Transition

I am rebooting my blog and website. My wife and I are launching the Identity In Wholeness ministry -- an online community dedicated to living & walking out the fullness of who Jesus created us to be.

There is so much brokenness out there, even in the Body of Christ. Forgiveness is not the same as healing. So often we, even as Christians, are the walking wounded. We want to share the healing with you that the Lord has brought us through.

Our new URL is www.IdentityInWholeness.com. See you on the inside!

“But I Go to Church...”

“I go to church! What else do I need?” Good. I'm glad you go to church. We should. It's hard to have relationship with somebody if you never go to their house. But that's not enough. Not nearly. Because that doesn't make a relationship.

The Bible compares our relationship with God to a marriage. If you're married, try spending only an hour or two a week with your spouse and see how that works. Yeah, you laugh because you know that won't cut it. Not by a long shot. You can't have intimacy with somebody on a few hours a week, and that in a group setting.

If you're not married, I bet you laughed too when you read that sentence. That's not the marriage you hope for – only seeing the person you're spending the rest of your life with once a week for a couple hours.

Yet we're too often content to spend only a few hours a week with the person we're going to spend the rest of our eternity with. That's pretty jacked up.

Church is good, and we need that corporate worship time; it's very important. But we need intimacy with Jesus, just him and us, too. Just like with our spouse. In fact, he wants to be closer than our spouse. No other religion boasts a god who wants that! Woof!

Intimacy Not Insurance

Jesus didn't die to give us salvation. Controversial statement, I know. But it's true. He died to give us relationship with him. Salvation was just the prerequisite.

Jesus didn't die to be our insurance salesman. Often we get distracted away from the intimacy he wants with us right now in this life. We think it's ok because we have a policy with Jesus Christ Mutual Life. But without a lifestyle of intimacy with him, we're not keeping up on the premiums. We're in danger of hearing, “Away from me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). Policy cancelled.

He died to be our Lover-King. Read Song of Songs – that's the kind of personal intimacy with us he wants. Lover close, private intimacy. Yes, we need corporate worship also, there's power there. But we also need that private time – just him and me. Just him and you.

“We [the Father and Jesus] will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23). Catch that? He wants to move in. He's not standing at the door and knocking because he's selling fire insurance or the latest sin vacuum. (Revelation 3:20).

Christianity is about so much more than salvation. There. Is. So. Much. More. It's about a wonderfully unpredictable and adventurous relationship with our Living Lover-King God.

Parental Inversion

Parental inversion is when the child has to be strong for the adult. It's when the adult draws emotional strength from the child. It's rampant in our society because we adults don't know how to be adults. Children, and I include teen-agers where it is especially prevalent, don't know any better – when their parent is hurting, of course they want to be strong for them. But they aren't equipped to be. They aren't supposed to be.

We adults are supposed to be strong for our children. We adults are supposed to show by example the Christian life of long-suffering and self-sacrifice, flowing out of beautiful and rich intimacy with the Lord. When we frequently receive that abundance of his presence directly from him, we can sacrifice to ourselves because we're overflowing with Jesus. We never don't have enough.

But instead, often we don't spend enough time with him (if any) to get that overflow. So we live from crisis to crisis, in fear that we won't have enough. And we pull our children into adult responsibilities and adult concerns that they aren't emotionally equipped to deal with. It breaks the heart of God when children can't be children.

But there's hope for parental inversion. If this is you, get counseling, get help. You cannot do this alone. For your children's sake, if not for your own.

We get out of parental inversion by coming to the place where Jesus is a real person we commune with, and he gives us the emotional support we need, instead of drawing it from our kids. We get out of parental inversion by sacrificing our safety in the crisis. By risking not having enough. By trusting he'll give us enough.

We know he's enough because we've lived it. We put our trust in him when it was all on the line, and he came through. Maybe not how we wanted, but he came through how he wanted and we're still standing. So we can sacrifices ourselves in whatever crisis we face, for the sake of our kids. That's the example they need to see.

The Pig I Have

One morning a rural pastor was out visiting folks in his congregation and had this conversation with a poor farmer.

Pastor: “Farmer Brown, if you had two horses, would you give one of them to the Lord?”

Farmer: “Absolutely, Pastor, you know that I would.”

Pastor: “If you had two cows, would you give one of them to the Lord?”

Farmer: “Without thinking twice about it, in a heartbeat, Pastor.”

Pastor: “If you had two pigs, would you give one of them to the Lord?”

Farmer: “Well, now, Pastor, that's not fair. You know I have two pigs.”

(Kudos to Pastor David Sauer for this great story.)

We're happy to give God what we don't have. “Lord, if you let me hit the lottery, I'll give you a million dollars, pay off the church's property, and then I'll start tithing. And since I won't have to work, I'll spend 4 hours a day praying and worshipping, reading my Bible, and communing with you.”

But God doesn't want the horse or the cow we don't have. He wants the pig we do have. He knows our schedule. He doesn't want the million dollars or the 4 hours a day we don't have. Or even the hour a day we don't have. He wants the 10 minutes a day, even the 5 minutes a day, that we do have.

Let's start there. Let's start daily. With something. No guilt, we're not checking a box here. Just giving him what we do have.

That's how you build intimacy with the Lord. That's how relationship starts. Spend that daily time, just you and him, no matter how small. Faithfully. As you're faithful, you'll be amazed and how faithful he will be in giving you more time. Watch it grow. Tell me in the comments what happens.

Seasons of Our Lives

Here on the East coast of the United States, we're finally getting some sunshine after literally weeks straight of rain every day. And it's been beautiful springtime in the morning, but scorching summer in the afternoon. With the change of seasons, the Lord is bringing seasons up to my mind and heart.

God works in our lives in seasons – desert seasons, seasons of rest, seasons of growth, seasons of learning, seasons of mentoring, seasons of blessing, seasons of pouring out, seasons of pain, and many more.

One of the enemies greatest deceptions is to get us to believe our current season is forever. Clues that we've fallen into this trap are when we start thinking, “That's just the way I am,” or “That's the way it will always be, I better get used to it.” James says our life is just a vapor (James 4:14). How much more the seasons of our lives! God is a God of healing, restoration, and new things.

Some of my favorite verses about seasons:

“Who is this, coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?” – Song of Songs 8:5

“See, the winter has past, the rains are over and gone.” – Song of Songs 2:11

“Behold, I am making all things new!” – Revelation 21:5

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6. (My wife & I pray this one constantly over our kids.)

I had a friend who had a dream about the leaders in his ministry in a bus. Jesus is driving the bus up a hill, painfully slowly, slower than walking speed. And they are all going, “C'mon, will you hurry up!” But Jesus just grins. Then, when the bus crests the top of the hill, Jesus floors it. Lost in the sudden rush of weightlessness, they are all shouting, “Slow down! Slow down!” Jesus is smiling the whole time.

Sometimes the seasons in our lives seem painfully slow or terrifyingly fast. But God is in control of both. Jesus is driving the bus.

Why the Enemy Is So Afraid of Marriage

I think the enemy is terrified of the human institution of Government. That's why we spends so much energy to subvert it. But even so, God uses governments to bring about his will on the earth. God set up governments as a result of the Fall (Genesis 3), to bring about his justice (Romans 13:1-5). And he uses even ungodly governments to do it.

Satan is really terrified of the Church. The Church, as it stretches throughout history, terrifies the gates of hell. The Church is God's army, bold and mighty, in spite of how she looks to us sometimes, to take back that which was stolen by the kingdom of darkness. The Church represents God's conquest and Satan's doom.

But the institution I think the enemy is really the most afraid of is <<drum roll, please>> the institution of Marriage. Think about it. Every other institution, Government, the Church, etc, was established because of sin. To deal with sin. But Marriage was there first. Marriage is the one institution, the one thing, we still have left over from Eden (Genesis 2).

Healthy marriages and families have power over the enemy like no other institution because Marriage and Family were here first, before sin entered the world. They are the one part of God's perfect design we still possess, if we choose to. No wonder Satan is raging so hard against the institution of Marriage, right down to the core of its very definition.

So pray for your spouse. Pray with your spouse. Pray warfare prayers. Take back what the enemy has stolen from your family. As a couple united in Marriage under God and by God, you have the authority to take it back.

Nevertheless – Gideon

I love the conversation the Lord has with Gideon in Judges 6. Because Israel had turned from the Lord, the Midianites were brutally oppressing them, stealing all their crops. Gideon, in total fear, is threshing wheat hiding in a wine press, trying desperately to hide his precious wheat from the Midianites.

He was trapped. Israel was trapped. Gideon was slogging through the day doing the little he could. living in fear in the middle of an oppressive situation he could do nothing about. And then God shows up. Please forgive my paraphrase:

God: The Lord is with you, Might Man of Valor!

When God shows up, he sees you like you will be, like he wants to make you, not like you currently are, or how you see yourself.

Gideon: Are you talking to me? If the Lord is with us, then why'd all this happen? The Midianites are starving us to death!

Notice he said, “If the Lord is with US...” He couldn't believe the Lord would specifically be with him.

God: About that. Go take out the Midianites. I am with you.

Gideon: Are you talking to me? My clan is the weakest in Israel, and I'm the weakest in my clan!

His homies probably called him, “Lil Gid.”

God: Nevertheless, I am with you. You will defat the Midianites.

God doesn't argue with Gideon about Gideon's excuses. He does something much ruder. He completely ignores them. Nevertheless... None of our excuses matter when God is with us.

Are you trapped in the slog? God has a calling for you; it's on your heart right now. It's beyond your ability, but your weaknesses and inabilities don't matter. God is with you. If you will take the step that's on your heart, God will make it work.

Leave a comment and tell me about it.

Note 1: God's calling never contradicts his word the Bible, and never hurts another person.

Note 2: It's ok to test the calling. Gideon did, twice with a fleece. God passed the test both times. It's ok to say, “Ok God, if you're calling me to do this, I need this situation to work out.” Maybe this situation refers to finances, or relationships, or job, etc. Asking God to confirm his calling won't eliminate the risk, but it'll convince you that it's really God to the point where you can go for it.

Nevertheless – Ananias

Remember the prophet Ananias (Acts 9:10-19) that God sent to pray for Saul (soon to become Paul) to restore his sight, after Saul's Damascus Road experience? I love the conversation Ananias has with God before he goes to pray for Saul.

God: Ananias, go pray for Saul of Tarsus to restore his sight.

Ananias: Um, God, about that. I googled Saul of Tarsus, and you should see his Facebook page! This guy's been persecuting the church big time in Jerusalem, and he's come to do the same thing here in Damascus. You really oughta do your research better.

What was God's response? “Oh gee, thanks, Ananias, you really kept me from making a big mistake on this one. Good thing you're on my team. Anything I can bless for you while I'm here? Ok then, I'm out...”

Not quite. See verses 15-16. God says, “GO!” And he proclaims his calling on Paul's life. (Translation: “Nevertheless!”) He completely ignores all of Ananias' objections. The fascinating thing about this is, everything Ananias said about Paul was true. Ananias was right.

But God didn't care. His calling was bigger than the situation in Paul's life at that moment. And God's calling on your life is bigger than your current situation, too.

Nevertheless – Moses

When God gives us a calling, he really doesn't care about our excuses. We may have real, legitimate, reasons why God's calling/plan is a bad idea and just won't work. And we're free to express them to him, as long as we understand he'll complete ignore them. He ignores our excuses with, “Nevertheless, I will be with you,” and he repeats the calling.

Look at Moses (see Exodus 3:1 – 4:17). Although a former prince, he's on the run and a fugitive from Egypt, hiding out in the desert. God calls him to pop down to Egypt and lead a few million slaves to freedom. Moses has all sorts of legitimate reasons why this is a dumb idea and just won't work.

• “I'm a nobody.” (3:11)
• “The Israelites will say, 'Who sent you?' “ (3:13)
• “They'll never believe me.” (4:1)
• “I don't know to talk in a court of kings. And I stutter. There. I'm genetically deficient.” (4:10)

Although God does answer each of Moses' objections, he really doesn't care about them. He basically ignores them all in and just keeps saying, “Nevertheless, I will be with you.” As if that's supposed to be enough! And it actually is.

God doesn't mind any of Moses' whining. It's when Moses says flat-out, “no please send someone else” (4:13) that God gets angry (4:14).

If it's something God is calling us to do, God will take care of the details, big and small. His presence with us is enough. We just have to stay available and willing to take the leap.

Ending Petition, Beginning Proclamation

“A promise is the end of petition, and the beginning of proclamation.” – Graham Cooke

We pray in petitions when we ask God to do something. A petition is an asking. Petitions are good. Jesus told parables to encourage us to petition. See the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, for example. It begins, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” God wants us to petition.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Often, God gives us a promise about our situation before he actually acts to end or move in our situation. Sometimes it comes as a prophetic word from a friend or pastor. Other times he just drops it in our spirit, especially when we're reading his word.

At that point, it's the end of petition. God has said “yes”, and he has given us a promise, often about how he'll move in the situation. Very often though, his promises don't contain when, out of his great love for us.

Out of his great love for us, he gives us this opportunity to exercise faith and believe him and his promise in the face of our situation. And when we do believe God's promise in the face of the enemy's lies and spin about out situation, it spiritually pokes the enemy in the eye. And it shuts him up.

We still pray about our situation, but the prayer changes from petition to proclamation. We're no longer asking God to do something, we're praying back to him what he said he would do. And in the process, this proclaims his promise to the heavenlies. It gives any demons hoping and working for the contrary fair warning to get out of way. God is about to move.

This is how we practically apply our faith. Pray petitions until you get a promise, and then switch your prayers to proclamation.

Who You Gonna Believe?

Before we act in any given situation, the battle is already determined by who we believe about that situation. God says one thing, and the enemy says another.

Sometimes it can be hard to tell who's saying what, especially when our emotions are jacked up and in overload. But it's considerably easier to tell who's saying what if we stop and ask God.

“Lord, where are you in the middle of this mess?!?”

God has something to say about every human situation and circumstance. He talks in at least 3 ways:

(1) His Word. There is something, somewhere, in the Bible about what you're going through. His word contains promises. Finding and believing the right promise in his word, against the lie the enemy tells us in the situation, is often the strategy for victory.

(2) Your Spirit. God talks to us internally, in our thoughts. With practice, you can learn to discern which thoughts are God's, which are yours, and which are the enemy's lies.

(3) Others. God so values partnership with us that he often speaks to us through other people.

God never contradicts his word, so anything in our spirit or from others that does so isn't from God.

Often the battle is really in our hearts and our minds. When we choose to believe God's promises, especially when they seem impossible and the enemy's lies are so overwhelming, we give God permission to release his power into our situation. Not that he needs our permission, but he's a gentleman and he'll wait for it.

Choosing to believe God often doesn't (immediately at least) change the situation, but it often immediately changes our perception of it. Suddenly it doesn't seem so ominous or hopeless. That's how you have peace in the middle of a hurricane, or in the middle of an emotional nuke, that everyone else marvels at.

Jesus is our peace in the middle of our pain, if we choose to believe him instead of the circumstance.

Peace Keeping Vs Peace Making

For a long time (over a decade), I kept peace in my house at any price. I sacrificed what God told me was right for the sake of peace. I fled from conflict. If something was wrong in my house, and I knew addressing it would lead to a fight, I kept my mouth shut. If my wife was angry, even if her position was diametrically opposed to what God told me, I capitulated to keep peace in my home. And I was wrong do to so. This was cowardly. This was my sin. It devastated our home and our marriage. When I finally learned to stand up, there had been so much water under the bridge, that marriage ended in divorce. Not proud of it, not ok, just fact.

Many husbands do this. It's actually epidemic in our society. Ever hear the phrase, “Happy wife, happy life”? Or how about, “Ain't mama happy, ain't nobody happy”? These are demonic lies from the pit of hell. Do not let them become ingrained in your marriage.

Now, don't jump to the other extreme here. Husbands aren't supposed to be tyrants or overlords, either. Paul compared marriage to the relationship of Christ and the church. It's a helpful analogy. The husband should be the most sacrificial in the relationship, just like Christ sacrificed much more than we the church ever can. But Christ is definitely in charge, as should be the husband.

Matthew 5:9 doesn't say, “Blessed are the peace keepers.” It says, “Blessed are the peace makers.” This applies to all human relationships, not just marriage. Braving the argument and making peace by offering godly terms, boundaries, and solutions—that's what Jesus says is blessed in the beatitudes. Seek the Lord and come in unity to a godly resolution. But don't capitulate to what you know is wrong just to keep a false peace.

“That's Just the Way I Am”

This is my “favorite” ungodly belief. “Favorite” in quotes, because I absolutely hate it when people say this. “I'm just ____ and always will be.” Fill in the blank with your stuff. “Angry.” “Overweight.” “Controlled by out-of-control emotions”. “Addicted to alcohol, porn, drugs, sex, or TV.”

The next word out of my mouth is always, “No.” As kindly as possible, and in love, but “No.”

“No,” that's not who you are.

“No,” that's not how God made you.

“No,” that weakness is not stronger than the blood of Jesus and the work of His Spirit in your life.

Just plain, flat-out “No.”

No, that's not just the way you are. Well, it could be, that's a choice you make. But it doesn't have to be. Not by a long shot. Jesus died so it doesn't have to be.

Freedom is out there, if you want it. Getting free is simple, but it's not easy. It means dying to yourself. It means trusting God, and being willing to risk the consequences if He doesn't come through. Will you take the risk?

I Like Winning Banners

In Song of Solomon 6:4, the Lover (Jesus) calls his Beloved (you and me), “majestic as troops with banners.” Armies carry banners to celebrate battles they've won, and to show off to any potential future adversaries how BA they are.

In the next verse, Song of Songs 6:5, the Lover (Jesus) says to his Beloved (you and me), “Turn your eyes from me, they overwhelm me.” The Lover is saying to his Beloved, “Don't look at me like that – the love in your eyes for me is overwhelming me with emotion and I might lose it,” while he smiles and looks away, so she can't see he's blushing. Jesus is blushing!

When you don't feel like you're winning at all, when life has the better of you, when you're sure you're going down for the last time, when you can't feel His presence, but you still choose His ways and choose to trust Him instead of give place to fear and anxiety – in those times when you felt Nothing but chose Him anyway, He felt Everything! You just won a majestic banner, and He blushed.

I like winning banners. Out of His overwhelmingly great love for us, He puts us in those situations where we feel overwhelmed and don't feel Him at all. So we can win a banner. So we can choose to trust Him instead of dwelling in fear, out of our love for Him, and it makes Him blush!

On that Day when we finally see him face-to-face, the walls of our mansion in Heaven will be decorated with the banners we won in this life in those moments when we trusted Him instead of ourselves or something else. Wow.

Living Intentionally

“Since the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of God has been forcefully advancing and forceful men take hold of it.” Jesus said that in Matthew 11:12, in the middle of talking about John the Baptist. Some translations say “violent” instead of “forceful.” Kind of a weird verse, very counter-intuitive. I mean, after all, I didn't think we were supposed to be violent and forceful – what's that about?!?

We won't get into the Greek word translated “violent” or “forceful” in this post, but I think this speaks to intentionality. It's just so easy to drift through our busy life and forget the Kingdom and why we're here. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus didn't say, “go spread salt and light.” He said, “you are the salt and the light” (my paraphrase). I think Jesus doesn't want us to make a difference as much as be the difference.

Sometimes we try to advance the Kingdom of God by salesmanship. Especially in my country, we Americans are really good at Marketing. But John, in Revelation 12:11, says the saints (us) overcame the beast (the enemy) with (1) the blood of the Lamb, and (2) the word of their testimony. We really don't need to get any more complicated than that – walking in the authority he gave us, and telling people what he's done in our lives.

May you be blessed today as you hear the Holy Spirit in every place you find yourself and are the difference our Lord is calling you to specifically be. What difference is God calling you to be in your office? In your school? In your family? In your church? Tell me in the comments and let's talk about it.

Positional Love

Are you a parent? There's something magical that happens in the moment you become one. When your child is born, you instantly love them more than anything else on the planet. You would from that moment on give your life for them. At least that's how it was for me when each of my children was born.

I love them more than life itself because they are my children, before they've even done anything, either good or bad. Of course, we want our children to make good choices that bring blessing into their lives and not pain. But we love them based on their position to us – simply because they are our children, not based on what they do.

That's how God loves us, based on our position to him, as his sons and daughters, as his children. When we try to earn his love by being good, we're acting like orphans who don't understand their sonship. True sons (and true daughters) live to please their father because they are already secure in his love for them, not to make him love them.

Why Write 1 John?

Why did John write the letter of 1 John? It's not why you might first think. Certainly the theme is the awesome love of God, how God is love, and God defines the very concept of love by who he is. But that's not why John wrote the letter, which is a bit odd. Usually communicating the theme is why an author writes a book (or a letter). But John had a different purpose.

The last verse, 1 John 5:21, at first seems out of place. “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” But this is John's purpose for writing, to turn Christians away from idols, to modify their behavior. John was distressed by the idolatry even among Christians, especially Gentiles. They'd grown up sacrificing and worshipping the family idols, and often continued their family practices after they got saved. They grew up that way, and thought it was normal. (Most of us have unhealed brokenness in our lives that we grew up with, that we think is normal, but that God wants to heal.)

Personally, I'd have used examples from Israel's history. The Old Testament is ripe with examples where idolatry doesn't end well. “Be good or God will punish you!” While it's important for the church to teach holiness, often we come at it from that approach. But that doesn't work; it never has. At best it only builds religion—converting younger brothers in the Prodigal Son parable into older brothers—but both missed their Father's heart.

John takes a completely different approach. After we read five chapters about the incredible love of God, and the Father's heart for us, we read that last verse, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols,” and we think, “Well, duh! Why would I trade the mind-blowing love of God to love a rock? To kiss a stick? No way!” Mission accomplished.

Holiness has to flow out of relationship with Jesus, from being blown away over and over again by our Father's heart for us. Then we change our behavior and don't sin because we just can't live that way—we can't bear to break his heart.

What's the Oil?

Remember Jesus' parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13? They're symbolic of Christians since they're all awaiting the Bridegroom (Jesus). He caught them all by surprise since they all fell asleep. But some had extra oil and some didn't. Those with oil entered the banquet with the Bridegroom while the others were denied admittance.

So what's the oil? What made the difference? IMHO, it's intimacy with Jesus – our private, secret history with the Father. We can't use someone else's – not our pastors, our parents, etc. We have to have our own. Jesus told those without oil, “I never knew you.”

So let's spend time with him, building that private relationship. Not “one more thing I have to do.” Not “checking off my God-box today.” But spending time with our Lover-King, just the two of us. That makes all the difference.

God's Not A Myth

If you're reading blog, you probably don't think God's a myth. But do we act like it? Are we Sunday-morning Christians and Monday-morning atheists?

In the heat of the moment, it's easy to react first and think second. Sometimes our reactions are anything but godly. At that moment, we've forgotten our redeemer lives. We've forgotten he's God even of that moment.

I'm not one to beat myself, or anyone else, up over the one-offs. You know, those single occurrences that don't match the general pattern of our lives. Not saying all our actions aren't important, we never want to give ourselves a “bye” or make an excuse. We want to keep a short tab on those one-offs – confess 'um and get forgiveness quickly and move on.

But I'm more concerned about patterns and habits. Is it our habit to dirty-joke with the guys at work, as if God didn't exist there? Is it our pattern to fly off-the-handle at our kids, spouse, co-workers, or subordinates in a rage? Are we living a lifestyle of sexual impurity? If we have ungodly habits, then, in that area of our lives at least, we're living like God's a myth.

Situational Atheism. We compartment life too much in the West. We've got our God box, our family box, our work box, just to name a few. And we think if our God box is the most important box, we're good. But God doesn't want to be the most important box in our life. He wants to be the most important thing in every box.

Let's invite him into every single area of our life, nothing held back. He gave it all for us, let's give it all to him. And in the end we'll find his love was worth it.

God's View of God

Monday I posted several common views of God. Which does God want to be?

He died on a cross to be our Lover-King. Contrary to popular opinion, he didn't die to give us salvation. Yes, his death on the cross accomplished our salvation, but that wasn't the point. Salvation was just the prerequisite. He died on the cross to give us relationship with himself.

He longs to be our Lover-King. Will you let him?

If something's stopping you, tell me in the comments. Or, if you have that relationship, tell me in the comments. Either way, let's talk about it.

Our View of God

Here are some common views of God. Which can you identify with?

“A myth. Will you religious people get over it?”

“An absent creator, who made the world like winding up a top. Now he's just letting it spin down and couldn't care less.”

“Zeus, an angry God, ready to throw lightening bolts as soon as I step out-of-line.”

“Santa Claus, he brings me presents if I'm good.”

“My kind-hearted, but naïve, old grandfather, in his rocking chair on the porch. He's really nice but doesn't get life today.”

“My ATM. I go to him when I need something.”

“My insurance salesman. Thanks for salvation, Jesus, see you in Heaven.”

“My commander-in-chief, my general and my chain-of-command. I follow the rules with no emotional attachment.”

"My demanding parent I can never please. I'm never good enough no matter how hard I try."

“My Lover-King, the essence of my universe, the number one person in my life. He's just crazy about me, and I wish I could do more to please him. His smile makes my spirit soar.”

Tell me in the comments.

Neither Accomplishments nor Shame

So many of us think we are what we do. It's easy to slide into getting our identity from what we do – our job, our role in our family, our ministry. Instead of living who we really are, we get into performance, unconsciously trying desperately to be good enough to be loved.

Or on the negative side, we often secretly allow ourselves to be falsely defined by our shame. Godly conviction says, “I did something wrong.” Shame says, “I am something wrong.” Once caught in this deception, instead of living who we really are, we live in fear of being discovered and put our energy into controlling so that doesn't happen.

Often, we live in both deceptions at the same time.

But the truth is, thank God, neither our accomplishments nor or shame represents who we really are. We are not what we do. We are so much more. We had intrinsic value the moment God created us in the womb, before we even had a chance to do anything good or bad.

We sons and daughters of the Most High Living God. He created us for one reason alone – for his specific pleasure – the pleasure of having relationship with us. Wow.

So our true success is defined by these two experiences – the experience of being by loved by God, and the experience of loving him back. (Success defined by anything past that is actually some form of idolatry.)

We are not orphans, although in our pain we so often live like it. To live who we really are, our true identity flows out of our sonship or daughtership with the Living God.

Seven Best Words

“Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, and Luke 19:17). For me, those are the seven most coveted words in the universe. I live and have lived my life to hear Jesus say those seven words when either he returns or I go to meet him.

Whether I actually hear them or not remains to be seen. Only he knows. But the longing to hear them centers me when life hurts. I want to respond to the painful things rightly.

How about you? What scripture inspires you most? Tell me in the comments.

No Reverse

I'm a total land-lubber, but it amazes me how much life is like sailing.

There's no reverse on a boat. I've been in small boats in lakes full of annoying weeds everywhere. Hit too thick a patch and your engine clogs. I've been in canoes going down a river, avoiding rocks by looking for the dark water triangles. In both situations, there's no reverse. You gotta figure out how to get yourself out of the jam you got into by going forward.

Life's the same way. There's no do-overs. No reverse, only forward. Thank God he is the God of restoration, and that's always moving forward.

Engines and Rudder

I'm a total land-lubber, but it amazes me how much life is like sailing.

Our passion is the ship's engines. It drives us forward when things get hard.

The rudder is our intimacy with the Lord. Without him, we're just blundering on aimlessly. With him, that passion has a purpose.

Your Picture of God

What pops to mind when you think of God? An angry old man? Zeus holding a lightening bolt, ready to strike you down if you step out of line? A kind-hearted, well-meaning, but irrelevant grandfather? George Burns? Morgan Freeman?

God has all the same emotions we do (where do you think we got them from?). Is he mostly glad or mostly angry?

Tell me in the comments.

I'll go first. My picture of God is my Lover-King. He's my King, my Savior, my Lord – I desire his will in my life not my own. When there's a conflict, I want to lose, although my flesh and lack of faith sometimes get in the way. (Just being honest here, bloggers can do that, right? :)

But first He's my Lover. My best friend. My spiritual bridegroom. That's not a sexual thing, it's a spiritual thing. It's personal. It's all about covering and living under the protection of the shelter of his wings (read Psalm 91). The Bible calls it “entering into his rest” (read Hebrews). His “rest” isn't sleeping late, but it's the lack of anxiety and worry that comes from experiencing his protection and guidance over my life. I'm excited not afraid of the future, regardless of what I see going on around me in the culture and the world.

I believe God's mostly glad.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts in the comments. What's your picture of God?

“Healer” by Mike Guglielmucci

Sometimes you just can't beat a good worship song. Echo the words of this song back to your Maker.

     You hold me every moment,

     You calm my raging seas.

     You walk with me through fire

     And heal all my disease.

     I trust in You.

     I believe You're me healer.

     I believe You are all I need.

     I believe You're my portion.

     I believe You're more than enough for me.

     Jesus, You're all I need.

     Nothing is impossible for You,

     Nothing is impossible.

     Nothing is impossible for You.

     You hold the world in your hands.

“I Give You My Heart” by Reuben Morgan

Sometimes you just can't beat a good worship song. Let the words of this song by Reuben Morgan sink into your spirit. And let your spirit sing it back to your Lord.

     This is my desire, to honor You.

     Lord, with all my heart, I worship You.

     All I have within me, I give you praise.

     All that I adore is in you.

     Lord I give you my heart.

     I give you my soul.

     I live for you alone.

     Every breath that I take,

     Every moment I'm awake,

     Lord, have your way in me.

Amen, Lord Jesus, have your way in me.

Choosing My Race

Who am I? Is this life a journey of discovering who I what to be? Or is it a journey of discovering who God made me to be?

To put it another way, Is it all about me? Or is it all about him? Hint: It's all about him.

Our culture is in the middle of an identity crisis. Rachel Dolezal says we can choose our race. She switched from white to black.

Western culture, by and large, didn't agree, and pressured her to resign her position at the NAACP. But the culture largely supported Bruce Jenner's transformation into Caitlyn. That's schizophrenic – any argument supporting “Caitlyn” Jenner also supports Rachel Dolezal.

Sorry, we can pretend we're someone else, but we can't change who God made us to be.

While we can find happiness in our self-made delusion, for a season at least, lasting fulfillment is only found in who God made us to be. That's where our identity is found. Only in intimacy with him, pursuing the calling he put on our lives.

Choosing My Gender

Who am I? Is this life a journey of discovering who I what to be? Or is it a journey of discovering who God made me to be?

To put it another way, Is it all about me? Or is it all about him? Hint: It's all about him.

Our culture is in the middle of an identity crisis. Bruce Jenner, now “Caitlyn,” says we can choose our gender. Looking at the media and the wide spread support for gay marriage, it appears the majority of Western culture agrees with him.

Sorry, but I'm still going to call him Bruce, and I'll use male pronouns. Because the truth is, no matter what he's done to himself, he's still a man. That's who God made him to be. Sorry, we can pretend we're someone else, but we can't change who God made us to be.

While we can find happiness in our self-made delusion, for a season at least, lasting fulfillment is only found in who God made us to be. That's where our identity is found. Only in intimacy with him, pursuing the calling he put on our lives.

The Prodigal Son (2/2)

So who's the main character in the parable of The Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-32)? Which son is this story really about? The younger son, who we so readily identify with? Or the older son, too stuck in religion, too busy doing his father's work to have his father's heart?

Neither son! Trick question! It's about the Father and his heart for both of his sons.

The older son didn't know who he was. He was trying to earn through hard work what he already had by inheritance. And he wasn't longing to celebrate with his father, but with his buddies. To the older son, the Father says, “Son, everything I have is yours and always has been. You could celebrate with me anytime you want. But you've been too preoccupied doing my work to have my heart. I would rather have 10 acres fewer crops and more time with you.”

So often we minister out of our wounding, rather than out of intimacy with the Father. Ministering out of wounding, we can pursue the wrong calling and miss what he really had for us. It's only out of intimacy with Jesus and the Father that we really know who we are and what we're for.

Have you, or do you think you might be, ministering out of wounding? Talk about it in the comments. You'll find you're not the only one.

The Prodigal Son (1/2)

Who's the main character in the parable of The Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-32)? Which son is this story really about? The younger son, who we so readily identify with? Or the older son, too stuck in religion, too busy doing his father's work to have his father's heart?

Neither son! Trick question! It's about the Father and his heart for both of his sons.

The younger didn't know who he was. It took a hard crash in the pig slop for him to come to his senses. To the younger son, the Father says, “Son, your sin has separated you from me and it's breaking my heart. But I'm waiting. And when you turn, I will carry you back.”

Now that's where the analogy breaks down – God does more than wait. He meddles. Constantly.

Has God meddled in your life? Share in the comments. I can't wait to hear.

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber.

4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun will not harm you by day, not the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from harm – he will watch over your life.

8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Sometimes the Word of the Lord just needs no help.