When to Submit & When to Resist

August 9th 2017
James 4:7-8 (NIV)

When to Submit & When to Resist

"Submit yourselves, then, to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

I love James as a writer! He is a very practical no-nonsense kind of guy. Here in chapter four we see James writing a response, addressing an issue among his audience of believers. They were fighting and quarreling among themselves; obviously letting these issues get in the way of their Christian unity. They were trying to "befriend" the world and its values while claiming to be Christians. James says this approach doesn't work. In fact, he says their double-mindedness was actually making them enemies of God.

The solution? James puts it quite simply and boldly. SUBMIT. RESIST. We are constantly submitting and resisting to people, urges, and choices within our lives. Submission is the great filter through which all choices are made. "I really want that motorcycle, BUT I don't have the money for it, and I wouldn't steal it. I guess I'll have to pass this time." See how submission to morals (or fear of getting caught) led to resisting the urge to steal?

The question then is "who am I submitting to?" The sad reality is that, all too often, we are resisting God and submitting to our desires, urges, and wants. The devil will always be throwing things of the world in our faces to get us distracted from who we are truly submitting to. He even threw all the kingdoms of the world in front of Jesus; yet who did He submit to? (Matt 4:8-10)

In my life, I would like to say that I've submitted to God in all instances, but that would be far from the truth. But it is so helpful in the moment to ask myself "who am I submitting to?" Especially in the grey areas of life. And the best part is that if I submit to God & resist the devil, he WILL flee. Not "maybe will flee" or "sometimes will flee". He will flee every time.

"Lord Jesus, thank You for the straightforward truth of Your Word. Help me to consciously submit to You in all areas of my life. Give me the strength to resist the devil at my weakest moments and join You in laughing at him as he flees by the power of Your Name. Amen."

Surrender Control

August 26th 2016
Scripture Matthew 26:39 (NIV)

Surrender Control

"Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'”

 

I don’t know about you but I like to be in control. I am very happy when things turn out very closely or exactly how I planned. But in the ideal world I have an unlimited amount of energy and strength. This however is not the ideal world… We have hick ups, we make mistakes, we cling towards being self absorbed and when things don’t go our way, we come to the stone hard truth that we aren’t in control.

I really love the superhero Superman. Not only is his character solid, doing good, expecting no reward, but I love that he is SUPER. He has super speed, he has super strength, he has super hearing, he can fly into outer space. He practically has no limits. What can’t he do? Right?

But there is one problem... I’m not superman, and there are things that no amount of "will power" can overcome… They say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I don’t necessarily think that is true in every case. In some cases no matter how much you "will" something and try to make it happen, it doesn’t… because some things are simply out of your control.

For me when I face things that I can’t control, I react in one of two ways. I have anxiety and try to hyper-control my surroundings trying to force my will to feel like I have control of something. OR I get discouraged and give up and I invite myself to a party…my pity party. You can come too, but let me tell you, no one ever has fun at a pity party. Neither of these ways are a good way to deal with the things you cannot control.

But Jesus gave us a third option, which is better than the other two, by far: Surrender.

when Jesus is in the garden right before his crucifixion praying his heart out to God. He was so troubled that He sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44). This guy was distressed. He prayed that God would take the cup that He was to bear away, asking for any other way… But then He says a phrase that is remarkable. "Yet, not as I will, but as You will." Jesus let the Father know His human preference, but was still willing to surrender His will for the Lord's will, which are one and the same.

So my question is "Who is really in The Chair of your life?" Does God's will and plan for your life trump your own? I came across this book titled “God’s my co-pilot” You know what I have to say to that? "Buddy, if to you God is really just a co-pilot you need to switch seats. Because there can only be one person in control, it’s either you, or its Jesus."

 God has given me control over one person; Me, Myself, and I. I am in control of my actions and my attitudes. So all I really should do is Try my best, and Trust God with the Rest. Because I can't control those things anyways. 

"Lord Jesus, I know that You have a great plan for my life with a purpose. Help me to let go of the things I cannot change and trust that You will work all things for the good of those who love You. I give it over to You to do as You will. I trust Your judgement over mine. Amen."

He Hurts Like We Hurt

April 6 2016
Scripture: Isaiah 16:11 (ESV)

He Hurts Like We Hurt

"Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth"

In the middle of a series of prophecies to the reigning cities of the day, the Lord decrees righteous consequences to each one. He pours out correcting punishments telling the people to weep over their cities. But something here seems a little different about the "Righteous Judge" than the cold unsympathetic attitude one might expect from the "Old Testament God". Here He says He weeps and moans in the inmost parts of His being for these people, and what they have to go through. In verse 9 it says, "I drench you with My tears." It's not that God doesn't care when He disciplines us. In fact, He weeps for His children. He hurts like we hurt. 

When a father must punish his child and he sees the tear-filled eyes look back at him, he cannot help but feel compassion for his child. Does this mean that the father should boycott the consequence that the child needs to learn the lesson? You could, but that is not truly helping the child in the long run, because throughout life there are choices and consequences. If the father let his child do anything consequence-free, it is setting up that child for failure in the real world. 

Yet even when God disciplines us, His children, He feels our pain very deeply. Jesus wept bitterly for Jerusalem, over their unbelief. He didn't shake His fist at them shouting, "You'll get what's coming to you!" No, God cares; He comforts you at the hospital, He mourns with you at the graveside, He hurts at the sight of evil done to you. God cares.

"Lord Jesus, thank You that You truly care about me and the struggles I face everyday. Your comfort is soothing and I know that Your arms are wrapped around me tightest when I hurt the most. Amen."

Striking & Healing

April 27 2016
Scripture: Isaiah 19:22 (ESV)

Striking & Healing

"And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and He will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them."

Egypt was a "green isle" amongst a sea of sand. They had a lot to put their hope in. The Nile River provided a fishing economy, while the ground was fertile giving vegetation, flax, and cotton. Egypt had it made, and they were secure or so they thought. Here Isaiah prophesies how the Lord will strike Egypt; drying up The Nile, and knocking their flimsy pillars from under their feet. All they hoped in was gone. But some would return to the Lord, and He would listen and bring them to a much better place than they were. 

In my life, there are plenty of things I could set up as a pillar in which I could place my hope. I could hope in my career, or my bank account, or my friends and family, which are not bad things to have. But what if they all fell away? I would have nothing, no where to go. Maybe I would blame God for allowing them to be taken away. Or would I realize that He can be my hope when all else fails? I should not place my hope in anything less than God Himself, for all the other pillars are as sturdy as a Teeter-totter. 

So maybe you feel God is striking you, but what he really wants to do is heal you. If you lost a relationship, maybe you put too much dependency in a person. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, maybe God wants you to trust in His provision alone. I don't know the circumstances that each person faces, but I do know this for sure. If I trust in God, He won't be shaken, like all the other flimsy pillars, and He will bring healing in my life. 

"Lord Jesus, please help me to place my hope in You alone, and to step down from these unstable pillars in my life. Thank You that You are a rock in hard times, and for the healing that You give. Amen."

Joint Custody

April 11 2016
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:4 (ESV)

Joint Custody

"For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does."

Being married now for over a year and a half, I begin to understand the meaning of this verse. I never thought my patterns of life would need to change once I got married. Yet, my bacheloristic lifestyle was far from the perfect way a family should live. So what if I fling my socks across the room after a long day, or fold my laundry a certain way I like, or play a video game to relax my mind?  

The truth is, I didn't really know how selfish I could be until I had to share my bathroom, my free time, and my bed etc. But even so, I don't consider any of this a loss, because by the power of Christ, I love my wife more than I love myself. Though I had to change and give up some things along the way, I would gladly surrender my rights for her, because my love for her conquers my selfishness for me. 

From the moment I said, "I Do", I no longer possess full custody over Luke Wilson. As a loving husband, I must learn to live by the principle that I am not my own. This doesn't mean that I must never have things to myself, like hobbies, goals, or dreams, for God made me an individual person apart from my wife. But what this does mean is that I must be willing to put myself and my agenda down on the line for the love of my marriage. When she needs me, I must not deny her physically, or deny her my service, or deny her my attention, or my affection. Likewise she does the same for me because true love conquers selfishness. 

"Lord Jesus, thank You for blessing me with an amazing godly wife. I pray that I will continually become less selfish as I love her the rest of my life. Let me be reminded that I am not my own, but Yours and her's. Help me to always be ready to show my love to her when she needs me, even when I don't feel like it. Amen."

Source of Strength

March 19 2016

Scripture: Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

Source of Strength

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Yesterday morning I tried to write, but the Holy Spirit did not seem to highlight any passage like He usually does. I searched until I had to leave for work, wondering why I could not find my nugget of wisdom I mine for every morning. When I arrived at the Church, the Lead Pastor had our staff go and spend the first twenty-five minutes of our TRC (Training, Requirements, and Communication) meeting in alone time with God. He gave a short devotional hand-out and told us to reflect on it. Psalm 46:1 kept popping out to me because of the word Strength. On my way to work, I was listening to the Christian radio in my car and I heard a newer song called Strong Enough by Matthew West. In the bridge of this song it states, "I don't have to be strong enough," because God is our strength. It all clicked for me when I heard the Family Life Pastor share that Psalm 46:1 stuck out to him as well.

I've been trying in more than my devotional life to operate out of my own strength, like I have to provide all the strength myself. But this verse says,"God is my strength" and I can depend on Him in my troubles like a place of refuge. Therefore next time I am trying to make things happen on my own, I will stop and remember that my strength comes from Him, by reading this prayer posted at my desk.

"Lord Jesus, thank you that I don't have to rely on my own strength to get me through life. I am very wimpy when it comes to the power You have. Help me to return to this truth often so I may be reminded where my strength, my breath, my life, comes from. Let me rely on You alone. Amen."