There is this question that I used to ask God frequently, “Where are you leading me?”. I still do at times. If you are truly seeking God’s will for your life and are willing to be used by Him, then you are right where God wants you today.

2 Chronicles 16: ⁹ The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

I believe that if you commit to Him daily and keep your heart open and willing, then He will lead you along His path. In order for Him to use you, you need to keep yourself in good soil so that you will continue to grow and mature. As Jesus said:

Luke 8: 15 And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

The key words here are “hear God’s word, cling to it” and what I think is very important is “patiently produce”. In this verse, Jesus says the same thing, but using a different metaphor:

John 15:  ⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Your plan does not develop overnight and God rarely, if at all, informs His servants of the plan for them. I know that He has a plan for me, but I have no clue exactly what that is and where He is leading me. I am just another sheep that is trying to stay close to the Good Shepherd so that I can hear His voice.

John 10: 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Consider Abram (age 75), when he was told to go to the land of Canaan:

Hebrews 11: 8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.  9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.  10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

Abram knew God had a plan, but he didn’t know exactly how it was going to work out. This is the same as Moses, who was 80 when God spoke with him from a burning bush. He was told to lead the people out of Egypt, but he didn’t know how it would work and how long it would take. I think there is a reason that God didn’t tell Moses that he’d be leading the Israelites through the desert for 40 years. But we know that Moses heard God speak, clung to God’s words and for the most part, remained patient.

Proverbs 20:24 
²⁴ The Lord directs our steps,
so why try to understand everything along the way?

Of course, these are extreme examples of how God calls people, and there is much to be learned from all the servants of God throughout the Scriptures. If you haven’t lately, read the story of Joseph and how God used him (Gen 37-50). He had no control over his circumstances, but he continually had a heart for God and remained patient. God rewarded him immeasurably.

I think a better question to ask God, one that I like to ask daily (although I don’t always), is “what can I do for you today, Lord?” I believe that God will use us immediately when we are willing and are sensitive to His voice.

Psalm 32: 
⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
⁹ Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

What people are in your life that you can serve today? Each of us has those people that God has put into our lives where we can exercise our love daily and/or weekly. If we can be found responsible for the ministry we already have, then He will give us more responsibility in His time.

What talents, skills, or abilities do you have that may be used to serve others? Perhaps you have the gift of hospitality? Only you (and perhaps your closest friends) know the gifts that God has already given you. He may give you more, but for now, I am convinced that God has blessed you with something that He can use now.

He’s given you so many years of invaluable life experience that He will use to bless others as only you can. You are special to Him and if you can continue staying close to Him and know Him more day by day then I assure you that He will use you in ways that you never would’ve dreamed. In the past, I was not a writer or even considered writing, and look what He has me doing week in and week out?

There are three essential habits that I’ve found to promote spiritual growth (staying in good soil). Those habits are daily Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship. I believe that if you can diligently pour yourself into these activities, you will not wander from His path:

2 John 1: 9 Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.

I consider the entire Bible to be the teaching of Christ, not just the red letters, for we know that “In the beginning was the Word”. It is the Word of God, in addition to prayer and fellowship that will develop your faith.

I know that I’ve said a lot, but let me leave you with this. Jesus kept things very simple. Read His answer to these people:

John 6: 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Focus on getting to know God more and learn to put your trust in Him and Him alone and that is all He wants from you. It is from there that you will find the opportunities to serve.

Are you plugged into a group of people that have the same passion for God that you do? Consider this an invitation to join us on the Bible Team call on Mondays (details below), we’d love to have you join us.

Will you remain in good soil?

“Dear Lord, thank you for leading me to where I am now. You are the Good Shepherd and I need your guidance. Please help me stay on your path Lord, I do not want to regress in any way. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash

What does it mean to be a Christian? Is it just a social club or something to say to fit in? Maybe you call yourself a Christian because your parents did and you don’t know any better. What does it mean to you to be called Christian? Is this truly your identity?

Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

Mark 1: ¹⁷ Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Jesus said “come, follow me”. He did not say, “only if your heart is in it”, should you follow me. His command was direct and simple. So the disciples followed Him.

John 15: ¹⁶ You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

It seems to me that the disciples stayed with Him, day after day. These ordinary men left their lives and their lively hoods behind them to follow their new Master. One day Simon Peter is a fisherman, the next day a trainee in the “fisher of men” program. One day Levi is a tax collector, the next he is following Jesus. These are radical decisions being made.

Do you understand this?

The course of their lives changed overnight. They had no idea what they were getting into, but they followed anyway. God gave them new employment. Instead of working at the sea to catch fish for a living, Simon Peter was now working for God.

Has this happened to you? Can you relate to this change of employment? Has God changed how He operates? Do you think He’s only called us to meet once a week and whatever spare devotional time there’s left in between?

I think He still wants us to spend time with Him daily, listening and interacting with Him. There should be no difference in the Christian’s life from day to day throughout the week. Each day should be “Spirit-filled”.

 Romans 8: ⁵ Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷ For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. ⁸ That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Being “Spirit-filled” or “controlled by the Holy Spirit” can happen only when we seek Him daily and spend time with Him. This is what is modeled for us in the gospels and it still applies today.

Has He called you to follow Him?

Or when you read the above verses is it “someone else” He’s called, like your cousin who’s now a missionary? Pastors and missionaries are not the only people that have been called. As a matter of fact, not all pastors have been called! If you’ve repented (changed your mind) of your sins and turned to God, then you’ve been called.

Matthew 3: ² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near

The ambassador position mentioned in 2 Cor. 5 is not a part-time position.

2 Corinthians 5: ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

I think if anyone pursues or follows God seriously, as the disciples had, God would lead them into full-time work. They might not be asked to leave their jobs, but they’ll know that they’re now working under New Management.

Matthew 9: ³⁷ He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

Will you join His workforce?

“Dear Lord, thank you for calling me. I once was blind but now I see. With this knowledge, I know I have a responsibility to share this good news with others. Please teach me your ways. Lead me to be an active member of the family business. I want to play a role in it, teach me how. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Photo by George Hiles on Unsplash

Proverbs 14:  12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

Proverbs 3:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

What is right and how can we know?

Proverbs 9:10
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Doing what is right can only be decided by God. He is the one who created us and thus sets the standard. The internal struggle in all of us is deciding for ourselves what is right and wanting to contradict God thinking that we know better.

Judging someone just because of something I think is wrong is never the right thing to do. For one thing, it may be right in God’s eyes and even if it is wrong, it’s not my role to judge.

Romans 14:  1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.

So what is right?

Was it right for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart?

Exodus 9:  12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.

Was it right for the Israelites to completely destroy their enemies?

1 Samuel 15: 2 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. 3 Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.”

It may seem right to pay all of your bills first, before tithing, but is that what God desires?

It may seem right to get my tasks done first, and then make time for God. I used to think this way, but now I know that that is not right for me. Although I can deduct this lesson from the Bible, Jesus taught me this first hand. This is why knowing our Creator personally is crucial so that we can learn first hand what is right on a daily basis and be convicted of it. Who determines right from wrong?

Let’s learn from Eve

Although Eve knew in her mind that eating the fruit was wrong, she had little or no conviction over it. She had not learned that lesson in her heart.

God’s command: Genesis 2: 15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

The Lie: Genesis 3:  4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Just like with Eve, the devil always has a way of questioning that which we already know is right and we can either “not depend on your own understanding” or go with what satan makes us think is right but is always an illusion.

The ultimate question for everyone on the planet then becomes “Can I trust God to know what is right for me?” Can I disregard my upbringing, teaching, and worldly experiences and cling to the path that God has for me?

Reading the Bible is not enough

Simply reading the Word of God is not enough. We need to meditate on the Holy Bread of God, plead with God to transform us into His own image (His original intent) and wait patiently, trusting that He will be faithful to complete that which He’s started in us.

Only then can we learn in our hearts what is right. Only God knows exactly what we need so who am I to think I can find it in “Self” magazine? After all, if He defines and determines what is right, then doesn’t He know what is right for me?

Jeremiah 18: 1 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. 4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.

A matter of submission

To me, this is all about letting God be God and me be His humble servant. As soon as I start getting these roles reversed, I no longer ask Him what is right and determine that for myself. It is a matter of submission.

Psalm 118:8
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.

Psalm 1: 1b He feared God and stayed away from evil.

Working at a church may seem right and please the pastor, but if it is at the expense of your wife or husband and causes you to neglect those in your immediate ministry, then I would say it might be wrong.

Only God knows what is right for you to do, and only you can know what that is by remaining in Him.

There is no other way than to trust and obey!

John 15:  9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

When we say in our own minds “I don’t know what to do” we have a choice between asking others and asking God. He promises to direct our steps. Admitting that “we don’t know” is a place of humility, which allows us to be used by God, because He gladly helps us and that brings glory to Him.

James 1:  5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Will you do what it takes to know what is right?

“Dear God, You are the Potter and I am the clay, help me to be your humble servant. Help me know what is right in your eyes, not mine. Thank you for continually teaching me from your Word so that I may have knowledge and understanding. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Are you allowing God to teach you? If only more people would seek God for His wisdom, personally, and learn from Him how to treat others the world would be a much better place wouldn’t it?

Today I’d just like to examine a few passages that I think are great for learning godly interpersonal and parenting skills.

Are you ready to learn from the Master?

This is probably one of the most famous of Christ’s teachings on treating others. We all know it as the “Golden Rule”:

Matthew 7: ¹² “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

I think this one verse, if meditated on, can take us a long way towards being a loving person. It simply requires some careful thought when interacting with others in your life.

Thoughts such as “My wife’s had a rough day, perhaps I should clean up around the house so she won’t have to.”

Isn’t it amazing how this one sentence covers the essence of a vast portion of the Old Testament? Yet it’s so simple!

In this next passage, I love how we can learn from God’s example. Let’s read…

Genesis 4: ⁸ One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

⁹ Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”

“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

What I love about this is that God knew all along that Cain killed Abel. Instead of accusations, condemnation, and anger, God simply asks a question: “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” He lovingly allows Cain to confess. He gives Cain a chance to repent. Perhaps you had or have a parent that is not so loving. A typical reaction for a parent to deal with a child who knowingly disobeyed is to yell, accuse and be quick to judge. God is not that way, isn’t that good news?

Here’s another great example of God’s perfect parenting skills:

Jonah 4: ⁶ And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

⁷ But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. ⁸ And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.

⁹ Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”

“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”

¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. ¹¹ But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

In verse 8 Jonah states that he’d rather be dead and he was angry. What comes to my mind are the typical responses such as “You shouldn’t be angry.”, “Why are you angry?” or “I can’t believe you’re angry.” God takes a different path and asks “Is it right for you to be angry?” This changes everything doesn’t it? It requires Jonah to think about whether his heart is right and does not invalidate his feelings.

Doesn’t Jonah remind you of a little kid? I find this exchange a bit comical, but I think it’s ignorance on my part as I cannot begin to relate to Jonah in this setting.

And then there’s Moses…

Exodus 5: ²² Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? ²³ Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!”

Exodus 6: ¹ Then the Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”

In this exchange, we read that Moses is frustrated, confused and exasperated. I’d think that God would want to defend Himself, but God does not bother. He simply tells Moses, if I may paraphrase: “Just wait, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

You may wish to read a similar exchange with His servant Gideon in Judges 6: 11-14.

This last verse sums it up, doesn’t it?

Psalm 103: ¹³ The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

What is God teaching you?

“Dear God, Thank you for your Word so that I might know how to live. Please keep me on your path so that I can continue to learn from you. In Jesus name, amen.”

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

One day, while reading Psalm 30, the following verses caught my attention:

Psalm 30: ⁸ I cried out to you, O Lord.
I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
⁹ “What will you gain if I die,
if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
Can it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Help me, O Lord.”

What intrigued me is the question David asked: “Can my dust praise you?” Now, what kind of question is that? Then I re-read the first part of the verse “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave?”

I thought to myself, “What can we give God that He doesn’t already have? What could He possibly want from me?” But there in the same verse is the answer! It is our praise that He desires.

But does praise come automatically? If you meet someone for the first time, only spending a few minutes with them, will you be able to tell others about what a great person they are? Of course not.

We praise God because of the good things He has done for us, the mercy He has shown us, and the lessons He teaches us. These experiences are really only appreciated after trusting in Him long enough to experience them.

How do we trust in Him?

1 Chronicles 28:  ⁹ “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.¹⁰ So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”

To know God is to love God, to love God is to trust God.

Only when we place our trust in Him will we obey Him.

It all starts with knowing God, and the more we do that, the more we desire to worship and serve Him. Praise will then naturally follow.

John 14: 15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (NASB)

Consider this verse from Hosea:

Hosea 6:  ⁶ I want you to show love,
not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
more than I want burnt offerings.

One reason I like this verse is because Jesus quoted it twice (Matt. 9:13; Matt 12:7)

I think this Psalm helps illustrate this:

Psalm 50: 
⁷ “O my people, listen as I speak.
Here are my charges against you, O Israel:
I am God, your God!
⁸ I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
⁹ But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
¹⁰ For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know every bird on the mountains,
and all the animals of the field are mine.
¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.
¹³ Do I eat the meat of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴ Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
¹⁵ Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.”  …
²³ But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
If you keep to my path,
I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

It makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, God created us and the world that surrounds us so He doesn’t really need anything. But think about why He created us:

Colossians 1: ¹⁶ for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.

If we’re created “for him”, shouldn’t we get to know Him?

Because we are stamped “Made by God”, is He not the One we should go back to in order to live a proper life? After all, He’s the only One who would know what a “proper life” really is.

2 Chronicles 16: ⁹ The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

This is the “Heart of the matter” and is in accordance with the greatest commandment.

Doesn’t this simplify following Him? Not to say that it is easy, the Lord knows that there are so many things in life that can distract us and cause us to take our eyes off Him. But if we focus on getting to know Him and committing our hearts to Him I think we’re on the right path:

Psalm 32:
⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
⁹ Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

¹⁰ Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
¹¹ So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

Here are some other applicable verses:

Psalm 51:  ¹⁶ You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

1 Samuel 15:  ²² But Samuel replied,
“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
²³ Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

Isn’t it a good thing that it’s not about our good deeds outweighing bad deeds? Wouldn’t that drive you crazy?

Ephesians 2: 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

He is not interested in the money you tithe, but the motive behind it.

He is not interested in the good deeds you do, but why you do them.

My friends, God doesn’t want anything from you, He just wants you.

1 Peter 1:9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Will you give Him all of your heart?

“Dear Lord, I confess that I have not always had a heart for you. In fact, at times my heart has been far from you. Please help me to focus on you. I will trust in you. Please help me to live my life in such a way that will honor you by continuously giving you thanks and singing your praises., You Lord, are my rock and my savior. You alone are my deliverer. Thank you for opening my heart and leading me on your path. In Jesus name, amen”

Photo by Łukasz Łada on Unsplash

Over the last four posts, we’ve been discussing the transformation process. The theme, in the form of a question, has been: “How Bad Do You Want To Be Transformed?”.

Have you been asking yourself this question? God will transform you if you offer yourself to Him. Consider this key passage:

Romans 12: ¹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

If your definition of worship is limited to singing and praising God, let me suggest that you study these verses carefully. God deserves our worship, doesn’t He?

What does it mean to you to “give your bodies to God”? I must confess that this is a tough verse for me. What it means to me is to allow Him to totally take over my life. He wants me to yield my time, my activities, my attitude, what I eat, what I drink, who I spend time with, what I consume with my eyes, my ears, and even what I think about!

Consider this verse:

1 Corinthians 6: 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

That is what a “living sacrifice” is all about.

This means we can sing and worship in church all we want, but unless we are yielding our lives to Him with a soft heart, it is only lip service.

Can you relate to the following verse at all? Would you say it applies to many sitting in our pews today?

Isaiah 29:
13 And so the Lord says,
“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

I can certainly relate to singing hymns of praise and walking out of church feeling far from God. I’ve had a hard heart before and that’s not a good place to be.

Of course, transformation cannot begin unless we have a soft heart. The very fact that you are reading this message would lead me to believe that you are open to change and that your heart is not hard. The key now is to make yourself available to God and pursue Him with all you’ve got.

Be careful that you don’t end up like so many incapacitated and powerless believers described in this way:

Luke 8: ¹⁴ The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

Wouldn’t you rather be described like this?

¹⁵ And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

So while your heart is soft, follow through with the rest of it. “hear God’s Word” (read the Bible), cling to it (meditate on what you read), and be patient, the harvest in your life will come. All the while we can plead to God in prayer to change our hearts. I have first-hand knowledge that He likes to answer these types of prayers.

In order to be successful with a continual habit of reading the Word, it is highly recommended to associate and fellowship with others who do the same. In order to be successful at anything, it is required that you run with those seeking the same results. If you are not currently spending time with the likes of those seeking a closer walk with God, consider the Bible Team calls where some of them congregate on the phone.

As you continue to expose yourself to His Word, seeking Him in prayer and getting to know other like-minded saints you will be staying in good soil and spiritual growth will happen, He’s promised.

Always consider what God truly desires:

Hosea 6:
⁶ I want you to show love,
not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
more than I want burnt offerings.

What better way to know Him that to read the Book He personally wrote?

We started this message with Romans 12: 1-2 which happens to be a very popular passage. Now let’s read the next three verses:

Romans 12: ³ Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. ⁴ Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, ⁵ so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Do you realize that your personal faith and relationship with God has a tremendous impact on the lives around you? People are watching you, believers and non-believers alike. We all have a responsibility to each other and we, by default, either encourage or discourage others with our daily choices.

I urge you to take the time to meditate on what I’ve compiled here and I’ll close with this:

Philippians 4: ⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

How bad do you want to be transformed?

Pray this prayer (I couldn’t have written it better myself.) 🙂

Psalm 119:
³³ Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
³⁴ Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
³⁵ Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
³⁶ Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!
³⁷ Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.
³⁸ Reassure me of your promise,
made to those who fear you.
³⁹ Help me abandon my shameful ways;
for your regulations are good.
⁴⁰ I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.

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Over the last three parts of “How bad do you want to be transformed?”, we discussed Bible reading and prayer for the purposes of being transformed. To me, these are essential for steady growth and formation. But they are not enough.

There is a third essential element to complete the trilogy.

You may be able to guess what this element is, I’ve mentioned it more than a few times in my posts… you got it! Fellowship

 The Bible reading and prayer I’ve discussed are individual events. Fellowship is where we can share what we’ve learned and combine all three elements. Besides, if all our Christian activity is done in a vacuum, how can we know whether or not we are on a good path, much less learn solid doctrine?

 Proverbs 16: 
²⁵ There is a path before each person that seems right,
but it ends in death.

The personal and private knowledge from reading and praying is then shared and used to teach, learn and correct our theology.

Colossians 3: 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Let’s define fellowship for the purpose of this message.

There may be many thoughts that come to mind regarding fellowship. You might think of fellowship dinners, socials or simply hanging out with friends.

The fellowship I wish to discuss is a deliberate meeting among a very small group (2-6) of like-minded believers that meet with regularity.

Acts 2: 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Note that this says “All the believers”.

Fellowship is for everybody.

The purpose of this very small group will be to get to know more about God and each other. They will have Bibles in hand, prepared to talk about what they’ve been reading. This is not a formal gathering by all means but the intent to draw closer to God will be a serious one.

I believe this is the ideal fellowship that any seeker that desires growth should be participating in.

It is in these meetings that their lives are shared and personal issues are discussed. The Bible and common spiritual sense will be used to lovingly counsel one another.

Proverbs 27: 17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Such a group I believe should be constrained to one gender. Simply due to the more delicate nature that the conversation could lead to.

Hebrews 10: ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Be careful who you hang around with

Consider your current circle of “believing” friends. Do you have friends that enjoy talking about the Bible? It is my guess that if a person doesn’t favor discussing God’s Word in a Christian setting then there’s a good chance that they are not reading it. It is a human tendency not to discuss something that one is not engaged in. Especially when they might be embarrassed by their unfamiliarity.

So if you have Church friends that are more interested in discussing politics, sports or the latest movies than the Word of God that is a pretty good indicator that they are not suitable for the fellowship we’ve been discussing.

2 Corinthians 6: ¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

I know this verse pertains to unbelievers, but should also apply to the lukewarm.

This may be the greatest reason for fellowship:

Matthew 18: ²⁰ For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Are you meeting on a regular business?

Are you meeting with a few people on a regular basis for the purpose of getting to know God more and each other? What better way is there to practice the two greatest commandments? This should be the heart of the Christian lifestyle. Finding and sharing with others that are serious about God will push you and encourage you to be a better follower of God.

Matthew 22: ³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

What else could be more important?

Will you share with others?

“Dear God, Thank you for all the friends you’ve placed in my life. Will you please help me find those friends that are serious about getting to know you? I desperately need fellowship, that’s how you made me. Help me get connected with others so that we can get to know you better and serve each other with companionship. Thank you in advance for transforming me into a new creation that will bring glory to you. In Jesus name, amen.”

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In the last two parts of “How Bad Do You Want To Be Transformed?” we’ve discussed reading the Word and Prayer in an effort to be transformed.

I thought we’d spend a little more time in prayer. In my next post, I’ll discuss fellowship.

As simple as prayer seems, I’ve often pondered prayer in many different ways. There are a lot of aspects to it. For example, The Lord’s prayer has a lot of components to it. Then there’s individual prayer and corporate prayer. There’s private prayer and what I call “conversational” prayer. Being the analytical type of person that I am, I used to spend much time in thought about all this. Call me crazy. 🙂

Bible Driven Prayer

I’ve always liked the idea of integrating prayer with Bible Reading. I think this is not only very practical but maximizes the reading and is ideal for transformation.

1 Samuel 12:  ¹⁴ “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. ¹⁵ But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.

Do you take this personally? I sure do.

“O Lord, help me know what it means to fear you. Help me to listen to your voice so that I might follow your commands. When I start to rebel, please pull me back. Hold me tight, Lord.”

 Job 31

 ¹ “I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look with lust at a young woman.
² For what has God above chosen for us?
What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high?
³ Isn’t it calamity for the wicked
and misfortune for those who do evil?
⁴ Doesn’t he see everything I do
and every step I take?

“God, some days lust is a real problem for me. I know that you see all that I do, please help me to focus more on what you desire and not what my flesh wants.”

Revelation 3:  ¹⁵ “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! ¹⁶ But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

“Lord, may it never be said that I am lukewarm. Please help me to stay passionate for you and never lose my zeal. Thank you for the inspiration that you give me!”

Another great idea is praying the prayers found in the Bible. The Psalms are ideal for this. Psalm 139 for example, is a great prayer to pray, yet too long for this message.

Conversational Prayer

There are plenty of verses that we can look at that are instructional regarding prayer so I thought I’d pick out a few to discuss:

1 Thessalonians 5: 17 Never stop praying.

When we go about our day I think God loves it when we consider Him in all that we do. This might result in these types of prayers:

“Lord, please keep us safe on the freeway today.”

“God, help me as I lift this heavy object.”

“God, give me the words to say as I discuss the terms of the contract today.”

“Thank you, Jesus, or working that problem out for me today!”

And for those of you living with or spending time with “difficult people”, this may be an appropriate prayer:

Luke 23: 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Private Prayer

Of all the ways and types of prayer, I believe this is the most important to be diligent at. I think this is where our power comes from.

Jesus modeled this for us, although He was in great demand:

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

It is in these verses that Jesus gives us basic instructions for private prayer:

Matthew 6 ⁵ “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. ⁶ But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
⁷ “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. ⁸ Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

For me I’ve felt the urge to pray in various places and, if I’m alone, I will get on my knees. Some days, although I desire communion with Him, I don’t have anything specific to say. So I’ll just kneel there, in silence, or I’ll just praise Him. Eventually, I’ll have something to say or to discuss.

Sometimes it’s quick, like when I get out of bed and have a busy day and I need to get going. However, I like to spend an undetermined amount of time, each day, on my knees with Him. To me, this and Bible reading are the best ways for me to “remain” or “abide in Him”.

Last, but not least, I don’t want to leave out what may be the most important type of prayer, which is intercessory prayer. This can mean the difference between life and death.

Read how Samuel understood this responsibility:

1 Samuel 12:  ²³ “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.

Read how God really felt about the golden calf that Aaron created, and how he lived on:

Deuteronomy 9: 20 The Lord was so angry with Aaron that he wanted to destroy him, too. But I prayed for Aaron, and the Lord spared him.

I hope these ideas inspire you in your walk with God. Thank you for taking the time to read this most important message!

Will you join me in prayer?

“God I praise your name! Thank you for the opportunity to write about you and your wonderful ways. You’ve taught me so much and I am excited about what you are doing in me. Please help me to stay on your path. Lead me as I live my life in a way that brings glory to you. In Jesus precious name, amen”

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In my last post, “How Bad Do You Want To Be Transformed? part 1”, we discussed the absolute necessity of reading the Truth on a daily, if not regular, basis.

This week I’d like to impress upon you the absolute necessity of prayer. Reading and prayer go together like a hand in a glove. It’s prayer that keeps the heart soft so that the Truth of the Word of God can seep in. The Word inspires and encourages us to be in constant prayer.

Without prayer and an open dialog with the Teacher, reading the Word will not yield any fruit. Those that are not seeking may read the Word but unless their hearts are turned toward God they will continue to have “ears that cannot hear” and “eyes that cannot see”.

Prayer is faith in practice.

Hebrews 11: 1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

The problem I’ve always had with prayer is that I could not see God. The idea (from a secular perspective) of conversing with an invisible being was always difficult for me. I think I prayed only because I did believe in God and I was always told that prayer works. This means that I did not have a personal conviction about prayer and I did not have much of a relationship with God. What this translated to was I prayed typically when things were going wrong and they were superficial at best.

Perhaps you don’t have much of a habit for prayer now and your prayers are short and superficial. Perhaps you just want to enrich your prayer life. Let’s see what we can do to change that…

Just like reading, prayer started out as a habit for me, something I made myself do. I knew I wanted to read the Bible regularly and that started me thinking more about God and how He operates. So one prayer that I think God was delighted to hear was “Lord, I want to know you more. As I read your Word please reveal yourself to me.” I still pray this prayer and He keeps answering. It’s a wonderful thing to stay hungry for God. This is one way to keep fresh and deepen the relationship. So what started out as a habit, praying because I knew I needed to, developed into a lifestyle. “I should probably pray” turned into “I can’t wait to pray”.

We were two worlds apart, God and I. He was in His realm and I was in mine. I did what I did and He did what He did. Little did I realize that He really wanted me to get to know Him more. Now I know that He’s always been interested in me and that He really has my best interests in mind. So my prayer life brought us closer together and now we’re working together, He and I.

James 4: 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Another great thing about reading the Bible is all the wonderful prayers that the godly men and women prayed. There is a lot to be learned from the prayers already prayed and had tremendous results.

Would you like results? Consider this:

James 5: 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

The keywords here are “righteous person” and “prayed earnestly“. Doesn’t this give you hope?

If you persist in this transformation process that I am laying out in these messages I am convinced that God will lead you to the abundant life that He’s promised. He will hear your prayers and your life will change dramatically.

Psalm 105: 4 Search for the LORD and for his strength;
continually seek him.

Will you pray with me?

“Dear Lord, Thank you for calling me into this most incredible relationship. I was a wreck and now I have hope. You’ve led me in ways that amaze me. Nothing compares to you, my Lord. Thank you for your Word that allows me to get to know you better. Thank you for being there when I call on your name. Please lead me down your path. Change my heart, help me to see people from your perspective and love them as you do. In Jesus precious name, amen”

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This is part 1 in a 5 part series…

Are you looking to grow? Do you want to mature spiritually? Is this something that you think about from time to time or do you crave it?

It is my guess that you are looking for the “abundant life” that Jesus promises.

John 10: 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)

or in my favorite version:

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (NLT)

Who doesn’t desire a life described as such?  What comes to my mind is being transformed. I cannot personally relate to this described life, yet, but I have faith that I will, on this earth. Although I cannot relate, I can see glimpses of it and I know that I am being transformed. Of course, this does not happen overnight.

Speaking for myself, how does one get from being lazy, selfish, undisciplined, careless, irresponsible, thoughtless, purposeless, and complacency to faithful, loving, patient, diligent, driven and passionate? Don’t get me wrong, I am not there yet, but I can see signs of moving in that direction and because of that I am full of hope.

Let’s look at the method that Paul lays out for us…

Romans 12:  ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

How do we change the way we think? What habits and activities must we engage in in order to allow God to transform us?

May I share with you what’s been working for me? Will it be OK if I discuss with you how God has been transforming my life?

I’ll sum it up with this:

Biblical concepts and truths seem to sink into the heart little by little over time and eventually come to fruition, in His time and blesses us in miraculous ways on a very personal level. This is how transformation happens. Only through regular reading of the Word, prayer, and fellowship does this happen.

The key words in Romans 12: 2 are ” let God transform you“, which means that transformation doesn’t happen unless we give Him our time.

In an ultra convenient, vending machine, ATM, fast food, “give it to me now” society that we’ve all been programmed by, taking the long way is not very appealing.

“Reading? you’ve got to be kidding me. Who’s got time to read anymore?”

Psalm 1:
¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
² But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.

The key words here are ” ² But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” Do you delight in reading the Bible?  Do you look forward to reading it every day? The writer, David, did not even have the New Testament!

But let’s get practical. If we are not to “copy the behavior and customs of this world” and “let God transform you“, how does this happen?

Allow me to make a suggestion: Read your Bible daily. (which is not a custom of this world)

Developing a daily habit of Bible reading is not easy, but you can do it. It starts with a desire to know God more and a daily decision of putting Him first.

If you have the desire, God will help you and meet you wherever you are.

Here are a few tips for developing the habit:

1. Schedule the time. If you are like most people that have busy and tight schedules, this is required. Pick a time when you are alert, not when you are dozing off. Can you imagine telling God, “Sorry God, I did not have time to spend with you today.” He wants you to take Him seriously and this is the first step.
2. Pray before you read. This is absolutely essential. When our lives are filled with busyness, it can be very difficult to block out all those little thoughts which will distract us from concentrating on our Teacher. When you are trying to tell someone something very important and they are not giving you their full undivided attention, how does this make you feel? Pray “Dear Lord, please speak to me as I read. Help me to focus on your words and help me to listen.” You may have to pray more than once at times.
3. Think about what you’re reading. As you read try to understand the text and apply it to your life. “How does this apply to my life?”. “What can I learn from this?” The answers may not come right away, but if you take the time to digest what you are reading, these thoughts will revisit you and you begin to meditate on them throughout your day. At that point His “Words remain in you”. You may also want to write your thoughts to be shared with someone later.

If you have no one to discuss what you are reading,  join us on the Bible Team call, which we have Monday nights. Details for that call are below.

Are you serious about spiritual growth?

Pray these verses, I cannot improve on them:

 Psalm 119: 
⁴ You have charged us
to keep your commandments carefully.
⁵ Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your decrees!
⁶ Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with your commands.
⁷ As I learn your righteous regulations,
I will thank you by living as I should!
⁸ I will obey your decrees.
Please don’t give up on me!

Can I get an Amen!

Details for our weekly Bible calls:

Mondays at 6:00 PM PDT (9:00 PM EDT)
Call in number: (857) 232-0155
Conference Code: 265164

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