Work in Progress

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Ok, I admit it! I am a WIP - Work In Progress.

Please everybody have patience with me!

What I want is for my life be a true reflection of my Fathers character. I know that although I many times only see the "coal" - both in myself and in others, there is something beautiful "a diamond" inside - and that when it is revealed, God will receive glory.

As humans we tend to focus alot on our senses - what we can see, hear, taste, smell, feel. The challenge here is that when we are born again, our spirit becomes alive, and aside from the fact that yes, we live in a human body, a whole new dimension is added to our experience. In the natural, it is really easy to spend all your time, effort, energy and finances on what you can sense - think of how much time effort and energy you spend on food, clothing, housing, entertainment, education, exercise, etc.

The challenge is that none of these are going to have much benefit to us in the long run, because it is only our spirit that is going to survive the trip - so how do we get to focus our "spending" on that which is going to bring us an eternal reward? How do we ensure we invest for maximum yield? Paul admonishes us to spend more time on spiritual exercise than on that of the physical body. For some of us (like me, who really does not have a natural inclination to doing anything more physical than holding a book up to my face!) this doesn't pose such a huge problem. Or does it? Because even though I might not be exercising my physical body, the challenge is still to be constantly exercising and growing my spiritual muscles - constantly progressing and growing stronger day by day.

And I believe that in the growing of my spirit, the purifying process is set in motion to bring my true nature, the nature of my wonderful Father to a place where it can be revealed for all to see. "You make all things beautiful in it's time..."

I believe it all comes back to our focus. Everything in this natural world has been set up to bombard and compete for our attention. There is so much to distract us and it becomes really easy to completly forget who we really are and what has "eternal" important in our lives. So in our quest to complete our journey as Light and Salt - bringing Our Father with us into every situation we are faced along the way - Let's strip off the weights that so easily attach themselves to us, let go of the sins that we pick up along the road of life, and let's focus on what is real and eternal. Lifting up our eyes and seeing, focusing on, Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith - the One who came to give us LIFE (true, abundant, glorious, joyful, peace-filled, passionate life) - let's not forget the price He paid for the privilege we now hold - and let's focus. (My paraphrase of Heb 1: 1-2)

Focus on running the race that lies ahead of us - focus on eternity - focus on the Kingdom of God.

And keep on keeping on.
Putting one foot in front of the other.
Picking up those spiritual "weights" - prayer, meditation, communion with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, study of His word, sharing our faith with others, not neglecting the "gathering together" - until our spiritual muscles grow stronger and stronger.
And having patience with ourselves in the process - this is not a sprint, it's a marathon!

Let's keep looking to Jesus until His light shines on all our darkness, exposing it for what it is. Let's allow Him to purify us, to mould us into His perfect likeness. (Ouch!!)
Let's choose to embrace His light and truth until we reflect His pure light in everything we are and in everything we do.

Let's make our goal this:
When people run into me, they run into my Father.
When people speak to me, they hear the voice of my Father speaking to them.
Where I go I bring with me hope, love, forgiveness and peace.
When they are thirsty I offer living water.
When they are weary I am able to point them to a place of rest.

Keep working in me Lord!

Until everyone can see that...
I am my Father's child.

Not by might nor power...

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It's not my might nor power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.

How many times I haven't forgotten this, and tried TRIED Soooo hard, with all of my might - but seen really meager results. Disappointment. Feelings of failure. Discouragement.
These are enemies we have to fight -or at least I have to fight them on a regular basis. Enemies who if I give a tiny foothold to, will not think twice at taking me out of the game - neutralising me - completely. But you see, my life is not about me, my life is about Him - and seeing His Kingdom come and His will be done - starting in my own life and then branching out to everyone who surrounds me and whom I impact. And when I am not fighting my battle, but His, when I am not building my kingdom, but His - that is when His power and His might through His Spirit becomes available to me to help me overcome, to win, to conquer.

We many times look at ourselves and what we see can be disappointing especially when compared to those around us (big BIG mistake!). So we hold back. We keep what we have - because it seems insignificant. We try and "work" what we have to make it look better, to try and get ourselves to a place where we can "give" what we have, without feeling inferior. So we try and live our lives... by our might and our power. Sometimes the results might even look good - it looks great, it seems like we are progressing - and we are quiet proud of ourselves!

Today's challenge. Don't keep what you have to yourself. Stop trying to live this life in your might and your power. Give. Give what you have in your hand. Give who you are. Because in the giving lies the miracle - in the surrender lies the key to great, amazing, mind-boggling results. My natural + His Super = Supernatural!!

Want to see the Supernatural of God flowing through your life? Remember the little boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fishes? Supernatural happened when he gave what he had, when he offered what seemed insignificant, disappointing, insufficient. And God the Father smiled, and released Super...added to his natural - and we know the rest of the story. 5000 were fed, 12 baskets of leftovers were gathered. Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.

I ask you again. What do you have in your hand right now?

Who are you Leading?

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We are all leading somebody.

Whether you think of yourself as a leader or not, if somebody is looking to you - if somebody is following you - if somebody is being influenced by you, you're leading. Congratulations!!
You have just been promoted to Leadership!

And with that comes responsibility. Jesus said that we are light and salt. Light is not meant to be hidden under a table, and salt that is not used eventually loses its flavour and worth. So how does that affect the way I live my life? We can live thoughtlessly and indifferent to the fact that somebody out there is watching us ALL of the time - this could be due to a host of reasons. Not wanting the role (sorry too late, already gottit!). Selfishness - this is my life and I will live it my way (sorry, but if you have surrendered "your" life to Jesus Christ, it no longer belongs to you). Cluelessness - just not realising the difference that you do and can make in the lives of those of others (no more excuses after reading this :-p).

So how do we embrace this thing called leadership? Instead of fighting it or resenting it, let's do just that - embrace it. See it as a gift from God - whether you are leading one person (maybe that 2 year old that calls you in the middle of the night) - or a host of people. If in addition to being a leader, you have the special added "gift" of leadership - seen in the amazing ability to just draw people wherever you go, finding yourself being thrust into leadership without necessarily asking for it...embrace it! It is a gift - you didn't do anything to earn it, you just are - so enjoy it - make the most of it, lead well!

It all really boils down to one thing. Doesn't matter whether we carry the title or not - if we are children of the living God - we represent Him. We have His Spirit inside of us - we are made in His Image. When people see us, they are seeing our Father.

Let's live our lives "on purpose" - purposeful God-honouring lives.
Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith - on purpose.
Purposing to run the particular race God has set before us.
Purposing to influence as many people along the way with the LIGHT and TRUTH that lives inside of us - bringing with us Hope and Blessing.
Purposing to live lives that proclaim the Gospel (good news) of God's love, goodness and grace wherever we go.
Leading ourselves to follow Him - "on purpose".

And never forgetting. That with the call... to lead, to be salt and light, comes the Grace (unearned, unmerited favour - doing for you what you cannot do for yourself) to do it.

So don't resent it. Embrace it. Shine!

The Seed

I have been thinking alot lately about the power in the seed.

When we look at a seed, it seems small, insignificant and almost to be scorned - what great thing could possibly come from such a tiny even ugly thing? Looking at a tiny apple pip we seldom see or even think of the potential that is hidden within it - not only is there the ability or potential in that one seed to produce an apple tree. No, there is the potential in the seed for an apple tree - which in turn will produce in it's lifetime hundreds (thousands?) of apples -which in turn will have inside them the seeds which if planted and cultivated continue the process...

In my own life I have many times despised the tiny seeds. Overlooked them. Undervalued and underestimated them.

You see there are many seeds that God has placed within us - the potential in the seeds NEVER change - inside each seed is still the DNA to produce something great, something of value. However, if we never see in faith, if we never believe that in that tiny, insignificant seed there is power - we will not plant it, we will not nurture it and we will not hang around long enough to pick the fruit.

I am reminded of the scripture that tells us to Stand and Stay Standing! I think one of the biggest challenges of our time is our "I want it all and I want it now" (thanks Freddy Mercury!!) mentality. Fast Food, Instant everything makes us look at the big "apple trees" around us and forget that that is not the way they started out. We look at greatness in people's lives and forget the seeds that were planted many years ago, the diligent watering and nurturing, the seasons (many of them painful) that were endured, the choice to stand and not give up... We forget the price that many have paid to get to where they are today, and look at our own small and seemingly insignificant seeds - and we don't believe that we have what it takes - because we don't recognise... Greatness is hidden in that small seed.

By the way - you can choose - would you rather have "instant" - a mushroom grows overnight and is gone overnight too. Or are you looking at something more permanent with lasting value - like the oak tree?

What farmer do you know that plants a seed tonight, and expects to harvest his crop tomorrow? Yet many times this is exactly what we do... we walk away too soon because we don't see the harvest... We need to realise and embrace the process and not resent it.

God has put within each of us the seeds of Greatness. The seeds of Significance. The seeds to bring great change and blessing to our Generation. We need to stop looking at what we see with the natural eye, and start looking at what God sees. We need to stop looking at the "raw product" - the lump of coal and SEE with God's eyes the potential - the diamond!

Lift up your eyes!! See! God has placed within you Greatness!
You are created in the IMAGE of your awesome Father... you have the Spirit of THE Great One inside of you!
You are the fruit of the seed that God planted more than 2000 years ago - when He gave His only, dearly loved Son as the first seed, seeing the potential to receive much...
And in turn, you have within you the same seed - the "apple does not fall far from the tree" in your case!
You are your Father's child!

I am reminded of the widow woman who's children were going to be sold to pay off her debt and when she asked the Prophet Elisha to help, he asked her: "what do you have?"... she had a little oil and he told her to go and get as many pots and containers as she could and when she had brought them, he started pouring the little oil that she had into the containers and as he did the containers were filled and the oil only stopped when there were no more containers. (Read all about it in 2 Kings 4)

This is the power of the seed. Will you take the risk with me? Will you dare to see the potential in the tiny seed and offer it back to God in an act of love and worship to Him... daring to plant it in the rich ground of His Love. Nurture it daily by your faith and belief that even though you cannot see the desired outcome right now, you know that seed is there in the ground and that something is happening. Will you fertilise it by spending time in His Word so that your Faith can be built up and you can hear His instructions for the tending of the seed? Will you water it regularly by speaking Faith words, Life words over the seed? Will you protect the seed from weeds by continuing to walk in holiness and getting rid of the sins that so easily want to distract you? And once the plant starts to grow, so that you can start to SEE something - will you determine to stay standing - not to allow the winds of adversity to bend your little tree out of shape? Will you hang around long enough for the tree to grow strong enough to start producing fruit, or will you after a year or two give up on it and walk away - without ever having the chance to enjoy the rewards?

My prayer is that our wonderful, loving God, our Father, the Master Gardener will give us the eyes to see with faith the great potential He has placed in us. That He will help us to persevere through all the seasons when it seems that nothing is happening. That He will grow us from the inside out, pruning us here and there until our character conforms to His will for our lives. That by the power of the life of the seed, the power of the Spirit of the Living God that flows through our veins - the very power of our DNA - we will bear much and healthy and good fruit.

John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Romans 11:16(b) and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Focus

Double mindedness. Don't we all hate this in people... but more so in ourselves.

Let's look outward. Somebody who just cannot make up their mind - today they believe they should be doing this and tomorrow they have changed their mind. Today they believe God is telling them this and tomorrow they have forgotten all about it. The easy thing is to look at others and get irritated by these fluctuations. We see it in the church - today somebody believes God has planted them here, and tomorrow there is a new flavour in town and there they go - bye!!! Today it is "I am with you pastor" and tomorrow... well you just don't see them again.

It reminds me of kids in a candy store - they see this and want it, then get distracted and see something else that they want - they just cannot stay focussed long enough to make up their minds.

Is double-mindedness a problem of our time? Could it be that we have become a people without integrity - gone are the days of "my word is my honour"? That doesn't seem entirely accurate when I consider the Bible. James warns us that a double minded man is like a wave tossed on the sea - then this way, then that way - and that such a man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Paul warns us to grow up and stop being blown this way and then that by different "winds" of doctrine or teaching.
In plain English I would conclude they are telling us "Make up your mind!"

So HOW do we get to the place where we are no longer double-minded - that is the question?

In my own life this is a constant challenge. Being a child of God the answers don't always seem cut and dried. There are basic principals to follow, yes, but when it comes to everyday decisions things get a bit more complicated... there isn't scripture confirming which colour tiles to choose for my kitchen (or is there!!??).

I see two problems here - or hold it - maybe there is only one problem! Fear.
Fear of not hearing God's voice clearly. Fear of making a wrong decision. Fear of commitment. Fear of being used.

God has not given us a spirit of fear - but of power, love and a sound (and disciplined) mind! A sound mind is not double minded. A disciplined mind is not "tossed to and fro".
A sound mind - that's is the key to not being double-minded!!
We have two oponents here - in the one corner we have fear - and in the other corner we have love, power and a sound/disciplined mind.

Jesus said that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. Truth allows us to see - truth allows us to discern - when truth comes things are no longer hidden.
Truth allows us to ask the question: "Hold it!! What is this?"
If it doesn't feel like love, if it doesn't feel like power (faith, courage, strength), if my mind is troubled and not feeling sound - then it must be fear!

Lets face the facts. Double-mindedness is caused by fear.
We are afraid. We are afraid of failing, afraid of disappointing - both God and others, we are afraid of rejection... the list goes on and on - and fear is a Driver - it doesn't Lead gently, like the Shepherd of our souls (Ps 23) - it Drives - like a slave-master. It shows no mercy.

Mike Murdock makes the statement "The battle of life is for your mind. The battle of the mind is for focus. All warfare is for your focus, because anything that keeps your focus becomes your master."

So the challenge Today:
Choose your master.
Choose who you will serve.
Choose who you will focus on.

Will you choose to serve God the Loving Father, the Gentle "leading" Shepherd - who's burden is light and who's yoke is easy; who brings liberating truth and light - freedom?
Or will you choose to follow the enemy of your soul, disguised in a cloak of fear, lying to you, driving you, burdening you down under cares and worries?

Deuteronomy 30:19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (NKJV)

That settles it!
I choose life.
I choose truth.

Shine the light of your truth into every darkness, every lie I have believed, Father.
Help me to keep my Focus on You.
Help me keep my mind set on Truth that frees me from all my fears.

CHOOSE LIFE!

Words.
They hold in them such power - sometimes we realise this and other times we forget - in my case I have to admit I probably forget more than I remember.

I know that the earth was formed by words... God-breathed words - God said and then God saw. We are made in the image of our Father and because of this our words have creative power in them - that is, they can either create something of value or something destructive - both in our lives and in the lives of others.

Amazing how when we were little we used to say "sticks and stones can hurt my bones, but words can never hurt me" and how totally untrue this is! The words are exactly the things I remember so many years on - the sticks and stones, well those wounds have healed, but the word-wounds... that is another story.

So let's use our words to create LIFE, to create the DESIRED OUTCOME - instead of speaking word curses over ourselves all the time (ouch!! we are all so guilty of this). Let's get our words in line with God's words because... when 2 or 3 agree as concerning anything, it will be! Let's start speaking Truth (no, not reality as we see it, but Godly Truth... the kind of Truth that when we know it, sets us free...).

Truth:
I am the head and not the tail, I am above and not beneath, everything I put my hand to prospers. That kind of truth!
Lets speak the words that agree when God says: I know the plans that I have for you, to bless you and prosper you, to give you a future and a hope!
That agree with the fact that "I (God, your Loving Father) have loved you with an EVERLASTING love!"
Let's speak those words today.

Let's create Life and Blessing.

Fight the Fight, Stay Standing!

We have an enemy, no doubt about it. And what that enemy wants to do is to steal the calling on our lives - he wants us to question our identity - who we really are. This is not new... he did it to Eve in the Garden... questioning "did God say?"... and again with Jesus after his wilderness experience..."IF ... you are the Son of God..."

(YES!! This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!! - this is God's word to me today... I am His, and He is well pleased in me! WOW)

The enemy of our soul's tactics hasn't changed -
he questions our calling (has God called you? are you anointed? did God say... and on and on);
he questions our identity (IF you are loved by God, then why did such and such happen, why are you sick/poor/.... fill in the gap)
he gets those closest to us to join in...
Because he knows, as a man thinks in his heart so he is... if he can get me to believe the lies, the accusations, that is who I become... the lie is lived out as truth in my life.

What you and I need to realise is that this enemy of ours' only weapon left - after Jesus defeated him at Calvary - is deception and lies and accusation. The name satan - in hebrew - means "the accuser" - that is who he is, and what he does. Accusation is used against us to cause us to doubt who we are and what we are called to do -
"you haven't read your bible today!;
you haven't prayed enough today;
you didn't visit such-and-so today;
look at your failures -surely you are mistaken thinking that God has called you to do that"
and on and on it goes.

We need to get aggressive - we are VICTORS and not victims!! We are MORE THAN OVERCOMERS through Christ! We are called to Stand and STAY Standing!! NOT lie down. NOT cringe back in fear. NOT hide. But Stand and face the enemy head on - clothed in the Godly armour that has been provided for us. Stand and Say: "enough is enough". I will NOT back down. I will NOT believe the lie. Stand in humility and agree that who GOD says I am, I am...Stand in humility and agree that what God says about me, is so: NO weapon formed against me shall prosper and every tongue risen up against me (in accusation) I condemn!

I am a child of the living God.
I have the Spirit of my Father in me.
I am born from the tribe of the Lion of Judah.
I have the Spirit of the Lion in me - I am not born from the tribe of Mickey Mouse, and I don't have the spirit of a mouse in me.

I know who I am. I am Loved. I am Precious. I am valuable. I am forgiven. I am righteous. My God has called me and anointed me to show forth HIS praises in this earth. I am salt and I am light. I have a spirit of Love, Power and a Sound Mind.
I know who I am. Let the Lion in me Roar!

I am Yours, Father.
Help me never to forget...