Living Unfiltered for God

This is going to be one of those shorter posts that I mentioned would be coming... Mostly because I really want those of you that follow this blog to share with others your thoughts on something I've been thinking a lot about lately. How do you go about making a really important decision? I've had several things come up in my life the last few weeks where I've had to make decisions that were not of the " what do I wear to work today? " variety. These are the decisions that you know God is not only paying attention to, but He no doubt has a stake in what you decide.  This goes to the root of living unfiltered for Him - What does He want us to do? What is the decision He wants us to make? What is HIS WILL for our life in this particular matter at hand?   So my question for you is this: How do you go about making these decisions? What is your process? Do you turn to scripture? Do you pray? Do you seek wise counsel? And how do you know when you have your answer? ...

Several evenings ago I attended a memorial service for a friend's husband. I didn't realize it but he was 11 days younger than me. That gets your attention. As I was waiting to pay my respects to my friend, now a widow with twin 3-year-old daughters, I thought about how they handled the last couple of years through his illness. They navigated it with strength, courage, and an unwavering faith. There was always a subtle confidence that came through in every update of their journey. And now, that part of the journey over, as I spoke with my friend another confidence was exhibited. That of knowing where her husband was - celebrating with Jesus in Heaven - and knowing that whatever future may be in store for her and her girls, God has it all under control.  This is exactly what our pastor was referring to in his message last Sunday when he taught us that we must have, " confidence, even when we don't have clarity. " The same confidence that Jonathan had when attack...

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2014!  I've always loved this time of year - reflecting on the previous 12 months and looking ahead to what the next year may bring. It's like starting out with a clean slate - a blank canvas of opportunity. I think the Holy Spirit uses this time to remind us that we have a God of new beginnings - One who forgives us and lets us start fresh and new! And not just once a year, but every day and even multiple times a day, if necessary!  Paul tells us that, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ) Sounds like how we approach each new year, does it not? We must remember that, as Christians, we are that new creation. At the dawning of a new year it is a good time to think and pray about what God wants to do with us, in us and through us. What is it that, through our obedience to Him, God wants to do this coming year?  While some reflecting on the past to help with this is g...

Our last post spoke of how fear can be used by the enemy to discourage us and keep us from walking in God's will and all that He may have in store for us. This post will focus on a couple of specific fears that most of us will struggle with at some point or another and what the Bible has to say about them.  This blog was inspired in large part by the principle that we need to listen to what God has to say and act on it in obedience, without concern about what man may say about it. With that in mind, the first fear we will look at is the fear of man and his opinions. Psalm 27 provides great encouragement for those who are tempted to fear what we my be facing from man. David asks, "of whom shall I be afraid?" With God as our light and salvation, we have nothing to fear! Another, even more direct verse, again in the words of David are found in Psalm 56:11  where he says, "in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?" One approach to dealing with t...

What came into your mind when you first read the title above? Did you even think about it? If not, and even if you did, take a brief moment now to think about what it is that causes you fear. I'd like for you to have something in mind as you read what follows.  Now that you have something specific in mind, let me ask you another question... Is God bigger than whatever it is you came up with? Before you start arguing with me in your head, think about it. Whatever that thing is that you're thinking about, don't you think that God, specifically your faith in God, can help you overcome that fear? It has been said many times that the opposite of fear is not courage, but faith. Faith is what gets us through. Faith is what gives us the ability to be courageous. When God spoke to Joshua and told him to "be strong and courageous" it was followed with the assurance that He (God) would be with Joshua "wherever you go" ( Joshua 1:9 ). Joshua had to have faith...

I thought it would be good to look at what "living unfiltered for God" looks like using an example from the lives of the apostles. In Luke 5:4-11 , we have a great example of Simon (who would become Peter) being obedient to the words and call of Jesus. The story presents a model that we all (should) go through when living in obedience to God. Recognize His voice. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” (Luke 5:4-5a) At this point in the story, Simon had just been listening to Jesus teach, (from his own boat, actually). By referring to Jesus as Master, he was acknowledging that there was something different, something divine, about Jesus. Simon knew that he should listen and pay close attention to what Jesus had to say. Do what He says (even if it seems a little crazy). But because you say so, I will let down the nets...

When you think about worship, what comes to mind? For many, it is most often relegated to that time at the beginning of your church service where you listen to some songs and maybe even sing along. Others, may take it a bit further and consider their giving (of time, talents and treasure) to be an act or worship as well. I think it's a lot more than that, though. I believe that worship is a 24/7/365 kind of thing! In his book The Air I Breathe , Louie Giglio provides a wonderful definition of worship, that is also somewhat challenging. He writes that,  "Worship is...  our response,  both personal and corporate,  to God -  for who He is!  and what He has done!  expressed in and by the things we say  and the way we live." That last part sounds a lot like what we've been talking about as "living unfiltered for God", doesn't it? Since we've established that our obedience to God reflects and exhibits our love for God, then we ...