Anything is Possible

Ever take a wrong turn or find yourself traveling down a street with a sign that reads, “DEAD END: No Outlet”? Well, with God, there are always outlets. God has a way of building our faith by planting a dream within us. Yet, that dream will require a decision of faith, and then God will stretch our faith as we face delays, difficulties, and dead ends. It is then – after the delays, difficulties, and dead ends – that God comes in and delivers. God does a miracle. God provides a solution. For instance: In Moses' case, God parted the Red Sea…In Abraham's case, he and Sarah miraculously conceived a child…In Joseph's case, all of a sudden his dream came true, and he found himself no longer imprisoned in a dungeon; instead, he was the second in command in Egypt.

Jesus was even resurrected! God can even turn a crucifixion into a resurrection, and that means he has the power to transform your dead ends into deliverance. He builds your faith through delays, difficulties, and dead ends, so that when he delivers you—God gets all the credit!

When faced with a dead end, the best response is to expect God to act. What are you expecting God to do in your life? Jesus says, "According to your faith will it be done to you." (Matthew 9:29)

When you wait for deliverance, then God gets the credit. And you can look back to see how God led you through a path of faith, expanding and increasing your trust of him with every step. Your faith is stronger, and now you can say with confidence: "I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again, I will see his goodness to me . . ." (Psalm 27:13)

One more scripture from God’s Word to encourage you to know that anything – that all things – are possible with God. "What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes." Mark 9:23 NLT

Butterfly Kisses...

I am here at Beach Week 2010. What a generation of young people passionate for purposes bigger than a paycheck and materialism -- passionate for meaning. Our world is full of sons and daughters who desperately need a father who is a spiritual leader. Is it possible your kids are among them? You can become a spiritual leader to your children by making a commitment learn and live the characteristics of Jesus in front of them. Even if you are not a father or a mother, you will be able to lead others into the heart of God by following the example of Jesus. Here is what Jesus did for His followers:

First, Jesus helped the disciples to know God. Dads, this is your number one responsibility as a father. You need to help your children get to know God because eternity hangs in the balance. It is your responsibility to help make sure your kids are introduced to God. They belong to God. He loans them to us for a period of time in which he wants you to parent them. Parenting, like all forms of leadership, is really about stewardship. You learn to say, “God, I am the steward of these children, whom You put into my care, and I will do what You need me to do to help them achieve their purpose.”

Notice Jesus led by example. This is one of the most sobering truths about being a parent. For right or wrong, for good or bad, whether you like it or not, your children’s idea of God is going to be largely determined by the kind of father you are. You may not like that. I may not like that, but it’s the truth. If you are an impatient and demanding father, they’re going to think God is impatient and demanding. If you are distant and detached and never have time for your kids, they’re going to think God is distant and detached from them. If you are inconsistent and unreliable, if you break your promises, they’re going to think their heavenly Father is inconsistent and unreliable and breaks His promises.

What is God really like? God is caring…God is close and aware of the details… God is consistent.

If my kids are going to grow up knowing God is caring, close, and consistent, then I must be caring, close, and consistent. I must care about my kids enough to show them what God is like and show them how they can become like Christ.

A Lifetime Journey...

Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (Msg)

Growing Christlike is a process of conforming to Christ. Growing in Christ should be our aim. This is a lifetime journey. Our growth journey involves believing through faith, belonging in community, and becoming like Christ through our spiritual habits.

Every day God desires for you to become a little more like him. Today’s cultural mindset centers around speed, but God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness. We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the “on-the-spot” solution. We want a sermon, a seminar, or an experience that will instantly resolve all problems, remove all temptation, and release us from all growing pains.

But real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving. Growth is gradual. The Bible says, "Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." 2 Corinthians 3:18 (Msg)

No Finger Pointing...

My son and I were watching this past Wednesday evening as a pitcher with the Detroit Tigers was one out away from pitching a perfect game. The runner was called safe at first base; however, the instant replay clearly indicated that the runner was out. After the game, the umpire admitted that he had made the wrong call. What should go down in the major league baseball history books as a perfect game, will instead go down as one of the worst calls in the history of baseball. The pitcher will get no historical recognition; he'll only get credit for the win on his record (though there's nothing wrong with a win).

We live in a society that loves to make excuses, and one of our favorite phrases is, “It is not my fault.” The pitcher was interviewed after the game, and he did not make one excuse, nor did he accuse the umpire. He took a bad situation and made the most of it. The truth is, if we find ourselves bitter and resentful, it is because we have allowed negative situations to remain with us. It does not take a lot to develop a chip on your shoulder. Anyone can make excuses for his or her bad attitude, poor choices, or hot temper. You may even have valid reasons. Perhaps you’ve gone through things that nobody deserves to experience in life.

We have to learn to let go of the past, let go of the excuses, and even let go of the valid reasons. I want to challenge you to quit comparing your life to someone else’s, and quit dwelling on what could have been, what should have been, or what might have been. You can’t do anything about what’s happened to you in the past, but you can choose how you will face what is in front of you.

Today, make a commitment to no longer focus on the pain or failures of the past. Make an intentional choice to focus on the bright and beautiful future you have with God.

God Smiles...

I sat with my family last night and watched as hundreds of seniors graduated high school, completing a chapter in life’s journey in our culture. With my son being one of those seniors receiving recognition for 12 years of commitment to education, I thought of how often my wife and I prayed for him and, along with others, made deposits into him for God to smile upon Him, give Him favor, and bring him success.

The Bible gives us clear examples of many lives that gave pleasure to God. One in particular was a man named Noah. In Noah's day, the entire world had become morally bankrupt. Everyone lived for their own pleasure, not God's. God couldn't find anyone on Earth interested in pleasing him, so he was grieved and regretted making man. But there was one man who made God smile. The Bible says, "Noah was a pleasure to the Lord." Genesis 6:8. God said, "This guy brings me pleasure. He makes me smile. I'll start over with his family." Because Noah brought pleasure to God, you and I are alive today.

What can we discover from Noah’s life that brings pleasure to God?

- Love God more than anything else in the world. (Gen 6:9)
- Trust God. Have faith God knows what is best for you. (Heb. 11:7)
- Obey God wholeheartedly. (Gen. 6:22)
- Praise God for who He is and what He has done. (Gen. 8:20)
- Use the abilities God gave and deposited in you. (Gen. 9:1&3)

The above character traits of Noah’s life could be expounded making this blog long. Instead, I put references from the account of Noah’s life, and ask that you take the time to see how Noah’s life made God smile. The Apostle Paul made this his life goal, “More than anything else, I want to please him, whether here or there." (2 Corinthians 5:9)

When I live in light of eternity, my focus changes from "How much pleasure am I getting out of life?" to "How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?"

Will you make pleasing God the goal of your life? There is nothing that God won't do for the person totally absorbed with this goal.

When God Seems Distant...

It is easy to feel connected to God when things are going great in life—when He has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But have you discovered that circumstances are not always pleasant? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering to Him while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant. Friendships are often tested by separation and silence. In your friendship with God, you won’t always feel close to Him. As one author wrote, “Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance, and in a relationship with God, no matter how intimate, the pendulum will swing from one side to the other.” That’s when worship gets difficult.

Our relationship with God develops a deep maturity during times when it appears God is silent or when He feels a million miles away. Many in the community of faith have described these times as “the dark night of the soul.” Henri Nouwen called them “the ministry of absence.” A. W. Tozer called them “the ministry of the night.” Others refer to “the winter of the heart.” In the Bible, David had a close friendship with God. In fact, God took pleasure in calling him “a man after My own heart.” Yet, David frequently complained of God’s apparent absence:

• “Lord, why are You standing aloof and far away? Why do You hide when I need You the most?” (Psalm 10:1)

• “Why have You forsaken me? Why do You remain so distant? Why do You ignore my cries for help?” (Psalm 22:1)

• “Why have You abandoned me?” (Psalm 43:2)

In reality, God hadn’t really left David, and He doesn’t leave you. He has promised repeatedly, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Let God Be God...

We all have a pattern we follow. We all have a source we lean on. I want to encourage you to let God be your source and supply. You need to tell God that you’re going to look to Him alone to provide for your needs and that you won’t look anywhere else. We get ourselves in a mess when we confuse the channel with the source. God may use your paycheck from work as the channel to supply your needs, but your employer is just the channel for God’s provision—and God can shift to another channel anytime He wants. When you start to look to something or someone else to meet your needs – when you begin to confuse the channel with the source, a warning sign appears: Worry!

So when you look to your job as the source instead of the channel, you may start worrying, “What if I lose my job?” You know what? That channel may close, but the source of your every need is still active and providing for you. When God turns off one channel, He can turn on another one.

Once you know what you’re lacking, you need to give God the right to choose whatever channel He decides is best to fulfill the need. It may be a channel different from one you would choose; in fact, God may deliberately choose a different channel in order to teach you to keep looking to Him for all your needs.

Through following Christ for nearly thirty years, I have learned that it’s exciting to just let God be God. It’s exciting to watch God meet a need in a way that you never thought possible or could have never thought up on your own.

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10

God alone is the source of your supply.