Change is the essential process of all existence.

Some of you (if you are as old as me) when you hear those words automatically think of the 1980 movie “Urban Cowboy” starring John Travolta. The song “Lookin’ for Love” was the mantra of the day, especially in the Country Music scene. The days of crying in my beer over that cheating woman were fading out and being birthed was a desire for a relationship that had some depth and meaning.

What I often find amazing is the spiritual parallel that takes place in a society. What do I mean? Well the Urban Cowboy idea was also happening in the church; Christians were looking for Love (God) in all the wrong places. They were looking for the easy pick-up God and it wasn’t satisfying their needs and it felt as if something was still missing. The scriptures tell us that God is Love; 1 John 4:16 “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” Some would say “I thought that God was found in the church”, well, by some yes and by others no. God is not found in an external place, religion has tried that one for years, God is found one step outside our comfort zone (we call that faith).

People in general want something for nothing and are not willing to pay the price for something better. An easy pick-up relationship is a cheap relationship that usually won’t last because it is self centered and based on what I can get. A true relationship has a price tag and that price is your self and is based on what I can give. The giving I am speaking of is the willingness to sacrifice your fears and insecurities for the benefit of the other.

The apostle Peter discovered this when he saw Jesus (Love) walking on the water. Peter stepped out of that boat beyond his fears and started to walk on the water in faith to connect with Love in the right place. That step was a step that was outside of his control, he had put his life in Gods’ hands, he chose to trust in what he could not understand and he found himself getting closer to Love. “Well didn’t he start to sink into the water?” Yes he started sinking when he got his eyes off of Jesus and onto himself and his own problems, but even then when he cried out for help, Love was there to pick him up.

I didn’t say that it wasn’t risky; Love is always risky to our way of thinking, fears rise up, thoughts of inadequacy rise up, but remember that those are just the waves on the sea and just like Peter if we call out, then He will take our hand and help us to walk on the water and discover True Love.

Why is it that so many people take the simple things of life and make them so complicated? Take for instance “The Will of God”, I’ve watched people fret, strive and worry to find the simplest of answers in the most difficult of ways. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 say to “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

What does this mean? Well, choose always to be joyful by thanking God every day for all the blessings that are in your life. What blessings you say? Well how about that you woke up today, you are still breathing, most of us are still walking, and we still have some sort of family and friends. Choose to see the good in your life instead of seeing the bad; IT IS A CHOICE! If you are still struggling try reading Psalm 136 out loud to yourself and personalize it; for example in verse 1 say “I thank you Lord, for You are good! Your faithful love for me endures forever.

Remember that the words “Thank You” are the most powerful words of faith that can be spoken. How many times did Jesus “Give Thanks” before He performed a miracle? Maybe if we started thanking God in every circumstance perhaps we would experience some miracles in our lives! Just a thought anyways.

What does it REALLY mean to take the Lord’s Name in vain? You might be surprised at what you find and you may get a golden calf knocked over in your thinking. Still interested? OK but remember that I warned you! 13-05-05

13-04-21

Identity is Your Choice, You choose who you are and who you are not. Why not make that choice today and begin a journey of discovery that is limitless.

Take Hold of Your Identity

Remember that it is God who gave but we must take hold of that which was given!

Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.

This is such a well-known and quoted verse and yet I find myself asking the question “Do we REALLY understand its meaning?” God was trying to show Zerubbabel that all he needed to do was to Trust, Believe and move forward on the given instructions. The Lord Himself will see to it that all works out according to plan.

In the New Testament we have a phrase for this kind of God/Man working relationship, and that phrase would be “By Grace through Faith”. The Grace of God is everything that “HAS” been completed on the cross and Faith is my trusting, believing that it is already done and acting upon it as if this is so. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well, as simple as it sounds, it is still one of the greatest challenges that we can face. That challenge is to not do God’s part and stick to the part given us. You see in reality everything has already been done, God has already done everything that He is going to do and it is now time for us to believe that it is done and act on it as if it is so. If we could only understand the completed work of Christ, then we would start to see as He sees and the completed would start to manifest.

I have found this true in my own journey, for years I tried to build people into men and women of God. My motives were pure and my heart was steadfast yet many times I found myself frustrated with the results. I had forgotten that it is His work and not my work and that He is the one that transforms the hearts of men. You see as a pastor and as a leader it is my job to oversee and guide people to that reality, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to reveal the reality to the individual. Thankfully I am able to learn and change, the result being that as I take my hands off the situations, I find the Hand of God on the situations and people grow, people change. If I will focus on believing in the finished work and help others to see that finished work then we together can experience that finished work.