Bartimaeus's Gumption

Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, heard that Jesus was arriving. A crowd surrounded Jesus, so Bartimaeus yelled, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many of the people Jesus healed were brought to Him by friends, but not Bartimaeus. Instead of helping him, the crowd told him to be quiet.

But Bartimaeus did not let his blindness and the lack of help stop him from calling out to Jesus. He couldn't see, but he could yell. So he yelled even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" The title "Son of David" alludes to the Messiah: "Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root" (Isaiah 11:1 NLT). Bartimaeus knew that the Messiah was in his presence, and he was determined to reach Him.

Jesus picked Bartimaeus's voice out from the crowd and called him over. Bartimaeus threw aside his coat (probably the most expensive thing he owned), jumped up and ran to Jesus. Jesus asked him what he wanted, and Bartimaeus said, "My rabbi, I want to see!" Instantly, Bartimaeus was healed, and he followed Jesus (Mark 10.46-52).

My husband read me this story a few nights ago, and I couldn't help but feel encouraged. Bartimaeus didn't have sight, but he had a voice and he used it. When no one would see for him and lead him to Christ, he used the resources at his disposal. Bartimaeus's voice might not have sounded the best, but he used it with power and determination. He focused all His energy on Jesus and found himself at the foot of love, mercy and grace.

My weakness is my voice. I have nodules on my vocals cords, so I'm not supposed to yell, sing or talk too much. However, I have three young kids, and I find myself losing my voice a lot. I have to tell my oldest son--who happens to ask a lot of questions--that I have to take a break from talking because my throat hurts. I can't sing at church, I can't holler when I'm excited and I can't read out loud to my kids or talk on the phone very long. I have to be careful to conserve my voice because I don't have much of it to spare.

Since I can't use my physical voice to call out to Jesus, I write. My writing may not be the best, but I will use it to reach Jesus. I will not let the negative jeers of the crowd cause me to give up. Jesus tells me to come to Him, and I let go of all my desires so that I can run to the foot of His love, mercy and grace. I know He'll give me a voice to call attention to Him, and I will use it to give praise to His name and glory to God.

What giftings do you have that can call attention to Jesus? How can you use your strengths to overcome your weaknesses? How does God use your weaknesses to show His glory?

"They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination" (Nehemiah 6.9 NLT).

Internet Cafe: The Lead Vocalist

I met her at the first writers’ group that I held at my house about five years ago. She was an amazing woman of God surrounded by grace and humility. She dedicated her heart to writing devotionals for my ministry and several months later, God called her to be the Women’s Minister at my church. I was honored and blessed to be under her leadership.

Along with being a writer, women’s minister and church staff member, she also sang onstage with our church band. I would watch her sing and become irritated. I couldn’t hear my friend’s voice! She would only sing back-up, and I, not being musically inclined, couldn’t distinguish her from the others. I told her my frustrations about not being able to hear her, but she was content to use her voice to support the lead vocalist.

One Sunday morning my friend wasn’t singing, and I finally heard it: her voice was missing! Although I couldn’t discern her voice, I could definitely tell when it was absent.

I saw her the following week and exclaimed, “I heard it!”

“What?” She asked.

“The lack of your voice!” I yelled excitedly.

She looked at me for a moment puzzled, but then she smiled with understanding. In a small way, I finally felt like I could appreciate her singing talent.

This past Sunday morning, God had a very special gift in store for me. After five years, I finally heard my friend’s voice. She sang lead vocals, and I bawled. All my makeup was off my face before the pastor even said one word. I listened to my friend sing, and I thanked God for the amazing ways He shows Himself to me. What a beautiful sight she was singing for her mighty God! Her voice is forever imprinted on my heart.

As I reflect on that morning, I know that many people have trouble hearing God’s voice. They recognize when it’s missing, but they have never heard Him speak so powerfully that there was no doubt the words were from God. I once struggled with hearing God’s voice, and I worried whether or not I was listening to the wrong one.

But something changed. I now hear God’s voice loud and clear. He speaks to me through the Bible, the Holy Spirit and other Christians. He engulfs me with His presence, and He whispers to my spirit. What’s different? Why has it become so easy to distinguish His voice? The answer is simple. When I put God center stage, He became the Lead Vocalist singing into my life. All that I am stays focused on God, and I’ve learned to discern His voice.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our
understanding” (Job 37.5 NIV).

You can also read this article at the Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: Analytically Overweight

I get overwhelmed sometimes with all that God teaches me through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses relationships, memories and situations to show me spiritual truths. Many times, though, I feel like I can’t keep up. I analyze my experience, pull out the truth and then try to digest the surrounding situation. I’m still trying to understand stuff from years past, but I’m realizing that I’ll never fully be able to stack all of my life experiences in neat, organized rows into my subconscious.

A couple of days ago, I found myself pulling a spiritual truth from a relationship. I understood what God was teaching me, and I appreciated the insight that I had been given; however, I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the situation, and to be honest, I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I started to see that there was no end to my spiraling condition of over-thinking, and I was upset at God for making spiritual insight so grueling to gather.

I told God, “If you want me to analyze everything I encounter in this life, I’m going to be thinking a very long time.” I truly feared that the joy and peace I’ve finally found in Christ would be squeezed out by my constant desire to gain understanding and grow in wisdom.

God told me, “Take the seed; toss the rest.”

Right then, I had an image of me pulling out spiritual truths from every direction and tossing the rest of the circumstance out the window. God uses our life experiences to grow us, but He doesn’t expect us to understand it all. In fact, I pictured myself being analytically overweight from thinking so much about everything, and spiritually inactive because I was too busy digesting it all. How could I possibly be an effective witness for Christ if I was constantly trying to organize and spiritualize every aspect of my life?

God does use our circumstances to teach us, but He never said that we would understand all the ins and outs of our lives on this world. People bump into each other every day, and there is no telling why things happen as they do. All we can do is look for the spiritual insight that God wants us to gain and toss the rest at the foot of the cross.

Life is too short to try to eat and digest every twist and turn of our journey. God wants us to gain understanding and grow in wisdom, but He also wants us to enjoy life, keep our eyes focused on Him and our feet moving toward heaven. From now on, I’m determined to look for a seed of understanding or a gem of wisdom, and let God deal with the rest.

Questions: Is there a situation that you have been over analyzing? What does God want you to learn, and what does He want you to leave at the cross?

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” (Proverbs 3.13-14 NIV).

You can also read this at the Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: Sliding Home

The score was tied in the 9th inning, and we needed one more point to win the championship. My foot rested securely on second base, and I waited for our last hitter to bring me home. (Okay, I might be stretching the truth a little bit. This wasn’t the championship and our score wasn’t tied, but it does make the story sound better, right?)

I was playing softball for my church college league. I don’t really remember the score, but I was alone on second base. I stared at my coach, waiting for her signal. I never watched the batter because that would only slow me down. I watched only my coach; she would tell me what to do.

I heard the “smack” of the ball kissing the bat, and my coach yelled, “Run! Run!” So I pushed off second and sprinted toward third. Then my coach’s voice screamed, “Go! Go!” When I heard this, I just assumed she meant for me to continue running to home plate. I hadn’t made it to third base yet, but I knew I had it. Third base was in the bag. She must be trying to send me home for the score.

When my coach yelled, “Go,” I pointed my bull horns down and charged. I rounded third and kept my eyes on home plate, swinging every limb to propel me forward. Then I heard my coach screaming, “What is she doing? She’s going home!” Of course, I was going home. She told me to “Go!”

Over home plate hovered the other team’s catcher. She was squatting eye level to me with her glove out. I could tell from the focus in her eyes that she was watching the ball chase me from behind. In a split second, I knew that she was determined to tag me out, but she’d have to jump over my flying body. I was not about to walk off that field quietly.

I dove head first, sliding across home plate in what felt like slow motion. Dirt billowed around my head, and my body took out anything that was in my way. I heard cheering coming from my dugout, and I knew one of the voices was my coach. I had taken home plate and scored a point.

This is how we are to live as Christians. God is our coach, and when He tells us to “Go,” we need to point our bull horns down and charge. Yes, there will be people saying, “What is she doing?” or “She can’t do that!” And there will be people waiting at home plate ready to stop us from fulfilling our destiny. But we can’t listen to them. We must trust and obey our God.

God WILL find a way when there is no way. God WILL prove the world wrong. God WILL fulfill His promises to you. So you don’t worry about what others think; you just “GO!”

Question: What area in your life is God telling you to “GO”?

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10.27 NKJV).

You can also read this at the Internet Cafe!

I'm Recruiting

Recruiting Time

When I imagine heaven, I see myself flying in some kind of exploration-cruiser, traveling through more of God's amazing creations. Even on this earth, scientists are discovering new creations all the time; and I believe this earth (as magnificent and beautiful as it is) is only a small portion of what our God can create. Heaven is not going to be a boring space of emptiness with nothing but a harp and a cloud. Heaven is going to be an adventure with amazing exploits and discoveries to be made!

I get excited thinking about my team of explorers traveling with me in heaven. I have no idea what we will be doing, but I do know it will be important and adventurous. God's eternal plan is beyond my comprehension; but if it's anything like it is on earth, it is bound to be exciting (Matthew 6.10).

As I considered all of this, I felt God tell my spirit, "Well, you better start recruiting your team."

Recruiting my team....?

That's when it hit me. There are millions of people who don't see heaven as I do. They long for something more than this physical life, their souls want to live forever, but they have no idea that there is a spiritual world. If I want people to join me in heaven, I better recruit them on earth (Matthew 16.19).

Humans are half-breeds. We are half flesh and half spirit. We have become very good at strengthening our physical lives, but our spiritual lives are starving. The sad truth is that our physical selves die. We walk over the graves of our ancestors just has our children will walk over ours. This life is just a brief vapor (James 4.14), which is kind of depressing if that's all we're clinging to and hoping in.

So if our physical bodies die, why aren't people embracing the other half of their existence? The answer is they don't understand Jesus.

Earth's Mission

God is a Creator (Genesis 1). He created us to give us life, love and a purpose. God created a perfect world and placed His beautiful half flesh/half spirit people in it (Genesis 2.7). However, instead of forcing our obedience, He gave us free-will.* We have the ability to choose God, which is our ultimate show of devotion. The ability to choose automatically corrupts God's perfect creation because many times we don't align ourselves with our perfect God.

Because God exists, the absence of God exists. Everything is defined by its absence. The absence of heat is cold. The absence of light is dark (Genesis 1.3-5). God dwells in heaven and the absence of God is hell. God is 100% perfect and His creations are perfect. However, because we are given a choice, His perfect creation becomes imperfect. God knew this would happen.

Since we are no longer perfect, we can no longer dwell with our perfect God in heaven. We are now separated from our Creator because our choices are flawed -- we all make mistakes. If God allows us to be a part of Him, He too will become corrupt. One hundred percent perfection cannot mix with anything less than perfect or else it too will become corrupt. This is no surprise to God, and He already had the answer -- Jesus.

Jesus lived the perfect life in our corrupted world and took our sin, so that we could wear His righteousness and stand before our perfect God (Romans 5.19). Jesus is the answer to the consequence of our bad choices with free-will. If we want to be a part of all the awesome exploits that God has planned for us in heaven, we better be wearing the righteousness of Jesus. God is all love, all knowing, all power, all glory, all good; and I don't want to exist away from Him. I don't know exactly what hell will be like, but the absence of God sounds lame to me.

The Answer

Language is our gift from the Creator, and our words are eternal. They might be formed in the physical world, but they make their way to the everlasting spiritual world. Words are tools that create. There is power in what we say. Jesus said that all we have to do is confess that He is Lord and we will be saved (Acts 2.21). All we have to do is admit our sin, and ask Jesus to take our separation from God, and His righteousness can be ours. Our faith in Jesus creates a bridge to God that joins the void of our separation caused by sin due to our bad choices we committed with our free-will.

Once we have Jesus' righteousness, we can now be in heaven and fulfill the amazing eternal plans of God because we are now supernaturally clothed in the 100% perfection of Jesus (Galatians 2.16). Jesus is our answer to everlasting life with a perfect God. In one hand, we are given free-will through the Tree of Knowledge; but in the other hand, we are given the Tree of Life through Jesus (Revelation 22.14).

Once we use our words and claim Jesus' righteousness (perfection), the Spirit of God dwells in us (Mark 1.8 & John 20.22). This is the coolest part of being a Born Again Christian, and it's kind of weird at first. All of a sudden, we have God's perfect Spirit inside of us, guiding us (John 14.26); but it takes time to get to know Him. We have to commune with Him like Jesus did. Jesus took time to pray often during His time on earth (Mark 1.35). It's like any relationship: We must cultivate it so we can get to know God and benefit from His love. But we have to have Jesus' redemptive covering for our perfect Creator to dwell in us.

Once we have the Holy Spirit, we can now fully understand God's creation through the Bible. Many people read the Bible and only see historical documents. But the living, breathing part of the Bible is closed to them. The Holy Spirit illuminates the Bible and applies it to our lives and situations (Acts 4.31). If we don't have Jesus and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual aspect of the Bible is dead (Hebrews 4.12). So when we talk to non-Christians about spiritual and eternal things, we need to first explain Jesus. Otherwise, we might be wasting their time and our energy.

So I'm recruiting. I might not have a lot to say or give, but I have the only thing that counts: I have the answer to the world's separation from their creator. I have Jesus. I want people to join me on my exploration-cruiser and go on many exploits in heaven with me. I want people to be united back to their Creator. I want people to finally fill that emptiness that they have grown accustomed to. There is so much more to this life than the material aspects of this world. We have eternity to live. My eyes are set on heaven. Will you join me?

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28.19-20 NIV).

* Free-will is illustrated in Genesis 2 when God allowed Adam and Eve to be confronted with the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. They had a choice even though the Creator told them that eating from the Tree of knowledge would cause their separation from Him (death).

Internet Cafe: My Mauve God

In 2010, I read a ton of books written by Christian leaders. I felt like God opened my mind, and the insights from these amazing men and women poured into my soul. However, something began to irritate me – I became a little jealous of God’s glory in these people’s lives. His Spirit shone in brilliant colors that seemed to overshadow my seemingly lackluster life.

For example, one leader saw the physical manifestation of Jesus during a very difficult time in his life. Another leader witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which came down on his audience like fire. And another leader performed a miraculous healing with the power of Jesus’ name. I began to feel inadequate because I had never experienced any of these things, and I desired so much to see God’s glory in my life.

I contemplated all of this while I was helping my kids color at the kitchen table. I had just bought a jumbo box of crayons, and I was intrigued by all the shades of the same color. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to pick a color. I chose pink. Then He told me to gather all the shades of pink I could find. He had me write the name of each crayon in its color on a piece of paper. By the time I was done writing all the shades of pink, I had a list of over 20 colors. I folded the paper and stuck it into the pocket of my jeans. I knew God was going to teach me something.

Once I put my kids to sleep for naptime, I went into my closet to pray and read my Bible. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to take the list out and look at it. I unfolded it and looked from one color to the next, analyzing how each color name fit its shade. Some pinks were bright with a hint of orange. Others were bold with a lot of red. While others were so pale that they were almost transparent.

God asked me, “Which color do you like best?”

I scanned the list and chose mauve.

“Why do you like mauve,” He asked.

“It’s subtle, earthy and not overly showy,” I said. Though I appreciated the brighter and richer shades of pink, I liked the easy-going, down-to-earth shade of mauve. It had a lot of purple in it, which is my favorite color.

“Mauve is my shade of love for you. It is how My glory appears in your life,” God said. “I show Myself in the daily activities of your day—nothing out of the ordinary, but always very special.”

I thought about it for a moment, and I understood what God was saying. I see God in everything around me: I see Him in a bird flying, I see Him in my kids, I see Him in a song on the radio, I see Him in my memories and my daily activities. I see Him in the small nuisances of my life, and His glory in me is just as powerful and amazing as His glory in the prophet, the preacher and the healer. I see God face to face, and His presence lives in and through me. He is my Mauve God.

You can also read this devotional at the Internet Cafe!

Face to Face

Moses is exhausted. He is the only person diligently seeking God in the entire, nomadic nation of Israel. He finally cries out to God, "I can't carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me the misery!" (Numbers 11.14-15 NLT).

I smile when I read this because Moses' humility is so apparent. Many times pride steals our willingness to seek help. But not Moses -- he was overwhelmed, and he let it be known. He was the single intercessor between God and the Chosen People, and he knew he had reached the end of his capability.

God does something amazing for Moses that demonstrates His divine grace. He takes some of His Spirit that He has placed on Moses and puts it on 70 Elders of Israel. It is obvious that these leaders didn't receive this Spirit by their own efforts. Two of the men who hadn't bother to show up to the anointing meeting received the Spirit as well. They disobeyed direct orders, yet God gave them His Spirit.

Moses' apprentice, Joshua, is at the anointing meeting, and he has never seen anybody but Moses prophesy (speak God's will) in the Spirit. He becomes very upset, and he pleads with his teacher, "Moses, my master, make them stop!" Joshua has been learning from Moses for a while, and I'm sure he feels jilted. How could these men receive for free what he has been working for all of his life? Joshua experiences first hand the beauty of grace: a gift not based on the receiver, but on the Giver.

Moses' humility is displayed yet again when he looks at his young assistant and says, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!" (Numbers 11.29 NLT) (emphasis added)

Moses is a shadow of Jesus. Jesus is our intercessor, and God gives us His Spirit because of His love for us and the sacrifice that Jesus made for our mistakes. Jesus wants His sacrifice to spill God's anointing on every person. I'm sure Jesus repeats Moses' words, "I wish all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!"

A prophet is a person who hears from God, who sits with God, who sees God face to face and who communicates God's will. Yes, the gifting of prophecy can manifests in other ways, but the visions, dreams and riddles are merely outward signs of an inward discipline -- seeking God. All Christians are called to sit with God, seek His will and tell others about His glory. At salvation we were gifted with spiritual ears that hear God's voice. But are we using them?

Are we filling our lives with the world or with Him? If we want the fullness of God's Spirit moving in our lives, we have to make room for Him. If we want to discern His voice, we have to listen to and recognize it. If we want to tell the world about Christ, we have to seek Him every day and read His Word. We are honored with the power to communicate with God at any time. He waiting for us. We just need to sit and talk with Him -- face to face!

Question: What can you sacrifice or submit to this year to make room for God? What have you heard from God today?

And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:
“If there were prophets among you,
I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions.
I would speak to them in dreams.
But not with my servant Moses.
Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
I speak to him face to face,
clearly, and not in riddles!
He sees the Lord as he is.
So why were you not afraid
to criticize my servant Moses?”

- Numbers 12.6-8 NLT (emphasis added)

Motive Contradictions

As I read the story of Balaam, I was intrigued because God seems to contradict Himself. Balak, king of Moab, is worried because a huge, homeless nation (Israel) is wandering in his kingdom's direction. Balak concludes that Israel wants to claim his land, so he sends Moabite officials to persuade the prophet Balaam to aid him. He wants Balaam to curse the already blessed Israel nation.

The king offers Balaam a lot of money to come to him, but at first God would not allow Balaam to go. The king then sends more officials and money, and God tells him that he can go: "That night God came to Balaam and told him, 'Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do'" (Numbers 22.20 NLT).

The very next morning Balaam gets up to go with the men, but two verses later God (so it seems) contradicts Himself: "But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way" (Numbers 22.22a).

Balaam does not have his eyes set on God, but the poor donkey he's riding does. God sends the Angel of the Lord to confront Balaam. Three times the donkey stops before stepping into slicing distance of the angel's sword; and each time the donkey goes off course, Balaam beats it. Finally, God miraculously gives the donkey the ability to speak.

The donkey asks, "What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?" (28b).

What is Balaam's reply? "You have made me look like a fool!" (29). This is a good signifier that something is wrong with Balaam's motives.

God then opens Balaam's eyes, and he sees the Angel of the Lord. The Angel tells him, "Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say" (35).

So in all, God tells Balaam to go with the officials twice and not to go with them twice. What is going on? It all comes down to motive. God sees sin before it manifests itself into the physical world. God wants Balaam to go with these men, but Balaam's heart isn't right. 1) He doesn't have his eyes on God. He is unable to sense the presence of the Lord even though his donkey does. 2) He worries about what others think more than what God thinks. He yells at his donkey for making him look like a fool in front of the officials. 3) He isn't planning on being obedient to God. The Angel of the Lord has to remind him to say only what God wants him to say. A reminder isn't necessary if Balaam is intending to be obedient.

What I learned from this story is this: We can't just be obedient to God in the physical world; we must also be obedient in the spiritual world. God dwells in the Spirit, and He sees the motives of our hearts. We can go to church, read our Bible and talk about spiritual things; but if our eyes are not on God, if our focus is on other people's opinions, and if our souls are not obedient to the daily movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will not be able to move on the paths of righteousness He has set for us (Psalm 23.3 NASB).

I believe that God wants to pull out every root of selfish motive (especially the small ones), before we enter into a promised land that He has for us. Even though that root might not be visible to us now, it will grow and start affecting our lives in apparent ways. God has great plans for us, but He might be placing Himself in our way for a reason. He may be protecting us from our ugly motives we haven't even discovered.

The only way we can find out for sure if there is something wrong with our motives is to allow the Holy Spirit complete access to our souls -- mind (thinking), will (actions) and heart (feelings). As Christians, God's Spirit is in us, and He will bring to light any darkness He finds, exposing all our pretty, sugar-coated intentions.

We will not claim victory unless God fights for us; however, He will not fight for us if our motives are not pure. How do we know when our motives are pure? King Nebuchadnezzar said it best after he lost his throne and spent 7 years living like an animal in the wilderness.

His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him: “What have you done?”

- Daniel 4.34b-35

Once King Nebuchadnezzar understood the magnitude of God, his kingdom was restored. Our little lives are nothing compared to God. God is what makes our lives worthy, and He can do what He pleases. The mere fact that we have the choice to be obedient to His will is an honor. I pray that I can understand the expanse of who God is. If I truly knew Him, my motive would always be to glorify Him.

* Another example of motive contradiction is when the people of Israel were too afraid to occupy their Promise Land, even though God promised to be with them (Numbers 13 & 14). After they disobeyed God, they felt guilty about not going. A group decided to finally fight for their land, but it was too late. God did not go with them because their motives were wrong, and the people that went to fight were slaughtered. Their physical actions seemed right, but their motives were not pure. God had the nation of Israel wait 40 years before He reopened the path to the Promise Land, so that the selfish motives of that generation could die off (Deuteronomy 1.26-46).

The Accuser

"Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down'" (Revelation 12.10 NIV).

I recently read this verse in Revelation, and I got a better understanding of what I'm up against when trying to live a sold-out life for Christ. I have an Enemy who accuses me day in and day out. And he is very good at what he does. I've only been on this earth for a short time; my Accuser has been on this earth since time began. He has practiced his schemes on every generation since Adam and Eve, so I am no surprise to him. The Accuser looks at me and thinks, "Piece of cake."

There is no way that I will be able to claim victory over this Accuser on my own. I might as well admit defeat because I am out-smarted and out-matched. Thankfully, God knows that I would lose in my own strength, so He tells me to die to my weak self and live in the power that He has given me (Luke 9.23-24).

Dying to self is very hard at first, but it gets easier when we begin to see first hand what God can accomplish in our lives when our selfish dictatorships are out of the way. Once I learned to forgo my plans and cling to God's, I discovered a life that was worthy to be lived -- a life that produced a harvest for God's kingdom.

When we let go of our limited understanding, we gain the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2.16). The Enemy may out-smart us, but Jesus Christ out-smarts him. Jesus proved this on the cross when He defeated death. Moreover, Christ renews our mind, and we leave the predictable patterns of the world that the Enemy is well versed in. The Enemy knows how to make us fall, but the renewing of our minds in Christ will keep the Enemy guessing (Romans 12.2).

Also, when we realize that we are weaker than our Enemy, we will rightly give control over to the Holy Spirit. God's spirit in us is like having a perfect guide, perfect leader, perfect parent and perfect compass in our lives. We are out-matched by ourselves, but the Holy Spirit greatly tips the scales in our favor (John 14.26). Although the Enemy may be accusing us, God's spirit is constantly interceding for us. I can only imagine that the Accuser's accusations are petty compared to the amazing things God's Spirit says about us (Romans 8.27).

But who are we listening to? Are we listening and believing in the Enemy's accusations or are we listening and believing in God's truth? I once believed that it was normal to allow my mind to accuse myself, but I discovered that I was doing the Enemy's will. I want to do the will of God. I want to proclaim my victory and my value according to God's truth established for me. What is God's truth? He loves me. He loves you. He loves us enough to die for our sins so that we can commune with a holy God through the righteousness we gain by faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 4.10) & (Romans 5.17).

I think if we fully understood God's love for us, we would instantly embrace His will for our lives. He has such an amazing plan for all of us--a plan that we could never comprehend or fulfill without Him (1 Corinthians 2.9). I want to stop listening and believing in the Enemy, so I can keep my ears and eyes focused on how God wants to display His glory through my life. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to listen to what God says about me.

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1.11-12 NIV).

Stand Your Ground: Internet Cafe

My son loves to chase birds. When he sees them sweetly sitting there, he takes off into a sprint toward them. The birds instantly fly away as they see my son heading like a freight train in their direction. He divides the birds like the red sea, and he grins with a feeling of triumph.

One afternoon, I took my kids to the splash park. A single bird sat in the water enjoying herself immensely. My son ran toward her, but the bird didn’t budge; she didn’t even ruffle a feather. Her fearlessness caused my son to abruptly stop. The bird stood her ground, and my son walked away. I figured my son only enjoyed the chase-and-run game when the birds that cooperated.

God has been teaching me a lot about standing my ground. Many times I’m others-centered instead of God-centered, and I worry way too much what people think. If I have to make a decision that others don’t like, I show my fear, guilt and apprehension of their opinion concerning my decision. Unknowingly, others take this as a cue that I’m in the wrong and that their disapproval of my decision is justified.

I try to root all of my decisions in God, and, honestly, many people don’t like my choices. When I show my angst about my decision, I’m indicating that I approve of other people’s disapproval, and I reveal a lack of trust in God’s judgment. The impression I give is not fair to others or to me because it causes a bunch of negative undertones that wouldn’t be there if I were to simply take my insecurity out of my decision making.

I’m learning to be like that bird and stand my ground. Others see my sincerity (even if they don’t agree), and they back away. Plus, I’m not conflicted with emotional stress that my uncertainty causes. If God is the core of all that I do, I don’t have to worry about the waves that my life creates.

When Jesus lived, many people disagreed and misunderstood Him. But no one could doubt His sincerity. He never worried about what others thought because He was only concerned with what God thought. I want to be like Jesus. Even in the middle of complete chaos, I desire to be assured and confident with my God-aligned choices.

Do you have difficulty standing your ground? How does your indecision shape the behavior of others? What can you do to prevent yourself from worrying when others disagree with you?

You can also read this article over at Internet Cafe!

The Obedience Blur

I'm doing a guest post over at Truth and Grace Ministries, founded by Karen Lowe! It's a quick read about the stage of confusion that occurs after a step of obedience but before we find our footing! I hope it encourages you today!

The Obedience Blur

About a year ago, God asked me to stop going to the gym. This was upsetting for me because I have gone to the gym ever since I was a young adult. I love working out, and the gym atmosphere motivates me and ensures that I exercise. I couldn’t understand why God would ask me to take this step of obedience.

Because I no longer had a gym membership, I had to squeeze in my work-outs at home. My four to five times a week exercise routine shortened to two or three days. It became increasingly difficult to find time to exercise with three kids at home. I would beg my husband to watch the kids while I jogged. I would work out on an exercise step outside while the kids played. I would work out while the kids napped or after they went down for the night.

My work-outs began to eat away my writing time, and I struggled with not being able to effectively do both. I couldn’t figure out how to balance my schedule, and I started to feel like I wasn’t able to handle all of my responsibilities.

Finally, I became fed up. I decided I was going to wake up an hour earlier each morning. I already woke up about 30 minutes before my kids so I could do a quiet time, but now I was determined to work-out and spend time with God before my kids came looking for me.

The first day, I dragged myself downstairs and did a work out video. Afterward, I felt so great, and I had an excellent time with God because I was wide awake and filled with energy! By the time my kids were up, I was ready for the day. I didn’t have any bad mommy moments that day because I no longer had an agenda to keep. I wrote while the kids slept, but other than that, I was completely there for them.

What I learned from this experience is that many times our steps of obedience take us into a period of confusion or imbalance. This is normal because we are adjusting to our new situation that the change creates. I think many times we turn away from our obedience because we falsely believe that the transition should have been easy. The fact is that many things we do for God are not easy, but God always has a wonderful purpose.

It took me an entire year to finally adjust to my small step of obedience. And although life still does not play out perfectly each day, I have found the balance that I knew God wanted me to achieve. I’m sure He cheered for me the entire time, and I’m glad that I trusted His will for my life.

What step of obedience has God asked you to take? Have you experienced a time of difficulty because of the changes? How were you able to modify your environment, attitude or obligations to adjust? Did you see God’s purpose in the change?

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5.18 NLT).

You can also read this article here!

His Return Meditation

I imagine myself as a frail, old woman. It is dusk, and I'm walking outside amongst strangers along the street. I have nothing left of value. My money has been passed along to my kids and God's service. My youth and beauty have died long ago. My body is broken, and my five senses have faded. My mind is forgetful, and I can't keep a schedule. I can barely muster the energy to complete the daily tasks of living. I live each day longing for my Love's return.

I hear a scream, and see people running away in fear. I look to the heavens just in time to see the star sprinkled night sky rip in half. The black drape ripples like a blanket and falls on either side of the earth. All around me is the absence of darkness. I've could have never comprehended such light.

I feel the earth flatten and draw together; all the peoples of the earth now have a front row seat to the final show. From the sky's center stage, a man appears riding a winged horse. An expanse of angels stretch for miles to His left and right. The man wears many crowns, and on his thigh is written, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." His face is blazing fire, and His strength vibrates the earth.

I stare at the majesty of my Love. "Beautiful," I whisper. "More beautiful than I could ever imagine."

I offer my last confession: "Forgive me, Father. I did not describe Your beauty adequately with my words. I fell short of emulating Your glory with my life."

Around me a few people linger. They are the children of the Most High, and the Spirit of God in them affirms the time. They fall to their knees in despair. A man next to me pulls money out of his pockets, sacrificing it willingly. A woman in front of me eagerly offers up her beauty. Prestige, careers, children, fame, schedules, pleasures and worry are laid out on the footstool of the King, but it is too late. God had asked for their sacrifices, but they ignored His requests.

Thunderous praise steals my gaze back to the horizon, and my Love eases His horse on the earth. He has returned, and my heart is overwhelmed with joy. Yet...I have nothing left to offer Him. During my life, I gave Him everything He asked of me. He requested each thing I held dear -- my mind, my husband, my children, my career, my dreams, my time, my money -- and piece by piece, I handed my life over to His will.

I look to my Love. Would He remember that I gave Him all I had? Did I hear the Spirit's leading correctly? Have I lived the life that He desired for me? Does He know how much I love Him? The King walks toward me; His confidence causes the air around Him to shake. I open my aged arms wide. They are empty. I am empty. There is nothing left.

"Jesus, I am unworthy," I whisper. "But I love You. I love You. I love You." I can say no more.

Jesus gets on His knee before me, and He strokes the side of my wrinkled face. His smile radiates light, and His tears shimmer down His cheek.

He looks into my eyes and says, "I loved you first." He fills my empty arms with His glory, and my crumpled, old skin falls to the ground.

Revelation 19

* I meditate on this image to remind myself of the meaning of life. My strength is renewed and my purpose is focused when I imagine Jesus returning for me. May we all have nothing left to give Him when He returns.

Internet Cafe: The Good Fear

My oldest son has taken swim lessons since he was six months old. Every summer we pour energy, money and time into getting him acquainted with the water and comfortable swimming. By the end of each summer, he is able to confidently move through the water like a fish!

However, through the winter months, his water skills take a back seat and he loses his swimming confidence. When summer comes round again, he believes he can’t swim and is burdened by an unfounded fear.

Once again, I enrolled my son in swimming lessons, and the teacher assessed him in the water. He was nervous and wouldn’t let go of the side. She said that he would have to go with the beginners who were several years younger than he.

I was discouraged because I know he could do better. I see his fear and try to explain to him that he is an amazing swimmer….he just forgot! He won’t listen to me, though. His fear dictates his actions and drives his mother crazy!

During the first swim lesson, my son regained his confidence; and by the second swim lesson, the teacher had to move him to the next class. He was far more advanced than she had anticipated. When he finally let go of his fear, he was able to demonstrate his real ability.

Oh! But don’t we do that too as God’s children?!

God is constantly working in us to prepare us for the challenges ahead. He knows who we are deep in our spirits, and He knows that we can do His will. But many times our fears stop us from shining His glory! I can go through all the reasons and excuses of our fears, but I’ll just touch on the deepest root: We have lost our fear (reverence, honor, awe) of God, and that fear has been transmitted to the world.

If the Creator of life, the God of everything living, and the King of all the breathes says that we can do it, what right do we have to yell back, “No, we can’t”? Are we going to bow down to the fear of God or the fear of the world?

If God says you can do it…YOU CAN!

I want to be an excellent wife – YOU CAN!

I want to raise godly children – YOU CAN!

I want to serve with a heart of joy – YOU CAN!

I want to accomplish the impossible – YOU CAN!

I want to be a shining woman of faith – YOU CAN!

You can swim in this crazy ocean of faith. God has given you the tools, and He is slowly honing your talent during the seemingly meaningless tasks that you do every day. He is doing a good work in you. He knows when you are ready to swim; so when you hear Him calling you out, don’t think about it, don’t analyze it, don’t worry about it and don’t fear it. Just tell yourself, “I can!”

If you have submitted to His authority and have been faithful in the small things of your daily life, you will find victory. And when you finally start swimming, you’ll realize that you had more ability than you anticipated. God will have to pile on more anointing just to keep up with your skills. Take off the weight of fear, and you’ll rise to the top!

Questions:

What fears have prevented you from achieving God’s best for your life?

What would happen if you replaced the fear of the world with the Fear of the Lord (the basis of all wisdom)?

Would you make a commitment starting today that you would fear the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the only name deserving of your fear?

You can also read this devotional over at the Internet Cafe!

You can also read my interview at Robin's Nest!

A Stump

As you read through the final chapters of Exodus, you will find God's very particular blue print for His worship place. From the material, design, usage, accents and construction -- each aspect of the Holy dwelling was unique and intricate. After reading such detailed instructions, you might say, "Geez, God! You have pretty picky expectations!"

We are the New Testament Temple, and I want to say that God is just as picky about you (His chosen one) today as He was about His chosen people back then. You are His worship place; He dwells in you, and He has a plan for the temple He has given you.

If you daily seek God, you will find that He will give you detailed instructions. Some instructions are lasting, some are seasonal and some are for the moment; but He has a design, a purpose and a bunch of awe-inspiring accents that He wants to carve into your life. But, you have to be obedient and let Him wield the hammer.

In my life, God has given me finite laws that go beyond the 10 Commandments. The 10 commandments are the basic moral foundation for all humanity; however, God's children have very explicit commandments. These laws shape our temples and make us a unique and fruitful creation fashioned by God: "A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree" (Proverbs 11.28 MSG).

I've come to realize that a God-shaped life is a very disciplined life. I have a list of things that I can't do. I sacrifice those things for God because I know that He has amazing blessings for me that far outweigh what I have given up for Him. I also have a list of things that I must do, but I have found joy that is not based on my circumstances. I now enjoy doing tasks that I once deemed as boring, difficult or trivial. I trust God, and I want Him to mold me; otherwise, I'll be molded by the world or the insignificance of my own understanding.

So my encouragement to you when God tells you to give up something or to do something is that there is a purpose. God has a plan, and He has to make a particular pattern in your life because He is creating your temple to hold the beauty and power of His glory. And realize that your pattern will be different from other people; but don't worry, they're getting shaped in other ways.

Do you want your life to be filled with God's glory? Do you want to be more than a stubby "stump" stuck in the trappings of this world? Then forget about what everyone else is doing and live within the parameters that God has tailored to your life. Stay focused on how the Holy Spirit is leading you this day and stay obedient to where He is directing the fullness of your life. Walk in discipline; and at the end of your days on earth, your life will be a gorgeous, fruit-filled tree.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12.11 NIV).

Internet Cafe: Confusing One-liners

I enjoy jogging on a certain main street in my neighborhood. A lot of joggers, skateboarders, and cyclist make their way down this road. The etiquette while jogging is to nod and say hello as you pass another jogger. If one is feeling very festive, she can try to squeeze in a fast one-liner during the few seconds of contact.

For example, one could say, “Windy day. Can’t wait to go back the other way” or “I forgot that summer has arrived already” or “Wonder if I can call a cab to pick me up.” These are quick little remarks that entertain the joggers as they sweat out all their frustration and that morning’s donut. The comments are not terribly witty or remarkable; rather, they mainly work as creative little fillers.

I always wear my headphones and jam out to Christian music while I jog. So whenever I see another jogger in the distance, I turn off the music so I can respond to whatever is being said or I can make a remark if so inclined.

However, one particular afternoon I didn’t want to turn off my radio. I was in a runner’s groove, and I didn’t feel like slowing down to look at my IPod. I decided that I would just speak to the passerby with the music playing in my ears. I prepared a quick comment about the weather and rehearsed it in my head. I was confident that I could give my small one-liner, make eye contact with the jogger and continue running my course. Simple.

Since the music was so loud in my ears, I really couldn’t hear how I sounded, but it was obvious the other jogger had no idea what I had said. All I saw as I ran past him was an expression of confusion and a little shock on his face. I’m horrified to think about what noises came out of my mouth.

Many times we as Christians do the same thing. We want to tell someone about Jesus, but we are listening to the loud noises of the world and we are unable to articulate clearly. We want to explain our relationship with Christ, but our words come out all jumbled and confused. Sometimes our entire life is one chaotic mess because we can’t distinguish God’s voice from amongst the world’s racket.

I’ve realized that in my own walk with God, I have had to tune out a lot of the world. Much of what I filter is not necessarily deemed as evil – it’s just distracting. Once I started turning down the ruckus filling my ears, I was much better at hearing from the Lord. When I could hear God’s voice, I became better at sharing His insights with others.

I know that God’s grace covers all my mess-ups, but I would like to do a better job at focusing my radar on Him. I want to clearly hear God’s voice, so He can do a mighty work in my life. If I could be diligent enough to tune-out the world’s transmissions, my ears will have greater ability to receive God’s holy signal, which is filled to overflowing with truth and promises.

What about you? What distractions can you tune out of your life, so you can better hear from God? What changes can you make that will keep your radar alert to His plan?

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding”
(Job 37.5 NIV).

You can also read this at the Internet Cafe.

Writers' Grace

Many times after I write a post based on an insight that the Holy Spirit has given me, people will mention another aspect of the insight that I didn't explore. Or I read posts that describe beautiful, God-given insights, and I will discover a different angle based on their research. It seems that no matter what I read or write, there is always more to it.

People who write about godly insights offer up their efforts only to realize that they've come up short. We will never be able to describe the fullness of every God-given insight. There will always be a different angle, a different aspect, a different interpretation, a different application and a different relevancy. This realization can cause writers to shirk back or give up. Why would we continue writing on matters that we will never be able to fully explain? Why do we willingly risk getting attacked, condemned, criticized and humiliated?

I've come to a few conclusions that help me claim Writers' Grace.

First, the Word of God is living: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4.12 NIV).

God's Word doesn't change, but I believe that it is organic like a beautiful tree. Its roots run deep, its branches stretch wide, its limbs reach high, each leaf is unique and each fruit tastes different! Therefore, when I describe a God-given insight, I'm only able to write about what I could capture. The tree is too much, too powerful, too awe-inspiring for me to do it justice, but I can explain the little bit that the Holy Spirit has given me.

I love the book of Job, especially in chapters 40 & 41 when God finally speaks up after remaining silent for so long. God gives Job a glimpse of His magnitude, and Job is overwhelmed. Job replies, "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42.3b NIV). Even Job who was "blameless and upright," felt inadequate to understand the works of God (Job 1.1 NIV). So I've decided not to worry about having the fullness of God's knowledge because it's not possible. I just want to make sure that I get all the insights that God has prepared for me.

Second, if we knew everything we wouldn't need God. God gives us tidbits of His yummy insights as we draw near to Him. The more we eat of God's Tree of Life, the more we crave it. Yet, we will never be able to consume the entire Tree. So every Christian writer needs to wave a white flag and admit that she doesn't know everything and she never will. Also, we need to give each other some "plate room." We look at another Christian's plate and complain that he is consuming different leaves than we are, so somehow his spiritual food is wrong. However, many times the leaves on his plate were plucked from the same branch that we got our leaves from.

Third, our lack of understanding keeps us reliant on others. It's easy to feel super-spiritual when we are by ourselves; though, once we are around people for a while, it becomes painfully obvious that we still have a lot of growing to do. God wants us to learn from each other; otherwise, He would have ended the commandment at "Love the Lord your God" and not have added "'Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22.37-39 NIV).

I imagine Christians who seek godly insights as collectors of the Tree of Life. They each have their arms loaded with different leaves, fruits, bark and soil. When I learn from them, I acquire all the treasures that they have found. I enlarge my image of the Tree. As long as their treasures come from the Source, who am I to judge if their leaves come from a different part of the tree than mine? In fact, the broader my collection spans, the better understanding I will have of the Tree's greatness.

I love the story found in Mark about the disciples who ran to Jesus to tattle tale on an unknown man driving out demons in Jesus' name. Jesus' reply was interesting: "'Do not stop him,' Jesus said. 'No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us'" (Mark 9.39-40 NIV).

This story is where I found my Writers' Grace. If we, as writers, are driving out the Enemy in people's lives and bringing them closer to Jesus, we are on the right track. If we are sitting with God and gaining His insights, it doesn't matter what side of the tree they come from. No single person can know the breath and depth of God's knowledge. No single person will have the end-all to one insight. What a relief!

So before we go criticizing others who are willing to expose themselves as fools for God, we need to ask ourselves this: "Is this insight rooted in the Tree of Life? Does this insight point to Jesus? Are people being drawn to Jesus because of this insight?" We can apply this same standard to individuals, churches, ministries, etc. They might not be a part of our little circle of influence, but they could be a part of God's unending circle of influence.

Internet Cafe: Taste God’s Good

My daughter is now 15 months old, and it seems that the third child grows way too quickly. She now says several words. One of her favorite words to say is “food.” Whatever I give her – oatmeal, a sandwich, chicken or a cookie – she calls it food.

I wanted to start distinguishing each food item, but I could tell that the advancement in communication would be too much for her. She just caught onto what “food” means, and I wouldn’t want to confuse her. Food is the stuff that she puts in her mouth when her tummy rumbles. That’s all she needs to know right now.

While watching my daughter eat, I thought of verse, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34.8a NIV).There are so many goodnesses of God, and many times I never bother to distinguish them. I just call every aspect of His awesome character “good.” However, I do want to start recognizing the many qualities of His divine nature. I want to understand the taste of each blessing.

If God forgives me for a wrong that I continually commit, I want to claim His mercy. If God reveals something beautiful through me, I want to claim His glory. If God does the impossible in my life, I want to claim His grace. And if God redeems a wrong that has been forced on me, I want to claim His justice.

God does so many good things for me and through me every day, and I want to passionately point out each one and name it. I think if I can start recognizing the many flavors of His goodness, I will learn more about how amazing our God is. I want to taste each blessing and savor each flavor.

I desire to become a spiritual food connoisseur for God. How about you? What has God tasted like lately? Can you distinguish the many flavors of His goodness?

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2.2-3 NIV).


You can also read this devotional at Internet Cafe!

Kingdom Purpose Movement

I wrote in my Shutter Island Moment that compared to God's perfection we are all monsters. However, I want to emphasize that all Christians are called to a life of perfection through a friendship with Christ. We are suppose to be different from the world, and our lives should reflect God's glory. There is a large gap between just being forgiven by Christ and being perfected in Christ. Christians should be on the path to perfection, headed toward Christlikeness.

Many Christians receive salvation through Christ, but they don't pursue a relationship with Him; therefore, their lives blend in with the cultural norm. Other Christians receive salvation and pursue good-works rather than relationship with Christ. Good works become idols instead of an outward product of an inward fellowship.

As Christ's disciples, we are called to become like Him. We can not become like Jesus from our own effort. It must be the Holy Spirit working in us (Philippians 1.6 and 2.13). When Christians passionately pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus, their lives will be sanctified (set-apart) and will produce God-centered good works (Ephesians 2.10 and John 17.19).

The question is, "How do we move from being Monsters (selfish nature) towards Perfection (Christlikeness)?"

My first inclination is to say love. If we love Christ enough, we will automatically begin to take on His likeness. However, we could love Jesus in heaven. We don't need to have this earth and this temporal life to love Jesus. If love would get us from point A to point B, why wouldn't God just call us all to heaven now?

There has to be a reason Jesus walked this earth and we walk this earth. This creation must serve His purpose in perfecting us.

I write a lot about our Kingdom Purpose. I believe God has an awesome, powerful Kingdom Purpose for each of us. God taught me a lot about His overall Kingdom Purpose and our individual Kingdom Purposes when I did my 7-day fast. If you haven't read my meditation on what I learned, you can find it at Fast to Feast. During this fast, God gave me one of Jesus' parables to meditate on, and it was about His Kingdom. Did you know that God's Kingdom is one of the topics that Jesus discussed most? Why so much emphasis about our Kingdom Purpose?

What I would like to suggest is that God's Kingdom Purpose is what moves us from Monster to Perfection, from sinful nature to Christlikeness. Let me explain why.

God created this earth and gave us dominion over it (Genesis 1.26 and Psalm 115.16). Jesus uses the Parable of the Talents to illustrate that we will each be given a portion of His Kingdom (Matthew 25.21). Therefore, God obviously has given us a portion of control over this earth for a reason. He wants us to have territory and use our authority to expand it (1 Chronicles 4.10 NIV).

What I'm realizing through researching the Scriptures is that our Kingdom Purpose is essential to our lives on this earth. It draws us closer to God and shapes us into the image of Christ. Sadly, though, many Christians are hopelessly kingdomless. They have no idea why they are on this earth and, therefore, become easy prey for the Enemy. We lose our focus if we haven't got a focal point.

I'm learning that the more God gives me a clearer vision of my own Kingdom Purpose, the more I draw closer to Him. Because I know that there is absolutely no way that I could achieve my Kingdom Purpose alone. I must keep in step with the Spirit. And this is why the Kingdom Purpose moves us towards Christlikeness -- it forces us to commune with God. If you are serving a purpose and it seems easy enough to do alone, I don't think you've reached the height of what God wants to do through you.

I believe that besides ignorance and apathy, the number one hindrance preventing us from achieving our Kingdom Purpose is covetness. The world has it's own degrees of what is meaningful and what is not; however, this hierarchy does not fit in with God's vision. We get into trouble when we start idolizing a particular Kingdom Purpose instead of fulfilling our own. Whether we are front-porch disciple makers or TV evangelist, we all have equal freedom to multiply our Talents and further God's Kingdom.

We each have God's glory waiting in us in the form of our Kingdom Purpose. We just have to obediently unleash it. This power is the greatest force that will shape us into Christlikeness. Our Kingdom Purpose can only be accomplished if we lean on God, obey His commands and desire Him more than anything. I think that is why in the Bible God many times claims beauty over the ugliness of His children. He knows what they could be if only they strive to accomplish the purpose that He has created them to serve.

What about you? Have you asked God specifically what is your Kingdom Purpose? Has God carved out a territory for you that makes you cling to Him? Do you think it is important for individuals to know that their lives have meaning?

"In accord with his original intent, the heavenly Father has in fact prepared an individualized kingdom for every person, from the outset of creation. That may seem impossible for us. But we do have a very weak imagination toward God, and we are confused by our own desires and fears, as well as by gross misinformation. It is a small thing for him." - Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

Transitions in the Road

My newest devo on GBD Ministry Site. Check out the other new ones here. If you would like to submit, go here!

I had to put my rollerblading on hold for about six years while my husband and I were growing our family. I enjoyed rollerblading a lot in my twenties, and it was so nice to finally be able to strap on my blades and hit the pavement. It took me several days of skating for my body and mind to remember how it was done.

I also noticed that I was a lot more carful skating than when I was in my twenties. I have a lot more responsibilities as a wife, mother and Jesus disciple; and I have people counting on me. Though I know life will go on as usual even if I did get hurt, I wasn’t going to purposely jump into any life-halting accidents.

As I rollerbladed, I was very careful during the transitions in the road. When the sidewalk gave way to the street, there were lots of bumps and rocks on my path. I had to focus my eyes directly on the path in front of me and slow down so I wouldn’t fall. Once I crossed the street and continued back on the sidewalk, I was able to look to the horizon and skate faster. Right before skating through another intersection, I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Be careful during the transitions in the road.”

God knows me so well. I tend to get an idea of God’s vision for me and charge full-steam ahead. However, when my life is in transition, I need to be cautious. I must pray about every detail, because the Enemy puts out many stumbling blocks when he thinks we are not looking. The Enemy doesn’t want us to change. He wants us to fall flat on our faces and give up. Transitions in our spiritual walk are very special. They signify a growth into Christlikeness; however, they are a bit chaotic.

As God entrusts us with more, we need to take great pains to seek God’s will more. As Christian leaders, people are looking to us for guidance. If we see a transition in the road, we need to slow down, stay clear of the bumps and rocks and keep our eyes focused on God.

Memory Verse:
“He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.”
- Proverbs 2.7-8

Prayer Prompt:
“Father, please guide me every day, especially during seasons of transition in my life. I want to continuously cling to You, Lord, so I do not absently fall into the Enemy’s schemes. I know that You will protect me if I stay obedient to Your guidance. And If I do happen to fall, You provide me with grace and mercy to get back up and continue on my path. Reveal to me areas of my life that I haven’t sought out Your will, including…”

Contributing Writer:
Alisa Hope Wagner

Blogging: A Higher Purpose

It is interesting to me that so many Christians feel led to blog. We don't blog because we have so much spare time on our hands. Most of us sacrifice a lot of personal free time in order to keep our blogs updated. We blog because we have a God-given desire to share. God is calling us to write about our experiences. Our words might not seem interesting or even relevant, but we obediently punch away on our keyboards.

Are we wasting our time? Or is there some higher plan that God is organizing behind the scenes of heaven?

I don't think God is surprised by the number of Christian bloggers. I think He's the reason.

I opened my home to a Bible study last night. It was nice seeing all of my friends; but when the study started, I quietly went back upstairs. I had some writing to do.

When it was over, I helped clean up and said goodbye to all of the women. I also walked my new friend, Michelle, to her car. She has the spiritual gift of prophecy, and she told me many of her stories about ministering in the spiritual realm. She has had visions, dealt with evil spirits, prayed for healings and much more. She obviously is gifted, but I could tell she was uncomfortable talking about it. She didn't want me to think she was weird.

On the contrary, I was excited to hear about her experiences. The Bible speaks so much about the spiritual realm, but it seems that Christians say so little of it. Paul says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6.12 NIV). I'm sure most Christians have had some experience dealing with spiritual forces, but like Michelle, they fear being labeled as "weird."

Then Michelle went on to share some of her prayer request to me -- one of which was to journal. For several years God has been calling her to journal, but she didn't understand why and she never took that step of obedience.

From my perspective, I could easily understand why God would want her to journal. God calls us to teach our children the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 11.19 NIV), but I fear the current generations have dropped the ball. There is a new crop of Christians that have the Bible and the Holy Spirit, but they are completely lost about how to draw closer to God, serve their purpose and live victoriously.

Don't get me wrong, I know the Holy Spirit will teach them and the Bible will form their foundation, but the Bible says that "many advisers make victory sure" (Proverbs 11.14 NIV) and that "A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence" (2 Corinthians 13.1 NIV).

How much easier would it be to confront the unknown when you have many Spirit-led Christian experiences to glean from? We have to remember that God uses the Bible, the Holy Spirit and others to achieve His perfect will. We are designed to need each other. We can't expect to be victorious if we isolate ourselves. We each make up a piece of the Body of Christ (church) according to our design and purpose. We have a much better perspective of God when we can see Him through the eyes of a multitude of Christians.

I finally told my friend, "You need to journal so you can empower the next generation. You can provide them with a tool that will help them to battle against and with spiritual forces."

She was shocked by my reply. She had also told the Bible study about her prayer request. She felt like God was telling her that if she didn't journal, she would be harming herself and others. The women didn't understand. How could Michelle harm others if she didn't journal? Without her journal (brimming with amazing victories in the spiritual realm) many Christians will be facing battles without "advisers." God wants to make sure His children are prepared.

I'm discovering that God is calling Christians to produce media that will empower and teach the following generations how to live for Christ. The line between what is holy and common is dividing, and lukewarm will disappear. Christians are going to jump over to the holy side, but they are going to need help. Some day the church will be called away from this earth, and all that will be left of us is our music, movies, books and blogs that we felt called to produce. It is imperative that we leave as many bread crumbs leading to the cross as possible.

So continue to diligently write on your blogs. You will never know how many people you will lead to Christ once you are gone.

"Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?" (Romans 15.1-2 The Message).