Looking at God through clear eyes.

    I had been contacted recently by friends that have been dealing with everything from the rejection of divorce or marital infidelity to loss of employment and home foreclosure.  I just want to encourage anyone going through hardship right now that your heavenly father is with you in your present situation and has good things planned for you in the future.  Even if you don’t “know” God, He knows you. He sees your adversity and earnestly desires for you to turn to him in your pain.  When we go through suffering sometimes it’s hard to see past the current trauma and understand that God has good things for us.  The reason behind this is often due to our heart believing lies about God that prevent us from accurately viewing his character.  God cares for you as his own dearly beloved child.  He is captivated with you and wants nothing but good things for you.  However we live in a fallen world among broken people (ourselves included) and sometimes pain and hardship is part of this journey.  
    A story that always troubled me in the Bible was the story of Job.  For those of you unfamiliar with Job, he was a very successful and righteous man who despite having almost everything in his life stripped away, still remained faithful to God.  He refused to blame God for his misfortune and refused to see God as anything other than a loving, righteous creator despite what was happening all around him.  I would always read that story and hope that I never had to face any of the hardship Job did.  You see, I didn’t always have a solid trust that God loved me.  I saw him as an angry but emotionally distant deity. And I firmly believed in my heart that God had much more important people to worry about than me.  In fact when things would get hard I not only failed to see God’s presence in my hardship—I would often believe that it was HE that was the cause of my pain.  The lies in my heart prevented me from clearly seeing the one who loved me more than anyone.  In the past if I would simply bounce a check at the bank--I would blame God for my NSF fees (lol). I have found while walking through some of the hardest things I have ever dealt with however, that God is always faithful and he is ever present with us especially in the painful times. He will never abandon you or turn his face away from you.  Remember, it’s God's intent to give you the desires of your heart.  But it’s his even bigger longing that you would understand his great love for you.  I have also found that although things might look dark at present—God has good things planned just around the corner.  One thing I never noticed before while reading the book of Job, was the ending of that story.  I always got stuck thinking about all the tragedy that Job went through.  In the ending of the story however is a short but powerful statement about Job that also applies to those of us "Christ followers" that are experiencing pain and loss in the present.  “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.” (Job 42:12). 

“As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”  James 5:11

Being on fire for God - by Izzy Wignall

This one woman was frustrated that she wasn't on-fire for God like she used to be. She prayed and asked, "Jesus, why is the Scripture so boring right now? I used to love reading your Word. Why don't I desire to know You like I used to?"

Jesus replied through the Spirit, "Does a child whose diet consists of sugar and sweets desire good, healthy food?"

Media, entertainment, Netflix, movies, mai...nstream music, etc., are sugary-foods that can consume our spiritual diets. They're ok in small doses...but in large doses, they can kill off our excitement for pursuing Jesus.

Wondering why you don't have a passion for Jesus anymore? Maybe the 15 hours of exciting movies you're watching a week is killing off your spiritual hunger--the overload of cheap-thrills is preventing you from hearing Him.

Think the Word is boring? Maybe if you spent less time on Facebook and more time fellowshipping with Him through the Word, it would become energizing and life-giving again.

Think life is boring? Maybe if you stopped living 20 different lives through various video-game characters and MMO's, you'd see how exciting a life for Jesus really is.

Media is so mesmerizing. I can attest to that because it is one of my biggest struggles. I absolutely love film and video-games. I believe that filmmaking is an art form and watching/critiquing film is one one of my favorite hobbies.

In light of this, constant entertainment dulls me from hearing from the Holy Spirit. It makes the Bible boring and causes a pursuit for Christ strenuous and unexciting. Whenever I step back and stop watching movies and stop playing games, EVERY TIME, The Lord re-captures my heart with wonder. The Word comes to life, I can hear Him more clearly, and the "race" towards Christ becomes exhilarating again. It's almost like media can put you in a "trance." Once you break free from the spell, everything re-aligns in your spiritual life.

So, friends, my encouragement for you is to ask yourself this simple question:

How much sugar is in your diet?

‎#mythoughtstonight

Being a person of "purpose"

 

     I was having a great discussion the other night with a close friend of mine from Texas about my earnest desire to be a man of purpose.  With every fiber of my being I want to spend the rest of my life impacting the lives of the people around me in whatever capacity I’m able.  So many of us (me included) spent a majority of our lives pursuing comfort and security.  We worked so hard to establish our careers so that we can buy that large house, nice car (or two) and build a comfortable living for us and our families.  Then we work the rest of our lives to “maintain” what we have built—never stopping to realize that in a few short years a lot of what we invested our lives into will be forgotten and all the possessions we worked so hard for will wind up going to someone else.  This whole concept became very real to me years ago while working for a local law office.  I was contacted by a trust attorney in the Indianapolis area and on more than a few occasions his law firm hired me to help liquidate the belongings of someone that was deceased --on the behalf of their estate.  On one occasion in particular, I was retained to help a family liquidate all the remaining furniture and belonging left in their mother’s house so that they could sell the property.  I accepted the job prior to even visiting the property.  When I did eventually get to the house however—I was dumbstruck.  This house was huge and it almost looked like a museum with multiple glass displays cabinets containing collectibles throughout.  From Franklin Mint collectible plates and antique china dolls, to Lladro ceramics and Precious Moments figurines it was obvious that the deceased woman had devoted her life and passion to lovingly collecting and displaying all these beautiful pieces.  And yet, here I was on behalf of her family liquidating all of this woman’s prized possessions online.  At the final auction, as people were swooping in like ravenous vultures to get the best deal on the remaining furniture, it was kind of sad.  Although I didn’t know the deceased woman—I wondered how she would have felt to see the precious collection she worked a lifetime to accumulate-- being separated and sold to the highest bidder?  I had the exact same empty feeling in the pit of my stomach while liquidating the remains of our former business, Havilah’s boutique.  As I sold the last remaining articles from the store in an attempt to liquidate a portion of that massive business debt—it was hard seeing the contents of that business that we put so much time and effort in—being sold for pennies on the dollar.  
    It is times like that when we start to see life in perspective.  Life is short and so much of what we spend our energies pursuing is temporal.  I want to invest my life seeking things of eternal significance.  When all is said and done—nobody will remember how big our house was or how cool of a car we drove.  They won’t remember our impressive resume or how much we accomplished in our given career field.  What people will remember is how much we loved those around us.  Live a life of significance and purpose by loving your neighbor, it’s that easy.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”    

Brian's thought for the day

"Learning to step back and trust God with the most important people in our lives is one of the hardest tests any man (or woman) will ever face.  It is a critical part of growing in our relationship with Jesus, however.  God is both able and faithful to take care of those we cherish when we entrust them to his loving care."  - Brian

Knowing the REAL "Superman".

 

    As a young boy I always wanted to be a super hero.  I grew up watching Batman and Superman on TV and because of that I've always had to be the first one at the theater to see the newest superhero movie whenever it was released.  As part of that tradition I had recently gone to see the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, at the local theater.  I remember while watching "Man of Steel" I thought, “How cool would it be to know that you were invulnerable?  To know that there was no obstacle that you couldn’t smash through, leap over or fly around.  Bullets have no effect on you and you could always be confident that your environment was always within your control.  Additionally, how awesome would it be for Clark Kent--slowly realizing that there is nothing for him to fear while simultaneously beginning to understand the full impact of his destiny.  I think that would be the definition of joy for me.  It’s the excitement of knowing who you are, realizing that you have a destiny and lastly knowing that everything around you is under control. 

    The other day I noticed that I was extremely joyful and wasn’t really sure why?  That has happened to me a few times as of late.  It was kind of interesting as nothing particularly awesome or exciting had happened?  I hadn’t been alerted that I won a million dollars on Hoosier lotto,  I’m still single, I hadn’t bought a new car, I hadn’t even had a particularly good sales day at  my job (Soundsational).  Yet here I was overwhelmed with confidence and excitement looking forward to the prospect of whatever new adventure I was going to encounter that day?  And then the thought hit me, this is what joy really is.  Joy isn’t dependent on circumstance.  Joy isn’t the same thing as happiness. I’m happy when good things are happening.  Joy however is different.   Joy, as a Christian, is the complete confidence of knowing that you are firmly planted in God’s hand and that He is watching out for you in all things.  As I lingered on that thought I almost felt like “Superman”.  I’m joyful because I know who I am, I know whose I am, and I am fully confident that I am safe and secure in the palm of God’s hand.  It’s almost like being bullet-proof.  I have no fear about the areas of my life that have unanswered questions—because I know that everything that I encounter is “God filtered” and my heavenly father is always working out any potential hardships or pitfalls in my life for my betterment.  

    A verse in the bible that I always loved (but never fully understood) was in Habakkuk 3:17-18.  I’ve quoted this verse on Facebook before when speaking about suffering.  In this verse the writer, Habakkuk, states, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  I have spoken before about how in that society, if your fig trees didn’t bud, you had no grapes, your olive crop failed AND you had no cows or sheep—you were in trouble.  In ancient Israel there was no welfare, unemployment or food stamps.  If all of your ability to earn an income was suddenly taken away—from a practical standpoint you were looking at the certainty of starvation and death.  Yet, the author follows up by saying “yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  I never understood how the author could be rejoicing, or experiencing joy, in the midst of all that failure and devastation.  I could understand if he were simply “enduring” or “surviving”--but to actually “rejoice”?  That was something I had a hard time relating to, until recently.  Habakkuk was able to “rejoice” in God because he knew whole heartedly that God was his savior.  And he was able to rejoice and be at peace knowing that God would and does provide.  I’m starting to understand that concept and just beginning to walk it out. As I said earlier, as a child I always wanted to know what it would feel like to be a super hero.  At this point in my walk with God I feel like I’m beginning to understand now.   :)   

Psalm 5:11, “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”

Isaiah 54:17, "no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD."

        

God and the splinter

I remember vividly the first time my son Israel (Izzy) got a splinter as a small child.  He was playing on the wooden swing set in our back yard when he got a large painful looking splinter deeply embedded in the palm of his hand.  When he came in to show it to his mom and I, his lower lip was quivering and I could tell that he was scared.  When I told him that we needed to remove that splinter—I quickly saw his fear turn into abject terror. He didn’t understand at that time--that what seemed painful and traumatic to him was necessary in order to prevent infection or further problems.   As a parent I couldn’t leave that splinter in.  I knew once that splinter was removed, Izzy would feel much better and healing could take place.  My little son wept bitterly and fought against me as hard as he could as I dug for the splinter.  I remember as I forced his little hand open and tried to get ahold of a small section of that splinter the look of confusion on Izzy’s face as his "little boy heart" didn’t understand why his mom and I were causing him so much pain.  I don’t think he noticed at the time that I was also crying?  You see, as a small child, he couldn’t fathom how intensely his father loved him and that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt my beloved son.  Once the splinter was removed it took him quite a while to calm down.  Once he did however, he went back outside and started playing in the backyard again. 
    Isn’t that how our walk with God is sometimes?  We experience pain and hardship in life and our complete focus is to escape from our trauma not realizing that our loving heavenly father is an expert in using hardship to transform our hearts.  Often we even fight against God and wonder why he simply allows us to hurt not understanding that our Heavenly father often uses the normal hardships of life to help us become who he has called us to be (if we let him).  The other evening I experienced a feeling of overwhelming gratitude towards God for all of the changes in my life over the past few years.  It’s pretty amazing that less than a few short years ago—all I could think to do was frantically pray that God would rescue me from the pain and trauma that I was experiencing in my life.  When I didn’t see those prayers being answered the way I thought they should—often I became bitter or felt like God was abandoning me.  Because of my distorted image of God I could only see the tribulation in my life as evidence that things were spiraling out of control and God was either unaware on unconcerned about what was going on in my life.  I can honestly say at present that I’m so very grateful for everything I have experienced.  Over the last 18 months God has really softened my heart and changed the way I view life.  In every area of my life I now see God’s loving hand guiding me.  Although I’m still waiting for some lose ends to be tied up in my life, I am so excited for whatever new adventures that God has in store for me in the future.   I’m also enjoying the fact that I can trust God with the splinters in my own life knowing that "in all things he works for the good of those who love him". 
    If you are going through a painful situation now and you are a “Christ follower”, just know that God is lovingly speaking to you behind the scenes and saying “I know this time is hurtful but it’s necessary.  I haven’t abandoned you and I have so many wonderful things around the corner for you.  Just trust me as you are my precious son/daughter that I love.”  If you haven’t experienced a relationship with your heavenly father yet and would like to, the Bible says that “If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).  Just cry out to him (God) because your heavenly father loves you zealously and intensely desires a relationship with you.  -Brian 

Jer. 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

 

The Desire For A Covenant Relationship

    A few weeks ago I got into a good conversation with a guy about “Covenantal Relationships”.  This soldier was an Iraq veteran and a classmate of mine in the Army school I was attending.  He was an extremely nice guy although his identity was very much tied into “being a player”.  As we were talking that afternoon I was asked what I thought about marriage, now that I was divorced.  I told this soldier that I still very much believe in the marriage "covenant" and looked forward to someday getting remarried if it was in God’s will.  I was surprised at how adamantly opposed to the concept of marriage (or even monogamy) that this guy was.  It was then that I explained to him the Biblical concept of a covenantal relationship. 
   To illustrate this, I told him the story of Dave Roever.  Dave was a former Navy gunner’s mate in Viet Nam who was severely injured while on a patrol boat when an incendiary grenade went off in his hand.  The WP grenade blew off half of Dave’s face, his left ear and destroyed both of his hands.  He was burned so horrifically that when his buddies pulled him out of the water they all assumed he was dead.  Dave was eventually transported to a military hospital in the United States and upon arrival his new roommate was an injured soldier who had his lower legs blown off in Viet Nam.  His roomates wife came by to visit her husband later that week.  When the wife looked at her “damaged” husband she took off her wedding band and set it on his bed and left the hospital.  Watching this take place, Dave fell into deep depression.  He had only been married to his beautiful wife, Brenda, for less than a year when he was sent to Nam.  He thought how could she, or anybody, love someone so grotesque?  Although Dave was a Christian, he quickly lost all hope and desire to live.  Later the next day his young wife arrived at the hospital.  As she walked in and for the first time looked at her severely burned husband and his unrecognizable face—Dave cringed expecting rejection.  Instead, Brenda walked straight up to him kissed his forehead and said, “I want you to know that I love you.  Welcome home, Davey.” 
    Upon telling my classmate this story, his eyes teared up and he told me "that" would be a love that he would marry for.  He opened up with me and revealed that he had previously been married for 2 years.  He loved his ex-wife (at the time) and had always been faithful to her.  When he went off to war in Iraq however, unbeknownst to him, she found someone else while he was away.  When this soldier came back after his one year tour of combat, eager to see his wife, what he received instead was a divorce petition.  He told me that after that happened he made a vow to never trust a woman again.   He also went on to tell me that in the deepest part of his heart he wanted to experience a love like Brenda Roever has for her husband Dave.  Who wouldn't want a love like that?  I went on to tell this soldier that the reason that Dave’s wife Brenda was able to love him “unconditionally” like that was because she had first experienced that unconditional love herself through her relationship with Jesus Christ.  You see, you can’t give away something that you don’t already have.  I firmly believe that it’s impossible to love someone unconditionally unless you yourself have first experienced unconditional love.  Through offering up his own beloved son, Jesus, God entered into an irrevocable covenant with mankind.  A covenantal relationship stating that anyone that would believe in Jesus and receive him as their Lord and Savior would have eternal life.  But even more important is the fact that upon entering into that Covenant with God we become his beloved children. 
    We live in a world where it seems like everything is disposable, even people and relationships.  The current divorce rate among Christians is over 50%. The divorce rate with 2nd marriages is even higher. Are we really "happier" in our society now than in the 1950's when the divorce rate was almost nonexistent? I think everyone in the deepest part of their heart (myself included) desire that deep covenantal relationship like Dave and Brenda Roever share.  Who among us doesn’t desire a covenantal and unconditional relationship like the one illustrated in the movie "the notebook?" However, making a commitment to love your spouse; "for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part,” seems to be an almost impossible accomplishment in our modern society.  I just finished an awesome book by Craig Hill called, 'The Power of a Parents Blessing.' In this book, the author had quite a lot of insight when speaking about the proliferation of divorce (especially within Christian circles).  The author stated that "divorce presents marriage as a conditional contract based on works or performance. Thus divorce distorts the prophetic image of how Christ will treat us, his bride. Instead of being a grace based unconditional covenant, marriage is seen as a performance based, conditional contract in which the errant party can be thrown out and replaced with someone else who will perform more satisfactorily."  Marriage, to a Christian, should be a covenant relationship.  It is two people coming together in agreement to love each other unconditionally.  As a covenant, God gives very specific guidance on the circumstances where divorce is scripturally permissible.  Even when those circumstances exist where God allows divorce however, it still doesn't mean that he demands it.  
    I pray as I continue on my journey through experiencing that unconditional love from my father in heaven--God will continue to teach me how to love people like Jesus did.

1 John 4:16 "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

Romans 5:8

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."