Life on the Highwire

skyscraper-liveLast night, Nik Wallenda – of “The Great Wallendas” – walked between rooftops in downtown Chicago, blindfolded during one segment of the walk. Once, when asked why he always does his stunts without a net, he said there are basically 2 reasons. The first is the entertainment value. Without the risk of death, people would be less inclined to care and watch the stunt. The second reason, however, was personal. If he knew he had a safety net, he would not concentrate as intensely and he would actually be more at risk to fail. The risk of doing the stunt with no net makes concentration a life or death issue.

A believer in Jesus, Nik unapologetically gives God glory and testifies to Jesus verbally during his stunts.  What a forum for sharing Jesus, a forum he would never have if he settled for the safety of terra firma.

Most of us prefer to “play it safe” in our lives, and for the most part that is a good practice. No sense in doing foolish things. But what about our spiritual lives? Is the safe thing always the right thing? Is our comfort zone a place that pleases God? Consider what the Bible says:

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

Don’t underemphasize the first part of that verse – without faith it is impossible to please God. If there is no challenge for us in the service we render to God, if there is no need for us to depend on Him to enable us to do it, it cannot and does not please Him. If we are content doing what we know we can do, what we feel confident in ourselves doing, we are not pleasing God. No matter how religiously active our comfort zone may be, if it is does not require us to trust God, He’s not impressed, and He certainly isn’t pleased. Operating in the faith realm is like working without a net.

Change brings opportunity for us to please God, because change requires us to trust God to make things work out for good – as His word says it will (Romans 8:28). I’ve never walked through circumstances like I am experiencing now, but I am confident of God’s providence, so I am confident in God’s outcome. If I “knew” how all of this would turn out, then why would I need faith? And, if I didn’t need faith, how would I please God?

What comfort zones do you need to crawl of out of? How can you stretch your faith today? How is God calling you to step out in faith and to trust Him to do a great work in your life? Beats the high wire!

Lessons Learned in the Most Difficult of Times

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Heartache and disappointments do not have to be a total loss; in fact, some of life’s greatest blessings come from some of its most difficult circumstances. Over the last week, I have experienced the humbling blessing of great and Godly friends who have come alongside my family and me to offer us prayer, strength, and comfort.

Some of those friends have experienced situations similar to mine (some even worse), and they have ministered to us out of experience. As I pondered the tremendous ministry of my friends – and even my friends’ friends – God reminded me of a familiar Scripture that I have often recited to others in their difficulty but on which now I can lean during mine.

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Here are some lessons God is teaching me in this season of life hopefully will encourage you if you are going through trying times in your life.

  1. God is the Father of ALL comfort. There is no pain He cannot soothe, no fear He cannot calm, and no obstacle He cannot overcome. When words fail, God does not. When answers are not enough, He is. When all else is gone, He remains.
  1. God does not necessarily keep me FROM affliction, but He always comes to me IN my affliction. In times of difficulty, I will experience God in ways I could not have otherwise experienced Him. As disciples we are not immune to heartache, in fact, we are warned that we may receive more than our “fair share” of it. I have the Holy Comforter, however, present within me, to minister to me in ways I can neither fully understand nor adequately describe. Sometimes in hurts all I need to do is be quiet and just enjoy the reality of His presence.
  1. I cannot truly comfort others if I have never had to be comforted. Through affliction, I can move from being a theoretician to a practitioner. Through this experience I will be able to minister more compassionately and in a more understanding way. I am so thankful for friends who have stepped up to help me in practical ways because they KNOW what I am experiencing. While I would hate to see anyone go through difficulties, I long for the day when I can use my experience for something good and help someone else the way others have helped me.

Let me encourage you to learn from your hard times; don’t be so quick to despise them. Through fire and anvil the strongest steel is forged and in the greatest of difficulties God refines and prepares us.  Know that God has a greater purpose for what you are going through at the moment.  He has plans for you, and He will use this time for good in the future.

When Life Makes You Seasick

As I am sailing along this life journey, all of sudden I feel the need for a strong dose of Dramamine. My soul is motion sick from the ups and downs lately. The last few days have been rough seas on the open waters of this faith journey. It is amazing how life seems to ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean. One day can be filled with good news that leads us to rejoice and praise God, then suddenly you can be blind-sided with some harsh realities on the very next day that threaten to pull you down into the depths of despair. If we were left to navigate the sea of life on our own, we certainly would get bounced around and eventually lose our way, but the Bible describes Jesus as a “a sure and firm anchor of the soul.” (Hebrews 6:19)

Jesus is a sure and firm anchor of our soul because He is strong enough to withstand all the circumstances of life that otherwise would be our demise. In fact, those same circumstances are all part of God’s plan to conform us to Jesus. God is not subject to the changing circumstances of life, neither is He surprised or caught off guard by them. He does not ride high on the wave of good “fortune” nor does He get caught in the dangerous rip tide of misfortune.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) 

We can hold on to the fact that in the middle of whatever is going on in our lives, God is working out a plan – His plan. It is a plan for our good not our harm; to give us a hope for our future.

So, if you are like me and you are caught in circumstances that are taking you for a ride – hold on, anchor in the fact that God is in control and THROUGH your circumstance He WILL come through and bring you to the other side. Take some spiritual Dramamine (the Bible) and hold on tight. Help is on the way. (Psalms 121 and 46)

Don’t Just Do Something…Sit There!

Don’t just sit there… DO SOMETHING! I’m sure you’ve heard that or even used it. We sense urgency in a situation and immediately feel like we must DO SOMETHING to FIX IT. It DEMANDS our action. That approach got King Saul in a lot of trouble and it can us as well.

You can read the story in 1 Samuel 13:1-14, but I’ll summarize for you. The Philistines lined up in an impressive battle array for battle against Israel. The Israelite army trembled in fear. Saul sent for God’s prophet Samuel who would offer burnt offerings seeking God’s intervention on their behalf. Saul grew impatient waiting on Samuel and offered the sacrifices himself. The Philistines were threatening. They didn’t have time to wait. It seemed to him that time was running out and if he didn’t act, they would not make it. He couldn’t just sit there…he had to DO SOMETHING.

Bad choice. No sooner had he placed the offering on the altar Samuel arrived and was furious that Saul had acted rashly. Moreover, because he had acted in this manner and reacted in the flesh, God removed the family of Saul from the throne of Israel. After his reign, his children would not succeed him, but as we know now, David would take the throne. Just like us sometimes, he couldn’t just sit there…he had to DO SOMETHING.

Many times in the Bible, God encourages us to wait – Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 27:14, Proverbs 3:5-6, and my personal favorite Psalm 46:10 just to name a few. Take a few moments and read them.

I am now in a waiting season in my life. What should I do in this time? As I wait I will pray, seek God, watch for Him to work around me. Biblical waiting is not passive.

Waiting on God does not mean we sit idly by but rather we actively engage God by asking, seeking, and knocking and not moving until we are sure He has answered, revealed, and opened. (Matthew 7:7) The worse thing I could do is jump before God says jump. Getting ahead of God is just as bad as lagging behind, either way you’re not following Him.

Are you tempted to DO SOMETHING to fix a perceived threat or danger? It may well be that the time for action has come, but before you act, make sure you have heard from God and that it is HE who has told you to move and not your desire to fix the situation.

Don’t just do something…SIT THERE.

Random Thoughts Sent from an Non-Random God

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Today’s blog will be a little different.  I want to share little snippets of what has occupied my heart and mind this week.  My prayer times and devotional times have been less structured and more introspective. I list these thoughts in no particular order and each thought is only a sentence or two separated by a blank line.

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  • Historical accounts allege that Nero carelessly played his fiddle while Rome burned and his empire fell.  Christians today have played church games while our culture has gone in the tank and souls have died and gone to hell.
  • How can some people be so clueless and live in such oblivious denial of reality?  I guess we can make ourselves believe just about anything that we want to believe.
  • I just realized that I no longer grieve my dad’s death.  I still miss him a lot, but actually, I am jealous of him.  He’s out of the drama and mess I live in and he gets to be with Jesus.  I am SO ready to go too.
  • Jesus always has been, still is, and always will be the ONLY HOPE for this world.
  • I have some awesome Christian friends and some pastor friends who that I count among God’s greatest blessing in my life.
  • God is incredibly patient with me.
  • Reaching lost people is hard work, often uncomfortable, and sometimes messy.  But it is what Jesus has called us to do.
  • God has blessed me beyond measure in so many ways.
  • I hate it when people I care about grieve.  I grieve with them.  But I am so glad this world is not all there is.  I am so thankful for the assurance Jesus gives.
  • It is required in stewards that a man be found . . .  faithful.  At the end of the day, may God consider me a steward.

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Maybe something there resonated with you. Maybe God is challenging you as He has me these last few days. Feel free to hit the comment button at the bottom of the blog and interact with me.

May God stir us to listen to Him every day.

Consider a Positive Side to Your Critics

An interesting story takes place in the life of David. As if he did not have enough on his plate running from his son Absalom who was out to kill him, David encounters a descendent of Saul who still held a grudge against him. The man’s name was Shimei and you can read the story in 2 Samuel 16:5-14.

Shimei stalked David and his men throughout the countryside, cursing him, ridiculing him for his rebellious son, throwing rocks and dirt at him, and calling him everything but a nice man. One of David’s loyal followers asked for permission to remove the talking head . . . literally. However, with keen spiritual insight, David recognized the possibility that God was using Shimei for a greater purpose in his life.

Imagine that . . . God is using those who oppose us for His glory and for our good. Only God can pull that off. All of us have difficult people in our lives, but even though they do not mean to, these “sandpaper people” actually help us in several ways.

First, they send us to our knees in prayer. That is ALWAYS a good thing. I saw a sign one time that read, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it, hold on tight, and pray.” Those who seek to harm us do us a tremendous favor by forcing us to rely on the resources of a loving, vindicating, and all-powerful God.

Second, they expose character flaws in us and give us the opportunity to allow God to grow us in those areas. Someone once told me, “In every criticism there is a nugget of truth.” We can use opposition positively when we find that nugget of truth and turn it over to God asking Him to help us grow through it.

Third, they challenge us to excel. Critics often incite us to prove them wrong. I am more aware of my weaknesses and strengths in times of challenge, and I am more careful to do the very best I can do so as not to give them even more fodder for criticism.

I have learned to thank God for those who oppose me because unwittingly they do NOT ultimately harm me, but instead help me. I wish they knew that – it would give me some satisfaction.

Oh, and one other thing… the David and Shimei story has a happy conclusion (see 2 Samuel 19:14-23). Shimei hurried to David and asked forgiveness. Responding positively to our  critics may eventually turn them into our supporters.

Sharpening My Blades

sharpening bladeA couple of weeks ago, on rare day of heavy rainfall in South Georgia, I was having a conversation with the gentleman who landscapes our church grounds. I asked him if he hated to see this rainy day since it meant he couldn’t get out and work. He told me that while he doesn’t want too many down days, one every now and then is beneficial. “Since it’s raining today, I’ll spend the day sharpening my blades.”

While most of us would view a down day as an obstacle, he saw it as an opportunity to prepare for the coming busy days. Intentional preparation. When he is faced with his task of mowing, he doesn’t have time to maintain and prepare his equipment…and he keeps quite the hectic schedule. Rather than wasting a day when he couldn’t mow, he spent time preparing for the next day he would mow.

Although sometimes I feel like there is not time that I am not “mowing” spiritually, I have to make the time to step aside and “sharpen my blade.” I need a regular dose of God’s Word to align my life with Him and His plan. I need the down time of prayer to focus my heart and mind on Him. I cannot sustain the regular pace of constantly spending myself without giving God the chance to replenish my soul. Several times in Jesus’ ministry, He withdrew to be alone with the Father. He often called His disciples away from the crowd to be alone with them so He could nurture them as well.

Today, I resolve to be more intentional about keeping my blade sharp. I will set aside more time in God’s Word and prayer. I will allow Him through His Word to prepare me for what He has in store.

What about you? When and how will you sharpen your blade?

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

In THIS Jungle The Lion Never Sleeps

In Daniel 6, we read the familiar story of Daniel in the lions’ den. Daniel 6:3 clues us in on the kind of man Daniel was – he distinguished himself above others because “an excellent spirit was in him.” Because he was that kind of man, he found favor with the king and was set to become second in command over the whole kingdom.

One truth we cannot escape, one that is illustrated throughout the Bible is that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Daniel was in a position to receive God’s blessing because he consistently demonstrated whole-hearted daily commitment to God. While he found favor in God’s eyes, and in eyes of the king, he fell into disfavor with his colleagues who grew jealous of Daniel’s rise to prominence in the kingdom.

Living for Jesus will not ensure that we will avoid critics and detractors. In fact, Paul warned Timothy that all of those who desire to live godly lives will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). In Daniel’s case, through the scheming of those who despised him he found himself thrown into a den of lions. Miraculously, God closed the mouths of the lions.

If you are living a godly life, you, too, have your detractors. You know what it is like to be criticized for being who you know God wants you to be. Your detractors have their own lions – slander, criticism, negativity, ridicule, just to name a few. Just remember, if you are living a faithful life for Jesus, those “lions” say more about your detractors than about you.

My encouragement to you…stay faithful. The only “fault” Daniel’s detractors could find in him was his faithfulness to God (Daniel 6:4-5). Stay faithful and entrust your lions’ den to God. Pray that He will give you strength to stay faithful, that He will shut the mouths of your lions, and that He will deal with your detractors in His way and in His time.

What I Got from The Blood Moon

blood moonI missed the Blood Moon Wednesday morning. I went out to see it, but when I looked up all I saw was fog. It figures that the morning of such an interesting celestial event would also be the foggiest morning in South Georgia.

I am not so enamored with the latest fad of attributing the Blood Moons (total lunar eclipses) to end time prophecies. The Jewish Calendar has always centered around the moon cycles and full moons and lunar eclipses happen with enough regularity that over the course of 4000 years or so some significant things will align with those eclipses.

Every 27.32 days, the moon completes an orbit around the earth, and we tend to mark the beginning of that orbit as the “full moon.” Without fail…27.32 days…every month…for 6000 years since the earth was created. The earth completes a turn on its axis once every 24 hours, and a lap around the sun once every 364.25 days. Consistency created by a consistent God.

God is orderly and consistent – we refer to it theologically as His FAITHFULNESS. Just as we can always count on creation to remain constant, so also we can count on God to always be the same. He never diminishes, never has a bad day, never takes a day off, never comes in late. He never sleeps nor slumbers. He is always 100% “on.” The cycles of nature, including the lunar cycles, remind us that we can hold to His unchanging hand.

As for the end times… what if this string of “blood moons” does portend the return of the Lord? What difference does that make? How differently would we live our lives if we knew today were our last day on earth? Well, the truth of the matter is, we should live EVERY DAY as if it were our last. It could be. Let’s not wait for the two-minute warning to start trying to win the game.

Who Has Your Back?

“The only One who really matters has your back!”

That closing line in an email I received several years ago from a church member, friend, and dear sister in Jesus reminded me of an important truth.

Psalm 137:1-4 says,lyre

By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. There we hung up our lyres on the poplar trees, for our captors there asked us for songs, and our tormentors, for rejoicing: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the Lord’s song on foreign soil?

While our captivity is not a physical one in Babylon, our hearts can yet be made to feel captive by even more formidable foes than Babylon – memories, failures, grief, disappointments, hurts, fear, bad health. While we remember better times when we were closer to God and filled with His joy, these tormentors and captors ridicule us, asking us why we aren’t singing those happy songs we used to sing. How can we sing those songs of joy we used to sing when these faceless enemies have taken our hearts and our spirits captive and led us off into a land of emotional exile? Sometimes it is just impossible to muster one of those old familiar songs.

Let me suggest 3 songs of Zion for you to sing when you feel you have been taken captive and tormented by that unseen enemy. First, try singing “How Great Thou Art.” Nothing makes our problems look smaller than when we compare them to the vast greatness of God. Jeremiah proclaimed “Ah, Lord God! You Yourself made the heavens and earth by Your great power and with Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!” (Jeremiah 32:17) Those emotions, circumstances, and issue that hold us in bondage are no match for the liberating power of God. As we begin to praise Him and declare His greatness, the shackles begin to disappear.

We can also sing “Victory in Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 reminds us “thanks be to God who gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.” Because of His sacrificial death on the cross on our behalf, there is absolutely no foe that can defeat us, no power that can overcome us, no circumstance that can stop us. No, in fact, “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

Let me also suggest singing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” In Jeremiah 29:11 God tells us, “I know the plans I have for you . . . plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Your captors, whatever they may be, cannot prevent God from bringing to pass what He has planned for you. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that we can be confident that the One “who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

So take your lyre down out of the tree, tune it up, and start singing anyway . . . even if you don’t feel like it. In spite of your circumstances, the only One who really matters has your back!