Leading others to change

Can I share something with you that I believe will tremendously help you as a leader?

All behavioral modification is self-chosen. What I mean is this: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”.

In leadership we are constantly seeking to help people improve, discover a better path, realize their own fullest potential and so on and so forth. But when it comes down to it, we can help people (the best that we know how, and we don’t know everything) but yet each person has to choose for themselves what they will and won’t change about themselves and their actions.Continue reading “Leading others to change”

The joy of the Lord is my strength

Can I tell you that truly the joy of the Lord is my strength!

This is a Bible verse and a true one. It is also my testimony. And it is also my proclamation of faith.

Let me explain.

In the Bible we read that Nehemiah encouraged the people not to mourn over the words of the law (the warnings, the judgments) but rather to rejoice in the joy of the Lord (His promises, His grace which is greater than all our sin and all our problems). See Nehemiah 8:10

This is my testimony. There are times in my life that I don’t have a constant emotive state of exhilaration, happiness, or excitement. But what I do have is a deep assurance in my heart from the Holy Spirit of God and based on His promises and His character that all will be well in this life and the next. This is the joy of the Lord in me.

This is my proclamation of faith: In the face of trial, adversity, weakness, suffering, heartache, pressure and all the rest of the troubles of this world, I have deep within me a peace and an assurance that God is good and God is able. I have a faith that God will do what is right. I have a deep-seated belief and expectation that God is working all things together for the good of those who seek Him. I have a joy that though at times might be tested by the troubles of this world, is ultimately secured by God’s character, ability and promises.

I rest on the promises of God, with a belief that He is loving, He is true, He is able.

This is the joy of the Lord in my heart. And it truly does bring an abiding sense of peace and puts a smile on my face.

There are times when the emotions seem to come and go, but yet I cling to faith in my God who is able.

And when my faith seems shaken, I ask God for more faith, and He is faithful and always supplies my need.

If you feel unhappy or feel overwhelmed over the situations and circumstances of life, fear not! Call on the one who is able and rest in His arms. His promises will come to pass! Not one word He has spoken will fail! Let this faith, this certainty, this JOY be the strength of your life, this day and evermore!!

There’s not enough room!

I can’t make it fit!

Ugh…Argh…Grunt…Push

There are times in life that no matter how hard you push, what angle you take, what tools you use, it just seems that you can’t make something fit.

It could be a suitcase you are trying to fit in the trunk as you get ready to head out on vacation. It might be one more shoebox or one more clothes hanger that you are trying to cram into your closet. Or it might be one more event, activity, appointment, priority or habit you are trying to fit into your life.

In our already full lives, there come opportunities everyday to add one more thing. These opportunities that come are ripe with possibilities and with potential value that could be added to your life.

But the reality is not everything will fit.

There comes a point when one more thing simply is impossible to squeeze in.Continue reading “There’s not enough room!”

No compromise

Life is full of compromises.

When you are trying to figure out a place to go eat with your spouse, you compromise. This compromise makes us self-sacrificing in our love.

As you decide on an appropriate plan of action for your work project, you compromise. This compromise makes us team-players.

When seeking to make peace with another person, we compromise. This compromise makes us peace-makers.

But there is a place in life that we absolutely must never compromise. We simply cannot EVER compromise when its comes to sin. When we do, that compromise defeats us.

When we compromise with sin and the world, we really reject the truth of God. If we compromise with sin we are in actuality agreeing with devil and pushing back again the truth of God. Can you ever imagine in your life glorifying the devil and dishonoring God? We do this when we compromise with sin. Furthermore, if we compromise with sin we are rejecting not only the truths of God but also the promises of God.

The GREAT NEWS is that we don’t have to compromise with sin. If we will come to faith in the Lord Jesus, then we can have His Holy Spirit power within, both forgiving and cleansing from sin but also empowering us to live victorious over sin. As a believer in Christ, the same power that is at work in us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!! The power that raised Jesus from the dead is able to preserve us complete and without blame in the face of sin and all the way until we leave this life and go to the next.

There is no sin, no call of the world, no deceit of the devil that is stronger than the power of God. Ask the Holy Spirit into your life for forgiveness and salvation but also ask the Holy Spirit power to be at work in you sio you can say yes to righteousness and no to sin. Don’t ever compromise with sin. And I know that if you ask Him, God is able to empower you and keep you victorious over all sin!!

Unclaimed Promises

Have you ever been to an unclaimed baggage store? It is an interesting experience. And it is remarkable the things that people have left behind. Some things are mere trinkets, others are more costly items that most probably were precious to the person who lost them.

Have you ever thought about the lost promises of God? Have you ever considered if there might be unclaimed promises of God with your name on them?

I truly believe that most Christians live meager spiritual lives and limp by with such a weak faith because they have not received, claimed or held onto the promises of God.

Let me share just a few promises of God that have YOUR name on them, that perhaps you have lost and left behind on your journey:

  • Lo, I am with you always, to the very end of the earth (see Matt 28:20)
  • I will never leave you, nor forsake you (see Deut 31:6)
  • The same power that rose Jesus from the grave is in you (see Eph 1:18-20)
  • No temptation has seized you except…God will give you a way out (see 1 Cor 10:13)
  • God will give you the peace of God which will guard your heart and mind (see Php 4:7)
  • God is faithful and will forgive and cleanse you (see 1 Jn 1:9)
  • God’s grace is sufficient for you and your need (see 2 Cor 12:9)
  • I am the Lord your healer (see Ex 15:26)

These are only a few of the great and precious promises of our Lord! He gives us promise upon promise, grace upon grace and mercy upon mercy.

Much of the time these promises, like so many others are left on the shelf. They are collecting dust as they stay as words on the pages of an unread Bible instead of words of life burned into the heart of the believer. They remain unheard words of truth which might be whispered directly into the heart of a believer who would spend time with the Lord in prayer. The promises of God often are discarded at the feet of disappointing circumstances, bitter and unforgiving hearts and unfulfilled dreams. 

I can assure you that the promises are real. The power of God is still present for us to receive His promises and for them to bring hope and transformation in our hearts and in the world.

There is one condition however. The condition for us to receive the promises of God is that we listen. If we don’t listen we don’t hear His promises. If we don’t listen we don’t have the opportunity to believe what God speaks. If we don’t listen we won’t know which personal choices are working against the promises of God in our lives.

So listen up!

God is speaking to you.

He is speaking His promises of love and sanctifying power.

And if you will listen. And believe. And receive.

Your life will be changed by the power of God at work within!

 

2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

One thing is needed

I imagine that you have many needs in your life.

I do in mine.

The needs in fact seem many.

I need food, clothes, a roof over my head. I need money to pay the bills. I need friendship. I need hope, peace, joy. I need purpose and meaning. And unless I am wrong, I am pretty sure you need these things and many other things as well.

But Jesus tells us that truly one thing is needed. (Luke 10:42) What does He mean by that? Is Jesus just sharing with us something poetic or sentimental, or is there something more significant in His words?Continue reading “One thing is needed”

The pursuit of knowledge

Knowing isn’t enough.

In the information age, we all seem to be pursuing more and more knowledge. We are inundated with it. We learn everyday, and indeed we should but it seems as though perhaps our lofty pursuit of knowledge has gone a bit awry.

What I mean is this. We keep reading, studying, learning, and yes even forming deep seated opinions, but for what purpose? Why do we want to continuously know more and more? Continue reading “The pursuit of knowledge”

The Cause of Hopelessness

There are two causes for hopelessness.

Yes only two.

Simply put, we have hopelessness only based on:

  • What we are looking at
  • What we believe

Reality is that when our eyes are on things that are threatening, harmful, unjust, unclean, unholy, impure, insufficient, askew and awry we lose hope. The reason we lose hope is because our eyes are focused on things that are not right. Continue reading “The Cause of Hopelessness”

A World of Pain

We live in a world of pain.

Everywhere you turn there are people suffering.

They are hurting. Many feel hopeless and helpless. It hurts my heart to see the struggle that so many go through day in and day out.

We all know that much of our pain is caused by our own choices. But we also know there are things that happen in this life that seem to have no explanation. They simply come because we live in a fallen world. Because there is sin, because there is separation from God and because of the brokenness within the human heart, there is suffering. The pain we face comes in all forms: relational, physical, emotional, spiritual and more.

Perhaps even more tragic is that we don’t have to live as victims, defeated and hopeless and yet many times we do. Continue reading “A World of Pain”