21 Days of Listening Week 3 Time to Act - Day 15 - Forgive

James 2:26 NKJV
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Hey folks!

I hope that you are now getting better at quieting the mind and knowing if what you are hearing is from God.

Now it is time to put God's words into action.

Over the past two weeks has God told you to do some things? Maybe there has been a person ringing in your mind that you need to forgive. Maybe there was a long lost dream of your childhood long forgotten that the Holy Spirit brought back to your memory. Whether it was a dream or forgiveness or something that didn't make sense, God definitely put some actions on your heart.

These actions are what will help us move in the direction that God wants us to go.

Take some time to look at your notes for the last two weeks or write down all that you can remember God telling you to do.

This is your plan of action.

Put them in order from easiest to hardest and get started! Over the course of this week I'll give you some examples of people who did what God told them to do and the amazing things that happened as a result of daring to obey.

Acting in agreement with God will change your life. 

Forgive

I don't have to be an Old Testament prophet to know that over the past two weeks of quiet time and listening you thought of at least one person that you need to forgive.

Yes THAT person.

So let's pray together for a breakthrough here.

I pray that we have the courage to forgive that person or those people who have hurt me. I pray that the Holy Spirit gives me the strength and courage that I need to face my feelings truthfully. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

I know that You have commanded me to not only love my neighbors but also my enemies; but I also know that I cannot love my enemies with my own power so ask you, God, to help me.  I want to be free to hear You more clearly and live life more abundantly.

I thank you God in advance for healing my heart through forgiveness. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
This prayer will be the first step in our action plan. By praying in response to what God has shown us we are actively engaging in a true relationship with Him.

After you pray, listen to what God says and shows you. This will guide your next step.

21 Days of Listening Day 14: Reconciliation

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5-7

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. - Matthew 5:23-24


Yesterday I talked about forgiveness. This is the other side of that tough coin of love: Reconciliation. 

Another thing that has plagued my quiet time in the past is knowing that someone has an issue with me. This is the kind of thing that can tear you up inside, especially if it is someone that you really care a lot about. 

If you are stubborn like me, then I'm sure you have experienced this. 

Have you ever had a falling out with someone, but for whatever reason you didn't want to resolve the issue? Usually both people are somewhat to blame. After all it does take two to tango. But when I was in those situation where I felt that the blame was less than 50% mine I would hold my ground and wait for the other person to apologize before I would even consider trying to reconcile. 

This ended up being another form of bondage. 

Instead of hearing from the Holy Spirit about the things I was praying on (my life's purpose, open doors for new opportunities and the like) the Holy Spirit constantly put these people on my mind. It wasn't until I rediscovered the verse above while I was stubbornly planted in unforgiveness that I finally understood it. 

Some relationships cannot be reconciled. It takes two to faithfully do that. But what we can do is apologize for our part of the fault between us. This way we have done our part to make the relationship whole. If the person doesn't respond in kind that is ok. That's between them and God. Either way it is worth it. At the very least you will do good by extending them an olive branch of love. At most you will regain a friend or loved one. 

So while we cannot fix every broken relationship on our own, we can say "I'm sorry". 

Those two words go a long way. 


Food for Thought: Is there anyone that you need to apologize to? Why haven't you done it already? Does it make sense to initiate an apology with this person?

21 Days of Listening Day 13: Forgiveness

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5-7

Matthew 5:43-44 NKJV
You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

One of the things that used to plague my quiet time was anger.

Sometimes I didn't even know what I was mad about. I would just have these flashes of negative emotions that would send my mind on tangents that distracted my quiet time.

When I tried to push it away or ignore it, it just got louder. I had to figure out some kind of solution.

What I did was I asked God to reveal the source of these feelings and instead of trying to repress them I actually listened to them.

Facing my feelings changed my life.

If your quiet time is filled with anger then this time of our journey with silence can really help you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the truth of how you feel.

When that truth is revealed ask Him to help you forgive. There is no wrong that is beyond forgiveness no matter how bad it was. We just have to remember that this is true only with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 4:13 NKJV
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Question to ponder: Are you constantly in a state of anger? Who are you refusing to forgive?

21 Days of Listening Day 11: Worry is Not from God

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5-7 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:33-34


During your quiet time does your mind ever get overwhelmed with worry?

I know that mine does.

Here is what happened to me the other day. I was relaxing on the beach in Hawaii after praying and just being quiet with God when all of the sudden my mind was flooded with random thoughts. I was thinking about things that I needed to do at work, finances, catching my flight back home; all things that caused me worry. 

But of course they didn't need to cause me worry in that moment. I wasn't due back at work for another day and of course they would be fine without me. My finances are what they are. I have a budget and a plan that will take me in the right direction. My flight home was over five hours away. I had plenty of time to catch my flight after having a massage and a relaxing breakfast. I was not pressed for time at all. 

Since none of these things should have caused me worry in that present moment then why was I worrying? 

This is another way that the enemy tries to break up our relationship with God. He tries to appeal to our nature (I have historically being a worrier) to break up our quality time with God. 

Jesus told us that we don't have to worry. Just as he cares for the birds of the air He will care for us even more. 

Any time you feel any negative thought or emotion then it is not from God. God will convict us to do right when we are wrong but this isn't negative. This is correction. 

Paul summarizes the difference between the things of God and everything else very well in Galatians chapter 5: 

 ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Any time we are feeling any of those fleshly things then we know it does not come from God. Any time we are feeling the fruit of the spirit then we know that it IS from God. 

This will help you in your quiet time with God. When you feel or hear negativity trying to elbow its way in ask the Holy Spirit for the fruit of the Spirit. Those negative feelings will melt right away. 

21 Days of Listening Day 10: We are Blessed

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5-7

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. - Ephesians 1:3
Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount talking about those who are blessed. 

When we go down the list it seems quite striking. I don't think that I'm the only one who has thought to themselves "am I any of those people that Jesus called blessed?"

Under our own power of course we fall short, but with God's help we become exactly who God always intended us to be. We are transformed by faith. 

Sometimes people look at new Christians with frustration and disdain. How can this person be a Christian when they are still acting this way or doing the same things they did before. Often times the enemy tries to whisper these things to us in our quiet time as well. He will try to highlight our shortcomings and suggest that they define who we are. 

We are not what we have done in the past, we are what we believe. 

It is what we believe today that shapes our tomorrow. So what happens if we mess up today? That's what Jesus is for. His sacrifice gave us the grace that we need to become brand new. 

Jesus fills the gap between our imperfection and God's perfect standard. 

So if during your quiet time you hear bad thoughts about yourself do not receive them! God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. And the Holy Spirit will work with us here in the world to walk in the fullness of our new, blessed nature. 

What Are We Celebrating?

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. –Jesus speaking in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:38-39

When I heard the news about bin Laden an avalanche of thoughts overwhelmed me.

Don't Worry Be Happy

Today's Reading: Genesis 20-22; Matthew 6:19-34




Do you remember that song Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin?

I used to LOVE that song as a kid. It used to always make me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And the video was great! The way that they were dancing made me laugh every single time.

Aww the memories of my youth…

But for some reason as I got older I lost the magic that is implicit in that song. I remember hearing it again as a teenager and thinking that it was stupid and almost insulting. Life isn’t that easy.

Or maybe it is?

Bobby is saying that no matter what happens, no matter what comes your way…

Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

Hmm…

The last year has been tough for many of us. I saw many people in my life lose their jobs, and many others fear for theirs. Countless folk lost their homes, their savings, their retirement, and most importantly they lost faith in the popular notion of the American Dream. This idea that you should find a “good job” (that you probably barely tolerate), work for decades, save up some dough, and then enjoy the later part of your life was shattered with the stories of elderly folk taking jobs at Walmart after Madoff stoll their stash.

Foul.

What does Jesus say about this? Very simply: Don’t Worry:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Ummm… good point.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:25-34



Yeah… more great points.


A summary wouldn’t have done it justice.


Maybe if I weren’t so attached to my car, and clothes, and my TV and such things then this crisis we are in wouldn’t be so scary.

I’m not that enlightened yet.


But the point that he is making is pretty profound. When we worry we are making a choice to live in fear instead of faith.


When I first read this long ago it seemed just as silly and childish as the Bobby McFerrin song. But maybe they’re onto something. Maybe, if we take a chance and decide to live by faith, rather than living by fear, miracles will happen.


After all faith is what we need in order to make a change anyway. It is fear that keeps us where we are, doing what we always did.
This new year is a great opportunity to change. We all know that the old notion of work like crazy for 30 years at a wack job and retire has proven to be wanting.


There’s nothing to lose.


So, might as well go for it. When we decide to live our lives this way, life becomes all the more worth living. It becomes all the more worth living because everyday we will work toward filling it with the things and people that we love, rather than settling for less today in hopes of a “better” tomorrow that may never come.


I believe that God wants us to be happy… so now it’s time to work on trusting God, having faith, and taking a chance on fulfilling the purpose of our lives.
It’s what He wants us to do anyway right?

Give Us Free!

Today’s Reading: Genesis ch 16-17 Matthew ch5: 27-48

Jesus is putting down his magnum opus on the mountainside and he’s dropping all kinds of heat rocks on folk. Some of it is just wonderfully beautiful… like the beatitudes.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth”

- Matthew 5: 3-5

Aww that’s so nice…

But then there is stuff like this:

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. – Matthew 5:21

And this:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. – Matthew 5:27-29

Good gracious.

How do we make sense of this? I mean geez. I can’t even look at a beautiful woman without plucking my eye out?

Wowzers.

Well for better or worse this is how I see these passages. What Jesus is saying to me here is that it is important that we move to a new level. Israel was given laws to govern behavior. Jesus is taking things a step further; he is revealing to us the condition of our hearts, minds and spirits.

Have you ever been really mad at someone? Say there is a person that you feel did you some injustice. They never apologized or even acknowledged it. They just kept it pushin.

What do you do?

Odds are this person goes on living their life without a wisp of a concern for whatever you think they did. But you hold on to it and all it does is eat you up inside. Maybe it was a friend who betrayed your trust and now you don’t feel that you can trust another person anymore. Maybe it was a significant other, a parent, a stranger. As long as we hold onto this anger, we are not free to fully enjoy life and the people that fill it. We miss out on the everyday joy of friendship, family and love.

By pointing out these things and others Jesus is telling me here that yes our actions are important, but every action first originates from within.

In this way, the Sermon on the Mount is the ultimate liberation text. He is showing us the example for what it means to live a life of freedom by living a life of love.

More on this in the days to come…

(Side note: Microsoft grammar check informed me that I was wrong when I did not capitalize Sermon on the Mount… Ok Mr. Gates… My bad sir.)