I'm Still Growing . . .

It's been quite a while since I've taken the time and effort to write a blog post. I've been reading some of my old posts this morning going all the way back to 2006 and I realize how very important it is to write. #1--It's a record of my life's experiences. #2--It's a storehouse of the insights that I've gleaned from the Word of God.

It's startling how much I've changed over the years. In 2006, I mentioned in a blog post that I don't cry much. In 2017, I cry all of the time! In 2006, I hadn't yet come to the realization that I was a chronic people-pleaser. In 2017, I have a group of leaders in my church that likely doubt that I was ever a people-pleaser. I'm laughing as I consider this, since we have just come through a very difficult time for all of us when I resisted not one but two committees in order to stand on a biblical conviction. God has healed me of a great many issues--mostly through the creative use of loss and suffering. That said--I'm still growing!

GROWTH

Each morning, I am guided in my time of  prayer through a simple system that I developed years ago.  I have posted about that before in a blog entitled, "How to Be Heard in Heaven".  Like all systems, it is simply a tool to use and the way that I use it has continued to evolve through the years.  I invite you to use it and to make it your own in whatever way works best for you in terms of developing intimate times with the Savior each day.

Today I am focused on growth.  To the best of my ability I want to be in a state of prayer throughout the day, developing a desire to grow in these six specific ways.  I will be speaking verbal prayers.  I will be acting on opportunities that the Father may place before me today to grow in one or more of these areas.  As often as I think of it, I will be in my heart rehearsing, "God, grow my _______", putting one of the six areas in the blank or at times speaking all six, or even other areas that the Spirit may impress upon me.  After all, the point is to grow into His likeness--not just the one that I can imagine.  Here are the six areas that I'm aware of in which I need to grow today.

GODLINESS:  Father, I want to be a more perfect reflection of your Son--in every way.  Make me and mold me--break me--refine me--heal me.  Keep working until others can see Jesus in me.

RESOURCES:  Lord, I want to be a faithful steward with the things that you have given to me.  It's your stuff--not mine.  Show me today how to grow in my giving.  Bless me with more so that I can bless more!

OBEDIENCE:  Spirit, give me a sensitive heart to your leading today.  Bring to my mind every instance of hesitation that I might learn to obey immediately.  Show me my failures in the moment that they happen that I might learn from my mistakes.

WISDOM:  God, you have said that if I will ask, then you will pour out your wisdom liberally.  I'm asking.  Fill me with your wisdom that I might understand your ways and cooperate with your ideas.  I don't want to miss it.  Teach me in an obvious way today.

TALENT:  Jesus, you are perfect in everything that you do.  You have gifted me and you have resourced me.  Sharpen my skills today that I might be of more use to you in your work.  I want to be the best teacher, the best pastor, the best counselor that I possibly can be.  Perfect the gifts that you have placed upon me.

HUMILITY:  Lord, I know that you cannot use me effectively if I am proud and arrogant.  Continue to take me to the broken places in my heart until I am completely dependent upon you with no self-will remaining.  You bring down the proud and you raise up the humble.  Accomplish your purpose in me.

Still Growing...

As I walked along the beach this morning with my Bible open and the warm waves washing over my feet, I was one more time reminded of the fact that I am still growing. I have a system of beads that I use to draw me into conversations with the Father. This morning, the green bead made it's appearance for the second time this week. I wrote about growth on Monday and I will continue my thoughts on growth today.

Not only is people-pleasing a temptation that I must constantly resist, I find that I am also drawn to the idea of being "superman". These two are closely related--I mean how can you reject superman? If I can just do everything perfectly, then no one will ever judge me! The problem with trying to be superman is that if forces me into the tyranny trying to be something that I am not and of course constantly failing to meet the mark. God gave me Psalm 89:2 today as a word of promise. In this Psalm Ethan the Ezrahite prays, "Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens." God is faithful! I fail! God's love is unfailing! My love fails! God is perfect--I am not! God is not counting on me to get it right--I suspect that he already knows that I will mess it up. Even in my failure though, He will show himself faithful! He is faithful!

This morning on the beach I watched for maybe thirty minutes as some kind of small shelled critters would come out of the sand as the water washed over them, only to retreat back into the sand when the water receded. I'm one of those creatures--constantly advancing and retreating. I embrace the water of God's faithfulness only to retreat back into the sand of my fear. I repeat the cycle over and over again. For me to be superman is to deny God's ability to be faithful--to retreat into the sand. Regardless of my retreat--the water will return. God is faithful! May I grow today to simply trust Father's ability to faithful--to me and through me.

Growing...

Those of you who know me well know that I am on a growth journey. I am continually confronting and resisting the compulsion to settle for "Dave" when God has called and freed me to be "David". Dave symbolizes all of the performance enhancing behaviors resulting from an addiction to religion. David is free to live, free to laugh, and free to dance!

I have come to understand that there are four primary manifestations of feudal thinking that exist within my mind. I tend to default to one or more of these four ways of thinking. I'll address all of them in time but for today let me speak of the first one and perhaps the most powerful of the four. I am very much recovering from an addiction to approval. I have lived most of my life craving the approval of those around me and consequently often prostituting my freedom in order to gain approval. I have felt good about myself only when others have felt good about me. Thus I have lived at the whim of others. The price of this approval addiction has been the denial of my own worth and being. Something clicked within me and I got it years ago in high school. I perform--people applaud--I feel good. The oppositie is equally true: I fail--people boo--I feel bad. And so...much of my life has been wasted performing--trying to earn applause. I can equate it to sports. I loved to play baseball my entire life and yet, at least in high school, I noticed that hardly anyone came to baseball games. Basketball, however, was packed with fans. So what did I do? I played basketball! I'm learning to walk away from the gym and back onto the baseball field. Who cares if nobody is watching?--I simply love to play the game. Surprisingly consistent (as He always is), God has given me a growth prayer today. As I am praying to grow, I have already today had the opportunity to choose between basketball and baseball, between "David" and "Dave". And though I have peered inside the windows of the gym, and for at least a moment, lusted for the roar of the crowd--I have in the end (at least for now with the help of a dear friend) chosen to return to the field of dreams and to allow my heart to dance.

There is a song by Skillet that expresses the emotion of my heart. You can hear the song and watch the lyrics here. You can see the actual music video here.

A Spiritual Stimulus Plan - Part 2 - "Direction"

A stimulus is supposed to energize something that has stopped moving. Economies may need them, industries may need them, and human beings may need them. Spiritually, we tend to coast from one encounter with God to the next never realizing that God has equipped us through the Holy Spirit with the ability to continually gain momentum without ever pausing to coast.

To review, you may want to go back and read the first part of the "Spiritual Stimulus Plan". You can read it here.

Part 2 of the Spiritual Stimulus begins in Acts 16:6-7, "

They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go ino Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them".

It is startling to realize that Paul and Silas are "forbidden by the Holy Spirit" to preach the word in Asia. They are stopped by God from doing what appears to be a very good thing. Is it ever wrong to do something good? Evidently! I wonder if we are ever working against the Holy Spirit by insisting on moving forward with our own good ideas and good intentions. Perhaps we fail in our good works because the Spirit of Jesus is not permitting us to succeed. You see, God does not want us to be good--he wants us to be obedient. He is not asking us for our opinions or for our ideas--He just wants us to follow Him. One of the greatest spiritual motivators, I suppose, that we can ever receive is God-given direction. We don't have to figure it out ourselves--just look to God for direction. And in fact, to come up with our own plan, is to risk the opposition of God.

So how to we find out what God wants us to do? We simply do what Jesus did. In John 5:19-24, Jesus lays out how he knows what to do. Check it out for yourself but the bottom line is that Jesus looks to see what the Father is doing and then simply does that. In our Acts 16 text, we see that Paul gets direction in the form of a vision (16:8-10). Henry Blackaby says that God speaks primarily through: prayer, the church, circumstances, and the Scriptures. Simply note what you hear from these four sources and then put the information together. Of course, it is easier said than done. My wife writes a blog detailing The JOURNEY that provides stories of how God provides direction. You can visit Tina's blog at www.tinasamples.blogspot.com.

We need direction in order to know which way to go. If your struggling today and wondering what you should be doing, let me suggest that you get alone and that you get quiet. Listen more than you speak. God is most likely telling you everything that you need to know through the voices that are around you. What are they saying? Are you listening? Jesus said in John 8:47 that those who belong to God hear what God is saying. Listen...

The Power of Falling Down...

This is the second in a series of posts entitled, "How to Release the Power of God". The main point? The Power of God is released either negatively in our prideful arrogance or positively in our broken humility. Acts 12:18-23 reveals a compelling story of a man head over heals in love with himself. King Herod embodies all that we would consider arrogant. He gives a great speech that the people of Tyre and Sidon consider, along with his appearance, to be god-like. The Jewish/Roman historian Josephus records that, "He wore an impressive robe of silver which glittered in the sun as he entered the theater at daybreak". He goes on to say, "The people flattered him by saying, 'May you be propitious to us, and if we have hitherto feared you as a man, yet henceforth we agree that you are more than mortal in your being'". Herod not only heard the praise--but he believed it! Josephus says, "The king did not rebuke them nor did he reject their flattery as impious". The result according the text is that, "he was immediately struck by an angel of the Lord. He was eaten by worms and died" (Acts 12:23). Josephus times his death as no more than five days later. King Herod definitely released the power of God! The story begs this application: "Do you want God to AFFIRM you? Or do you want God to WORM you?

Scripture is rich with this principle: God blesses the humble and He resists the proud.

Here's a few scriptures from the many:

• "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2).
• "A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor" (Proverbs 29:23).
• "He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers form their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble" (Luke 1:51-52).
• "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11, 18:14).
• "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble...Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:6).
• "...Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time..." (1 Peter 5:5-7).
• Let me encourage you give up and fall down so that God might be able to pick you up. Quit trying to fix everything and let God be God. The power of God is released through your brokenness.

So...if you want to be exalted by God....humble yourself! If you go far...go low! If you want to release the power of God into your life as a positive force....stay under his mighty hand!