Trade what is simply available for what will truly last.
When I was in junior high school, I went with my parents to Hawaii. I was immediately smitten. Blue skies, crystal-clear water, white sand beaches, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, and shaved ice with rainbow-colored syrup. My ambition at thirteen years old was to someday get a small place on the water in Hawaii. It seemed doable enough, right? I mean, how many puka shells could a beach house cost anyway? When I grew up, sadly, I found out how much a small place on the water in Hawaii costs: slightly more than a ship full of hundred-dollar bills.
Our dreams are birthed in childlike innocence, but as we grow up we discover more information that can be a buzzkill to our ambitions.
When I found out what a small place on the water actually cost, I wondered if I should abandon this dream. This is something we each decide at some point. We have an ambition and then face the headwinds that discouragement and reality and failure bring our way. That’s when we need to decide if our ambition is still worth it.
It turns out millions of dollars will only get you a surf shack a block from the water in Hawaii. At the time, I didn’t have ten bucks. You’ll need to decide what you’re going to do when you get some reality pushback on your dreams. If the front door is locked, you can walk away or look for a window that’s ajar to crawl through. Some of your ambitions are going to take time or a little creativity to figure out. Don’t quit on them. Wake up to new ways to get there, then do what it takes so you’re ready when your time comes.
While a small home in the Hawaiian Islands will always be out of reach for me, a small boat wasn’t. There aren’t many marinas in Hawaii, and the few that are there don’t have many slips. But get this — I found out that it was possible to rent a small boat slip for two hundred dollars a month if one became available. So I got on the waiting list at a marina in Honolulu. It’s a pretty long list. I’ve been on it for over two decades now and guess what? I’m only two dead people from the top, and I’ll have my small place on the water in Hawaii. Your ambitions are worth all the attention you’re willing to give them. Be patient. Get creative. Give it some time. If you can’t buy the house, get on the waiting list for the slip.
So, what do you want? I mean, what do you really, really, really want? Get it out there.
It’s not like you’re removing your own appendix to say it; it’s just not that hard to speak the words, and it will take less gauze. Get a starter list going. We’ll revisit it later and build it out with more focus and intention. If you want a convertible Porsche, don’t say you want world peace. Just get real about it. Wherever you are right now, just shout out as loudly as you can, “I want a Porsche!” You’re not trying out for Miss America, and nobody is going to give you a crown and a bouquet of flowers for saying you want to end world hunger if you don’t. Don’t pretend to be noble. Be real and it will be the most noble thing you’ll do all year. Trust me, heaven will be doing cartwheels if you will finally get real about what you really want.
What do you want for your life? If you’re like me, you want love, joy, happiness, meaning, purpose, and a more courageous faith. The trick to finding these things is discovering what ambitions you already have that will lead to them.
Guess what? For years you’ve already been quietly curating your life without knowing it. You know what works and what doesn’t. What lights you up and what bums you out. What lasts and what disappears. We need to figure out what you’ve come up with so far so we can figure out what to do next. Trust what you’ve learned already; let it be your Sherpa.
Once again, the best engine to drive our ambitions is a strong sense of purpose. There’s nothing really important about the vacation or the new pair of kicks or the convertible. These are things we might want for a time and might even enjoy for a while. They’re the short game though. Don’t confuse them with your ambitions. The long game is where your best ambitions reside. When you think you’ve found an ambition you want, figure out why you want it and whether you want it badly enough to do what it takes to get it.
We’re all looking for meaning, but it’s often lost behind a hedge of distractions, hurts, and disappointments. Figure out what these have been for you. Merely existing doesn’t satisfy most of us, so we pursue inputs that ultimately distract us from our lack of direction. At some point, though, even the distractions aren’t enough. Or someone else screws it up for us, and we end up wounded and lost again. The fix isn’t easy, but it’s this simple: We need to replace what we’ve settled for with what we’ve been longing for. We need to find ambitions worthy of our time and the effort it will take to pursue them.
For some, tremendous purpose will be found in a deeper expression of their faith. For others, it will be the accumulation of wealth or notoriety or adventure. Do whatever blows your hair back if you’re playing the short game. If you’re in it for the long haul and want to live a life steeped in purpose, a better long-term approach is to figure out who you want to be and let that inform what you do.
Don’t settle for what you’re simply able to do; figure out what you were made to do, then do lots of that.
As we get into the process of identifying and working toward your ambitions, don’t be too hard on yourself, okay? Going under the ice cap is hard work. It can get cold and lonely down there. Getting real is hard work too. If it were easy, you would have been there and back a dozen times already. Just ask Pinocchio. His ambition was to become less wooden and more real. It didn’t happen overnight or without a couple of setbacks and a lot of wood shavings. Rather than lie about it and have your nose grow, get real and watch your faith explode.
A long time ago, a friend told me there’s a difference between whittling and carving. One is just killing time, the other is laden with purpose. Keep carving. Engage the process; don’t stifle it. Go ahead and want the corndog and the surfboard and the date to prom. There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with wanting those things. Just be sure they’re not the only ambitions you have. Take a look at what Jesus had on His list of ambitions and lift a few onto yours. His list wasn’t very long, but it changed the world forever. He was a master at choosing ambitions that were worth it.
Get this. His ambition was you. It was everyone else He created too. He made us with eternity in mind, sure, but also for tomorrow and the next day and the next, filled with touching lives with incredible intentionality. Identify what has captured your attention and what has distracted you. Fill your days with dozens of small, intentional acts of love. Take note of those ambitions you already have that Jesus also demonstrated and move them higher on your list.
God made us to enjoy each other and to reflect Him, and He derives tremendous joy when He sees us pursuing our unique desires with the skill sets He put in our individual tool boxes. I’m not really sure where He stands on corndogs, but I know He’s inviting us into lives that are more expansive and expressive, more loving and unselfish. He wants us to reflect His character in what we want and have these desires dwarf anything else that gets in the way. I’m certain He’s not asking you to mimic someone else’s ideas, desires, and dreams. Sure, be inspired by the lives other people are living and riff on them if it helps you get clarity, but as Sweet
Maria tells me all the time (and as we’ll discuss later), keep your eyes on your own paper.
So, let me ask you again. What do you want? Jesus asked people what they wanted all the time. He didn’t have problems with the people who messed up grappling with the issues in their lives; He didn’t like it when people faked it. If you find yourself tempted to be artificial or disingenuous, find a new way to deal with your insecurity. Bite your tongue, swallow a goldfish, or shave off your eyebrows if you need to, but break the cycle. Look at Jesus. He surrounded Himself with disciples who couldn’t get the nets on the right side of the boat most of the time. At times they had desires that must have seemed superficial at best. But Jesus was kind, direct, and never mean to them.
When you’re real and authentic with Him, He won’t beat you up when you mess up because He’s embarrassed by you; He’ll embrace you because He loves you.
Remember the passage in the Bible where the blind man called out to Jesus so he could be healed? Jesus’ friends tried to help out by telling the man to stop yelling, but the blind man just yelled even louder. Maybe you should do the same if people have been trying to get you to quiet down about your ambitions. Quit whispering them to yourself and, instead, start shouting them into the world. Jesus asked the blind guy the same question He asks all of us every day. “What do you want me to do for you?” The answer must have seemed pretty obvious to the blind guy. But just like God in the garden with Adam and Eve, I don’t think Jesus needed to hear the answer. He wanted to make sure the blind guy was clear on his ambitions and knew what he wanted more than anything else. He wants the same thing from you too.
Where the story gets good is when the blind guy tells Jesus his deepest desire. “Rabbi, I want to see.” I can imagine him saying this with pleading, outstretched arms. Jesus wants the same for you — to gain more clarity on your faith, relationships, and what He uniquely made you for. He wants you to really see. Quit merely asking for thicker glasses when Jesus has invited us to climb up on His shoulders for a better view.
Excerpted from Dream Big by Bob Goff, copyright Bob Goff.
What do you want? What blows your hair back? Better yet, what were you made to do?
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 16, 2020
Come to Me for rest and refreshment. The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary. Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life.
Remember that I can fit everything into a pattern for good, including the things you wish were different. Start with where you are at this point in time and space, accepting that this is where I intend you to be. You will get through today one step, one moment at a time. Your main responsibility is to remain attentive to Me, letting Me guide you through the many choices along your pathway.
This sounds like an easy assignment, but it is not. Your desire to live in My Presence goes against the grain of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Much of your weariness results from your constant battle against these opponents. However, you are on the path of My choosing, so do not give up!
Hope in Me, for you will again praise Me for the help of My Presence.
We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. — Romans 8:28 AMP
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. — Psalm 42:5 NASB
Lisa’s Story
I lived with abuse and depression from a young age. I tried to commit suicide twice — at the ages of fourteen and fifteen.
In 2004, a friend who had just buried her teenage daughter called me and asked if she could come over. I was surprised because this was not a close friend; the last time I had seen her prior to her daughter’s funeral was about ten years earlier. I agreed to see her because I thought she might want me to pray for her and her family.
She brought me a copy of Jesus Calling and explained that she had felt compelled to buy two copies and give one to me. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to get this book to me. I accepted it graciously, but I had no intention of reading it. I laid it on my stack of other books people had given me. Apparently, they saw I was a mess and wanted to help by giving me “self-help” books. I had endured domestic violence throughout my whole childhood and then for twenty-eight years of my marriage because I feared God in an unhealthy way. I grew up in the belief system that I was supposed to submit to abuse. God knew all about my life, and He also knew I needed to take baby steps out of the paralyzing darkness I lived in. I needed His gentle guidance out of the bondage I was in.
Jesus Calling is short and to the point. I don’t have the patience to read through long chapters to find what I need, and only God would know that. The book sat on my nightstand for a few weeks. I’d thrown away all the other books I’d been given, but for some reason I’d kept this one — without reading it.
One day, after returning from a women’s conference where I had just realized that submitting to abuse was not God’s way, I broke. I felt like I was going to lose my mind. I went to my husband and told him what I had learned at the conference, but he didn’t show much interest in it. I went into my bedroom and locked the door behind me, planning to kill myself. My earlier suicide attempts — overdosing on pills — had been unsuccessful, so I decided to use a gun this time.
As I reached for my husband’s gun that was on top of the closet shelf, I looked down and saw Jesus Calling on my nightstand.
I picked up the book and opened it to August 31, which states: “Your fragility is not a punishment.” But the way I read it was: “I am not punishing you.”
I broke down and cried because, for my whole life, I’d felt that God was always punishing me for every single mistake I ever made. I felt like any bad thing that happened to me — and a lot of bad things happened in my life — was God punishing me. But only God knew what was in my heart, and He knew I needed to hear that He was not punishing me. I cried and had my very first real conversation with God. I was angry, but happy at the same time. I had been feeling like a robot — just going through the motions of living — but suddenly I felt alive. I’m so grateful that I kept my copy of Jesus Calling and the Lord used it to keep me from killing myself!
I have bought countless copies of Jesus Calling for my own personal use, only to end up giving them away. I stopped writing my name in them because I knew that before long the Lord would send someone for me to give my book to. I honestly don’t know how many I have bought and given away. My granddaughter was so excited when I gave her the kid’s version of Jesus Calling. She told me she loves it and reads it every day.
Life is hard, and I need Jesus to help me every day. I lived half of my life believing in lies, but now I believe in Jesus — the Truth — and He set me free through His truth (John 8:32).
Excerpted from Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions with Real-Life Stories by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young.
Lisa Rene Delgado’s journey is a journey of discovery, after she almost took her own life because of her chronic anxiety and depression. Currently, Lisa is a student at Arizona Christian University, studying Psychology, Old Testament Antiquity, New Testament Antiquity, Philosophy, and Theology. Her goal is to become a Behavioral Health Specialist and work with domestic violence victims, teens, and children. She hopes to help others live the life God intended for all His children.
Hope in the Lord. You don’t have to believe the lies of the enemy. God will work everything that is hard into something good. Do you believe His promise?
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 15, 2020
There is a lot of talk right now about Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates and his ID2020 proposal to vaccinate and provide a digital ID that will track everybody across the world. For those people who are always on the hunt looking at what technology may eventually turn into Revelation 13’s the Mark of the Beast, they’re now exploring ID2020 as a potential candidate.
Where you place the timing of the Rapture of the Church as it relates to the Tribulation really affects how much people fear they may accidentally or forcefully take the Mark.
Take for instance a young man who visited my church’s Bible study. In the middle of the lesson, he just exploded in panicky excitement, fervently exhorting us that when the time came to be beheaded by the Antichrist, to just put our heads in the guillotine and proudly have them chopped off for Christ. Or, during another lesson, in the same fervor but with an opposite exhortation, a visiting gentleman from India implored that Christians play along and even deny Christ to protect themselves, erroneously adding that Jesus would forgive the denial.
Or, how about the story about a group in West Virginia who actually fought and won an exemption from the state’s requirement that driver’s license photos be stored in a government digital database because they thought they’d then be participating in getting the Mark of the Beast. One of the members of the group, a physics teacher, even refuses to wear barcodes on name badges or allow his kid’s pictures in their school yearbooks because of fears the pictures will end up in the Amber Alert database.
These folks fear that Christians today — the Church — will be living during the prophesied 7-year Tribulation. And so, they comb the news daily wondering which charismatic leader is the Antichrist. Or, they stockpile food, water, precious metals, and survival gear in some backyard bomb shelter. And, they lose a lot of sleep fearing they may have already accidentally taken the Mark of the Beast.
Bear in mind, accepting the Mark of the Beast is not something to be taken lightly. It’s as bad as that atheist group online who is collecting initiation videos from people blaspheming the Holy Spirit. The end result of doing either of these is eternal separation from God and banishment to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 14:9-10).
But, Revelation 13 gives us enough information for a person to know when they have taken the Mark. For one, the Antichrist would have to be ruling the world. Since he is not at this time, you are good. Secondly, since the Mark is the Antichrist’s key to controlling the world economy, and Christians are currently buying and selling, you are good. Thirdly, the Mark is very visible on (not in) either the right hand or forehead and is easily recognized as either the name or number of the Beast. Since the Apostle John couldn’t read barcodes, for who can, don’t fear them. Since earthquakes and meteors aren’t leveling the planet and rivers and oceans aren’t turning red, then the time is not right for the Mark, so you are good.
When it comes time to decide to accept the Mark, you would know more clearly than was ever known which side you were choosing — God or Satan. The Mark, pure and simple, is allegiance to Satan. Nobody will be tricked into taking it. You would know.
Now, if you happen to be reading this after the mass disappearance of Christians from this earth in an event called the Rapture, then yes, heed Revelation 13’s description and DO NOT take the Mark, for it will mean great physical suffering while on earth and eternal damnation to the Lake of Fire.
But, if you’re a Christian and waiting on the Rapture, then please stop fearing that ID2020 or microchips or barcodes or vaccinations are the Mark of the Beast. Relax, and trust in God. As God comforts us in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Much has changed in our lifetimes concerning information and technology and it continues rushing toward a one-world movement. Again, we have nothing to fear, for God told us these things must take place. Stay in the Word. Walk in His power and grace. Live for the One who gave His life for you. Let God’s love conquer fear. Pray for God’s will to be done on earth…indeed may His kingdom come!
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 14, 2020
The Pastor We All Want
Leadership has fallen on hard times. As a society, we are suspicious of our leaders, often assuming they will use their power for selfish gain, rather than our good. That makes these fearful days for taking and holding office, not just in business and politics, but also in the church.
Some of our suspicion is well-founded. Stories of use and abuse travel faster and further than ever on the rails of modern media. And Christians, of all people, know that, apart from Christ, “none is righteous; no, not one.” How surprised should we be to have it confirmed over and over again?
Yet it is right for us to have and hold higher standards in the church. We believe God changes hearts, and behavior. He gives his Spirit. He works in and through us to progressively conform us to the image of his Son. We expect more of officers in the church, and we should. And as officers in the church, we not only take up the mantle of leadership with sobriety, but with the ambition to show the church, and the world, that Christ calls for a different kind of leader.
Several New Testament texts give us snapshots of Christian leadership that are plainly distinct from prevailing paradigms in the world (among them Mark 10:42–45; Acts 20:18–35; 1 Timothy 3:1–13; 2 Timothy 2:22–26; Titus 1:5–9), but the place I turn most often, and enjoy inviting others into, is 1 Peter 5:1–5. Oh, may God be pleased in our day to raise up and sustain pastors like this, the kind of pastor we all want.
1. Men Who Are Present and Accessible
Peter begins, “I exhort the elders among you . . . : shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (1 Peter 5:1–2). He says it twice in just one sentence. The pastor-elders (two terms for the same office in the New Testament) are among the people, and the people are among the elders. Together they form one church, one flock.
Good pastors are first and foremost sheep, and they know it and embrace it. Pastors do not comprise a fundamentally different category of Christian. They need not be world-class in their intellect, oratory, and executive skills. They are average, normal, healthy Christians, serving as examples for the flock, while among the flock, as they lead through teaching of God’s word and making wise collective decisions. Their hearts swell to Jesus’s charge in Luke 10:20: “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Their first and most fundamental joy is not what God does through them as pastors but what Christ has done (and does) for them as Christians.
Good pastors, therefore, are secure in soul and not blown left and right by the need to impress or to prove themselves. They are happy to be as normal a Christian as possible, modeling mature, healthy Christianity, not a cut above the congregation.
Another way to say it is that such pastors are manifestly humble. After all, Peter charges “all of you” — elders and congregants — “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5). Healthy churches are eager to clothe themselves in humility toward pastors who have led the way in dressing with humility.
Such pastors are not just humble in theory but practice. They are present in the life of the church and accessible. They invite and welcome and receive the flock. They don’t pretend to shepherd God’s flock in all the world, but focus on the one “that is among you” — those assigned to their charge — and they delight to be among that flock, not removed or distant.
2. Men Who Work Together
One of the most important truths to rehearse about pastoral ministry is that Christ means for it to be teamwork, not a one-man show. As in 1 Peter 5, so in every context in which local-church pastor-elders are mentioned in the New Testament, the title is plural. Christ alone sits atop the church as Lord. He means for his undershepherds to labor, and thrive, as a team.
Mature congregations don’t want an untouchable leader, perched high atop the church in his pulpit, safely removed from accountability and the rough-and-tumble exchanges of opinion that make for wisdom. The kind of pastors we long for in this age are good men with good friends — friends who love them enough to challenge their preferences, hold them to the fire, and make life both harder and better, both more uncomfortable and more fruitful.
3. Men Who Are Attentive and Engaged
Pastors also “exercise oversight” (1 Peter 5:2). However fragile modern humans have become, deep down we still do want leaders who don’t just listen and empower, but also initiate and lead. We still want leaders who speak to us the word of God (Hebrews 13:7) and actually do the hard and costly work of governing they have been called to do. “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God” (Acts 20:28).
However experienced and gifted good pastors may be, they are not men known for their extensive experience, or their administrative savvy. Rather, they are known as men of the Book. Men for whom having God’s word makes all the difference in leadership; men whose leadership style is Book-based. The Bible is not a supplement; the Bible is central. God has spoken; that changes everything.
We want men who wield great influence as teachers, not insist on control — “not domineering over those in your charge” (1 Peter 5:3). Men who manifestly serve others, not self, with their gifts and authority. Men who actually lead, not just occupy positions and offices of authority. Men who do not treat office as privilege, but as a call from God to die to personal comforts and convenience, and to embrace the harder roads. Men who win trust, rather than presuming it. Men who, as Peter says, “shepherd the flock of God” (1 Peter 5:2), which not only means guiding and feeding, casting vision and communicating, but also defending and protecting. Which leads to a fourth quality.
4. Men Who Lean into Hardship
The true colors come out, for leaders and congregations, when tough days arise. We want the kind of pastors who lean in — not with forcefulness, necessarily, though that may be needed on occasion, but with even greater attentiveness, careful questions, courageous counsel, and ongoing teaching. In conflict, “the servant of the Lord” must not only be kind and patient, and correct opponents with gentleness, but also “able to teach” (2 Timothy 2:24–25). God’s people don’t only need teaching in peacetime, but just as much when times are tough, and even more.
Good pastors rise to the occasion in hardship. Peter’s “So” in verse 1 refers to what he just said in the previous verse (1 Peter 4:19): “let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” The context of Peter’s charge to the elders is suffering. That’s why he turns next to the elders — when times are toughest, the weight falls especially to the elders. And it should.
Good pastors know this, and live this. When the going gets tough, they get more present, not less. When uncertainty emerges, they grow more attentive, not less. Not that they have to be certain, or feign it, but they lean in, and lead together, and lean on fellow brothers in the cause. They do not pretend their way is the best or the only one, but at least, with prayer and counsel, propose a way forward. When they don’t know what to do, they know what to do: look to God (2 Chronicles 20:12). They initiate. They take a risk and put themselves out there. They overcome their fear of being wrong in the hope of caring for others.
To embrace the calling to the pastoral office in the church is to embrace suffering. Pastors suffer in ways as pastors they would not otherwise. But they do so looking to the reward, the gain, the glory commensurate with the work, not shameful but pure: “when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). Which leads to a final quality.
5. Men Who Enjoy the Work
Churches want happy pastors. Not dutiful clergy. Not groaning ministers. The kind of pastor we all want is one who wants to do the work, and labors for us with joy. We want pastors who serve “not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you” (1 Peter 5:2).
God himself wants pastors who labor from the heart. He wants them to aspire to the work (1 Timothy 3:1), and do it with joy (Hebrews 13:17). Not dutifully, or under obligation, but willingly, eagerly, happily. And not just “as God would have you” but “as God himself does” — literally “according to God” (kata theon). It says something about God that he would have it this way. He is a God who acts from joy. He wants pastors to work with joy because he is this way toward us. He is a God most glorified not by raw duty, but by eagerness and enjoyment, and he himself cares for his people willingly, eagerly, happily.
Churches know this deep down — that happy pastors, not groaning elders, make for happy churches. Pastors who enjoy the work, and work with joy, are a benefit and an advantage, to their people (Hebrews 13:17).
Chief We All Want
Such are the pastors we all want. Of course, no man, and no team of men, will embody these dreams perfectly, but men of God learn to press through their temptations to paralysis because of their imperfections. They happily lean on Christ as the perfect and great Shepherd of the sheep, roll their burdens on his broad shoulders (1 Peter 5:7), remember that his Spirit lives and works in them, and then take the next courageous, humble step.
And as pastors learn to live up to these realistic dreams — albeit not perfectly, but making real progress by the Spirit — some aspects of our broken leadership culture will find healing. At least our churches, if not our world, will learn to lay down their suspicion and enjoy God’s gift of good pastor-teachers.
This is a called and chosen position within the flock. What the Scriptures speak of the Pastor-Shepherd is what I want to be. Alas, it is not a simple task, but part of spiritually maturing in Christ as we walk our daily garden with God.
Pray for me, that I may be what God wants me to be, not for my benefit, but for you, and more so for His glory and name. I love you all! Let us worship, give thanks, and fellowship together this wonderful day that the Lord has made!
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 13, 2020
Cleft In A Rock
When You Reach the End of Yourself, God Is Still There
Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.” ~ C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. ~ Henri Nouwen, Eternal Seasons
I’ve spent more than my share of dark nights curled up and alone, screaming at a storm raging outside the window of my life, knowing I could do nothing to bring it to a stop.
But still I waited for someone to find me rocking and weeping, to lift me up, to hold me close and tell me everything was going to be okay.
There was a time I doubted the validity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Until I went to the dentist a few months after cancer. One moment I was sitting down in a chair for a replacement filling and cap, and the next moment I was hyperventilating in a near panic. The dentist and hygienist looked bewildered, confused by my reaction to a routine procedure. Not only would it be over in a handful of minutes, I’d done it before. My reaction didn’t reflect my circumstances. And although I knew this intellectually, I couldn’t do anything about my physical response to it. I was at the mercy of memory.
Somehow, I managed to get through the appointment, as well as several other dental visits since. But after surviving head and neck cancer, I no longer respond to medical appointments with nonchalance. I now must dig deep for emotional resilience and allow space for recovery. Each time, I return home exhausted, hands shaking and tears brimming. Even when I know everything is okay.
Signs of my trauma show up in other ways. Each year, during the months of November through March, I struggle to sleep. Those are the months when cancer showed up — in 2010, in 2013, and again in 2014. I often have nightmares during the holidays, either reliving my almost dying or enduring a new diagnosis that requires the same suffering. Each time, I wake up in a sweat. And it takes me a full day to convince myself it was only a dream.
And then there are the random encounters, online or in person, with people who bear the same scars that I do. And while my heart wants to connect with them, my body rebels against it, as if their proximity stirs up too many memories. I find myself either on the verge of anger or tears, or fighting an urge to run away as fast as possible.
A few weeks ago, while I was getting blood drawn for yet another blood test, the phlebotomist told me a story of her son. In early childhood, he endured a freak accident that nearly killed him. She spent months next to his bedside, helping him through multiple surgeries and hospitalizations and nursing him back to health. He’s now in his late twenties, married and with children, and his medical trauma sits two long decades in the past. Even so, he told her about a recent routine physical and blood workup. When the nurse ripped open a packet containing an alcohol swab to clean his skin, the smell sent him into a panic. He experienced a rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, and an overwhelming sense of terror. All because of the familiar smell of alcohol. Twenty years later and his body remembers.
It took my own experience with PTSD — first with my youngest children and then with myself — to recognize that traumatic responses aren’t reserved only for Vietnam veterans and victims of violent abuse. Neglect, accidents, a family death, and significant medical crises can all mark a body. Then gender, biology, personality, and various other hidden factors can individualize the traumatic experience. This means several individuals who experience the same circumstance may respond in different ways. Regardless, one response doesn’t make any other less valid.
Ignoring or minimizing trauma and responses to it does nothing to help a person heal. I know this now. Within three months of almost dying, I resumed all of my responsibilities at home and dove back into traveling, writing, and working. My compulsion baffles me, why I thought I needed to bootstrap my way through each day, stuffing my feelings so deep within I could pretend, temporarily, that they didn’t wound me as they did. And although this determination to move forward saved me in one regard, the trauma of what had happened would not be ignored. Like cancer, it only grew with my lack of sober attention.
One of the most dangerous Christian practices (and expectations) is the compulsion to present a put-together, unflappable faith.
On the whole, we haven’t done a very good job of making space for a struggle that lasts longer than we think it should. We may give the struggler grace for a day, a week, a month, a year. But sooner than later, we decide it’s high time she pulled it together. This pressure — whether spoken or unspoken — only pushes the sufferer to hide and neglect the long, hard process of healing.
The night in the basement, holding the pain reliever while wondering if suicide would be my only real relief, was the result, in part, of this pressure to perform. For months I had tried to stay strong, keep myself together, present a tough, faith-filled front. But eventually, I ran out of fight. I could no longer muscle my way through my reality.
In the years since, I’ve experienced too many other dark nights when the thought of death seemed to be my only out. But how could I tell those close to me about the black hole that swallowed me? How could I let them know how desperately I wanted it all to end? Good Christian girls aren’t supposed to toy with such thoughts. To reveal the truth would invite more disappointment and shame. And I’d already had enough of both. The pressure I felt came from within and without, but the result was the same. I felt alone in my nightmare, too embarrassed and ashamed to admit I needed help.
Although it was painful, I feel a measure of gratitude for my descent into the dark, because it helped me to see what I needed to see. There was no pretending anymore. No muscling through the losses. Instead, I needed to honor the pain by telling the truth about it, to myself and to others. I needed to see my circumstances for what they were and validate my experience of them.
And I needed to admit, after years of pushing hard through too many impossible circumstances, that I’d finally reached the end of myself.
There’s an oft-used cliche that goes something like this: “God will never give you more than you can handle.” I have a few things to say about this claim, but I’ll begin with this: It’s a load of garbage. It may roll off the tongue reeeeaaal niiiiiice, but it is a big, fat lie.
In spite of the number of times I’ve been the unwilling recipient of that mantra, I’ve experienced more than I can handle more than once. Each time, in spite of my extraordinary efforts, I had nothing left to give. No tools, no insights, no solutions, no strength. My characteristic sleeve-rolling, hard-work-and-determination grit dissolved. Struggle and suffering had taken me under. I was flat-faced on the ground. Period.
But don’t take my word for it. The Bible is filled with stories of those bent in two under the weight of hard circumstances.
Take Elijah for example.
Elijah was a prophet, a devout one. In an age of paganism, rebellion, and persecution, Elijah served God with passion and fearlessness. Determined and obedient, he delivered God’s words to a stubborn horde of Israelites again and again, urging them to turn back to God. He even dared to confront King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, something that required not a little amount of courage considering their penchant for murdering God’s prophets. They turned their sights on Elijah, the “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17).
Rather than cower, Elijah challenges Ahab and his false prophets to a duel — a showdown between their god, Baal, and Elijah’s God. When the day arrives, 450 prophets of Baal stand against a lone Elijah, the last of God’s prophets. The 450 prophets of Baal pray like champs. No god replies from the skies. But when Elijah prays a single, sincere prayer, God comes down in a consuming fire (1 Kings 18).
I’d call that a decisive victory. Score.
At this point, Elijah expects Ahab, Jezebel, and the Israelites to come to their senses, to turn from their wickedness and once again follow God. But that’s not what happens.
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them’. — 1 Kings 19:1-2
Terrified, Elijah runs for his life (1 Kings 19:3) all the way from Jezreel to Beersheba, a distance of about a hundred miles. Then leaving his servant behind, he continues another full day’s journey into the wilderness alone. Because some disappointments don’t allow space for company.
There, collapsed under a broom bush, Elijah reaches the end of himself.
‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. — 1 Kings 19:4-5
Elijah’s bush wasn’t all that different from my basement. Despair. Frustration. Disappointment. Exhaustion.
Enough, Lord.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said similar words.
The doctors’ appointments. The therapy appointments. The conflicts and chronic pain, the headaches and heartaches. The praying, praying, praying and trying, trying, trying only to experience more obstacles, more pain, more confusion.
Enough, Lord. Please. Take my life.
Life often feels like a series of one-hundred-mile days. While I’ve never had a price on my head, I know what it feels like to pay a high price to live. Like Elijah, there are days when my enthusiasm over my mighty God is tempered by the reality that He doesn’t always behave the way I expect Him to.
He doesn’t always take the pain away.
He doesn’t always cure the illness.
He doesn’t always restore the relationship, resolve the conflict, deliver peace and rest.
Buried in frustration and defeat, I collapse into despair, questioning myself even more than I question Him. Surely I’ve done something wrong. I’m not the faith giant I’d hoped I’d be. Instead, I’m no better than any other struggler, weary and flat-faced.
At this point someone invariably offers me the load-of-garbage maxim. God will never give you more than you can handle. The irony? They throw it as a life preserver, hoping to save me from drowning in my circumstances. Instead, the cliche lands like a two-ton weight, finishing me off.
Which is why it matters to me how God responds to Elijah’s despair. Rather than a worthless cliche, He offers Elijah comfort.
All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.’ So he got up and ate and drank. — 1 Kings 19:5-8
What does God do?
He doesn’t rebuke him.
He doesn’t quote Scripture at him.
He doesn’t tell him to get his act together or his butt in church. He doesn’t tell him how much worse it could be.
And He doesn’t tell him that He will never give him more than he can handle.
There is no bootstrapping, guilt-tripping, manhandling, heavy-load-throwing.
Instead, God touches him. And feeds him. Twice.
Skin to skin, a tangible acknowledgment of presence.
And bread hot out of the oven. Comfort food. Maybe a casserole with extra cheese. Likely a pan of double-chocolate brownies. Nourishment of body and soul.
Why?
Because the journey is too much for you.
Excerpted from Relentless by Michele Cushatt, copyright Michele Cushatt.
It is too much. The weight you’re under is too much. If you wonder what Jesus’ response is to your exhaustion, fear, and struggle, look at Elijah. Rest. Eat. Be comforted. Wait patiently in the Lord.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 12, 2020
Fighting the Enemy Through Prayer
Jesus’ reminder to pray regularly against temptation reminds us just how prevalent and dangerous the appeal of sin can be in the Christian life. Once again the issue of kingdom and kingship is front and center.
Sin and temptation are harsh masters.
As the story of Cain reminds us, sin doesn’t just want to play a minor role in our life; it wants to “rule” over us (Genesis 4:7). Asking to be delivered from sin and temptation is a cry that emerges only from the heart of a citizen of God’s kingdom. We desire to submit to the rule and reign of God, not the dominion of sin. This petition is one of kingdom warfare, asking that God conquer the powers of sin, Satan, and the demons so that we might live for His heavenly Kingdom.
This petition also reminds us of several other very important points. First, Christians must recognize that temptations are a real and daily threat to communion with God and life with Christ. The most dangerous thing a Christian can ever do is believe that he is somehow immune to temptation. In fact, failing to account for the dangers of temptation betrays a severe misunderstanding of the gospel. In the gospel we come to recognize both the depravity of our hearts and the freedom of God’s grace in Christ.
If we, at any point, think that we are somehow freed up from fighting temptation, then we have both overestimated our own spiritual state and grossly underestimated our need for God’s grace. Second, this petition reminds us that we are not able to resist temptation by our own power. Most people know by experience that our willpower is not quite as strong as we would like to think. Anyone who has ever struggled to keep up with a diet plan knows just how weak-willed we can be. Even as we work to achieve our goals through sheer willpower, we find ourselves incapable of willing more willpower! The Gospel, however, and this petition in the Lord’s Prayer turn our attention away from our own strength to the strength of another. Jesus does not teach us to pray, “Lord, give me more willpower in the fight against sin.” He teaches us to ask for shepherding and deliverance —
“Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.”
These words express a heart of dependence, not self-sufficiency.
In fact, consider the phrase “deliver us.” These are words of desperation and powerlessness, not self-sufficiency. Jesus does not teach us to pray that God might “help a bit” or “give strength.” We do not meet God halfway and trust Him to do the rest. Rather, God does it all! He is the deliverer; we are the delivered. He is the savior; we are the saved.
The Bible does not teach that God helps those who help themselves; instead, God helps those who are at the end of themselves.
The Gospel teaches that only by God’s grace can we truly overcome the temptations of the world, the wickedness of our own hearts, and the power of the Devil.
Third, Christians must pray for endurance in the fight against temptation. Remember, Jesus is giving us a model prayer, which means these are the types of petitions that should characterize our prayer life every day. Christians should pray this petition, as well as for the grace to overcome temptation all the way to the grave.
Excerpted from The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down by Albert Mohler, copyright Fidelitas Corporation, R. Albert Mohler Jr., LLC. Published by Thomas Nelson.
If we are going to win against temptation and sin, we must realize how desperate we are for Jesus and dependent upon His grace.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 11, 2020
This is a little longer devotion and takes a little more depth of thought and study. This is from an email that I receive from Dallas Holm. Please try to read it all the way through before you react to what is written. Dallas did a very good job with a very controversial issue.
The mere title of this letter conjures up doctrinal differences, emotional reactions and dogmatic opinions. Some people and/or denominations are so anxious to jump into the fray to support their definition of this particular area of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, that other equally, if not more important doctrinal considerations are largely overlooked or perhaps neglected altogether.
On the other hand there are those, who out of a fear often fostered by observing the misrepresentations and excesses of some in the “spirit filled” camp, have decided to maintain a somewhat safe distance from the “mysterious” Holy Spirit. This, coupled with a lack of sincere effort to diligently study scripture for a biblically based view of the Holy Spirit and all things related, has left many with little or no desire to explore the depths of true biblical spirit filled living.
In either of these two “camps” (and there are others) the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not properly understood or appreciated. Hence, the Spirit is grieved if not quenched, the Christian is ill equipped and the devil is all smiles!
I will not attempt to answer all questions related to Spirit baptism, nor even necessarily offer and support a particular doctrinal stance, encouraging you to do the same. What I will do is present a couple different opinions regarding Holy Spirit baptism from two slightly different doctrinal positions. In the end, I think we’ll find that in spite of slight differences we will draw a single important conclusion.
I will be oft referencing Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, (deceased) reformed, protestant minister at Westminster Chapel in London for almost thirty years. I will also refer to the writings of Dr. Wayne Grudem (Grudem’s Systematic Theology) who is presently serving as Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Arizona.
I chose these two godly men because of the tremendous influence they have had in shaping sound theological and doctrinal thought through their writings, their lectures and most importantly their lives.Though they are just two men, they represent an extremely broad audience in the realm of theology and doctrine.
So, let’s get started. We have previously established in the last two Praiseletters that every Christian is spirit filled.
“But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9)
We’ve established that the Holy Spirit is fully God. (see: God the Holy Spirit, last PL)
The Holy Spirit is the regenerating force which draws us, convicts us, transforms us and indwells us.
Dr. Grudem states in his preface to systematic theology that: “I hold that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a phrase best applied to conversion and subsequent experiences are better called “being filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Dr. Lloyd Jones, in his book “Joy Unspeakable” presents just the opposite. He believes at conversion we are filled with the Holy Spirit, but the Baptism in (by or with) the Holy Spirit is a subsequent work. Though it may on occasion occur at the time of our salvation it is still to be distinguished from being filled or indwelt initially by the Holy Spirit.
You may wonder why I am attempting to put a fine point on these issues. It is because there has been such debate and differing opinions in this area that disunity has often prevailed, dysfunction has sometimes arisen and even divisiveness has crept in and wounded some in the flock.
How can two godly, brilliant bible scholars differ on this issue? It’s a matter of interpretation on each other’s part, but keep in mind, I think we will all draw a similar and encouraging conclusion even amidst differing opinions.
Dr. Grudem points out that, “there are only seven passages in the New Testament where we read of someone being baptized in (or with) the Holy Spirit.” They are as follows: Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5, Acts 11:16, and 1 Corinthians 12:13. (I encourage you to look up and read each of these.)
The 1 Corinthians 12:13 verse, which reads: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” is one area where differing opinions come into play. Does this verse carry the same meaning of Spirit baptism as the other six?
Without getting “too deep in the weeds” let me just say it depends largely on whether you accept the phrase “by one Spirit” or “in one Spirit.” Some English translations use “by one Spirit” suggesting that this verse differs from the other six.
Dr. Grudem explains, “Those who support the Pentecostal view of baptism in the Holy Spirit after conversion are quite eager to see this verse as referring to something other than baptism in the Holy Spirit… In all the other six verses, Jesus is the one who baptizes people and the Holy Spirit is the “element” in which or with which Jesus baptizes people. Here in 1 Corinthians 12:13 (so the Pentecostal explanation goes) we have something quite different - here the person doing the baptizing is not Jesus but the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they say, 1 Corinthians 12:13 should not be taken into account when we ask what the New Testament means by “baptism in the Holy Spirit.”
Remember, this is but one opinion and explanation of this point in scripture.
Now, let’s look at another. Dr. Lloyd Jones believed in a subsequent work or baptism in (or with) the Holy Spirit after conversion. Here’s how he handles 1 Corinthians 12:13:
“I want to demonstrate that this verse… (1 Cor. 12:13) does not deal at all with the doctrine of the baptism with the Holy Spirit.” Jones agrees with Grudem that the Greek word en is the word herein used in this verse but goes on to point out that this word is often used in Greek in a casual sense. For example: Matthew 24:52 says, “All they that take the sword shall perish with (or by) the sword.” Jones says, “And there is the little word en and it means, of course, perish by the sword. You could not possibly translate that...perish in the sword.” He goes on to give several other examples of the Greek word en to mean, by as well as, in.
Jones then goes on to use a quote by Dr. Wuest (The Untranslatable Riches from the New Testament Greek) to bring clarity to 1 Corinthians 12:13.
“The personal agent in this case who does the baptizing is the Holy Spirit. He places the believing sinner into the body of which the Lord Jesus is the living Head. We could translate therefore, by means of the personal agency of one Spirit we all were placed in one body.
It is not the baptism with the Spirit, or of the Spirit, in the sense that the Holy Spirit is the element that is applied to us; it is the baptism by the Spirit.”
Confused? It’s ok, I don’t understand all the nuances and applications of a two letter Greek word either. I’m no scholar and don’t claim to be.
What I do begin to see however, and I hope you do as well, is that there is a work that the Holy Spirit does in us at conversion and there is also an ongoing work that He does in sanctification and equipping for power to boldly witness.
Another verse we should look at where Grudem and Jones (as well as others) disagree, though not harshly, is John 20:22, where it reads as follows:
“...He breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.”
The question is, did the disciples actually receive the Holy Spirit before the day of Pentecost? This is significant.
Dr. Grudem writes, “When Jesus breathed on his disciples and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit; it probably was an acted out prophecy of what would happen to them at Pentecost.”
I’ve heard this explanation often through the years and do not reject it, but I also find Dr. Lloyd Jones’ explanation quite enlightening and challenging.
“There is nothing in the text of John 20 that suggests this was a prophetic enactment. Take the words as they are and this is what you find: ‘Jesus said to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and he saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.’
Surely if our Lord was merely telling them that this was going to happen to them, he would have done what he is reported as having done in Acts 1 where he tells them ‘Tarry ye in Jerusalem until…’ There he is telling them that something is going to happen and he puts it quite plainly and quite clearly. But there is no suggestion at all of that in John 20. He says, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost.’
Let me be still more specific. If you consult the learned authorities on the whole question of Greek grammar and the meaning of the words, you will find that they are unanimous in saying that in the Greek the word ‘receive’ in verse 22, is the aorist imperative. And the authorities are also unanimous in saying that the Greek aorist imperative never has a future meaning.
This is a purely technical point, but a very important one. So many of our friends, who hold to the other teaching, do so in terms of the Greek and the original. So let us meet them on their own ground. Here - and again I defy you to find a single exception - the authorities are all agreed in saying that the Greek aorist imperative never has a future meaning - and I would emphasize the word ‘never’. So you see, the very word that is used is a word that wants us to see that what we are told happened then, did happen then; that when our Lord said to them, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost,’ they did receive the Holy Ghost. But there is still more. When we are told that our Lord ‘breathed’ on them and said, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost’, this same word ‘breathed’, here in the Greek, is the word that was used in the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament in two most important instances. The first is Genesis 2:7 which reads: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ The other striking example of this is to be found in the book of the prophet Ezekiel in a very well known passage in chapter 37:5-9 - the vision of the ‘valley of dead bones’.
‘Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live...Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’
The Septuagint translation of the Hebrew word breathe used there, is exactly the same word as is used here in our passage, and surely this is a most significant fact.”
Again...disagreement, differing opinions but ultimately not highly problematic. The significance of Jones’ explanation of that verse is if the disciples did in fact receive the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on them, then what happened at Pentecost had to be a subsequent work!
Now I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Well Dallas, what do you think? Dallas, what about speaking in tongues?”
What I think is not all that important, but I will tell you.
But first, what did Jesus say the Pentecost outpouring was about?
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Some of you perhaps want to know my opinion on speaking in tongues and how it relates to this matter.
A traditional “doctrinal distinctive” of many pentecostal believers is, “The initial physical evidence of the baptism of (or in) the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.”
I personally don’t think scripture makes this case in a dogmatic doctrinal sense. I believe in all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and I believe they are still available to the church today for the edification of the church.
However, to single out one gift or others and say that if you haven’t experienced that gift or gifts, you have not experienced a Holy Spirit baptism, is not biblically accurate, in my opinion.
We know that on the day of Pentecost, the disciples spoke in other tongues, unlearned languages, so that all in attendance heard the gospel, each in their own language and 3,000 souls were added to the Kingdom. On two subsequent occasions (and a third implied), we know that people were filled with or received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.
However, there are numerous other mentions of individuals being filled with the Holy Spirit such as Elizabeth, Zacharias, Stephen and other references that say nothing of speaking in tongues.
I believe some people have in fact received a Holy Spirit baptism attended by speaking in tongues as well as other giftings, but I think to suggest that in the absence of a gift or gifts, a Spirit baptism did not occur, would be unfortunate.
This is the most challenging and difficult Praiseletter I’ve ever written out of the almost 300 I’ve penned.
There’s so much debate and division over this issue of Holy Spirit Baptism that it’s impossible to cover every area, address every idea and please every reader.
In the Spirit, with the Spirit, by the Spirit. Baptized, filled or received all seem to be terms that cause us to choose sides; at least in the way in which they are often used and explained.
So what can we gain from all this? What can we agree upon?
Again, we can look at Dr. Grudem and Dr. Jones and see that they both agree on an initial full entrance of the Holy Spirit into every true believer’s life. In reading their works, I can tell you they both agree on the ongoing sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in every Christian. They both agree that the Ephesians 5:18 command, “Be filled with the Spirit” refers to a constant and ongoing filling of God’s spirit. They both proclaim clearly that all the gifts of the Spirit are still working today and they both clearly and strongly encourage every believer to seek for more from the Holy Spirit. Call it a baptism, call it an in-filling, or call it as a “coming down” of His Spirit upon us: both would encourage us to seek for all the Spirit has and might delight to do in and through us.
I agree!
I’d like to add one more thing, though I know this has surely been my most lengthy letter to date.
I feel sure that some of this talk of the Holy Spirit Baptism, gifts, tongues, etc… has caused some of you to think I lean a little too far to “that” side of things and I need to embrace a more staunch reformed position in such matters. Actually, I do!
In my studies it’s been enlightening if not surprising that many, and I mean many, of the great old patriarchs of the faith such as Luther, Calvin, Whitfield, Spurgeon, Edwards, the Wesleys, Finney, Moody and many others, testify to a profound experience or experiences in their lives of the Holy Spirit impacting, transforming and flooding them with joy unspeakable, often years into their lives and ministries.
A baptism, an infilling, a fresh receiving of Holy Spirit power, would well define and describe what they experienced!
Let me close with a wonderful quote from that most staunch Calvinist, Reformed Baptist minister:
“O my soul! Thou art ready to burst within me. Oh my heart! Thou art swelled with grief. The hot tide of my emotion would well-nigh overflood the channels of my veins. I long to speak, but the very desire chains my tongue. I wish to pray, but the fervency of my feelings curbs my language. There is a groaning within that cannot be uttered. Do you know who can utter that groaning? Who can understand it, and who can put it into heavenly language, and utter it in a celestial tongue, so that Christ can hear it? Oh yes, it is God the Holy Spirit; He advocates our cause with Christ, and then Christ advocates it with His Father. He is the advocate who makes the intercession for us, with groanings that cannot be uttered.” Charles Hadden Spurgeon
Kinda sounds like he leans a little to “that side” too!
Friends...there’s more! The Spirit of God is limitless, eternal and present within us. Maybe we should worry less about what He doesn’t do and desire more what He might like to do in and through us.
I don’t know about you, but I have no hesitancy to say, “God, I want and need a Holy Spirit Baptism!”
We need to seek first the kingdom of God and worry a whole lot less about the things of this earth. The things of God will never pass away but all that we are experiencing now certainly will.
May you be blessed with a “filling” a “baptism” of the Holy Spirit today, to be in the will of God as you walk through each of life’s circumstances.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 10, 2020
Have you heard of The Jesus Bible? It's a beautiful Bible that's really focused on, well, Jesus. It's the first Bible of its kind that highlights the continuity of Jesus throughout all of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. Plus, it's full of bonus content to help you get a full picture of Jesus throughout the text. Today's devotion is from one of the bonus articles in this Bible — we hope you enjoy! ~ Devotionals Daily
Luke 3:15-18
When John began to preach in the wilderness, crowds flocked to see Him. He baptized those who confessed their sins but rebuked the pious religious leaders for their self-reliance (Matthew 3:7-10). After 400 years without a prophet, people rushed to John, wondering if he might be the Christ, the one for whom they as a people had been waiting for centuries. John pointed them to One more powerful than himself who was to come — Jesus. While John baptized with water as a sign of repentance, Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11).
The power Jesus demonstrated in His baptism differed from John’s to an infinite degree. To observers, their physical actions looked similar. While both used water, Jesus’ baptism pointed to an imminent change, the time when God would take up residence in the lives of believers through the person of the Holy Spirit. Each of the Gospel writers reference this distinctive element of Jesus’ work (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, John 1:33), foreshadowing the nature of the Trinity: one God in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, His disciples experienced power for immediate tasks in Jesus’ name (Luke 10:17-20). While the disciples relished these experiences, Jesus knew they would soon experience a substantively different reality — something that could only happen when He returned to His Father (John 16:7). Before He ascended into Heaven after His resurrection, Jesus commanded His disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the gift His Father had promised, the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Once the Holy Spirit came in fullness, the Holy Spirit’s filling became the confirmation that God had accepted people by grace through faith in Jesus. This grace extended even to Gentiles who had not kept the Law of Moses (Acts 11:15-17).
Throughout His ministry, John stated firmly that Jesus must become greater while he became less (John 3:30). John understood that he was responsible for preparing the way for Jesus, calling people to repentance. Jesus affirmed this role, stating that John was a great man (Matthew 11:10-11) who had faithfully fulfilled his purpose. During his life, John never confused his role or ministry with that of Jesus. He knew Jesus was the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world — One who was more powerful than himself and greater in all possible ways (John 1:36).
Excerpted from The Jesus Bible, copyright Zondervan.
What a blessing for John to be called “a great man who had faithfully fulfilled his purpose” by Jesus! Let’s live our lives on mission for Him so that the same can and will be said of us by Him when we see Jesus face-to-Face!
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 5, 2020
Happy birthday my beloved Carissa!
Many decades ago, one of my college friends gave me a small picture that has meant a great deal to me. There is nothing remarkable about it from an artistic standpoint, but it has given me great comfort during some important times nonetheless. In fact, not long ago, I asked the Lord for direction about a difficult situation. I felt very alone. Confused and unable to discuss my difficulties with others, I got down on my knees in a quiet room and cried out to God to help me, strengthen me, and change the situation that was causing me pain. I asked, “Father, please don’t leave me like this. Show me what to do.” As I was praying, I looked up, and there was that picture. In it, the Lord Jesus is standing behind a young man, pointing out the right course for the fellow to take. The Master’s hand is on his shoulder, as if saying,
I am with you always. — Matthew 28:20
and
This is the way, walk in it. — Isaiah 30:21
In that instant, God showed me that He was in complete control of the situation and that He would help me get to the destination He planned for me. Like the young man in the picture, I needed to stay focused on the path that the Master was pointing me to. And if I would obey Him — even when the road seemed dark — He would certainly bless my faith in Him.
I tell you this because, inevitably, there will be times in your life when you just don’t know what to do. You may feel overwhelmed by the questions that plague you and shut down — becoming paralyzed and unable to move forward. Or perhaps you lie awake at night, consumed by the details of your circumstances and rehearsing them repeatedly in the hope of making some sense of them. Either way, you feel trapped, because you have no idea how to proceed.
You will feel as if your anxiety is tearing you apart. And that is what fear does — it scatters your thoughts, pulling you in different directions with all the “what ifs.” But this stands in direct opposition to what the Father desires for you.
Jesus said,
I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. — John 16:33
Peace. It is a word that in the Greek means “joined or bound together.” For example, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, we can have peace — or be united — with Him and be fully reconciled to the Father (Colossians 1:20).
However, peace also means an internal sense of harmony and tranquility. Everything within us is calm — confident “that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). It is Jesus’ goal that we would possess the inward composure that comes from having a personal relationship with Him and enjoying His provision. And He has given us the gift of prayer for this purpose.
Philippians 4:6-7 promises,
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7
The word there for guard means to “garrison you about, hem you in, and protect by a military sentinel.” As you exercise the gift of prayer and walk with God, He encompasses you as your Protector and Provider — and no one can break through His defenses. The Father encircles you with His own matchless presence, and the only way anything can get to you is if He Himself opens the door and allows it. That is the greatest security you and I could ever ask for.
Do you need peace in some area? Are you facing a situation that is confusing — that is tearing you apart? Do you lack a clear course of action?
Jesus knows exactly what you really need and how to provide it in the most loving and edifying way possible. He is committed to seeing you become all He created you to be.
Jesus’ hand is on your shoulder, and He’s pointing you in the right direction — the right path for your life. Are you listening to Him and submitting to His guidance? Or are you living your life the way you want to — in your wisdom rather than His?
All of us need a reliable guide to instruct us, and none is more trustworthy than the Savior who laid down His life on our behalf. But perhaps you are unsure — can you truly trust the Lord with the situation that is currently causing you so much stress and anxiety? Here are two reasons why I am confident you can and should.
The first reason trusting Jesus to guide you will bring you peace is because you know He will never lead you astray. As I said previously, His character is above reproach. His comprehension of all things past, present, and future is beyond compare. He not only has the wisdom to counsel you, but He loves you and always has your best interest at heart. Deuteronomy 31:8 promises,
The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
God will never mislead or abandon you, no matter what decision you must make. He will direct you in the best path possible if you will follow Him. If that doesn’t give you peace, I don’t know what will!
Second, trusting Jesus to guide you will bring you peace because He is leading you on a road that is unique to you. This world offers many one-size-fits-all solutions to our problems, and often they do not work or cause even more damage. But Jesus’ knowledge of you is perfect — He understands your personality, strengths, weaknesses, joys, sorrows, needs, temptations, desires, and concerns. Also, He created you for a distinctive purpose. Ephesians 2:10 explains,
We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
When the Lord formed you, there were special assignments He planned for you to accomplish, which are tailor-made for your giftedness and temperament. Your being is satisfied, finds meaning, and is fulfilled in knowing Him and achieving those purposes.
This all means that the road you are to take must be specially crafted for you — specific to your makeup and to the reasons you were created as you were. This is why it is so important for God to set your course — because only your Lord and Savior knows your true potential, how to overcome the dangers ahead, and how to arrive at your destination in the safest and most effective way possible. And this is why His leadership should give you peace — He knows exactly what you really need and how to provide it in the most loving and edifying way possible. He is invested in you and is committed to seeing you become all He created you to be.
In Psalm 32:8, He promises,
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
Will you trust Him to do so? I hope you will. He knows exactly where you are, what you need to do in the situation you’re facing, and how to get you to the wonderful destination He’s planned for you. He is your Protector and Provider and has everything necessary to get you to the goal even when the path seems impossible. Only the Lord can meet those high standards that can ensure your peace.
Pray to Him and trust Him to be your leader in every situation, because surely He will bless you with His peace that transcends understanding as you follow Him.
Lord God, thank You so much for always being with me — for never leaving or abandoning me. I am so grateful that You are leading me through this great gift of prayer. Like a loving Father or a gentle Shepherd, You direct me on the path I need to take — to drive out sin, heal my wounds, develop my gifts, build my character, and teach me more about You. Thank You, Lord.
You encompass me as my perfect Protector and Provider — and no one can break through Your defenses. You guide me with Your hand on my shoulder and encircle me with Your own matchless presence. I thank You that the only way anything can get to me is if You allow it for my ultimate edification and benefit. What great tranquility that gives my heart — that all things will work together for my good!
You keep me secure in Your steadfast, unending, unshakable love. Thank You, Lord! There is no peace like the peace You give, Lord Jesus! In Your matchless name I pray. Amen.
Excerpted from The Gift of Prayer by Charles Stanley, copyright Charles F. Stanley.
With prayer we have an incredible connection with God Himself! His hand is on your shoulder, guiding you, leading you, protecting you, shielding you, trading your anxiety for His peace. He will never lead you astray.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith June 9, 2020
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2
Once there was a man walking through his city who came upon a construction site. Curious about what was going on, he asked the first worker laying bricks what he was building. In a bored, slightly irritated voice he said, “I’m building a wall.”
He kept walking and met another bricklayer and asked the same question. “Oh, I’m building a church,” he replied in a relaxed tone. “It will be nice.”
Finally, he met the third bricklayer and asked him what he was building. “I’m building a house of God,” he said with both joy and conviction.
In describing this colloquial parable, Angela Duckworth says the three men see their work in three different modes; the first as a job, the second as a vocation, and the third as a calling. All are fostering different thoughts, and ultimately these thoughts will form very different paths. You see, you become your thoughts.
Every circumstance in your life, whether good or bad, is affected by your thinking. Though it seems overwhelming, this is good news because it gives you the power to transform one part of your life and reap great rewards in nearly every other!
Your thoughts today are your results tomorrow.
Small Changes Lead to New Destinations
When it comes to changing your thinking, it’s helpful to recognize that making minor adjustments can reap great rewards.
When I was growing up, I spent most summers on a fishing boat, and I enjoyed watching the captain as he maneuvered the vessel. There was a shiny wheel up top, but our skipper actually navigated using a three-inch plastic dial on a computer to the left of the helm. This tiny tool could alter our path by a minor yet measurable degree. Though small changes were not immediately noticeable, an hour later, two clicks set our course or took us off of it.
The same is true with our thoughts. Minor changes such as forgiving a past wrong, not blaming authority figures, or being grateful every day can make a gigantic difference in our lives, especially over time.
Your thoughts really are your destination.
Change Your Perspective
One of the most profound changes you can make on the journey to renewed thinking is to adjust your perspective. You can control your attitude and how you react to situations, but assuming a more positive view will not come naturally.
When I was sixteen-years-old, I got my first job as an “expeditor” at a big Mexican restaurant that was owned by a family friend. Though I was happy to have it, one night, a server pushed me to the limit. He brought in some leftover food and dropped the plates down hard on the counter, spilling cheesy rice all over the floor. This meant I had to clean up a big mess that I didn’t make, even though I was just about ready to leave.
Now, my typical reaction would have been to blame and complain, but that moment was a turning point for me. Instead of arguing, I decided to sweep the floor for God. I let it go; I wasn’t doing my work for anyone except Him. Though nothing looked different from the outside, I knew something had changed inside of me.
You Can Help What You Think About
Controlling your thoughts is like strength training for the soul, and it happens through meditation. Though it sounds like a strange Eastern sort of thing, the Bible talks more about meditating on Scripture than it does about memorizing it.
Rightfully understood, meditating begins with memorizing verses that elevate your thinking, and it continues by incorporating those scriptures into your prayer life. In other words, you don’t only read and study the Bible, you dwell on it.
Even though you can’t control every thought that comes to your mind, you can control what you focus on. My wife’s grandfather used to say, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.”
Good News
No matter what situation you find yourself in today, change is possible! There is a way out of every difficulty if you choose to cultivate the right thoughts. Like a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly, when you renew your mind according to the Word of God, you experience metamorphosis — a complete and total transformation.
Growth begins when you acknowledge that you have the power to change your thoughts and begin making minor adjustments to your course. As you choose to shift your perspective on challenging situations and meditate on the truth of God’s Word to feed your spirit, your life goes from ordinary to truly extraordinary.
Your mind is like a garden. When you plant and nurture good ideas and pull out the weeds of blame, jealousy, judgment, self-pity, and pride, your thoughts cultivate good fruit that feeds and blesses those around you!
Reflection:
Do you think about what you think about? If not, I encourage you to practice the discipline of “examine” by asking questions like: What decisions did I make today? How would I have changed them? How will I think differently next time around?
Written for Devotionals Daily by Bobby Schuller, author of Change Your Thoughts, Change Your World.
Are you being transformed from the inside out by the renewing of your mind in Jesus?
Pastor Dale