs too. He spoke to children and to women and to people of ethnicity's very unique from one another. It is a message to you: I want to have your attention and time and I want to be your greatest lover and fan. Most important of all, He spoke personally to them.

Remember, it to rebuild the bridge and loving, personal communication and relationship... that is what Jesus came to do...to put you and Abba Father back together again. So, when you read the Bible what are you hearing in your heart? How is it changing, affecting and guiding your actions...your life?

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Does God Have Motives?

He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. - 2 Samuel 22:20

I have the opportunity to hang around nonbelievers all the time. I love it. I also choose to hang around believers online that quite often disagree with me deeply. Often, when I engage this group the reason I do so is called into question. At first I became righteously indignant. Well, I did until it had nothing at all to do with righteousness and more about my just wanting to be right. I work on it daily now and attempt to do what Paul encouraged us to do...I believe the admonition to "try the spirits" and to "check our motives" whether they be of God can be viewed as two sides of the same coin.

Questioning someone's motives for their activities can become an overriding response to those with whom we interact. Wrong motives can result in broken relationships, poor business decisions, patterns that lead to alienating ourselves from others but also from right thinking and good judgement. Often, when we practice junior psychology on others we skim the surface of their intentions. Often they don't fully understand why they do what they do. I am of the sincere and biblical opinion that most often, without the guidance and illumination of the Holy Spirit to our spirits do not know the motive of another person. It is wrong for us to assume what their motive is until we have confidence that we know their intentions. When we respond or react prematurely, we become judge and jury over them. We were never given either office.

God has a motive for every one of His children. His desire is to bring us, as the opening verse states, into a spacious place. He wants us to go beyond our borders of safety and security so that we might experience life at a level that goes beyond ourselves, and our narrow perceptions. What do you think of when you think of a "spacious place"? No limitations? A large, grassy field? Open air? Perhaps the evening sky? These are positive images. They can be quiet, serene, and massive!

Sometimes these spacious places, simply by their size and the spark of creativity that the Holy Spirit lights up, encourage us to step out in faith into areas where we've never ventured.

Sometimes we need to be rescued by the Lord...

When Peter walked on the water, God was inviting him to a spacious place. He went beyond the borders of his boat and ventured into a whole new world. He didn't have complete success in his venturing out, but it was a process that would lead him to the next victory in his faith walk with Jesus. Stepping out leads to criticism. Stepping out will also lead to blunders for both those watching and those attempting it. Sometimes failure is what is needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God and just as likely, when we are struggling with our faith we move out into the great unknown without great direction. What I am learning is for some they must be willing to fail and let God rescue them. Doing "something", "anything" is better than the place they were at.

I have concluded that the Lord delights in the process of His kids going forth into spacious places, into big projects and growing. He also embraces and I am sure, as only God can delights when we learn the lessons of "great going" with "great listening" to His voice. But in this God has a motive for each of us. Generally speaking His motive for His children is always loving. And, as I watch others grow and go one thing becomes evident on that subject: In the going He is always desiring to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence on Him so we become more deeply involved and intimate with Him!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

What Is the Breadth and Width Of Your Life's Calling?

If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. - 2 Corinthians 1:6

"God must love you a lot! He doesn't allow someone to go through the kinds of adversity you have experienced unless He has a special calling on your life." Those words were said to me by two different pastors at two different times when I had gone through a place that was a desert place in my life. If you have walked in the Christian life and have had struggles with work, relationships, family, friends or perhaps what it is God wants to do with you I bet you have heard them or some form of them also. Later I would learn another related truth from a respected man of God - a man who lives in another country, a man whom God uses throughout the globe. This man would say, "The depth and width of your faith experiences are directly proportional to your calling." What were these men of God saying? What were they getting at?

They were describing a process of preparation that God takes each of His leaders through when He plans to use them in significant ways. In Full Gospel circles a "faith experience" is an event or "spiritual marker" in your life about which you can say, "That is where I saw God personally moving in my life." It was usually preceded by a place in your life where you either thought or said, "God! Why is it that I cannot figure out what you want to do with me or why you are putting me through this?"

The time I speak of though is an unmistakable event in which God reveals Himself personally and in a very intimate manner to you. It was the burning bush for Moses; the crossing of the Red Sea or the Jordan River for the nation of Israel; Jacob's encounter with the angel with whom he wrestled and sustained a life changing injury. You get the drift. It was the feeding of the 5,000 for the disciples. It was Thomas putting his hands in the wounds of Jesus Christ and it was Paul blinded on a dusty road in the Roman Empire. It was the time when you saw God, and His reality for you might as well have been face to face.

If God has plans of using you in the lives of many others, and you need to know if you are reading this I can nearly guarantee it, you can expect that He is going to allow certain faith experiences to come into your life in order to build a foundation that will be solid. That foundation is what you will be able to look back on to keep you faithful to Him in the times of testing. You will hold on when Satan attacks viciously. Each of us must have personal faith experiences in which we experience God personally so that we can move in faith to whatever He may call us either into to to do to further the Kingdom of God and rightly honor and worship Him. Do you need a personal faith experience right now in your life? Be careful what you ask for but pray that God will reveal Himself to you. He may not do it in some manner you might otherwise think conventional but He delights in doing just that.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

To Obey Is Better n' A Sack of Ice?

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him. - Acts 5:32

As the Shins once sang, "there's no connection" in the title and to the subject matter of this devotional.

Other than this...obedience is often obscure to Christians and means something very different than we might have thought we were taught.

I am a sales person in my chosen profession. I work in franchising. I have for quite some time. My work requires me to create solutions for both the franchise company and potential franchisee's (franchise owners.) If I can't I do not get paid. It is straight commission. God has been good to me over the years. I have done well. But, it is never far from me that my success and productivity is measured by numbers; you make the numbers you receive the accolades (and pay).

So often we as a society equate numbers with success and my day job is just an example of that. The larger the conference, the more successful we deem it. Sadly, a whole generation of evangelicals got trapped in a "the larger a church, the more we believe that God is blessing" mentality. Most of us know better now.

When I was at AlphaGraphics Printshops we once were planning a conference and because we did not initially promote it with our usual pomp and marketing drive registrations were not where they should have been. We were just a few weeks before the event. There was a new ownership. They had a new Board of Directors. The pressure was on to ensure this conference was as good as any we'd previously held. It wasn't long before I began to get "under the pile" about the level of attendance. One of my Area Managers who was assisting came into the office to check up on me. Though he was not a particularly spiritual guy, Don immediately reminded me of my own teaching in this area. "You always say, (stealing it from Keith Green, the Christian Songwriter) just do your best and pray that it's blessed and God will take care of the rest."

Hmm...

The first part of the lesson about obeying and doing your best was this: God doesn't judge us (though mankind might be ticked) on the outcomes. "If my job required I take responsibility to put on this conference, then the outcome is up to Him if we have done our part."

Since that time, in the world of ministry I have seen God work in just this fashion. We had one idea of success but God had a different idea. His idea was about an individual; or maybe two or three. While we worried about the crowds Jesus wanted us to touch a person.

I have to constantly remind myself of the tension between the world's standards of success and Gods'. Being led by the Spirit often means we must not use the world's standard for success as our measuring stick. You never know what an act of obedience will yield at the time. Leave the results to God. Our role is to obey. His role is to bring results from our obedience. What God ordains He brings to pass; just be prepared for something different than you might have imagined.

This kind of God-led success does however lend itself to a specific issue: "My sheep hear my voice..." - Jesus

We have an obligation as followers of Jesus Christ, as the Redeemed, as His disciples to both hear and follow. We need to focus on the front-end of the process much more deeply. We need more knowledge of the Holy as He relates to us. We need His people to speak into one another's lives. His word needs to be more deeply understood and we need to ensure our goal is His glory and honor.

Do you make decisions based on the potential outcome or by the direction of the Holy Spirit in your life? Do you overly evaluate the pros and cons without consideration to what the Holy Spirit might be saying deep inside? We are all prone to make decisions based on reasoning alone. Ask God to give you a willingness and ability to hear the Holy Spirit and to obey His promptings.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Working On Getting What I May Never Get...

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. - Job 42:3b

I want my bank account bank to normal. I want my bills paid. I want to stop being upset about the way my everyday life is going. I want the progress I seem to be making spiritually to count in the real world where there are responsibilities to handle, expectations to fulfill and creditors to deal with in such a way to keep them off my back (I hear they accept cash!)

And I hate all of that!

But then I have to reflect...(because daily I read the Bible...hmmm...I may have to rethink this Scriptures strategy thing if I am to maintain my high level of dissatisfaction, consternation at my life predicament and quality of grumbling and grousing those who love me have come to expect and appreciate.)

If there was any one man on earth who had reason to question God's love, it was Job. He lost his family, his health, and his wealth-all at the same time.

I've lost a few here in there in the normal course of life but not all at once. Okay Job, you got me there.

His friends came to his side only to question his spirituality and dedication to the one true God. They would poke and prod at his life, probably more because this was going to be a once in a lifetime experience for them. They would never have the "upper hand" on Job again.

But the narrator of the Book of Job already fills us in on the man Job. God had already answered the question of Job's personal integrity. Job was described in the opening verses of the book as "blameless and upright" (see Job 1:1). Perhaps the friends made Job doubt the man he was. Maybe they didn't. But, we, as interlopers in this scene do not need to question it. Job was major God material.

No. Job's worldly calamities were not born from sin. Job acknowledged God's right to do anything in his life until one day he could take it no longer.

He questioned God's motives.

God answered.

God answered this favorite son but not in the way Job wanted to hear. God answered him with a series of questions that represents the most incredible discourse of correction by God to any human being...EVER!

Three chapters later, Job realized that he had questioned the motives of the Author of the universe, the Author of love; the transcendent God. He questioned the one who sits outside of all of this material, spinning, ordered matter and looks in, for, as a master craftsman, God not only formed it, shaped it, designed it, built it and more. He was also the supervisor who approved the building permits for it; indicated who would inhabit it, for how long and what they would accomplish for HIM and what it's value would be into eternity.

Job fell flat before his Creator and realized his total depravity. "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." This was no mere statement of fact. Job was speaking out of a realization of that old and familiar verse we who have been around church so long can quote so easily,

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the LORD. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. - Isaiah 55:8 NLT

This was a man who, having lost it all from an earthly perspective had also attempted to squander the one and truly only valuable thing he had ever possessed, his personal relationship with the Great God of All! Despair, anger, confusion, hurt, and constant disappointment, if we choose, can lead us to do devastating things with eternal consequences. Fortunately for you and I, for Job, for his friends and remaining family, he repented.

Have you ever questioned God's activity in your life? Have you questioned His love for you based on circumstances that came your way? The cross at Calvary answers the love question. That He sent His own Son in replacement for your miserable self. If you were the only person on earth, He would have done the same. His ways cannot always be understood or reconciled in our finite minds. That must be left for a future time when all will be understood. For now, entrust your life to Him completely. Embrace Him in the hard times and the good.

You learn trust when you learn that God won’t be formed or fashioned after your image. The outcomes of your life were meant to show you that the value of His relationship to you was to be intimate not just personal, (As in Jesus is my personal Savior).  The stuff of your earthly years is a metaphor for your eternity. You have missed it all if you have just prayed a pray and then begun a life of goodly (note: NOT godly) duty. His work in you, His desire for you to belong to others to stand with you, His word as a guideline to understand as He speaks to you personally (and, I might add emphatically) is all about the moment. And in this moment you need to learn He is waiting until the entire world and all it holds is of no value other than to be the currency of your life as you commune, communicate and walk by His voice and not by our plans.

I remain…

InHISgrip,

~J~

Isn't Faithful Like Loyal & Aren't They Both A Ton of Work?

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you." - 2 Chronicles 15:1, 2

I am really struggling here. There is a whole bunch of believers these days that are attempting to embrace a God who flows naturally out of personal paradigms in their life. The emergent movement has spawned groups that, though they do not willingly embrace the overall pseudo-non-theological premise of conversation and dialogue based on a lack of foundations it is having an odd effect. May the outcomes be better than the beginnings.

 

But first what is a personal paradigm? An example might be a friend and you are talking about godly things and you say, "I think that God will let you know when He's ready to let you know." The key words there would be, I think. That is a personal paradigm. You aren't validating your thoughts against anything. You aren't speaking or indicating you are being lead by the Holy Spirit. You are not designating your thoughts as the Bible's position on the issue. You are merely stating an opinion. Now, depending on how valued your advice is to your friend, they may just take it as Gospel. You may in fact be all the Jesus they know. Right or wrong they view you as their spiritual guidepost. You are their moral compass. And that kind of response to them, well, it's sad to me. It's also dangerous for you.

 

In the verse above Asa was the king of Judah for 41 years. That's a long time. He was known as a good king who served the Lord with great zeal. He reformed and restored godliness to Israel as the direction the nation would pursue. He broke down idols in high places that were worshipped. These were foreign gods brought in by the insurgence of other people's into the lands. He did other moral and cool things as well such as doing away with male prostitutes. And check this out, he even removed his own mother from being queen because she worshiped an idol. The Scriptures say that as long as he sought the Lord, the Lord prospered his reign.

 

However, Asa was not totally faithful in his calling. There came a time in his life when he made a decision to no longer trust in the God of Israel. He lost his confidence in God as his deliverer. Later in Chronicles we would find the prophet Hanani come to Asa to inform him that God's blessing was no longer on his life because of an ungodly alliance he had made.

 

Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war - 2 Chronicles 16:8-9

 

We all are susceptible to do the very same things with our spiritual lives. Many of us are so constantly self-observing that we read, and listen and embrace and heap to ourselves teachers whose thoughts and concepts and attitudes speak to us and validate our current emotional state. But do they provide to us the kind of childlike love that Jesus came to restore to us when He gave us back our Father God? Do they help us hear Him early in the morning? Do they open and reveal the Bible to us in such a way that it provides guidance for our ability to try the spirits and voices?

 

We should press into God and align ourselves with those who are God pursuers; who seek to Love God - Who Love Others by their actions and words - Whose discipling power is energized by the Holy Spirit because it brings forth life and not just more dialogue. We should not simply be spinning our wheels and validating our weaknesses and the path we have pursued to this moment in time.

 

I read a series of blogs over the last two days of whining baby Christians. Pointing to a past of teaching, discipling and training that they say, 'wore them out,' and 'caused guilt and shame.' They describe their church experiences as if they had been tied to a chair and water-boarded spiritually. In post after post they validated the horrors of their Christian history. Apparently God was not sovereign in their lives. He missed them. They were not on His radar.  Whatever happened to the words of Paul where he indicated that all the things he had gone through were meant to provide goodness, grace, power, teaching and all God things for himself and his readers? Ah! If you ask some of these they would say, "I think he got sidetracked in his pursuit of God by thinking he could please God and his zealousness got him in trouble."

Ya. Uh huh. THAT's what happened.

Wake up believers. Get a grip! The God who loves and saved you is speaking to you. Pursue Him. Follow Him. Expect to hear and be guided by your Heavenly Father as you follow Him.

 

Look, there are no guarantees that if we began well we will finish well. The life of Asa tells us this. It is only through God's grace that we can be faithful to our calling. But being faithful to it means we actively pursue it. This is the God who said, "You will find me when you seek me...with all your heart."

 

And, make no mistake of it. You have a calling. Each of us is capable of falling away from that calling in God. God gets great joy in answering the prayers of the week. You don't have to come up with some slick teaching out of your own paradigm that justifies why you feel the way you do. Pray that God will keep you faithful to the purposes He has for your life. Engage your fellow believers in your quest to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might! Reach down and help another. There is ALWAYS someone who needs Jesus love as it comes from you. Our Father strengthens those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. And that is not how I feel. Ask Asa...I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

 

Walking Humbly With My God

I know, my God, that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity - 1 Chronicles 29:17a

This last week I came once again, face-to-face, with the notion that God uses all things to accomplish His will. That means no evil occurs that He does not get the glory and honor as well as every gift and good grace that we deem a blessing.

 

God tests His children to know what is in their hearts. He uses every tool, object lesson, event and contingent event to do so.

 

He has not as of yet, run out of new and creative ways to do this.

 

For God the key is relationship. God's desire for each of His children is to walk in relationship with Him, to glorify Him in word and deed as we uphold His righteousness and integrity. It is a high calling that we will fail to achieve without complete dependence on Him.

I am convinced, having watched God's people over the last few years here in the United States and abroad that the greatest tests come not in great adversities, but in great prosperity. In having much we begin to lose the sensitivity to particular kinds of sin in our lives. Greed, selfishness and pride come to mind as the top three sins in my own heart that I must be on guard about when things are going well.  On the other hand adversity motivates us to righteousness out of a desire to see our plight changed. I'm not sure this is the primary reason we are in our predicaments but, none the less, we are more sensitive to a lack of God's presence when times are tough. We go seeking Him. We want to know if He is still there, hearing us and available to us. Prosperity fails to provide this motivation for obedience. We fall into a satisfaction and confidence in life that is based on our riches rather than on God and truly on our need for Him everyday.

In the little verse of scripture at the top of this posting we find Hezekiah who was a great godly king of Israel speaking. He was a faithful, God-honoring king most of his life, but toward the end he became proud. How many of us know we can even become proud in that we have established a relationship with God?

 

God wanted to find out if Hezekiah would still honor Him and recognize His blessings in his life. He failed the test when God sent an envoy to his palace to inquire about a miracle that God performed on behalf of Hezekiah. The test was designed to find out if Hezekiah would publicly acknowledge the miracle performed on his behalf. But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart (2 Chronicle 32:31).

Hezekiah's failure resulted in his children failing to carry on as rulers of Israel, and the nation would eventually be taken over by the Babylonian Empire. The lesson of Hezekiah is clear. If we remain faithful to our Lord, we also remain steadfast in our obedience to Him. Prosperity can be our greatest test. In your mind who made you wealthy? Ask the Lord to give you the grace to be a faithful follower during times of prosperity so that in the times when things are a little thinner, a little leaner, you understand and are sensitive to those messages as well.

 

I remain...

 

InHISgrip, ~J~

 

 

Whatcha Got There? Faith? Or Is It Faith in Faith?

..."Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord Almighty - Zechariah 4:6

One of the things that always bothered me was just how dour a Christian might be. Typically it is some form of, "Well just look at the world would you. The world is going to Hell in a hand basket."

It's this very situation that gives us peace and joy and a right and positive attitude because despite this our God is in control Our God is still mighty. Our God still has each of us in the palm of His hand; knows our ways and will never leave or forsake us!

God's people should be the most positive, joyful people on earth. This joy should be a by-product of a healthy, intimate relationship that Jesus came to restore between each of us and God the Father.

As I got up this morning I was thinking about business. Usually during the work week my mornings are given especially to interaction with my clients. In today's business climate, we are barraged with every possible means of becoming more productive believers both in our work and our homes. Though I would have thought it would have passed from the scene like another fad, positive thinking and self-help philosophy are still promoted as tools for the career minded and vocational believer to fulfill their potential and overcome the mountains in their lives. A sort of god sprinkled, "go go go - rah rah rah" attitude about our faith, the power of believing, the upside of knowing all we have in Christ still permeates much of today's literature aimed at giving us purpose and provision.

So, I want to run something by you and let's see if you agree with it, "God calls each of us to be visionary leaders, but we must be careful that vision is born out of His Spirit, not the latest self-help program." A godly power point cradles us in the peace and knowledge that our God reigns in our life. Any idea that leads us away from dependence on God, though it calls His name to bear to bless our effort is nothing more than a self-based psychology designed to falsely provide us with a sense of more power, prosperity, and significance. The problem is that God is in the small still voice. God is in the service and not in the lording to be great. God is in the desperate understanding that it is in HIM and not His principles that we are strong towers. We are weak and that is our strength. He is strong and that is sufficient for me!

When we put faith in our faith the result is heresy. Our faith in God must never be defined as faith in faith. Faith in faith is born out of hard work, mental toughness, positive thoughts and diligence rather than obedience to God's Spirit. The problem lies in that these philosophies of have faith sound good, and can even be supported by Bible verses. Beware of anything that puts the burden of performance on you rather than God. There are times in our lives when God doesn't want us to climb every mountain. Sometimes He wants us to go around it. Knowing the difference is the key to being a man or woman led by the Spirit.

God has called us to affect the workplace through His Spirit, not by our might. Have you tapped into the real power source of the soul? Jesus left earth so the Holy Spirit could show up (it says so, look it up) Ask the Lord to reveal and empower you through His Spirit today. Then you will know what real positive thinking is.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Reflecting on the Impossible

But He answered, "You give them something to eat." - Mark 6:37a

As I was in my study on Mark 10:46-52 in preparation for this weeks message on blind Bartimaeus, I ran back across the feeding of the 5000. And, it sort of struck me as funny. Jesus turned to a group of outcasts, and dropouts and gave; them the aforementioned command, "Feed all these thousands dudes!"

Has anyone ever asked you to do something that seems totally ridiculous? The very suggestion of their instruction may have brought laughter or, once you realized they were serious even anger for proposing the idea.

I imagine that the disciples may have felt this way when Jesus responded with this direction when they asked Him how they were going to feed the 5000, who had stayed around to hear Him speak (and heal and amaze). The disciples, showing a high level of practicality, suggested a logical answer to the problem, "Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat" (Mk 6:36).

But, as you may have guess that wasn't the answer Jesus wanted. He saw the need of the people. He had compassion on them. He wanted to solve the problem with a Kingdom of God kind of response; a response that would bring honor and glory directly to the Father and not obvious and common sense.

So, Jesus asked them what they had in their hand. And, if they were confused and perplexed and certain their leader was 2 bricks short of a load for previous wild thinking and actions this simply sealed the deal.

Jesus' point was is this, often what we already have in our hand is what Jesus wants us to use to solve our problem and to provide the solutions to what is proximate to our current situation but, perhaps more than this, it is the solution to those to whom God has put in our care. We must add hearing ears (What is God telling you to do?) to our faith to what we already have in our hand. Then we will see the gospel of the Kingdom manifested to solve problems in a supernatural way. Then we will see our God show up mightily.

Jesus wanted to meet a need in which God would receive the glory. Sending the people away did not meet that overarching goal or their immediate need.

Do not settle for the gospel of salvation only. Jesus came that we might experience the gospel of the Kingdom in its fullest sense. Our job is to look past our logical reasoning and see how God might want to solve our problem in a supernatural way. After all, we are the generation of "greater works than those that I have done will you do..." Perhaps we need to sharpen our spiritual ears and start expecting it!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Unmet Expectations

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. - Philippians 1:20

Last night I read an article (more like an interview on the run) of Charlie Sheen. Essentially the interviewer asked Sheen as he looks back on his life if there were things he wished he had not done. Smugly Sheen retorts, "Have you even been paying attention to my life? Why would I want to have given up any of that? I wish I wouldn't have gotten so much heat for some of the less fortunate things that people misunderstood but hey...hell no; it's a good life just as is!"

Well good for you Charlie. But, I look back on my life and there are things I wished I had done differently. How about you? Have you ever had expectations that did not get fulfilled? Perhaps a coworker let you down. Perhaps you were trusting God for something in your life that never materialized. Perhaps you became devastated by an unmet expectation that you felt you were entitled to. Or, perhaps YOU let you down in some way that as you look back you now realize colors your life in a way that embarrasses you or brought dishonor to the cause of Jesus Christ and your walk with God.

Expectations can be a difficult trap for each of us if we are not fully committed to God's purposes in our lives.

The verse I've based this little devotional on was written from prison by the Apostle Paul to the people of the region of Philippi. Paul had an expectation. He anticipated that his life would bring glory to God, whether through his continued ministry or his death. His joy in living was not based on his expectations getting fulfilled, but on remaining true to the purpose for which God made him. God's glory and honor must be upheld regardless of the things about his life. The glory of God was preeminent.

Yesterday I vented a distasteful hurt to a loved one. Guess what? I regret it. GASP! What? John? You should have no regrets. Oh, but I do. When we react to circumstances with bitterness and resentment as a result of unmet expectations, we are saying that we know better than God, and that God has made a mistake in not meeting our expectations. We have to look past the history and into the face of God the Father. We must recognize Romans 8:28, "All things work for good to them who ADORE God..."

The process of resolving unmet expectations may require full disclosure to the individual who was the source of the unmet expectation. In my case this is true. It also means communicating how the unmet expectation made you feel. This is not to make the person feel obligated to meet the expectation, but simply to provide a place where reconciliation and healing can occur. If God was the source, then it is important to share this with the Lord. However, once we have done this we must let go of the situation and allow God to work in our hearts the grace that is needed to walk in freedom from the pain of the unmet expectation. If we do not do this, we will allow the seed of bitterness and resentment to enter in. This seed of bitterness will create leanness in our soul (we get skinny responses from God and have a thin and narrow relationship with Him instead of the fulness of His presence in our lives) and eventually will spread to others in our actions and in how they pick up the hypocrisy of our faith. God is either good all the time or He is not. What is it with you and I?

Last night I had to ask myself is my God in control or are people's actions and reactions to me going to drive my emotional and spiritual health. Perhaps you need to ask yourself today if you have any unmet expectations. How have you responded to them? Have you processed this with the Lord and others who may be involved? These are the steps to freedom from unmet expectations.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

A Summer Thief - Be On Guard!

But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into - Luke 12:39

I awoke this morning feeling close to God. Perhaps it was that the last major thing I did last night was pray with a wonderful brother in Christ. Or, perhaps it was that it was how smoothly the morning wen; how refreshed I was by a great nights sleep.

The notion of my serene and peaceful heart got me thinking, "hat are the times when you and I are most vulnerable to being caught off guard by the enemy of our souls?" I was reading through the history of Israel and there it was. Apparently and historically one of those times is just after we've had a great victory. We are doing a study right now at the Church on Rogers on the Life of Christ. It wasn't much of a leap to consider Jesus and His life. When He was baptized and was about to begin His public ministry. He was taken away into the desert to be tempted by satan. First, great victory in the form of obedience to the Father and then comes the trial.

Leisure time is another place in which satan seeks to take us off our normal routine of personal quiet times. I have grown accustomed to recognizing either my sinful nature rising up in me or the enemies attacks on me or my life in the normal routine of everyday living. I am also convinced that if you are growing in the knowledge of God the Father that our senses are tuned to the need to draw upon God's Spirit to see us through the activities of each day.

However, when we get away from our routine and go on vacation, we can often drop these routines. We wrongfully think that we do not need to spend time with the Lord during leisure times. We take a vacation from our communications and times with God.

This is a grave mistake. The vacation becomes a test of character. During vacations we turn freely to what we enjoy and perhaps get least of during the rest of the year. But also, the vacation reveals to us what is at the core of our existence.

A teacher in a large school reportedly said, "The greatest difficulty we encounter is the summer vacation. Just when we have brought a student to a certain discipline and place in their study habits, we lose him; when he comes back we have to begin all over again." It is the same in our spiritual lives. It only takes a small crack in the door of our heart to lose our spiritual focus and take 2 steps backward.

This summer, be on guard when times of retreat are made available to you. Use these times for spiritual refreshment, not just physical refreshment and/or a time to rebuild relationships on earth. Find new ways to walk hand in hand with your God. and in this way you will keep the thief from entering the house which is your soul.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Permission Is A Good Thing

You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs." Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead."

In my devotions recently I was struck by the whole of the few verses you read there.

The size, breadth and depth of the two conversations are staggering in the gap of their proportion. God first speaks to Moses and God gives Moses instruction. God gives Moses marching orders and it is God who explains to Moses the outcomes and what will be Moses' future mission.

Then Moses, and for most of us this would be a peculiar thing goes back to his father-in-law and asks permission if he might go and change the future for all humanity for all of time.

Doesn't that strike you as amazing? Let me tell you folks if God is giving me instructions I am not sure at what level of humility I am asking another human, even a dad-in-law (and mine was a great man) if I can do it!

Moses, approached his father-in-law Jethro and asked permission to return to Egypt.

Now I am sure that Moses didn't tell Jethro everything at that point, but he let the man know there was something stirring in his heart. After years and years of virtual silence about his life and background back in Egypt, Moses said to Jethro, "It's time for me to go back. There's some unfinished business that needs attention. Is it okay with you?"

When you have heard the voice of God calling you in a new direction - confirming that direction through His personal leadership and directive actions to you; perhaps even through events, and through the wisdom of godly counselors - the result of that thought process needs to be communicated with the important people in your life, family, mentor's, your pastor.

I believe that this is especially true if you are young. Why? Because your family has not had the benefit of your personal sign and wonder; the voice of God in your ear or heart, the burning bush. You've heard God's voice; that's not true for them. They may not know or understand what God has said to you. They still feel like you should be going in a previously agreed upon direction. You need to give them a heads up. More than this you need to encourage their lives with your revelation! Without this it will seem to them you have lost direction and that you are talking about a whole new set of plans apart from the life they envision for you.

These kinds of major course changes can seem upsetting, or even frightening, to those who care about you, especially parents. You need to be gracious enough to give them some helpful information on how God has changed your direction. They need to understand your conviction and, if they are godly, be allowed time to let the Holy Spirit work in them as well.

This exchange between these two men leads me to two principles worth your thoughtful consideration. First of all, when God crystallizes a plan for your life, perhaps nudging you in a new direction, be extremely sensitive how you communicate that to others. Don't assume they know all you know about the process. Don't expect them to greet the idea with immediate acceptance and open arms. Give them the courtesy of time and space to think things through. Communicate your thoughts with tenderness, care, and understanding.

The second thing to notice is that this plan flowed. When you are in the center of God's will, my friend, it flows. It doesn't have to be forced. Moses said, "Jethro, may I go?" And Jethro replied, "Go in peace." Moses could move into what would prove to be a difficult ministry knowing things back home were just fine. But, for Moses, he was now a "sent one." His mind and perspective were sharp and clear. "What to do next" would flow from his marching orders.

It is a very humbling experience to be moving in the direct current of God's will. Why humbling? Because at all times you realize just how much bigger the task is than you are. But it can also bring fresh assurance. It is the assurance that you were raised up, had come through the blood of Jesus Christ, ordained, and sent for such a time as this!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

If He Gave You Power He Also Gave You Mercy

Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink. - Numbers 20:8

In the scene from history which includes the aforementioned event Moses and the Israelites had been traveling for days without water. They were thirsty. They were complaining and grumbling about their plight. Moses became the object of their complaining. So, as any good target should ol' Moses sought the Lord for wisdom (you should read that, r-e-l-i-e-f) on how to handle the situation. The Lord instructed him to speak to a particular rock and water would come forth out of said stone, ore or boulder. The seemingly impossible would act as a sign that God was still in control, that Moses was still the leader, and that Jehovah was their provider.

When it came time to speak to the rock, Moses', and his A D D or otherwise inability to focus on the command of God (which we define as Moses' disgust with the people) became so great that instead of speaking to the rock, he angrily addressed the people and then banged on the rock twice. The water came out, in spite of Moses' disobedience. However, this was not a "happy God" moment.

God had set his leader, our friend Moses, up to succeed and establish position, power and provision at a very high level. Moses was moving from the use of "things" to work with (his staff) to the use of his inability(he saw himself as one who did not speak well) in order to work the miracles of God. Moses' stumbling verbiage would have changed the situation. Previously Moses' staff represented two things-his physical work as a shepherd of sheep and his spiritual work as a shepherd of the people. But the very God of Israel was calling Moses to new ground and into a new dimension. Moses was to move from physical action to a position God had previously reserved to Himself, "Speak it! It shall be!"

Like you and I, Moses botched it. He used his instrument with force to accomplish something for God. He took something God wanted to be used in a righteous manner and used it, lashing out, angrily.

Moses used the thing with which he had been gifted against versus for the purposes of God.

He used force to solve the problem.

The result: Moses lost his blessing to see the Promised Land.

How about you? When was the last time you used your power, skill, and ability to force a situation to happen, perhaps even out of anger?

God is calling us to use meditation and prayer to move the face of mountains. The force of our ability is not satisfactory nor is it able. God is calling each of us to a new level of discipleship in Him. I hope you pray with me, daily, to learn the lesson here...the lesson to wait to understand how it is God wishes us to move before we decide improperly how we are to use the things put in our hands. My prayer is that we all move into God's promises together...Moses, my mentor...thank you for this painful lesson...may I not have to repeat it. I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

A Shortage of Manna (Stores) in the Nation!

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions" - Exodus 16:4

When God took the nation of Israel through the desert, God really took them through a tough place. It was barren. It was dry. It was lifeless. It was desolate. (I think we're getting the picture aren't we?)

In all of this we could see that there was one thing the people simply could not do without God: They could not provide sustenance for themselves.

They could not plant. They could not cultivate or fertilize. They could not harvest. They could not manufacture. They were on the move. The territory they crossed and time in which they did it created a scenario where nothing but complete dependence on their Father God was the rule.

It was the difference between life and death.

God gave them food, manna, one day at a time. The manna would spoil the very next day after God gave it and so they could never store it.

Bummer! There was no manna store from which we could stock up! They couldn't start a manna business to capitalize on all the free manna. There was no "freeze dried" manna. No "Dream Dinners" manna prep business.

I believe this is a picture of our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father. We need His constant guidance. He is the bread of life. Jesus came to reintroduce us to the source of satisfaction for our souls and only the Heavenly Father's manna satisfies. But that manna is daily. You starve your souls, steal your own peace and joy and provide yourself with a giant case of the stupids when you deny your daily feeding.

Some would tell you that this is merely a picture of times when God takes you through rough places. Hey! I imagine there was some beautiful places in that desert. I live in a desert. I know how it can be amazing. They had good days and they had bad days, Israel did...they were people, just like you and I. So, no. This was not a picture of seasons in your life. This was God attempting to condition His people to trust in Him; confide in Him and allows Him entrance into their lives daily.

And, this is just the way you and I are today. The songwriter wrote, "We need thee Lord we need thee - EVERY HOUR - we need thee." The songwriter was accurate.

Recently I heard a Baptist preacher on the radio letting his listeners off the hook. "God does NOT have a specific will for your life!", he boomed. "I defy anyone to show me anywhere that God provided direct and personal leadership apart from his law!", he said. Well Pastor Bubba...every law of theological assessment screams at you that each and every Old Testament writer and character's life was a picture of how we, today, with the Holy Spirit within and the work of Jesus Christ finished without (outside of our own life) has given us back to our dad...and we can now go directly to Him for leadership and guidance! To be sure that guidance might be soft as a whisper. It may be a word spoken into our hearts but it should be daily and we should get used to it...no...we should anticipate it...without it we are directionless.

Do you find yourself in the desert? Then recognize your Heavenly Father, He is forcing you to depend wholly on His provision? If you have ALWAYS felt this way to some degree (good days and bad days but generally without guidance for your life) pray that you will learn the lessons God desires you to learn by beginning to give Him time each day. Pray. Read the Bible. Meditate. Spend time with other believers and share. He will begin to build into you a great freedom that is based on your capability to hear His voice. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. But many of our definitions are, as my granddad would say, "catty wampus." to the eternal ones definition.

Remember that this dry empty place you are going through can be just a season. You do not need to be there forever. And, His manna sustains and is really the best of all meals!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

A Last Note to My Brother & Communication I'll Miss

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul - Psalm 143:8

I lost my brother unexpectedly this week. It has left a lot of questions for those of us closest to Him who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. At the same time my thoughts this week were about great inventions of our time that keep us connected. Two of the greatest inventions of this time have been the laptop computer and personal and private communication using it. The laptop means I no longer have to stay tethered to an office to be productive in my business life. E-mail, Skype, Webinars and Chat services have allowed me to stay connected to people all around the world with just a few keystrokes.

My greatest frustration is when either of these doesn't work. Sometimes communication services cannot be used because I can't get a connection. Sometimes I cannot use my laptop because I have not properly charged it, and then the charge runs out while I am on an airplane. Both of these situations mean I am unable to tap into the resource that allows me to fulfill my calling in my work to the fullest.

What does this have to do with the death of my oldest brother. Just this, neither of those things prevented me from having a relationship with him. He used neither of them. He didn't care to use them. For Al and I it was a short phone call and long breakfasts, lunches and just hanging out and watching sports together. It was a family picnic, birthday or anniversary.

The best of communication may not mean the best of relationship building. I was grateful to have these last 26 years to do that with my big brother. He and I talked about loving and caring for each other and because of this closeness we had no fear of doing loving things for one another.

The morning time with God is much like these situations. I wake up expecting to meet God when I begin my devotional time. He does not disappoint me. God pours His Word into my human spirit, and I am recharged with a clarity of purpose and vision. He provides me security which allows me to enter my day in peace, and not disheveled by the opening bell on a new day of activity.

This recharging has an important effect on my day. It allows me the greatest opportunity to hear the small voice that directs my steps. If I refuse to "get connected," I risk following my own ways of fulfilling the duties of my day. This usually means I am disquieted, and easily unraveled. I know I can trust self less than I could my Father God. I simply do not have His insight. My time alone with God sets forth the opportunity for Him to speak into my spirit what He desires for me each day. It allows me to focus on God's purposes, not mine or not what I think His purpose might be for me.

The only way to know someone is to spend time with him or her. The only way to discern the voice of another is to hear that person's voice. David, the author of the Psalm at the top of this thought, was a warrior, king, and businessman. He understood this principle of connecting with God in the morning. His morning allowed him to connect with God's love, renew his trust in Him, and hear His directions for his life.

I challenged my folks at the Church on Rogers Street here in Mesa, AZ to begin immediately to start each day with a time of prayer, worship, Bible reading and quiet contemplation/meditation with God each morning. Write down what you believe He has spoken into you. If you are unsure and this is new to you, then check it out with a wise, hearing mentor in the faith...but begin!

I will miss my brother. I was honored to be in and a part of his life. Those weekly times together...just knowing and speaking the Word of Life, of God into his life and allowing him to bless me in so many ways is already missed. I pray to one day see Al and Jesus...until then, "Lord, I am listening." I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~