Focus on God’s Timing

Focus on God’s Timing

Man's way leads to a hopeless end, whereas God’s way leads to an endless hope. Everything happens for a reason and within its season.  I may not understand it now, but God does, and that is all that matters.  I don't believe in coincidence, I believe in God's perfect timing.  Fasting is choosing to break out of the routine in order to draw closer to God and listen to Him most completely.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. (Psalm 33:11(NIV)).

We were each uniquely created by God to fulfill the role that He has planned for us. When our life is given to Him and for Him, we will accomplish His purposes in the world.

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

—Ephesians 6:7 (NLT)

11For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus 2:11-12 (NIV).

There are times in our lives when we want to be the ones in control.  This may get us things of the world but they miss the mark for the things God would have for us.  For me, I am very much a person who likes to be in control of my situation.  I rarely like surprises.  Things are planned out and I often prepare contingency plans as backups after having run several “what-if and if-then” scenarios in my head.  I have had to come to learn (and God is still working with me on it, He is still breaking me and chipping me in this area) to let go and wait for His timing.  When you let go and let God (according to His perfect timing), you see your life change for the better in so many ways and areas.  He will place us where He needs us to be to do the work that He has set before us.  And this work and purpose will be revealed to us in God’s timing.

A thousand times I fail, yet God’s mercy remains.  Sometimes we get so busy and caught up in life we miss the whispers God uses to direct us.  Spending time with God places everything else in perspective.  It's amazing what can be accomplished with a little faith and a big God.  So according to His timing God has a great life plan for each of us!

10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman

Focus on Him

Focus on Him

How can I focus on God to hear Him more clearly?  What distraction needs to be removed in my life and my day?  These were two of the questions in the devotionals for this fast period.  God will help us overcome wrong motives and intentions if we'll simply ask and receive help rather than trying to do it on your own.  And the distractions are those things that we try to do or fix on our own.  God reveals what He has for us or needs from us according to His perfect timing.

Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

To hear God more clearly I make a time where I can have some silence in my day.  Where I do not have to answer a phone; fill a request from someone; or worry about some aspect of the pace of life.  For me this tends to be in the evening.  I am not a morning person.  When I do get up I try to focus a couple of moments by thinking about the lyrics of a worship song or on a verse from Scripture while in the shower.  But I find I have better focus and quiet time in the evening.  During this 21 day fast period I am making use of some solitude in my office in place of heading out to eat lunch.  I like to play music in the background as I study and spend time with God and meditate on a Scripture passage or other devotional concept. I spend a couple of moments in prayer asking for guidance and direction for me and opportunities to hear God’s word in my life and some intercessory prayer for other people and their needs.

I do this because I believe in God’s direction for my life and this world.  In leading up to John 10: 27-28 is the description of the Feast of Dedication and the Jewish people surrounded Jesus and asked him to plainly state that is the Christ.  Jesus responded that He has done many things yet the Jews do not believe that He is the Christ.

John 10: 27-28 (NIV)

27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

I believe because I have faith that Jesus Christ is my Savior.  When I spend time listening for God’s word in my life through His voice I deepen my relationship and life in the Word.  In Luke 19 and John 3 is a description of the purpose of Christ’s coming to be with His people.

Luke 19: 9-10 (NIV)

9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

John 3: 16 – 18 (NIV)

16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Jesus came to save a lost and troubled world.  Our world is still as troubled today as ever.  People turn away from God in lieu of some false humanistic teaching or simply just say that God is a man-made construction.  Through spending time with God I tune into His will and what He needs me to do.

Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)

2Has not my hand made all these things,

and so they came into being?”

declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor:

those who are humble and contrite in spirit,

and who tremble at my word.

We need to take time to tune out the world and tune into God so that we can listen for and focus on His plans for us and this world.  We ask each time we say the Lord’s Prayer for “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.  Are these just empty words or do we truly want God’s will active on earth as it is in heaven?  We need to humble ourselves and respond to the will of God present in God’s own words.  We need to recognize that it is God’s work and will done through our hands.  When we turn to and tune into God we can become his instrument to bring His will into this world.

Jesus Paid It All -- Newsboys

Prayer: Psalm 141: 1-2, 4, 9-10

1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;

hear me when I call to you.

2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;

may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil

so that I take part in wicked deeds

along with those who are evildoers;

do not let me eat their delicacies.

9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,

from the snares they have laid for me.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

            while I pass by in safety.

Amen.

Copy and Paste this link into a browser for a musical version of Psalm 141: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv6yBUMHCZA

Fast Focus

Fast Focus

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV).

The Lord knows what is in our hearts.  God will search our heart and will purify our motives. 

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

The Bible says that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  But if we openly confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Most merciful God,

I confess that I am captive to sin and cannot free myself.

I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,

by what I have done

and by what I have left undone.

I have not loved You with my whole heart;

I have not loved my neighbors as myself.

For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ,

have mercy on me.

Forgive me, renew me, and lead me,

so that I may delight in your will

and walk in Your ways,

to the glory of your holy name.

Amen.

The fast is setting aside 21 days to pray, fast and seek God and God’s will. This is a great way to start a new year in a fresh and powerful way, knowing that you are refreshed, renewed, recreated, redeemed, and revived.

On this first day I am taking time to learn more about the spiritual discipline of fasting.  There are times that we need to be broken by the Lord in order for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  In this form fasting is a new spiritual discipline for me.  I've moderately and halfheartedly participated in the Lenten fast practice.  But in this form, at this time, I truly want to combine fasting with prayer and reflection each day.  I am fasting through a partial fast where I will not take or eat lunch and take that time to pray and reflect over the course of the next 21 days seeking God’s direction on my life and His purpose for me.  Through this period I will be search more for God to speak to me and fill me more completely with the Holy Spirit so that I can do the work which He has set before me.

Prayer: Psalm 51: 10-12 (NIV)

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Amen.

Call on Jesus - Nicole C. Mullen

Redeemed - Big Daddy Weave

Focus on Blessings

Focus on Blessings

We need to thank God each day for the blessings that He has provided.  It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We are often so tempted to shift the focus from God to ourselves.  And so many people have decided to make this change in focus.  People choose to do this because they fear that He may not come through or that His blessing is not fast enough or enough.  And it’s a punch to the ego to say that our success or blessing is from someone like God. We need to say to God that we trust His timing for our lives and we have faith.

God has called you into relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ in order for you to be caught up in His purposes in the world.  Recently the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America used the phrase “God’s work – our hands” to explain this.  God wants us to be in alignment with His will to do the work that He would have us do.

Psalm 106:3 (NIV) says: Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.
and
Psalm 41:1 (NIV) adds: Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.

When we are in alignment with God great things can and do happen in the course of our lives.  When you focus on being a blessing to others, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance and He then multiplies the blessings you offer others!  When we are living in God’s will he can multiply our offering to serve more people and expand the Kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV) explains: And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

When we keep our focus on God He pours down blessings from an open heaven.  Blessings fall down upon us like rain from heaven when our focus is right.  God wants to do things through me, I just need to believe and follow Him.  I have faith that God will surround all of His creation with blessings.  A faithful and focused man shall abound with blessings.

Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down)

Keep the Focus

Keep the Focus

Stay Focused on God when it gets tough: Psalm 119:143 (NIV) "Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight."

Leaders who are effective walk by the power of the Holy Spirit.  They recognize that we all are prone to failure or stress when we try to rely on our own strength and not that given to us through faith in Jesus Christ and empowerment from the Spirit.  Leaders can come away from 1 Peter knowing firmly that they are not alone in sacrifice and suffering.  Leadership can be a thankless job.

1 Peter 1: 13-16 (NIV) is a call to Holy living and leadership.

13Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

God is telling us through this passage to keep focus on Him and be self-disciplined.  We know of Peter’s life that this was a lesson from God that Peter learned the hard way.  God continued to work with Peter to transform him from a hard, impetuous person to a humble and thoughtful leader.  Peter reminds Christians of the time, just as today, to guard the mind.  Verse 14 continues to challenge us not to return to old ways and patterns.  It’s easy when not focused to have thoughts that distract us or strip our joy. When the mind wanders so too does the man.  Today, I struggled with feelings of anger and stress from a job loss almost three years ago.  I felt it bubbling to the surface once again and I could feel the anger reforming.  I spent the day trying to focus on God and the blessings that he has brought into our lives.  Finally leaders must seek holiness.  To do this we all must follow Christ as the example of the only true and perfect leader.  Christ is the ultimate mentor for all leaders.

A leader’s identity is found in Christ not in structure or position.  When I lost my job several years back I felt as if a huge part of who I was was ripped away from me.  I have spent the last three years working, reading, and meditating on God’s Word to become a leader, a man, God would have me to be.  God challenges leaders to be holy and humble in the message of 1 Peter.  When we humble ourselves we are open to receive God’s power.

  

Leading for Him today

Leading for Him today

Today there was a post from the Lead Like Jesus Facebook page newsfeed that caught my attention and I will answer.  “God has called you into relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ in order for you to be caught up in His purposes in the world. How will your leadership influence others for Him today?”  How can I be a better witness for Jesus Christ?  How will I lead for Him? 

My recent posts have centered on calling, vision, leading with gifts, and attitude.  Each of these pieces are some of the very critical characteristics for leaders.  There are some areas that I have found as strengths for me.  In my past congregation, I was a Bible study leader/teacher for our adult group.  I have found that teaching is a spiritual gift. Although I know I could learn more, and continue to do so, I am able to read Scripture and meditate on the passages I read and facilitate teaching.

Currently there are two areas that I am working on developing in my faith walk.  These were not areas that I am comfortable with.  But in the last 15 weeks I know that God is working me through each.  The first is developing my prayer life and the other is evangelizing, witnessing, spreading the Gospel and helping others/ teaching others come to Christ.  I’ll touch on prayer life first.

For my prayer life I continue to grow beyond the standard prayers I learned as a child.  I know that God is saying to me to speak to Him in prayer.  Speak to Him from my heart and my spirit.  Growing up Roman Catholic I learned the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Apostle’s Creed, and the Act of Contrition.  I prayed the scripted prayers or the prayers of the liturgy during worship.

Psalm 141 has been a focal point for me related to prayer. 

1I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;

hear me when I call to you.

2May my prayer be set before you like incense;

may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

3Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;

keep watch over the door of my lips.

4Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil

so that I take part in wicked deeds

along with those who are evildoers;

do not let me eat their delicacies.

5Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;

let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.

My head will not refuse it,

for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

6Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,

and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

7They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,

so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”

8But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;

in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

9Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,

from the snares they have laid for me.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

while I pass by in safety.

(Psalm 141 (NIV))

Copy and paste this link: Psalmody 141: Let My Prayer Rise Up (Holden Evening Prayer)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv6yBUMHCZA

For me, sharing my faith with others (witnessing to salvation through Jesus Christ) was something that I was always reserved about.  It was even more so when I knew that someone was openly an atheist or had turned toward some other spirituality; exactly the people that God is calling us to reach out to.

19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28: 19-20 (NIV))

I know what I believe.  I believe that Jesus Christ was God sent by God to save His people.  I believe that we are the chosen children of God.  I believe in the salvation that is given by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is still present in our world today.  

"Creed" by Rich Mullins

Sharing my faith through this blog is one of the ways that I am continuing to develop my ability to share my faith in face to face settings.  Where I have often struggled is having the words to say to someone who is challenging my belief.  I continue to pray that the Holy Spirit anoint me with the wisdom and words.  I ask God to send the Holy Spirit to overflow my life and to use my hands and use me to do His will.  I struggle each day to live a life that He would have me live.

My prayer is that each day I serve in my leadership roles that the people I have relationships with see Christ’s light and salvation in me.  That I am a leader of integrity and that I walk the talk.  I'm just an imperfect Christian trying my best to live for and glorify my perfect Savior.