Can You hear Me Now

One of life’s greatest pains is the way we do not listen to others. It is like our minds pre-judge the value of what someone is going to say and before they say it, we determine if we are going to listen. I see this all the time in myself when I think someone in the family is going to disagree with me. I answer or react to their response before they respond. The only trouble with responding to the response before it occurs is that there are times when I am wrong. There are times when our knowledge of others and our pre-responses are helpful, like warning someone of running a light while talking on the cell phone. But most of the time it is “sneaky pride”. It is our pride controlling life and conversation to the point to total rule.

It takes patience and kindness to listen to people. Even in hearing what they are actually saying requires us to be kind and wait until we know if “what they said” was “what they meant”. Yet is seems like we are more interested in pointing out the faults of the one speaking, then we are hearing, understanding and developing a healthy relationship. We now have so much communication that we treat life like “facebook”, we just keep going if we don’t understand something. That or we correct it. Fight or flight on the social websites and in our daily lives.

So…… if we want to be heard, what should we do.
1. Talk less. We can say more by talking less. Everyone will benefit.
2. Listen to listen, not listen to respond.
3. Learn to be valuable in a group through smiling, body language, listening, serving and not just adding comments or sharing opinions.’
4. Wait for others to share. Just because you have stuff to say doesn’t mean you should share it. Give the more timid and humble an opportunity.
5. Practice silence. Every now and then practice seasons of silence, you can call it fasting words.

Going Back to Advance

I have found time and time again, that the Lord leads me forward by taking me back. This “back” is usually to a forgotten word or direction; sometimes it is to a habit or tradition that was lost. In my never ending quest to advance, I tend to leave behind a great many things God still desires that I hold onto and practice. Over the last two decades I have read more old books and found that much of what we call “new” has already been done, often in the very same way we are now doing it. Yet we say it is new and sometimes we say we are the first to do it. Ooooops. We forget.
One thing that I feel God wants to re-ignite in me and maybe in our region is the “Lighthouse Movement”. There is a simple beauty in praying and encouraging other people to pray for their neighbors. Yet the simple things are often the hardest to keep faithfully doing. Enduring, persistent, longsuffering and faithful are not as exciting to us as “new, improved, revolutionary, cutting edge and relevant”. Do we now live in a world in which information must be in the last hour to be of value? Is it now that case that, “If it didn’t happen in the last hour or if it was not posted in today’s post”, then it isn’t important anymore? What if we treat God the same way? What if His message to us last year is just old news to us and what we want is a “now word” so that we can move ahead.
Advancing in the Lord? Try this….
1. Seek to live out what you do know as you seek God for what you don’t.
2. Honor your father and mother, not just the good father or mother, but all fathers and mothers. I relate this to spiritual moms and dads too.
3. Spend time reviewing all that the Lord has done for you. Remember your history with God. Give thanks for His goodness over years, not just this week.
4. Go back and see if you are doing what God has previously asked you to do. It could be that you have dropped off the pathway of His direction and are trying to make progress on your own path.

Long have I been loved

If ever you have the opportunity through a vision or revelation or dream to see what Jesus did for humanity, you will have a great tool of enlightenment to war against Satan’s attacks. The evil one delights in telling lies, one of the greatest is that we are not loved, not lovable, not lovely.

In our humility we must embrace the reality that the love of God for us is more than we can know. It is beyond our comprehension. It is like the expanding universe with more galaxies, more stars, more wonders than we can possibly perceive. Yet like space, is it real, tangible, verifiable. Eternal love for man manifested through the son of God suffering so that we would have a historical witness.

Long have I been loved
Sacrifice was given
Take me – let him go
Ransoms price was paid

Less then deserving
More than wrong
Loves action completed
Suffered for my pride

Unseen mysterious sacrifice
Lying thoughts to doubt
Promoting not selected
Only love is SELF

Everyone who follows
Must bear a cross like his
Loves sacrifice demands it
Our own life we give

Long have I been loved
History marked it well
All my failures broken
Emptiness filled

Acts 4:29

Acts 4:29
What are some of the things God desires to give us that can only be released into our lives and through our lives in relationship to threats, persecution and conflict? What if our lack of real trouble hinders us more than helps us become powerful in Christlikeness. It would almost be like what Jesus warned us, that only through tribulation does one enter the Kingdom of God.

I want to proclaim the greatness of those who are willing to fight for the Lord. I know of many people who love to be esteemed and valued by God, people who boast about the favor of the Lord being on them. But what if that favor is not really favor at all but rather the mercy of God protecting them because they are not able to stand and fight in a Christlike way. I once had a pastor of a large congregation tell me that he could not do what the small church pastor was doing. He could not mow the church yard, shovel the snow, clean the church, go to homes and the hospital. He was talking like he was above that, that God somehow raised him up to live a life of favor.

In my mind I thought the Lord was protecting him because he was basically a whimp. This guy could only serve the things that served himself and had little or no interest in serving others through practical and loving ways. I love the people that can handle of load of “other serving burdens”. To me these people are not the scorned by God but the truly favored by the Lord. Sure they do not feel like it. That is what makes them even more worthy of double honor. Think of Luther, John of the Cross, Fenelon and a thousand others who served the Lord at the cost of persecution and renouncement.

So here you are and you are upset because you have to battle against pornography, drinking, drugs, same sex attraction, laziness, joblessness and whatever. Don’t waste your energy by being upset. Use your life to live for Christ and overcome all the works of the evil one. Don’t let your mind think that “others” do not have the troubles you do because they are “more Godly” or “highly favored” by the Lord. Living right bears fruit through sowing and reaping and you want to start receiving that harvest as soon as possible. So allow your pride to die and get on with fighting the fight the Lord has set before you. But your fight is for you to overcome.

The Maser does not have a magic wand that He waves over our lives to make everything better. We live in relationship with God and out of our friendship with God, He speaks to us, heals our bodies and directs our steps. But the main thing is the relationship, not the “live is easier now”. Beware of the idol of “easy and blessed life” when the Master is calling you to be an over comer, preserver, endureing and trusted friend.

I said all this to start to lay the foundation for understanding what the “bond-servant” of the Lord is. In Acts 4:29 these bond-servants call out to the Lord for the ability to speak. Before we have authority, we need character. Trouble and treats have a great way of helping us mature.

Living Sacrifice

Every day millions of people give large portions of their life for others. Mom’s are most notable for this, but our list of awareness should also include Dads, brothers and sisters. It is one of the most common basic Christian events, that part of the family of God lives for the other parts. Each day in the body of Christ someone is cared for, fed, clothed and even given gifts; all because of the loving sacrifices of others. With all the negative media in our world you would tend to think that this is rare, when in fact it is quite common.

I am thankful to God for the millions within His body that love others in a sacrificial way. But I also want to be loving toward them. Even with all their sacrifices there is still needs in our world. Even those who generously give and live find the reality of needs beyond supply. Right now in Africa, in South America and in our own streets are endless needs. The one who must bear the weight of this burden of humanity is the Lord. As we each do our part, we must depend more on the Lord than our efforts and programs. I say this because one of the tactics of the enemy is to wear out the body of Christ. If the evil one can offend and discourage the ongoing living sacrifices of a thousand souls, just think of the harm it occurred in our land.

The best way to stay encouraged is to have hope. In the case of giving to meet needs, our hope is in the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. We all give our lives to Him and trust and hope in the Lord to care for all. This is not escapism, but real faith in a living God. Keep on doing your part and do not become discouraged by what you perceive is not getting done. Rejoice in the Lord, for He is able to make a way when our resources have come to an end.

Our personal obedience to the Lord is more crucial than the amount we give.

Build Your Own Platform

What you build with your life, by your living, is your platform. It is the thing on which you stand and address others. If you find that life gives you no place to stand, then see if your feet are entangled among broken relationships, failed loyalties to others and rejection of others as you focus on self.

For most of us our platform is intimate, they are small. This is as it should be. If we did not feel pressured by greed and comparison we would live most of our lives in joy and delight about doing out part for the Master. We would grow deep in community with those friends we have and feel no insecurity or competition. Our expansion or development would be driven by the Master's compelling and not so much by the human thoughts of “ought”, “should” and “must”.

Because of human ingenuity and ambition a person can have the power to speak into the lives of others when they truly should not be allowed to. Is not most of TV, advertising and movies about this? Yet even in this arena people are coming who will have paid the price to speak. Even in the pulpits of America people can stand and proclaim the way of the Lord and not be known for who they truly are. Accountability, integrity, truly knowing those who minister among us are rare as we “stage our lives” in worldly fashion.

The story of the Bible is the story of how each relationship, in the context of God’s will, is seeking to give to us and draw from us His divine nature. For each person who is seeking to follow God or live righteously, He is leading them on the right path. Whenever we look to God we are secure in this. Whenever we look to the world or at others in comparison, we feel insecure and isolated.

Observation

Just as good observation can discern the approaching weather, so can it understand the times. Mtt 16:2-4 The point of our confusion and rejection is that we filter the observation through ourselves and not with the Holy Spirit. I choose “confusion” and “rejection” because these are the ever present emotions and reality that we carry when our observations are not correct. Correct observing is found in the Holy Spirit, the very gift of God that leads us into all truth. It is our great benefit and reward to hear the Spirit clearly and observe without personal perspectives, judgments and values. Our personal observations are good, God created us with the gift of observation. But this natural gift must also be redeemed.

What are you doing Father?
Help me to see, understand and rest in You.
Overwhelm my need to control with your abiding presence.
Hide me in you until me thoughts are true.

Personality conflict is not the same as spiritual conflict. Your personality can have a great many conflicts with others, yet this is an opportunity to love and bear fruit of the Spirit. Each leader does tend to spiritualize their personality and we should freely give grace for this. The Lord is fully able to convict or direct anyone of us and any time. It seems we often feel the call of God for truth while the equal call of God for love is neglected.

Do not become wounded because the boldness of others makes you feel insecure. Overcome your insecurity by increasing your love for others and knowing the full emotions of the Lord for you. Penetrate the knowledge of our mind and ask God to give you knowledge in your entire being, scripture calls us to be full of the knowledge of God.

As you live today look to the Father. What is He doing in your life, family or friends? What is He doing in your city, nation and world? In everything give thanks and hold onto the good. Divine observation is worth the price you must pay to have it.