Roads to Trouble

Read: Leviticus 28 & Psalm 35-36

“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart…” Psalms 36:1

Examine:

The scriptures often speak of our choices taking the form of roads or paths. Every choice leads to a destination. A wise man understands this and examines the words being spoken to his heart.

Apply:

There are four roads in this passage that will lead to trouble. The first is loosing fear of God. Fear of God is a deep sense of respect and awe. For me I normally loose this in the form of doubt. I can’t respect God fully if I doubt His existence, His goodness or His willingness to come through. Fear and doubt creep in slowly and then speak their words deep in my heart. It makes me unstable and opens me up to all sorts of temptation.

Denial and arrogance come together and form the second road to trouble. Having a false sense of self is trouble. The scriptures teach that I should not have a higher opinion of myself than I ought to. It does not say I should not have a high opinion of myself, it says I should not have an opinion that is too high. For me this is a reminder that a negative and self-depreciating image of self is only arrogance in disguise. I should not flatter myself nor should I tear myself down. Both of these forms of arrogance take my eyes off of God and focus the attention on myself.

Loose lips cut the third road to trouble. Actually, loose lips are the queen mother of all roads to trouble. There is no more clear an indication of my heart’s condition than the words that come out of my mouth. The Bible says that I will be held accountable for every loose word that I speak. I should weigh them carefully, examine them closely, and consider them wisely.

The final road to trouble is the most lethal. Verse four of this Psalm says, “He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.” The thoughts I allow to linger in my mind represent the most dangerous and most destructive road to trouble. In quiet moments I need to pay close attention to the things I consider in my mind but would never act on in person. These thoughts are not harmless. They are the things I consider in my heart and they create a slippery slope.

Pray:

I ask that You reveal Yourself to me in a way today that will secure my fear of You. I do not want to doubt or wonder. I want to know that I know. Teach me today to hold a proper image of myself. Keep me balanced in the truth of who I am in You. Lead me to hold my tongue today and help me be quick to confess the loose words I speak. I pray that You also will strengthen me to take captive all my thoughts today. I desire to dwell on nothing that does not bring You the honor that is Yours.

Wait for the LORD

Read: Leviticus 21-22 & Psalms 27-29

“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

Examine:

To wait on the LORD is to look to Him with dependence and trust, not passivity.

Apply:

The call to wait on the LORD is not an invitation to passivity. Nor is the call to be strong and courageous a license to storm the gates. The call to wait on the LORD is first of all an invitation to learn of God as my defender, protector, and provider. My God is not an abstract concept or philosophy for live. He is alive, active, and absolute. I depend on my own strength, logic, and resources so much that I am often apt to miss out on God. Waiting is not sitting still. Waiting is the gut-wrenching struggle of releasing my expectations, plans, and ambitions to God.

The call to wait on the LORD is second a call to understand the beauty of God. God is captivating. When I stop seeking solutions, benefits, or outcomes and instead focus my energies on discovering His character, majesty, and presence I find a God that is far more captivating than a beach on a summer morning, a mountain rising out of the horizon, or a perfect tee shot that splits the fairway. The beauty of God is an experience unlike any other. Waiting on Him is allowing my heart, mind and soul to be released to be captivated by His glory.

The call to wait on the LORD is finally a call to be submitted to His ways. I can wait on God all day but if I am working against His purposes, living against His ways, or seeking selfish gain I might as well settle in for a disappointing ending. God will never show up and work against His character, will, or ways. My life has to be aligned with His word and my purposes have to be surrendered to Him. Waiting on Him is the daily act of dying to my desires and taking up the ways of the one He sent.

Pray:

The struggle with waiting on You is that it first requires me to follow You into a situation that is bigger than me. Waiting on You demands that I abandon my ways and surrender all to following Yours. This is hard under the best of circumstances, but it is especially hard in light of the broken perceptions I have of You and the twisted theology that I have allowed to set my expectations of You.

Your voice has the power to calm storms, lay mountains low, and shake the heavens and the earth. Your voice also has the power to settle things in my heart, clarify things in my mind, and secure things in my soul. I need Your voice to speak to me today. I need for You to reveal Yourself to me in a way that makes the way I should walk become abundantly clear.

You know me and You know that as best I can from where I am, I have been sitting still and waiting on You. I take courage today in knowing that all I have is released to You, but I also confess that my connection to Your glory, greatness and majesty is not strong enough today. Strengthen my weakness today so that I may stand firm and face the days ahead with courage, persistence, and fulfillment.

The Presence of My Enemies

Read: Leviticus 17-18 & Psalm 23

“The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

Examine:

During the balance of this Psalm, David describes life as being a place of varied emotion. There are places of green pastures and still waters that are designed for rest and feeding. There places of the valley that are dark, lonely, and threatening. There is the presence of enemies which are places that are intimidating and frustrating. All of life is not simple, easy, or predictable; but God is. The key to not wanting for David was taking his eyes off of life and placing them on God.

Apply:

“Not the goodness of my life, but the graciousness of my Father.” That is the phrase that is stuck in my head this morning. As I read through this Psalm I see a few things about this phrase and why God has placed it on my heart. Sometimes when I praise God I am not really praising God. I am praising the goodness in my life. If everything is as it should be or if my picture of following God is a good one then it is easy to praise God. But is that the type of praise God really honors? If my praise is reserved for seasons of green pastures and still waters, what then happens when green grass withers and the waters dry up?

Pray:

I can praise You in green pastures; I have learned to celebrate You in dark valleys; but in the presence of my enemies my praise dries up, my faith crumbles, and my submission to You is tested. This week I have experienced some emotions that remind me to places I once lived. Those were dark places to which I have do desire to return. This week has revealed wounds I received from those places that are not yet healed and I recognize vulnerable spots in me that need to be healed and strengthened.

I believe that there is a walk with You that is higher and greater than my circumstances or emotions. This passage reminds me that I can still sit at Your table and enjoy Your fellowship in the presence of adversity. While I know that it is possible to do this, I really do not know how to get there from here. There are certain buttons that once pushed seem to put me on autopilot and carry me away to bad places. I truly desire to learn to praise Your gracious and not simply celebrate the goodness in my life. I give myself to this pursuit today. Be my shepherd and allow Your goodness to be all my want.

Learning to Love Storms

Learning to Love Storms

Read: Leviticus 13-14 & Acts 28

“After we were brought safely through, we learned that the island was called Malta.” Acts 28:1

Examine:

In Acts 27 Luke documents the fact that they were way off course. The winds had been working against them and forced them well off the normal route for Rome. They were then caught up in a storm. Luke says that during the storm they saw not the sun, stars or moon for many days. Sailors did not yet have compasses; they relied on heavenly bodies for navigation. By the time they made it to the beach on Malta their ship had been destroyed, their provision jettisoned, and they were completely lost. Once they met the natives, they discovered the name and location of their island was Malta. Malta was on the normal route to Rome. The storm had actually blown them back on course.

Apply:

There is nothing about following God that is easy. The journey of Paul to Rome is so reflective of my own pursuit of God. I, like Paul, clearly know where God is taking me, but so far nothing has gone as I thought. Contrary winds have carried me off course and storms have blinded me from even understanding the direction my life is headed. In the end, the choice I have to make is do I trust in my circumstance or do I trust God?

Pray:

Storms hurt. I have had more sleepless nights in the past 3 months than I have had in all the other days of my life combined. I have never been more pressed, more shaken, and more confused. Isolation has seemed to be my constant companion. Circumstances have responded to my prayers for help by growing more dark, more confusing, and more painful. As the storm has raged I have found weak spots in my faith, dark places in my heart, and deep wounds in my soul. I hate the storms. In fact, I loathe them. They make me miserable. They do not fit my plans, they frustrate my time frames, and they delay objectives. As much as I hate the storms, I have learned to love their result.

It is in the storm that I get to experience You the deepest and the clearest. You turn weak spots in my faith into strong towers of strength. Dark places in my heart become humble beacons of light. Deep wounds in my soul are replaced with deep wells from which to draw life. In the midst of the storm my plans are replaced with Your plans, my timeframes with Your timeframes, and my objectives with Your objectives. In short, storms cause me to lose my life and gain Yours. Thank You for being active in my life, for laughing at me as I learn to trust, and for the meticulous job You do in shaping my heart, mind, and soul. My life, my trust and my love all belong to You and You alone.

The Same Mission

Read: Leviticus 9-10 & Acts 27

“I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 27:11-18

Examine:

Paul’s mission was quite simple. He was being sent into the world to make disciples of Jesus. Regardless of the cost or pain, that was his call. It was not about his best life or the easy life. His mission was about bringing the life of Christ and the hope of eternity to the lost. That was Paul’s mission and it is the same mission that is given to all who profess Jesus as Lord.

Apply:

I have often had moments when I was confronted with the question of purpose for my life. There have been sleepless nights, restless days, and empty successes as I looked around and wondered is this all there really is? This journey of meaning quickly becomes complicated and expensive. The promise of marketing leads me to believe that I am missing out on something that should be mine. I search for a magic pill that will align my life and make it make sense, but this is all a senseless pursuit.

My mission in life is quite simply to learn of the greatness of Christ, to live my life as a model after Him, and to lead others to do the same. Any intentions that do not fit into those three buckets are vain pursuits that will only leave me deceived, captured, and frustrated.

Pray:

To learn of the greatness of Christ requires death to myself. It is a daily process that represents a great struggle for me. By faith I have to open up my heart and surrender my picture of a good life to You and walk blindly after the prompting You place in my heart. There is nothing about this that is easy. Learning of Jesus is not a cerebral event. Learning of Jesus is an active process of experiencing Him replace the things that I sacrificially lay down. Holy Spirit, this is something I can only do through Your great wisdom and power.

To live for Christ means that my salvation brings life. The personal call is for me to come and die, but the reward is so that I might live. Salvation is not a millstone around my life nor is it banishment to a land void of joy. It is life. It is life in abundance, joy that is unspeakable, and peace that is beyond understanding. It is learning to let go of the temporal things of earth for the surpassing greatness of the eternal things of God. Jesus, set my sights on the things that are above.

Leading others to Christ happens as I learn of Him and live for Him. The fruit of God in my life will always compel me to share the life I am finding from Christ and tune me in to the work of the Spirit around me. Holy Spirit, help me be attentive to Your work in the lives of others today. I pray that I not miss an opportunity to see someone’s eternity changed.

Struggles in Following

Read: Exodus 38-39 & Acts 20

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of Jesus…” Acts 20:35

Examine:

Paul made sure that his life served as a model for the things of God. In this verse there are three great reminders for living a life on mission: 1) Remember the words of Jesus. 2) Help the weak. 3) Work hard.

Apply:

Remembering the words of Jesus is more than obtaining the ability to recite them. Remembering His words means studying them, applying them, and making them the backdrop of my life. Remembering His words means that my first priority in life is set solely on becoming a reliable reflection of Jesus and becoming a living message of God’s glory to the world around me. This is my primary task in life.

Helping the weak is a reminder of two things. First, there are people stronger than me and I need to be humble enough to allow them to speak into my life. Second, There are people weaker than me and I need to allow my life to be poured out as a source of strength for them. In both of these things it is a reminder that my life is not designed to be lived in isolation.

The final reminder from Paul is to work hard. Being a Christian is not about my best life now. It is not about meditation and inner peace. There is nothing in the scripture that speaks of using Christ as an easy button for life. It is designed to be work. I am called to be a laborer. I must constantly evaluate the labor associated with my faith. If there is no labor to accompany my faith then I have to know that I am not following Jesus.

Pray:

I’ve spent the majority of my Christian life trying to find a way to avoid sacrifice. I want to give, but only out of my abundance. I want to obey, but only if it brings a reward. I want to share my faith, but only if it is with someone who is receptive. I want to follow You, but only if I am assured of success. I want my life to be Yours, but only if that choice leads me to comfort.

I am thinking about the struggles I face in following you. My difficulty is not in following You. My problem is I try to follow You and hold on to my life. That is not only difficult; it is impossible. My life has to be poured out. That is not something I am ready to do. In all honesty this is the greatest struggle I face right now. The price of saying “yes” to You is greater than the joy I find in being obedient to You. I am asking You to do a new work in my heart today.

Help me today to remember ALL the words of Jesus and to do so in a manner that will empower me to complete the task that You have given me. Send into my life the people I need to strengthen and also supply me with the believers I need to spur me on. Stir my soul to engage the hard work that is ahead of me and lead me to be a strong craftsman as I carry out the blue prints You set before me.

Leadership Lessons from Moses

Read: Exodus 36-37 & Acts 19
“And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come do the work.” Exodus 36:2

Examine:

God did not have Moses work alone. He planted in the hearts of men the desire to join Moses in completing the work. Had Moses tried to do it on his own it would have been incomplete.

Apply:

There are three critical leadership lessons from Moses in this chapter. First, Moses was clear on the call from God. The anointing of God flows to His vision not my best ideas. Above all things in life I have to be a leader who hears from God and surrenders his heart to pursue the work to which God calls him; regardless of my preferences.

Second, Moses passed the vision on to two guys who were capable of doing the work. This is critical. He did not find two people who would simply do what he said. He found two people whose gifting from God enabled them to do what he could not do alone. Delegation is never about control and trust. It is about empowering others to accomplish their role in fulfilling God’s purpose.

Finally, Moses pushed the vision out to every craftsman. He had his inner circle, but Moses also understood that God planted in the hearts of others the final pieces of the puzzle required to accomplish his task. As I speak to others my job is not to sell them on what I do or use them for my plans. My purpose is to engage the skills and passions God has planted inside of them. My mission is to see their gifts from God bring glory to God.

Pray:

The past few months have represented the best and worst of times. The highs have been amazing and the lows have been gut wrenching. In the midst of it all I have felt the painful work of you chiseling away at the prideful stone that surrounds my heart. The leader I am today looks back on the leader I once was and laments over the mistakes I have made. I see many moments when I was not faithful to the gifts You placed in others, when I shrunk back instead of defending, when I held on instead of letting go, and when I moved forward before I heard your voice.

Father, I do not want to carry the mistakes of my past into Your work for my future. I lay at Your feet this morning and ask for Your voice, Your strength, and Your provision to confirm the work You have set aside for me. I acknowledge that You are stirring in the hearts of an inner circle of people the skills and passion needed to accomplish all that You have laid on my heart. I need Your guidance in connecting with them and honoring the passion You have given them. Finally Father I pray for Your anointing as I begin to share the vision You have given me. I ask that I connect deeply with the heart You have placed inside of others to walk humbly before You, to act for justice, and to bring kindness to the hurting.

Best Next Steps

Read: Exodus 33-34 & Acts 17

“For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people?” Exodus 33:16

Examine:

Moses had just experienced the most difficult leadership challenge he had faced. He would answer his own question in verse 17 by saying that it was only in the LORD going with them that it would be known. Moses had to work hard at leading the people to the new land, but he never lost sight of the fact that it was the presence, leading and glory of God that would bring them success.

Apply:

There is work involved in following after God. He is the One that makes things happen, but I have to put my shoulder into the labor. In the midst of that it is easy to lose sight of the LORD. I can press ahead of Him, I can lag behind Him, and I can flat out ignore Him. Regardless of where I am, my best next step is always the one that leads me back to the presence of God and submits to His direction.

Pray:

Father, the course of the past few months of my life have been unlike anything I have ever known. There have been so many twists, turns, and drops that I have often found myself locked up with fear and wondering what was next. There have been moments when I felt You so close that it felt like I stood in Your shadow. There have also been times when You felt so distant that I wondered if You had abandoned me.

In the course of the past few weeks, I have taken more risks for Your name than I have in the previous years of my life combined. I have followed Your voice in my heart to the letter as best I could. I have not made choices based on personal desires or my own comfort. I have done nothing unless You have affirmed it with Your perfect peace. I stand firm today.

I stand not because of my great faith. I stand only because I know that You will defend the glory of Your name. You are not a God of confusion. You will not lead me to a place that will disgrace Your name or discourage Your people. So, I stand firm in Your name today and confess that the only way people will know that I have found favor in Your sight is in Your going before me and blessing the work You have handed me for Your glory alone.

I pray that You allow me access to Your heart, Your presence, Your wisdom, and Your direction today. Allow my every thought to lead me to discern only Your timing and plans.

Vain Things

Read: Exodus 24-25 & Acts 14

“That you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all that is in them.” Acts 14:15

Examine:

When God moves and stirs there is always competition for His glory and voice. People look around for explanations for what has taken place and the starting point is almost always to look to the familiar.

Apply:

This is one of the few times that I can read a passage and go, “Ok, I have never done that.” In a moment of celebration or need I can honestly say that I have never gathered a crowd and offered sacrifice to a god. But then I pause and examine my heart and realize I let myself off the hook little prematurely. While it is true I have never offered a living sacrifice to a false god in celebration of something good happening for me and I have never sought a false god for answers to life’s questions; I do throw away God’s glory by turning towards vain things and giving them my hope, attention, and celebration. Most of these vain things take the form of tangible aspects of provision in my life.

I celebrate a man when I hear a good message and a singer when I hear a good song. I long for a location when I need a vacation from the everyday and seek entertainment to unwind on a long day. I look to books when I get stuck and celebrate my wisdom when I find an answer. I depend on my job for my compensation and base success on reviews from my peers. I look to the TV and periodicals to tell me the condition of my world and confidence in my economic well-being ebbs and flows with the reports I see in the business section of the paper. None of these things I turn to are evil and it is prudent to pay attention to all of them. That said, they can also become my focal point and I can spend more time with them than the God who created them.

Pray:

Father, there are certain things in life that are just common sense. All the things in my life that supply me are things You created and allowed. Reading books, looking at magazines, listening to messages, subscribing to blogs, and checking the weather are all things that are just prudent. I have known people who so over spiritualize things that they do not have enough sense to open an umbrella out of fear that they will rob You of a chance to shelter them. Over-spiritualizing is not my issue. My issue is that I so under-spiritualize things that I can live and function everyday without ever coming in contact with You.

My prayers can become rushed moments of pause that I shove in between the gaps in my schedule. Google can easily become the first place I turn when I feel lost or confused. My desire for You can become nothing more than a selfish attempt to find the energy, peace, and emotional push I need to accomplish my plans.

I do not want to use You as a means to acquire vain things. I do not want to misuse the resources You provide me by allowing them to be vain things in which I trust. Lead me today to walk moment by moment in complete awareness of Your leadership, provision, and affirmation.

Moving Towards Complete

Read: Exodus 20-21 & Acts 11

“For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith.” Acts 11:24

Examine:

The definition of success in God’s eyes and in the eyes of the world varies greatly. The three traits listed here should be the top of the list for all men who follow Christ.

Apply:

As I think of a good man, my thoughts no longer gravitate towards making good behavior choices. Stu Weber’s four pillars of a man’s heart best capture a good man to me. A good man is a king. He leads his home, provides direction, and is willing to take risks to advance things. A good man is a warrior. He rejects passivity and will fight to protect what needs protecting. A good man is a mentor. He takes the lessons he has learned in life and intentionally passes them on to other able men, starting with his own sons. A good man is a friend. He is not afraid to be real and share his life with others. If I am to be a good man, I need these four pillars of my heart to be alive and active.

Full of the Holy Spirit is critical. If I walk according to the Holy Spirit, then I will not fulfill the desires of my flesh. As this happens, I daily find that my joy becomes centered on Jesus. John Piper refers to being filled with the Holy Spirit like this: “I think being filled with the Spirit means, basically, having great joy in God. And since the Bible teaches that "the joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10), it also means there will be power in this joy for overcoming besetting sins and for boldness in witness. But, basically, it means radiant joy, because the Spirit who fills us is the Spirit of joy that flows between God the Father and God the Son because of the delight they have in each other. Therefore, to be filled with the Spirit means to be caught into the joy that flows among the Holy Trinity and to love God the Father and God the Son with the very love with which they love each other.”

Being a man of faith. My understanding of this is changing daily. I once thought it meant to believe in Jesus. There was another season when I thought it meant believing that I would get what I wanted. Today, my definition of this is grounded in Philippians 3: 7-8: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” The Glory of God should be so great in my life that everything else in comparison should amount to rubbish. That is what it means to be a man of faith.

Pray:

This is more than I can process today. There are days when I hear You say with clarity that it is time to man-up and go to another level. I have learned when that happens, the only thing I can do is strap it on and say ok. That is my prayer to You today. Move me deeper into Your desire for me to be complete in Christ. Teach me the ways of a good man, fill me with the Holy Spirit, and make me a man of faith.

Quiet Reflection

Read: Exodus 16-17 & Acts 8

“and for three days he was without sight, and neither at nor drank.” Acts 9:9

Examine:

Saul was a man on a mission. He genuinely loved God. Unlike the balance of the religious elite Saul’s persecution of the church was a result of His zealousness for God. He was not trying to protect his religious rituals or keep God defined to a box.

As well intentioned as he was he missed God. He missed God and as a result inflicted a great deal of pain, suffering, and death on innocent people. Such is the case with well-intended, hard charging, but mis-directed men of God. God intercepted Saul’s life and forced him to sit without sight for three days. During this time of quiet reflection God redirected the life of Saul. He would obtain a new name, a new mission, and an even greater passion.

Apply:

Quiet reflection. Those words sound to me like fingernails on a chalkboard. I am hard charging. I do not like to sit still and I abhor waiting. My ADD mind in reflection mode is like trying to listen to a radio stuck on scan. Quiet reflection is a spiritual trait that is missing from my life. I wake up everyday between 4:30 and 5:00. I spend time in the word and journal what God lays on my heart. From 6:00 til 7:30 my mind is consumed with getting kids dressed, dressing myself, and getting everyone to school. 8:00 – 5:00 is filled with the tasks created by the 15 projects I have going righting now. 5:00 – 7:30 is supper with the kids, baths, and getting the kids down. By 8:00 my mind is fried and my body is tired. I read a little, spend some time with Brandy (although we are both mostly catatonic) and then I crash for the night somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00. Saturdays are full of the kid’s activities and yard work. Sunday’s are serving at the church, church service and leading my small group. Quiet reflection gets lost in the shuffle.

Pray:

I am sitting here this morning and I am struggling to with what to do with this. You get the first hour of my day on most days. I sit with Your Word and open my heart to be adjusted, corrected, and encouraged. You meet me daily and I am always amazed at what You reveal to me. As wonderful as my time alone with You during the day is, I feel like something is missing. I feel like I shift into a different mode after my morning prayer. It is like I put You down and then run the race before me. I do not stay connected with You, I do not fully rely on You, and I mostly work the things I know to do. At the end of the day I judge success based on the things I marked off my list and then I rest.

I do not know how to pray this morning other than to acknowledge to You that I hear You saying something is not just right. I accept that You are saying I need extended times of quiet reflection and a greater connection with You as I go through my days. I do not know how to get there from here but I am open to whatever You lay on my heart to do.