What Keeps You Kicking?

I was reading the book of Job a few days back and as always, I found myself being drawn into the story that I was reading.

The book of job does that to it's readers. It draws us in with it's unparalleled honesty and realism. Job was real with everyone who knew him and as we read his story, he in turn is real with us. It is the realism of the exposed human heart that grips us and forces us to take in all that this man goes through as painful as it is to read.

I admire Job because he is so much of what I feel I could never be. This man went through so much and was able to display his feelings and emotions, through every phase of his suffering, with such a rawness and openness that blows me away. He lost everything that he held dear and yet still clung tightly to an understanding that would keep him standing.

The true bedrock of Job's understanding throughout his trial was revealed after he was handed a crippling question. Life has a way of doing that to us doesn't it? Handing us the crippling questions that draw  answers from within us we did not know that we possessed.

In chapter one of Job's story we see everything he held dear allowed to be taken from Him and in chapter two, his health is removed and Job lies naked and destitute. His one source of earthly strength, his wife, comes to him and asks him a question that I believe anyone of us would ask Job. We pretend that we have all of the "spiritual" advice permanently locked in our minds however we are not in Job's place. It is easy to say what we would or would not do in a given circumstance when we stand outside of the fire but I believe we would at least think this question if not ask.

"Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die." ~ Job 2:9 

You have to listen to the question but what she is asking and stating says what we think in our "Job moments".

"If God really loves me, then why did He allow ___________?"  (Fill in the blank)

"If this is the best that God can treat you after all you have done for Him Job, then just give up and die." Before we are too harsh to judge Mrs. Job's advice to him, remember that these were her children that were taken and it was her financial security that crumbled along with her husbands health. Look at something Job says to his friends when they get on his case for speaking out of his pain.

"Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?" ~Job 6:26

WOW! "Are you going to condemn me because I impulsively cried out of my desperation"?

Job's wife spoke out of her pain and hurt and we would do well to remember that people speak out of where they are. When God moves you to intercede in someones life, don't take their painful responses to you personally because they are revealing to you just how much they need you. God knows what He is doing.

Job goes on to speak with his friends who all basically say the same thing. "This is happening because of something that you have done."

Through all of the emotional struggles that follow each conversation Job had, I kept going back to that question and statement that his wife made.

"Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die." ~ Job 2:9

"If this is the best that God can treat you after all you have done for Him Job, then just give up and die."

Job goes on to curse his birth, question his life, and even think about his death but he never tries to end things.

My question is why? What kept him kicking? What did he know that allowed him to look his circumstances in the eye and keep breathing? Did Job know something that could help us in our "Job Moments" and if so, what did he know?

The answer blew me away!!! I have read this story so many times and yet somehow I missed it.

Look what I found!!!

"Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost."

                                                                                                                 ~ Job 13:18-19

Did you see that?

"This is my case, I KNOW that I am righteous. Who can argue with me over this? If you could prove me wrong, I would stop defending myself and die."

Job did not give up because Job never faltered in his understanding about where he stood with God.
There is a law of sowing and reaping. There are painful consequences to wrong actions, but there are also GOD ALLOWED circumstances that shake our world to it's foundation. There is a difference between the two.

Job had done nothing wrong and he knew it. He also knew that God loved him in spite of the circumstantial evidence that seemed to say otherwise.

I am not sure who this post is for but if you are having a "Job moment" in your life please let me speak into your spirit for just a moment.

Your relationship with God is NOT determined by your FEELINGS, rather it is settled on FACT.

You and I can say the same thing that Job said when it comes to the God allowed circumstances in our lives. Read this passage and read it slowly. Take in every word as you read.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." ~ Romans 5:1-5

If you are His child, you are at peace with Him. Why does God allow things that devastate our comfort zone and our plans? We may never know and certainly not at the time we go through it, but He is aware and His allowed circumstances are not His punishment. He made peace with you on the cross and you signed that peace treaty when you accepted Him, by faith, as your savior.

What kept Job kicking is what keeps us kicking. A firm understanding that His ways are higher than our ways and that His thought are higher than our thoughts. It is an understanding that it is His purpose, not His fairness that dictates the circumstances in our life.

He has always been about purpose.

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." ~ Ephesians 2:1-10


"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" ~ Phillipians 1:6

Not every bad event in your life is chastening or satan, sometimes the "Job moments" are simply God's sovereign purpose at work. It is going to be okay, and He is not mad at you. He loves you and is at perfect peace with you.

Climbing with you,
~ Dan

How To Fall In Love With Anyone In 90 Seconds Or Less

Yes, the title to this post is 100% true!

By the time you finish reading this post you will be able to fall in love with anyone in 90 seconds or less, so before you continue reading this you need to ask yourself if that is something that you really want to do?

Before we go any further we need to establish the true definition of love because love is a term that has been seriously hijacked by the world and twisted in both its meaning and definition. Here is listed the Webster's Dictionary definition of the word love.

LOVE:

a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person
: attraction that includes sexual desire : the strong affection felt by people who have a romantic relationship

: a person you love in a romantic way

 

1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties love

for a child> (2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests <love for his old schoolmates>

b: an assurance of affection love

 

The sad reality is the fact most people would not need the Webster's dictionary definition to have automatically come to the definition it provided. This word's definition has been programmed into us from the time that we are children through the movies, television, magazines, advertisements and songs that we take in through our ear and eye gates. Love is nearly always associated with a physical feeling or emotion when in reality, God spells out what the TRUE definition of love is.

WARNING: What you are about to read is a very graphic picture of what true love is and the word used for love is it's original word, Charity.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

What makes this passage so beautiful is that it provides us with the right picture of what love truly is and if we have the right picture, then we can have the right perspective from which we can base our own expressions of love.

I find an interesting passage in Matthew where the disciples are asking Jesus about what can be expected in the last days, and most you reading this are very familiar with portions of this passage. You know it, but you may have missed something that I had always missed when I read it before.

 

"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" ~ Matthew 24:3

 

Jesus goes on to outline in detail some things to expect that include a list of activities that sound very familiar to our world's events: wars and rumors of wars, nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places.

Then He begins to address the His people in specifics that make us uncomfortable. The Jews saw this in the holocaust and today's events seem to echo the early stages of that terrible event years ago.

"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." ~ Matthew 24:10 

 

Then Jesus begins to speak of the rest of the world again. Pay very close attention to what is coming down the pipe and ask yourself where you see this happening.

 

"And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." ~ Matthew 24:9-12

 

The last phrase really hit me. Because of sin in the world, love for others will grow cold.

Because of the effects of sin on people, the desire to show genuine love for them diminishes dramatically.

After all, who in their right mind would want to love a homeless drug addict who would do or say anything just to get another fix? Who would want to reach out in love to a family in need? They made poor financial choices so they deserve to "pay the piper" right? How in the world can a God loving and dedicated Christian really be expected to show love to someone who is living their life in total contradiction to God's word?

 

"...And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

                                                                                                               ~Matthew 24:12

Because of the fruit of iniquity that is manifested in our society we make excuses as to why our love should wax cold for people who do not seem to be "worthy" of it don't we.

"I'm not giving that bum at the side of the road a dollar because he is milking the system"

"She made her bed, she needs to lie in it and I am not helping her until she admits how she should have listened to me on the first place."

"He knows what he is doing is wrong."

"I don't care how many times they ask me, I'm done with them."

"They are choosing to live in sin."

"They are foolish with their money, how dare they ask me for yet another bail out?"

"...And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

                                                                                                               ~Matthew 24:12

Who is it in your life that you say, "I could never love that person?"

We all have them right? People that seem to make it impossible to love. People whose names and the thought of our love do not seem to connect together right?
 

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."
                                                                                                          ~ Matthew 5:43-45

 

 There are so many scriptures which lay out the reality of the idea that true love (1 Corinthians 13) is the natural by-product of a Christian to others. Not only is the command given, but 1 Peter reveals how it is POSSIBLE for the Christian to have this true love for others.
 

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." ~ 2 Peter 1:3-4

 

 As I read this passage, I notice how we have been given the DIVINE NATURE and this new nature at salvation is the key. Look at the full passage and see just what we now have the access to as a Christian.

 

 "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." ~ 2 Peter 1:5-11

 

 This is not something I need to strive to attain or force myself to display. This is something that flows naturally out of the Christian and if these attributes are not seen in the life of a Christian then the reason of an attitude of blindness to what we have been given. Notice the words, "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins."

Our lack of focus on what Christ did for us results in us living not from the Spirit but rather living from the strength of our flesh. The "flesh" is simply operating out of my own resources. We walk in the Spirit so as to not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The Christian who is walking in the Spirit is able to naturally dispense true love for even the most "undeserving" of people. 

 So if we are told to love others and given the ability in our new nature to love others, how do we love others when we don't feel like it?

 

We consciously shift our focus from our feelings to our facts! Here is a short 90 second exercise that when practiced will transform your opinion of love.

 

HOW TO LOVE ANYONE IN 90 SECONDS OR LESS.

 

1. THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD MADE YOU. (10 Seconds)

 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." ~ Psalms 139:14

 

2.THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD MADE YOU COMPLETELY UNIQUE. (10 Seconds)

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." ~ Ephesians 2:10

 

3. THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. (10 Seconds)

 "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."~ Psalms 103:14

 

4. THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD KNEW THE CHOICES YOU HAVE MADE WHICH LED YOU TO BROKENNESS AND HE LOVED YOU ENOUGH TO GO AFTER YOU TO MAKE YOU WHOLE. (10 Seconds)

 "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." ~Proverbs 16:9 

 

5 . THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD MADE YOU WHOLE. (10 Seconds)

 " And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: " ~ Colossians 2:10

 

6. THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD CAN  MAKE ANYONE WHOLE. (10 Seconds)

"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." ~ Mark 2:17

 

7. THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD DESIRES TO MAKE EVERYONE WHOLE. (10 Seconds)

"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." ~ John 3:15-16

 

8. THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT GOD HAS STRATEGICALLY PLACED YOU IN THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND YOU BECAUSE  GOD DESIRES TO MAKE THEM WHOLE. (10 Seconds)

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." ~ Matthew 5:14-16

 

9. THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP SOMEONE SEE GOD'S LOVE FOR THEM THROUGH YOU. (10 Seconds)

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"
                                                                                                                         ~ 1 Peter 2:9
 

I promise you this short exercise will transform your love life! Bible memorization is great, but it is useless if you do not take the time to MEDITATE on what you MEMORIZE.

We need to KNOW what we KNOW.

Climbing with you,
~Dan

 

 

 * If you enjoyed this post,  I would like to reccomend:
 "Why I choose to no longer invest in people": Click Here)

 

 "What is it?" : (Click Here)

 

 

God's First Responders

We see them all of the time and we sometimes get a bit nervous when they quickly approach in our rear view mirror. Flashing lights. Loud wailing sirens and the urgency for us to quickly find a place to pull over as they speed by.
They are first responders and what they do day in and day out is absolutely awe inspiring.

I remember reading the words of a first responder once that said:
"Saving someone is one of the greatest feelings in the world. But you might not be saving a life. People can be ‘saved’ in many different ways (outside of religion). In EMS, there are so many things you can be where you are a savior of someone else. You are the calm one in the midst of a storm. You are the rational one in irrational circumstances. You are the knowledgeable one when little is known. You are the one who listens when the rest of the world is deaf. You know what is wrong when others draw a blank. You are the one grieving when there is no one else who cares. Or you are willing to be honest when others skirt the truth. These are awesome feelings, amazing circumstances." 

In last weeks post (Stopping Bullets: Click Here), I introduced the idea that not reacting to harmful words was like stopping bullets from an adversary and how learning to take a bullet  proved the strength of the internal armor the Holy Spirirt provides us.
This week I would like to look at the flip side of a passage we looked at last week and see the power of this passage from another view point.

"Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" ~ James 3:3-5

I read this passage and I see the power of the spoken word. It is compared to a fire and a fire has both the ability to destroy life or to enrich life.

You can bring destruction into a person's life through the words you give them, or you can build great things into the soul of another.

As Christian believers, I look at our opportunities to speak to people to be like a spiritual first responder of sorts.

Think about the last terrible encounter that you had with another person for a moment. Their spirit was in a place of pain when you showed up on the scene. Seconds before you spoke with them, you had no idea what was going to be waiting for you when you pulled up, but you were chosen to speak with them. Why?

Why were you chosen to cross paths with the people you have today? Because you had within you, what they needed. You have the Holy Spirit and you were able to assist in the way you were made to do so.

An EMT is not a doctor or a surgeon. They often can only assess based upon what they see since they have very few instruments or diagnosis helps. It strictly comes from what they know in their head and in their heart. The code they operate by is similar to the understood code of the believer.

• to conserve life, alleviate suffering, promote health, do no harm, and encourage the quality and equal availability of emergency medical care.
 
• to provide services based on human need, with compassion and respect for human dignity, unrestricted by consideration of nationality, race, creed, color, or status; to not judge the merits of the patient’s request for service, nor allow the patient’s socioeconomic status to influence our demeanor or the care that we provide.

• to not use professional knowledge and skills in any enterprise detrimental to the public well being.

• to respect and hold in confidence all information of a confidential nature obtained in the course of professional service unless required by law to divulge such information.

• to use social media in a responsible and professional manner that does not discredit, dishonor, or embarrass an EMS organization, co-workers, other health care practitioners, patients, individuals or the community at large.

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh." ~James 3:6-12

We have an AMAZING opportunity in front of us today! Do we have all the answers? NO! Do we have the most incredible source in the universe within us? YES!

So we ask God this morning to open our hearts, ear, and eyes to see what He has for us and when we speak to others, we ask The Source to speak through us and trust that what He gives us is exactly what is needed.

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation." ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

 

 Think back for just a moment of the people God used right in the middle of the very last wall that you faced on your path? The walls (Difficult circumstances) were filled with spiritual first responders who God used to help you for "such a time as this". Were they trained emotional surgeons? No. They were parents, friends, co-workers, believers and even children. A first responder is not a job that you do just because you want or need a job. Anyone can carry the title of First Responder, but a true first responder is one who carries in their heart the sincere desire to help those who need it and are willing to sacrifice their own safety and comfort to do so. Your walls (Difficult circumstances) in life are full of faces and names of God's First Responders.

 

 

You may not have met them yet today, but they will be coming across your path today. No matter what you find at the scene of that connection opportunity, remember that you are God's First Responder!

 

 "...Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" ~ James 3:5

 

Climbing with you,

~Dan

 

*If this blog post was helpful, you will enjoy the following posts as well.

 

Moments : Click Here

 

You hade it all the time: Click Here

 

 

 

 

Stopping Bullets

The barrel of the gun loomed his direction ominously. He had faced many guns before this one and had learned to identify the marks of those who were comfortable killing with them. The finger always tightens around the trigger in a perfect mirror with the muscles in the corner of the eye. When the trigger is firmly squeezed, the eyes completely deaden of all emotion and compassion.

The gun roared like a wild animal and spat it's hot death with a hungry desire to consume it's prey. Standing as close as he was to the barrel, he felt the released gas from the chamber on his chest a micro second before he felt the impact of the molten lead. Looking downward to it's point of impact, he saw the lead mushroom out and fall harmlessly to the pavement.

This was no ordinary man taking the bullet intended for the person who hid behind him. This was Superman and the shooter would join the ranks with countless before who had learned that the attempt to stop the man of steel with a bullet was futile.

Sigh!

I am a comic book fanatic and nothing causes me to smile as I read a comic book like the scene that I just described to you. The picture is always so intense. A strong person standing up for the weak against a threat who would force their way with violence.


As a boy, I loved seeing this happen in the Superman movies and every time it did, part of me wanted desperately to be able to do that for other people. I wanted to be able to help and protect other people who could not stand up for themselves. (Waiting for Superman: Click Here)

As a boy I only knew the comic book type of danger.
When I grew up, I quickly realized that bullets come in many other forms.
They are not fired from a gun, but from a soul. They shoot out in the form of words and they are every bit as devastating as a lead bullet.

What makes words so deadly is their ability to bury themselves deep into another humans soul and they lay buried there slowly seeping out the infection of bitterness which can bring even the strongest person to their knees.

"Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" ~ James 3:3-5

This passage is amazing because it graphically illustrates the immense power of our words.
In this passage we see the comparison of our tongue to a ship's rudder, a horses bridle and even a fire. These descriptions all bring to mind powerful things.

Words are so easy to fire off aren't they?

I want you to see the rest of the passage because what you will find is amazing. Words are only the bullets, they are not the gunmen.

The words that come from the mouth are only the bullets that are fired from the heart.


"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh." ~James 3:6-12

This is one of the reasons why God allows testing in our lives. Testing brings us to the place where we can identify our flesh from our Spirit. Some of the testing we endure happens as a result of the words that are fired at us in a given day.

God uses circumstances (God's Phone Booths: Click Here) to help us learn to exchange what we settle for for who He made us to be. (Mr.Perfect:Click Here)
This is His perfecting process.

So this leads me to what I want to express in this post.

A few days ago, I was brought into a situation which I would have rather not been brought into. I given some information where I had been misrepresented and at first, I was irate. Really? They said this?
I sat down and began to compile my list of events and documentation into an e-mail that not only proved the previous information was false, but also shed light on the reason why this information was given falsely. I decided not to send the e-mail that day, but to just go home and send it in the morning upon my return to work.

The next morning I was in the middle of my workout and I noticed this picture to the left. It is a comic book cover, and one that I have framed in on the wall of my "Man Cave / Gym/ Art Studio". I love the picture because the Man of Steel is stopping a picture full of bullets!

I began to think about the thoughts I had as a boy, which I mentioned at the start of this post, and remembered how cool it was that Superman could stop bullets.

Then my gaze fell on a shelf I have below this picture. On the shelf I have several .9mm slugs I had picked up from a gun range years ago.They have been smashed flat by the impact against the bullet stop and they make cool "superman" decor.

I picked up those bullets and the Holy Spirit spoke.
"Dan, How could you ever expect to stop bullets from hurting others, when you have a difficult time taking a bullet."

Whoa.

Superman stopped bullets because he knew how to take a bullet. They crushed because of the internal armour he possessed. Many times, the words we are hit with are mean, and unjustifiable, but our response to those words is where the test is.

No one likes criticism and our first reaction is to lash out in defense, when our response should be to take the words and prove how strong His strength in us truly is.
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."
                                            ~ Isaiah 53:7

Jesus showed us that this is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." ~ Romans 8:11

I got to work that morning and quickly deleted the e-mail that I was going to send. The truth is, what was needed more than a defense constructed in emotion was a person who knew how to take bullets as they fly. The strength of the armor was needing to be displayed.

People are hungry for God all around us and what they really need is to see Him displayed with power and grace. There are more important things than proving you were right.

 

Our response determines our future.

Climbing with you,
~Dan

Your Greatest Need

I spoke in detail about this passage of scripture in the post (So Close but Lame: Click Here), but I want to share with you how God opened this passage up to me in a whole new way this past week.

"Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms." ~ Acts 3:1-3

Every day, friends carried him to a gate called beautiful. Misery and Beauty met here every day. An un-beautiful circumstance lay in the gate of beauty every day. Here he lay every day, scanning the faces that streamed by him, asking for them to give him help.

 

WATCHING TIME, LIFE, AND PEOPLE WHO HAD WHAT HE DID NOT SLIP BY.

 

As we look at the scene unfold in front of us, I would ask you to notice something else.
He was content to meet the smallest of his needs, but in his mind he was lame as well.

His thought process was crippled. In his mind, the greatest need  he had was money for his crippled existence.
How meaningless did life must seem for him? Everyday the same as the last. The moment this man breathed his first breath, he was lame. 

From birth, his greatest need seemed to be centered on just eating enough today to gain the strength to wake up the next day and beg… beg for just enough money to buy just enough food to eat just enough that day to wake up the next and beg.

Let me ask you three things.

1. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST NEED AT THIS MOMENT?

Think about this question for a moment. What is the greatest thing that you need in your life right at the moment that you are reading this post?

Hold the first word that entered your mind and then keep reading.

The lame man in this story had a thought crippled thought process as well as a body unable to move himself further. In his mind, the greatest need  he had was money for his crippled existence. This is not completely crazy, because our churches are full of people who come on routine, lay at the gate, and on routine ask in their own way for the surface needs.

Day after day, the “THEY” of their life will continue to carry them to the gate to beg for the surface needs. I do not want to minimize surface needs, but most surface needs are symptoms of a root need. This man begged for alms, (Symptom of being crippled) his root need was that he needed to walk. He did not know to ask the right questions.

 Thank God that two faces that were in the crowd were different that day.

"And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them." ~ Acts 3:4-5

2. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST NEED AT THIS MOMENT?

I would submit to you that the need you first thought of is not in fact your greatest need in this moment. Most people are content to lay in their need and settle for their wants. Wants are only a indicator of a need

The widow in 2 Kings 4 assumed her greatest need was finances, however through oil pots, God revealed to her the understanding of her greatest need as being a complete understanding that God was her sole provider.

Gideon assumed his greatest need was and army, however through three simple test, God revealed to him the understanding of his greatest need as being a complete understanding that God was his protector.

Woman at the well assumed her greatest need was water, however God revealed to her through the words of Jesus, the understanding of her greatest need as being a complete understanding that God was her savior.

I spent the majority of my Christian life, lame in the idea that my value to God was determined by how much I accomplished for Him and in His name. I lay on my spiritual mat and begged God to allow me to live FOR Him and was lame in my understanding of my greatest need. I needed God to show me how He desired me not to live FOR Him, but rather to live FROM Him. I was spiritually lame. I will never forget the day Father reached down and helped me to stand up!

Often times, the needs we list off first as being our needs are simply the fruit of our greatest needs.

Look at your answer to the first question and ask it of yourself again.

"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength." ~ Acts 3:6-7

People that are in-tune with God are also in-tune with the real needs of others.

3. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO ASK GOD TO OPEN YOUR EYES TO YOUR GREATEST NEED.

"And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him." ~ Acts 3:8-10

God is not interested in helping us settle for our wants. God is not interested in us remaining in a crippled state, satisfied for just living out our wants. God designed our needs in order to be met IN Him.

God allowed me to see this very principle acted out in front of my very eyes this morning.
I work in a job where a portion of my responsibilities include the oversight of several warehouses. We have a selection of office furniture stored in these warehouses and periodically I will receive a request from someone within the company who is looking to upgrade their office furniture to take them to the warehouse where we store the furniture.

There is one particular chair that has been in storage for a very long time. It is probably the nicest and most expensive chair we have in storage but not for want of request. In fact, this particular chair has been requested countless times and anytime someone goes to the warehouse, they ask to have this chair.
It sits in storage because it is missing a wheel. It is an odd sized wheel and I have not found one  to replace the missing wheel so there it sits.
Until today.

On this particular morning I received a request from one of the ladies in our dental department. When she requested to go to the warehouse, I answered, "I would be happy to take you to the warehouse today. What do you need?"
She needed a chair she replied, so I took her to find her chair. As we drove I was telling her about a newer vehicle  my department had purchased and made the remark that I had claimed the truck before we were able to purchase it and how God had provided it. She laughed and said, "I guess I need to claim a chair and God will provide that too!"

We walked into the warehouse and she went straight to the chair everybody wanted. I was preparing to tell her about the missing wheel when I happened to look down at her broken chair we had brought with us to exchange. Her broken chair had the exact same wheels as the chair that she wanted. She was delighted!

As we prepared to drive back to the office building, I began telling her about the lame man in Acts 3.
"What are the odds?" I asked her.
"When I spoke with you on the phone, I asked you what you needed and you replied that you needed a chair. Your broken chair had a wheel that would fix the nicest chair in the warehouse. You thought you needed a chair, but you could have made your old chair do for a bit longer. Your greatest need was NOT a chair, your greatest need was to know that God loves you enough to care about where you sit. He cares about your comfort, but more than this, He wants you to know that whatever you are facing outside of this chair is cared about as well."

Our greatest need is not the need that pops into our mind right off the bat. Your greatest need is much deeper and God longs to reveal this to you. It's amazing because when you ask God to open your eyes to your own greatest needs, He opens your eyes to others greatest needs as well.

God created you to walk in Him and not to spend your life laying, lame in your wants. Let Him show you how your greatest needs are met in Him and discover how awesome it is to walk in the newness of LIFE He promised!

Climbing with you,
~Dan

The punch we don't see coming.

They say it's the punch that you don't see coming that knocks you down, so the question should be, "why don't we see it coming?"

In a previous post, ("Bigger than any Giant": Click here), we looked at opposition to accomplishing the tasks that God places within our spirit to accomplish,how the real opposition comes before the opposition that we are expecting, and even how it often comes from those that mean the most to us.

Over the last few weeks I have been posting about overcoming opposition in the Christian journey, ("When Grace meets Comfort": Click Here) and have looked to see this illustrated beautifully in the life of Nehemiah.

He has been given a message of comfort to bring to God's people in the rebuilding the walls of their homeland that the enemy had destroyed and it is through this event that I find encouragement in the oppositions that I face in the pursuit of my purpose in the Christian life.
Why does it seem as though whenever you make steps in speaking your life's message that opposition presents itself without fail. Fierce and relentless.

I find right off the bat that the opposition Nehemiah faced was not in a small size. His endeavor attracted the attention of kings. Why would kings work so hard to stop a cup bearer?

The cup bearer is never the issue and never has been, the issue is and always will be the message.

The magnitude of the opposition will reflect the need for the message.

Your message from God will never be without opposition and it will always attract the attention of the adversary. Size does indeed matter because when you are faced with a large amount of opposition, rest assured that the need for your specific message is equally as large.

When opposition seems to come in a large force, please understand that this is a reflection of a large need for the message that is being opposed. The need for your message can be forgotten when your focus is shifted to the size of your opposition so it is important that you secure your thoughts before your opposition arrives.

In order to combat the opposition with success, we must change our belief systems.

Nehemiah needed to combat a belief system before he was able to face Sandballat and Tobiah (Two kings that opposed his message).

He started with a mentality that expressed, "...I was a cup bearer."~ Nehemiah 1:11, but by the time that he finished, he had changed from cup bearer to a leader that could look a crowd of torn up, battered and discouraged people in the eye and say:

"...God WILL help us..." ~ Nehemiah 2:20

 

 

Who is this talking to kings? Is this the cup bearer from the palace?

Nehemiah had transformed in his thinking. Opposition cannot stand against a message carried by a messenger who is aware of his or her identity and the importance of a delivered message.
When you understand the significance of your message, then you will understand that your message was given to you along with the authority to deliver that message.

 

Opposition has NO authority over your message.

 



 

The adversary can only INFLUENCE.

 

The only weapon that the adversary actually has to fight your mind with is the weapon of influence. The message is what has AUTHORITY.

 

Never allow the adversary to influence you into trading, or giving up your God given authority or message. Your message qualifies you for your assignment.

 

 

The journey will always bring you places where you will be directly challenged in your message and in those places, you must continually go back to your belief in the message that started the journey.

 

It was no longer a cup bearer that led the people in the task of rebuilding.

You are no longer just a dad, employee, housewife, employer, soldier, college student or whatever title that comes to mind when you think of yourself in the face of opposition. You are a messenger with a divine purpose. You have been given authority and precision placement in your assignment. Walk in that purpose and be on mission with Christ in rebuilding hearts and lives that have been destroyed!

Climbing with you,
~Dan

 

 *What is your unique message? How do you find out what your unique message is?

 ("You had it all the time.": Click Here)  ("Hello my name is." :Click Here)