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Listen Up!

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20130817-132904.jpgThis week we have looked at the challenge of living remarkably (A Remarkable Challenge.)  To do this we have talked about the need for this to begin internally with our relationship with God (Inside Out) and that you just have to be the you God created (What If…) Today, I want to look at how we can let God use us for His purposes.  So the question is this…Have you ever wished God would use a billboard to communicate with us?  Wouldn’t that be so much easier to understand and follow?  But if we want to hear God we have to be quiet.  We have to be still.  We have to have our hearts tuned to the channel of the Holy Spirit.  And we have to be ready to move, to take action when given direction.  Even when it doesn’t make sense.

Let me share a story with you about a woman who touched me deeply just by listening to the Holy Spirit and taking action, even though it didn’t make sense.  This was taken from a letter that I had written to my prayer team shortly after having been diagnosed with Takayasu’s arteritis.

I wanted to share another amazing story of how God continues to work and reveal himself. A little before 9:00 one evening this week my cell phone rang. I was tired and thought of not answering it but the number was vaguely familiar so I picked it up. The voice on the other end was a very dear lady whom I haven’t spoken with in probably a year. (I had worked with her in the creation of her image and marketing collateral for her non-profit organization, Pampering Parents, one of the projects I am most proud of having been part of. You can read her amazing story at Pamperingparents.org) She was almost as surprised to hear my voice as I was to hear hers as she tentatively said “Ashley, I didn’t know if I could still get ahold of you. You have been on my mind lately. How are you doing?” She didn’t even really know why she felt so compelled to call out of the blue.  I absolutely couldn’t believe my ears and the words began spilling out over one another as I began filling her in on “how I was.” She was absolutely shocked to hear everything that had been going on. The Holy Spirit had placed me on her heart and she listened. She began to encourage and share with me immediately, reminding me of 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul asks God three times to remove the thorn from his side and how through our weakness God is able to display his perfect strength.  This passage is one that I had already spent time in but God knew that I needed to hear that message and his words again that night from one of his servants. My spirit was so lifted after we prayed together and God’s presence was tangible. We serve an amazing Lord who continues to know just what I need and provides it at exactly the right moment.

If you listen and hear His voice, through God’s Word or other source, then you have a choice to obey God’s word or go your own way. Hebrews 3:15 says if you hear and do not respond it is the same as rebellion and hardens the heart. This is the path that leads to destruction; whether it is by willful rebellion or by indifference there is no distinction.
If you listen and obey, then generally, you are spiritually growing in relationship with Christ and seeking ways to serve “the Kingdom” mission with your gifts and talents. If you are listening you should be shrinking and He should be increasing in you. His kingdom should be becoming more and more important to you each day and you should be less and less concerned with the cares of this world and its enticements. I wish this narrow road to perfection were an overnight process but like the people of Israel this sometimes seems like a back and forth process in life. Finishing well is what matters not how or when you start.

A Challenge

Be Intentional

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So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. (Romans 14:12 NIV)

Joyce Meyer writes “There are two kinds of people in the world: those who wait for something to happen and those who make things happen. God has called you to do great things for His Kingdom, don’t shy away from it.

You need to be intentional. You need to live life ON purpose. Don’t just wait around to see what everyone else is going to do & then follow the crowd. Stir yourself up, make a decision, & get going!”

I ask you the same question as yesterday. What if God is waiting on you?

A Challenge

What if…

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20130815-081150.jpgMartin Buber, in Tales of the Hasidim, tells the story of Rabbi Zussia. Rabbi Zussia said, “At the Last Judgement, I shall not be asked ‘Why were you not Abraham? Why were you not Moses?’ I shall be asked, ‘Why were you not Zussia?’ ” So, I ask you today, why are you trying so hard to be anything other than what God created you to be?

Galatians 5:25-26 says, “Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original (MSG, emphasis mine).

Be you! Stop comparing yourself to others. God created you uniquely. He created you with specific gifts and for a specific purpose. There are things that God has planned that without you, your gifts, your input, will not be fully developed. We can so easily get caught up comparing ourselves to others, where we excel, where we fall short. In our personal quest to “measure up” we can easily sideswipe opportunities that God has planned for us. This is what happens when our eyes are on others, not the God who created us. God will meets us, where we are, with remarkable opportunities specifically suited for our talent set. You must only make yourself available.

We are needed to be the light in a broken, dark world. God does not call the dark to be light, he calls the light to be light. The light, you and I, we all must do our part. There are so many corners and nooks and crannies that need lit up. It doesn’t matter how big or small our part may be. And I speak personally when I say sometimes that is hard. I want to do big things, see big changes, big results. But it is all important to God, the big and the small. They all play a necessary part. Mother Theresa writes, “God will not ask how many books you have read; how many miracles you have worked; He will ask you if you have done your best, for the love of Him. Can you in all sincerity say, “I have done my best”? Even if the best is failure, it must be our best, our utmost. ”

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NLT)

You can sit and complain about the way things are, in your church, in your school, or in your community, but there is another option. Today, linger on this question…What if the change is supposed to start with you? What if instead of complaining you are supposed to take action?

This world needs God
But it’s easier to stand and watch
I could say a prayer and just move on
Like nothing’s wrong
But I refuse
‘Cause I don’t want to live like I don’t care
I don’t want to say another empty prayer
I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move, but I refuse
-Josh Wilson, “I Refuse”

What if God is waiting on you?

Still Moments

Still Moments-Start Talking

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God is Never Too Busy to Talk
May 13, , 2011 by Rick Warren

Here are three encouraging facts to remember about God:

God is never too busy – “The Lord is near to all who call on him.” (Psalm 145:18 NIV) He’s never too busy to talk to you. He’s always near. He never says, “Some other time.”

God loves to meet your needs — He’s not annoyed by your request. “If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11 NIV)

God is sympathetic to your hurts — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 NLT) When you hurt, God hurts. When you grieve, God grieves. He is there. And He cares. That is the Good News.

A Challenge

Inside Out

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You want to be remarkable? Then here is the first question I have for you.
How far can your car go on empty?
No doubt we have pushed it to its limits sometimes. The low fuel light comes on in our vehicle and we either aren’t near a gas station or we think we can make it just a little ways further. Eventually, if we don’t stop to refuel, our car will come to a sputtering halt alongside the road. Like our vehicles, we need fuel. Obviously we have physical needs, rest and nourishment, but spiritually we also need to be refilled. How do we do this? By spending time with God.

Our relationship with God is based in our prayer life. Prayer is our way to communicate with God, and without communication how can we have a relationship?  As Christians we often treat prayer as something to be checked off a list and we miss the part where we are building our relationship with the Creator of the universe. We miss out on the refueling that happens when we commune with God. Prayer is a stepping stone to worship, to devotional time spent in His Word, and then to outwardly reaching towards others. We have to start our road to a remarkable life internally. If our cup isn’t overflowing with the love and Spirit of Christ generated in our time spent with Him, how will we have enough to share? Maybe you don’t feel like you know how to start a conversation with God.  It’s been so long or you don’t know what to say.  Mother Teresa says “We want so much to pray properly and then we fail.  We get discouraged and give up.  If you want to pray better, you must pray more.”  God is waiting and He just wants you, not a fancy prayer.  Mother Teresa goes on to say “If we don’t pray, our presence will have no power, our words will have no power.”  Without prayer we will not be remarkable.

I could never do justice to the extensive topic of prayer in this sitting, volumes and volumes are dedicated to it. So for today, let me bottom-line it for you. Prayer-just do it. Talk to God as you would a friend.  Build your relationship with him and begin the journey towards remarkable. Enjoy the light-hearted look at prayer through the eyes of The Skit Guys below and see if you can identify with any of it. I know I did.

Have you taken the Challenge To Be Remarkable?

A Challenge

A Remarkable Challenge

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20130812-080246.jpgStop and think about something this morning.  Here is what I am asking you to “Be Still” over this week. You leave your fingerprints everywhere.  This isn’t a matter of hygiene but instead a matter of the heart.  The people you work with, the stranger at the grocery store, your spouse, your children, your teammates, your friends, everyone of these groups of people are marked by your fingerprints.  How are you marking them?

Jesus in is the everyday dealings in our lives. I believe this is where He lives.  Yes, He is most certainly in the grand, big plans.  He is in the mega-churches and the revival conventions.  He resides in the Joyce Meyers, David Jeremiahs, and Billy Grahams of the world but no more so than he does in you or I.  Stop and think about that for just a moment.  If, you are a follower of Jesus, a disciple, He is as available to you as He is to each and every notable disciple that has come before you.  More than that, you have every bit as much opportunity (and dare I say responsibility) to reach out to those people that He places in your path on any given day.  There is a need for the “big-leagues” but never discount the “little league” games that you and I are involved in every single moment of every single day. These can be just as remarkable, sometimes even more so.  Think for just a minute, how many people can one person reach, even if they have the platform of television and radio?  (And that requires a the listener to be actively searching for something.)  Now, how many people can you and I, and every other follower of Jesus reach in a single day, where they are, bringing a message that person may not have even realize they needed.  I am not talking about preaching hellfire and brimstone, but reaching out instead in love, kindness, forgiveness.  These, the fruits of the Spirit from Galations 5:22, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness are things of this world that are quickly disappearing.  We are called to be different.  We are called for something more.  We have an opportunity, everyday, to plant these seeds and maybe, through God’s careful tending though everyday people like you and I, that seed will grow into something bigger.  If that isn’t remarkable, I don’t know what is.

Today, you will have at least one opportunity to be remarkable and it doesn’t require a huge gesture, it just requires eyes that have been opened by Jesus to see people the way he sees them.  Ears that are listening for the prompting of the still small voice of Jesus.  A heart that has experienced the love of Jesus  and in response is overflowing in gratitude.  Feet that are following in Jesus’ footsteps.  And hands, to leave the fingerprints of Jesus on someone else’s life.  No matter how small and insignificant that gesture may seem to us we are part of a much larger plan and all of the pieces have to be present for the puzzle to be complete.  Today, I am writing as much to myself as you.  Don’t get caught up in the grand gesture, the desire for greatness.  Be diligent in the small things, see and take every opportunity that God presents and you will gain an understanding of remarkable.

Lord and Savior, my Father and my Teacher, as I begin this week let me do so with a humble heart.  Please release me from the desire to save the world and instead fill me with the desire to reflect You to the world.  Help me to understand the true meaning of living a remarkable life, not in notoriety and fame, but in the quiet dealings of a life lived in your grace.  Help me to leave your fingerprints, not mine, on everyone I touch today.  When I forget please remind me.  I will be tempted by all sorts of things, to distract and to detract, from the message that I live.  In these moments Lord, help me to dwell in You to renew my spirit.  Lord, help me to live remarkably by your standards.

Please join me this week as we continue on our search for a remarkable life.

Still Moments

What are you saying yes to?

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“A world of insight is hidden in four words in Matthew 14:22: ” He [Jesus] dismissed the crowd” (NIV). This wasn’t just any crowd that Jesus dismissed.
These weren’t casually curious.
These weren’t coincidental bystanders.
This was a multitude with a mission. They had heard the disciples. They had left their homes. They had followed Jesus around the sea. They had heard him teach and had seen him heal. They had eaten the bread. And they were ready to make him king.
Surely Jesus will commandeer the crowd and focus their frenzy. Surely he will seize the chance to convert the thousands. Surely he will spend the night baptizing the willing followers. No one would turn down an opportunity to minister to thousands of people, right?
Jesus did.
“He dismissed he crowd.” Why? Read verse 23: “After he dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray”(NIV).
He said no to the important in order to say yes to the vital.
He said no to a good opportunity in order to say yes to a better opportunity. It wasn’t a selfish decision. It was a deliberate choice to honor priorities. If Jesus thought it necessary to say no to the demands of the crowds in order to pray, don’t you think you and I should, too?”
Excerpt from Max Lucado’s “Experiencing the Heart of Jesus.”

A Challenge

What are you holding on to?

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20130808-092857.jpgMy son battles with stress-induced anxiety.  When under pressure, he becomes hyper-sensitive.  Everything is enhanced and he will become very aware of any ache, pain, or sound to the point of maddening distraction. He is on sensory overload. He becomes agitated, begins to shut down, and cannot see reason.  He also avoids, at all costs, that which is causing him the stress.  It literally slams on the brakes of his life and our family.  In exasperation I have talked, I have pleaded, and I have yelled.  (I am not proud.) I have prayed over him, prayed for him, and prayed with him.  Yesterday we found ourselves in the middle of one of his firestorms and I finally looked at him and asked that one simple question…What are you holding on to?

He is reaching out for help with one hand but the other hand refuses to let go of the frustration and agitation.  Have you ever found yourself in a pit like that and it seems that no matter how much you climb and struggle you only get deeper?  What are you holding on to?  It is only dragging you back down, slowing your progress.  God is not going to pry it out of your hand. You must open your hand and let it go.

I love the story of the mountain climber who, when stranded, hanging by a single rope with nowhere to go but down, he finally yells in desperation, “If there is a God up there, help me.” To his ultimate surprise and astonishment an immediate reply was forthcoming.  “Yes, ” said a thundering but kind voice, “I will help you.  All you have to do is let go of the rope.”  The startled mountain climber thought about this for a moment, and again raised his eyes to heaven and asked, “Is there anyone else up there?” Author, Gerry Boylan puts it this way.  “I am seeking God without seeking God’s help.”

Stop fighting.  Stop struggling. Wave the white flag.   Release the death grip of control.  Surrender.  The actual act of surrendering is the easiest thing you will ever have to do. Getting to the place where you are ready to surrender may, in fact, be the hardest.  Your victory comes through surrender.

Father, you know what is on my heart today.  You know what I have my fingers clamped around, what I am unable or unwilling to let go of.  You know what my heart is holding hostage.  Please change my heart Lord.  Help me to loosen my grip and let go.  Help me to forgive, to move on, and most importantly open my eyes  so that I can see the freedom that surrender brings through your salvation.  Through You Lord, and only through You, I know that I can claim victory.  Lord, save me!

Still Moments

Still Moments – Mountain of God

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20130807-110438.jpg Though I walk through…
Through the valley deep, through the valley dark, through the valley of the shadow of death.
I will fear no evil for I am not alone. God’s glory will be revealed in me and through me. I will stand upon the mountain.

Do you know the valley? Today, be still and makes the words of 1Peter 1:6-7 your prayer.

Lord, change my heart. Help me to see the joy that lies ahead on your mountaintop. Even today, though I may have to endure many trials, help my heart to grasp the knowledge that these trials will show that my faith is genuine. Your word says my faith is being tested and purified and strengthened, so that when it remains steadfast through these trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor. My head may know that Lord, but today, help me to be still so that my heart knows that as well. Help me to raise my eyes from the valley to mountaintop, to the place where you reign. Strengthen my resolve to put one foot in front of the other until I emerge from my valley.

Cease Striving…Be still…Know God (Ps 46:10) Sounds peaceful, right? Peace-filled is more accurate. "Still" has little to do with activity and everything to do with state of mind. Welcome to my crazy life!