Come home. You’re not too far gone. You’re not out of reach. You’re not hopeless. You’re never too far from the embrace of the forgiving, compassionate, and loving arms of your Creator God. Many people live their lives not believing what I just wrote. They think they’ve gone too far and too long in their own ways apart from God. They think that their sin has pushed them so far away that they are now in the realm of the unforgivable. What a lie. What pride. The person that thinks they are too far gone also believes in a god that is far too small. That is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible’s power is limitless. He does not confine His power to the extent of our sins, and He is not surprised by our wayward actions. No, no. The God of the Bible is far bigger than any of our sin habits and sin addictions. He’s far greater than our sin struggles and sin patterns. He came to earth as the God-man to prove it. There’s also an Old Testament story that illuminates the point as well… THE STORY OF WICKED KING AHAB Ahab (one of the kings of ancient Israel) ruled the northern tribes of God’s people in the 9th century BC. His reign was full of sin, which led him to marry a pagan princess, institute the worship of the pagan deity, Baal, and was widely known for persecution of God’s prophets. In fact, it was even said of him that, “Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord…”. What a condemnation. What a lost man. However, he was still of the people of God, and God had made promises to His people that were based upon His character alone. Thus, Ahab, though considered as one of the most evil kings of ancient Israel, could bend the heart of God. He could, by humbling himself before God, experience God’s compassion and mercy. And this is exactly what happened. “It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days…” 1 Kings 21:27-29a God had previously said, “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel…” But, God’s heart was bent to the humility of Ahab, and He relented. What compassion. What mercy. What love. This is our God. How Does This Apply To Us Today? Have you strayed from God in sin? Do you believe that God will bring judgment upon those who continue in sin? Do you fear this judgment? Come home. Come home. Humble yourself before your God. Come home. www.staffandstones.com . Used by permission of www.dbc.org.

What is the origin of Halloween? According to historians many believe it began with the ‘Summer’s End’ festival , or Samhain  celebrated 2,000 years ago as the beginning of the Celtic year. During this festival time, Celtic farmers brought livestock in for the winter and harvested their crops. They sacrificed fruits of the harvest and the best of their flocks to appease pagan gods. Celts Believed the Dead Could Walk on October 31 Celtic legends taught that fairies cast spells and the dead walked among the living during  Samhain.  On October 31, these ancient Northern Europeans believed they could visit the dead and discover their future from immortal spirits. The Celts were highly superstitious and thought these evil spirits could damage crops, possess the living, and spread incurable sickness. That’s why they dressed up in scary costumes and animal hides while hovering in fear around bonfires. Pagan Roots of Popular Halloween Traditions Trick-or-Treating  also began during  Samhain.  The tradition was an ancient custom of “ souling .” The poor would go from house to house to beg for soul cakes. In return for the “soul cakes” the beggars would pray for family members who had recently died. Soul cakes were round loaves of bread filled with currants. Pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns  were also part of Celtic lore. A tale was told that a drunken farmer named  Stingy Jack  was so wicked that when he died, he restlessly wandered between heaven and hell, unable to enter either one. As he roamed the darkness, he hollowed out a turnip and placed a burning coal inside to light his way. Celts carved “Jack-o-Lanterns” to guide lost souls home on the eve of Samhain. Bobbing for apples  also has mythical roots. The Celts believed that the practice used to be considered a form of divination.  According to NPR , bobbing for apples was a practice where people would dunk their heads in a vat of water and try to bite into floating fruit in a quest to figure out their future spouse. Ladies would mark an apple and toss it into the tub. The thinking was they’d be destined to whoever pulled it out of the water. In 800 A.D., the Catholic church moved “All Saint’s Day” from Spring to November 1. Hallow’s Mass is November 1, and All Saint’s Day is November 2. One would think this Catholic celebration would be an opportunity to Christianize Halloween, but it is not. Author Scott P. Richert, content manager for Sunday Visitor, the largest Catholic publishing company, writes that the purpose of  All Souls Day  is to pray people out of purgatory by prayer, almsgiving and the Mass. Says Richert, “ Praying for the dead  is a Christian obligation. In the modern world, when many have come to doubt the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, the need for such prayers has only increased. Visiting the church and visiting the cemetery are two indulgences that count as merits toward bringing a soul from Purgatory to heaven. The Church devotes the month of November to  prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory , and participation in the Mass of All Souls Day is a good way to begin the month.” How Should Christians Handle Halloween? First, I believe it is the choice of the Christian parent to allow or disallow children to participate in the festivities. If the children are old enough to understand, I think it’s appropriate to explain the pagan roots of Halloween. It’s a great opportunity to teach what the  Bible  says about the finality of death, the promise of heaven through Jesus, and the hope of resurrection. Churches can use Halloween as a time to build community, to show compassion and to share the message of Christ. Our church celebrates “Boogers and Halloweenies,” where communities in our area hold cookouts and free food for neighbors, while sharing the Good News of Christ. Many churches around the country have harvest festivals or other events to provide a safe place for families to celebrate. Communities need to know that Christians are not isolationists. They can welcome trick-or-treaters with ‘Snickers’ and a smile. Halloween, however, should not be celebrated in ignorance. We need to teach its origins and contrast it with biblical truth. What Do Our Children Need to Know? God loves us and sent His Son Jesus to die in our place. When we place our faith in Christ’s death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and our home is heaven. Death is final. Eternity is real. Jesus is victorious over evil. We can stand secure and unafraid!

Dr. Russell Moore explains that sharing the Gospel is not complicated. In fact, he can clearly summarize it in three words: “Can you explain the gospel in three words? Someone posted a challenge a couple of weeks ago on social media. “One can’t explain the whole gospel in only three words,” I mumbled to myself. “That’s why we have a canon of 66 books.” The more I thought about it, though, the more my mind changed, and I became open to taking up the challenge. I think I could explain the gospel in three words, so long as I would have follow-up time to explain all three words. And those words would be “Lord Jesus Christ.” 1. Lord The word “Lord” would mean pointing to the Godness of God, what it means to speak of God as sovereign king and as loving Father. This would entail a discussion of God as Creator, what it means for us to be his creatures. This would involve a discussion of what God has revealed to us about his lordship as Creator. That he designed all things by and for Jesus Christ (John 1:1–5; Col 1:16). It would also include our human predicament as idol-makers, who consistently choose other lords and gods and Pharaohs and Caesars, thinking they will be better to us, all the while cutting ourselves off from our only source of life, God himself. 2. Jesus The second word, “Jesus,” would entail a discussion of what the name means: “She will bear a son and you shall call his name ‘Jesus,’ for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Who is this speaking? He is the Creator God, the covenant God of Israel. To whom is he speaking? He is speaking to Joseph, of the lineage of Abraham, of the house of David. This would communicate both the sending of salvation by God the Father through the Holy Spirit, and also the covenant history behind this. The story here is that of Israel, summed up now in this person, the seed of Abraham and son of David. Then the word “Jesus” would necessitate the definition of “save” and of “sins.” Why do we need saving? What has happened to us? What does it mean that we are sinners before a holy God? This would mean unpacking something of the wrath of God against sin, the love of God in providing salvation, and the way the two come together in the cross of Christ (Rom. 1–3). This would mean a discussion of the curse that has come upon us for our sin, and how, through substitution and sacrifice, Jesus bore that curse for us (Gal. 3). The name “Jesus” would also necessitate defining the words “his people.” Jesus is the Word, that which holds the universe together, become flesh. He has joined us in our humanity, fully one of us, except without sin. He is therefore able to be our priest, to mediate for us in the heavenly temple with his own blood, his own prayers, his own life. This would also entail defining what it means for God to say, over and over, “You will be my people, and I will be your God.” We cannot say the word ‘Jesus’ without speaking of his church. . . . We are saved to be a people. In Jesus, all the promises of God find their “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20). Jesus is the heir of God’s promises to Abraham, and if we are hidden in him, those promises become fully ours (Gal. 3:29). Those of us who were outsiders to God’s promises are now, in him, by the blood of his cross, “brought near” to God (Eph. 2:13). We are all now, in Jesus, “no longer strangers and aliens” but “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). That means we cannot say the word “Jesus” without speaking of his church, united to him by the Spirit as a head to a body. We are saved to be a people. 3. Christ The final word is “Christ,” which I would explain is not Jesus’s last name but a title, meaning “Anointed One.” Anointed with what? The Spirit of God. Anointed by whom? The Father God. Anointed for what? Kingship. Jesus is the rightful covenant king, fulfilling the missions of the fallen kingships of Adam and David. The kingdom of God, then, is the present reality and future hope of God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. This kingship is demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, as the firstborn of an entire family freed from death and hell (Rom. 8:29). In the word “Christ” we look backward to our story as the people of Israel promised deliverance. We also look forward to our future as joint-heirs with Jesus, ruling over the entire created universe. In this way, Christ Jesus sums up all of God’s purposes for the universe (Eph. 1:10–11) and hands over a completed cosmic mission to his Father, so that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28). We groan as we see the wreckage of the fall all around us, but we also joyfully enter into it in the present as we are formed by the Spirit, and as we embody together in the church, the demonstration site of the coming kingdom. We love and forgive and serve one another, and live on mission toward the outside world, as ambassadors for the coming king. There’s much more to be said, of course. That’s why we need 66 books of God-breathed Scripture. That’s why we need the Spirit of Christ to teach us how to hear from him in that Scripture. We need many words, and God has given us many words. But we can start the conversation, I think, with three: “Lord Jesus Christ.” And, if we do, it might train us for what all of us one day will confess, on bended knee, “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11). www.the gospelcoalition.org. Read the original article here.

How can God use stress in our lives to produce good. How can it conform us to the image of Christ. Randy Alcorn writes: 1. God uses stress to get our attention. God created our bodies. He designed them to send us messages. If I stick my hand in fire, my body will send me a message, quick and clear. If I ignore it, I’ll pay the price. C.S. Lewis said “pain is God’s megaphone.” Some of us are hard of hearing. We ignore physical, mental, and spiritual warning signs. We’re like the stubborn mule the farmer had to hit over the head with a two-by-four to get his attention. God wants us to tune our ears to the messages He sends us through our minds and bodies. 2. God uses stress to help us redefine or rediscover our priorities. By abandoning our God-given priorities we set ourselves up to learn a hard lesson. In essence we do what the Israelites did: lived in paneled houses while God’s house became a ruin (Haggai 1:4). In response, God sent lack of fulfillment, disillusionment, and failure as His messengers. He withheld His blessing till His people rediscovered their priorities: Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house [of God], so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands” (Haggai 1:5-11). God’s people are twice admonished “Give careful thought to your ways.” Stress should take us back to the basics. It is an opportunity to re-evaluate our priorities and bring them in line with God’s. 3. God uses stress to draw us to Himself. Time and again it was said of the people of Israel, “But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:4). It was in Jonah’s darkest hour, in his most stressful circumstances that he said this: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me” (Jonah 2:2). The Psalms are full of references of turning to God, seeking Him and finding Him in times of intense stress. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears (Psalm 18:6). In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah (Psalm 81:7). I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me (Psalm 120:1). When our lives are comfortable and stress-free, too often we withdraw from the Lord into our own worlds of spiritual independence and isolation. Smug and self-satisfied, we forget what life is really all about. But as the thirsty seek for water, those under stress often seek God. Many non-believers have come to Christ and many believers have returned to Him in times of stress. 4. God uses stress to discipline us. Quoting Solomon’s words to his son, the writer of Hebrews offers what he calls a word of encouragement: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons (Hebrews 12:5-7). (The word son, of course, is generic for “child,” and applies equally to daughters.) To some of us, this doesn’t sound so encouraging. But we fail to realize how essential discipline is. Scripture says that to withhold discipline from a child is, in essence, child abuse: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” (Proverbs 13:24). Discipline is corrective. It is remedial, not revengeful. God sends stresses not to get back at us for doing wrong, but to deepen our dependence on Him in order to do right. Though the stressful experience may seem excruciating at the time, it is ultimately all for good: God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:10-11). 5. God uses stress to strengthen our faith. 1 Peter 1:7 tells us: “These [trials] have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” There is only one way a muscle grows—through stress. A muscle that is rarely exercised atrophies; it shrinks into uselessness. A muscle seldom stretched beyond its usual limits can only maintain itself. It cannot grow. To grow, a muscle must be taxed. Unusual demands must be placed upon it. Stress is a demand placed upon our faith. Without it our faith will not, cannot, grow. Ever seen grass grow through asphalt? It’s amazing if you think about it. How does grass, pressed flat and robbed of light, persevere? Yet we’ve seen it. Somehow God made those tiny blades of grass to rise to the greatest challenge. Nanci and I have seen many people rise against odds just as great. In the crucible of stress, as we draw on our resources in Christ, He gives us faith and strength to crack through and rise above the asphalt coat. That hard demanding surface buries some forever, but is to others the defining point of breaking through and thriving by the grace of God. For more, see Randy and Nanci’s book Help for Women Under Stress.

My husband’s father, Roger Sr., was an amazing mentor. He intentionally instilled values in his growing young sons. What a man! What a legacy! Roger’s Dad repeatedly quipped pithy sayings to show his sons how to live a successful life. “He who whispers down a well about the goods he has to sell will not have as many dollars as he who climbs a tree and hollers.” -Speak up! “Don’t sell your peanuts at the end of the parade”-Work hard, don’t procrastinate! “I’m fine as frog’s hair!” (-a golfing term)-Be optimistic! Every morning his bleary-eyed son padded into the living room to find his father on his knees praying for his family, Roger Sr. resigned his highly prestigious job when his boss instructed him to cook the books and defraud the IRS. Dad faithfully brought his wife and boys to church every time the doors were open. Roger Sr.’s pastor taught: “if you come on Sunday morning, you love the pastor. If you come on Sunday night you love the church. If you return on Wednesday night, you love Jesus.” So the Barrier family came to church, rain or shine. He only had one vice. Roger Sr. surreptitiously took his sons out for ice cream without telling Mom. Roger Jr. now attends a 12-Step program to beat his Rocky Road addiction. But Papaw (his grandpa name) never wavered in his quest to imprint his two sons (and five grandkids) with Christlike character. He bowed his head at the end of his excruciating battle with bone cancer and prayed, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Passing the baton is an art. Mighty Moses prepared Joshua to lead the Jews into their new homeland. Elijah successfully equipped Elisha to be his prophetic successor. Jesus artfully trained bumbling, petulant Peter to become the “Rock” of His church. What can we learn from these Bible heroes about how to leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren? Before Joshua was sent to search out Canaan, his name was Hoshea, Hebrew for salvation. After his demonstration of faith and passion in Numbers 14:6-9, Moses called him Joshua, the Hebrew word for “YAHWEH is my salvation.” When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to talk with God, young Joshua was at Moses’ side. (Exodus 24:13-14). Joshua witnessed firsthand the power and shining glory of YAHWEH. Moses modeled courage, meekness and obedience. So when it was time to lead Israel across the Jordan to claim the Promised Land, Joshua listened to God and obeyed: “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them — to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:1-5 NIV The prophet Elisha had some pretty big shoes to fill. Elijah, his “father in the faith,” called fire down from heaven and single-handedly slaughtered the prophets of Baal. Soon after, God asked Elijah to anoint a young farmer as his successor. (1 Kings 19:19-21) Just like Joshua, Elisha’s name means “My God is my salvation.” Elijah made a great hand-off to Elisha. He knew his earthly life was about to end. Elisha would not leave the aging prophet’s side. He witnessed his spiritual father ascend to heaven in a chariot of fire. The young prophet would not rest until he walked in the same power and anointing as Elijah: “He (Elisha) picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” 2 Kings 2:13-15 NIV Christ’s entire ministry was spent “passing the torch.” He devoted three and a half years to this holy task. Peter, the bumbling apprentice, was a slow learner. Jesus called the roughshod fisherman to drop his fishing nets and fish for men. (Matthew 4:18) Christ tested Peter’s trust by asking him to walk on the waves of the stormy Galilean sea. (Matthew 14:28) Christ queried, “Who do men say that I am?” (Matthew 16:16) After Peter declared Jesus’ deity, he failed to recognize His purpose to go to the Cross. Peter observed His Savior gloriously transfigured, weeping uncontrollably in the Garden and brutally crucified. Jesus revealed Himself to Peter as resurrected Lord even after Peter so cruelly denied Him. And Jesus restored His protégé at a seaside fish breakfast. Jesus was all about on-the-job training. He pushed Peter out of the nest-sometimes he would fly and sometimes he would fall. But when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, it was Peter who was ignited with Jesus’ passion and power. (Acts 2:1-41). Look behind you. Who is following in your footsteps and where are you leading them? It’s never too late to leave a legacy.

One night after I had gone to bed early, the phone rang, and when my son picked up he heard a woman weeping on the other end. She was crying so hard she could not find her voice, but fortunately my son gently said the right thing. “You want to talk to my mom, don’t you?” She muttered a feeble, “Yes.” And, then my son woke me up to talk and pray with my sweet friend. Who do you call in the middle of the night when you need prayer? Do you have someone you can call who is willing to lose sleep and comfort you, someone who feels like a rock of stability in the middle of your challenging circumstances? That night I was the one she called, but many times I reach out in tears seeking a solid rock friend to pray and encourage me, because sorrow is unexplainably common. One of the most precious pictures of Jesus foreshadowed in the Old Testament is the Rock. Paul believed Israel’s history pointed toward Christ. Look at 2 Cor. 10:1-4. I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them and the Rock was Christ. In Matthew 21:42-44 Jesus knew he was the Rock when he quotes Psalm 118:22. Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Jesus is the stone the builders rejected. Through Jesus’ one-time sacrifice, God was going to reconcile the world to himself. In our next Rock passages God takes a contentious struggle between Moses and the Israelites to reveal the power of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Look at Exodus 17:2-7. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord? “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb and you shall strike the rock and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. Dehydration is a serious problem for people who try hiking in the desert. If you have never felt the pounding headaches, the vertigo or muscle cramps of dehydration, you might not fully understand what these people experienced and why they felt justified in their grumbling. Mercifully, God did understand and even though they complained, God provided water when Moses struck the rock. Unfortunately, this was not going to be the last time they ran out of water on their desert trek. In Numbers 20:2-12 we have our second story of dehydration. Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates and there is no water to drink. Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and t ell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me , to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” God wanted the Rock portrait to illustrate the wonder-working power of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice. Compare these two Old Testament stories with Jesus’ sacrifice. In the Exodus passage while Moses was alone with the elders, he was told to strike the rock and water would gush forth. He was not to strike the rock in front of the entire congregation. Because the Sanhedrin, the Jewish elders, feared Jesus’ popularity, they arrested him in the middle of the night. In a secret trial, away from the eyes of the congregation they beat him and condemned Jesus to die. In the Numbers passage Moses was supposed to speak to the Rock in front of the entire congregation and water would flow. By speaking instead of striking the Rock this second event in Israel’s history was to prophetically point to the power of Jesus’ one-time sacrifice. Now, in prayer we need only to speak to the Rock of our salvation. God answers us based on Jesus’ once-for-all crucifixion. Moses was forbidden from entering the Promised Land when he willfully destroyed the picture of grace God wanted embedded in the Exodus. Without understanding that God wanted to foreshadow Christ’s one-time sacrifice in Israel’s history, these two desert stories are difficult to interpret. Blinded by leadership fatigue Moses felt he had a right to preempt God’s intentions. With this Rock metaphor, we learn the value God places on his eternal plan of salvation. Hebrews 9:24-26, 28 also reminds us that Jesus’ sacrifice was a one-time sacrifice. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. … so Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Imagine the privilege God was bestowing on Moses. God gave Moses the high calling of foreshadowing the supremacy of Jesus’ sacrifice before the entire congregation. Unfortunately, Moses was viewing the Israelites as rebels instead of God’s children. Close to the Promised Land, after years of faithfulness, Moses stubbornly sinned. What is God asking of you that seems like a trial instead of an opportunity? Sometimes leadership is exhausting. As a pastor’s daughter and pastor’s wife, leadership fatigue is a common temptation. There is one place of leadership I have struggled to navigate. Often times, drained and weary, I have felt like I simply cannot hear one more sad story. This attitude while understandable is unsafe in a leader. This was Moses’ sin. When I am angry, frustrated with my calling, and not surrendering to God’s agenda, like Moses I am putting in jeopardy my move to the Promised Land. Church members, friends, and family all come clothed in suffering. Sorrow is unexplainably common. So, what could I do with my chronic lack of mercy? I could pray the minute someone told me of a need. I’ve learned the sooner I pray the easier it is for me to keep listening. Sometimes I text a prayer, or immediately ask the person if we can pray. When I surrender those who suffer to God, he hears. I’ve finally learned listening to sad stories is an opportunity to see God move, not a trial to be delivered from. What are you being blinded by? What trial is eclipsing the wonder-working power of the cross in your life? Jesus’ sacrifice happened once. This is the solid rock on which we stand in prayer. We don’t come in our own righteousness and try to negotiate with the Almighty. When God commanded Moses to speak to the rock it was to show how we come to God in prayer, through the power of Jesus’ blood sacrifice. Our prayers find merit because we belong to Jesus and his merit has been imparted to us.

“How do you know the will of God?” At every Campus Crusade Christmas Conference that was the title of the workshop that always drew standing room numbers. Because every Christian has wondered in the midst of crucial decisions if they were deciding in keeping with God’s will. So how do you know the will of God? Before we answer the question we must discuss the question of the will of God. There are three distinctives to the will of God. There is God’s decretive will: It is also called the moral will of God. It is the Bible. Those things that God expressly forbids or allows. There is no decision on these things. One merely reads and obeys. Then there is the providential will of God. These are those things that God has allowed or caused to happen. We don’t make decisions on these things either. We only decide how we will respond to what has taken place. We trust then do what we can. And then there is what we shall call the non-moral will of God, or perhaps the right or left will of God as opposed to the right or wrong will. Some have called it the neutral will of God. This is the decision that we fret over. It’s not moral. It’s not biblical. It’s a personal decision. There is no ordained sense of guidance. Can I be wrong? Culpable? Should I take the job offer? Marry that Christian man or woman whom I truly love? Homeschool or private? Private or public? Buy this house? Have this surgery? If there is revelatory guidance, how do I know it? Am I responsible to find it? Are feelings my guide? At what point am I free to make my “own” decisions? The restaurant I choose? My car? Does God allow choices? Free ones? Does He still guide me in my direction? So how do you make a right and left decision? Don’t worry about finding “the dot.” I’ll use the word “dot” as meaning “the specific revealed will of God.” God doesn’t ask us to find it and besides – how would you find it? Would you hear a voice or receive a sign or an angel appear or a dream? Or (and be honest – we’ve all done this), you would read your Bible and interpret whatever you read as leading you one way or the other. How about opening the Bible and sticking your finger down at random? Your Bible now becomes your tea leaves or runic stones or crystal ball. Your means of divination. Perhaps the biggest problem with trying to find “the dot” is that you’ll find it! You will interpret something as the will of God and that can be dangerous. All kinds of ignorance has been laundered this way. God certainly can speak audibly but that is what He can freely do, not what we are commanded to hear. Know that it’s ok to choose. Part of being Adam was that he acted freely as God gave him the freedom. Whatever he named the animal that it was. He was to subdue, cultivate, and rule as he saw fit. God gave him direction and boundaries but within them Adam was free. It’s ok. You’re not proud in choosing or disobedient or self-willed. You are a redeemed human, a mature son or daughter of God. You’ve had your Bar-Mitzvah through Christ. You can choose. Robots do not glorify God, sons do. NO one in scripture is ever punished for making a neutral or non-moral decision. Halted or redirected maybe, but never judged. Check your motive: “All a man’s ways are right in his sight but God weighs to motives.” (Proverbs). Why do you want what you want? Check your heart: The burden of the heart is a very real and good thing. The Book of Nehemiah says that Nehemiah told no one what “God had laid upon my heart.” Paul spoke of his longing to come to Rome and his desire to go to Spain. God gives us “the desires of our hearts” as we trust Him. He “wills and works” in us for His good pleasure. He can produce a longing. A point needs to be clarified here. Paul said, “All those led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) But the leading of God’s Spirit is toward morality and conduct not in an extra-biblical knowledge. People often misapply this verse to support God’s special knowledge through the Spirit instead of His guiding in conduct. Ask around: “Where there is an abundance of counselors there is victory. (Proverbs) Others who have walked the paths of life have made many of the same decisions. You may find your decision is a lot more black and white than you thought. Pray for the providence of God: Though God lets us choose still He guides us. We are given the privilege to choose but we are not at the mercy of our choices. Paul longed to go to Rome but God prevented him because He had more immediate purposes. (Romans 15:20-22). We perceive in the scripture God’s purposes and pleasure then we plan, long, act and choose as we prayerfully trust His headship. He can say “yes, no or later.” Make certain you are obeying God in the things He has revealed so you can be guided in what He has not : “Being in the way the Lord led me.” (Psalms) “Walk before Me and I will establish My covenant with you.” (Genesis 17) Are you in church, walking in purity, honoring God financially, in subjection in the areas God calls you to submission? God doesn’t steer parked cars. Faithful folks will always be led. The girl I dated for four years was a sweet girl but I had developed a new direction in the things of the Great Commission. I felt, reasoned, and surmised from what I read and from the counsel of three older men that she was the right girl, but for another man. I heard no voice from heaven but made a choice. I met Teresa and made another decision. (The fact that her father owned his own oil company meant nothing.) I chose as wisely as I could and God directed me. · I chose to do evangelism living hand to mouth for one year. God blessed the choice. · I chose to be a college director at a Methodist church. God blessed the choice. · I felt the need for deeper knowledge so I chose to go to Dallas Theological Seminary. They said no to the degree program I chose but I had reasons for doing the two year rather than the four. I continued to press – they said yes. God has blessed it. No voices, just guidance. · The Methodist job shut down and I had three choices. Methodist, Baptist or a young Bible Church meeting in the Optimist Gym. I felt and surmised from my doctrinal position and the counsel of good men to go with Denton Bible. I did. God blessed it. My wife and I have made decisions on birth control, home schooling, home buying, our son’s college direction, our son’s military desires, caring for parents and on and on. I have never heard the voice of God nor have I sought for it. God did not call me to be mystic or robotic but to be wise, well read, prayerful – and a man – assertive, of sanctified willfulness, initiating – and trusting His guidance without hesitation or apology. So . . . relax. Do right, be free, be strong, be wise . . . then trust. www.dbc.org . Used by permission.

We understand intellectually that life isn’t fair, but our culture acts as though life should be fair. There’s been a convergence within our society between justice and fairness. Justice is objective. We should be able to measure what justice is. We have laws, rules, regulations and certain things that need to be enforced for justice. I think we could agree that we live in a pretty unjust society, and that’s a result of sin. People are fallen. As Christians, we should make sure we’re working toward justice in our culture as much as possible, even though we know it will never be perfect. On the other hand, fairness is a very subjective thing. What’s fair to you may not be fair to me. There’s a difference between justice and fairness. So, let me share six practical things to do to escape the trap of wanting to compare yourself with others in this blog, part 1 and the next one – part 2. Change your belief that life is supposed to be fair. One of the top three topics we’ve had on our Facebook Intentional Living Minute for the last six months was about life not being fair. We asked, “What’s one thing your child needs to learn before they leave home?” The answer we received the most is that life is not fair. One of the gifts we need to give to our children or grandchildren is to teach them that life isn’t fair. We need to get the idea of life being fair out of our heads. We need to tell ourselves the truth – life is not fair. Focus on your strengths, your weaknesses, your gifts and your blessings from God. God has wired each of us differently. We can get into trouble when we try to move into a lane in life that we shouldn’t be in. We all have our own unique gifts. There are things I’ve been gifted with that if I get too far away from them, it becomes stressful for me. And you have the same thing. Be mindful that God’s path is different for each person. It’s not only focusing on our strengths but also understanding that God has something special for us. Jesus shared about fairness in John 21 as He walked with his disciples and talked to Peter. He said, “When you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished. But when you get old, you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go” (v. 18 paraphrased). He’s telling Peter a little bit of a foretaste of how He was going to die. Jesus then tells Peter to follow Him. And then Peter notices that John is following right behind, and Peter asked Jesus what’s going to happen to him? Peter was comparing himself to John. He wanted to know if John would get a better deal than he was going to get. Isn’t that the sinful nature that we have? We always are comparing, and this gets right to the heart of the matter of what happens in families, because we are constantly comparing. Rejoice when others succeed. This is a tough one sometimes. It’s easier to weep when people are failing, but when people are successful – people in our family, people we compare ourselves with – that can be disconcerting or difficult. But it’s important to be able to rejoice when others succeed. John 10:10 says the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. Think about the story of Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37). Joseph had a dream and when he shared it with his brothers, it says “his brothers envied him” (v. 11). They were comparing themselves to their younger brother and didn’t think things were fair. They said, “You got this dream from God. God didn’t give us the dream.” They took matters into their own hands. One brother even wanted to kill him, but instead they threw him into a pit and later sold him into slavery. Refusing to rejoice when others succeed and comparing ourselves to one another damages relationships severely. We’ve got a biblical example of a relationship that was severely damaged based on what didn’t appear fair. Don’t keep score. There’s always going to be someone ahead of us. There is always someone on the ladder. Someone will always be just a little quicker, faster, smarter, younger, more handsome or a whole pile of other descriptors. 1st Corinthians 13:4-6 says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out” (NLT). Real love doesn’t keep score. I think record-keeping in relationships creates a problem. When we spend our lives trying to get up to that next wrung on the ladder, we sometimes push other people out of the way, and we miss the fact that we’re keeping score. Make life a little bit fairer for someone. Some people just need a hand. Every day we can reach out and bring one person up a little bit. We can offer a little more justice in our world to make life a little fairer for someone. We can reach down on the ladder and help someone up that’s below. We can all do that at any level. That’s why mentoring, teaching and being available to help others is so important. Life isn’t fair, but as Christians, we can make sure we share the gospel so others can see that fairness isn’t the goal. The goal is to be restored in relationship with the Creator of the universe. He is the ultimate justice keeper and we want to have the right relationship with Him. www.theintentionallife.com . Used by permission.

We talk to a lot of parents who want to protect their children from pornography. But what should you do when your teenagers push back when you suggest accountability software? We received an email recently from a parent with two teenagers who object to putting Covenant Eyes Screen Accountability™ on their computers and iPhones. They claim they have nothing to hide about what they are doing online, and they think the whole thing is “weird, invasive, and implies we don’t trust them.” Should Mom and Dad just put their foot down and insist on it? More importantly, how should they teach their kids from the Bible about the value of accountability in the home? After surveying a number of Christian counselors, pastors, parents, and teens, I compiled a number of wise principles and action steps for parents to take. 1. Lead by Example. “Mom and Dad need to live this out before they can lead it,” says Chris Spradlin, founder of EpicParent.tv. “I would recommend that Mom and Dad first get Covenant Eyes installed on their phones and computer.” When everyone in the home uses accountability software on their devices, teens are less likely to feel like they are being singled out. Lisa Cherry, author of Unmask the Predators, says parents should approach their children this way: “The Lord has convicted me of the importance of safety and accountability in our family. Because of that, I voluntarily make all of our Internet activities accountable to our entire family system. I need accountability on my computers. In this age when so many adults, children, and teens are becoming lured online, it is simply prudent to make sure all of our activities are in the highest light.” It is essential that a parent’s leadership in this is genuine: don’t use personal accountability merely as a pretense to spy on your kids. Teens are too smart to fall for that. 2. You’re Right, I Don’t Trust You. Children’s pastor Dan Deyling offers some sobering advice to parents. “Their cries of ‘You don’t trust me!’ should be met with ‘You are right; and you should not trust yourself either.’” For kids in the church, this should be Christianity 101: human hearts are deceptively sinful. And for young men and women today, sexual temptation online is one of the most prevailing issues we face. Jacqueline Anderson, now a college student at Heritage Bible College, grew up with Covenant Eyes in her home. When her dad first introduced his family to the software, she was taken aback by it. “I was a teen when my dad put the software on our computers and remember initially feeling like I was being accused of something I was not guilty of.” But her dad explained that this was a change the whole family was making to keep each other accountable as responsible adults and young adults. “None of us should think ourselves above temptation,” Jacqueline says. “I should not think myself above the temptation of porn and should be thankful for a godly person in my life willing to keep me accountable for what my eyes see online.” Sherry Allchin, a Biblical counselor in Arlington Heights, Illinois, agrees. “I’d reverse the question to the boys this way: ‘Why would you trust yourselves in this arena, considering how many men fall to pornography—men who are not bad men, per se, but men who accidentally or otherwise got into bad stuff through the Internet and now are hooked?’” As for feeling distrusted, teens must learn that trust is something earned. “I understand the issue because our girls have gone through that, too,” says Jennie Bishop, author of Planned Purity. “But they’ve earned our trust through keeping things open to us and through us having their passwords.” Using accountability on our devices reminds of our humanness and weakness. When we begin thinking we are the exception, we are stepping on thin ice. Pride comes before a fall. “Porn is pervasive and extremely addicting, and no one is immune, no matter how good or self-controlled they think they are,” reminds Bishop. “Covenant Eyes is about knowing ourselves, and being prepared,” says Allchin. “What an amazing reminder on a computer or cell phone for any young man!” 3. Frame Accountability in the Right Light. Sometimes the very word “accountability” can have a negative or even accusatory tone to it. Rick Thomas of Counseling Solutionssays, “Rather than use the word ‘accountability,’ which doesn’t fully connote what Mom wants to communicate, a better way to frame the situation is ‘biblical care’ or ‘serving one another.’ She wants to care for her sons.” The New Testament is full of “one another” passages, providing parents with rich discussion material for how we are meant to care for each other. Honor one another. Edify one another. Admonish one another. Serve one another. Bear each other’s burdens. Confess your sins to one another. Screen Accountability should be seen in this light. A parent is saying, in essence, “Sex is a real temptation, and I want to serve you by putting Covenant Eyes on the computers. This will help to guard your hearts,” says Thomas. Joe Bilotti, a student at Carson Newman College, knows this might be a hard lesson for a teen to swallow. Bilotti knows from his own experience, when he was a teenager he put up some resistance to his mom wanting to “protect” him online. But now he understands things differently. “Setting up guardrails is not a way to be ‘mean’ or ‘blindly authoritative,’” he says. Bilotti and his father are accountability partners through Covenant Eyes, and he knows the personal benefit this brings. “My Dad and I know that our battle for purity is not being fought alone, but that he and I can each help ‘consider how to stir up one another to love and good works’” (Hebrews 10:24). 4. Be the Parent. “Relationship and engagement with our kids is vital, but that relationship has to be parent/child, not just a friendship,” Jennie Bishop informs parents. “Sometimes making our kids holy has to supersede making them happy.” The pages of Scripture are filled with this message. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 gives a challenging picture of just how comprehensive parenting needs to be: teach diligently, talk constantly, and always point them to the wide-ranging implications and applications of the greatest commandment. Today, this must include training about how we use the Internet. Internet accountability can seem out of place if parents are permissive in others areas. “When children are encouraged to ‘live their own lives’ when it comes to their social life, driving activities, and daily schedules, entering into supervisory control in the world of electronics seems strange,” says Lisa Cherry. “I am teaching parents to be very cautious about giving any electronic devices to a child with the assumption of complete privacy,” Cherry warns. “We are raising a generation that believes that they have a right to complete privacy online.” Parents must straddle the tension of being too permissive or too authoritarian: they must make it clear they will monitor where their kids go and impart clear rules, while at the same time being warm and giving increased levels of autonomy as their teens get older. Dan Deyling reminds parents of the story of Eli in 1 Samuel 2-4. He was judged primarily because he would not hold his sons accountable to their actions. “To allow unfettered internet access to her sons is to put a temptation and stumbling block in front of her sons. Jesus says, ‘Woe to the one through the temptation comes’ (Luke 17:1).” Parents must not let a spirit of rebellion to go unchecked. “If these boys have a relationship with God,” asks Deyling, “why are they pushing back when someone—especially their mom!—suggests a plan to help them come against one of the prevailing sins of our culture? Mom should ask them that.” (Deyling also believes dads should be taking the lead in this area. “If dad is in the picture, he should be doing this. This is a hard burden for a mom.”) 5. Apologize for Playing Catch-Up. If parents are just now trying to implement changes in the home when their teens are older, this will be a difficult transition. Lisa Cherry offers some words parents can say: “I believe I have made a mistake and given us all the impression that we are somehow not accountable for our behavior online. As you become older and get married, accountability in your family will be very important. Husbands and wives need to believe they can always pick up each other’s cell phone or check each other’s e-mail and never be surprised. Therefore, it is my job to help you develop that level of maturity at a young age. I believe I’ve made a mistake in allowing you to grow an independent spirit that will make it harder on you when you’re older.” Jennie Bishop adds more words of wisdom to start this awkward conversation: “I wish we had done this a long time ago, but we need to start now. I know it may seem like an invasion of your privacy now, but I need you to understand how this works so you can do the same for your kids one day. And you may learn some things about yourself through the experience that really helps you, too. I’m open to your thoughts as we figure out how this works together, and I have no intention of ‘spying’ on everything you do. But as the parents in the household, we’re responsible for what is viewed and communicated here via our technology. Everything we do online is part of who we are as Christians. I would be ignoring what God wants from me, if I didn’t set up boundaries and standards online just like I do in real life.” Sign Up: Get Covenant Eyes for Your Family Covenant Eyes offers Screen Accountability for PCs, Macs, iPhones, iPads, iPod touches, and Android phones and tablets. Sign your family up today! www.covenanteyes.com .

Share 0 Science fiction speaks to some of our deepest dreams and longings. It captures our imagination. And that’s why we love fiction. The old adage: truth is stranger than fiction is true. You read the Gospels and what you’ll discover is that “truth is stranger than fiction.” Jesus did things that movie writers can only dream about. Stories of turning water into wine, walking on water, healing someone who is blind or lame, or raising the dead are just a few supernatural incidents that fill the gospels. Why is it that we love sci-fi movies that have supernatural elements? The astonishing account of Jesus’ appearing to Thomas in His resurrected body is real. Let me put it this way. I believe that Jesus can show up anywhere, anytime. This is not an isolated incident. “One of the twelve disciples, Thomas was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” …Suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. ‘Peace be with you,’ He said. Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’ ‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed.” John 20:19-28 I think sometimes we just think of God in four dimensions of the space-time continuum. We bring God down to our human level, but He created multi-universes in multiple dimensions. That is why, to an eternal God, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. He doesn’t exist within this dimension of time that He created. For us to think otherwise is a very human thing for us to do, but here’s the great irony, I think we fall into two traps. One, if something seems too non-human or too unbelievable, we can’t believe it because that means that God would be God. I also think there is a part of us that on the flip side. We want God to fit within the constraints of our left-brain logic, but it just doesn’t work that way. So I make no apologies for the miraculous story, because if God couldn’t do this, He’s not God. God created these universal laws that we study and discover that give order and system and structure to the universe in which we exist. But by the very nature of God creating them, He exists outside of them. So when He does the miraculous deeds beyond my understanding, it just means that if I believe in God, then I believe there is nothing that God cannot do. And if He can’t do this, then He is not God and there is no point in worshipping Him. Let me tell you how I live my life, why I have such a sense of destiny and why I live with holy anticipation. Because I believe that God can invade the reality of my life at any moment at any place and change everything. He can turn my life upside down and inside out. And that is both exciting and scary. That’s what happened in Thomas’ story. I believe that God has things planned and purposed for us that if, by faith, we’re open to it, He might just want to show up in an incredible and miraculous way and surprise us. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side. ” This passage is where Thomas got his nickname, “Doubting Thomas.” Honestly, I feel bad for him. First of all, is there anybody who doesn’t have any doubts at all? No. We never arrive at a place where we have 100% faith. We are human, we are not omniscient, and faith is always part of the equation. But I would suggest that Thomas wasn’t satisfied with a second-hand faith. He wasn’t willing to live off of someone else’s experience, what someone else had seen or heard. He wanted a first-hand faith encounter. One of the critical moments in our journey comes when we go from a second-hand faith, believing because someone else believes like our parents or mentors. But there comes a moment where you can believe not just because of what someone else has experienced, you’ve got to experience it yourself. You’ve got to personalize it and internalize it. It’s first-hand faith. As humans, we will never be doubt-free. Doubt is a healthy thing because it forces us to seek God more. And unless we lose faith, it actually builds our faith. Let me put it in physical terms. Doubt is like the fracturing of muscle tissue that happens when you exercise. The exercise damages the muscle fibers, but the muscle that is broken down repairs itself and builds back up even stronger. So doubt breaks us down, but faith builds us back up. If we didn’t experience any doubt, we’d never grow. We’d settle for someone else’s experience. If Thomas had been satisfied with the other disciples’ testimony, maybe he never would have experienced the personal encounter with Jesus-touching his wounds, and crying, “My Lord and my God.” “My faith isn’t perfect and it isn’t static… It is guaranteed by my finitude to be incomplete, in need of continuing mid-course corrections. Doubting my faith can be an opportunity for increased faith in God. Faith is found and lost and found again, at deeper and deeper levels.” MacLaren I think there is faith on the near side of doubt and it’s a very shallow, superficial faith. Then there is faith on the far side of doubt, and if you get to the far side of doubt, you will have a strong faith that will hold you together when it seems like everything is falling apart. So I think, in a sense, doubt is not something to be feared, it is something to be celebrated. “Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” He said. 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” John 20:26-27 What a powerful moment. I love that Jesus met Thomas right where he was. Some people are more intellectual and some are more emotional. Have you noticed how God has the ability to meet us wherever we are? There are people who need more evidence. They are wired in a way that their five senses need to have a greater comprehension. And on one level, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, but I think there comes a moment where you have got to go beyond your senses. Do you know that we have about one hundred million sensory receptors that enable us to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell? I think what a lot of us do is we are not going to believe anything that goes beyond our five senses, we are not going to believe anything that goes beyond what we can see or feel or taste or touch. The bottom line is this, your world is going to be limited to what your five senses can perceive. Faith is going beyond those five senses. I believe that my faith is not illogical. It’s not logical either. It is super-logical. It goes beyond the constraints of left-brained logic. If you could comprehend God, He wouldn’t be God. So what faith does is it allows us to live beyond what we can see or taste or touch. We can say with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” Taken from “Scars: Doubting Thomas”

We all can become deceived both in our personal lives, our relationships, and our ministries. Here are some significant questions and observations that will allow you to evaluate your leadership and the leadership of others. • How many of you have a significant problem with self-deception? • Those who don’t know don’t know they don’t know. • You can go through you entire life only seeing from one perspective. • As leaders it’s difficult for us to get an objective view of our leadership. • The higher you rise in an organization, the more difficult it is to get objective truth about yourself. • The problems you don’t know about are the problems you can’t fix. • In the church world, there are problems we don’t know about that unchurched people recognize… whether its in our culture or environments. • You have a lot problems that need fixing but you don’t even know about them. • You have a lot of problems as a leader and you’ve got to make an effort to find out what you need to fix. Three Principles of Self-Deception 1 – We as leaders have a limitless capacity for self-deception. • Example: King David and Bathsheba. • Healthy can mean the absence of problems. • When there are no problems at all, healthy can be a way of saying, “we aren’t doing anything right now.” • It’s not OK when people outside of our church doors are going to Hell. 2 – The longer we believe lies, the harder it is to hear truth. • Psalm 36:2 – For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. • There are a lot of us in Christian leadership that are so flattered with our ministry that we fail to recognize significant sin in our own lives. Previous generations did us a disservice by telling us that we are good at everything. • When you are teachable, there is greatness in you. 3 – The leader’s lack of self-awareness is the leader’s greatest barrier. • It’s our greatest barrier to forward movement in the Kingdom. • The self-deceived leader can always find someone or something else to blame. • Don’t you ever say that people won’t… take ownership. • Own your own limitations. • If you delegate tasks, you create followers. • If you delegate authority, you create leaders. • If you just tell people what to do you won’t attract, build or release leaders. • Your self-deception is the barrier to what God wants to do in your church. • Know where you need God in every area of your life. Uncovering the Truth About You 1 – Pray • Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. – Psalm 139:23-24 • We cannot overcome a challenge we cannot identify. • If there was something that was limiting your effectiveness, you would want to know about it. • PRAY. 2 – Listen • He who listens to life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. – Proverbs 15:31-32 • Listen to the Spirit of God and listen to people. • The more convinced you are that you are right about something, the more likely you are wrong. • Whatever you do, build a team that craves and gives helpful feedback. • Can you give and receive correction? • Implement annual 360 evaluations for every team member. • Everyone around you gets the opportunity to critique your leadership anonymously. • What has God been trying to show you? Write those things down. 3 – Change • Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. – James 1:12 • Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – John 8:32 • The problems you have in your organization aren’t someone else’s problems, they are your problems. It’s a leadership issue. • Some of you are too proud, deceiving yourselves, and ignoring your sin by ignoring your problems. • Are you having an affair with your phone? • Are you a workaholic? • Is your body in trouble? • Is your marriage or family suffering? • God wants you to do more than survive. • You can’t lead people to life and life more abundantly if you aren’t experiencing abundant life yourself. • Pornography is a big deal. • It’s time to get help. • It’s time to get honest. • It’s time to come clean. • Confess to God for forgiveness. • Confess to people for healing. • There is a world that needs Jesus. • So do you. • The more we rely on God for His forgiveness and power the more we can lead other people to experience it for themselves. Notes from Catalyst Conference on Leadership. Used by permission.

Many Christians ask me, “Am I sinning if I’m not happy as a Christian?” In answering this question, I’m assuming two things of readers: Happiness and joy are synonyms, and how Scripture uses a number of related words to express gladness in God. You understand the importance of walking in God’s revealed will in Scripture, and not seeking so-called “happiness” through sin and “whatever makes me feel good.” God Commands We Find Our Joy in Him The question is “Am I sinning if I’m not happy in Christ?” We need to understand that God doesn’t simply suggest that we find joy in Him; He commands it: Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. (Philippians 3:1) Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. (NLT) So now, my Christian brothers, be happy because you belong to Christ. (NLV) Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! (Philippians 4:4, CEB) Delight yourselves in God, yes, find your joy in him at all times. (Phillips) Does God mean it when He says “always”? Yes. The reasons for gladness in Christ are constant, like an ocean tide. The water doesn’t remain in the same place, always lapping over our feet. But even at low tide, it’s still there, poised to move in again. Paul followed verse 4 with this encouragement: “The Lord is at hand,” which itself is a reason to rejoice. God is with us, never abandons us, and will deliver us soon, whether by death or by His return. In light of such passages, I believe that a Christ-follower’s resignation to unhappiness is unbelief and disobedience. That may sound harsh, but I’m convinced it’s true, and actually hope-giving. (Since I’m not naturally chipper or bouncy, but more melancholic, this isn’t my personality speaking!) God wouldn’t command all His children to rejoice in Him always if only the naturally gleeful could obey. A Measure of Obedience Since God repeatedly commands His people to be happy, our happiness is a measure of our obedience. Don’t rush past that statement: our happiness is a measure of our obedience. Reread it. Ponder it. And consider that God in His grace would never command us to be happy without providing us the necessary resources to do so, including His indwelling presence. I’m well aware that some readers of this blog may be experiencing deep suffering and sorrow, whether through the loss of a loved one, a debilitating disease, a difficult season of depression, or other painful life circumstances. My wife Nanci was diagnosed with colon cancer early last year, and went through several months of treatment and painful side effects. There were some very difficult days for her. So no, we won’t constantly be “bubbling over” with gleeful happiness every moment of every day. In a world under the curse of evil and suffering, something would be very wrong if we were! But if we’re always focusing on life’s difficulties and trials, we won’t be happy people. Instead, if we focus on the Lord and His abundant grace, we will be happy. Paul said, “His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy” (Colossians 1:11, CEV). Joy Through Hardship Rejoicing always in the Lord seems unrealistic at times. But we must remember that this rejoicing is centered not in a passing circumstance but in a constant reality—Christ. Scripture doesn’t command us to rejoice in: the condition of our nation the direction our culture is headed the attitude of a spouse the struggles of our children painful events at our church the loss of a job poor health We’re to rejoice in the midst of these things , but of course they won’t be the source of our gladness. We’re told to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoicing in Christ is superior to all other delights, but it’s not always separate from them. Rejoicing in a friend, a parent, a child, a spouse, a job well done, or a glorious walk in the forest can in fact be choosing to find happiness in Christ. The Bible never pretends that happiness is easy or constant. It’s unrealistic to expect perpetual happiness while the Curse is in effect. But the day is coming when “there will no longer be any curse” (Revelation 22:3, HCSB). Believing this can bring us great happiness even today. When I am grieving over what God grieves over, I am not sinning. But if I am always grieving and always unhappy, if that is the normal state of my life over the long haul, then something is wrong. God wants something better for me. He really wants me to experience gladness in Him, instead of consenting to perpetual unhappiness. I’m not always happy, any more than I’m always holy. I’ve experienced seasons of depression, both before and since coming to faith in Christ. This is partly due to my personality type and emotional makeup (and perhaps genetics), while some is triggered by my long-term physical illness (insulin-dependent diabetes), and some is the result of adverse circumstances. So I’m not a stranger to unhappiness—I really do get it! But by God’s grace, I’m more supernaturally happy in Christ now than I’ve ever been. And as many other believers throughout history have, I’ve also learned to make choices that increase my joy. Great pain certainly dulls—and at times even overshadows—happiness, but it can’t destroy happiness that’s grounded in our ever-faithful God. Sometimes sorrow and joy do battle; sometimes they coexist, but when our hearts and minds are on Christ, joy is never far away: “You changed my sorrow into dancing. You took away my clothes of sadness, and clothed me in happiness” (Psalm 30:11, NCV). The Seriousness of Failing to Seek Happiness in God So just how serious does God take His commands for us to rejoice in Him? Consider this statement: “God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy.” I’ll bet that got your attention. I never would have put it that way myself. Standing on its own, it sounds shocking, even outrageous! But Scripture supports it. God’s Word Translation renders Deuteronomy 28:47, “You didn’t serve the Lord your God with a joyful and happy heart when you had so much.” Whether we find joy and happiness in God and His abundant gifts dramatically affects how He views our service for Him. He is not a master who cares only that His servants do what they’re told, but a Father who cares deeply about His children’s love for Him and the heartfelt emotional gladness we find in Him as we obey. The obedience of dutiful drudgery is better, but only marginally so, than outright disobedience. Indeed, God sometimes disciplines His people who fail to find happiness in Him by sending unfavorable circumstances. Here’s the whole verse I quoted with the jaw-dropping one that follows: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:47-48). This passage prompted British clergyman Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) to write the striking words I used above: “God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy.” [1] Read this passage, and you’ll see that Taylor’s statement is true. If we refuse to serve the Creator and Redeemer of our souls in happiness, we will surely end up serving the enemy of our souls in unhappiness. God’s severe mercy in bringing adversity when we don’t serve Him with joyfulness and gladness of heart may turn us to God, where we’ll find in Him the only heartfelt and lasting happiness available to us. I am well aware that after reading such strong language some people will feel guilty. Some will say, “Okay, I’m already unhappy, so now you’re trying to make me feel guilty for being unhappy?” That is not my goal. My goal is to believe Scripture when it says that God who truly loves you, and Jesus who gave His life for you, has vested interests in you being happy in Him. He offers you the strength in the Holy Spirit to experience this happiness. Yes, there will be times of sorrow, but God can truly transform our default condition to one of happiness rather than sorrow. Now, if your normal temperament lands you on a happiness scale of 2-3 out of 10, maybe the work of God’s Spirit won’t take you to a 10 but to a 6-7. But wouldn’t that be a greater miracle, then a naturally happy person (which again, I am not) becoming another 10% happier? So you don’t have to be the happiest person at the party to still enjoy God and find greater happiness in Him than you’ve ever known. Remember, God’s commands are not to burden us, but to free us—the truth, including the truth about Him wanting us to be happy in Him—should set us free (John 8:32). Be encouraged, because everything God commands us to do He empowers to do, and He does it not only for His glory but for our good. His Empowerment of Our Joy The moment after death, all who know Jesus will experience a flood of happiness greater than we’ve ever known. We might ask ourselves in Heaven, if we are called upon to evaluate our lives here, Given Christ’s finished work on my behalf, with the indwelling Son and Holy Spirit, why didn’t I experience more of this happiness in God before I died? The permanence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in our lives allows us to continually access a supernatural happiness even now. So we can “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help” (Hebrews 4:16, NET). Our God of happiness has made the way for us to come before Him freely and draw deeply from His mercy, grace, and help at any and all times, including when we’re feeling drained of joy. If the happiness in our walk with Christ is consistently gone, we’re wise to ask God and ourselves what needs to change. We should join David in praying, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). This is a prayer God is always eager to answer. www.epm.org . Used by permission. [1] Jeremy Taylor, as quoted in C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald: An Anthology (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), xxxv.