So this week I was given the incredible opportunity to take my son (Vaughn) to Montreal so for us to watch our first Canadiens game together. This was a great time and despite the score it was a wonderful game. Vaughn was a lot of fun and I was so blessed to have another opportunity to invest in my little man and hopefully place more nuggets of God and how a man of God is suppose to act and treat people in his life. This is truly a high calling and I am blessed to be able to have this calling in his life.
On to the point. While we watched the game Montreal was down by two goals at one point, but incredibly came back to tie the game in the third. In the last few moments of the game the intensity level was at a high and all in the stadium were on the edge of their seat. As each team skated back and forth and had many different scoring chances Vaughn would bury his head in my chest and say, "I can't look!!! I'm so scared!!!" At this point I said to him that this was not scary, but it was awesome. He continued to act this way. I put my hand on his chest and his heart was pounding so hard I could feel it pumping through his sweater very hard. So being a nomination for the "Father of the Year" award I told him that being eaten by a bear is something that is scary and a hockey game is definitely not. As I explained the difference between a legitimate thing to be afraid of and what we were watching this thought dawned on me, "How often have I done this in my walk with God?"
In life how many times have I said, "God, I can't look!!! I am too scared!!!" Simply put, what is there that I cannot face with God's help? What do I need to fear when the creator of the universe is on my side? Knowing in my head that it is not my strength that I run in and God is greater than the circumstance I am going through somehow often falls short when I don't apply it and walk it out.
So the question isn't "What am I facing today that I can't handle?" The question is "What am I facing today that God can't handle?" The answer to these two questions differs drastically and that is awesome!!! The answer to the second question opens the door to freedom, from fear and all that it wants to do to consume my mind, and take me out.
I looked at my son and said, "This is irrational" but I wonder how many times God looks at me and says, "Scottie, you know me and somehow you still live with fear. How can this be? This is irrational."
Scripture says that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but has given us a Spirit of power, of love and a sound mind." (paraphrased) "Perfect love casts out fear" and God is that perfect love. Real quick I want to think on what God HAS given us.
Spirit of Power - We have authority by God's Spirit. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in us when we accept Him into our lives. If that isn't power and that doesn't give us authority to to walk victoriously in this life and it's struggles, then I don't I don't know what is and does. Simply put, there need not be such a thing as wimpy Christians. We are given power!!!
Spirit of Love - We just celebrated Valentine's day and I have to be honest. It was the best one I think I have had... ever. Now don't get we wrong, I was prepared to go it alone and be okay with that, but within the past two weeks God has blessed me with a gal who is simply put, amazing. As we spend time together we push each other toward Jesus and as we experience His perfect love it creates a deeper love for Him, His people and each other. If we are living in fear it is tough to love. It is tough to love the unlovable, those who we do not know, those who hurt us and those who do love us, but we are fearful of being hurt again. God says cast away that fear because I offer you a perfect love and I want you to live in that love giving that love without fear of anything.
Spirit of a Sound Mind - This is perhaps the most difficult aspect for me. It is so tough for me to shut of my always spinning, never quiet, constantly over thinking mind. As a thought pops in my head it is hard to not analyze it and pick it apart until it totally consumes my focus. As it consumes my focus it then in turn distracts my mind to an unhealthy level. If then allow it to get to this point it is likely that it affects my actions which often manifests itself in fear and doubt. But God says, "Because of the power/authority that I have given you, you can confront this lie, fear or whatever it is and command it to back off because I my desire for you is sound mind. (peace)" Don't get me wrong, peace isn't the absence of crisis, but the prescence of Jesus in your life. When crisis comes we have peace because of who Jesus is. Do we have peace or do we have fear?
So here's my challenge: Like my son was at the game, are we consumed and overwhelmed by the irrational fears in life or are we living in "power", in "love" and with a "sound mind"?
I am grateful that I/we do not serve some distant diety that says, "Work it out/hug it out/rationalize it out" but rather says, "I care and I am here." This is my peace and the way I want my life to be lead.
What say you?
Friday, 17 February 2012
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Random thoughts. (Great title I know)
So apparently it's that time again. I woke up at 5:00 this morning and could not get back to sleep so instead of fighting it and getting frustrated, I quickly came to realize that this must mean it's time for another blog post. See? I can learn. To be honest, I love starting my day this way as it really helps to get my focus in the right place from the onset of my day. It's just too bad that the day has to start at such an early hour, but I am not God so I will not tell him how to do his job regarding this.
I have to say that God has definitely been speaking to me about refining my focus as of late. In our youth Sunday school class we have been talking about worship and what it is. The past two weeks we've discussed "acts" (the how) of worship and "objects" (the what) of worship and the good things that we make gods (small g) in our lives. One thing that has been impressed on my heart very strongly as of late is that "If the devil can't make you really bad, he will make you really busy." It doesn't matter what it is that we do as long as we can be distracted from what God's best for us is. That definitely applies to me in a lot of areas and it needs correction ASAP.
God has been reminding me of the process that He has. "Seek Him first and He will give us the desires of our heart". So of course I am naturally thinking, "OK God, I'm seeking you. Now where's my Lamborghini?" Not quite. As I seek God, God meets me intimately at my inner most core. As I experience His presence and goodness I fall in love with Him and His ways again. As I fall in love with Him more I want to do what He desires from me because I realize my ways are so minute to the plans that God has for me. As I walk in His ways it becomes that my desires were not really my desires, but a temporary buzz, or high or whatever.
I'm so grateful that God has brought me from a place of distrust, whining, complaining, and being very dependant on another person in a relationship to a place of trust, rejoicing, seeking and being OK with just me and what He has for me. There is a football player in the NFL name Terrell Owens and one of his funnier quotes over the years has been, "I love me some me." Now his angle with this quote was probably from a place of pride and perhaps a touch of arrogance. God has inserted this quote in my head for the purpose of me getting okay with who He has me to be and not counting my worth as who I am with. I spoke in an earlier post about the seasons in my life and in the season of solitude, God has taught me that I am OK because He says that I am ok and I need to be content with life even if that means its just me and Vaughn in it serving Jesus. This Christmas Vaughn and I spent it alone, just the two of us here in the city and only had a couple hours in passing with my mother and her husband. Beyond that we had no Christmas with my family and despite my fears of this being the most sucktastic Christmas ever, it was one of my favorites. What I feared, God made awesome. What I was dreading, God made special.
To be honest I am now in a place where "I love me some me" and who God made me and the ministry that He has called me to. I wake up in the morning and I do not pine (or whine) for what I do not have, but I try my best to say thank you for what I do have and what God has provided.
FYI, we teach our kids "please and thank you" and with God that is backwards. "Come into His house with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise.." As we approach God let's say thank you for His blessings before we present our laundry list to Him. (side note ended)
Back on topic. It seems that as I've reached that place of contentment and God has said, "Now I can take you to the next level of my blessing" and I am pumped to see what He has in store. (We'll leave it at that)
All in all I hope this made some sense or connected on some level. The long and short is this. God is good, I am grateful and His blessings are unending as we bask in his presence. May we not be so busy that we miss out on what it is He wants to do in and through us. Let's be world changers y'all!!!
Blessings,
Scottie
I have to say that God has definitely been speaking to me about refining my focus as of late. In our youth Sunday school class we have been talking about worship and what it is. The past two weeks we've discussed "acts" (the how) of worship and "objects" (the what) of worship and the good things that we make gods (small g) in our lives. One thing that has been impressed on my heart very strongly as of late is that "If the devil can't make you really bad, he will make you really busy." It doesn't matter what it is that we do as long as we can be distracted from what God's best for us is. That definitely applies to me in a lot of areas and it needs correction ASAP.
God has been reminding me of the process that He has. "Seek Him first and He will give us the desires of our heart". So of course I am naturally thinking, "OK God, I'm seeking you. Now where's my Lamborghini?" Not quite. As I seek God, God meets me intimately at my inner most core. As I experience His presence and goodness I fall in love with Him and His ways again. As I fall in love with Him more I want to do what He desires from me because I realize my ways are so minute to the plans that God has for me. As I walk in His ways it becomes that my desires were not really my desires, but a temporary buzz, or high or whatever.
I'm so grateful that God has brought me from a place of distrust, whining, complaining, and being very dependant on another person in a relationship to a place of trust, rejoicing, seeking and being OK with just me and what He has for me. There is a football player in the NFL name Terrell Owens and one of his funnier quotes over the years has been, "I love me some me." Now his angle with this quote was probably from a place of pride and perhaps a touch of arrogance. God has inserted this quote in my head for the purpose of me getting okay with who He has me to be and not counting my worth as who I am with. I spoke in an earlier post about the seasons in my life and in the season of solitude, God has taught me that I am OK because He says that I am ok and I need to be content with life even if that means its just me and Vaughn in it serving Jesus. This Christmas Vaughn and I spent it alone, just the two of us here in the city and only had a couple hours in passing with my mother and her husband. Beyond that we had no Christmas with my family and despite my fears of this being the most sucktastic Christmas ever, it was one of my favorites. What I feared, God made awesome. What I was dreading, God made special.
To be honest I am now in a place where "I love me some me" and who God made me and the ministry that He has called me to. I wake up in the morning and I do not pine (or whine) for what I do not have, but I try my best to say thank you for what I do have and what God has provided.
FYI, we teach our kids "please and thank you" and with God that is backwards. "Come into His house with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise.." As we approach God let's say thank you for His blessings before we present our laundry list to Him. (side note ended)
Back on topic. It seems that as I've reached that place of contentment and God has said, "Now I can take you to the next level of my blessing" and I am pumped to see what He has in store. (We'll leave it at that)
All in all I hope this made some sense or connected on some level. The long and short is this. God is good, I am grateful and His blessings are unending as we bask in his presence. May we not be so busy that we miss out on what it is He wants to do in and through us. Let's be world changers y'all!!!
Blessings,
Scottie
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