WARNING...

Have you ever noticed the caution signs or danger signs on the roads? It lets us know things out of the norm could take place and have taken place. The signs are there because, at some point, a dangerous situation occurred that required caution or preparedness.

Times of hardness are inevitable. It’s true we have been redeemed and adopted into the family of Christ with all its perks, privileges, and promises, but don’t be caught off guard. Satan is going to challenge you and pose dangerous situations in your walk with Christ. Don’t be surprised when things get tough. Most often the only thing we will have to stand on when times get tough is our faith. It is during those times we will be speaking words of God’s promises that are contrary to the circumstance we are encountering. Paul nailed it when he challenged the follower of Christ to “walk by faith and not by sight.” Walk by what you are persuaded of, confidently assured of, rather than by what you see, hear, and experience. I am persuaded that God is love, God is great, God is powerful, God is all knowing, etc., and I am His child. This is what I call living by faith rather than trying by faith.

Living by faith is a lifestyle, not something you try. You live by faith when it is hard and when it easy. You live it all the time. You live it because you know living by faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Below is a prayer that I logged in my journal in March 2000… I hope it encourages you and propels you to live by God’s promises.

Thank you, God, for your Word. Daily I read your Word and desire to walk in it. Your word sets the atmosphere, it breaks up and penetrates my hard head, skepticism, and makes my unbelieving mind doubt its unbelief. Your Word sets my heart, directs my walk, and renews my mind. Father, I love your Word. May the words of my mouth, and thoughts of my heart reflect Your Word.

Right Equipment

Have you ever done something, hobbywise or with sports, and wish you had better equipment? It is vital to have the right equipment; it can mean the difference between success and failure. Imagine trying to play golf with a baseball bat or trying to fight a forest fire with a squirt gun. When it comes to life, the right equipment is essential. Here is good news: God has certain equipment, and He’s provided it to us so we can be successful in our faith journey.

The Bible says in Hebrews, “God will equip you with all you need to do His will.” One piece of equipment God has given us to navigate through life and strengthen our faith is the Bible -- God’s Word. Not only do we have His Word, but there are other pieces of equipment He has communicated to us that are needed to walk faith out.

Another piece of equipment I hope you see as a necessity -- a spiritual family. God has placed people around you. God knew we needed supportive relationships if we were going to make it through life and grow in our relationship with Him. We can see from the beginning of time -- in a perfect environment -- God makes this statement: “It is not good for man to be alone.” We were made to live in relationships.

The church is the spiritual community that God designed to be a supportive foundation, a place where you can develop into the person God wants you to be. Our walk with Christ is not only a matter of believing but also a matter of belonging. Let me ask you a question: Are you attending a church service, or are you belonging to a church family?

Last thought… Does God want church to be a place you go to, or does He want church to be a family you are a part of? That is why church, spiritual community, body of believers, Christ followers -- whatever we want to call it -- becomes a valuable piece of equipment to the development and growth of our faith.

Lonely and Looking...

Did you know that loneliness has reached epidemic proportions in our country? Our fast-moving lives have wreaked havoc on our relationships. We don’t feel nearly as connected to each other as people did just a single generation ago.

Yet we were created for relationships. In fact, the first thing God said was, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” God said that humans were not made for isolation. We were made for connection. Why? We were created in the image of God. The Bible says God is love, and to love, you’ve got to have somebody to love.

One of the crucial purposes of the BODY OF CHRIST is to help solve this sense of disconnection. In the New Testament, there are word pictures given that show the necessity of being connected. These metaphors tell us a lot about why God wants us to connect with one another. They give us a picture of what the church should be – and how it should solve the plague of disconnection in our society.

The Bible says that being spiritually connected means:

We’re built like a building. “In Christ you are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” (Ephesians 2:22 NRSV). We are meant to fit together like bricks in a new building. It’s essential that the parts of a building fit together. You aren’t safe otherwise because there’s no support. Likewise, those who aren’t connected to a church family in any meaningful way have no support. Life is tough. We all need the support of people who care about us. A church may not be required, but it is needed; it's needed to provide us with community.

Let’s advance in relationships. Let’s begin now. This is a major purpose God designed us for. Let’s make every effort to connect with people. Find a small group; begin a small group. At Celebrate we call them Life Groups, where people are simply DOING LIFE TOGETHER.

Whatever it Takes...

So let me begin by saying that as much as we may not want to admit it, we all have these great and exciting plans for our children. We may not readily admit it, but we feel we know what path occupationally and relationally we want them to go down in life. Our motives, unfortunately, center more around outward looks, financial security or maybe something we did not achieve rather than inner peace and significance.

God has a vision for our lives -- a purpose, a mission for our life. The difference is that His plan brings us significance and meaning internally. The greatest adventure in life is in knowing that God wants to use you for a significant cause. If for some reason you have not experienced God using your life, I feel sad for you, because the Bible is filled with God’s desire to use you. God says we must be willing and available. Paul penned it beautifully in Romans 6:13: “Give yourselves completely to God so you can be tools in the hands of God to be used for His good purposes.” It comes down to one statement: We must be willing to say “WHATEVER IT TAKES,” and then follow through with it. "Lord, whatever it takes, I am all yours!"

Closing words of encouragement… You don’t have to be a perfect person, just have a pure heart… You don’t have to wish you had more, just use what you have…. You don’t have to do everything for God, just focus and allocate time to one thing… This is the greatest time in all of history to be living, and to know God wants to use you makes it even greater.

WHATEVER IT TAKES GOD, HERE I AM! SEND ME…

A Plan from the Start

I have three beautiful children. When Carol and I were talking about marriage, we also said that one day we wanted to have children. From the start, that was part of the plan. Today, we don’t regret it. Our children are far from perfect. They don’t always do what we say, and we have disagreements. When they do their own things against what we want, they experience the consequences of their decisions. Make no mistake, our love for them is limitless, unconditional, non-performance based, and it has been communicated to them that there is no end to this love.

The entire Bible from beginning to end is about God building a family. It has always been His plan to adopt you into His own family. This place close to God would be accomplished through Jesus Christ. God is so much love; He treasures relationships. This relational love is universal regardless of who you are, where you currently live on this globe, or your lifestyle. From the beginning, God has wanted you in His family. This spiritual relationship is birthed by faith in what Jesus Christ did for you 2000 years ago. Now you are no longer just a creation of God but a child of God and part of God’s global family.

Let this amazing truth sink in: We are part of God’s family because of Jesus Christ, and God is proud of you. Theses words are unmistakable -- Jesus said, “Anyone who does the will of God the father is my family…” Being included in God’s family is the highest honor we will ever receive. Keep that thought in mind, and anytime you feel unloved, insecure, or unimportant, just remember to whose family you belong.

Relationships...

On June 6 of this year, my wife and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. I have discovered a parallel between my relationship with my wife and my relationship with Christ and, in fact, with any relationship. Relationships must be maintained. No relationship ever stays the same. We’re either growing closer or we’re drifting apart. It never just stands still. We don’t simply have a relationship with Christ and that’s it. Either our hearts are growing warmer and closer, or they're growing colder and distant.

Think about how many Christ followers you may know who are no longer walking close with the Lord. They’ve fallen away. At one point their heats were warm, energetic, and passionately on fire for God but something happened and they seem to be lost again. We all know the struggles in our own hearts. We face temptations. We face ups and downs, days when we get these crazy thoughts, but if we want a relationship with Christ, we must do our part to maintain it.

This whole blog is about good news. The good news is that God offers a grace to us that restores. When we blow it, when we walk away, when we stumble, when we fumble, God restores. Lamentations 5:21 says, “Restore me, O Lord, and bring me back to you again. Give me back the joys I once had.”

Keep in mind the Bible is filled with leaders who denied, who doubted, who failed, who disobeyed, and when you find yourself in that same boat just remember, GOD RESTORES.

Take a few moments over the next week and go to our website at www.celebratechurch.org and click on the weekly workout. It is all about how God can restore a damaged relationship.

YOU...

This week my wife and I, along with my brother-in-law and his wife, attended an alumni gathering of the college we all attended, Central Bible College. It was so good to reconnect with others and hear the stories of their families and ministries. Many are pastors, Bible teachers, missionaries, and hold other ministry positions just doing great things for His cause, which leads me to blog these thoughts:

God’s Word says that even before you were born, God planned what He wanted you to do with your life. It also says that God made us what we are, and God made us to do good works – good works which He planned, in advance, for us to live our lives doing. Even if I had not attended a religious school, God still had a ministry for me to do. My talents, my abilities, my background, and this will sound absurd, but even my hurts are all part of who I am. And when I use who I am to help and serve others, I am ministering. Did you know the same applies to you?

There is no greater thrill in life than to be used by God. There is no feeling, no achievement, and no award that can compare to knowing that God is using you and knowing you're doing what God wants you to do with your life. The biggest barrier to that – Confidence.

GOD WANTS TO USE YOU! God wants to involve you. I hope this gives you confidence and moves you from the stadium seats where you're sitting back and watching to YOU engaging into this exciting game.