It Ain't About You – 1 Kings 20:13

13 Just then a lone prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, "God's word: Have you taken a good look at this mob? Well, look again - I'm turning it over to you this very day. And you'll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am God."

– 1 Kings 20:13

It Ain't About You

A lone prophet – a no-name messenger of God – a holy man whose first name was "A" and whose last name was "Lone" approached the king with a word from God Himself.  Mr. Lone (the prophet) is forever established in God's Holy Word, but his name is never revealed.  Not one byline, not a footnote, no asterisk, not even a single commentary line (as far as I've been able to find).

This person, recognized as a man of God, someone who had a very real and personal love-relationship with God, and who was willing to put himself out there and deliver a message to the king, that would give him the  strategy he needed to win a war against a formidable enemy, will forever be known as "A Lone."  Without Mr. Lone's delivered  and convincing message, King Ahab and all of the army of Israel would have surely been defeated.  

The need for recognition is a key tool that the enemy uses to drive a wedge between God's people and to stir up division in the church.  He (the devil) knows that our egos are so fragile that if we don't get a "Thank You" from the pulpit, or a mention in the bulletin, or worse – if someone else gets recognized and we don't (GASP!), then our attention and our energies will be diverted from developing our own love-relationship with God, into gossiping, and bickering, and leaving our church in search for somewhere we can be appreciated for all our hard work.  It sounds petty right?  That's because it is petty!

In this day and age of American Idol, and YouTube sensations, and instant uploads, and Facebook, and Twitter, self promotion and the need for recognition is sweeping the globe.  We marvel at humility like it's a golden nugget that has suddenly been discovered in a field of potatoes – a rare gem amongst the commonplace stories of me, me, me, and a little bit more of me.  

How did we get to such a state?  How did we let the enemy lie to us in such a way that we have created idols out of ourselves, thinking more of our own accomplishments than caring about what God could do with our talents and abilities, if we would just take our eyes and ears off of how great we think we are, and put them back where they belong . . . on how Great our God is?  What a great message we would deliver if everything we did, all of our efforts, all of our accomplishments, were offered up to God as sacrifices of Praise to His Name and to His Glory!  If we all would recognize the One who gave us our abilities in the first place and diverted ALL attention to Him, the enemy would run away with his tail between his legs and not come back!

So think about it . . . pray about it . . . then take a lesson from Mr. A. Lone, and give your best to God and let Him be your fame!  Now THAT would be worthy of some recognition.

Prayer

Father, Thank You for Your Word today.  Thank You for reminding us that You are worthy of all Glory and all recognition.  Forgive us for being so self-serving and for letting our egos get in the way of the great work You want to do through us.  Help us to walk, and talk, and work with each other in true Humility and Grace, seeking only Your Favor and desiring, in all things, to build our love-relationship . . . with You.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Win the War! – 1 Kings 20:11

11 The king of Israel countered, "Think about it - it's easier to start a fight than end one."

– 1 Kings 20:11

Win the War!

The devil is a bully!  He isn't even a very good bully, but he does his best to start battles and to take our focus off of the fact that we've already won the war.  Our battle has already been fought. Jesus came down off that cross and marched right down the center aisle of Hell's main street and punched the devil in the nose and then He snatched the keys of death out of his ugly, little, gnarled hand.  He then turned around, walked calmly and confidently back to the tomb, took a short nap, and then burst forth from the tomb in permanent, unwavering, complete and unchallengeable Victory!

So why is it that we let the enemy goad us into doubting and fear? I think that for most of us, we tend to look at the immediate threat in front of us – and really – who can blame us?  I mean, the enemy uses every trick in his book of confusion, deception, and distraction (the CDD), to keep us focused on the temporary things of "life" and if he can divert our attention long enough, we'll forget the fact that we already have the Victory.

The enemy uses things like sickness, and finances, and relationships, to cause us to worry, and stress out, and freak out, and well . . . to pay more attention to him than to our Savior, Jesus Christ.  OK, so let's be realistic . . . cancer is very real, and death is VERY real, and losing a job is SO real, and being stabbed in the back, or gossiped about, or being lied to, or cheated, are all very, very real things that we face every day.  We can't avoid them, and there's nothing we can do to stop them, and when we are in the middle of experiencing them, if we're not careful, they will consume every ounce of energy we have.  This makes the enemy VERY happy (if evil can ever BE happy).

We have to learn, no matter what very real attack it is that we're under, if we will STAY focussed on Jesus, if we will STAY in the Word, and grow our love relationship with Him, HE WILL SEE US THROUGH!  He will give us the strength we need, and HE WILL PROVIDE A WAY for us to get through our circumstances.  we have to have the faith that HE WILL, and that faith has to be unwavering and unyielding, no matter what we can physically see in front of us.  

Our faith in Christ has to be so strong that we can confidently say, JESUS WILL . . . "But If Not" . . . I STILL have the Victory because my future is decided and I will be with my Lord.  When all is said and done . . . when the battlefield has been cleared and the casualties counted, when the final trumpet has been sounded, I will stand in Victory with my Lord because the Battle is His, and He already won the war.

Prayer

Father, this life is filled with so many hard things.  Help us to stay focussed on the Victory that we have in You.  Thank You for already fighting the battle and winning the war.  Thank You for defeating the devil and for giving us eternal Peace with You.  Thank You for Loving us so much.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

So . . . What Are You Doing Here? – 1 Kings 19:9

9 When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep. Then the word of God came to him: "So Elijah, what are you doing here?"

– 1 Kings 19:9

So . . . What Are You Doing Here?

What a great question!  I love the way God—the God of the Angel Armies; the God who knows everything; the God who directs our paths and gives us purpose—asks us questions He already knows the answer to.  I think He does it so we can hear for ourselves how pathetic we sound as we hang our head, look at our shuffling feet, shrug our shoulders, and meekly whisper "nuthin."

God has given each one of us an assignment.  Each assignment is planned out and set up according to the capacity God has given us to successfully accomplish it, and He leaves it up to us to make sure that it is completed according to His plan and purpose.  The problem we run into is that sometimes, we are only wiling to go so far before we get tired and decide it's time to take a spiritual nap.

For example, you know in your heart that God has called you to teach a Bible study class, and for years you have faithfully served, and while at first, it was a joy to do the prep-work and you delighted in seeing those eager faces each Sunday morning, but lately it has become more of a drag than a delight.  You've lost the enthusiasm, the drive, and the desire as you've seen your class numbers dwindle and the students no longer seem to care.  So you decide to take a break for a while, even though you haven't been given clear direction from God to take a break, you take one anyway, reasoning that when you've become refreshed you'll start up again.

Here's another:  God has directed you to a new church; one that is vibrant, and growing rapidly, and the Holy Spirit is moving in people's hearts each week.  You're excited about your new church, and it's great to see God moving and to see peoples lives changing, but you haven't gotten involved and your reasoning is that you just want to observe for a while, even though you know God sent you to there to be more than just a seat warmer.  You figure that you'll wait until someone asks you for help, but until then, you'll just enjoy the great ride.

In each of those cases God wants to know . . . "What are you doing here?"  He's asking because you're sure not doing what He's called you to do.  He figures you must have a very good reason for ignoring the plan He's given you.  I mean, your own plan must be pretty good if it trumps God's plan – right?  Hmmmm . . . I don't think so.

It's time to be who and what God created us to be – and there are many more examples of ways we shirk our God-given responsibilities and the reasons probably even sound pretty convincing. The plain and simple truth however, is that It's time to wake up from that nap and to carry out the work we were designed for.  It's time to BE Christians and to continue DOING Christ's work so that God's plan for our lives can blossom and shine in the fullness of His Glory.  It's time to let God know that we will continue doing what He's called us to do, even when we're tired, or when no one else seems to care, or if life is just too hard at the moment, or whatever else you can think of . . . It's time to fulfill our purpose as servants of the Most High God.  

If everyone purposed to do the work God designed them to do, this world would be much different and the church would lead the way in showing the Love of Christ from one end of the earth to the other.  Wouldn't that be a great answer to God's question?

Prayer

Father, forgive us for the times when we look at our circumstances and we make them bigger than You.  Help us to remember that Your work is more important than our will.  Renew in us the passion for serving so that You will never have to ask us what it is that we are doing.  Let Your plan and purpose override our pettiness,  My You be Glorified in all that we do!

Have a Blessed weekend everyone!

– Richard

Keep Looking – 1 Kings 18:43

43 Then he said to his young servant, "On your feet now! Look toward the sea." He went, looked, and reported back, "I don't see a thing." "Keep looking," said Elijah, "seven times if necessary."

– 1 Kings 18:43

Keep Looking

Your blessings is on the way!  The answer to your prayers is fast approaching – it's just beyond the horizon, and you might not be able to see it yet, but rest-assured, it's coming.  Your Victory is marching with purpose, and it's drawing strength, and gaining momentum from your faithful, ever-expecting heart.

God-things come to those who wait, but today's scripture verse reminds us that we must be "on our feet" and we must take an active and persistent watch until our "God-thing" comes into clear focus.  We can't sit back and expect God to do all the work.  There is a partnership that must take place in order for God to move on our behalf.  He wants to see our faith in action, our willingness to serve, and our belief that He is God and His blessings occur when He wills and not when we want. God needs us to do our part, despite the troubled waters we are wading through, or the raging sea we seem to be drowning in, or the apparent grave that is closing in around us.  He needs us to expect with certainty and to know with all knowledge that no mater what, He has heard our prayers and His answer will come at just the right time.

Are you looking for your Blessing to come?  Keep Looking!

Have you had an eye out but you just can't see a change yet?  Keep Watching!

Does the hole you're in seem to be getting deeper and deeper?  Keep Digging!

Keep marching!  

Keep swimming!  

Keep serving!  

Keep smiling!

Above all . . . Keep Believing!  

God has your answer coming!  He is faithful to the faithful and He watches for the watchful. He is a good God and He loves you so very much and He knows exactly what you need and when you need it.  You just need to keep looking, seven, or eight, or eleventy nine times if necessary.  Before you know it, a small cloud, a whisper in the wind, a hint of change will form on the horizon, and your "God-thing" will appear, exactly at the right time.

Prayer

Father, Your timing is perfect and even though we tend to look at our circumstances and focus the immediate problem, You know the exact time to bring the solution.  Help us to be faithful in our watching and to not let what's apparent draw our attention away from You.  Help us to keep moving forward in expectation and with faithful and exuberant hearts as You work out the details of the answer to our prayers.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Mighty Persistant Prayer – 1 Kings 17:21

21 Three times he stretched himself out full-length on the boy, praying with all his might, "God, my God, put breath back into this boy's body!"

– 1 Kings 17:21

Mighty Persistant Prayer

How persistant is your prayer life? When the heavy things of life – the real, nasty, drag-you-down, choke-the-life-out of you disasters, that the enemy has sent your way just so he can watch you squirm, things of life come at you – how do you pray?  Is yours a "one-and-done" kind of prayer?  Maybe it's a quiet, timid, barely audible plea for "breadcrumbs" so you can "endure" or "just get through."  Or . . . do you take a page from Elijah's book of crazy prayer and you pray mighty, shout at the top of your lungs, don't give up until you get an answer kind of prayers?

I've learned over the years that while there are certainly times when a quiet, humble, and reverent prayer is appropriate, the times when life is hardest, and the enemy is breathing down your back, and you're running fast but going nowhere . . . a mighty warriors cry . . . a lose-your-voice shouting session . . . a "I'm not letting go until I get an answer!" time of prayer is necessary.  Letting all your energy go into letting God know how much you need help.

Now don't get me wrong . . . God knows your every need.  He sees, and He knows, and He's ready to bring relief when HIS time is right.  But sometimes, I believe God wants to see your passion.  He wants to see you stand up and fight for your blessing, or your miracle, or your Victory!  He designed you and me with the ability to burst forth from the every-day, self-controlled, politically-correct, prim-and-proper composure that we tend to approach Him with during our "normal" quiet times.  I believe sometimes God wants to see the primal you, and He wants you to see it in yourself.  He wants you to know how passionate you can be when you're backed into the corner of a terrible spiritual battle.  He wants you to see that it is in you to have Victory!  It is in you to be a Kingdom Warrior!  It is in you to release Holy Power and to Rage against the best the enemy can muster!

God created you and me with His passion and with the ability to go beyond ourselves.  Wouldn't it stand to reason that He likes to see us come to Him with everything we have in us – especially when we are facing the terrible things of life?  He put it in us . . . sometimes . . . it's best to just let "it" out . . . for Him.

Prayer

Father, You created in us the emotion, and the passion, and the ability to be Powerful and Victorious. Help us to get past our inhibitions and to reveal the raw core of who we are when we come into Your presence.  Help us to not be afraid or to think it's inappropriate to show our emotions, especially when we are hurting and need You so badly.  Thank You for hearing from Heaven and for being ever-ready to receive our hearts cry.

Have a Blessed (and passionate) day everyone!

– Richard

Inquiring Minds Want To Know – 1 Kings 10:1

1 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and his connection with the Name of God. She came to put his reputation to the test by asking tough questions.

– 1 Kings 10:1

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

Your reputation precedes you.  We've all heard the saying but as a Christian, have you given much thought to how the people in your circle of influence keep vigilant watch over your actions and your reactions?  Oh yes . . . they are watching; observing your "Christianity" and they're formulating hard questions that will put your reputation to the test.  They might never approach you to satisfy their curiosities, nor may they ever demand an explanation from you, but as they watch you go about your day-to-days, you are giving clear answers to their tough questions – not just about your life, but about Christians and Christianity as a whole. 

"So what!" you might say?  "I don't have anything to hide!" you could argue?  You might even shout at the top of your voice, "My life is an open book and I'm not ashamed of the Gospel!"

All very good and appropriate responses . . . but at the same time, therein lies the problem.  Your reputation as an upstanding, God-fearing, Gospel preaching Christian is the very reason people are watching.  And for a lot of folks, right or wrong, their motive for watching isn't to find out more about this great Christian life that you claim to have, it's to catch you in those moments when maybe your witness is more Chaos than Christian; those times when the stresses and hard things of this life have you acting less like Jesus and behaving more like Judas.

We all have those moments. No one is immune from "life" happening at the most inopportune time, catching us at our weakest and our worst, behaving badly in one moment and then proclaiming Christ in the next.  It's how we handle those moments of weakness that will provide the right answer to those tough questions.  It's about helping others to understand that while we are not "of" this world, we still live in it and are subject to the same stresses and hardships as everyone else.  It's about having the wisdom to convey hope, despite our failures – the Hope of a Savior who helps us to rise above the challenges and to go on. To just keep swimming (as our Youth Pastor so eloquently put it this past Sunday), while we are struggling—never giving up—never losing sight of the Promise we have in Christ!

Inquiring minds want to know, and it is through our living and how we push through our failures that the answers will come.  It is because of our Victories that our reputations will be put to the test, but it is our connection with the Name of God—the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and the Father who lives in and through each and every one of us—that will more than satisfy any tough question that may arise.  So be mindful that there are those who are watching . . . observing . . . taking notes, and formulating tough questions.  The answers that come from the way you handle your successes, but mostly how you handle your failures, may just convince someone that they need Christ – and all of heaven will rejoice as another soul is saved by the Love and the Grace of God.

Prayer

Father thank You for those who watch; for their curiosity and their tough questions.  May my life reflect Your Grace as I overcome my failures.  May the answers that come from my actions show the abundance of Your Love and Your willingness to walk side-by-side with a sinner like me.  I give my day to You and I pray for the wisdom of Your Holy Spirit to act and react in a way that causes others to inquire about my connection with the Name of God.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

What Do You Want? – 1 Kings 3:9

9"Here's what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?" 

– 1 Kings 3:9

What Do You Want?

When you pray, what kind of things do you ask for? Do you ask for healing?  Maybe a new job?  Perhaps your prayers are for the safety and well-being of friends or family members.  All of these are good and worthy prayers and I'm sure God hears and responds to all of them. But have you ever considered praying for a God-listening heart?  It might sound something like this:

Lord, may my motives, and my desires—every thought, and every intention—all my hopes and my dreams be what You want and have planned for my life.  May I be so in tune with Your heart, that my heart beats in the same time, and strength, and frequency. I want what You want for me so that my life will be an example of Your Love, and Your Grace, and Your Victory. I want others to see and to know the good and loving God that I know, so Lord, I pray for more of You in my life. 

I think if that was truly our desire and our prayer, above any other prayer, we would see the healings, and the blessings, and the rest of our prayers be answered as a result.  We would see a transformation take place that would truly impact the world around us.  We would walk in Victory over anything the world can throw at us and God would be glorified and on-display in a real and practical way.

Do you want to be a powerful witness for our Lord?  Do you want to live each day in Victory?  Do you want to hear from God and know and understand His voice?  Me too!  So let's take and implement in our prayer lives, a note from the pages of young King Solomon's life.  Let's pray the wise prayer for a God-listening heart.  Let's pray for what God wants!  Let's see what He can do when our heart beats in tune with His.  

I want that . . . how about you?

Prayer

Father, Give us a God-listening heart so we can live well and lead your children into a deeper and closer relationship with You.  Show us what You desire and have planned for our lives . . . Victorious, Grace-filled, and Blessed lives indeed!

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard