How big can you pray?

We all KNOW that God listens to prayer.  He hears us.  No struggles here.

I wonder if I prayed something really big, from my perspective, if God would answer.  Yes, I KNOW He hears me but our struggle with having big faith is will He answer?  For example, let’s say I and a few buddies were in a big fight with some other guys.  The fight is outside and the sun is going down and it is becoming a little more difficult to defeat these other guys.  So I pray, “Sun, stand still…and you too moon!”  What do you think?  Is it possible that how creation was made to operate would be interrupted for such a BIG result-oriented prayer? 

The answer is “yes” it is possible.  Actually the answer is it happened once.  Joshua was fighting the Amorites.  They had five kings and way more troops than Israel.  Joshua engages in this battle after a long march and the enemies are beginning to flee from Israel.  God has already been at work killing some of these enemies by hailstones (kind of cool).  Then, in front of all Israel, Joshua speaks a prayer.

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you moon, over theValleyofAijalon.”

Here is what Scripture says about that prayer, “The Sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.  There has never been a day like it before or since…”  The rhythms of creation are interrupted.  The sun stopped.  The moon stopped.  The Lord answered Joshua and the Lord gave victory as His people conquered portions of the promised land.

While this fight was very different from a bar-fight (unless God sent us into that fight, unlikely) there is a BIG lesson for us men.  The lesson is that there is no situation too big to pray for.  There is no result too big for God to change.  There is no reason to pursue hopelessness. God can fill the any situation with hope in a moment.  He stopped the sun and moon easily.  Nothing is impossible for God to do on behalf of His saints.  Situations can’t lose hope, only people do.  Maybe praying for God to restore your hope in some situation may be as big as the sun standing still and the moon remaining in place.  The fact is it can happen and has happened!

Two Decades of Fear

Steel Sharpener

Some of you purchased the “Story” or received it for Christmas.  It is the NIV arranged in a particular way so that you can read the great “story” of salvation in just 31 chapters and this affords you the opportunity to get the big picture of God’s story.  My goal is to read a chapter a day and get through the whole story in a month and a couple of days give or take.

 

Last night I was struck by these words from Jacob to his brother Esau.

 

“For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.”

 

These are truly amazing words for an incredibly amazing situation.  You may recall that Jacob in conjunction with his mother stole Esau’s birthright from his dying father.  This led to Esau being robbed of future material blessings as the oldest son of Isaac.  Upon this realization Esau was enraged at Jacob and Jacob fled in fear of his brother.

 

Now, two plus decades later Jacob returns to his homeland.  He has sent over 500 assortments of livestock in the hopes to soften his brother.  Yes, two plus decades later and Jacob is still concerned that Esau might kill him upon his return.  Yet when Esau sees Jacob coming, “Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.  And they wept.”  Then moments later Jacob says the words we read above in bold.

 

Forgiveness and grace triumphs and two estranged brothers become familiar friends again.  God’s grace expressed always wins over anger and resentment.  The love of Jesus is truly undefeated when expressed authentically.

When a sinking boat is a good thing!

Steel Sharpener

Just because you know better does not mean you will experience success.  Most of us believe we have our area of expertise and we find it difficult to let others speak into that area where we are most secure and confident.  Is it possible that there is wisdom from someone who is considered to be outside our specialty?  Think about this.  Most of us, including myself, would laugh if I walked into your place of business and started making recommendations.  You would say, “What do you know about this business, you’re a pastor.  Go teach a Bible study or something.  Leave this to me.”  Then the internal dialog, “The nerve of that guy.”

 

Peter was a professional fisherman along with his brother and they were in the business because their father was in the business.  This was quite a natural succession in the first century culture.  You were to become what your dad was, at least professionally.  One night Peter and his brother had been working very hard to catch fish.  They knew the waters, techniques, and the places where fish are caught.  Yet on this night, they did everything right and the expedition yielded no results.

 

The following morning Peter and his crew were washing their nets out from the previous night’s attempt to grow the business.  There was this itinerant rabbi that just happens to seat himself in one of their boats.  Not only that, he tells Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”  Really, Peter must have first thought?!  “Mr. Rabbi, I am a fisherman and you are a rabbi, I have just had a horrible night on the water, we worked hard with no results.”  Yet basic courtesy leads to a different outward response from Peter.  Many times, for the sake of decorum, we answer publicly in a way that is contrary to our internal dialog.

 

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.  But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”  Peter permits Jesus to invite Himself into the situation.  The result is that Peter needed help from another boat to bring in the nets and both boats were so full they began to sink.  You can read it for yourself in Luke 5 but the results lead Peter to ask that the Lord leave him because he is a sin-filled man.  The Lord Jesus simply invites Peter to join Him on the good news tour that will bless the world one person at a time.  Peter left everything and followed him.

 

Think about something you are working really hard at but have not permitted Jesus to get into the boat with you.  You seem to be doing everything right but aren’t getting the results you hoped for.  Maybe it isn’t that you are doing something wrong, maybe you’re simply keeping the Savior out of it.  You might be surprised, as was Peter, at the results when you simply follow the Savior’s lead in whatever it is your working so hard at.  Think about it.  Pray about it.  Read more about it.

 

Stay Sharp

Wake-Up Call…

Are there actually people who are excited to get out of bed in the morning or does almost everyone wish they had another 20-30 minutes (or more) of sleep?  I imagine there are some folks who pop out of bed and maybe wish it was always 30 minutes earlier.   If you’re one of these folks, please stay away from me until I’ve had a Starbuck’s or something stronger.  Morning for many comes too soon!

So, how do you respond to a wake-up call from the Savior?  Most likely the same way we handle mornings.  “I hear you Lord and I will get to changing that thing soon.  Just give me a bit longer.”  Maybe you don’t say this directly but quite possibly your actions do.  There is a clarion call in Ephesians chapter 5.

“Wake up, sleeper.  Rise from the dead.  Then Christ will shine on you.”

Earlier in this verse we hear, “Light makes everything clear.”  Yes, light makes everything clear, visible, and full of life.  This “Light” is the Savior and His word.  You can wake up from your spiritual grogginess by simply being in His word.  To miss this wake-up call is to remain in the grave needing a resurrection.  Let’s see how this devo goes for you, maybe you’ll hit the spiritual “snooze” or maybe you’ll open the Book of Light and rise from the dead.

8 years after High-School

I have never professed to be the brightest bulb in the bunch.  A glass half-full approach might say, “I’m as bright as a dim bulb gets.”  The first step in growing is admitting what you know to be true about yourself.  This gives you a place to start if you’re going to improve in any area of your life.  Now, as I said, I am not the brightest bulb in the bunch and it wasn’t until 8 years after high school that I got my first “report card” that had straight A’s.  Yes, my final year of seminary I got all A’s and knowing myself it made me chuckle.

The majority of us probably had parents that preached to us, “You need to study hard.  You need to apply yourself as it relates to your studies.”  I heard this throughout high school.  Hearing it and actually changing anything about myself are two different things.  I preferred sports, leisure, and a host of other things much more than I preferred to “apply” myself.  Yes, it wasn’t until 8 years after high school that it finally clicked and I thought, “Man, college and seminary would have probably been much easier had I learned to apply myself in high school.”

Do you have lessons like this from your life?  Lessons where you heard the wisdom over and over again and never truly embraced it.  Lessons where wisdom invited you to take hold of her and you danced with her sister (foolishness).  Are there lessons like these that are continuing to speak to you today and you remain on the comfortable and familiar path?  Let’s see, here is one of those tests for each of us.

The Word of God has power.  The Savior invites you to meet with Him regularly.  The Savior desires to “know” you and to be “known” by you.  Scripture provides fuel for living and insights for the choices in life.  Avoiding train wrecks in life can be drastically improved with God’s wisdom.  You know this, right?  So, since you are aware of this it has led you to be in God’s Word regularly, yes?  Or, has the voice and invitation of the Lord Jesus somehow morphed into your mother’s voice saying, “Son, it would be a much more fulfilling road if you only applied yourself.”  Hmm, what timeless advice are we still too stubborn to embrace?

Think about it.  Pray about it.  Accept the Savior’s invitation.

My Root Addiction is “You”

There are confident people, arrogant people, humble people, insecure people, and many hybrids of these.  One of the fascinating things to me is my own root addiction to your approval of me.  The more I have honestly analyzed this in myself I have realized that every one of us has, at minimum, pockets of insecurity.  Insecurity often shows itself in openly or secretly needing the approval of others like we all need oxygen to live on.  I remember hearing one pastor say, “I have an approval addiction.”  He knew this about himself and also knew that all of us have a people pleaser tendency that shows itself at various times.

Yesterday I was reading the beginning of Galatians and I heard a verse that I’ve heard many times before but never seem to remember it at the “right” time.  The passage is recorded in verse 10,

“Am I now trying to get people to think well of me?  Or do I want God to think well of me?  Am I trying to please people?  If I were, I would not be serving Christ.”

Wow, this is a pretty clear passage full of questions for us to ask ourselves.  Do I spend more time trying to impress people with my life or the One who gave me life?  If I aim to please people first and foremost then it isn’t possible to be serving Christ.  In the course of serving Christ we will, at times, please people and, at times, we will be pushed away by people.  The one thing that doesn’t change in the midst of these extremes is the Truth (God’s Word). 

Maybe it is time to really think about how God would prefer we navigate a situation.  Maybe it is time to let God’s wisdom lead us through the situation at work.  Maybe it is time to concern ourselves with the Ultimate Truth (God’s Word) as the compass for living.  Making this repentant turn in our life will lead to experiencing many relational blessings and many strains to relationships.  The good news is that the Spirit makes it possible for me to break my addiction to your opinion, feelings, and thoughts as it relates to me.  The good news is that the Spirit makes it possible for me to concern myself with the Higher Things of God and in so doing be a blessing to  you.

This certainly leaves us with much to think about and should leave us craving more of our Lord Jesus and His Word, which are one and the same!

Annual Review

How many of you have been through an annual review?  How many of you have had to give one before?  I imagine that most people don’t get excited to receive their annual review and I imagine that most people don’t particularly enjoy giving reviews.  This is that time where if the worker is off the charts good then everything goes well.  This is that time where if the worker is off the charts on the wrong-side of things then it can get pretty ugly and fast.  Why?  Well, the presentation of the “growth” points might be delivered poorly and/or the worker gets defensive and is unwilling to own a legitimate “growth” point.  These can be rocky times for employer and employee.

Would reviewing yourself be any easier?  For some that answer is “yes.”  For others that answer is “no,” and most people are harder on themselves than they are on others.  Let’s move our mindset, for a moment, beyond work-performance.  Let’s think about a spiritual evaluation.  Scripture presents many texts that lead us to evaluate our alignment with the Savior.  The same dynamic is present when an individual comes to scripture because, at times, we are very defensive and push the constructive criticism away.  Very often if someone else is bringing the Word into our life or choices we become off the charts defensive and push repentance far away.  In so doing we also push “grace” just beyond the gift of repentance.  Yet there is one important thing about these reviews and that is the reality that they guard your eternity.  The Word is God’s Spirit-filled gift to lead you to heaven’s gates.

Here is a passage that gives you three evaluation points.  It is recorded in 1 Thessalonians 1.

“Your work is produced by your faith.  Your service is the result of your love.  Your strength to continue comes from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:3b

This text permits you to evaluate your faith, love, and  hope as a follower of the Savior.  This text also tells you what you really need to look at if you are to be transformed through the very Word itself.  Look at your work, service, and your endurance as a disciple of the Redeemer.  Now, here is the great news about spiritually evaluating yourself through God’s Word and that is the reality that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is for you!  Yes, when you are honest in the Word you have the promise that the Word will transform your life and align you with the Savior.  Sure, you might first be led to repentance but then the overwhelming grace of Savior enters in to saturate you and rebuild you for the “new” life you’ve been called to.

My hope is that you will look forward to regular time in the Word.  My hope is that you will crave personal transformation.  My hope is that you will grow more and more through the Spirit at work in you personally.

 

Again. Faster.

Okay, week 2 of crossfit and after Monday’s workout today was the first day I could move my arms above my shoulders.  Today’s workout was called “Michael.”  This was an 800m run, 50 Good Mornings (hamstring deal with barbel), and 50 situps x 3 rounds for time.  My time was nothing to brag about, I just barely survived the cut-off time at 25 minutes.  All this being said, the crosssfit games have been on ESPN2 and you can look them up and watch them through the ESPN website.  While watching these games the other day I saw a shirt that one of the competitors was wearing and it said on the front, “Again. Faster.”

“Again.  Faster,” is the mentality of crossfit athletes.  You are racing against yourself and aiming to be fitter and faster the next time you do the same workout.  “Again” emphasises that the last time wasn’t good enough and you must press on again and again if you are to get faster and faster.  I truly believe this motto speaks to a core attitude that says I will be better tomorrow than today and I will work hard to grow in every way possible.  These are the mentalities you find in athletes that excel.  I wouldn’t call myself an athlete at this point in my life but I know this mentality is still present which generally leads to a pulled hamstring at my age.

I truly believe that this is a mentality that will serve us well in the faith.  Our goal is to pursue growth in the faith.  As we go to the Word again and again we experience growth and transformation by the Spirit at work in the Word.  Over time I become faster and faster recalling the wisdom of God’s Word for situations in my life.  The unattainable goal is to spend time in the Word and get to a point of never being convicted of my shortcomings.  Yes, this reality is never really achieved but must be pursued as if I can achieve it this side of heaven.  We also aim to make earth more like heaven as we hear in the Lord’s Prayer.  We press on and workout our salvation in fear and trembling.  This is our constant pursuit.

Many describe their time with God and His Word as seasonal.  It is our hope that we make the season of being in His Word one that will last until we leave this planet through death or through our Lord’s glorious return.  The time to begin this season of loving your Savior and loving His Word is now.  If you don’t love the Word you don’t love the Savior.  If you don’t love the Savior you don’t love the Word.  Jesus is the Word and the Word is Jesus (John 1:14)!

“Again.  Faster.”

Live the Different

This last weekend I had the opportunity and privilege to lead a Men’s Retreat in Gainesville Texas.  This was a gathering of Water’s Edge Frisco men and those they invited.  There were about 50 of us present for the weekend and it was truly a time to be sharpened by the Word and brothers who have an intentional interest in one another’s faith journey.

The theme for the weekend was “Hard Knocks.”  Many of us have seen the show on HBO where the cameras go behind the scenes and below the surface to follow an NFL team through preseason.  I think the one that made it famous was the Jets with the larger than life personality of Rex Ryan.  The goal was for us to go behind the scenes and below the surface to some of Jesus’ tougher or shall I say “hard” teachings.  The reality for many of us is that our faith is entirely too soft as it relates to following the Savior.

For the community back at Hope in Lubbock they were led through Romans 12, especially verse 2.

“Don’t live any longer the way the world lives.  Let your way of thinking be completely changed.  Then you will be able to test what God wants for you.  And you will agree that what He wants is right.  His plan is good and pleasing and perfect.”

What a powerful passage for us to own.  It is also interesting to see that in leading this retreat that this was the second retreat where a new culture was sustained among the men that attended.  In the past their retreats were described to me as looking more like a “frat party.”  Then some amazing men decided they wanted to not live like the world any longer.  They had already permitted their thinking to be completely changed.  They wanted to live the “new” life that God wants for them and to lead others to do the same.  I continually stand amazed at how a few strong men in the Lord can lead such a powerful and transforming change.  It is wonderful what can happen when the Lord is given permission to direct our lives!

My deepest thanks to these men of God who made it possible in the Spirit’s strength to lead other men into a deeper relationship with their Savior and brothers in the faith!!!

My “Split-Jerk” Faith

Okay, day 2 at CapstoneCF today.  Thursdays are a day that many people skip?  I didn’t really know this prior to showing up this morning.  The reason why most people skip Thursdays is because it is a “heavy” lift day.  One thing I learned today was that I was going to attempt “Split Jerks,” and the first time I ever heard that phrase was today.  I also learned that my form stinks.  The final lesson is that I’m a weakling.  That being said, I found myself in restroom late this morning (at church) trying to practice my form.  My foot work needed work and I lacked the explosion that this lift requires.  This also led to me going to You-Tube to study others doing the “split jerk” correctly.  Lesson: I need more work, practice, and determination to improve on something I stink at not simply to prevent embarrassment if more people (including gals) ever show up but because I want to push through the things I don’t do well.  I have a little competitive juice still left in me .

There is an abundant life that Christ has given to us and expects us to live out.  The reality is that there are things that I’m not good at yet Christ doesn’t lower the expectation of me because of my weakness but calls me to press on in the faith.  For example, there are times that I show compassion to others and there are times I am extremely judgmental and compassion isn’t even a word anyone would associate with me.  There are times when compassion is replaced 100% by callousness.

What about you?  What areas of living out the abundant faith-life are you struggling to do well or to do as Christ prescribed?  For you it might be an unwillingness to dig into God’s Word.  You’ve made a few attempts at it, tried some different devotions, and it just hasn’t stuck so you’ve put the Word down and trust others to speak it to you in a way you enjoy it.  This would be like going to the gym and simply watching someone do the “split jerk” instead of ever grabbing the barbel myself.  I need to push on just as you need to push on until the Word is a joy to be in and you come to it expecting transformation.

Here’s the thing, until I figure out the “split jerk” I will not be transformed by what the exercise offers my body.  The same is true of us in the faith, until we figure out what the Lord expects of us, as a result of his grace, then we will continue to miss the opportunities to be transformed.  Whether in the gym or the Word we must never quit on the transformation that lies before us regardless of the work it may require of us, some call this sacrifice.