Dumb stuff Christians say: part 1

The idea of blogging about this subject has been on my mind for a while now. I hear things said by professing Christians all the time that causes me to cringe. Ever since God transformed my life I have been insanely optimistic. I guess it is because I used to be so very pessimistic that the 180 degree turn made me a little crazy on seeing the positive side of EVERYTHING! That being said, I have made it a habit not to criticize but I feel the need to correct a mindset that is set up against the knowledge of God.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

NIV

We have all prayed something like this: "God none of me and all of you!" We get this from the prayer of John the Baptist when he said "I must decrease that you may increase." This sounds like a good prayer but it simply isn't legal for a New Covenant believer to pray. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and was simply stating the obvious, that his ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus. He had done that and was "stepping out of the spotlight" so to speak. I like what Bill Johnson says: "God had none of you before He created you. He didn't think it was a good idea. I wouldn't suggest it again. A better prayer would be 'God all of you covering and filling all of me."

This leads me to "Dumb stuff Christians say" line one. I guess it really cannot be nailed down to a single line. It is more of a mindset. I am talking about the idea that God is in control therefore nothing happens unless He wills it or allows it. First of all, God is sovereign, no doubt, but sovereignty means that He is the Ultimate Authority. However, that doesn't mean that everything that happens IS His will. People die and go to hell everyday and the Bible clearly says that He isn't WILLING ANY should perish but ALL come to repentance. So, not everything that happens IS in fact His will.

Let me put it this way:

I am the "ultimate authority" in my home. :-) Even though I may desire for things to be done a certain way or certain time, not EVERYTHING happens the way I want it to. I like for dishes to be taken to the sink when they are finished being used. I like for laundry to be put in the laundry basket. I like for our family cat to leave our Christmas tree ALONE! Alas, not everything is done the way I ask. I know...hard to believe. The reason for this is I don't live alone. I live with my amazing wife Jessica and our two kids, Tyson and Karisty. They have their own decisions to make in life. They have their own list of priorities and their's are not always the same as mine.

Guess what? MANY people have different priorities than God does. When we are not thinking as He does life tends to get all jacked up. People make decisions and get themselves in a mess or they get others in a mess and the best a "good Christian" can come up with is "well, God must have allowed this to happen to me/you so we can learn from it." No, most of the time it is just the spirit of stupid on people and God gets the blame. Of course, He can and does work all things together for the good of those who love Him because He can win at poker with a pair of twos but that doesn't mean that the situation was His idea. We really have to stop assisting the devil with bad ideas about the character and nature of God. God ONLY has good to give. Selah (a pause in order to stop and think about what was just said.)

We often try to relate to God based on our relationships and experiences with the other humans in our lives. The problem with this is that God is not human. He doesn't get disappointed with us. I know this is a shocking statement but disappointment only happens when the humans don't do what we expect them to do. How ridiculous is it to think that God would expect us to do something other than what He, the ALL KNOWING God, already knows we are going to do? We CANNOT let Him down. We CANNOT disappoint Him. Selah.

He also NEVER gives up!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

NIV

Since God IS love we can also read it this way:

God is patient, He is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

God never fails.

SELAH!!!

God is so good that He is better than you think! So change the way you think! That is what repentance means.

Think about it.

-Justin

Full of the Spirit...or something else?

Ephesians 5:18

"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? I feel, for the most part, this concept has been massively misunderstood. Most would hopefully answer that it means that God fills you with His very Spirit to give you power to be witnesses according to Jesus' words in Acts chapter 1. This is the basic understanding. Most of the time, you see evidence from people that the climax of this experience is speaking in tongues. This is sad due to the fact that tongues is only a fringe benefit to the actual purpose of the filling. The primary purpose to be filled is other people.

When you get saved the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside you. This happens before the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Let me just say that you don't have to be filled/baptized to be saved and once you are saved the Holy Spirit lives in you but He is in you for you(2 Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13). You are filled for others(Acts 1:8).

Let's look at this more closely by asking a few questions.

1. When the Holy Spirit does come to live in you, at conversion, where does He live? In your body, soul, or spirit? Obviously He lives in your spirit(Eph. 1:13, Rom. 8:16, Phil. 2:13).

2. How much of the Holy Spirit comes and lives in you, part or all? All.(John 14:16-20; Luke 17:21-kingdom means Kings domain.)

3. If all of the Holy Spirit comes and lives within your spirit, then when you are filled with the Spirit where does He fill? Good question.

Here is a few Passages to consider:

Philippians 2:12-13

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

His Spirit is inside you, your spirit-the inner man, to work and change the way you think(your will or "want to") and the way you think leads to the way you act. When you are filled with the Spirit of God it is the overflow of what is already contained within you...ALL OF GOD...THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

Ephesians 3:19

"...that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Filled to the measure means "completely!" That is awesome to think that He wants to completely fill our lives with Himself. Bill Johnson, Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding California, has said that the Holy Spirit is imprisoned in unbelieving Christians. The whole purpose of the Spirit of God in and filling our lives is that we let God out. I know this is a crazy concept but it is totally Scriptural. Freely received-freely give is talking about giving away God which is life-giving, love-giving, light-giving which all beat the works of the devil, death, hate, and darkness. Let's face it, when you pray with someone to be saved(Greek-SOZO: salvation, healing, deliverance) or filled with the Spirit, what are you giving them? God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Eternal Life, etc. Jesus said that eternal life was knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ He has sent. The verse right before Eph. 3:19 says that Paul prays we "know this love that surpasses knowledge." How do you know something that you can't know? It is by experience. Eternal life knowing God by experiencing Him. How do we, and everyone around us experience God? We must let Him out. How do we let Him out?

Psalm 24:7

"Lift up your heads, O you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in."

When our attention is on Him, He comes in. This is also what I have covered before about worshiping in spirit and in truth. It means to live out in truth(the seen realm) what is in the spirit(unseen realm). Letting Him out! The natural picture of this is when a seed is planted into the ground. The seed remains unseen(spirit) until it sprouts and we know the "truth" that it is there and what kind of seed is revealed. Jesus was the revelation(I am the way, TRUTH, and life) in the seen realm, truth, of the the Father, or unseen realm, which is Spirit. Jesus said that He is the image of the invisible God. If the Holy Spirit is in you and you allow Him to live through you then you are the image of the invisible God. Paul said that he is now dead and that Christ lives through him (Galatians 2:20)

When it says in Ephesians for us to be filled with the Spirit it means continually filled. The way this looks is that we have a constant stream of the Holy Spirit flowing from within us and touching every area of our lives. That is the fullness of God filling us. I heard a pastor say once that when you throw a water hose into a mud puddle the only way to keep the mud out of the hose is to leave the water on, flowing out of the hose. So many Christians think that holiness(to be separate) means that we must stay away from people that don't think or act like them because they can "infect" or "corrupt" them. The truth is that we are to be different and "infect" the world around us. This is why Jesus compared the Kingdom to yeast and said it is to work through the whole batch of dough. Accountability to each other has become reduced to trying to keep each other from "sinning" when it should be to encourage each other to "leak" the Kingdom! Let's face it...Light beats dark, Life beats death, God never loses!

You are the gate, you are the door, and to be filled with the Spirit means that ALL of Him inside you(your spirit) moves out to your soul(a.k.a: your mind, will or want to, and heart or emotions) which is the definition of repentance: to change the way you think. Then the Spirit will be able to move into your body or, in other words, you will start acting like Him...Jesus. That is why Jesus is our example. He had His head lifted up, He only did what He SAW the Father doing.

In EVERY situation, if you will keep your attention on the Father, the Spirit of God will fill your life. If your attention is on something else...you will be filled with something else. When your attention is on yourself then you get full of yourself. When your attention is on the problem then you get full of problems. When your attention is on what the devil is doing in the world then you get full of what the devil is doing. Get the idea? It isn't worth it to have our eyes on ANYTHING but the Heavenly Father!

The better evidence of someone being genuinely filled with the Spirit, in my opinion, would be unconditional love, joy(which is our strength), the Shalom peace of God, patience, kindness(of God which leads to repentance), goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control being perfected in their life. Tongues is extremely important but we are to receive power to be witnesses for Jesus when we are filled with the Spirit and the list above is what that looks like!

Therefore, I plead with you, LET HIM OUT!

Just a thought...or two.

Justin

In Spirit & In Truth: part 2

John 4:24

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

NIV

Philippians 2:13

"...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

NIV

Here we find more insight from the Philippian letter that explains the mystery from John's Gospel.

The writer states that God is doing a work inside us, our spirits, that changes the way we think and act. Romans 2:4 tells us that God's kindness leads us toward repentance and repentance means to change the way you think. When we change the way we think then naturally our actions will change.

Many in the church have tried to work from the outside of people inward. Meaning, they try to change the way people act. "You have to stop doing ______ when you get saved and you need to start doing _____." This is just another form of living under a law. Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law that we might live under grace. What is grace? It is God with us, in us, to help us become that which was impossible for us to do on our own. His righteousness. Trying to do it any other way is trying to get there on our own righteousness and that is exactly what He came to set us free from. We can't get there on our own. We can't get there from truth to spirit. Only spirit to truth. Inside out. We are to manifest what He is doing in us.

So what is God doing in us? For starters, He has placed His very Spirit within us. His Spirit is His very nature and includes His every attribute. Here are a few: love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control. That is what you have in you. How many of us have asked for any of these since becoming a Christian? I imagine the Father looking at us and wondering why we are asking for something we already have. So how come we don't always act with patience and we think we have to ask for it? Let us look at Philippians again.

Philippians 2:13

"...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

NIV

Oh, that's right! God put it in us to work it out of us. This IS in spirit and in truth.

1. In spirit we have everything we need for life and godliness. For example: patience

2. The problem we face is that we don't know/believe this. When we realize that we do have everything we need, like patience, it begins to change the way we think.

3. When we know/believe we have it, patience, then we live with patience.

We have everything we need. When we believe this then we live it. That is true worship in spirit and in truth. Worship isn't a slow song it is a life devoted to seeing the Kingdom of God, which Jesus said was within us, established here on the earth so that the kingdoms of the world would become the kingdoms of the Living God!

Final thought:

Ephesians 3:19

"...that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

NIV

"filled to the measure" means completely. It means spirit, soul(mind, will, and emotions), and body. Inside out! The challenge is: LET HIM OUT! I guarantee it won't hurt, even though it sounds painful, and you will enjoy the ride.

Acts 2:28

You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

NIV

So be it!

Justin

In Spirit & In Truth: part 1

John 4:24

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

NIV

Have you ever wondered what this really means. I have heard a few sermons on this Scripture, but I have always felt there has been more to it than what I have heard.

This morning during Church I had one of those services where I get a "few" sermons. I not only heard what Pastor had to preach but I also got some "downloads" from the Holy Spirit. I thought I would share what He had to say.

Let's begin with defining some of the terms used in this Passage. God is spirit, God is unseen, God is in the unseen realm, the spirit realm is the unseen realm. This is important to understanding what Jesus is saying here. Truth, when it pertains to us is referring to the seen realm. Jesus is the truth. He is the revelation of the unseen Father. He brought the Truth about the Father from the unseen realm to the seen realm. I hope that makes sense.

Now to give some background before we move forward. Under the Old Covenant, God's people were confined to a life in which they were working from the outside-in. What I mean is that they were living from the seen realm leaning toward the unseen realm, from earth to heaven. They worked from the outside of the Tabernacle into the Holy of Holies which was limited to the Chief Priests. They worshiped in truth and in spirit so to speak.

Jesus signed in blood, purchased with His life, and ushered in the New and Better Covenant. This means that now the Holy Spirit lives within all New Covenant believers. We have become the Tabernacle and our spirits are the Holy of Holies! The Scriptures also say we are seated(now) with Him in heavenly places. This doesn't mean that we have a seat way up there in the sky somewhere. It means right now, in the unseen realm, we are seated with Christ.

What does this mean? It means, under the New Covenant, we are now to live from heaven toward earth, from the unseen to the seen, from the inside out! This is also why the Bible says we live by faith and not by sight in 2 Corinthians 5:7. (In fact, we aren't given permission to live by what we see. We are exhorted to live by what we believe.) When we live from the throne it brings every area in our lives into the Kingdom of God and effects every circumstance around us.

O.K. I know that is a lot to think about but let me simplify it by fleshing it out.

David said in the Psalms that there is no place we can go from His presence. Colossians 1:17 says that in Him ALL things are held together. You cannot go anywhere that He is not. If I am in a room with you then all of me is there. Not part of me. Why do we think God can be more present in one place than the other? Why do we ask for more of His presence or glory? He simply is where He is...everywhere all the time. If anything we are becoming more aware of where He and His glory already exists.

Habakkuk 2:14

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,

NIV

How?

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

NIV

When we actually worship in spirit & in truth we fix our attention on Him. We become AWARE of His presence & He is manifested through us in countless ways. He is ALWAYS there we just become AWARE. Then what is in spirit becomes manifested in the truth or natural realm. We cannot go anywhere that He is not. This is what Jesus paid for. That we become the manifestation of the Living God. We are made in His image and His likeness and we have been commissioned by Christ to re-present Him to the world.

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith...

NIV

God is Good...Really!

I just had a thought about the goodness of God and what that statement means to some people.

I have heard, more than once, a person, leader, or well-intending person say that God just went ahead and took a cancer patient so they wouldn't have to suffer any more. Really?! I mean, let's really think about this for a minute. What you're saying is that God's hands were tied? He was out of options? We were all hoping they would just get better and since that didn't happen God just relieved them of their pain? The best GOD could do was kill them?

Sound extreme? Yeah, it does to me too! I mean first of all the ENEMY is out to steal, KILL, and destroy. Second, that is the best God can do? I don't think so. I think He can handle a little thing like cancer. Besides all this, God didn't kill them the cancer(or whatever the disease may be) did.

Let me just say, I am not trying to be insensitive to anyone who has cancer or anyone who knows and loves someone who does. I am simply using it as an example because all sickness and disease falls into this category. They are all a result of the fall of man. Creation has been twisted and distorted because of sin. The GOOD news is that Jesus is the answer for all of it.

So let us look at the real issue. Cancer, Aids, Diabetes, Heart Disease, etc. are not from God. Jesus is perfect Theology. If you have seen Him you have seen the Father in Heaven. Jesus, when accused of HEALING by the power of the devil, said that He couldn't do that because the kingdom divided can't stand. In other words, satan can't heal because he was the one causing the illness. On the other side of that same coin, God can't cause sickness because He IS the Healer! God doesn't have sickness and disease to give. Period. You can't find it in Heaven, you can't find it in Jesus, so you won't find it in God. Jesus never blessed a storm and He never turned anyone away and told them it wasn't there time to get healed.

So now we are faced with the question: why don't some people get healed? For starters, let us look at Jesus' standard.

Matthew 10:7-8

7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

NIV

Notice He instructs them to let all know that the Kingdom of heaven is within reach then He tells THEM to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Wait a minute, He meant for them to pray for them, right? Surely He didn't tell them to do it. After all, we can't heal anyone, right? I don't know about you, but I think He meant what He said. Look at this:

John 20:21

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

NIV

I believe that this verse is self explanatory. I am not saying we can do this in and of ourselves. I am saying that Jesus gave us a commission and we have yet to step up even close to His standard for fear of pride or not looking humble which is pride. It is just that, a co-mission. He doesn't send us alone. He goes with us and we get to do it together. In the verses following this one in John, Jesus breathes on them and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. Coincidence? I think not.

The facts I know: God has not made a list of requirements to be healed other than to receive it. The Greek word for saved is SOZO(save, heal, deliver):

NT:4982

Sozo (sode'-zo); from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saoz, "safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):

KJV - heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Jesus came to seek and save(sozo) the lost.

Acts 2:21

21 And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved(sozo).'

NIV

In case there is any question, God wants all to be healed. So why doesn't He just heal everyone who is sick? Well, why doesn't HE just take us all to heaven? I mean if EVERYTHING is done in accordance to His will, as some say, then how do we explain people dying and going to hell when Scripture clearly states that God isn't willing that any should perish(go to hell) but all to come to repentance?

It is because He wants us to be apart of His Kingdom. He gave earth to man to rule as He rules, to take care of as He does. We simply haven't gotten it right yet! He has sent His Spirit to empower us to do as HE does. Kinda what Jesus did. He was the most normal Christian to walk on the earth. We aren't there yet but that is our goal.

I don't claim by any means to have all the answers but that shouldn't slow our pursuit of them or our pursuit of healing. As a great man once said, when someone isn't healed I refuse to blame anyone. We just press on. We just continue to do what we know to do.

Philippians 3:16

Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

NIV

Just some thoughts. What do you think?

I just had some thoughts in the car today I thought I would share.

The atmosphere around you is so linked it is married to the view you have of Father God and how you perceive His view of you.

When we have a Scripturally accurate view of ourselves through the Father's eyes the next step is to view EVERYONE around us in that same light.

Why do you think the Scriptures tell us to be holy, faithful, and to love? One of the core reasons Jesus came to the earth was to reveal the Father to mankind. Jesus said that just as the Father sent Him so He is sending us. This means one of our responsibilities as sons and daughters of God is to reveal our Father to those around us. How do we reveal the Father? We don't do it by getting on a 'soap box' and preaching our convictions down at someone. We do it by being holy as He is holy. We do it by being faithful because He is faithful. We do it by loving not only those who love us but those who mistreat us as well because He so loved the WORLD that He gave His one and only Son for EVERYONE..."good" and "bad". He is Love and we are made in His image and His likeness...We were made to look like Him!

The picture of unconditional love (love with no strings attached) is found when we give to someone without expecting them to pay us back in any way. Better still, it is seen when we give (forgiveness, money, encouragement, respect, honor, loyalty, etc.) to those who are considered "unworthy" of it. Seem impossible? Great news, what is impossible with men is possible with God!

Just some thoughts. What do you think?

Breath Knocked Out!

Psalm 139:14 (The Message)

"I thank you, High God — you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration — what a creation!"

When was the last time God took your breath away?

On the way home from church tonight we were listening to Brian Johnson sing "What does it sound like" by Ian McIntosh and it literally took my breath away.

What does it sound like when you sing heaven's song
What does it feel like when heaven comes down
What does it look like when God is all around
Let it come

This is what it sounds like when you sing heavens song
This is what it feels like when heaven comes down
This is what it looks like when God is all around
Let it come

When was the last time you stood in awe of Him? When was the last time He moved you with the thought of His love? When was the last time He took your breath away?

God wants to restore the 'awe' we have for Him. The writer of this psalm is talking about how God is completely aware of him and how there is no place he can go were God is not there. Earlier in the chapter he writes:

Psalm 139:6 (The Message)

This is too much, too wonderful —

I can't take it all in!

I CANT TAKE IT ALL IN! What an amazing statement! I love it!

I remember the first time I went to Roaring Springs to work at camp. During the altar call at one of the evening services I was sitting on the front row just experiencing the moment. I had really never seen an altar call like this before. I was watching some of the young ladies from our church in a circle praying together for each other. The passion they leaked for God and the love they had for one another was breathtaking! It was as if God had not only shown up but He had actually stood on my chest. I was overwhelmed by this...I was overwhelmed by HIM! In that moment I was feeling this verse. I actually had to get up and walk around outside the tabernacle for a while because I was so messed up by what I was experiencing.

When was the last time you were messed up?

When was the last time you were overwhelmed?

When was the last time He took your breath away?

When it happens again, remember these words:

This is what it sounds like when you sing heavens song
This is what it feels like when heaven comes down
This is what it looks like when God is all around
Let it come

LET IT COME!!!

Believe: part 1

Mark 9:23

"Everything is possible for him who believes."

NIV

What an amazing statement! A father poses an interesting statement to Jesus: "If you can." Jesus seems astonished at this and replies: "If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes."

Yesterday I was sitting in line at a fast food place listening to a podcast from Heidi Baker and something she said just grabbed a deep part of me. It almost reminded me of times when, as a kid, I was about to dart out into the street without paying much attention to the traffic. I would be startled at first when my mother would grab me suddenly to keep me from running out in front of a car. Then relief would sweep over me as I realized not only what could have happened but that her love for me had actually forbid me from experiencing it. In this moment, as I sit there listening(not only to the podcast), I heard the Holy Spirit say to me "I only need someone to believe Me." Instantly images flashed through my imagination of any and every thing I could think of that would fall into the category of impossible. Not that it necessarily effected me physically, but it took by breath away...if that makes sense.

Believe...what a word. I mean, it is more than just believing God exists or even in Jesus being the Son of God. Believing that He is who He says He is...that just has a power to it. He told Moses "I AM that I AM". I think of it as "I AM ______, you fill in the blank!" He is all, in all, created all, holds all of it together, has all, and will always be all. The question is: Do we believe Him? Do we?

About now you are saying "Yes!" and "Amen!" but let's think about it. The Bible says God is good, His plans for us are good, everything good comes from Him, and it also says the "thief" (the devil) comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. Now many think that sickness and disease is either from God or at least allowed by Him. This school of thought is backed by the idea that these things somehow make us better Christians and more like Jesus. One problem is Jesus was and now is NEVER sick! Hold on to that fact, we will revisit it later. Another thought is that we are being punished for something we have done wrong. Problem because Jesus took our punishment. Well enough of that...I'm getting on a 'soap box'.

My point is sickness and disease ONLY steals, kills, and destroys! That is the ultimate end of every disease and sickness. It steals time and money. That sounds like the thief to me. It don't sound GOOD to me. Any child could tell you that...hmmm I heard Jesus say some stuff about being like a child. Don't get me wrong, God can use sick and diseased people to touch people. People can get saved by witnessing the faith in a cancer patient. A person can ultimately turn to God due to an illness. Just don't be confused and think God was forced to make someone sick to get into their lives. He can win a poker game with a pair of twos. No matter how much we and the devil may try to derail Him He always wins. God also has no sickness or disease to give and as a matter of fact, about my statement that Jesus in not sick now, the Bible has this to say:

1 John 4:17

...as(like) He is(NOW not was), so are we in this world.

NKJV *emphasis mine

Enough said.

Everything is possible. EVERYTHING is possible. Say that a few times and let it sink in. Better yet, let it sink out. All of this is already in our spirit we just need to let it out! I have a lot more to say about this but I am going to stop here for now. If I were to be totally honest I am blogging this more for me than anyone else. Not that I have a problem understanding that God is good but I am attempting to grasp the understanding that everything is possible for him who believes. Will you join me on this journey? Do you dare? Do I dare? We shall see.

Justin

God is right here

Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

KJV

I have been thinking about this scripture a lot lately. It's a passage that's quoted often and fairly simple to understand. The first part makes me think of times when I was a small child and I would run to my dad and climb into his lap any time I was afraid of something. He was not just a place to hid in but he was a strong place to hid. Once I got there I knew that nothing could harm me. There was complete peace and safety in me when I was near him. When I apply that experience to Father God I am overwhelmed with peace. After all, He is the Prince of Peace and lets face it, there is no one stronger!

I remember when dad died and I was standing alone in his shop just after we found out. The only thing I was thinking about at that time is how much my dad had been there for me. I couldn't help but think of the time Jessica and I had come home late and I jumped onto our water bed and the mattress burst at the seam. I jumped off and held the tear up above the water level to keep it from leaking. The only thing I knew to do was call dad and ask him to come over and 'give me a hand' since I couldn't move without water going everywhere. Oh, did I mention it was 12 o'clock in the morning? He came right over and literally 'bailed me out'. With this memory fresh in my mind I asked myself: "Who is going to be my dad now?" Who was going to be the one I could always count on? Who was going to be the one who would never let me down? Then I hear the Holy Spirit answer: "Who do you think I AM and where do you think I have been all the time?" ...WOW! I have always known but in that moment I REALLY knew.

The best part about this scripture for me are the words "very present". You see, when we are in trouble, it isn't like we call out and God has to come running to our aid. He IS right there the whole time. When I first repented and turned around He was right there behind me. When I've messed up and veered off His path (no matter how far), as soon as I turn to head back down that road I find Him there right where I am. I don't have to travel back to where I stepped off.

"Where can I flee from your presence?"

Psalms 139:7-10

I suppose I have been thinking about this because I have had a tough time adjusting to where we are. At times, I have felt like we are in the 'wilderness'. I feel like Moses when he spent 40 years basically baby sitting a bunch of people waiting for them to die so their kids could go into the Promise Land. It is hard not to feel like a baby sitter at times. I was missing being a pastor or at least a carpenter. These things I felt like I was good at, well... at times I did. I started to feel like I had failed at both of those and that I didn't have much to show for all we had done over the last 10 years. Then..."very present help" happened. A ton of bad ideas can be wiped away with one encouraging word, a slap on the back, or an invitation to shine. God saw where I was at because He was where I was at!

What was this one thing? I got asked to speak at chapel. For whatever reason, that was it. He knew it and He was there for me. I don't really know how to explain it but everything about it energized me! It was as if my Father was wrapping His amazingly strong and loving arms around me to whisper in my ear: "I AM right here and I haven't gone anywhere."

I am right where I'm supposed to be,

in the center of His plan for me.

This isn't something I can always see,

but I know it will be good for me.

I find it hard to be THIS transparent but hope that it helps someone. He is truly amazing and I hope you know Him like that.

Blessings,

Justin