When we started this crazy year that has been 2020, we had BIG aspirations of a year of seeing clearly – 2020 VISION. It felt like we were stepping into “The Future”. Now halfway through this first year of the future, most of us would like to go back or maybe just skip ahead. I love the “Back to the Future” Meme that is going around with Doc Brown and Marty by the Delorean. It says “Listen carefully, Marty…whatever you do, don’t set it to 2020”.

But for those of us without the luxury of a time machine, we’re here, right in the middle of 2020. We are hoping the last half will be a vast improvement over the first. We may not have the ability to just “get outta here”, but as Christians, we do have access to power that the world does not. Yet, we often watch the world, copy their behavior and act like we are in the same position as they are. Soon…fear, worry, anger and arguments are defining our behavior too.

But we have the ability to “see through”. During “this present age” (the time between when Christ has gone back to heaven and the time He will return to Earth), God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Although, we can’t see what is going to come next, He can. The Bible tells us that through the Spirit, God reveals to us what to do.

Isaiah 30:21 says “and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way, walk in it.” 

And in 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, we are told that we are not “in the dark”. We are children of light. It goes on to tells us that we need to live like who we are. The world is focused on what they see right in front of them, which leads to wasting time and resources without hope and living for pleasure instead of purpose.

Our hope and salvation allows us to hear the voice of God and KNOW that although it seems dark, God is still in control. A lot of voices are screaming at us, luring us, and taunting us. It doesn’t mean we have to listen. WE have a choice of which voices get our attention. Listening to the voice of TRUTH is what gives us the ability to “see through”. It illuminates the darkness and gives us the perspective to see 2020 as part of God’s plan. A season where God is allowing suffering, fear, uncertainty to move people towards the opportunity to follow Him.

So, as much as we want to “get outta here…”, get dressed up in costumes & collect some candy, carve the turkey, put up the tree and bring on 2021. Let’s not waste what we’ve been given. Let’s join God in whatever He is doing, knowing that He has a perfect eternal plan and make the most of 2020. WORRY…it steals our time. God has got this, live in that freedom and move into being productive. ARGUING and ANGER…it steals our testimony. Let God love people through you instead. FEAR…it steals our faith. It leaves you stuck or moving backwards. Know who you are and who your God is. Then you will be able to “see through” and help others do the same.

If you are looking for practical steps in how to make this happen…here is where to get started learning to hear God’s voice and knowing His plan.

1. Read, know and meditate on God’s Word. — He has already given us the “instruction book” we just have to use it.
   
2. Put away pride and selfish ambition. — Everything I have is from God and is intended to use for His glory, not my gain.
   
3. Ask and be persistent. (Prayer) – Talk to God. He says we should ask for what we need. Ask Him for understanding, wisdom, faith and provisions. Yes, God already knows what you need. But he wants you to come to Him, to discover His will and to get to know Him through prayer.
   
4. Have faith – God says we should approach Him with boldness. When we pray…

– it arms us with what we need to face what is coming. (God’s Armor – Eph 6)

– it is spiritual warfare. Things are happening that we can’t see and our prayers effect the spiritual
realm. It restrains the forces of evil and darkness.

-helps you to hear God’s voice

5.  Listen & be obedient – Know that God is sovereign and His plan is perfect. It may not be what       we thought, but His ways are higher than our ways.

6. Walk in belief – When you hear God’s Word, take it, believe what He said and walk in it. Take that truth to your daily life, to your job, your grocery shopping and your social media scrolling (ouch!) It means not just saying you believe and then trying to “do” or “say” the right things to earn God’s favor. It means just believing it is true because God said it and living in it.

7.  Be thankful – When you hear his voice, when you get a direction or an answer, give him the GLORY! Acknowledge the way he provided the next step or the full need.

We’ve heard this question a lot… at parties, job interviews, first dates. We’ve probably all come up with our answer. An answer that reveals our true desires or perhaps the one we think will make us look the best to the people asking the question.

So what’s your answer? Do you want to be able to teleport? Fly? Super human strength? My answer is usually that I want to be able to remember everything I read. A search for wisdom, I guess. You know I’m not sure some of these so-called “super powers” would be everything they’re advertised to be. Do you really want to be able to teleport? Sure it would be cool to zap on over to Hawaii for a swim or to be a part of a historic event you see taking place on the news. But more than likely your binge watching will be interrupted by your mom who needs you to zap over and show her how to work her new cell phone or your boss who needs you to finish up that project right now.

We desire these super powers, because it feels like we never have enough or that we never measure up. What we need to do is to change our mindset and tell ourselves the truth. If we are Christians, we are already exactly who we need to be and we already have access to THE super power.

Our desire to know more, do more, is usually us trying to measure up or to be better than someone else. We want to appear smarter, richer, or more beautiful. The truth is we’re not them. God did not make us to be them. God may have a plan for their life and guess what?! It’s not the same plan that He has for you.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. Before you were born. God knew what you were created for. He gave you the gifts, talents, personality and resources to get it done and He has been continuing to teach you and equip you for what is next throughout your life.

We just need to be willing, THIS is where the super power kicks in! When we realize who we are, what we are made for and what God is asking us to do. We offer what we have. Is it enough? Probably not. God takes what we have and SUPERNATURALLY uses it for His purpose. This reminds me of the event in the Bible in Matthew 25, where Jesus fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. A few people had to offer their specific gift for this miracle to take place. A mom or dad probably packed that lunch, expecting it to feed their son. They were just doing an everyday task, being faithful to provide what they could. You have probably packed a lunch for your child. The best you were hoping for is that they don’t trade their carrot sticks for chocolate chip cookies in the lunch room. What if they came home and told you the lunch you packed fed the entire school today! The little boy had to listen, be aware of the need and be willing to give his lunch. The disciples had to put away their small mindset and be willing to do what Jesus asked of them.

That’s how God works. Each one playing his part and God takes care of the miraculous. We do what He made us to do and He steps in to orchestrate it for His plan and His glory. He lets us be a part of what He is doig.

There’s lots of superpowers we have access to when we follow God. We can’t begin to explain them all or even understand them. But there’s one more I don’t want to miss. We can KNOW exactly what to do next. Our God is perfect. He is everywhere. He KNOWS everything. We pray. We listen. We obey. He will show us the right way. That’s when we start to see miracles and experience the super powers of God. When we practice these habits, it results in a closer relationship with God.  It becomes increasingly easier to understand his voice and we can live knowing we are exactly where we need to be and are doing what He has planned. Nothing else matters.

Know who you are.

Know who God is.

DO NOT FEAR!

Listen and obey.

Get ready for the miraculous.

When we hear the telling of Jesus’ birth, it typically includes words like greatly anticipated, long-awaited and hoped for. From the time God told Eve He would send a savior, we hear of generations watching and waiting for His birth. I don’t know about you, but the picture in my head of these people is focused, dedicated, intently seeking and anticipating this arrival for thousands of years. But I’m afraid this scene is fashioned from Christmas carols and story books that only tell part of the story. The real story includes people who people who forgot God and followed the wrong gods. These people wandered in deserts, were intimidated by giants and destroyed by a flood.

Sounds a lot like us…we find ourselves waiting again. Jesus came to earth as God promised. He defeated death and returned to Heaven with the promise to prepare a place for us and come again. This time we were given the Holy Spirit to guide us. This time we have the completed Word of God to teach us. We still find ourselves forgetting about God, following the patterns of this world and misdirecting our worship to the wrong things. We waste lots of time going the wrong direction and letting the giants of fear, insecurity, worry and more intimidate us. I’m not sure that the 2,000 years we’ve been waiting can be described as focused, dedicated, intently seeking or anticipating the second arrival of Jesus either.

But Hebrews 11 paints us a different picture of those who waited on Christ’s birth. Although many wandered in the desert, Moses followed God. When people who were supposed to be warriors spent 40 days intimidated by the giant Goliath, David, a shepherd, had faith that His God would fight the battle for Him. Noah listened to God and followed His instructions in seemingly ridiculous circumstances and was saved from destruction in the flood. Hebrews 11 tells us that it is their faith that makes them stand apart. They trusted God. So we have this opportunity as well. What do we do with our wait? Trust God. We don’t have to live lost, defeated, and destroyed. God’s Word tells us that He wins the battle in the end and He invites us to join Him in the victory. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus while we are still waiting for God to bring us His eternal kingdom.

We’re all building something.

We have goals that are intended to bring our family closer together, make it stronger. We are researching techniques that improve our skills and our lives so that we can live more comfortably or get a better job. We work our bodies and plan our meals to build a healthy lifestyle. We work countless hours, many times with no monetary payment to build our ministries, our causes and our churches. We carefully craft an image that will bring us more friends, followers and “likes” on social media.

The Bible tells us that we should have goals, work hard, provide for ourselves and persevere. So how do we know what we are REALLY building?  How do we know that the time and effort we are investing is going to make a difference? Will it last? Let’s ask ourselves a couple of questions….

Question #1 – Why are we building?

Is my goal to look better to other people? Is it to gain money, status or power? Is it to make my life easy or more comfortable? Maybe it’s just to have fun! What should my goal be? Let’s look at what God says.

I Corinthians 10:31
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.”

Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something
done for the Lord and not for people,”

These verses tell us that whatever it is we are doing, which includes the things we are striving to build in our lives, the purpose should be to glorify God. We should be building the name of Christ, not ourselves.

Question #2 – Is it yours to build?

Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are created by God and that He prepared good works for us to do. The CSB version says that He planned them “ahead of time”, NIV says “in advance” and the ESV uses the word “beforehand”. That means that God already had a plan for us. Even before we were born, He had a purpose in mind for our life. When He created you, He gave you exactly the right skills, talents, life experiences and everything else you need to accomplish the job He has planned for you. When we make a decision about where to put our efforts, we first need to pray. Ask God to help you determine if this is part of His plan for your life. Think about the reasons you are involved or are considering becoming involved. Are we doing it because it needs to be done…and no one else is volunteering? Are we trying to gain something for ourselves? Perhaps we see another person succeeding in this area and we feel that following in their footsteps will mean success for us as well. We must remember that if we spend our time in missions that are not ours to take on, although good things can still come from it, we may be missing out on the BEST thing that God has for us. We may also be stealing the mission from the person who God uniquely designed to do it! This leaves us overly stressed and crazy busy from doing something we were never meant for and equipped for in the first place. In 2 Samuel, chapter 7, King David expressed his desire to build a Temple for the Lord. David saw that he was living in a great palace, but their place of worship was only a tent, a temporary dwelling. Was this task something that needed to be done? Definitely. Building a temple would glorify God AND was part of God’s plan…but God reveals to David that it was not his job to build it. That task was meant for a later time and for David’s son, Solomon.

Looking to God’s specific plan for us brings great peace and freedom. If we “Trust in the Lord with all our heart”, we can know that He is perfect and sovereign and “will make our path straight”.  So, it doesn’t matter if we’re not doing the same thing as our friend, because that’s not what God has for us. If you don’t have the same possessions, resources or you’re not going the same places that you see others enjoying. That’s OK. God has given you the tools, talents, finances, and even the time you need to accomplish the tasks He has assigned to you.

So how do we build our homes, relationships, churches, ministries, businesses, or whatever God has tasked us with building in a way that is glorifying to Him. Here are some plans that help us stay on track as we build.

BUILDING PLAN – STEP 1: Jesus must be the foundation

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus gives us an illustration of two houses. One built on a foundation of rock and the other on a foundation of sand. The house built on the rock is able to withstand rain, flood and pounding wind. While the house build on sand collapsed under the same conditions.

When we build on the rock (Jesus) we have a solid foundation, so when the storms of life come at us, we will not collapse. In fact, anything we are building, if we have already determined it is glorifying to God and has been assigned to us to build is already a part of God’s big plan. We are building upon the foundation that God has already begun since He established time. He allows us to join Him and participate in what He is building. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13 tells us that the things we build on the foundation of Christ will one day be tested by fire. The things that don’t align with His plan and purpose will burn up. What is built for Christ will survive.

BUILDING PLAN – STEP 2: The Lord must be the builder.

Psalm 127:1-2

 “Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain.

 In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food—
yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves

We often spend much of our time and effort laboring over things that won’t last. We get up early and stay up late pouring ourselves into our projects. When we take control of the building, the results don’t last. As Psalm 127 tells us, we labor in vain. When the Lord is the builder, He goes before us to prepare the way. The Holy Spirit reveals the way to us and we have access to supernatural power to help us build. Letting the Lord be the builder doesn’t mean we can only build churches and ministries. There are plenty of ministries that are more about building their own name, than the name of Christ. There are also some amazing businesses that are more concerned with God’s plans than their profits! Letting God be the builder of our health doesn’t mean we can’t be dedicated to exercise and eating right. It means that we don’t let it become more important than God. It means we should want to stay healthy in order to keep serving effectively and to treat the body God gave us with respect.

Letting God build our families, homes and relationships means that we guard ourselves from destructive habits and desires. We follow the plan of Colossians 3: 5-14 that tells us to put away earthly things like sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, greed, wrath, malice, slander, filthy language and lies. We must also remember that when we remove negative or wrong habits from our life, we must replace them with positive or “right” habits to help the old ways not to creep back into our life. To do that, the Colossians passage encourages us to “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiveness and love.

BUILDING PLAN STEP 3: We must not be divided.

Mark 3:25
“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

God’s Word tells us that when there is division in what we’re building, it can’t last. It will not grow or be strong. We also learn in James 1:7 that someone who is double minded is unstable in all his ways. Have you ever had a decision to make? Two choices. Which one is best? Where would God want me? I remember a time when I was wondering which job to pursue. Both “good” jobs, both in ministry, still…my mind was weighing the pros and cons, focused on the details. I found myself so busy trying to figure out the future, that it stopped me from being in the present. A divided mind led to an inability to be effective or move forward. So what are we supposed to when we are in these circumstances? Try some PTO… no..not paid time off…(although that’s always nice!) Pray. Trust. Obey. Talk to God about it. Trust that He is going to show you the right direction, and when He does, follow it, Obey. This frees your mind to keep moving forward with what you are currently working on while waiting for His next step. Trying to figure it out on your own only leads to worry, fear, ineffective service and wasted time pursuing the wrong directions.

Matthew 6:24 tells us that no one can serve two masters.

Sometimes our minds are divided between right and wrong. We want to follow God’s plan, but we’re holding on to power, pride or selfish habits. We can be apathetic, not noticing we need to change or stubborn, not wanting to change. In this case our divided minds lead to further separation from God, making it more difficult to know the right direction to go.

When our homes, relationships, churches and ministries are divided, we stop progressing, even moving in reverse. Satan loves to create division among groups of people, destroying the potential God’s people have when they work together in unity. Divided, we fix our eyes on the problem. United, we fix our eyes on the solution…Jesus. Following one plan, we’re on the same side, working toward the same goal in God’s power. That’s when amazing things happen.  1 Corinthians 1:10 tells us that if we are united in the name of Jesus Christ, we will have the same convictions and beliefs which will lead to no divisions among us.

What are some practical ways we can build unity and guard against divisive behaviors?

Establish an identity. Know who you are and what you’re about. Write it down in a purpose statement that you can continue to look to as a guide. Start with the things that God says about you as a child of God. Defining this identity for your family, your church or ministry creates a sense of belonging. It gives you guidelines for making decisions and a common goal to work towards.

Don’t isolate yourself. Unity doesn’t work with one person. We need each other. On our own we are weaker. When we share our needs with each other, help each other, serve together and pray for one another, we become invested. We overcome weakness and through God’s never ending, never failing, unlimited power, we become strong. Life is difficult to navigate on your own. Even when God assigns a task to us, He may have another person that He wants to work with you. When God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, He gave Moses the job to speak to Pharoh. Moses felt inadequate for the job because of his speech. Although God could have given Moses the speaking ability, He allowed Aaron to go along with Moses and help.

BUILDING PLAN STEP 4: Fill the house with treasure

Proverbs 24:1-2 “A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding; by knowledge the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.”

When God builds something, He doesn’t stop at functional. He doesn’t say that’ll do. They can get by. It will do the job. He chooses to make things flourish and grow. He adds beautiful embellishments and stunning surprises. He makes it strong, established and powerful. That is His desire for what He has you building too. It might not be easy, but it is good and worth the effort. If we follow His building plan, it will be wisely built. Because we understand God’s plan and follow Him, what we are building will be strong and established. When we build a relationship with God, talk with Him, spend time in His Word gaining more knowledge about Him, then what we are building will be filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. We will find purpose in serving our Lord as we wait for His return. We will find freedom and peace, confident in our steps, because He is directing our path.

Mr. Ambition – Faith Like A Child

I am fortunate to spend time ministering in a LifeWay Christian Store. I have found that when you follow God’s will and He places you somewhere where He is working, He allows you many opportunities to witness what He is doing, to be a part of what He is doing and to learn from each encounter. Here’s one of those stories…

An assertive little guy walked up to me and boldly asked “Where are your Bible studies?” Smiling at his adorable confidence for a kid his size, I replied “What kind of Bible study are you looking for?”  Glancing over at his mom, she added “one for his age group”. The boy quickly interjected “no… where are the adult ones? I’m growing up you know, I just turned double digits!” “Well, OK!” I answered “I admire your ambition! I’ll show where all the different options are and then you can choose what will work best for you.” I pointed out the location of the adult Bible studies, reference and commentaries. Then I showed him the “teen” section. This got his attention, sounding like something much more grown up and something that he could handle.

 Leaving him and his mom to explore their options, I quietly giggled to myself as I walked away. But that little guy made me think. That’s what the Bible means when it tells us to have faith like a child. He didn’t fear the big words or the difficult concepts. He was ready to know the BIG stuff, the DEEP stuff, the stuff WITHOUT PICTURES! He didn’t care about what others thought he could do or what society was telling him was right for him, He wanted more.

As we get older, life happens… experiences, distractions, mistakes and failures mix with worries, fear and obligations. All of sudden our confidence is shaken. We often neglect seeking the truth, wisdom and knowledge of the Bible because it’s hard to understand or we don’t really have time for that today. And guess what…we’re right! It IS hard to understand and time to read the Bible has to be made a priority or it’s NOT going to happen.

Studying God’s Word is more than we can handle when our confidence is misplaced. You must add faith. We need to put our confidence in God who will give us clarity of mind and His supernatural strength, wisdom and discernment. He will also give us the desire to know Him more.

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will help us to understand scripture.

1 John 2:27 (CSB)

²⁷ As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.

John 14:26  (CSB)

²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

So ask God to help you put away those thoughts that are keeping you from pursuing Christ. Ask God to strengthen and protect you from the enemy who is seeking to distract you and plant doubt in your mind. Trust the truth of God’s Word that tells us of the Holy Spirit’s power to teach us and to reveal the mysteries of Christ. Ask Him for the desire to pursue truth, to know Him more and to have faith like a child.