Do you ever just wake up one morning and reflect on how good God is? Today I had one of those mornings. I woke up to go jogging, and as I began this tiring journey down a local gravel road I began to reflect on how Miraculous God is. Even though I was physically running, I began to allow my spirit to start running as well. Memories of how God strategically moved me through my life that I might end up where I am currently began to flood my spirit. Reflecting on your past victories through Christ gives you faith to pursue new adventures and conquests.
Our day should always start with a moment of recognizing God. Psalms 27:8 speaks of seeking the face of god. In order to seek we must take the time to explore, investigate, and involve ourselves in the process. To some believers that means to wake up early and begin to seek Christ through scripture, to others it’s waking up and pray and vocally seek Christ. I do believe that there isn’t really any wrong way of recognizing Christ at the beginning of your day. Where we start slipping is when we think that we don’t have time to go through our beloved process that was executed yesterday. God will take the best that you can give him today.
Matthew 5:6 teaches us that it is ok to gain a hunger for the Lord. I don’t know about you but if I feel lost, stuck, or abandoned and began to notice that I was becoming hungry or thirsty, I would start searching. It’s the “search” that begins to reveal who this God that we serve is. There is great adventure in the exploration of who God really is. I believe that only through this process will you truly recognize the how miraculous God is. Can we have that courage to jump in the pool. Do you have what it takes to start that climb up the hill. Do you have enough in you to walk into the unknown. Matthew 7:7
Let’s create the pace
Matthew 16:23 shows an interesting conversation between Jesus and Peter. Was Peter really satan, or was he portraying characteristics of satan? Many times I have thought that the things that satan “does” are seen through “actions”. People often confuse negligence with the works of satan. Their tire blows on the freeway “that’s the devil.” They slip and fall on some water in their kitchen, “the devil pushed me.” My kid smokes weed, “the devil really has a hold on my kid.”
Or… maybe you should stop neglecting the practical things in your life. Change the tire, clean up your filth in the kitchen, and be an authority in your kids’ life. I think that it is safe to say that the act of doing things is not the only characteristics of satan. Your thoughts are what drive you to act like the enemy. What you think will create you to become just that. If you start thinking that you're a loser, then you will become one. If you think that you’ll never get married then, wait for it… bingo, never married. Stop looking forward to crap happening to you. Romans 12:2 “Be transformed…” When you allow your mind to be renewed by the word of God your life will begin to transform.
A good friend of mine is constantly saying, “You are what you think.” I have to continually ask myself, “Who am I?” The more that I ask God to place an urgency in my heart and spirit the more I realize that I can no longer afford to think less of myself then God would think. God calls me “more than a conqueror.” What do I call myself? God says, “I can do all things through Christ.” What do I think? It’s time that we get off the soap opera box and start living up to Christ standards. When you believe it you will achieve it. One day at a time my thoughts resemble Christ’s and not the devils. I challenge you to start today.
Let’s create the pace
We often look at death as a means to an end. It’s when you no longer exist. Death means that you stop in your life.
How often do we just stop living? Even though there is air moving through our lungs we just stop doing things. Some of us loved to do things in the past and now you would never recognize that love by our actions.
Many times, involving many people, we have stopped living. We’ve actually stopped existing. No one would ever know that you exist because know one knows what you stand for. Who actually knows what separates you from the rest.
I believe that a question needs to start being asked.
“ What will I be known for?”
What a sobering concept. When asking a question like that we begin to see that unused time is absolutely wasted time. Then we begin to see moments, if not seasons, of our lives as wasted!
John 10:10 talks of Jesus coming that we could live a “full life”. What does that look like? Is that summed up by a consistently dull and boring life? Does that mean that we are predictable?
You are different. You are unique. Start standing out.
The reason that none of our fingerprints match, or our faces look the same, or even act the same is because we have been designed to be unique.
Let’s create the pace
Andy
When we leave the place of awareness we begin to enter the place of denial. It is easy to deny the fact that something is wrong. “It’s not that bad, don’t be dramatic, a little change makes a huge difference.” All of these thoughts couldn’t be more far from the truth.
The more that we fight the denial that lingers in our spirit the more we are in alignment with the “heart of God”. As much as we don’t want to hear what is being said, we need to begin to ask a question that we often dismiss as pessimistic or theatric. I believe that question is, “How did that even start?”
Have we conditioned ourselves to paint a grey line that is far wider than the black and white? Do we really believe that it’s not that bad? Can the issue really settle and be as good as new? NO! The answer is no.
Romans 6:22 talks of being free from sin. In order to be free from something you must first escape from something. To escape from something you must become aware that something has trapped you. It is not enough to become aware that something is not right or that something is wrong. When do we get to a place when we begin to realize that where we are is not where God wants us to be. God goes ahead (1Chron 14:15/Ezek 37:21) of us so that we would follow. Are we headed where God has been? Are we headed to the place where God is Going?
Not only do I believe that great things are in store for you as you follow Christ (1Cor. 11:1), I believe that we as the Church will begin to blossom as the picture of power, purity, and passion. Don’t become trapped by denial (Heb 12:1). Let us allow God to lift us up (Ps 40:2) from denial into our rightful place as “a light to this world” (Matt. 5:14).
Let’s create the pace
Andy
There has to come a time in most people’s lives where there is a realization that something is wrong. Sometimes it is something that is felt, other times it might just be sensed, and there could be other times when someone that you know and trust will be that “word” of insight.
No matter how you get to the place of realization, what’s important is that you arrive. The normal initial response would sound something like, “Oh, it’s not that big of a deal. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” It’s sad to think that somehow some way everything can be fixed by ignoring the real issue. We think that if we would just close our eyes and click our heels together 3 times that the problem will remedy itself and all will be fine.
I wish that would not be so for the modern day church. I wish that we as the body of Christ weren't known for sitting at some gathering “wishing” for problems to just go away. I wish that we didn’t make programs that if we all would just do these 21 things that all will be well. And I definitely wish that none of what I just said made sense to any of you that are reading these words.
Unfortunately, this could hit so close to home that you better take cover. As the “set apart” body of Christ we need to arrive at a place of realization. We need to become aware that something is horribly wrong with our world and the people in it. Until we admit that something is wrong, no “rights” can occur. When were we ever taught that it is wrong to be wrong? How did we ever get the mindset, “We need to be perfect with no issues” get into our DNA?
Mistakes, Hurts, Issues, and pain grow you individually as well as corporately. Without limitations there can be no innovations.
Let us be known for being aware of our current place. Join a movement of changing circumstances, guiding the lost to Christ, and helping the hurting to healing.
Let’s create the pace
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