Keep Waiting

For the last month or so God has really been dealing with me on this idea of waiting on Him. On one of my last blog post from November we talked about 4 things that we have to do while we wait on God (check out Why Wait on God below). In that post we talked about Joseph and how God showed him a great vision. God showed Joseph a great vision for his life, but Joseph had to wait on God. While Joseph was waiting he went through a lot of hard times (Genesis 38-41). But it was in those hard times that Joseph got everything that he needed to one day lead in Egypt.

As I continued to study about Joseph I went back in the scriptures and realized that his grandmother Rebekah didn't share the same type of patience (Genesis 27). In Genesis 25:23 Rebekah was told by God that her youngest son Jacob, Joseph’s father, would be greater than Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. In Genesis 27 Rebekah overhears a conversation Isaac, Joseph’s grandfather, was having with Esau about giving him the blessing he had the rights to as the oldest son. Rebekah then comes up with a plan for Jacob to steal that blessing from Esau. When I’ve read this story in the past, Genesis 25-27, I always gave Jacob a hard time for being so sneaky and conniving towards his brother, but I had never stopped to think about how much of that situation was crafted by Rebekah.  Rebekah took what God had promised her and tried to make it happen herself.

This story took me back to my original thought of waiting on God. How many times have we tried to make things happen on our own? Yes, God may have shown us that we were going to get a new job, be in a better relationship, and have better things for our life, but we cheat, steal or connive our way to the top. That's not the way God works. He wants us to wait, be patient and not try to force his will to happen. Yes our way may work, we may even get what we wanted, but it will never be as blessed as it could have been if we would have just waited on God to do it even better.

God's timing is so important for us. If we have been promised something from God then we can’t give up on waiting because it's not happening the way we want it to. Keep fighting to honor God at that job you may hate, keep fighting for that relationship that God said would get better, keep praying for your child who just can't seem to get it together. God says that His ways are perfect and better than we could ever think or imagine (Isaiah 55:8). Trust that his plan is so much better than yours and pray for the strength that you need to hold on until your promise comes. KEEP WAITING!

Fighting Shape Part 3

Round 3 is here! Check out the last part to my sermon "Staying in Fighting Shape" were we talk about another way we can fight against the lies this world tells us about Lust, Pornography & Fornication/Adultery.

Fighting Shape Part 2

The fight for purity continues! Check out this 2nd part to my sermon "Staying in Fighting Shape" were we talk about 3 ways we can fight against the lies this world tells us about Lust, Pornography & Fornication/Adultery. 

Fighting Shape Part 1

On one of my blog post we talked about the "3 Lies About Sex" (Lust, Pornography & Fornication & Adultery). In this video I talk about one way we can fight against those lies!

Why Wait on God?

The title of this post may raise a few eyebrows at first gaze. When the question of “why wait on God” is asked it can make us feel a little uncomfortable. The question, out of context, sounds like we are saying something like, “I don't need God” or “God is taking too long”, but that’s not what I am saying. Today I want to focus on why it is important for we as Christ followers to WAIT ON GOD.

In a culture where we get everything now we sometimes forget that God doesn't function like we do. We may pray for God to speed things up or make things happen now, but God knows the perfect plan He has for us and will not rush them. So what do we do as we wait on God?
In Genesis 38-41 we find a part of the story of Joseph. Joseph was a young man of God who had been shown a vision by God that we would one day be a great leader (Gen. 37:5-11), but due to jealousy, after hearing Joseph’s dreams, his brothers sold him into slavery. While being a slave he was lied on and thrown into prison, and only after all of the hardship he went through was he ready to be the great leader God showed him he was going to be. (Read chapters 37-41 for the full story.)

So what can we learn about waiting on God from Josephs story?

Expect Opposition

As Christ followers we have to understand that we will always face some type of opposition. We are the main targets for the Devil. He knows that God has a great plan for us, and he is going to try and do all that he can to stop it. Why? Because he knows that if we ever get to where God wants us to be that it will not be good for him. So while we wait on God we have to expect that the Devil will attack us, but we have to be ready.

Be Ready to Fight

Joseph had to fight while he waited. He went from being thrown into a hole by his brothers, to being sold into slavery, being lied on then thrown in jail. Joseph had to fight one of the greatest battles, the battle in his mind. The feeling of betrayal and the temptation to lose hope were all realities for Joseph, but he continued to fight and he never gave up. With the truth of the Word and our relationship with God we can fight against whatever the Devil brings our way. KEEP FIGHTING!

Trust your Placement

You may not like where you are right now; your job, marital status, sickness, family issues or whatever you may be facing, but you have to understand that God has you right were you need to be. I’m sure Joseph didn't like being at the bottom of a hole, a slave, being lied on, or being thrown in jail. But as we read the story we see that God placed him in each of those places in order for him to gain the wisdom, influence and muscle that he needed to one day lead in one of the most powerful places in that time. Don't fight your placement. Understand that God has you there for a purpose.

Work Hard Where You Are

While you are trusting that God has you where you are right now you have to work hard. Joseph did exactly that. Everywhere he went he was the hardest worker. He worked so hard as a slave and as a prisoner that he became a leader in both places (Gen. 38:2-6; Gen. 39:21-23). Yes you may hate your job, but be the hardest working person there. Yes you may hate that you are single, but work hard to become the woman or man of God that God is calling you to be. Yes you may not be the smartest person in your class, but let it be known through your actions that you will outwork everyone else. Its in those times where you will get all that you need to succeed at the next level and you will be an godly example for those watching you.

While we wait on God we have to understand that it’s so much bigger than us. Joseph went through all that he went through in order to save multiple nations (Gen. 41). God used what the Devil meant for Joseph’s bad and made it into Joseph’s great. Yes your pain is real and it hurts right now, but you have to keep going. Your family, city, state and generations to come are waiting on God to do something great through you. You cannot give up. Keep fighting and keep working hard. God has something great for you.

Make Your Dreams Reality

This post was inspired by a devotion I read by Mark Batterson. The name of the devotion is Chase the Lion. Check it out at https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/2949-chase-the-lion-dreaml?id=2949-chase-the-lion-dreaml

2 Corinthians 10:5says, “5We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”

When it comes to accomplishing the dreams and goals God has put on our hearts no one gets more in the way then ourselves.  A person can have the whole world against them and still accomplish great things if they can win the battle within their mind. In our scripture for this post, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul talks about the importance of taking thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ. This scripture has been a big part of my journey of purity, taking lustful and wicked thoughts and making my mind obey Christ and not my flesh. This is a constant battle that has to be fought, and I encourage you to never give up on that fight. As I read the devotion by Matt Batterson my mind was open to another side of this scripture. We have to fight against the negative thoughts in our mind, but what about the other side of the coin? Yes we rebuke negative thoughts and take them captive and make them obey Christ, but what about the positive thoughts? What about the dreams and visions God has given us? Do we take those thoughts and make them obey Christ? Maybe God has told you to start a business or to write a book. Are you taking those thoughts and making them obedient to Christ? How do we do this? We make these positive thoughts obey Christ by putting action steps to them. If God has told you to write a book, then set your goals, sit down at the keyboard and start writing. If God told you to start a business, then set your goals and start working on establishing it. We have to make our positive thoughts obey God too, because if we don't they will get choked out and drowned by thoughts of fear and doubt. So we have to take the positive thoughts captive, protecting them from the thoughts of fear and doubt and force them to become a reality by working hard.  

Do not give up on your dreams. If God has told you to do something then do it! Our dreams and visions are not for us they are for the people around us. So lets not be selfish and hold on to them. Take those visions and dreams captive and make them obey Christ now!

3 Lies About Sex

Believe it or not God created sex. In Genesis God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. He wasn’t talking about gardening. Too many times sex is not talked about because it has such a bad stigma connected to it. Yes God created sex, but the Devil has perverted it. The world gives so many messages about sex that are wrong, while too often the body of Christ avoids talking about it all together. This lack of conversation about what God honoring sex looks like leads to so many problems in this world especially with our young people. So let's talk about sex!

The world lies about sex a lot! The 3 most popular lies I see about sex are; Lust, Pornography and Sex before or outside of marriage (Fornication/Adultery).

Lust

Lust is our first lie about sex. Lust is when you actively fantasize about sex in a way that is not honoring God. A lot of people may say that it is okay to lust. They may say something like, "your not hurting anyone, it's all in your head and it's not real". We have to understand that lust is a lie and a tool that the Devil uses to distract us and get us off course. Jesus explains in Matthew 5:28 that if we even think about having sex outside of the way God designed it, in marriage between a man and a woman, then we are wrong! Jesus is drawing a clear boundary to keep us from falling into the trap of sexual impurity. Jesus knows that our minds are a powerful tool, and that if it is focus on lustful things then we will eventually give in.

Pornography

Pornography is the next lie about sex. Pornography is an over exaggerated image of what sex is. It's not real. It burns images in our minds and causes reoccurring thoughts that are not God honoring. Some people may also say that it's ok to view pornography, that it doesn't hurt anyone, but that's a lie. Pornography has destroyed marriages, caused loss jobs, and has perverted the minds of millions of people. Not too many people fight against this silent killer. I have heard that over 80% of men who are active in church struggle with some form of pornography. These are men who actively seek God, so I can only imagine how many deal with pornography outside of the church. Pornography eats away from the inside out, and causes so much damage especially when it’s hidden. I have heard that pornography, and other hidden sins, are like mold; they grow best in dark places, and if it is ignored it causes major damage. When I was a slave to pornography I did almost anything to gain access to it and to keep it hidden. All this was going on while I was actively involved in church as a teen and even into my first year or so of college. I knew I was saved and that I was going to heaven, but never started to experience God truly move in my life until I exposed the my secret sin and got the help I needed to become free. Through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the help of other brothers who pulled me out of the darkness I can proudly say that I have been free from the chains of pornography going on 9 years. Freedom from the lie of pornography can really happen, but you have to fight for it.   

Fornication & Adultery

Fornication and Fornication and adultery are probably the biggest lies about sex. If your not clear what they are: Fornication is sex before marriage, also known as premarital sex, and Adultery is when a married person has sex with someone who is not their husband or wife, whether their spouse agrees with it or not. The lies of fornication and adultery have destroyed many lives. Fornication and adultery promises an extremely pleasurable experience and or a stronger bond in a relationship, but it falls short every time. Everything is great and feels wonderful in the moment, but not too long after guilt, shame, regret and the temptation to hide or cover up zaps away all of whatever pleasure you thought you gained from the experience. God created sex to be a PART of marriage. It is used to unite a man and a woman and to HELP in creating a closer bond between them (Genesis 2:24). When a man and wife have sex they are connected on a deep spiritual level that is hard to explain, so when sex is treated as just another recreational activity it can do a lot of damage. “Using protection” doesn't stop the deep spiritual and emotional connection from happening. Using protection during sex may help protect from diseases but it CANNOT protect the soul from the emotional and spiritual pain sex outside of marriage WILL bring. Sex outside of marriage, whether fornication or adultery, does so much damage because it connects people on levels that are way deeper than physical. (Genesis. 2:23-25; Matthew 5:27-28; Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-8)

Sex is to be cherished and respected. If you have gone too far it’s not to late to turn from that lifestyle. God’s grace is abundant and he loves you no matter what you have done. Make the change today and surround yourself with people who can help you. In the next post we will talk about 3 ways that we can fight against these lies about sex.  

Lost In Transition

Life is made up of transitions. From the moment we were born there is always a “next step” to take and a “new level” to discover. As newborns we transition from rolling, to crawling, then walking. As a child we transitioned from pre-school to elementary, middle school, high school, then college. The Fall months are on their way and during this time of the year students are starting new grades, some even moving away to start college. New job opportunities and relationships may be on the horizon. We are all familiar with what transition is, and we know that it comes with challenges. Transition can be hard, confusing and scary, and if not done well we can get lost in it.

Fear & Arrogance

There are two things that can cause us to get lost in transition; fear and arrogance. Fear causes us to sit still when God tells us to move to the next level. We think about all the “what ifs” and stay still because the next level is either too hard or too scary to face. Arrogance causes us to move too far ahead of God thinking that we know more and can handle more than we really can. We see the opportunity to move to the next level, but we jump ahead with minimal planning or prayer. We then find ourselves overworked and stretched too thin. We cannot allow either fear or arrogance to cause us to get lost in the transitions of life.

Tips for Not Getting Lost in Transition

In Joshua 1:1-9 we find ourselves peeping into a conversation between God and Joshua. At this time in Joshua’s life he is about to start the biggest transition ever. Moses has died and now it is time for him to step up as the new leader of the Israelites. This is a pretty big deal. In this passage God is giving Joshua the pep talk of the millennium, and there are 3 nuggets that we must remember that will help us to transition well.  

1.     God is Your Source

a.     We have to realize that everything we have and everything we do is because of God. Yes we work hard to sew seeds in our life, but at the end God is the one who causes the growth. Our house, skills, love ones, money, job, looks, etc. is all because of him. In verse 3 God tells Joshua, “Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you”. God gave the Israelites everything they had. There was no question about it, and God reminded Joshua of that. We can’t allow fear to hold us back from the things God has already promised to us, and we can’t allow arrogance to cause us to forget God was the one who paved the way for us.

2.     God is With You

a.     Going through life’s transitions can be scary. We may not know what steps to take or when to take them. Fear can keep us from taking those steps. God tells Joshua in verse 5 that he will not fail him of abandon him. That same promise is true for us. God will never leave us high and dry. Even when we feel like he is not there he promises that He is, so we have to trust that. If God has told you to take a step into a new transition…do it. You may not know what is next, but God does, so trust Him.

3.     God’s Word is Central

a.     As we go through the transitions of life we are going to be pulled in many different directions. With new opportunities and responsibilities there will be a temptation to pull away from the truth of God’s word. We can find ourselves getting lost in the transition and not spending time in the Word. This is a trap that we can easily fall into. We start thinking that going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays is enough, but its not. We have to find time to take in God’s word daily so that we can handle the challenges new transitions will bring. God’s Word has to be central. It's the hub in our wheel called life that keeps everything together.

b.     Reevaluate your days. Are you planning some time in your day to hang out with the father? Make whatever changes you need to in order to spend time in God’s word. Maybe listening to a few chapters on the Bible app during your workout. Even turning the radio off and spending time praying and just being silent and asking God to speak to you during your drive to work. Maybe waking up 15-30 mins earlier and having a cup of coffee with the Father as you read a chapter a day out of your favorite book of the Bible. You know what works best for you, but the key is to keep the truth of the Word of God central in your life so that you don't get lost in the transitions.

Transitions are exciting, scary and a bunch of other emotions all rolled up together. If we are to transition well and not get lost we have to remember these three tips.