Do You have one of these?

Perspective - it's a key tool that helps us know where we've been, where we are, as well has who we've been and who we are. Left to ourselves we may not have the most accurate of views.

Do you have people in your life who;
- Love you most?
- Know you best?
- Are willing to speak the truth in love to you?

Isolation is NEVER a good thing, but having a group of trusted people who will speak into your life is invaluable. If you don't have a "Life Counsel" I encourage you to begin assembling a team of about 3-5 people who fit the criteria listed above. When you are facing a major decision, need prayer and perspective then you have these people ready to pray and speak. Give them advance notice when you are needing their wisdom, this will give them time to ask you detailed questions and pray, so when the time comes for making a decision you are now equipped to make the best choice. Their perspectives take a lot of pressure off of you, it's just wise!

Proverbs 15:22 "Plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisers they succeed." This is where the saying "two heads are better than one" originated from. Another benefit of having a Life Counsel is that you all get a glimpse of what has happened over your lifetime and that gives everyone a reason to thank God and celebrate together!

Wonder

At Christmastime my sense of wonder heightens, I love watching children get excited about Santa, toys, decorations and parties. I love how one moment the Christmas Spirit seems bigger than life and people are generous and kind, but then we get stuck in traffic or Black Friday sales and cause riots and get mean and selfish. How are these things possible? This makes me wonder.

In the Book of Corinthians "God made Him who knew no sin to become sin so that we might become the righteousness of God." Wonderful! Amazing! It didn't start with the birth of Christ and it didn't end with the death/sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Christianity is the only religion where God works His way towards us since it's impossible to work our way to Him. That causes me to be in wonder and realize how wonderful God is toward me and all of us.

As I close I leave you with an illustration; if I went out a bought you a Christmas gift, wrapped it, tied a bow around it and placed your name on a card on it, is it yours? You have the knowledge of the gift, I could describe the gift even, but the reality is that is not your gift entirely until you receive it. Many people know about God, Jesus and His offer to completely forgive us of all of our sins. But knowing about it will not change a thing, it's only when you personally receive that gift by asking for it, believing it and trust in what He says He has done. Knowledge is never enough, it's about the experience! I hope you will wonder a lot about why the world has celebrated the birth of God's gift for 2000 years!

The greatest gift you can ever receive is complete forgiveness, unconditional love, and a place with God for eternity. Jesus is the reason for this season and it makes me be in wonder and awe.

What Being Connected to Jesus Can Do

I have been meditating on a couple verses for quite awhile, and this morning in my devotional reading one of them came up. If you are a Christ follower you really need to pay close attention.

In John 15:2 Jesus says that "God the gardener cuts off every branch that does not bear fruit. While every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes it so that it will be even more fruitful."

Do you see this? Cut off or pruned, it all comes down to continually making eternal differences in the lives of others. But where does this come from since we are not saved by our works? It is stated in verses 4 and 5. Read below.

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine and you are the branches, if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Being in an intimate relationship with Jesus will cause us to want to bear fruit, and then actually bear fruit. I think too many try to bear fruit but not put the time in when it comes to connectedness to the vine. Many people do good works in Jesus name but because they are not in intimate relationship with Him, their works will not last or make eternal difference.

Lastly, turn to Ephesians 2:9-10 "we are not saved by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do." The pressure is off, we just need to ask "what do you want me to do today Lord." He has already prepared it!

Let's review -
1. You and I must be connected to God in every way in order to remain spiritually alive.
2. If we are not, we are cut off.
3. We will be pruned in order to bear more fruit. (that may seem painful but it's all about more of Christ in us, and less of us).
4. We cannot do anything of true spiritual significance unless we are connected to God.
5. Belief in God plus the power of the Holy Spirit working through us will produce great things.
6. He has already prepared works for us to do, we just need to be obedient and sensitive in the Spirit to do them.

Want to Keep Your Relationship with God fresh?

I am one of the fortunate ones, I am so glad that my relationship with God has been amazingly fresh and alive since 1976 when it started. I know this is NOT true for most followers of God, and unfortunately far too many followers fall away because no one showed them how. Our human relationships need nurturing and intentionality in order be alive, and so it is with our relationship with God.

If this helps here are some things I practice to keep my relationship with God alive.

1. Shake things up. By that I mean don't always read the same version of the Bible, I schedule reading plans that are not the same, eg. character of the Bible study, word study, Book study,or I read and meditate on a verse a day etc.

2. Remember who you are and whose you are! Every once in awhile it's so good to do an inventory of your Identity in Christ.

3. Consistently have times of remembering all that God has done for you. Keep a separate journal just for this, and when you are feeling distant from God or your faith is faltering this will be a great tool to use to look back and remember how God has showed His Faithfulness to you.

4. Listen to a lot of praise/worship music. Change the words and make them personal. For instance "we exalt you, we exalt you" to "I exalt you, I exalt you..."

5. Write God love letters, and let Him write you love letters. Now the first one makes sense and is pretty easy to do. The second one is a little more difficult. When I do this, I really take time to listen, be still and quiet. Then I grab a pen and paper and from God's perspective, I write down what I think He would be saying to me right at that moment. It's hardly ever condemnation, especially in light of Romans 8:1, but it's almost always very tender and grace filled. Sometimes He will communicate an area or weakness to pay attention to but mostly it's just tender.

6. A Daily Gratitude List - I bought a book years ago called "10,000 Things to Thank God For". It has served me well to remind me of all the reasons I can thank Him. Create your own, seriously, we have so much to be grateful for.

Well this is a start but I hope it helps keep your relationship with God alive and fresh. You and I must be strategic and intentional in all of our human relationships or they become predictable and stale, the same is true with God.

What's Your Current Spiritual Season?

I have had the opportunity to live in the Midwest, West and Southeast. Most of the States I have lived in have seasons, some more severe than others. For instance in the Midwest where I grew up, went to College, and where I served in some local churches, there were some record setting Winters. I mean like -60 degrees, snow piled so high you had to get on your roof to shovel it off so it would not cave in. I lived in Atlanta one summer where we had 30 plus straight days of 95 degrees and hundreds died. I lived in South Florida, where there really are not seasons but it does rain hard in the summer, gets very hot, and there are hurricanes to contend with.

I also believe we have seasons in our spiritual lives too. Let me explain. Based on your life with Christ right now would you say you are in Fall (cool towards the things of God) and moving toward Winter (cold toward God and giving into sin willingly)? Or are you moving out of Winter and toward Spring (your heart is warming up to the Word of God, toward Prayer and sharing your faith)? Or perhaps you are in the peak of Summer and spiritual matters like tithing, serving and sharing your faith, along with deep and intimate prayer is your norm? We know that weather seasons change. But you do not have to wait out the seasons spiritually. No, you can change the condition of your heart simply by confessing where you are and asking God to help move you to a "warmer climate". I encourage people to have a spiritual mentor who has learned how to live closer to the "Son", and how to stay on fire for God. Spiritual fervor can be sustained but that takes being really intentional and having others walk with you. Repentance is a spiritual word that means changing direction. It's not being sorry, but actually doing something different. If you are sensing you are in a cool place and it's getting colder toward God, stop and ask God to help heat things up.

A British Pastor named Gypsy Smith who spoke to me powerfully on revival. In essence he said this;

"Many people want revival but few know how. Revival is quite simply a personal thing. Here's how you start a revival, take a piece of chalk and go into a private room. Draw a circle on the floor and then get down on your knees in the middle of that circle. Begin asking God to reveal any sin you have in your life, confess it, repent of it and don't get up until you are confident that you have confessed it all. You will immediately feel the joy of forgiveness and you won't be able to contain yourself. That's how you start a revival."

My wife and I live in North Carolina now, the leaves are beginning to peak and the temps are beginning to fall, but....our hearts don't have to. How about yours?

Getting away is a great practice, here's why.

My wife and I were able to get away this past Friday morning until Sunday night at Winshape Retreat in Rome, Georgia. I cannot begin to tell you how good it was for us and each other, it was an absolute gift (thank you Bubba and Dan Cathy)! Normally, I am not "needing" a vacation because I am a joyful person and I do a lot of self-care/soul-care and that makes me not need to get away. But some seasons of life are harder than others and lately I had lost a good deal of my joy. Here are some reasons it is important to take regular time to get away.

Getting away brings perspective! When you are in the midst of life you can lose perspective it's just that simple. Another way to get perspective is to have some wise people speak into your life who do not live too close to you but can offer wisdom and advice. Either way, you and I need perspective. It's that feeling you get when you are 30,000 feet in the air and you fly over familiar places, everything looks different than on the ground.

Getting away disconnects you from normal routine. Routine/discipline are good things that bring order, function and productivity, but getting out of routine allows time to see life differently and can cause you to answer the question - "Why do I do what I do?" and "Can I do what I do better than I am doing it now?"

Getting away brings refreshment. Karyn and I were able to have fun, do things we wouldn't normally do, and that is so good for the soul. Even if it is outside your comfort zone, adventure is good for you and I. Seeing new places, meeting new people and doing new things refreshes us.

There are other reasons to get away but those are a couple quick thoughts. I close with this challenge. Getting away will not just happen, you and I MUST be intentional about it. Chances are you KNOW you need to get away and you are likely thinking there is no way you can with demands, finances and whatever else has got you tethered, but I am exhorting you to make time to get away, you will be glad you did! I know I am!!

Don't Leave Home without these - seriously!

Fall is here, and most people across the country need to put their summer clothes away and get their Fall/Winter clothes out and ready to wear. God's word gives us a list of clothing we cannot afford to have missing from our wardrobe, in fact these items need to be put on everyday. Want to know what they are? Of course you do, here is the list.

1. Humility - I Peter 5:5. God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.
2. Christ Jesus. Romans 13:14 & Galatians 3:27 say we are to clothe ourselves with Christ. If you know what Jesus looks like than you will know what to put on each day.
3. Compassion - Colossians 3:12
4. Kindness - Colossians 3:12 Treat others the way you want to be treated.
5. Gentleness - Colossians 3:12 When we are in a hurry, it's hard to be gentle.
6. Patience - Colossians 3:12 We need to slow down and show grace, we are all in process.

Remember that in Biblical times people more or less covered themselves from head to toe with clothing. There was not a lot of skin showing. People need to see less of us and more of God in us and through us!

Lastly, we are in a continual battle, I mean it we are! If you are truly living for God and are a citizen, an heir, a child of His then you are at war with your gratifying your own flesh,fighting against the accusations, lies and temptations of the devil and the ways of the world which oppose the ways of God. With that being said, no one in their right mind would forget to take their armor and weapons out on the battle field. But I am afraid that is what happens MOST of the time. You don't have to believe me, look at what scripture says in Ephesians 6 10-17. The Apostle Paul says twice to put on the FULL armor of God. Why?
"So you may stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of the this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places...that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm." Ephesians 6:12-13.

Here are the other pieces of "clothing" or armor you and I must put on EVERYDAY!

1. The Belt of Truth Be truth tellers not liars and deceivers or gossips.
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness. Do things that please God.
3. The shoes of the Gospel of Peace The Gospel is GREAT NEWS - Share it!
4. The Shield of Faith It is impossible to please God without it.
5. The Helmet of Salvation. Use your head and handle accurately the truth.
6. The Sword of the Spirit. God's word is truth and eternal, enough said.

This is pretty plain isn't it? We would not go out in the rain without an umbrella or rain coat, we wouldn't be wise to go out in the snow without a winder coat, hat and gloves, and we wouldn't go outside in the sun in South Florida without sunscreen. Everyday, do your best to be the best dressed Christian you know.