We are Conquerors

As you have probably figured out by now, It seems that I can read a verse of scripture days, weeks, months, years later and find that it speaks a completely different message to me.  Well, here is another one for you…

Romans 8:36-39: Just as it is written, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”   But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

At first blush, you might think that I am referencing the struggle that I have had to go through to get credibility in a ministry setting.  Yes, that is the truth.  I have had to endure ridicule, hardship, betrayal, people who tried to talk me out of going into the ministry, poverty, and many other things.  Through all of that, I find that God is being gracious to me in these circumstances.  What I think is cool is that he is helping me through that, and I feel that a break through is starting to happen.  What I have found is that with a break through, usually something else is loosed or let go of before the break through happens.

Recently God has led me somewhere that I told myself that I would never go back to. It was a place where I felt that for various reasons a part of me had died.  I was able to restore that part of me, but I know that others did not.  Because of the hurt and frustration that I had, I told God that I would never go back.  The funny thing is that when you use the word “Never” towards God, God usually giggles and asks, “Oh really?”  I should have known…

I am not going to get into too much detail since this is a public blog and I do not want to put people and places on the spot.  The main thing that I want to drive home today is the fact that sometimes God allows you to go back to those places of hurt as conquerors.  Yes, there was something that may have happened in your past, but you can change the future for others… and that is so awesome!

This is how I am looking at this situation.  Because I have been through what I have been through, I will be able to recognize what happened to me and make sure that it does not happen to others.  I feel that God might allow me to go back and to make a difference in times when others failed to help me.  Though it sounds ironic, it is very poetic in nature as well.

It’s interesting because I am still not sure about a couple of things in my life, but I feel more confident about it now.  I wanted to write this today because I would like to give you hope because if he can do it for me, he can do it for you.  He can give you dominion and make you a conqueror over what has subdued you!  As you go through daily routine, remind yourself of that.  You are a conqueror and that God will give you dominion over the challenges in your life.  Be without fear friends, He loves you and you will overcome.

Who's Kingdom Do I Serve?

One of the toughest things for me when I write my posts is deciding whether or not I should write on a certain topic.  Quite honestly, there are some topics that go through my head that might not be well received, and I have to be careful about how they are conveyed if they are conveyed at all.  This is one of those topics.

Over the past few years, I have come to the realization that there are Christians out there that are more interested in building their own kingdom rather than building God's Kingdom alongside God.  For me, that is a danger that I have to be very conscious of as I am hunting for a church/denomination to be a part of.  Am I joining the church because I want to come along side them in their mission, or am I doing it to build my own legacy?  

I am saying this today because I realize that I am not the only person that is trying to keep balance of living my calling but trying to make a living at the same time.  One of the dangers that I have learned is that when most people are discontent with their circumstances, they think that they can do it better than God.  Often with good intentions, they decide to pursue a path that will be beneficial to both God and themselves.  In their hubris, they often times create a bigger mess of things and hurt themselves and others because ultimately their approach is tainted by desire.

For me, the reoccurring themes that prospective ministries have given me in the past is that I am not qualified or that my ideas are not welcomed.  This is tough for me, because I have seen what happens when people try to put their goals ahead of God.  I have heard the song before, and doesn't end well.  For me, I have found that it is important for me not to become bitter about the circumstance and trust two things: God will intercede to make sure his will is done, and that God will provide for me.

Even though it bothers me to not be allowed to do something or get my ideas dismissed by the person over me, I have to realize that the blood is on their hands, not mine.  If I have an idea that is meant to further God's kingdom and I feel that God gave me the idea to give to them but they refute it due to their ego, then the blood is on their hands.  I have to realize that it is an idea, nothing more.  If I try to force my idea through or sneak it around, I have to ask myself if I am making that idea an idol and if I am trying to further my kingdom.  Maybe it was my job to plant the seed for later on, I will never know.

The second aspect is knowing that God will provide for me.  Often times when people feel desperate, they resort to desperate measures that cause worse consequences.  This is why I am doing my best to wait patiently on direction rather than frantically committing to something that I might regret later.  This is because I am trying to create my own kingdom, not helping God build his.

My hope is that as the horizons of my ministry search begin to expand, that I will be careful so that a few things don't happen...

That I love my ideas too much, and in the process rule out other people's suggestions.

That I become more concerned about popularity than people, because ministry is about caring for people... not lining my pockets or boosting my ego.  Jesus was not always popular, and he was willing to do what was right instead.

That I forget to love God, others, and myself well.  I must remember that God has given me the ability to do what I do, and he can take it away if he so pleases... I am a vessel.

That I do not become bitter over past treatment/mistreatment.  The only person that I hurt is myself, which is why I have to learn to let go and move on before it turns to vengeance.

That I do not forget my calling.  Often times, when people think that they can build their own kingdom, they forget that they have a specific calling and try to take on too much.  I have to remember to live within the grace that God has given me, not outside of it.

I would like to close by reminding you that yes, God will give us what we desire, but we have to seek it in according to his will (1 John 5:14).  It is "thy kingdom come, thy will be done"... not thy kingdom come, my will be done!  So if you feel in a rut this week, I would like challenge you to ask the Lord to be a part in building his kingdom and to ask for direction to get there.  It might not be what you expect, but I know that the peace of God will be there.  Remember, that we are trying to build something great here with God, so lets do it well.  Lets do it together.

Solomon on Love

Happy Valentines Day!  Funny thing, yesterday I was trying to schedule a meeting with some friends, and I asked about their availability today.  They looked at me, and said, “I am going to be honest with you, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day…” I was like, “Oh shoot!  I totally forgot!”  Yeah, I do that.  I am one of those people that totally forget about Valentines Day… at least I sent someone a card this year, that’s progress =)

Anyway, as I was thinking about messages to write, I noticed that I wrote a post two years ago that only had 6 views, so I figured no one would mind if I revamped it!  The verse that I am referencing is Songs 2:7.  In between a bunch of weird references to hair looking like a flock of goats and teeth looking like sheep, there are some really good messages in Songs of Solomon.  Messages like building up your spouse (my friend Paul did an amazing message on this, I can’t take credit for it) and being patient in love are two that come to mind.

Getting back on track, Songs 2:7 states “do not stir up love before the appropriate time.” This is what I try to pray when I am single and I meet someone new. I always start out thinking about being friends with every one instead of trying to date, and then I ask that God not allow me to stir up love until the appropriate time or at all if this person is not meant to be.  

I find that when I think impulsively on relationships, that’s when I run in and people get hurt.  I find that there is not enough time to see the person’s true character or get to know whether or not there are common interests that a relationship can build upon.  It is my fault, yes, but at the same time I know that the other person did not pray this either (both at fault).  This is why relationships should be pursued wisely.

So instead of dictating things on my timetable, I am asking for God to guard both of our hearts so that if it is not meant to be that we will not hurt one another and that I will be wise with my words and not give the wrong impression. For me, I ask to stay in sync with God’s plan because I find that when we get out of sync with God’s plan, that’s when we get hurt. When we become impatient, that’s when we are reckless and dangerous.  I have seen too many relationships explode due to this and people get hurt really bad.  So instead of stirring up love before the time, I ask for his guidance and wisdom with those that I meet.

Does this mean we just need to sit on our butts and wait for someone to fall in your life? Not at all. In order to find God’s blessings you need to get out and do something. God would have never parted the sea for the Israelites if they never left Egypt, either that or they would have never seen it. Plus, you never get to know someone if you never spend time with them. 

One of my favorite quotes is, “In order to include someone into your life, you have to have a life to speak of.”  Bottom line: get out there, do something, and be positive! 

Get out there: if you stay in your house and expect “God to bring you the one”, you will have a list of the mailman, UPS guy, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses to chose from! 

Do something: if someone were to read your life like a book, would it be worth reading?  If not, it’s a perfect time to step out and find something new that you always wanted to learn! 

Be positive: look at every opportunity as the beginning of a possible friendship, and look for the blessings in that.  If you have a negative perspective, you will eventually interpret it that way whether it is there or not.  Self-fulfilling prophecies are dangerous, flee from them!

Finally, I would like to close with one last thing about love. Those who have been in bad relationships and dirty break ups know that sometimes bad things just happen, they are not fun and no one wants them, but they happen. I would like to encourage you to continue to love even after you have been hurt.

 If you got wounded, take some time to mend, don’t run into another relationship because you feel that you have to, or that your clock is going to run out. Conversely, do not close yourself off because you could be excluding yourself and others from being loved. 

Be at peace and know that God knows the desires of your heart, and he does not want to play tricks on you. Do not lose hope, because he knows and he wants to give you those desires.  

Love is what we are meant to share with others, that is why we must keep our hearts guarded so no one can steal it. We have to love God and ourselves before we can adequately love another person, so be careful not to be too fast and get into something that you will regret later. Instead, ask the Holy Spirit to show you who to love and receive love from.

For your viewing pleasure, the Songs of Solomon Pickup Lines... please guys, don't use them... if you do, blame youtube, not me =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4uIdXn7-jA

The Forgotten Commandment

Over the past few years, I have attended a lot of churches that use Mark 12:30-31/Matthew 22:37-40 as their motto.  In essence, it is “Love God and Love People”, or “Love God and Love Others” in some variation.  While I think that this is good and it captures Jesus’ two greatest commandments, there is a component that is often forgotten… “as yourself.”

I am writing this today not to trash these Church’s philosophies, but instead to highlight the fact that we live in a culture today that has a screwed up concept of self.  Whether it is the media telling little girls from a young age that they have to look a certain way or a society where boys are told that your worth is based on what you can provide or “win”, we as people are set up for failure since standards are more like black holes since they can never be satisfied.

It all starts with “self”.  If I do not love myself, then it is impossible to truly love others.  Instead of being content with who I am and being confident in who God created me to be, I will devour anyone in my life since no amount of validation or love will be adequate.  Instead of being able to give willing to others, I will expect a lot in return and get mad if I do not get it.  Instead of helping develop others at work, I will view every idea or hard working employee as a threat to my power and they must be eliminated.  Instead of dealing with disappointment in a healthy way, it will be devastating and the repercussions to others and myself will be out of proportion.

I learned to have concern for these people because they could not truly grasp who God created them to be.  Whether they blamed others for everything that went wrong in life, refused to take ownership of their lives, or felt inadequate and unable to do anything, it was sad to see because they were missing out on a lot of great things in life.

A great number of you out there are probably okay and love yourselves, but this is important to understand because hopefully it will give you a better understanding of those who don’t love themselves.  They feel out of control and their self-image is based on what others say.  “Others” is a fluid concept that changes with the audience... and it has to stop because it will be too exhausting to keep up.

There are others that might read this, and say, “okay, that’s me, but how do I fix it?”  Good thing you asked!  Know that the verses below are not a cure all by any means, but instead something to help you on your way… because ultimately, you are responsible for loving yourself.

Psalm 139:14- I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Remember that God has created you as a unique and amazing person.  You have gifts that others long for and desire, and you have qualities that make you stand out from the crowd.  If you do not know what those are, ask God to reveal those to you.  Others might come and try to steal your joy or malign your character, do not let others tell you otherwise… because you are precious to God and to others around you!  Fearfully and wonderfully made, and his works are wonderful, which means you are wonderful =)

Proverbs 27:6- Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

I can never say this enough… be careful about who you associate with.  If you associate with people who do not love themselves, they will be very deceptive/manipulative in nature… especially if it means getting what they want.  Be sure to limit your time with them and try to find ways to help them or build them up.  Ultimately, they have to fight this fight on their own, but a little bit of encouragement can go a long way.

Recently I had a friend call me and talk with me about a concern that he had about me.  It meant a lot, it was hard to hear and sort out, but he was willing to chat with me about it so that I could eventually overcome the trial in my life.  That is what a good friend does, he does not just call out something, but instead helps you find a way to over come it.  He will also keep your feelings in mind and be as careful as possible.

These are just two verses to keep in mind, remember who you are in God and seek the company of wise counsel who will have your best interest in mind.  I say this as a person who struggled with loving himself before he was a Christian.  What I found was that the world had unobtainable standards and nothing seemed to work.  There was a time where I was hopeless because I could not add up.  Even as a Christian, I found that the standards of my pastors, friends, girlfriends, employers, etc.  were unobtainable.  Behind every single one of those demanding people was a soul that was not at peace in itself… God has reminded me of that and it changed my anger to concern. 

So what did I do?  I learned to push those out of the way and learn who God made me to be.  I also took the time to listen to loving friends and family who reminded me of my strengths and corrected me with care.  Until I did that, I felt like I was a fish being judged on my ability to climb a tree (Albert Einstein quote).  I do have my moments still, but at the same time I know who God created me to be and that gives me peace during my struggles.   And because of that, I can love God back to the best of my ability and love others well.