Living Unfiltered for God

  Recently, I’ve found myself studying and reading a lot about wisdom. It hasn’t been an intentional thing, it just dawned on me this morning that much of what I’ve been consuming in terms of books and podcasts have had this underlying theme. I don’t believe this is a coincidence. (You can definitely place me in the camp of “ all things happen for a reason ”, so I generally don’t put a lot of stock in the “ it’s just a coincidence ” explanation.)           What struck me earlier today was something new. I will typically journal (for those unfamiliar, yes, that word can be used as a verb) about what I read during my early morning “quiet time.” Often, it will turn into a prayer of sorts, for myself or others. When I did so this morning, I gained a new understanding of the depth and importance of wisdom, as a concept. This is my attempt to put in into words and share with you what I learned.   Wisdom is a three-fold process of disc...

This is not going to be the typical type of piece that I share. It’s a little longer (please be patient and humor me, and read all the way through) and maybe a little more “preachy” (again, please be patient…)  I was inspired to write this toward the very end of our church service this morning. It has taken me a while to sort out what exactly is supposed to be conveyed in and by these words – I pray that I get it right. It is no surprise to anyone that our world is in a strange kind of place these days. I can honestly say that they are unlike any of my previous fifty-plus years on this earth. For most of the last four months, this has been deeply concerning to me. But recently (and even more-so in the moments as I type this), I have started to have a little bit of a different take… Maybe, just maybe, all that we have been experiencing is not really about “them” taking away “our” freedoms, or “those people” not doing what “they” should have done years ago or “us” finally getting...

It comes as no surprise to anyone who reads these pieces regularly that a large focus is placed upon faithful “obedience”. Specifically, obedience to doing what we hear God tell us to do. That, after all, is what “living unfiltered for God” is all about. If we hear God say it, we do it. No questions asked. No dilly-dallying. Just make it happen. Is it easy? Not. At. All. I don’t know about you, but it always makes me feel good when I read biblical accounts of people who are like me. And by “like me” I mean, people who don’t get it right all the time. The examples are legion, which should make us all feel a little bit better. I came across one such example a couple of days ago… I’ve been reading through the Old Testament lately, working my way through the early kingdoms of Saul, then David and then Solomon. Shortly after Solomon dies and Jeroboam takes the throne, we come across a little account of a couple of prophets in 1 Kings 13 . I’ll let you read the whole passage on yo...

There’s an awful lot of talk these days about hygiene. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been told so many times to make sure I wash my hands (while singing “Happy Birthday”… Twice!) since I was in elementary school. And for good reason, I should say. This Coronavirus has a lot of people concerned, so it’s just prudent to use common sense when it comes to keeping your hands clean, not touching your face, and generally practicing good hygienic habits. And of course, these are things we should be doing all the time anyway, regardless of any newly introduced virus or even just good old-fashioned influenza. As a borderline germophobe, I think we could all do a better job at these things! Now, you’re starting to ask yourself, what does this possibly have to do with faith, or living unfiltered for God? Well, I’m glad you asked! Yesterday morning during my time in The Word, I came across a passage that I know I have read many times before. And as Scripture often does when you read it regu...

While reading one of the Advent devotionals through the YouVersion Bible app this morning, I came across this commentary… Luke 2 says that when the angels told the shepherds the Good News about Jesus’ birth, they “hurried off” to find Him. Instead of waiting around and letting doubt creep in, they responded immediately. This took great faith! Certainly, they wanted to meet Jesus, but they also had earthly concerns. What would they do with their flock? Should they tell their families first? Were they dressed appropriately? Were simple shepherds really worthy of meeting the King of Kings? They didn’t let any of the questions we might have asked in the same situation keep them from quickly responding to God. I immediately thought, what a great example of living unfiltered for God! It is this kind of behavior that I have been trying to practice myself and encourage in this space for a while now. How amazing was it that these shepherds heeded the call, no questions asked? It makes ...

When was the last time you took a chance for God? What I mean is, when was the last time you did something that, in the natural, was probably a bad idea, (or you could at least convince yourself that it was), but you knew that, since God wanted you to do it, it would all work out okay? Let me back-up a short step… For you to do this you would have to hear from God in the first place. So, let’s start there. Do you hear His voice?   I’m not talking an audible voice (although it’s been known to happen), but more that “still small voice” that you sense in your spirit. That’s really what this whole blog is about – hearing his voice and acting on it – no filters, no ifs, ands, or buts, just do what He says! Now, back to my question – When was the last time? I would argue that if something hasn’t already popped into your head, then maybe you’re not taking enough “God chances” in your life. They don’t have to be big ones – like some biblical ones we’ll mention shortly – they ...

In the last four posts, we have been studying some lesser-known, or at least less talked about individuals from the Bible. All of them have played an important role in the broader story that is HIS-story. Our final character though, Ananias, exhibits perhaps the best example of what it means to live unfiltered for God. That is, when we hear God prompt us to do something (however that may work for you), we do it. We all know the story of Paul. How he was originally known as Saul and made quite a name for himself by persecuting (and worse) any and all Christians that he came across. We also know of his “conversion experience” as he was on the road to Damascus one day. Scripture records it like this:   As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”   “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.   “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, ”...

Have you ever wanted something so badly, that you prayed if God gave it to you, you would give it back to Him? Sounds a little crazy, doesn’t it? Yet, that is precisely what the individual we’re about to look at did. We’re almost done with our recap of what the Youth of Florida Family CFO discussed out on the dock early each morning. When Thursday came, it was time to study a little more about another great woman of the Bible… Hannah. Hannah was one of two wives of Elkanah. (A detail that required a little extra discussion that early morning.) His other wife had given birth to multiple sons and daughters, while Hannah’s womb, “was closed”, and had not produced any offspring. This was a constant point of irritation to Hannah, as her rival “provoked her.” Once, during their annual visit to Shiloh, where they worshiped and sacrificed, Hannah, while in the presence of Eli, the priest, started weeping and praying. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitt...