Recently, I attend the One Thing Conference which in Kansas City, MO. During the conference, the first worship team started off singing the following chorus:

He is the Lord
Forever His truth shall reign
Heaven and earth
Rejoice in His holy Name
He is exalted the King is exalted on high

Before they reached the end of the chorus, I was balling my eyes out. The Lord was speaking to me and show me areas that I had “taken control of” in my life. And that I had exalted other gods in place of the Lord.

I don’t know about you, but I know that I tend to do that more often than not. It reminded me of the words to a the hymn, “Come Now Fount”

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.

Later on, I was thinking about it some more and was reminded of Philippians 2:5-11. Carefully read it below. I placed in bold what struck me.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)

Equality with God. If you think about it wasn’t that we Satan did…he consider himself to be equal God? Wasn’t that what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden…They thought that they could be like God? Isn’t that what we do as humans…We think we know better than God? Isn’t that what Sin is…no matter want type of sin?

I ended up taking some time and to pray about what God was showing me where I had exalted my ideas over His. I asked that He would give me the attitude of Christ.

By the end of the conference, I felt that the Lord has renewed my heart and that He had transformed my attitude.

How many of you have ever been to a restaurant where you were waiting for your food to arrive, then all the sudden…CRASH! A waiter somewhere in the room drops a tray of food. Glass plates with food on them, hit to ground and breaking into several pieces. Everyone now is looking in that direction, looking at the mess that now has to be cleaned up.

Does anyone see a link between your spiritual walk and waiter? Think physics! Would there be a big mess of food on the floor, if the waiter did not let go to the tray? No. Every effect is preceded by a cause. The waiter lost control of the tray and gravity pulled it to the ground.

How many times in our spiritual walk do we find ourselves holding on to something that God wants to break? Is there anything that God is asking you to let go of? So that He can break it.

Psalm 51 talks about the:

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

That being said, brokenness always leaves a mess to be cleaned up. God wants to clean up our life, but first we must be broken. Why? It requires that we trust God to live. If we could hold on to something, then we would try to take the credit for it.

Take some time and read Psalm 51 and ask God to reveal things in your life that He wants you to let go of, so that He can break them.

Why do we continually ask God, Thy will be done, but when God gives us a peak at his plan, we begin to think how we can get there without him? Or on the other hand, we think the plan is so big that we laugh at it, like Abraham did.

It has always impressed me, how I feel backed into a corner with no where to turn. Then miraculously, God enters the scene, because of His faithfulness, he provides a way out and from my perspective, just in the nick of time.

That is an interesting phase from my perspective. Think about being lost in a forest. From your perspective, the forest is never ending, no matter which direction you look.

Now step back and think of a person lost in a forest and you are a member of the ground rescue team, looking for this person. You are assisted by a helicopter that is looking for this person above the trees.

Let say that the helicopter finds this person and is now relaying directions to you, so that you can find him. You successfully find them and now you need to get out of the forest your self. But instead of asking the helicopter where to go, you say I can get out by myself.

My perspective on things never seems to catch the essence of life. It has only been through God’s eyes, that I have been able to see my God-given potential. So, why do we keep trying to understand God’s ways of doing things?

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Any thoughts?

I just finished blogging about Abram. And how he got impatient and tried to fulfill God’s promises with human reason

A long time ago, I came up with this thing called Abram Syndrome. What is Abram Syndrome? Looking at Genesis chapters 12 through 18, we see an example of it.

Summary:

God calls Abram out of Ur and promises to make his descendants a great nation. Abram and his wife Sarai, ages 75 and 65, pickup and leave their home to go to the place where God show them. After several events with his nephew, we come to chapter 16. Abram at the ages of 85, still not having any children with his wife Sarai, takes the advice of Sarai to sleep with her maidservant, Hagar.

Sarai speaking, ˜The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Hagar conceived and gave birth to a son and they called Ishmael.

Then, God comes back to Abram, 14 years later and gives the Covenant of Circumcision. He again promises to make Abram, who was renamed to be called Abraham, a great nation.

Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

One year later, Sarah gives birth to a son, and Abraham calls him Isaac.

Abram Syndrome is thinking or taking action to fulfill God’s promises without reliance on Him, ultimately leading to frustration, mis-trust, and un-belief.

So, why am I writing this? I find myself diagnosed with Abram Syndrome. In fact, even this morning, I asked God if I could take one part of my life and take control of it. He gently reminded me, that He was in control and would allow this part of my life develop on His time table.

Waiting is so painful But ultimately is the best thing for me.

Any thoughts?

Why is it when God tells us something or reveals something to us, we immediately doubt it? But when Satan tells us that we are worthless or that we messed up so big that there is not enough grace to cover what we did, we believe it as the truth?

Real quick…close your eyes and picture Jesus looking at you. What type of gaze do you see? Is it one of joyous emotion, glad tidings, and stretched out arms of love? Or is it one of disappointment, anger, and frustration?

Now, take a moment and ask Jesus how he really sees you!

How many have tried to walk a dog? Think of the Lukas’s dog, Elliot. The dog starts pulling is master around, even though he is being choked by his leash. After a short time, the dog is panting and tired. Why, because he was resisting his master and the correction that his master was showing him.

How many know what it takes to lead a mule? If you have talked to anyone who has tried, they would tell you it is hard to do without a bit or bridle. A bit is a sharp item placed in the mouth of the mule, if the rider wants to go right or left, all that needs to be done is cause the bit to go into the right or left side of the mule’s mouth, causing discomfort to the mule. The mule soon realizes that if he moves to the right or left this discomfort is decreased.

Take a moment and read Psalm 32.

How many times do we fail to understand God’s instruction? How many times does God need to lead us by a bit or a bridle? How many times do we keep silent when we know God is telling us to speak? Or how many times do we feel His heavy hand on us?

Personally, I long to understand God’s instruction and to be lead by His still small voice, in place of finding out His will by me resisting it.

Matthew 11:28-30 states

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

What is worship? Is it the forty-five minutes we spend sing songs about God or to God? Is it the check that we place in the offering plate as it goes by? Is it the time we spend reading the Bible and praying?

I believe all of these things play a part in worship. But, I don’t believe that one of these things is greater than another or that worship can be defined as something tangible.

Worship is giving one worth. For a servant to express worth to the king, requires that servant to realize that he is below the king. This requires a sacrifice in order to stand in the presence of the king.

This idea is seen throughout the Old Testament. In order for, fallen man to enter into God’s presence a sacrifice had to be made. I strongly believe that worship by its very nature, requires sacrifice.

In 2 Samuel 24, David disobeyed God. God’s spokesman gave David three choices, 1) three years of famine, 2) 3 months of fleeing from your enemies, or 3) 3 days of plagues. David chose the three days of plagues. So, the Lord sent three days of plagues on the land. During that time, the Lord heard the cries of the people and had mercy on them and withdrew the plagues. Then the spokesman told David to build an alter to the Lord and worship Him for withdrawing the plagues.

As King David came to the place where he was to build the alter the owner of the land came and said, Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and oz yokes for the wood.

But, David said something very profound.

No, I insist on paying for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.

How many times does our worship actually cost us anything of value?

Paul in Romans 12, urged the Christians in Rome. That in the view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship.

Earlier, I blogged about Scraped Hearts and how God, in His mercy accepts me just has I am. Now I am to offer my life in obedience to God, his is my spiritual act of worship.

This is the second stop, on my way to finding identity in Christ.

Recently, I had a meeting with my pastor, where I expressed the idea that I felt during my devotions. That idea was what I thought God was telling me, that being to stay here for the next three years.

My pastor asked me this question. “Do you feel this was God saying that he was going to lead you way in exactly three years? Or do you feel it was God’s way of saying, ‘Chill Out.’ Focus on me and then you will be where I want you, when I need to use you.”

I told him that based on the context of what I was praying at the time…I would have to say it was the latter.

What is interesting, later on at Youth Group, I selected a card with a Bible verse on it. That verse stated,

“If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me.
Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moments notice.”
(John 12:26)

Needless to say, God got my attention. I am to chill out…I am not to worry about yesterday or tomorrow…I am, by God’s grace, to live today.

How many remember when they fell off their bikes, years ago as kids? How many remember the battle wounds that the asphalt road left you with?

We have had our share of scraped knees. And every time, if we were blessed to have someone who cared for us, we would run to them and have them kiss our boo-boo.

But, I see a disconnect when it comes to our relationship with God. Somehow, we have got the idea that we need to clean up our scraped hearts before God will even look at us. When we do something wrong, we go and hide our selves we bury our shame deep down inside. We hope that no one will ever know. Then after weeks of hiding, we come to God with our concealed shame and act has if nothing has happened. This type of thinking, leads to a picture of god that is always based on fear: A god that has a sword to our back, forcing us to do what he wants.

But that is not the picture, I see in the Bible. I see a God, who bounded every man and woman over to sin, so that He could have more mercy for them. I see a God, who faithful pursues His unfaithful creation, hoping that they will see Him and turn back to Him. I see a God, who’s anger is a secondary emotion driven by His love for His creation. I see a God, who will pay the highest price, just to be with you.

The first stop that I come to, when I am looking for my identity in Christ is too truly know, that God loves me, just as I am even with my scraped heart. All I have to do is run to Him, even amidst of my sin, and He will clean me and make me holy.

Has David said in Psalms 51,

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Freaked Out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.

Why is it that when someone asks how we are doing, we answer “fine”? But deep down, we know that we are not fine, in fact quite the opposite is true. Our souls are overrun with pain.

Why do we, as Christians or Non-Christians, hide our pain deep down inside us? Why do we hide it in the deepest, darkest places of our souls, where no one will ever see it. Why do we keep on pretending that we are FINE? Is it to keep others from seeing that we are weak or is it to keep our image from being distorted? Why do we let our pain build up within us, until we can take it no more and we just explode?

Psychologists have known for years that the first step in dealing with pain is to admit that it is there.

Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane, confessed his pain to this father. He even asked his father, if it were possible to have this pain removed from him. If your goal is to become more Christ like, should we not confess our hurts one-to-another, as Christ confess his pain to his father. Then allow for Christ to heal our broken hearts and souls.

Isaiah 61:1-3

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [1]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Tell me what you think!