Hope as the Pathway and Agency for Success in Any Venture

Hope is What We Express About Life That is a Bridge To The Future

The ability to express hope through challenging circumstances is an essential element to create success in the ventures of life.  Expressing hope is the act of building a bridge that over circumstances–opposition paving a way to desirable outcome in the future.  Almost everyone is concerned about effectiveness– how to find success in life that creates the momentum to get where we want to arrive. many available studies support the assumption that hope is a key component that distinguishes how well an individual navigates through challenges. Therefore, the influence of hope upon life can be measured in qualitative terms that relate to physical health, higher academic functioning, interpersonal functioning, athletic performance, psychosocial adjustment, capacity for self-regulation, and superior ability to face and overcome obstacles.  On the other hand a lack of hope can be connected to individuals being easily confused by obstacles, avoidant, ineffectiveness and the absence of  heartiness through life challenges. When factors are considered about why some people succeed and why others do not, there may be many factors contributing to success, but the single mitigating factor that empowers success– even when other deficiencies exist– is the presence of hope.

An effort to define hope might provide some insight about what it is, what it does, and how it is expressed. Some common definitions of hope are to wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment, or to have confidence; trust, to look forward to with confidence or expectation. In life, we hope that our children will be successful, the sun will shine, and that everything will always work out. The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God‘s help.  The idea of hope in general terms is an expectation that motivates life in the present with a belief that the future hold possibility that can be achieved.   Hope is a way of expressing life that builds a bridge to the future.

In the Christian approach to hope a Biblical definition of hope is “confident expectation.”  Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown (Romans 8:24-25; Hebrews 11:1,7).  Christians believe that hope in the present and in the future is a confident expectation that is based in essential beliefs about God and His oversight, involvement, and control over what happens in life.  For Christians, who understand the basis of their beliefs,  hope is an essential ingredient in the life expressed upward toward God and outward toward goals (Proverbs 23:18) . In times of distress, when faced with despair and loss, there are situations where life loses its essential meaning  and zest (Lamentations 3:18, Job 7:6). When faced with death and times when  there is no apparent hope (Isaiah 38:18, Job 17:15), Christian hope supplies a way of organizing belief into confident expectation that those who put their hope in God will receive assistance(Psalm 28:7).  Therefore, Christians believe, and will not be perplexed, put to shame in their hope (Isaiah 49:23), and will be vindicated as they place hopeful expectation in God.  As a result,  hope and belief is a general attitude of confidence in God’s protection– help (Jeremiah 29:11).  Therefore, hope frees Christians from fear and anxiety (Psalm 46:2-3).  Christian hope is based upon beliefs and assumptions about, God, good and evil, life, eternity and life in the present.  Hope provides momentum to live with expectation that God is guiding what is happening to a positive outcome.

One issue of interest is how hope energizes and infuses life with momentum to move ahead. Hope provides a clear way that can reduce the power of obstacles to disable supplying an attitude that enables reaching forward with a belief that success is attainable.  As a result, attention is drawn to how hope can be increased in how an individual approaches life.  Is there a road to happiness and a set point that can be achieved that happiness can be measured, believed to be normative as a maxim?  An equally important issue to understand is that a state of happiness is a subjective condition.  If someone asked you to describe happiness what would the story contain for you?

Research has shown that automatic assumptions of happiness are often incorrect.  Often hope and happiness are associated with feeling good about what is occurring.  In fact, what is true is that people who feel good in certain circumstances, like winning the lottery, actually become unhappy, dissatisfied and loose hope in life.  Carl Maslow illustrated that people feel a better sense of well-being when they have basic survival needs met rather than monetary gain.  Lifestyle always rises to the level of income and beyond and what happens is that possessions or positions in life do not seem to bring happiness and hope.  People get on the hedonistic treadmill trying to find happiness and gain hope but, “the abundance of life is not in the things we possess” (Jesus).  Often people assume that happiness and having hope is a result of what happens to people in life.  However, it is not what happens to people; it’s how they construct and interpret those events, it is how you mindfully experience those events.

A key to hope, a road to happiness is emotional well-being.  People who have hope in life and experience emotional well being are people who are virtually engaged in life– grounded in meaning and purpose in life.  To be happy, to have hope means being fully involved with every detail of life.  A life driven by purpose, calling, a sense of belonging and fitting where you are is critical to feeling positive about what is taking place in existence.  When people are fully engaged in life with a sense of fitting, belonging– owning a place in life– engaging in positive relationships, then attention redirects our energy away from negatives which are destructive, limiting, defeating activity that drain vitality from life.  You may have heard the expression, “time flies when you are having fun.”  Another way to understand this is a state of grace, a “flow state.”  The experience of flow happens when you are able to be completely caught up in what you are doing and time flies.

Meeting the challenges of life with hope increases the flow of life that sets an expectation that sees a life that has possibilities, even when faced with extreme opposition.  What occurs in the hope transaction is that alternative routes to reach outcome are discovered, then implemented through pathways thinking.  “Pathways thinking” means that when the first route you try is blocked, you can produce alternative routes to get to a destination by thinking flexibly and are able to change course as needed. A challenge faced when attempting to cultivate an increased hope is to how to cultivate thinking patterns that connect to alternatives rather than boxed in solutions. A principle  of hope is that hope is a learned experience as well as a motivational feeling experienced, which indicates that hope both a phenomenon and a mindset.

Hope is embraced as a principle in thinking when hope has agency.  “Agency thinking”  is thinking with efficacious belief, a sense,  that the desired goal can be reached.  Borrowing from a Biblical principle in Hebrews 11:1; “faith” in Christian thinking is stirred by reciting, vividly recalling successful ventures of faith in the past.  The “evidence of things hoped for”  is in the record of those who have the story of success presented in a history of belief.  Individuals who spend their time reciting their failures or being reminded constantly of failure are not likely to accomplish much.  However, when there is a sense of agency and belief is cultivated through celebrating success and failure jointly (on the road to success), then high hope can be instilled that enables accomplishment.

One thing that is for sure in life is that there are always people who can convincingly tell you why you cannot succeed. However when you want to succeed, a bridge to the future must be constructed with faith, hope, and belief and it needs to begin today, without delay.

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Finding Balance: Are My Feelings Giving A Correct Assessment of Life?

I was recently talking to someone who’s parent had died and the father remarried within a year. As we spoke, I heard the painful story describing the personal experience of a person who felt that remarriage changed the surviving parent and subsequently believed that the father no longer loved them. It reminds me that how a person feels about what happens may essentially be more important than what actually happens.  For example, the feeling of rejection coupled with loneliness  and isolation has a devastating effect upon the life of people who have lost the sense of belongingness and sense of love  in a family system. Equally important is a parent who has lost their meaning and purpose in life and  has found someone to have relationship, companionship,and some hope for a better life.  However while fulfilling a personal need, the message felt by family members is that they are not loved, you have changed, and we are being unfairly treated.  A good question to ask here is what is the real issue?  The answer is complicated, but simply put is a matter of where a person is standing and how we feel about where we are standing.  I honestly believe that all behavior is driven by need felt in and through life experience.

The challenge within finding balance in changing relationships connects to the fact of how we feel and not necessarily in what is really happening.  A truth is that life has changed and people’s behaviors appear different, but what needs to be asked is: Why do people see things as they do and behave as they do?

One obvious answer is that every person has their own perspective of events from where they are standing in a situation.  Another answer is theoretical, a Rogerian principle which echoes a perspective that, it is not the activating event– it is how we feel an about event that is important.  A relative truth is that, in conflict, feelings count about 90% and fact about 10%.  While feelings are important in a lived experience the unanswered question is, “are my feelings a true reflection of reality?”  This is difficult because when something is rooted in perceptions and feelings, it is what we believe to be true from our perspective that we respond to which may not be always accurate.  If we could tape the inner conversation of an individual in a situation and play it back, what would it say?   What might be heard is a story of how the world is understood/misunderstood and is fueling the feeling not being loved, not as important, or the feeling of replacement by someone new.

Feeling is what drives the behavior which in turn reinforces what is believed to be true; thus becoming, a self-fulfilling prophecy.  What is not understood is that the fear of loss and abandonment actually motivates self-protecting behavior which, in turn, causes our worst fear to become a reality.  When actions are in accordance with what is really believed– felt to be true; then what is really believed become the reality that we see, experience, and live out.

Some misunderstood facts may be missing that contribute to feeling wrongly and behaving badly. When someone dies or divorce occurs, one fact is that family dynamics change and relationships are redefined as a natural developmental process.  A normal response is that change is resisted as responses demonstrate the component of denial that says, “I know it happened but nothing has really changed–life will go on as it always has .”  The idealistic response given is an effort to hang on to the past in an attempt to avoid the crisis that has come.  Many changes present an unnatural development which individuals are not ready for and the harder that we resist it, the harder life is to live  in a healthy way.  At the core of idealism is a statement about how self-concept, self-esteem, and our social identity are defined.  Erickson described the life-stage developments and how at each stage of life, there is a crisis of identity— the life-stage faced  is the unnatural event and if we have not brought a scaffold with us–adaptability, experience, maturity, understanding, which provide skills to navigate into what is ahead, we will revisit the struggle over and over until the skills are developed.

Most everyone has heard of Helen Keubler Ross’s stages of grief that are so often talked about, but I do not know if we understand that denial in the grief process is very similar to  act of resistance that is experienced in change.  In one event, an unexpected development, i.e., death of a child, husband/wife, parent, or family member has married someone else an unnatural event has force circumstances to be faced that are not planned out ahead of time.  A common thread is found in all adjustment to life tragedies; an inability to accept change.  An important truth is that an inability to respond is motivated by unresolved grief  coupled with feelings which frames perception that we have of ourselves, as well as , what is happening.   An important question in moments like this is: Am I seeing this correctly, or is my response based upon a perception of life events that are distorted by the unresolved process of grief where denial is being acted out.  A  story that says, “I am afraid that I have been abandoned again so I cannot accept what has changed, so as long as I stay there, I won’t have to face the fear of not knowing who I really am.”  Obviously, the hardest person to be honest with is yourself and until you can be, the experience of life experience will supply what is believed to be true. Think about this: There is only one person that can change how you feel.  Unfortunately, people who are stuck in the feeling stage of perception that will not accept change, no amount of rational information, discussion, or evidence will phase them.  Change is a personal decision and until individuals are willing to look in the mirror of reality and gain a rational perspective of life events the struggle will go on having and feelings will shape perspective into  a picture of life that may feel real, but is it?

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To Pray or Not To Pray – The Spiritual Connection

Are you preparing for God to send spiritual awakening or accepting spiritual apathy? It seems that we are living in a time when moral decay and spiritual apathy have overtaken many and destroyed any hope of things getting better. I want to remind you that two thousand years ago, when Jesus was crucified, the world had just experienced its darkest moment. The world had just rejected Jesus and nailed Him to a cross. For the disciples, it seemed as if the world had come to an end and all of their hopes were dashed into pieces.

It was in the midst of that darkness that Jesus appeared to His disciples and reassured their hopes and dreams. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples, “… tarry in Jerusalem until you are endued with power.” Jesus was telling His disciples that they needed to prepare for a time of spiritual awakening. These people spent forty day in an upper room praying. When the Holy Spirit began to move Peter stood up and said that this was predicted by the prophet Joel.

Why is it that we need to pray?

We need to pray because prayer is a reminder that God is in control of what we cannot control. When we pray it is an open confession that we believe that God is greater than the problems of our world.

We need to pray because there are things that we cannot do without God’s assistance. Think of the challenges that you are facing in your life. When we pray about these issues God empowers us to face these issues with an inner confidence. Prayer reminds me of my insufficiency and God’s sufficiency. We need to pray because we are going to face opposition in life. The scripture constantly reminds us of the adversarial work of Satan and the opposition of evil men to the work of the gospel. We need to pray because God is the only one who change the outcomes of life. Many times we do not know what the future will hold or what the outcomes of life will bring.

When we pray, we are asking God to take charge of the future and saying that we trust Him with whatever it brings.

Jesus told his disciples to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is God’s will for spiritual awakening to come. One of the great hindrances to God moving is the absence of corporate and private prayer among God’s people. In the church we sing for an hour until we can get to spiritual enough to listen to an hour of preaching that produces nothing lasting.

In the early church they prayed 50 days preached for a few minutes and the result was 5000 being saved, the church was inaugurated, and the world was changed.

It seems that that our theology should include some knee-ology. It is apparent that modern churches and thinking is engulfed with a sense of pride and arrogance that says we are helping God with method-ology that is infused with a powerless anthropocentric view of the God achieves His purposes through the church.

The fact is that God does not need our help in accomplishing His will. He demands our devotion, worship, and obedience. Not to the commands and tradition of men, but to, “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”

Individuals by choice choose to be a part of powerless, problem apathy that enables a crippled system of delivery that is political, sociological, psychological …. Or submitting to the sovereignty of God and the Lordship of Christ and making a commitment to be an active part of solution to the need for spiritual awakening in the church. The real question is: what are you willing to do to see change happen for the best in the life of the body of Christ?

James says, “The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man availed much…”

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Having A Settled Peace In Stormy Times

You may not be experiencing a difficult time right now. From your perspective everything may be sunny and clear. However, storms come.

At times, they roll over our lives with bounding blows. How do we maintain a sense of peace and spiritual balance when trials strike?

The answer is found in a close abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. And the words of Helen Lemmel’s hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” contain a vital and exciting truth: an unshakable peace is available to all who turn the eyes of their hearts to Jesus.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in his wonderful face,
and the things of earth will
grow strangely dim
in the light of his glory and grace

Chances are when adversity strikes, one of the first things you do is to wonder why. The second thing may be to question what kind of impact it will have on your life. Reactions such as these are normal, but there needs to be another response included, and that is to turn to the One who holds all comfort and security firmly within His grasp.

As we grow, we find that life is not always this predictable. There are sorrows and tragedies built into the framework of our existence. If our peace and security are only within ourselves or some other person, when trials come there is a greater chance we will experience disappointment.

One of the first steps in dealing with anxiety is to recognize it for what it is the opposite of peace. It is the fan that flames the fires of doubt and confusion. In addition, it has the ability to leave us helplessly bundled up in worry and fear. When we cave in to thoughts of anxiety, we lose our spiritual focus and mindset. The key to overcoming anxiety is found only in the presence of God.

Paul admonishes us: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Isaiah‘s words are simple but true: “In repentance and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). If we are going to be spiritually successful, we must come to a point where we realize that nothing surprises God. He knows when tragedy is going to strike or when disappointment is going to hit, and He has a plan for handling these.

Nothing is too great for Him. He has promised to provide for your needs ¬ perfectly, completely, and on time. (Philippians 4:19) If He does not answer a certain prayer immediately, it is for a reason. Usually if we are willing to wait for His timing, we will find that He has a greater blessing in store.

Accepting His timetable and the limitations He places on a given situation helps to dispel rising anxiety. Therefore, let Him provide for you in His timing. Keeping a daily journal of your prayers and how He answers each one is a good way to build your faith and trust in Him.

When you accept life as being given to you from the hand of God then you will do what Helen Lemmel’s song says – you turn your eyes toward Jesus. You will look full into His glorious face and find mercy and grace, forgiveness and hope, peace and everlasting security.

Peter wanted to walk on the water to Jesus. Like a child, he wanted to imitate his teacher. Surely Peter’s faith made God’s heart glad, especially as he stepped out and began walking to his Savior. But suddenly the roar of the wind and the crashing of the sea became monsters in his mind. Fear swept through his being, and he began to sink. This is when he cried out: “Lord, save me!” and Jesus reached down and took him by the hand. (Matthew 14:30-31)

What would you give to experience the peace of God in your life? Would you give up worrying? Are you willing to lay down the anger that haunts your soul because someone has done something to hurt or wound you? God knows the hurt you have experienced. Will you trust Him in quietness knowing that He has not forgotten you, but stands ready to heal you?

We call God’s peace unshakable, because there has never been a time or an event when God has been disturbed. His peace and presence are sure. They are immovable

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The Value of Weakness

The Value Of Weakness

“Whatever brings you to your knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for your personal success and spiritual victory.”When I am weak, then I am strong.” These words, taken from Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians, bring thoughts of contradiction. How can we be strong, when we are weak? How can we function, when it feels as though our world will break and fall apart? Shouldn’t we try to hold everything together, not letting anything slip beyond our control, our rescue, or our grasp?

None of us can escape the pressures of life. Most of us know what it feels like to be disappointed. We know the painfulness of embarrassment, the sting of rejection, and the sorrow of failure. Regardless of the level of control we have over our lives, there always comes a time when the stove top settings end up on high and lids come boiling off the pots and pans.

What pots are boiling out-of-control in your life? Is there a financial need? Maybe there is a relationship problem you are facing, and your prayer each night before you turn off the light is for God‘s wisdom and guidance in handling it. Countless people have physical needs that go far beyond what many of us can imagine.

Regardless of what your situation is, you can trust this principle: whatever brings you to your knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for your personal success and spiritual victory.

No one enjoys feeling weak, whether it is emotionally, spiritually, or physically. There is something within the human spirit that wants to resist the thought of weakness. Many times this is nothing more than our human pride at work. Just as weakness carries a great potential for strength, pride carries an equally great potential for defeat. It cannot co-exist with God’s Spirit of love and humility. Pride was Satan’s downfall, and it is the one element that must be removed if we want to experience the peace that comes from an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

As long as pride is involved, there will be a distance between you and God. This happens because pride resists the loving nature of God. It can’t stand to be humbled, and this is the very thing God calls us to be. (James 4:6; 1 Peter 3:8) Instead of moving you toward God, pride separates you from Him by tempting you to be strong in your own strength and not in the strength of Christ.

Paul learned a valuable lesson in this area. God allowed him to be buffeted by a severe trial in order to humble him and remove the potential for pride. (2 Corinthians 12:7) As a young man he was trained by one of the greatest scholars in Jewish thought and culture. He understood the elements of the law and practiced them with great zeal. Yet when he came face to face with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road his life was changed. He no longer viewed the world around him through human eyes. God gave him spiritual insight that far surpassed anything he had known.

Still, he had to be broken further so that God could use him in an even greater way. Like everyone else, Paul faced temptation. He was not spared affliction. One in particular was severe enough for him to pray three times for its removal. Later, he recorded its existence in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

It was through this time of weakness that Paul learned a new principle: weakness is strength. Frailty in a certain area is not something that should bring embarrassment. When we are humbled before God, He sees the meekness of our hearts and sends His strength and blessings into our lives.

Even though Paul could have listed many personal accomplishments, he chose to tell his audience what he believed was the key to experiencing a victorious life, and that was in accepting his weakness so that the strength of Christ might live fully in him. He was writing about living a completely surrendered life to Jesus Christ. “I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (v. 9).

We are called to be strong in Christ. Our strength is not within our ability or ourselves. It is in Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:19) God knows until we come to the end of ourselves there is little chance we will turn over the reins of our lives to Him. He has given you a limited free will. This means that at any time He can step in and put a stop to a problem or a certain course you have chosen to take. Many times, He does not do this because He wants you to see that on your own you will struggle and fall, but in Him you will have strength and victory.

We do not know the trial that Paul was facing. He called it a “thorn in the flesh.” In the Greek, the word thorn means a stake used for torturing or impaling someone. This was not a gentle infliction. It was painful. He writes that he was buffeted by it, indicating that the trial was either ongoing or recurring. When Paul felt he could no longer withstand the blows leveled against him, God reassured him that His grace, the grace of God, is sufficient for anything he faced.

There are several ways you can respond to trials. You can blame others or even God for your circumstances. You can become bitter and resentful; you can give up and end up fighting feelings of depression; grit your teeth and strive to keep all the lids perfectly on the pots, even though the heat is turned up on high; or you can surrender your desire to control your life and let God take care of you.

Weakness has the ability to bring you to the end of yourself. It is there, you realize your need for someone greater. Only Jesus Christ can calm the storm that is battering your life. Only He can provide the wisdom you need to stand and not fall in times of temptation.

Obedience and commitment are two key principles for spiritual success. When we submit our lives to Jesus Christ we are telling Him that we are ready to obey His commands. This is an indication that we are committed to Him and seek to lay down our human desires in return for an eternal perspective. Submission is a tough command, and you cannot do it without the help of Christ.

If we disobey the Lord, He will allow us to hurt until our wills are broken. Painful as it is, experiencing a season of adversity may be the only way many will relinquish their need for control over their lives.

However, trials are not always a result of sin, they come to strengthen us and fit us for God’s service. Submission to Jesus Christ is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of holy allegiance, or great internal strength, power, and peace. God’s goal is for you to be weak from a human perspective but strong from a spiritual one. It is then that He fills your life with a resilient strength far beyond the comprehension of this world.

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Are Your Unresolved Relationship Issues Affecting Spiritual Development?

Why do we have so much difficulty receiving from God in worship?  Here  is a good diagnostic question to begin with: Do we have broken relationships that need mending?  In worship we are we focused upon people and things– or are we focused upon God.  Before one comes to a time of worship, it is good to stop and take a moment and refocus our thoughts upon spiritual things. Refocusing in this way has a way of dissipating the concerns of life and reducing them to a manageable matter of faith. The psalmist said that God inhabits the praise of his people. The fact is that when we focus on God, everything that used to matter just becomes an infinitesimal issue.

Another question that  is important to worship is: unresolved ethical issues with those around us. One  central theme that shows an ignored truth that affects spiritual relationships–is the need for justice: the need for justice and fair play. Job said he needed an advocate to speak for him and plead his case before God. Amos said let justice roll down like a river. The unfortunate fact among contemporary Christians is an absence of justice–respect,  in how people relate to others.   Sadly, this is not an anomaly it is a regular occurrence. The truth is that when we fail to follow the teaching of Jesus about relationships, we cannot approach God with a clean heart nor have an effective relationship of worship with God.

Attitudes Are More Important Than Sacrifice or Actions

Jesus said except your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees had, the right religious actions, expressions, and ritual. But they had inner attitudes that precluded them from having intimacy with God. Like a lot of religious people and leaders, they were self-focused  in their religious activities. Self serving motives, when trying to relate to God do not move God. One question that is helpful to ask is: whose need is being met in what I do in relationship to God and my fellow man .  (e.g. who is the focus on?)

Attitude Must Precede Worship

Jesus said that before we bring our gift to the altar, which is worship, go reconcile yourself to your brother. If there was more of this going on before worship, we would not have to sing as long or preach as long.  Broken relationships equal broken worship that is ineffective.

What Is Really Important To You?

Jesus was asked one time what is the greatest command?  He said that we must love God with all of our being and love our fellow-man: the Ten Commandments in one statement. Unfortunately, you cannot have one without the other. The act of loving God equals loving others as ourselves. Why are we so concerned about whether people drink, dance, smoke, and all the other “Thou shall nots” when we do not address inner attitudes that are stunting our spiritual growth and which are so devastating to those under us and around us?

Worship is most effective when we look inward, look outward, then upward.

He That Hath An Ear Let Him Hear

I hope that you have come to life today with a desire to experience God in a real way. God has something to say to you that you need to hear.  The question is: are you ready to hear it?  Many people spend their life searching for the voice of God, but He has already spoken, many times we are just not hearing.  Hebrews chapter one says that God has spoken in many ways in the past, like prophets and by spiritual leaders.  Many people today are still looking for the voice of a prophet to speak to them.  The writer of Hebrews said that God has spoken to us by His Son Jesus in these last days… and His voice is ringing into the future.

What is there that anyone could say that would add to the words of Jesus? [Nothing.] Many people present themselves as God’s voice in the present and have enamored a following, but the only voice that we need to hear today is that of Jesus. There is nothing that can be said that is more important than what–He said  … Are you ready to hear?

The Most Important Activity of The Christian life

Worship is a spiritual activity. The success of that activity depends on our awareness of the Holy Spirit and our willingness to allow Him to lead us. I believe that the Holy Spirit wants to help us experience liberty when we worship. What must we do to have liberty? Evangelist D. L. Moody said, “ I am sorry to say that we must there must be a funeral in a good many churches before there is much work done. We shall have to bury the formalism so deep that it will never have any resurrection.” Moody makes a point that is good to be observed by all churches. Rituals and externalism can replace the power and dynamic of the Holy Spirit in worship.

One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to bring liberty to captives. Paul wrote, “Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. “ (2 Cor. 3:17)  When we have spent the week in the work-world, raising children, or dealing with the problems of life, our thoughts are taken captive by the drama that is played out in our life.  One of the things that we can to give us greater liberty to worship on Sunday is to make preparation throughout the week.  Every day we should take time to reflect upon our spiritual needs. We can do this by reading our Bible.  As we read the Bible, its words recall the story of God’s greatness and the need of all humanity has for help in the time of need. Also, we can do this by praying.  When we pray, there is the reminder of failures, the need for forgiveness, and the compassion which God–who loves us even when we are less than perfect provides. In addition, we can do this by praising. Every day we need to take some time and make note of  how we are blessed,  and thank God for the wonderful, abundant grace that he provides.

Have you taken time to prepare to meet God today? If you have not, right now is  a good time to stop and ask God to make you sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to speak to you today about the need that you are experiencing in your life. God is here today to meet your needs and to give you liberty to live for Him.

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How Can I be Intentional About Helping Others?

Image by Miguel Pires da Rosa via Flickr

Lifting People Up Instead of Pushing Them Down

Many people are professional critics, self-centered, and see it their life’s mission to make as many people miserable as they can each day. Many churches, work places and other types of organizations have the same type of people – People who take pleasure at pushing someone down, instead of lifting them up. –

Wow!! That may sounds like me or someone else you can readily think of, but before you think of someone else, think of yourself and ask:

How can I be a help instead of damaging others in the daily processes of doing ministry?

It is Person Centered … One person at a time.

FOCUS ON INDIVIDUALS INSTEAD OF THE CROWD

“Jesus wasfollowed by a large crowd . . Two blind men shouted, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us.” Matthew 20:29-30 As long as we label people, we will never be able to help them. Often labels are used to tag people as “groups that do not matter.” One must never forget – everyone matters – Everyone.

Rather than focusing on changing America, or your company, focus on helping one person at a time.

LISTEN SINCERELY TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS

“When Jesus heard them. . ” Matthew 20:32 If we do not care enough to listen, we do not care enough to help bring about change. Listening is hard work. It is amazing how much we can learn with out mouths shut and our ears open.

TAKE TIME TO BE PRESENT TO OTHERS

“. He stopped. . ” Matthew 20:32.  If we want to demonstrate genuine care and interest in people’s live and situations, it is going to take a commitment of our time. We cannot be too busy to help.

DETERMINE THE FELT NEED OF OTHERS

“Jesus asked, ‘What do want me to do for you?’ Matthew 20:31 It is easier to talk about someone

than it is to talk to someone. Do you know why they do what they do? Are they hurting, lonely, ill-equipped for the task at hand? We will never know without talking and listening.

EMPATHIZE WITH OTHERS

“Jesus felt compassion for them” Matthew 20:34 Empathize means to hurt with them. Share their sorrow. In the words of Bill Clinton, to “Feel their pain.” When we understand why, then perhaps we can begin to help bring about change.

TOUCH OTHERS WHERE THE HURT AND NEED IS GREATEST

Matthew 20:34 “Jesus touched their eyes.” What can we do to help meet the needs of others? What kind of help can we offer? What are we willing to invest in others?

Change begins with me. If I want my world to change then maybe I need to change?

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Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report to the Executive Committee

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The Value of Weakness

“Whatever brings you to your knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for your personal success and spiritual victory.”When I am weak, then I am strong.” These words, taken from Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians, bring thoughts of contradiction. How can we be strong, when we are weak? How can we function, when it feels as though our world will break and fall apart? Shouldn’t we try to hold everything together, not letting anything slip beyond our control, our rescue, or our grasp? None of us can escape the pressures of life. Most of us know what it feels like to be disappointed. We know the painfulness of embarrassment, the sting of rejection, and the sorrow of failure. Regardless of the level of control we have over our lives, there always comes a time when the stove-top settings end up on high and lids come boiling off the pots and pans. What pots are boiling out-of-control in your life? Is there a financial need? Maybe there is a relationship problem you are facing, and your prayer each night before you turn off the light is for God‘s wisdom and guidance in handling it. Countless people have physical needs that go far beyond what many of us can imagine. Regardless of what your situation is, you can trust this principle: whatever brings you to your knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for your personal success and spiritual victory. No one enjoys feeling weak, whether it is emotionally, spiritually, or physically. There is something within the human spirit that wants to resist the thought of weakness. Many times this is nothing more than our human pride at work. Just as weakness carries a great potential for strength, pride carries an equally great potential for defeat. It cannot co-exist with God’s Spirit of love and humility. Pride was Satan’s downfall, and it is the one element that must be removed if we want to experience the peace that comes from an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. As long as pride is involved, there will be a distance between you and God. This happens because pride resists the loving nature of God. It can’t stand to be humbled, and this is the very thing God calls us to be. (James 4:6; 1 Peter 3:8) Instead of moving you toward God, pride separates you from Him by tempting you to be strong in your own strength and not in the strength of Christ. Paul learned a valuable lesson in this area. God allowed him to be buffeted by a severe trial in order to humble him and remove the potential for pride. (2 Corinthians 12:7) As a young man he was trained by one of the greatest scholars in Jewish thought and culture. He understood the elements of the law and practiced them with great zeal. Yet when he came face to face with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road his life was changed. He no longer viewed the world around him through human eyes. God gave him spiritual insight that far surpassed anything he had known. Still, he had to be broken further so that God could use him in an even greater way.

Like everyone else, Paul faced temptation. He was not spared affliction. One in particular was severe enough for him to pray three times for its removal. Later, he recorded its existence in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. It was through this time of weakness that Paul learned a new principle: weakness is strength. Frailty in a certain area is not something that should bring embarrassment. When we are humbled before God, He sees the meekness of our hearts and sends His strength and blessings into our lives. ;”Even though Paul could have listed many personal accomplishments, he chose to tell his audience what he believed was the key to experiencing a victorious life, and that was in accepting his weakness so that the strength of Christ might live fully in him. He was writing about living a completely surrendered life to Jesus Christ. “I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (v. 9). We are called to be strong in Christ. Our strength is not within our ability or ourselves. It is in Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:19) God knows until we come to the end of ourselves there is little chance we will turn over the reins of our lives to Him. He has given you a limited free will. This means that at any time He can step in and put a stop to a problem or a certain course you have chosen to take. Many times, He does not do this because He wants you to see that on your own you will struggle and fall, but in Him you will have strength and victory. We do not know the trial that Paul was facing. He called it a “thorn in the flesh.” In the Greek, the word thorn means a stake used for torturing or impaling someone. This was not a gentle infliction. It was painful. He writes that he was buffeted by it, indicating that the trial was either ongoing or recurring.

When Paul felt he could no longer withstand the blows leveled against him, God reassured him that His grace, the grace of God, is sufficient for anything he faced. There are several ways you can respond to trials. You can blame others or even God for your circumstances. You can become bitter and resentful; you can give up and end up fighting feelings of depression; grit your teeth and strive to keep all the lids perfectly on the pots, even though the heat is turned up on high; or you can surrender your desire to control your life and let God take care of you. Weakness has the ability to bring you to the end of yourself.It is there, you realize your need for someone greater. Only Jesus Christ can calm the storm that is battering your life. Only He can provide the wisdom you need to stand and not fall in times of temptation. Obedience and commitment are two key principles for spiritual success. When we submit our lives to Jesus Christ we are telling Him that we are ready to obey His commands. This is an indication that we are committed to Him and seek to lay down our human desires in return for an eternal perspective. Submission is a tough command, and you cannot do it without the help of Christ.If we disobey the Lord, He will allow us to hurt until our wills are broken. Painful as it is, experiencing a season of adversity may be the only way many will relinquish their need for control over their lives.
However, trials are not always a result of sin, they come to strengthen us and fit us for God’s service. Submission to Jesus Christ is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of holy allegiance, or great internal strength, power, and peace. God’s goal is for you to be weak from a human perspective but strong from a spiritual one. It is then that He fills your life with a resilient strength far beyond the comprehension of this world.

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