Wildfire

I am sure everyone has been aware of the fires that have been out of control in Colorado this past week. It really seems so surreal seeing those images of the mountains on fire outside of Colorado Springs. I pray earnestly that the Lord would have mercy and send rain so that no more damage is done.

The bible says that God is a consuming fire. A wildfire is a consuming fire. It consumes everything in its path. I am not one who is saying that God caused the fire, I am just drawing a contrast between a wildfire in the natural and the Consuming Fire in the character of God. Why would God be in the business of consuming or burning up things? Love. He loves so intensely and seriously that anything that stands in the way of love has to be burned or consumed. He created us to love Him and be loved by Him, but when we abandon that love or turn to lesser pleasures or worthless idols, He must act. God is in control, He is not a bystander or One who sits on the sidelines to watch the game. He knows how things must work. In order for us to be saved and have eternal life then we must love God with all of our hearts, soul, mind and strength. He will burn up all impurity, sin, and darkness on the earth once and for all. He will also allow His consuming love to burn up things in our lives that hinder us or damage us in any way.

He is not a God who punishes. He is a God who loves. Because He loves, He disciplines. Would you allow your child to play with fire at the age of four if you knew full well that it would hurt or possibly kill him? No. That is the nature and character of the Father of lights. The heavenly Father loves with power and perfection. He is a wildfire that no one can contain. There is no power greater than the power of love, genuine heaven touching earth kind of love.

A baby's smile

Heaven touches earth when my little 2 month old looks at me and smiles.  Its like the angels in heaven are all gathered around when that happens.  I am reminded that out of the mouth of infants and babes God has ordained praise.  He loves the little ones.  I am also reminded that we must fight for our children and babies.  Every baby should have a chance to look up to there dad and smile.  A smile represents safety, security, comfort, acceptance, and love. 

Fight for your babies in prayer today.  They need us as fathers and mothers to stand for them.  I love my children deeply, they mean more than anything to me. 

There shall come dangerous times...

"Know this also, that in the last days, shall come dangerous times.  Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without affection, without peace, slanderers, incontinent, unmerciful, without kindness, traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of pleasures more than of God; having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof.  Now these avoid."  2 Timothy 3:1-5

Clearly, we are living in turbulent times.  Times are only going to get more difficult as the days grow darker before the return of the Lord.  Yes, in fact Jesus will return...but before He does have you read the book lately?  Its not going to get easier folks, sorry to burst your bubble.  We must wake up and smell the coffee, but not stop there.  You might disagree with me, and that is okay.  If you disagree with God's word that is between You and the Creator.  All I am saying is be alert and sober and PRAY.  Timothy was told to avoid anyone who fit into the category of the list described above.  We too must be light in the darkness but not blend in to the darkness.  There must be a distinction if we are children of God.  There is no middle ground. 

Be encouraged to fight the good fight of faith, and do not give up. Not now, not never.  Now is the time to hold fast to what you believe no matter what comes our way.  Be strong and courageous friends. 

Purity + Conscience = Sincere Faith

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
1 Timothy 1:5 ESV

I have goosebumps just thinking about this verse. This says so much to me and it touches the depths of my heart and soul. The aim or the goal is love. It's always the charge, love. But how do we live out the charge of love?

A. Pure heart

What does it mean to have a pure heart? What does it look like in a culture that is saturated with impurity? Is it possible to truly have a pure heart? Only Christ can give us a pure heart. Only He can wash away the stains of sin and defilement that we have so many times walked in. I long to have this pure heart, I desire purity in every way. Pure thoughts, pure motives, pure desires, pure love, pure truth, pure everything. Knowing Jesus is having and maintaining purity. Money cannot buy purity. It comes at a sacrifice and struggle against the flesh and the powers of this age.

B. Good Conscience

Out of a pure heart comes a good conscience. The Holy Spirit in a person is the One to convict us of sin and guide us in truth(John 14). A good conscience is the result of an intimate relationship with God. Walking day to day with a good conscience is freedom that this world does not know or understand. A good conscience comes through knowing that there is a greater path than the path of deceit, hypocrisy, and many other sinful forms and patterns.

C. A Sincere Faith

Paul sums up this verse with the outcome of a pure heart and a good conscience. A sincere faith is the sum of both of those put together. A sincere faith is a genuine faith, one that is without hypocrisy. A real and honest faith is what God desires and requires of His children. He is after sincerity and transparency. He is moved by genuine heart loving action towards one another. Our faith is a moving and action oriented faith. The only faith that will stand is a sincere faith, all other motivations that are not rooted in love and truth and humility will be dismissed. I long for a sincere faith in my everyday encounters with people and hopefully some will see the glory of God in those who live like Jesus.

A Divine Encounter

Yesterday I had one of the strangest encounters that I have maybe ever had. I decided to go to the local Walmart after work around 5 pm. I needed to get some pool supplies for our pool that we had set up over the weekend for the kids. I am kind of new at the whole pool maintenance thing, so I was just staring at the aisle that carried all the supplies wondering which bottle of ph plus or ph minus to get.

I notice a man to the left of me that was also looking at some things. He seemed just as new or ignorant as I was. I decided to strike up a conversation and ask him a few questions hoping that he could answer some things for me. It became evident fairly quickly that he was just as clueless as I was. There was something strangely familiar about this man. It was like I had seen him before in a past lifetime. We both had the same size pool and we were talking about chlorinating tablets and keeping it clean. I said to him,'you know it's funny because as a kid I grew up on a beautiful island and my backyard was the ocean, and here I am trying to figure out how to maintain a 600 gallon pool'. I chuckled and he became silent. I thought maybe I offended him or something. He then asked me what island I grew up on. I said you probably haven't heard of it, Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles. He asked me what my last name was. He grew silent again and then asked me my parents name. By now we are both feeling like something pretty amazing is happening, like opening a present that you have been waiting for.

'My name is ......', we lived down the street from you on the island and our parents were good friends'. I couldn't believe it. What are the chances of meeting a fellow missionary kid who grew up on the same tiny
Island at the same time over 23 years ago? Two dads standing in the same aisle at a Walmart in Kansas City. He just moved here after retiring from thenAir Force to get his Masters degree at the same seminary that I work at. Bizarre? Strange? Divine. I am looking forward to sitting down with him and catching up and talk about the days on the island that seemed a lifetime ago. I love the surprises that God brings our way. It is very exciting when you live for God because everyday awaits opportunities for a divine encounter. Just had to share. Be blessed.

Of Pastors and Men...

Pastors love people
Pastors feed and nourish the sheep
Pastors lay down their lives for the sheep
Pastors often times give out with no immediate return
Pastors see beauty instead of ashes
Pastors call out who people are and created to be
Pastors create a culture of honor
Pastors see through the exterior and into the heart
Pastors feel and sympathize with those who suffer
Pastors are people, ordinary poeple
who by the grace of God have an amazing calling to build the body
Pastors labor and pour into the harvest
Pastors welcome the wounded and broken
Pastors protect the sheep from wolves
Pastors know when to say yes and when to say no
Pastors are human, not superhuman
Pastors make mistakes, and willingly admit them
Pastors are vulnerable and transparent
Pastors lead by example
Pastors serve and consider themselves second to the flock
Pastors sing over the people the song of Joy
Pastors carry a sense of humor and can laugh at themselves
Pastors are not perfect
Pastors need encouragement from the body
Pastors are dearly loved in the Lords eyes. 

Have you told your pastor how much you appreciate him or her today?  If you do not
have a pastor, then ask for one...or become one.  There are many people without a shepherd.  Thank you Jesus for pastors, and those with a pastors heart. 

We are His offspring...

For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:28 NLT)

All life and breath come from one source alone. Whether you believe in God or not ultimately doesn't change the fact that the air you breathe comes from the Creator. You cannot debate this and have no power to change it. If you were to take away the air you breathe in, God would still exist. If you were to live your life without any acknowledgment of God, He would still exist. Where can you go from His presence, where can you run from His spirit...as the Psalmist said in the 139th chapter of Psalms.

For it is in Him that we live and move, and exist! Period. Outside of Him we have no hope or no future. We are His offspring and belong to the Creator. He is the potter and we are the clay. How can the clay tell the potter what to do? On the contrary, He tells us what is good and right for us, He created you. You are sustained by grace and faith in the Almighty alone. What is your hope in today? Are you worshipping "unknown gods" that have no power? Are you living for yourself or for the eternal reward of being united with Christ forever? We are His offspring and we belong to Him. This is truth.

The Night is far gone

The night is far gone, the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12

Can you imagine living with no hidden secrets? No shame to speak of to keep yourself bound? What would it be like to have a heart filled with light, where there is no room for darkness? Do you feel that you are 85 percent light, but the other 15 percent filled with shame, guilt, and condemnation?

The night is gone. If you are in Christ than there is no reason to dwell in the night, or darkness. The day is at hand. We are to carry the armor of light to protect us from darkness and sin. I desire with all of my heart to be one who does not live in shame of the 'secret sins' that I hide in the closet. It is human nature to stray back to the old ways and patterns. There is a greater light and I believe we are in a time where we must fight all the more to preserve that light and seek to live vulnerably and with transparency before God and man. What freedom may come for others if we as God's children learn to walk in absolute freedom and honesty. We who once were darkness have now been saved into the light of Christ. There is no middle ground. There is day and there is night. Light and dark. Sin and freedom. In all humility and meekness I recognize that I am different now than I was before, and yet at times I feel the mixture or temptation to blend into the world, the fear of man, the lust of the flesh and eyes, the pride of the heart. I come as I am naked and poor, wretched and blind. A sinner saved by grace alone. I am no better than anyone else, only by the blood of Jesus.

A Shipwrecked Generation

Have you ever seen a large vessel of the ocean that has been shipwrecked and abandoned with no hope of being restored to its former glory? I have, and it's a fascinating experience, but one that leaves you thinking that something went terribly wrong.

We are living in a culture and generation that in many regards is shipwrecked. A people that were created to glorify God and love people have become lovers of self, greedy, idolatrous, murders, sexually immoral, and sick. Over time a vessel that has been shipwrecked begins to rust and decay. Many are decaying deeper and deeper into sin and darkness. The scriptures say that the love of most will grow cold in that day, referring to the nearing of Christ return. As believers we are called to be light in the darkness, not compromising our light but standing out all the more; that there may be a clear distinction between the spirit of the world and the Spirit of God in a man. It is more acceptable in our generation to be a homosexual than it is to be a born again Christian. It is more tolerable to worship Bhudda or any other idol form than to worship Jesus Christ. We must be sober and alert in order to discern the times and PRAY.

We are called to be the 'Lighthouses' of the world. Had the ship seen the lighthouse it would not have run a ground. We are the city on a hill whose light cannot and must not be hidden. Let your light shine so it gives light to all who come near. Without Christ this generation is hopeless and abandoned. Depravity and decay will continue to take it further and further into sin and darkness. Only in the light of Christ and through repentance and forgiveness of sin do we have hope to overcome the world. We are called to greatness and not the spirit of this world. Our kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, but one that will never perish or fade.

We must navigate the treacherous waters of life with absolute focus and resolve to bring glory to God. We are created for freedom.

Joy and Power

And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:52 NLT)

I can't think of two better things to be full of, than joy and the Holy Spirit.

Joy is an amazing reality for the believer that carries Christ in them. We experience the fullness of joy through being loved by God and loving God in return. Joy is when you are exceedingly happy in God. It is not a conditional reality but one that is much deeper and profound. Joy can be had even in trials and hardship. As Paul said in the book of Romans, 'consider it all joy when you face trials of many kinds'. David also in Psalm 16 said, 'in your presence O Lord is fullness of joy'. True joy only comes in the presence of the Almighty God. When we worship Jesus we are experiencing joy and love. Joy is what we will have for all eternity with no darkness to try and rob us of it. We experience joy when we love others as Christ loves. Abiding in Jesus is the greatest source of Joy.

Now for the wonderful Holy Spirit. I love the Holy Spirit in so many ways. He is powerful and full of truth and light. The Holy Spirit represent power in us and through us. I believe that one of the distinguishing factors of a believer is that they carry power with them wherever they go. Not in ourselves alone, but through the Spirit of God Himself living in us! This is a powerful reality and yet so many are clueless of who the Holy Spirit is and what role He plays in us. He is the Comforter. He is the one who convicts us of sin. He is the One who guides us in truth. He is also much more than that. He is the one who fills us and empowers us to lay hands on the sick in Jesus name and they be healed. He is the one who gives us gifts that encourage the body and draw men in to the kingdom. He is power and love. I love when in obedience He moves and flows through me in amazing ways. He is a person of the Trinity to be loved and cherished with all our hearts. I want more of the Holy Spirits leadership in my life.

Tear your hearts

Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. (Joel 2:13 NLT)

God is always after the heart for it is the wellspring of life from which all flows. It has always been about the inward for God and not merely the outward. The outward is a reflection of what is inside. The tearing of our hearts represents what is most important and valuable to us. Our hearts are where we either harbor love or harbor hate. We either allow pride to be built up or we walk in humility. This is why God asks us to rend our hearts.

In this place of rending and tearing our hearts we meet the God who is merciful and compassionate. In this vulnerable place of exposing anything that stands in the way between us and the Creator we see His unfailing love and grace. When we are most real and vulnerable, not holding onto anything, we find freedom within. We have been created for freedom and communion with the Creator. Sin has scarred, stolen, broken, and ruined our hearts in so many ways. We can trust the Father of Lights to be gentle and nurturing with us and our hearts. He wants nothing more than to demonstrate His perfect care and compassion towards us. There is one condition that is required of us: complete honesty and vulnerability. We must not lie to God about whatever things we are doing or carrying that create walls and separation with Him. When we rend our hearts and not our clothing(represents the outward) God will be drawn to mercy and compassion towards us.  He longs to draw us in and reveal His amazing love.  He also can knows when we are not being completely honest before Him.  This saddens the Father heart when we hold Him at a distance by not being real with Him.  Today is the day of freedom in your heart. Come Lord and examine us and may you make us more beautiful and fruitful than we could ever imagine.  You love each one so beautifully and perfectly.

Open to us the window of our hearts where Your Light breaks in and illuminates the darkness.  Here in this place we wait for You to come.  Enter into my heart and make it like Yours.

Everyone has a place...

"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you', nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you' On the contrary the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable". I Corinthians 12:21-23

If you think that you aren't important and don't matter to the body of Christ, think again. Everyone has a place and belongs no matter what they might be. Often times we give more honor to the head or the biceps, but when it comes to the pinky or the toe we don't recognize them as being valuable. Have you ever tried doing anything without one of your fingers, or one of your toes? I can assure you, it would be akward and the rest of your body would not function the way it was designed to function.

God gives honor to each person no matter what role they play. He prefers humility and meekness over self confidence and pride. Often times the most notably gifted person is not the one the Lord chooses. He can do more through a vessel that knows his or her own limitations and weaknesses. They are more dependent on the Lord than their gifting or experience.

If you are weak and limited today then rejoice! God considers you perfect and bestows great honor on you and the role that you play in the body. If we would treat each person like the royalty that they are, and value their gifting no matter how small it may seem, then there would be great unity. Walk confidently today that you are great in the eyes of God.

Come Up Higher

Come up here, come up higher
I hear a voice distinctly calling
I will show you beauty and glory
Come up here, come up higher
Your light will shine brighter
There is more for you than you know
More than you can see right now
Trust the voice of the Good Shepherd
Lean on the Beloved for everything
Let it be known you belong to heaven
Light in darkness, flickering flame
Flame of love, burning forever
Further today, nearer His majesty
Long for more, don't settle for less
You are made for eternity
This life fades at the blink of an eye
Creator, create life abundant in me
For Your glory.

The Spirit of Sonship

"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, 'Abba Father'. So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God". Galatians 4;6-7

I love this verse it is one of my all time favorites, and a life verse for me. It speaks so deeply to who the Father is and who I am as His son. Jesus understood what it meant to be a son. He was deeply connected to the Father. He said he only did what He saw the Father doing. On every occasion He was fixated with the fact that He was representing the Father as the chosen Son to bring freedom from slavery and release people into Sonship.

The Spirit of Sonship is the Spirit of Jesus Christ living in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It is through this blessed residence and habitation that we are now called sons and heirs! Amazing and powerful. Powerful enough to set the hardest and darkest hearts free. You see once you know who you are, you are then a dangerous man or woman for the kingdom.

In my opinion this Sonship (refers to daughters as well) is equal to salvation. When one is born again he is reborn in the Spirit of Sonship. You are given a new name, you are given an inheritance, you are called sons of God. Children of light in a dark and crooked generation.

Today if you are in Christ then I say to you that you are no longer a slave but a son. Don't believe the lies that you are still an orphan of the world. You have been purchased by the blood of the lamb. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Walk in your Sonship. Walk in your destiny as royal children of light. We don't deserve this, but it is the very nature of a good Father to give us the very best! Yes, He gives us the very best. Rejoice and again I will say rejoice!!

Love prospers, Punishment fails

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9 NLT)

Forgiveness from the heart is powerful. It is a force that cannot be reckoned with. The same is true for un forgiveness. If one harbors unforgiveness in their heart it most certainly leads to some patterns of destruction in that life. Love prospers in freedom, not punishment. Perfect LOVE casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. When you forgive you are saying in reality to a person, 'I don't punish you by not forgiving you, because I deserve the same for my failures and sin'. Dwelling on someone's failure or sin causes separation and division in a relationship. What right do I have to with hold forgiveness when Christ has forgiven me seventy times seven? If you value relationship then you will do everything in your power to forgive and reconcile so that friendship can be restored quickly.

I believe that the goal is to create an atmosphere where healing and restoration can take place, rather than distancing oneself from a person as a form of punishment when they have failed. Often times someone's sin is a reflection of a deeper issue in the heart. We need eyes of mercy and grace to see how Jesus sees. We must realize that you and I are just as capable to falling into the same temptation and sin as the one who 'deserves the stone'. We all deserve to be stoned if we were under the old law! But we are not under that system. We are under love and grace and forgiveness.

As pastors and leaders in the church we desperately need revelation from the Fathers heart on this issue. We need to lay down our old paradigms of punishment and bring in the new of forgiveness and reconciliation.If we fix our gaze on the cross then all trace of 'throw the stone' mentality will fade away.  As Jesus said to the sinner next to Him, "today you will be with me in paradise".  Can you imagine all the things that this criminal was guilty of?  Yet, in one moment, the most difficult moment of Christ's life...He welcomed this man into eternal paradise.

Coffee overload and a baby...

So I went to Starbucks last night to meet a dear friend who I haven't seen in a few months. I walked up to the counter and asked for a Dark roast decaf. The young girl proceeded to tell me that they didn't have anything dark and decaf. I thought for a moment, then said well give me the French Roast in a mug. Caffeine shouldn't affect me too much right? They ended up giving me a giant mug and my friend and I had a great talk as I sipped and sipped the coffee away. It was a beautiful night, and around 10:15 a young man came to meet us that my friend had led to Christ a year ago. The three of us under the full moon had a beautiful conversation about life, Jesus, and a number of other things. We ended up praying together around 11 and I was home by 11:15.

As I got home unrealized that my head was buzzing like I just overloaded on sugar and caffeine. Uh oh, was my first thought. We have a 4 week old baby who gets up a couple times in the night. The combination was not a good one. I lay on my pillow with a thousand thoughts plowing through my mind, and a cheeky smile on my face that I couldn't seem to remove. Of course my baby son decided to stay up for a couple hours in the middle of the night. In short sleep is not overrated in my opinion, although I value it a little too much sometimes and these nights are a reminder that His grace is sufficient in weakness.

Coffee overload and a baby...a deadly combination. Thankfully the coffee overload part won't be happening again in this season. That I can assure you. I have to say the one good thing was I couldn't stop thinking about God and how amazing He is. He was on my mind throughout the night!

This is not your typical devotional blog, or spirit filled inspiring writing. Nonetheless thought I would share for fun. The moral of the story...hmmm let's see. The fellowship that I had with a couple of amazing people made it all worth it. Fellowship often. Love others even more often.