Burning Building Theology

One thing that I have been thinking about lately is how often times God sends us into the very places that we want to avoid.  For some it is helping people in areas that we have been wounded deeply.  For others, it is learning to love again after we have been hurt real bad.  And yet for others, it is doing a job that we know is stretching us waaaaaaaay beyond our comfort zones.  Whatever it is, it is the last thing we WANT to do... yet it is the one thing that we HAVE to do.

Imagine this.  You live in an apartment building for many years.  You have grown accustomed to walking the halls every day.  You are familiar with the lay of the land, and you generally feel that you could get out of there in an emergency.  Now... set that building on fire.  What happens?  Hopefully, since you know the building through and through, you can get out there.  So, with a bit of a struggle, you manage to get out of there in tact.

Thats when God tells you, "Okay, great.  You got out of there.  Now get back in there and save some of my people."

You nervously laugh, and say, "No God.  I just got out of there with my life, lets let the professionals do their jobs."  Thinking you convinced God, you try to get comfortable.

God responds with questions: "Do the 'professionals' know the building like you do?  Do the 'professionals' know where the most recent damage is?  Do the 'professionals' know the residents as well as you do?"  Then it hits you, you are being called to go back in there because you know what it is that needs to be done to help those people in your building.

We all have a burning building, we all have an area of our life that we would rather not go into because of the risk involved.  Whether it is past memories, a fear of what could happen, or something that could be traumatic, we do not want to reenter that area.  However, we are often the best people to go back in because we understand what it is like.  We have been there, done that, and overcame.

Paul says that we are conquerers through God who loves us (Rom 8:37).  Because of the fact that we have overcome the trials in our life, we can help others overcome the trials in their lives.  The truth is, that people who are enslaved to a sin or imprisoned by something will not look to a person who looks like they have it all together.  They will look to someone who can help guide them out.  The only way to be a guide is to have gone through the same spiritual terrain.

This is why I am writing today to remind you to never think less of your past.  If you have been through something, yes be careful about who you trust your information with, but do not be afraid to share your experiences with someone who could really use your testimony.  Remember, we overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb and the power of our testimonies (Rev 12:11).  So NEVER be ashamed of your testimony because SOMEONE needs to hear it!

I am going to close by encouraging you to pray about finding an opportunity to help someone who is going through what you have gone through.  Even if you think that you can not do it, I am confident that you can and you will be able to totally bless someone!  More so, God is confident in that.  There is a reason that he has allowed you to experience what you have.  So now the question is, are you going to bless someone by helping them through or are you going to sit on the sidelines.  My hope is that you run back into your burning building and save some lives!

Scrub Brush Theology

This post is going to be a little more off the cuff than normal, but here we go…

I was at work today and I noticed that the handrails were filthy.  I was so grossed out that I decided to clean them.  The only tool that I could find was an equally filthy scrub brush that had all sorts of adhesive stuck to its bristles.  I was thinking, “what good could this do?  I might as well find another one.”  But I stuck with this one.

As I was scrubbing the handrails, I noticed something odd.  The adhesive on the bristles were falling off, and by the time I was done I had a clean scrub brush!  Then I had an epiphany.

Often times, we think that we are the scrub brush.  Since we are covered in black gunk that other people leave on us, we feel that we shouldn’t be used for our intended purpose.  I found this in my life at times, and I have heard a lot of people use these phrases:

I would get back into the ministry, but I am still healing.

I would like to have a relationship someday, but I am still hurt.

I would like to pursue my dreams, but I am not in a good place right now.

To that, I answer:

As I begin to serve others in ministry, I find healing through caring for others and others caring for me as well.  It was frustrating for me to not get my career in church ministry or in the Navy Chaplain Corps, but once I engaged in my new vocational field, life sort of came together for me and made sense and I was able to let go of the frustration from the past.  But I had to put myself out there to get the gunk off.

If I focus on the gunk left on me due to drama from past relationships/interests, I will never accept the joy of a healthy relationship.  Even though I have dealt with dramatic and abusive women in the past, that is the past and I can't let it dictate or hinder my current relationship.  As time goes on I have found that the gunk that has built up over the years begins to disappear and healing is found in a reciprocating relationship.

God believes in you and he gave you dreams for a reason, it is never too early and rarely ever too late to pursue those dreams.  God has a funny way of bringing things into place as we pursue his will.  I have definitely seen the hand of God a few times when the impossible became possible.  That’s why when I find myself in his will, I find that fear, past failures, criticism, and other destructive thoughts that gunk up on me fade away as I am pursuing his will.  As for perfect timing, the only timing that is perfect is God's timing!

The thing is that as we pursue our intended purpose, we are like that brush that is scrubbing on the rail.  It is doing what it was made to do, and in doing so, it is freed of the burdens that are attaching itself to it.  As someone who has been going through that cleansing process, I can say that it is a great feeling and I hope that you all can experience it! 

Overcoming Stress

Helping people overcome stress and other issues that hinder them from reaching God’s best for their life is something that I am passionate about.  For me, I have always found it quite difficult “being still and know that I am God” when hell is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at me.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, chaos is the way of the devil.  Satan is a bull in a china shop and he wants to watch the world burn. 

Why does he act that way?  Because if we are constantly running around panicked and frustrated, we cannot focus on what needs to be done, most of all, it hinders our ability to hear from God and do what he asks.

Think about the different ways in which Hell tries to keep us out of sorts and unable to focus on God…

-We find ourselves too busy with things that need to get done and we tend to forget to talk to God.

-That contentious person that always seems to push our buttons at the wrong time and ruin our mood… do we really think that happens to be a coincidence?

-That financial problem that keeps you in the job that drains the life out of you and makes you think more about the problem at hand than living out God’s will.

-Those situations in your past that get thrown in your face to make sure that the past remains your present and future as well.

-That friend that you are loyal to who does not reciprocate that loyalty, and by doing so is keeping you from life giving friendships.

These are just a few distractions, but I noticed that Satan is full of surprises.  He knows how to get to us, and he will continue to do so if we do not know how to deal with the situation.

You might be asking, how can we do that?  Be still.

When you read Psalm 46, the Psalmist is talking about natural disasters and war.  What is the response during that time?  Be still.  You might ask, “why be still?  There is obviously something wrong here and we have to act now!”  But what good are we if we are acting without a clear mind?

In my life, I have found my worst decisions have been impulsive ones.  I have never known God to hurry me into a decision, and I doubt he will with you.   So what do we do?

-Know the shepherd’s voice:  This can be learned by reading the word, praying habitually, and engaging in many of the disciplines (see Richard Foster’s Celebration of Disciplines for a full list).   This way, you will never be fooled when a “false shepherd” comes and tries to convince you that they are the true shepherd.  The same way a banker knows a counterfeit dollar bill because they are constantly working with dollar bills, we will know the voice of God since we spend so much time with him.  If we are rushed, we might following the wrong voice.  Being still helps recognize his voice from the imposter’s voice.

-Control the Tempo:  In basketball, fast paced offenses rely on their ability to outrun the competition.  To shut down the offense, the team on defense must take away the speed game and force them into trying to be fundamental.  In the same way, when we give ourselves time to think and react to what Satan is doing, he is unable to rush us into bad decisions.

-Pray for strength and wisdom:  James writes that those who lack wisdom should ask for it, and it will be given to them (James 1:5).  It is also written that he will help us endure hardships (2 Corinthians 4:7-12).  Ask God for those as we take on our struggles and attacks from the enemy.  When I rush to counter the attack, I usually forget to ask for this.  God is stronger and wiser, so it is in our best interest ask for his help.

-Build a team to help you:  Often times, we try to do it alone.  We think that it is our burden to bear or we don't trust others.  This is why we have to remember to have people in our lives that keep us accountable, help us get tasks done, and stand along side us in prayer.   Remember, where two or three are gathered, so is God (Matthew 18:20).  While being still, carefully pick people to assist you through this time.

These are just a few things that can help you along the way, but I wanted to write this because it seems that I have known too many people recently who are being frustrated by they enemies chaos tactics. Elijah encountered God not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire.  It was a still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). 

So if you are struggling today with a chaotic life, take a deep breath, be still, and listen.  It is not easy, but in the end it is worth it because it is better to wait on the Lord patiently than run into a mistake that’s hard to undo.

In closing, I am praying for peace and wisdom for whoever reads this today.  God bless you, and may you find freedom from stress!