Well Said...

The following is a daily devotional from Bill Johnson's book, A Life of Miracles.

...We are out to destroy the works of the devil...

In what is known as the lords prayer, Jesus said clearly and concisely:

“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
(Matthew 6:9-10).

The will of God is simply this: “On earth as it is in Heaven.” Isn’t it refreshing? When we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” we’re praying for the King’s dominion and will to be realized right here, right now. That is a life-transforming, paradigm-shattering way to “do” normal Christianity. What is free to operate in Heaven – Joy, peace, wisdom, health, wholeness, and all the other good promises we read about in the Bible – Should be free to operate here on this planet, in your home, your church, your business, and your school. What is not free to operate there – sickness, disease, spiritual bondage, and sin – should not be free to operate here, period. We are out to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). It’s an awesome way to live!

When we make this our primary understanding of God’s will, the other areas that trouble us so much will seem to sort themselves out (Matt. 6:33).

When we make this our mission, lives are set free, bodies are restored, darkness lifts from people’s minds, the rule of the enemy is pushed back in every way imaginable. Businesses grow healthy, relationships flower again, people re-connect with their calling and purpose in life, churches grow, and cities feel the effects of having the kingdom flourishing within them. Energy is freed up for Kingdom works in ways I have never seen before. Things happen regularly that are so extraordinary it’s like stepping into the pages of a good novel. But it’s not a made-up lifestyle; it’s the lifestyle for which we were made.
From Bill Johnson's book entitled, A Life of Miracles.

Where is the POWER?

God is awesome. I love how he whispers to my heart and invites me to go to a deeper place with Him. The deeper I go, the more I realize that there is a richness to life that he desires for me to experience. Life can be rich. Life should be rich. The place to find it is hidden deep in the Holy Spirit.

I was recently challenged by a very simple question that came in the form of a randomn thought: "Am I experiencing all that God has for me?" The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have been limiting God by my small thinking. It's so easy to get into the habit of life and establish a routine that doesn't require God to come through with miracles. This is where I had been living. Consumed with the cares of the world. Praise God that he doesn't leave us there.

The God who has "measured the waters in the hollow of his hand," (Isaiah 40:12)is living inside me. This is a big deal. He is a God of miracles. The more I dive into Scripture, the more I realize that He is not who He's been made out to be by most American believers. We have settled for a safe version of Christianity (myself included). Because we don't have all the answers, we stop seeking. We have fallen into the plan of the enemy. The greatest tool we have as believers is the power of God within us. Isn't this how Jesus evangelized? People can't argue with miracles.

Sadly, many people have stretched the truth and have given many Christians a bad taste when it comes to the charismatic movement. Many people have gotten wacky and weird and called it God. I will be the first to agree with that. However, there still remains a simple question that we must answer: where is the power? If the same Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus is in me (us), why are the results so different? Why aren't people being healed and set free? Did God change His mind and decide that he now wants people to live in bondage? Was Jesus joking when he said that we would do the same things that He did? We need to wake up and snap out of our daze.

I don't have all the answers, but I'm asking and searching. We have to get back to the place where we are walking in the love and power of God. Religion can't save us. Other people aren't drawn to religion. They are drawn to love and power. This is exactly what God has richly placed in us. As for me, I am going to continue to accept His gracious invitation to go to a deeper place of understanding regarding the Holy Spirit. One of the greatest promises in the Bible is that He will answer if we simply ask. It may not be comfortable, but I'm tired of comfortable. I am ready to experience all that God has for me. What a rich life it will be!

I enjoyed a wonderful snow day with my family today and it made me think about some of the finer things in life:

-The way my wife's eyes disappear when she really smiles
-Having Avery sit on my lap as we watch a cartoon
-Hearing God whisper truth to my heart
-Watching a good college football game
-Loyal people
-Family dates at Chipotle
-Watching athletes that I coach accomplish what they didn't think was possible
-Snow days
-Letting the Scriptures work in my heart
-Enjoying an ice cold Dr. Pepper
-Looking at Christmas lights on a snowy night
-Beef...(I'm from Kansas)

Praise the LORD for some of the "little things" that make life so rich...

Something to think about...

Do you ever have a hard time releasing the details of your life to God? What is it about us as people that drives us to control our lives? I often find myself trying to control the details of my life. We want promotions, and so we control. We want good reputations, and so we control. We want respect, and so we control. We want (fill in the blank), and so we control. My list goes on and on. How beautiful it would be for us all to simply enjoy what God has prepared for us, and trust that His heart is good. God recently spoke the following statement to me and it brought a great deal of freedom to my life.

"You get the joy of discovering your destiny, not controlling it."

God has already prepared my destiny. He has planned the details of my life. I can trust that His plan is good. Even great! Let's be committed to walking with Him and simply enjoying His wonderful plan.

The Distraction Trap

It's amazing how much we see God in our daily life when we're not distracted. In fact, this is what God created us for. He wants us to enjoy Him and walk with him day by day and moment by moment. He has far more to show us and speak to us than we give Him credit for. I can't speak for you, but I am easily distracted. Or I should say, I have been easily distracted in the past. I am making great progress with extreme intentionality toward this area of my life. It's a battle. It's a fight. It's a daily process for me to set my mind on Christ and enjoy Him.

A couple years ago I was sitting on a rock in the Garden of the Gods park overlooking the incredibly majestic Pikes Peak. The sun was setting behind the mountains, and the view was incredible. It was peaceful. It was serene. It was relaxing. It was...you get the point. As I sat there enjoying the view, a pesky little fly began to fly around my head. My eyes shifted from the glistening Peak to this dirty little fly. I watched this fly for quite some time. Eventually, it landed by my hand and I continued to stare at it. It was in that moment when God revealed that I live much of my life like that. I take my eyes off the incredible "view" that God has set before me, and I become distracted by things that don't matter. I had a choice to either enjoy the sun drenched rocks and the rugged mountains or watch a fly sit on a rock. For some odd reason, I chose the fly. I was missing what God had for me because I was simply distracted.

I truly believe that Jesus gives us abundant life on a daily basis, but that we often miss it. I believe that our joy is stolen because we allow our minds to wander and meditate on the worries of life. God is leading us to "taste and see that the LORD is good." We will all experience this in greater measure as we train ourselves to be alert. I want to invite you to join me in a daily challenge. As you wake up in the morning, commit to living with a clear mind and a clear heart. Give the details of your life to God. Trust him to work out the "little things" that we all spend too much time thinking about. And finally, be observant to all of the ways that God is communicating to you. Walk with Him day by day and moment by moment. The results will speak for themselves.

God, The Wrestler

God's wrestling match with Jacob (Genesis 32) has to be one of the greatest stories in the Bible. Of course, I might be a little biased. I was born and raised around the sport of wrestling. My dad was a high school wrestling coach for over 30 years. Now, I find myself coaching the same sport that I competed in for 18 years. I am not talking about the kind of wrestling you see on TBS or Pay Per View. I can proudly admit that I never painted my face, wore a speedo, or hit someone in the back of the head with a folding chair. I AM talking about the sport of wrestling seen in high school and college gyms throughout the country. Amateur wrestling, the greatest and one of the oldest sports on earth. Being familiar with the sport, I have much more of an appreciation for what God did on that fateful night as he wrestled Jacob. The story would have been much less appealing to me if God had appeared to Jacob and challenged him to a game of ping pong. Or much worse, chess. God wanted to see what Jacob was made of. My brother (currently flying helicopters in Iraq and one of the bravest men I know) made a good point in a recent email: "I picture the LORD as the day broke filled with delight, exhausted and thinking, 'Yes, this is why I made man in my image.'" His point has challenged my thinking of God. I think my brother is right. God wants to wrestle with us. It's the same as a father wanting to wrestle with his son. He wants to engage us on that kind of level. He wants us to roll up our sleeves and struggle with Him. At first, the religious side of me was quick to think, "Wrestle with God? No, he would rather have me lay on my face and worship!" Of course he wants us to lay on our face and worship Him. He also wants us to "step into the ring" and grapple with Him. How cool.

Bored?

Boredom and Christianity don't mix. Or, I guess I should say they shouldn't mix. As I minister to kids I am worried about the number of kids who are bored with God and church. I believe that the answer to this problem is not found in increasing the entertainment value found in a particular church service. Even if we held church at Disney World for the next year, I am confident that kids would eventually still be bored. They are bored because they lack vision, purpose and a mission. Following Christ is certainly not a spectator sport. I admit that I get bored with God sometimes. Over the course of my walk with Christ, I have had to admit numerous times that I was bored with Him. It was then that he gently corrected me and revealed that I was not following Him closely enough. I was missing out on the mission and vision that He has for me. When I am truly following Christ, the last thing on my mind is being bored. I am learning that boredom is a symptom that something is wrong and it's always an issue on MY end. God is patient. So, kids need far more than an entertaining church service. They need a mission. They need purpose. They need vision. They have been called to walk with an adventurous, wild and free God who cannot be tamed. Yes, the same God who wrestled Jacob, parted the Red Sea, and was nailed to a cross at Calvary. Let us all walk closer and hear His heartbeat. It is then that boredom will be a distant memory. I am sure of it.

The Danger of Honesty

Being honest with God is a beautiful but dangerous thing. It's beautiful because it's the first step to finding freedom. It's dangerous because it usually leads to God asking you to leave your comfort zone. I have spent a good portion of the past several days searching my heart and asking God real questions. I'm learning that he likes it when we're honest with him. I have lived most of my life ignoring some of the key issues that God is wanting to fix in my heart. The longer I ignore these issues, the more I begin to experience symptoms that something is not right. The longer I live with the symptoms, the more I begin to think it's normal. This is the path that most people travel down when their freedom is stolen. Look around and watch people live. How many people do you know that are living in the freedom that is rightfully ours as children of God? Can you even think of anybody? Thankfully, the Gospel is full of good news. Jesus will rescue your heart. Jesus truly will set you free. It's a journey. It's a process that he will take you through. I believe the first step is simply being honest with God about your heart and your life. If you are lacking passion, tell him. If you are lacking vision for your life, tell him. He's not suprised. If you are tired of people, tell him. If you read the Bible because you feel like you have to, tell him. If your prayer life is monotanous, tell him. As you are honest with him, expect him to be honest back. It is indeed a beautiful but dangerous invitation.

Below are some verses that I have been meditating on lately:

Proverbs 20:5 "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out."

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Secrets Revealed

I left the radio business for full time ministry approximately four years ago. What a wild ride it has been! There have been many suprises along the way (God has a sense of humor), but none bigger than my first assignment. When I first moved to Colorado, I had a passion for college and high school ministry. Honestly, the thought of doing children's ministry had never entered my mind. When I was first asked to be a children's pastor, I accepted with the thought that I would soon "move on" to something BIGGER. Sad but true...

Now, I am convinced that people who think this way are missing out on the secrets of the Kingdom of God. Jesus reveals this truth in Luke 10:21, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Again, in Matthew 18, Jesus teaches his disciples that if they truly want to become great they should become like children. There is something about children that envoked incredible passion in Jesus. There are secrets about God hidden in the hearts of children. I thought I would be doing the teaching and the kids would do the learning, but they have actually taught me much about the kingdom of God. So, we shall all go on and truly listen to the hearts of children. I imagine God has many more secrets to reveal through them.