Learning to Partner With Life

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." (Proverbs 18:21)
"The mouth of the righteous is a well of life..." (Proverbs 10:11)
"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life..." (Proverbs 15:4)
Have you ever considered the power of your words?

According to these wonderful gems from the book of Proverbs, along with other verses found in the Bible, we see the amazing power behind the words that we speak. I carefully chose the portions of Scripture that focused on the positive rather than the negative. The reason for that is quite simple. Most of us have endured the pain of hurtful words. Many have had to overcome word curses, words spoken out of season, or the lack of encouraging words. I want us to learn how to partner with life.

Have you ever seen a child excited to share something with their parents only to be struck down with words of discouragement? Not only have I witnessed this, I have taken part in it. Whether it is purposeful or not, we need to understand that our words can give life or they can bring death. I have also seen people in a church setting that have not partnered with life. Instead...through our condemnation and shame we have kept people from rising up to be who God has created them to be.

Here's what I am learning:
Most people that we encounter don't need words of fresh condemnation or shame. They already have plenty of it. What they need is a fresh affirmation of God's love. When you look at the life/ministry of Jesus, you never see Him trashing those who haven't lived up to their potential. I often think of the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. Jesus' words to her? "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." This is one of the greatest examples of how we can speak life into those we encounter.

Just the other day I was talking with someone from our congregation. They had went though a lot of difficulty in life. They had made plenty of bad choices over the course of a couple of years. It was in this moment of sharing that they had recognized the position they had placed themselves in. The light bulb had come on and they were now able to see the choices that needed to be made. I simply said, "Well...you didn't commit the unpardonable sin. God has enough grace to handle you." Those few words spoken at the right time (and in the right season) have produced life. The individual called me and thanked me for never condemning or shaming them. It brought great encouragement to know that in that moment I partnered with life.

We have to learn how to speak to the solution rather than the problems of life. Most of the people around us know what is wrong. They simply don't know how to come out of it. God uses our words...at the right time...in the right season...to encourage, edify, and comfort those in need. The question is whether or not we will partner with Jesus and say "Neither do I condemn you..."

Learn how to speak life to everyone you encounter. Allow your words to be a well of life for someone who is struggling. Be a positive voice into all the negative around them. And watch what God accomplishes. Rather than speaking to the hopelessness and discouragement, learn how to point to the hope we have in Christ. I am discovering that most people who are going through difficulty have actually positioned themselves to experience a greater awareness of God's activity. You will be amazed at how the words "I think you are getting ready to experience God's faithfulness" can bring great encouragement to their life. How is this possible? It allows them to stop focusing on the problems and look to the solution.

Proverbs has it right. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. I hope you will start learning how to partner with life.

Determine in your heart to be encouraging.
Make the decision to speak hope into every situation.
Seek to discern the Lord's heart for every person.

Learning to Rest

"Busyness is the tranquilizer of society." ~ Glenn Beck. This quote was used to open a message this past Sunday entitled "The Joy of Resting in God." Psalm 46:10 tells us to "Be still and know that I am God." It is an invitation to stop all of the activity of life and wait upon His goodness. Are you ready to learn how to rest?

In this place of stillness, you come in contact with the Peace of God.
- To "be still" means to cease. It is also used in reference to mending (healing). It is literally a stillness that brings healing. Too often in life we are trying to figure out all of the solutions to our problems. Not only have we forgotten the importance of prayer and reading God's Word, we have lost the ability to be still before Him. You would be amazed at the peace that God can bring when you learn to rest in Him. Trusting Him to be your Provider, your Protection, and your Possession in life teaches you to fall back into His care for the needs of life. God has promised to give you peace. In this place of stillness, peace abounds.

As you learn to rest in God's goodness, you also experience the Person of God.
- To know that He is God...LITERALLY!!! God is good. That statement can stand alone. However, when you learn to cease your activity and watch Him work; you are able to experience a dimension of His goodness that you would normally miss. Your anxiety doesn't move Him. It's not the cries in the night that stir His compassion. It is God's very nature to be good. It is the goodness of God that brings about your provision. But I have found that there are times I have to take my hands off my life and trust Him.

In this place of rest, you also experience the Presence of God.
- Psalm 46 says in two different places that the "God of Jacob is our refuge." The God who blessed a man who was always a wrestler. What I am learning about resting in God is that I don't have to grab hold of Him and demand He bless me. When I understand that "The Lord of hos is with us", I realize that the very God who sent Immanuel (God with us) is working on my behalf. The phrase "with us" comes from the Hebrew word "immanu" - the root of the prophetic name for Jesus - Immanuel. Isn't good to know that God will never leave you nor forsake you?

All of this is possible when we learn to BE STILL. And we will only be still when we learn to cease the activity of life - stop all of the busyness - and meditate before the Lord. Give Him an opportunity to move in your life. Allow God to be God. He doesn't need you to sit on His throne. He is quite capable to caring for you. But you have got to learn how to "clear the mechanism." Stop allowing your mind to wander, and stop trying to figure it all out. God wants to walk with you through every situation in life. All you gotta do is REST.

The Beauty of Restoration

"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)

I want to share some personal thoughts with you about the verse up above. I say personal because it is not my intent to bring a new teaching. I have a heart and desire to see Galatians 6:1 fleshed-out in the Body of Christ.

Think about it this way:
> How many of us have known someone in the church who has been overtaken (caught) in sin?
> How many of us have actually seen that someone restored?

I can honestly say (outside of my own ministry) that there has been very little restoration within the church. I don't say that in arrogance, nor am I trying to boast. I'm simply saying that I have watched churches either not deal with the sin or they have went the extreme route. They either ignore the individual or they shame them. Which brings us to the question: How do we restore these people instead of watching them fall to the wayside?

#1 - It takes spiritual people to restore them.
This is not a ministry for people who do not operate in the Spirit of God. That may seem like a strange statement to make concerning the church, but I have discovered that there are people who operate from an emotional or analytic mindset. Emotion tends to bring about anger while the analytic tends to bring about shame. Only the spiritual can operate in a spirit of gentleness.

#2 - There has to be some ownership.
You cannot be healed of what you will not own. For the person that has been "caught", they have to be willing to confess that they were wrong. They need to agree with God about their sin. They need to seek forgiveness and restoration. Anyone who is not willing to deal with their issues will not deal with their issues. They have to humble themselves, confess, and be willing to do what is necessary to be restored.

#3 - We must keep a watchful eye upon ourselves during the process.
All of us can be tempted, however, none of us have to give in to it. God's ability within our lives gives us victory. But I have seen so many who are quick to condemn or bring judgement that find themselves falling in other areas of life. We cannot bring restoration through arrogance or pride. We must be gentle and humble. When this happens, we will see the beauty of restoration.

The point of all this is simple: We have a God who longs to restore. He's not willing that people perish. He's not willing that people get left out in the cold. This gospel of grace not only works for the lost but for the saved as well. We need to create a culture within the church that seeks to restore.

So the next time you are talking with a believer who is struggling - don't be quick to condemn. In a spirit of gentleness, speak to the solution and not the problem. You will be amazed at how God works in their heart and life when they are willing to own the problem.

May the God of all mercy grant us hearts that seek to be merciful.

The Measure of Spiritual Maturity

I have a challenge for you today. I want you to think about the "best" Christian you know. Ask yourself what it is about this person that allows them to stand-out in your mind. I have a feeling that it has nothing to do with their "gifting" but everything to do with their "abiding."

Spiritual heroes tend to be evaluated not by what they do but by the lifestyle they lead. Unlike the sports figures we looked up to when we were kids, we rarely rate the influential people in our lives by their performance. An honest assessment tells me that it is all about the intimacy they carry with the Lord that causes His fruit to stand our in their lives.

Consider this:
The church is full of highly gifted people. In fact, God has provided the gifts of the Spirit to every believer. All of us have the ability to operate in the 9 Spiritual Gifts that we find in 1 Corinthians. Because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us we have access to all the gifts. However, it doesn't take us long to discover that not all "gifted" people display the fruit of the Spirit the way the could/should.

Kris Vallotton puts it this way: "The gifts of the Spirit do not validate our walk with God. It is the fruit of the Spirit that is developed as a person matures in Christ...These fruits grow in our lives as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and not just through us."

The gifts of the Spirit are available through asking. We are to earnestly desire the gifts that God has made available. The fruit of the Spirit, on the other hand, becomes visible through our intimacy with Christ. As we "walk in the Spirit", we manifest love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Why? When we learn to abide in Christ, then we are able to manifest His nature to the world around us. It's great to operate in gifts, but imagine what happens when your couple the ability of Christ with the nature of Christ. That, my friend, is a life worth pursuing.

It is confusion over these matters that has hurt many churches. How often have we seen pastors and other ministry personnel called based upon their gifting, only to discover that they struggled to walk in intimacy? For many of these people, it's not as much their fault as it is ours. Since we have decided to elevate people based upon ability rather than intimacy, we have created a culture around us that misses God's heartbeat of relationship.

Not only is this true for the people on the platforms, it is also true in our lives. Give me a person who has developed their character and gifting over the course of time, learning to walk in the Spirit, and watch what happens. They will be more fruitful in the long-run and have the ability to stay with you through everything. If all I have is gifting, without the ability to persevere, then all you will see is the "flash in the pan" effect. I may jump out of the gate but it is short lived.

Allow God to work in you. Allow Him to develop your character. You may continue to seek spiritual gifts, and God will give them, but you will be able to incorporate them into a life that has learned how to hear the voice of God, respond in obedience, and reflect the very nature of Christ.

The measure of spiritual maturity isn't how many gifts I can carry at one time. Spiritual maturity is measure by how much fruit I bear as I walk in the Spirit. May God find us ready to be still before Him, obedient to ever prompting of His Spirit, and willing to learn of Him.

Blessings to you all as you learn to live in intimacy.

In Control or In Charge?

Here's a question for you: Is God in control or in charge? While some would argue the validity of the question, these two words mean different things. To be "In Control" means to exercise authoritative or dominating influence over. To be "In Charge" means to impose a duty, responsibility, or obligation on.

While I do not wish to go too deep with this thought, I want you to consider that God is in charge and has given us control over many of the things that happen in this life. Just consider what Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16: In these verses we discover that we have been designated as the salt of the earth and light of the world. This is our position. In other words, has given us the responsibility of affecting the culture in which we live. While many people are waiting for God to "do something" in our cities and towns, I believe that God is waiting for us.

Bill Johnson said, "God wants to transform cities but that only happens when they are full of transformed people." God is most definitely in charge and it is His will to transform our cities, but He has allowed us to control what happens. Only when God people choose to be salt and light where they live will we see transformation happen. It is our privilege to respond to Him as salt and light in the earth.

So often I hear people praying for a lost loved one without ever considering that it could be them that leads that person to Christ. We pray for sickness around us but never consider that we could be the ones to lay hands on them, pray, and see them recover. We keep hoping that someone will talk to that couple we know is having problems without ever asking God if He wants us to be a part of their reconciliation. The only way that we can change this mindset is to know our identity in Christ, realize that we have great potential through the grace of God to impact everything and every one around us.

This change in thinking causes us to cease praying for revival and to seek to be a revival where we live. It allows us to see ourselves as the holy nation that God has called us to be and to respond accordingly. Jesus was the manifest presence of God in the earth but He did not wait for the religious leaders of the day to step forward, nor did He wait for God to "do something." No...Jesus realized that because He was on the scene that God was doing something. The same happens when we agree with what the Father is doing in us. We say "God, I'm here. Use me!"

> Do you want to see your work environment change?
> Do you want to experience God in your home?
> Are you still waiting for lost loved ones to come to faith in Christ?
Then rise up child of God and take your place in the world. Take inventory of who you are in Christ. Recognize that the Kingdom of God resides within you through the Holy Spirit and that He has provided everything you need to be salt and light in the earth.

Don't miss this opportunity to partner with the presence and power of God. Reach out and take the controls with full knowledge that God is in charge. He will guide you, speak through you, and use you for His glory. Live with the expectancy that God is ready to do great things through you.