Sunday, May 30, 2010

CLAIM YOUR BLESSINGS

Cross posted from Christian Republic

God has blessings waiting to pour all over you. Yet, if you’re like me, you might spend some time wondering why they haven’t been poured out yet. The idea occurred to me that my life is like a big project, and those blessings are dedicated for the project and nothing else.

If I were to undertake a project to build a hospital, but wanted to spend some of the budget on a grand party, would I be able to complete the hospital properly, having misused resources? Would I have enough for the ICU, the neo natal ward, the delivery rooms? No, probably not.

I think it’s easy to pose the same question to my overall life.

God knit me in my mother’s womb so that I could fulfill a destiny He set out before me. That destiny did not include becoming a rock star, although I tried. It did not include becoming a professional football player, although I chased that as well. In fact, it didn’t include flying fighter jets, orbiting the earth in a space shuttle or owning a nightclub… all of which I dreamed of doing at one point or another. And, almost as if I were visibly veering off course, God did not bless me in any of those endeavors except so that those experiences could help me down the trail he already blazed for me.

However, once I did correct my course and start walking in the light, the blessings began pouring out. My marriage blossomed into a wonderfully strong union, with God at the center. My son was born, healthy and happy. My family grows closer to God daily and by default closer to one another. And, most importantly, I learn more about walking with the Lord and how to bring others along for the journey each and every day.

What used to burden my heart is now trivial. What once caused strife in my soul I now shrug off. The worldly things I yearned for, and agonized over when I couldn’t possess them, are devalued, because they do not honor God. In the grand scheme, cars, houses, toys and celebrity mean nothing if you aren’t serving Him.

So, by changing my focus from worldly things to the Kingdom of God, I have laid claim to my blessings and rest assured that He will dispense them to me as needed. If I have a financial shortfall one month, God is faithful and I receive a refund from something I never knew I had coming. If hardship comes my way, He soothes my soul and calms my spirit, so that I can see it as an opportunity to grow, instead of one to wither. With these seemingly miraculous divine interventions, I’ve learned that faith is a two way street. I have faith in Him, He has faith in me. How awesome!

With that knowledge comes a peaceful freedom unlike anything I’ve ever known. And, I’d like you to have it as well.

How can you claim your blessings, you ask? Here’re a few simple steps to claim what’s rightfully yours.

1) Discover your God honoring goal and dedicate your life to achieving it. You might need to seek advisement on this from your local church and you’ll certainly need to pray on it daily until you achieve clear vision.

2) Pray that He equips you to achieve this goal. Where God guides, God provides, but you must ask so that He knows you truly want it.

3) Pray for wisdom to achieve this goal in a way that honors the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Anything less is a waste of resources and you just might need those to build a hospital.

4) Pray for perseverance to overcome the troubles that will come. Know that God is at your side, He’s got your back and nothing on earth can defeat His plan.

5) Pray for His protection. If you truly are on a mission from God, the evil one wants nothing more than to derail you. As your successes mount, so will the attacks from those who despise the Lord. But, have faith, He holds the key to the vault of your blessings, and he wants you to have them.

6) Pray simply because you love the Lord. Bask in that love, letting it wash over you like a gentle breeze on a warm summer’s day. Be still and know that His blessings are yours.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Up The Wall

Cross posted from Christian Republic.

When I was a kid, we had a wall in our house with short, horizontal dashes scrawled on it in pencil. Right beside these tell-tale marks were dates and initials. These dashes were milestones of our growth. Every time I’d stand with my back to the wall, waiting anxiously for my mother to draw a new line to illustrate my new height, I’d stretch to my tallest so that my growth would be maximized. Strangely enough, these were the only days I recall noticing I’d grown.

As Christ followers, we grow every day in our new lives. However, just like children, we don’t always notice that growth, even though others around us might. Sometimes, it takes a point where our backs are against the wall, where we need to stretch to our tallest in order to measure our growth in Christ.

Why can’t we stretch to our tallest every moment of every day? Is it the weight of our world that pushes our shoulders down, compresses our spine and lowers our gaze? Or is it the evil one, knowing you grow towards that which you focus on, like a flower blooming towards the sun? If you stare at the ground, how can you grow towards Christ?

While you may have not been tall enough in your faith last week to reach for something Godly, don’t let that prevent you from reaching out today. In fact, I encourage you to consider every day as a measuring day. Where we all stretch to our tallest, rising up the wall in faith.

Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."


With God, all things are possible. While you may think it’s impossible to grasp what was once out of reach, God knows better and is simply waiting for you to stretch yourself. So, don’t wait for the next time your back is against the wall, reach for the sky today, leaving tomorrow to itself.