Do you not know, have you not heard (Isaiah 40:21)…? Wednesday, Feb 9 2011

In a recently popular R&B song a young woman said to her jilted beau, “You must not know, „bout me…” Obviously, the man doubted her ability to flourish and progress without him. So she reminds him of her prowess. Sometimes the Lord has to give us a similar “wake-up call.” In this Isaiah passage the Lord‟s intent is to remind Israel with whom they are dealing. God describes Himself as powerful, knowledgeable, and relentless. Even with all of His attributes and accomplishments as they are listed in this chapter, God still has to remind us that He is in control and that He will get in our business. The tendency is to forget that God will become involve in the affairs of humans. We think, “God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me.” The truth is that one should never forget the fact that God has and will remain a major player in the affairs of human history. Whether the media and those who oppose Him want to acknowledge it or not He is still sovereign. Sometimes it doesn’t appear that way…

• When those we trust do us dirty
• When crooked deals happen
• When those we trust misuse our vulnerability
• When lies seem to prevail
• When they tell you one thing knowing full well they intend to do something else

Never forget, God never abdicates his position as the Sovereign One. Even when it appears that the good guys will lose, God is still in control.

Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne, -

Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,

Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

James Russell Lowell

This Present Crisis

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Preparation supposes anticipation… Tuesday, Feb 1 2011

I’m a child of a generation when people still visited one another in their homes. I’m of a generation that understood when “company” was going to visit the house and the family had to be prepared to receive them correctly. Extra care was taken to make sure that the house was neat, that everything was in its proper place, children were reminded of their place, and of course there care to make sure to have fresh cake and coffee. I’m a child of a generation that prepared when we were expecting company. It just reminds you and me that there is no sustainable success without preparation. We don’t past test without preparing. We don’t graduate or get the promotion without preparing. We don’t build the house without preparing. The vision doesn’t manifest without preparing.

Preparation supposes anticipation. You can tell the people who are expecting God to do great things because they began to get themselves together. People who are anticipating another experience of favor understand that in order to function in favor, there are some things that must take place beforehand.

You can identify those people who are in a state of looking forward to something because they began to rearrange and prioritize…they began to study the available information and learn as much as they can…they began to train themselves so that they can become strong where they are weak…they began to discard and throw away some things that are no longer useful. Preparation supposes anticipation.

People who are in their time of preparation can/will be misunderstood. That may explain why we get strange looks, receive snide comments, and become the butt of some jokes. People around us don’t understand why we study the way we do…practice the way we do…pray and fast the way we do…humble ourselves the way we do…work hard the way we do…praise God the way we do. They may think that we’re crazy; but we know that we’re just preparing. They don’t understand, preparation supposes anticipation.

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Investing in the vision (Genesis 29:15-30) Tuesday, Jan 25 2011

The writer of the Book of Genesis records for us an episode that says that the patriarch Jacob was willing to work seven years for his uncle Laban so that he might have the hand of Laban’s daughter Rachel. Essentially, the Word reminds us of the importance of investing in what we believe. If anything is to come of the ideas, the proposals, the visions that we have floating around our consciousness, it will require that we are willing to give of ourselves. In other words, make an investment.

However, read it again and you will discover that while Jacob was investing in the vision, God was investing in Jacob. When Jacob says that he will serve Laban, he essentially means that Jacob will cultivate Laban’s land for seven years. Jacob’s promise was that he would improve and prepare the land so that it might be productive in harvest time. Perhaps while Jacob was cultivating the land, God is preparing and improving him so that he might be productive when it was time to receive Rachel. That’s the Word for those of us who are still in the investing stage of the vision. Sometimes we are fooled into believing that the vision is not worth the investment because it seems that we’re expending so much while we receive so little. But whatever you do, don’t stop working God’s action plan for your life. Don’t stop studying…budgeting your finances…working on your temper…developing healthy relationships… (You fill in the blank). The season of investment will ultimately surrender to your season of harvest.

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Nothing to hide… Friday, Jan 21 2011

There is a difference in self-confidence and masking or putting on an act. Paul Lawrence Dunbar suggests that at some point in our lives we all wear a mask “that grins and lies.” The truth is that life will eat away and erode our confidence. You let us face enough setbacks…deal with enough disappointments…get let down, again…fail and falter enough times (especially in ways that we had not imagined) and some of us will begin to wonder if we are even saved. If that were not enough, some of our confidence falters because we begin to believe the false and erroneous reports about that we hear about ourselves. We begin to feel inferior.

But we don’t let it show. Many people who don’t believe in themselves and the God that’s in them will try to cover their lack of confidence with a know-it-all or a tough guy/girl act. We pretend and put on a show as if we are invincible and as if we always have it all together. In the Church we want to appear to be more spiritual and holy than everyone else. In relationships we want to appear to be stronger and smarter than everyone else. Meet us in the streets and we want to appear more reckless, dangerous, and fearless than anyone else.

Quite honestly, we will all have some issues – some spiritual, some social, some psychological, even some physical. We will all have some issues. But our issues don’t define us. Our social or economic status has little to do with who we are and that for which we stand. Our circumstances have very little to say about us and what we’re made of.

So take off the mask. You don’t have anything to hide.
You are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27)
You are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalms 139:14)
The One who is in you is much stronger than (you fill in the blank) (I John 4:4)
You have the Spirit that gives power, love, and a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7)

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V-I-C-T-O-R-Y (I Corinthians 15:57-58) Friday, Jan 21 2011

The Interlinear Bible renders this passage to say that God is giving us the victory. It is happening right now. In the midst of whatever may be happening – good, bad, or indifferent – God is giving us the victory. It is an ever reminder that what may look like it will take us out is only an illusion of the final outcome because God is giving us the victory. David thought about dealing with the shadow of death (Psalms 23:4). We all know that shadows can sometimes be quite intimidating and imposing because they make us think that there is something there that may or may not be harmful. However, there has never been an incident of a shadow hurting anyone. A shadow may strike fear and cause us to hurt ourselves. A shadow may warn us of something that intends to cause us harm. But a shadow can’t hurt us.

One more thing – it says that we are given the victory. It is an indicator of the final victory. The old imagery says that we face many battles while we’re in the flesh. And the truth is that we win some and we lose some. But this passage tells us that when it counts and our lives are on the line and our future is weighed in the balance; God gives us the victory.

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It starts with vision… Friday, Jan 21 2011

Rarely does life just simply happen. It starts with vision. To be sure, all of the greatest achievements and accomplishments in the world began as a vision. Corporations, schools and colleges, nations, churches, even salvation – it all starts with vision.
We who are believers have the privilege of something called “divinely inspired vision.” Simply put, that’s God’s action plan for our lives. Its God’s way of showing what life can be beyond our present reality. We may not know exactly what the end will look like in full detail; but we do know that there is something greater beyond our “right now.”
In a very real way, vision is ultimately the way we see. Our lives could very well depend on the way and what we allow ourselves to see. Maybe I should rephrase that to say, “Our lives could very well depend on our ability to see what God sees.”
If we can’t see ourselves as God sees us, it just may be that we view life through the devil’s lenses. In that scenario we see ourselves dying…we see ourselves lingering in poverty… we see ourselves forever enslaved to God-knows-what… we see ourselves always losing.
But you should take a look at and embrace what God sees…

• God’s vision is that you should have life and that more abundantly

• God’s vision is that your sins are forgiven and you are cleansed from all unrighteousness
• God’s vision is that you should prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers
• God’s vision is that you should be blessed in the city and in the field…that your children will be blessed…that your work shall be blessed…that your cupboards and refrigerators should be full…that you’re blessed when you come and when you go…
• God’s vision is that your enemies will come out against you one way and run from you seven ways

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Disturbance and the vision (Habakkuk 2)… Friday, Jan 21 2011

Many of us like to read and quote this infamous passage when we give thought to the idea of vision. We sometimes hurriedly gather writing utensils so that we might “write the vision…” Certainly, given the amount of information that our brains absorb and we forget during the course of day we should all be in the practice of writing what God allows us to see. As important as the lesson of writing may be, we just might miss an important detail concerning the conditions of the vision – if we’re not careful.
Take another look at the Record when you get a chance and you will notice that Brother Habakkuk is troubled and uneasy about the conditions under which he is living. One can quite easily say that Habakkuk comes to this point out of sense of anguish and agitation. It is when he finds himself in this disturbed state-of-mind that God reveals His plans to Habakkuk. I brought the matter to your attention because many among us believe that vision is afforded to the hyper-spiritual who seem to have an unusual connection to God that exempts them from the personal troubles of this world. On the contrary I would suggest that God’s revelation is given to those who live with a sense of sanctified dissatisfaction and with a sense of righteous indignation. Vision is given to those who are uncomfortable with the status quo. It is given to those who are constantly conscious that “it” can be better.
Interesting is it, how sometimes God has to allow us to be disturbed in order to call our attention to the vision. Without disturbance we might keep living in the same vain without ever considering the possibility of higher heights and new beginnings.
God will use that which troubles us…bothers us…makes us uneasy and uncomfortable to show us…

·    The new direction for our lives

·    The doors that He will open

·    The heights that He will take us

·    The expansion of our influence and impact

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Profiting from our misery (Matthew 21:15) Friday, Jan 21 2011

Jesus assumed authority over “the temple of God.” Which suggest that there was no real order; and that there was someone in the background benefiting from the controlled chaos…? Those who benefit from the Temple existing out of order will not like it when things begin to come together. We had best understand that there are those who stand in the shadows and are profiting when our lives are out of sorts and when our communities are in chaos. Think about it: today the U.S. House of Representatives will begin the process of trying to repeal the recently passed health care reform in this country so that someone can benefit from the misery of the millions that are denied health care; while at the same time making millions from unregulated insurance rates. Think about it, someone makes money off our addictions, dependencies, and overall distractions. But God will root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build, and plant in order to put our lives back in order and stop them from profiting from our misery.

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