Regaining Focus

Philippians 1:1-6

     This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ. It is written to all of God’s people in Philippi, who believe in Christ Jesus, and to the elders and deacons.

     May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

     Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

     Our devotion today takes us to another book that is authored by Paul, the book of Philippians. Paul wrote this book/letter to the church in Philippi from his prison cell in Rome. Paul planted the Philippian church on one of his missionary journeys and this letter was to thank those believers for the gift of money they had sent to him and also to bring encouragement to them as they continued to faithfully live for the Lord.

     Paul had a way of always starting each letter with a prayer and an uplifting, encouraging word for the recipients. Even when he had to bring correction into a situation, he always prefaced that correction with positive, encouraging words first. Boy, we could learn a lot from that example!

     The Philippians were faithful followers who believed in Paul and his mission, to the point where they helped to support him financially. He was their spiritual Father who had sacrificially poured into their lives in many different ways and because of that they were willing to pour back into his life.

     As Christians, we need to do the same thing. We all have leaders and mentors who have sacrificially poured into our lives in many different ways, and we need to thank God for those individuals and be willing to pour back into their lives in any way that the Lord leads us. We need to be willing to bless them so that they may continue to be a blessing to others.

     Paul also had the spiritual wisdom to understand that the growth that was taking place in individual’s lives had nothing to do with him, but everything to do with the Lord. He was a vessel that God was able to work and speak through, but true spiritual growth and wisdom came from God himself. He was very clear in letting the believers know that it was God that began a good work in them and it would be that same God that would continue working in them until they went on into eternity. Whether Paul lived or died, stayed in prison or was set free, really didn’t matter. They needed to keep their eyes and hearts firmly focused on God, not on Paul or any other leader of their time. Who they were and where they were going was all in God’s hands and He would lead them, guide them and care for them regardless of what was going on around them.

     We need to read that last paragraph and put ourselves in their place. Who we are and where we’re going has nothing to do with those around us but everything to do with the Lord. Friends, Pastors and leaders may come and go in our lives, but that doesn’t change what God is doing in us. We may try to blame our lack of spiritual growth and direction on others, but in reality, we are the only ones that can take the blame. It is God that started a work in us and it is only the same God that will finish the work in us. We tend to look at others to feed us, pamper us and push us along and we need to put our big boy/girl panties on and take responsibility for our own walk with Lord. It is then and only then that we will understand that it doesn’t matter what happens to those around us, the only thing that matters is what happens through us.

     Has God begun a good work in you? Do you struggle believing that He will continue that good work in you? Have you lost track of where you’re going because you’ve taken your eyes off of God and looked at the people around you and what’s going on in their lives? Take some time today to regain your focus. Repent for placing people in the position of authority that only God should hold. Ask God to help you to realign your focus on Him and Him alone.

Have a great day!

Pop Quiz!

2 Corinthians 13:5

     Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.

     Paul wrote these three short sentences to the Corinthian church, but what a vitally, important message it speaks to us today. Many people in Paul’s day called themselves followers of Christ or Christians, but didn’t walk the walk. All the right words came out of their mouths, but their actions didn’t line up with their words. Paul was getting really tired of the whole scenario. There was a lot of ground that needed to be covered to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and if the “so called” Christians couldn’t even get their act together, then how in the world were they going to impact others with the gospel of Christ? Paul had led by example, preached the Word of God, and personally poured himself into their lives, and they still weren’t getting it. So here, at the end of the book of 2 Corinthians, he lays it all on the line. He tells them to forget about everything else that had happened in the past, and boiled everything down to these three short verses. In reality, he was telling them to step away from the church,  to step away from others that called themselves Christians and ask themselves a question; a question that only they could answer. “Could they tell that Jesus Christ lived in them?”

     Today, in this short devotion, I pose the same question to you. “Can you tell that Jesus Christ lives in you?” You may understand who Jesus is, and understand what he did while he walked this earth, but if you call yourself a Christian, is there evidence that he lives in you? Do you commune with him on a regular basis? Do you listen for his voice? Are you allowing him to mold you and shape you into his image? Do you live only to serve and obey him and not worry what everyone else around you is doing? It is a test that only you can answer; you can’t copy from the person next to you. Why call yourself a Christian if you don’t want him living in you and impacting your life? I challenge you to take the time to examine yourself and take the test. Would you pass or fail?

     Quiet yourself today, and examine your faith. Does Jesus Christ truly live in you? Do you constantly desire to move closer to him? Be honest with yourself and then go to him with your answers. He desires to hear from you, he desires to change your heart and life. Make today the day that you pass the test with flying colors!

Have a great day!

Is that a sign of weakness?

2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

     But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud.

     Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

     We’re never told what Paul’s thorn in flesh was, but whatever it was, it must have been chronic and debilitating especially since he begged the Lord to take it away three different times. Instead of becoming bitter and resentful toward the Lord for not answering his desperate plea, he simply accepted the thorn and learned to lean on the Lord to help him live life in spite of it.

     Often times, a thorn in the flesh or hindrance would be a big enough road block to keep a person from moving forward in their ministry and life, but not in Paul’s case. He was determined to spread the Good News about Jesus Christ regardless of his circumstances. He understood the fact that God’s power was displayed in his weakness. We also need to understand that truth.  When we recognize our limitations, we are forced to rely on God’s strength and ability, which is right where he wants us to live.  And if we don’t get to that point on our own, then he’ll give us a thorn in the flesh in order to make the point completely clear.

     In my own personal case, my thorn in the flesh is fear, to the point that it can be debilitating and overwhelming. For many years, it held me back from accomplishing God’s will in my life, which happens to be ministering to and mentoring women. After being held captive for many years, I chose to no longer accept the fear or let it hold me back from being all that God had called me to be. In order to accomplish that, I had to begin to step through my fears and have the faith to believe that God would meet me at my point of need.

      The Lord has brought me a long way, but I still deal with fear on a regular basis. He's not delivered me from it completely, but rather chooses to leave it as my thorn in the flesh, so that I will continue to rely on Him. Each time I step in front of a crowd to deliver God’s Word, or step onto a plane to be His representative on a short term mission’s trip, an amazing thing happens……God shows up!!  I want you to understand the point that I’m trying to make here. The Holy Spirit doesn’t show up until I make the first move. Strength, peace and empowerment doesn’t come until I take that first step. It is then and only then that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. At that point, He is able to accomplish great and mighty things and I am simply the yielded vessel that He is able to work through.

     I believe that he hasn’t delivered me from my fear for a reason. Without the fear, I could possibly become prideful and independent, learning to rely on myself and my abilities to carry me through. By always having the fear present, forces me to rely on Him and His abilities to accomplish the task. As uncomfortable as it is, I have learned to be content with my weakness because I know that He will make me strong.

     What is your thorn in the flesh? Do you continually pray that God will remove it? Try something different today. Thank God for that thorn and ask Him to help you accept that weakness, step through it by faith and minister to someone else, in spite of it. Let a new measure of faith arise in you today and take a giant step toward Jesus. Then watch Him take a extra giant step toward you.

Have a great day!

Deceived or Devoted?

2 Corinthians 11:2-4

     I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. For I promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ. But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

     As with any good Pastor/Spiritual leader, Paul was very concerned about the Corinthian congregation and their walk with the Lord. He loved them, cared for them, prayed for them and took personal responsibility for them. After all, he wanted them to stand before God pure, holy and righteous. And that could only be accomplished through acceptance of the blood of Jesus and total devotion to Christ and His Word.

     Unfortunately, many preached a gospel based on things other than Jesus Christ and His resurrection, and the Corinthian believers were being tempted and deceived into believing the lies. Paul was trying to convince them to stand strong in their faith and not be lured away with each new passing fad and doctrine.

     Wow, I could go a hundred different directions at this point! Take a look around us and our world right now. We are confronted with new doctrines and points of view on a daily basis. Everyone seems to be seeking God through a new channel or direction, most of which don’t line up with the Word of God. Many don’t even believe the Bible to be God’s inspired word, so they believe anything that is thrown at them that tends to resemble Christianity. God’s heart has to be breaking.

     Why do we make things so difficult? The Bible and Christianity have been around for thousands of years and have proven themselves time and time again. All we have to do is open the book and read it. It’s that’s simple. Everything we will ever need to know is in the book. God hasn’t changed, there’s no new way to get to Him, no matter what anyone else may tell you. He is the one, true, living God; He always has been and He always will be. If we will seek Him, we WILL find Him.

     I believe our problem is that we want to live a Christian life and be accepted by God on our own terms, without changing our lifestyle. We don’t want to change; instead we want God to change to accommodate us. Well, to be blunt, it’s never going to happen. Let me repeat what I said earlier, God doesn’t change and neither does His Word. So it’s up to us to decide whether we’re going to accept His Word, lock, stock and barrel or snuggle up next to the latest and greatest new concept in religion. One leads to life everlasting and the other leads to death and destruction. The choice is ours.

     Where are you in your relationship with the Lord? Do you study the Bible for yourself or do you only listen to others explain it to you? Do you have a longing to dive deeper into what it means to be a true follower of Christ, but unsure of what that will mean for you? Take some time today to get completely alone and contemplate these questions. Sincerely tell God your desires and reservations. Ask God to give you the hunger to know Him and His Word more intimately.

Have a great day!

Keep looking up!

2 Corinthians 9:12,17-18

     Oh, don’t worry; I wouldn’t dare say that I am as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, and measuring themselves by themselves. What foolishness!

     As the Scriptures say, “The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done.”

     When people boast about themselves, it doesn’t count for much. But when the Lord commends someone, that’s different!

     When was the last time you heard someone boasting about themselves and their accomplishments? When you walked away, what was your view of that person? If you’re like me and most other people, we don’t think too highly of people that like themselves too much.

     Then why do we continue to boast about ourselves when we don’t like when others do the same thing? It’s obviously all part of our sinful, fallen nature and in a nutshell, it’s call pride! The Bible and these few verses are very clear that we are NOT to go around boasting about ourselves, but rather give glory to God for everything. We can do nothing without the Lord. The fact that we even woke up this morning and are able to read this devotion is only because God continues to give us breath and a heartbeat. Thank Him for that!

     Comparison is a dangerous trap that we get ourselves into. Women are especially vulnerable to this action. We think if we can look like, talk like, and act like someone that we admire or look up, then we will have finally attained or measured up to society’s standard and then we will be accepted, loved and admired. In the end, that way of thinking and acting only leaves us empty, lonely and unfulfilled. It is only when we live up to God’s standard that we will understand who we truly are and experience true fulfillment and acceptance.

     He has a plan and a purpose set forth for you and I. Take the time to figure out what that plan and purpose is and walk in it. Quit looking to the left and right, comparing yourself to others that don’t have a clue to the true meaning of life. Keep looking up! Put your focus on the one that has all the right answers. He WILL lead you and guide you, if you will let Him. Then at the end of the day, you will be able to boast about what God has done because you understand and realize that you can do nothing on your own.

     Are you stuck in a rut today? Searching for more meaning and direction? Tired of putting forth so much effort but feeling like you’re spinning your wheels? Ask God to give you a new focus; one where you must rely on Him for everything. Ask Him to give you a new measure of faith in order to step out into this new focus. Thank Him for another new day. Boast to someone else today about something that the Lord has done in your life.

            Have a great day!

Who do you look to?

Fighting fair!

2 Corinthians 10:1-8

     Now I, Paul, plead with you. I plead with the gentleness and kindness that Christ himself would use, even though some of you say I am bold in my letters but timid in person. I hope it won’t be necessary, but when I come I may have to be very bold with those who think we act from purely human motives. We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ. And we will punish those who remained disobedient after the rest of you became loyal and obedient.

     The trouble with you is that you make your decisions on the basis of appearance. You must recognize that we belong to Christ just as much as those who proudly declare that they belong to Christ. I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But this authority is to build you up, not tear you down. And I will not be put to shame by having my work among you destroyed.

     How many times do we face situations where we feel like we need to take full control in order to achieve the desired outcome? We feel that without our intervention, nothing will be accomplished. From a human standpoint, that is wise thinking, but from a spiritual standpoint, nothing can be farther from the truth.

     We are human, but we are commanded to use God’s mighty weapons to wage war against the enemy. These battles come against us in many different forms, such as; arguments, jealousy, misunderstandings, and control issues. And we try to fight them in our own earthly wisdom and human tactics and the results are usually explosive. When we fight fire with fire, the result is more fire, when in reality; we hope to achieve a smooth, calming stream. We become reactors rather than relinquishing control to the one who can truly make a difference in the situation.

     Here are some of the weapons that God equips us with: prayer, faith, hope, peace, love, wisdom, His Word, and the Holy Spirit. The next time you’re tempted to step in and take control of a situation, I challenge you to stop and pray first, and then ask the Holy Spirit how to proceed. When we go into battle using God’s weapons rather than our own, the results are much more satisfying and eternal. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 for further study on God’s mighty weapons and spiritual warfare.

     Are you a control freak? When was the last time you relinquished control over to God for a situation in your life? Think about a situation that you are presently dealing with in your life, and consider releasing it to the Lord’s control. Commit to taking your hands off, and allow the Lord to resolve it, in His way and His time. Allow this to be a new beginning as to how you deal with situations from this point forward.

Have a great day!