Wow. It’s only the third day of the fast and I am S-T-ruggling.
My faith has taken a big hit. My confidence has started to crumble slightly. All the good vibrations from Day 1 are more like loud, rattles from a soon to be broken muffler. Heh.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
…
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?
~lyrics from Our God (is Greater) by Chris Tomlin (listen)
The good news? The lyrics above are money. They are encouraging. It was one of the songs I heard this morning during my worship time.
It’s funny how you can be on cloud 9 one second; super confident and full of faith in what God is doing only to start questioning days later. I can totally understand the waves crashing back and forth analogy in James.
James 1:6-7 (NIV) 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Today, I’m telling myself to continue believing in faith despite the ups and downs I’ve been experiencing. It’s easy to tell yourself you didn’t hear from God correctly. Or it just wasn’t meant to be.
Just as we have to constantly fight to guard our relationship with God, we have to fight just as hard to believe and not doubt. The things I’m praying and believing God are important to me. Important enough not to abandon ship in the first few days. ;)
And really, the only way I know how stir up faith when it’s dwindling is to press in to God. To kick it up a notch. Go deeper, seek harder, believe bigger.
To quote a good friend:
did you think it was going to be easy? its a battle! WIN IT!
So, what’s the report from everyone on Day 3? I’m hoping everyone is still on cloud 9. But if not, what are some challenges you’re running into?
My church kicks off Awakening: 21 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Personal Devotion today. Miraculously, I rolled myself out of bed at 6 AM to catch the first session of the Virtual Conference.
Afterward, as I began to worship, I was overwhelmed by God’s goodness and was reminded of this verse.
Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV) 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Particularly the emphasized part.
I don’t know about you, but it’s kind of been a tiring season for me. And I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t always been on point spending time with God and fanning the flame of devotion.
Which is why I was overwhelmed by God’s goodness today.
Despite me withdrawing from God at times, I still see his hand at work in my life. I still see the blessings and constant reminders of how he cares for his children.
In times like these (Foo Fighters anyone?), it’s natural for us to disengage from God when we know we’re not where we should be in our relationship with Him. How many of you agree when you feel disconnected from God it’s also hard to ask God for something?
Which makes Awakening awkward because every year during this time I always highlight two or three things I want to pray and ask God for.
But that’s why this verse is so great as I kick off the fast because it reminds me (all of us!) not be afraid to ask God even if we feel far from God. We’re “evil.” We do stupid things. We sin. But we are still his children and he will “give good things to those who ask!”
So if you happen to be joining me in Awakening, let’s ask and believe God boldly!
It doesn’t matter if you deserve it or not. What rookie mistake you made last week. Or how close to God you feel right now.
Don’t be afraid to ask.
If you’re comfortable sharing, I would love to hear in the comments what two or three things you’re praying/believing God for so I can be in agreement with you!
Which I guess is a milestone year for a lot of people. It’s got me thinking about a lot of things. Tonight, while I couldn’t sleep (because yet again I drank way too much Coke this late at night), I found myself pondering my singleness.
Over the course of time, my “spouse filter” has slowly dwindled to just two, bare essential requirements.
Spiritually attractive
Physically attractive
The list reminds me of Othello’s tagline: a minute to learn, a lifetime to master. Or in this case, easy to say, a lifetime to find. ;)
This post is really about #1 and why it’s so mission critical to me.
Spiritually Attractive
The main reason is I know life brings with it many trials and tribulations. Inevitably we all face challenges. In a marriage, I’m confident many of those will come from the marriage relationship itself.
What I know about a grounded, Jesus-lovin’ woman is that despite the roller coaster ups and downs, their inward life remains constant and steady.
They are internally regulated by their faith in Jesus Christ.
They understand the concept of dying to self and being selfless.
They are willing to do the God thing which may not always be the easy thing.
This is the type of woman I want to be with. This is the type of woman I know will go the distance through sickness and health. Where I don’t ever have to second guess the integrity of her character or devotion to God.
A woman who will actually put more fear in Satan knowing we’re together than each of us did individually.
Physically Attractive
I guess I’ll touch on this real quickly. Even though it’s secondary to me, it’s still important. ;)
If I don’t look at you and have a strong desire to suck your face, make out on the couch and have some babies along the way then it’s just not going to work…
Just sayin’. ;)
Oh, to Answer the Question
I’m still single because while there are a lot of attractive woman in the world, spiritual attractiveness is much harder to come by. Good looks will only tempt me for a second. ;)
But surprisingly as I approach 30, I’m not worried. I don’t feel rushed. A wife of that caliber is worth waiting for.
People may say my standards are too high. I would agree. They need to be.
Marriage has always been a lifetime commitment for me. It wigs me out why some people spend more time choosing the right big screen TV than they do choosing their spouse.
This is a lifetime decision people! Take it seriously!
It’s a much bigger deal than choosing the best big screen TV. We need to put a lot more thought and prayer into it.
What are your thoughts? Am I crazy? Disagree? Let me know in the comments.
My church had the privilege of having Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church speak at one of our leadership events this past week. As an added bonus, he spoke to just the staff.
Here are my notes from that meeting.
Intro
Just some quick background. The teaching points in the talk come from Elevation Church’s 12 core values they call The Code. And to a lesser extent, Acts 3:1-10.
The Code is our core set of values at Elevation Church. It sets the tone and trajectory for how we get things done. If the mission is the compass, The Code is the map that gives us direction.
The idea for The Code came from a book called The Orange Code.
We Are a Generation of Honor
We freely give honor to those above us, beside us and under us because of the calling and potential God has placed inside of them.
He said a lot of great things, none of which seemed to relate to this point. So when you’re scratching your head wondering how it fits (or doesn’t fit in), now you know. ;)
Need to be a generation known for what we’re for and not against.
Can’t build something great on what we’re not.
Take a stand for what we love, not hate.
For example, you might hear people against how a church does doesn’t do enough evangelism, outreach, discipleship, etc.
Rather than complain, be a person who raises the bar on homeless outreach.Rather than say your church doesn’t do enough discipleship, disciple twelve people so well they go on to disciple others who continue the cycle.
Lead the charge doing, not complaining.
Principle of One Thing: instead of learning everything from one person, learn one thing from every person.
This was said in context of Pastor Steven being okay with his staff listening to T.D. Jakes and John Piper; two people with very differing theological beliefs.
While they may disagree on certain doctrinal points, there is still something to be learned from both.
We Think Inside the Box
We will embrace our limitations. They will inspire our greatest creativity and innovation.
Inside the box being what you have to work with.
Thinking outside the box leads to frustration.
When you’re constantly focused on what could be if you had enough money, resources, staff, time you will only get frustrated at what you can’t accomplish.
Thinking inside the box leads to innovation.
Looking at what is available to you and framing a solution around that is where true innovation happens.
Wishful thinking is not audacious faith.
Stop waiting for what you want; work what you got.
We Will Not Take This for Granted
What we are experiencing is not normal. This is the highest calling, and we will remain grateful for God’s hand of favor.
Steven shared a story about how he loved fireworks until he had the opportunity to work in a fireworks store. He started hating fireworks after working with them for awhile; he became familiar and lost his appreciation for them.
Don’t become familiar with the fireworks.
For me working on staff at one of the largest churches in the United States, this is definitely a point that needs constant repeating. It’s easy to lose the awe factor.
We’re a Ruth’s Chris, Not a Golden Corral
Simplicity enables excellence. We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.
For those not familiar with these restaurants, Ruth’s Chris serves high end steaks and Golden Corral is an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Make the steak sizzle and nobody will care what’s not on the menu.
This is a point about having laser focus. Rather than have everything and do each so-so, do a few things and do them better than anyone else.
We Dress for the Wedding
We will continually increase our capacity by structuring for where we want to go, not where we are. We will remain on the edge of our momentum by overreacting to harness strategic momentum initiatives.
The story here is when you’re going to a wedding and have to stop to get gas, you feel out of place dressed up at a gas station. But you are dressed for where you’re going.
Run your ministry as if it were two-times the size.
Dress up for where God is taking you.
The systems/procedures in place now preparing for the future may seem awkward, but they will let you fit in perfectly when you reach your destination.
My Personal Takeaway
Overall, I really like the concept of The Code. Having a set of memorable, digestible guidelines that help you navigate life/ministry.
I want some for my own life. ;)
I’m going through a season of establishing what is important to me as well as establishing who I am. What makes me tick? What are my priorities/passions? What core values are non-negotiable? What do I want to pass down to the next generation?
So I’d like to come up with my own code.
A few things I already know will make the list:
The highest level of character and integrity. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Even if that puts you on the losing end of the scale.
Discipleship. We have to do it.
The Bible. We have to know it.
Punctuality. I’m sorta kidding here, but not really. ;)
Now that you’ve made it to the end, what do you think? Thoughts on what Pastor Steven shared? Thoughts on what would make the list in your code?
With permission, I am re-posting a blog post written by a friend.
It is worth reading in its entirety.
A Little Backstory
Here’s the story of Jeff and Dusty, two of my friends here in Jax.
2006
Dusty has suffered from endometriosis for several years. Endometriosis is a dreadful reproductive disorder that causes debilitating pain and can lead to infertility.
Through a season of faith, prayer and fasting, Dusty believes God for healing from endometriosis.
Twelve days later there is no trace of endometriosis. Booooo yah! It’s not often you personally know someone with a bonafide Jesus miracle.
2010
Jeff and Dusty have a baby! July 16th, 2010. Baby London.
Doctors find out during routine bloodwork Dusty has Leukemia.
Dusty is not allowed to leave the hospital or be with her newborn child.
After six weeks and two rounds of chemo Dusty is in remission.
Currently need Dusty’s white blood cell counts to increase so she can have a bone marrow transplant from her sister.
The Terrible Opportunity…
Friends,
Recently I was struck by a thought that has left me a bit overwhelmed…
What if God had approached Dusty and I in the middle of July to offer us the opportunity of a lifetime—the ability to share our faith with every single person we know, the occasion to tell hundreds of others that we’ve never even met about our relationship with God, and the chance to actually do something with our lives that would carry over into eternity?
“Of course,” we would have said, “we’ll take it…”
But what if He had then shared with us the price to be paid: A life threatening illness. The painful separation of mother and child. The interruption of a comfortable life.
In our weakness, we would have never been able to make that choice. With tears in our eyes, we would have explained to God, “We’re so sorry, but we cannot make that choice, we are too weak, and it is just too much for us to bear.” And with that, we would have missed our opportunity to be used by God to do something of eternal significance.
As I have said a lot lately, we all like to pray, “God, please use me,” but none of us want to be Job.
For the past few years I have often prayed that God would use our family to make an impact. I have asked Him to make our lives count for something. I have begged that we would be different from the crowd.
And to be honest, my biggest fear was that we’d look back in thirty or forty years from now and say, “Well, we had a very comfortable life. We had a great house and we always drove nice cars. We even got to visit some nice places along the way. But we never did anything of consequence. I mean, yeah, we gave some money to the church, and we did our best to help out others when we had some margin in our schedule or our checkbook, but what did we ever do that really mattered? When did we ever do something for God that actually hurt?
“When were we ever bold in our faith?”
You see, I often find myself choked out by the fog of our culture. I want to do the right things, but I mean, have you seen the new Restoration Hardware catalog? There’s some really nice stuff in there. Have you seen the new BMW 7 Series? OMG. Have you ever eaten at the Capital Grille? Yum! And none of that stuff’s cheap. And I want all of it. Wait, I forgot about my 401k. Dang. I have to fund that too. And all this requires me to work…hard…a lot.
So this means we’re busy people. We want to take the time to share our faith, but we barely have time to hang out with our closest friends. And we’re private people, so it’s going to be tough to be really honest about what God has done in our lives. And we both work so much that we barely have time to spend with each other. It’s going to be enough of a challenge to figure out how to fit time in for London, so we certainly don’t have time for leukemia…
As for me, I tend to be quiet—some might say boring. Most of my conversations are actually with myself. If we’ve crossed paths, I probably really wanted to talk to you about Jesus…but I just didn’t have the courage. I mean, who would want to listen to a speech about Jesus from some boring guy who gets excited about Restoration Hardware catalogs?
Hey, at least I’m honest…
I hope you can appreciate that I’m being somewhat facetious, but is it really that far from the truth of daily life? No, at least not for me. Even if my life doesn’t look exactly like that, I certainly have those thoughts and tendencies. What did Paul say?
Romans 7:19 (NLT) 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
To even consider giving up the comforts of our life—to entertain the interruption of our long-term plan—to face the fact that none of us are guaranteed a long life—to endure the separation of Dusty and London—it would be…
Terrible.
Even though we realize that material comforts are artificial. Even though we know that our 401k won’t matter one bit after we’re gone. Even though we know that this life is “just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). Even though we begged God that our lives would count for something…we would be too weak to accept the Terrible Opportunity.
But our God—He is a good God. And He knows our hearts. And He knows our desire to share our relationship with Him. And He knew that we were too weak to ever choose such a Terrible Opportunity. But because He is good, He never gave us the choice. Instead, He allowed us to be pushed into the deep end of eternal significance. And once that happened, He poured out His grace on our family, and it has been more than sufficient.
You see, God wants only the very best for each and every one of us. Of course we all think that we know what is best for ourselves, but He knows that the highest good for any individual’s life is to know and experience Him. Unfortunately we often settle for far less. We settle for counterfeits and imitations.
Are Dusty and I saying that we are thankful for the terrible things that have happened this summer? Hardly. Are we thankful for leukemia? No. Are we thankful for the separation from London? Of course not. But if this is the pathway to be able to share our relationship with God with every single person we know—if this is our chance to show the world that there is something far greater than the artificial life that has intoxicated our culture—if this is our opportunity to boldly announce that even death cannot separate us from the love of our God—then we are thankful to endure whatever momentary hardships are required.
And so we have come to be thankful for this Terrible Opportunity. Soon enough, the ‘Terrible’ will be behind us, but it is the ‘Opportunity’ that will reach far beyond this temporary life. It will last forever.
We are thankful for how good our God is. We are thankful that when we are weak, He is strong. We are thankful that He allowed us to be pushed into the deep end of eternal significance. And we pray that He continues pushing us in—for the rest of our lives…
Luke 21:12-13 (NLT) 12 “…there will be a time of great persecution…13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
Jeff, Dusty, & London
What Can You Do?
If you’ve gotten this far, I hope it’s because this story has touched your heart.
Now I hope you’ll go just a bit further and pray for Dusty, Jeff and London.
As I mentioned earlier Dusty is waiting on her white blood cell counts to reach a healthy level so she can have a bone marrow transplant. Pray for her white blood cells and for the transplant/recovery.
My church had the privilege of having 
With permission, I am re-posting a blog post written by a friend.