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It’s Your Choice?

Today is a new day! Heck, it’s a new year! As you enter this new year you have a choice to make. You can choose to approach the new year driven by fear or by faith. Let’s do a little survey:

  1. Have you ever felt the fear of aging?
  2. Have you ever had fears related to money?
  3. Have you ever had the fear of being turned down for a job?
  4. Ever had the fear of your children growing up and leaving your home?
  5. Ever had the fear of your children growing up and not leaving your home?

Here’s the thing… Fear is an inevitable part of growth. Now some people want to play the “when-then” game.

  1. When I don’t feel afraid, then I’ll apply for the job.
  2. When I don’t feel afraid, then I’ll get that degree.
  3. When I don’t feel afraid, then I’ll follow my dream.
  4. When I don’t feel afraid, then I’ll get involved in that ministry.

If you choose to follow Jesus, if you choose to grow, then you are in a way choosing fear.  Think about the lives of the disciples. Over and over and over again their choice to follow Jesus meant they were stepping into new territory, and their stepping in the new territory meant fear. But people whose main goal in life is not to feel fear lead miserable, small, unfulfilling lives. They never grow into fully devoted followers of Jesus.

This year choose to live life driven by faith – faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is trust. To have faith in Jesus Christ means trusting that God loves you, has a purpose for you and will do what is right for you in the future. Follow Jesus where He may lead you in this new year remembering these scriptural promises:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11 

“So, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

It’s 2019! It’s a new year! Choose faith over fear and watch God lead you to places you never dreamed possible!!

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Nineteen Ways to Live with No Regrets in 2019:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

  1. Tell Your Loved Ones You Love Them
  2. Choose to Forgive
  3. Get Healthy
  4. Live Thankfully
  5. Don’t Procrastinate
  6. Set Goals
  7. Take Risk
  8. Read Your Bible
  9. Face Your Fears
  10. Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities
  11. Read a Book a Month
  12. Keep a Journal
  13. Spend Time with Family and Friends
  14. Pray Daily
  15. Laugh Everyday
  16. Choose to See Your Glass as Half Full
  17. Don’t Make Excuses
  18. Be Kind
  19. Say No More

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Transformed Not Conformed

I’ve been reflecting lately on why people think the way they do. In researching patterns of thinking and how it relates to our behavior, I’ve read a lot of great research, but did you know that the Bible speaks to this very issue? In Proverbs 4:23 the wise King Solomon wrote, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” Another way of thinking about this is that the life you are building is the cumulative expression of your thoughts over time.

How you think is so important because…

Your thoughts determine your actions

Your actions determine your habits.

Your habits determine your character.

Your character determines your destiny.

Everyone has a destiny. We all end up somewhere in life, but not all of us end up somewhere on purpose. We all want to be the person who ends up “somewhere” intentionally, which is probably why the top question I hear as a pastor is “What is God’s will for my life?” You’ll be pleased to hear that I have an answer, and it begins with looking at Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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.

Paul begins verse one with “Therefore” because he has just spent eight chapters talking about God’s grace. What follows the “therefore” is how we should respond to God’s saving grace (chs. 1-3), justifying grace (chs. 4-5), sanctifying grace (chs. 6-7), and grace of glorification (ch. 8). To put it simply, our salvation is entirely possibly because of God’s freely given grace, and our response to what He’s done for us should be to live sacrificially for Him, “to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Our first step toward knowing God’s will is to see ourselves as living sacrifices, offered out of gratitude for God’s mercy toward us.

The next step, as Paul writes in verse two, is to “ not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Let’s explore the first part of this: not conforming. One translation of this verse says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” This issue is particularly relevant to the challenges facing the church today: it is all-too common to find “spiritual chameleons” who take on the appearance of holiness and righteousness on Sundays only to conform to the world’s mold throughout the rest of the week.

God calls us to something greater than just conforming to a pre-set mold – He desires transformation. So how does this transformation take place? Paul writes that it is “by the renewing of your mind.” I wrote earlier about the power that our thoughts have on our lives, so it makes perfect sense why our transformation would begin there. It’s our responsibility to decide what and who will have the greatest influence in shaping our thought life. If you are dissatisfied with where you are in life or some of your behaviors, look first to your thinking. Because our behaviors are rooted in our thoughts, ask God to renew your mind in order to see transformation in your life.

When your mind is renewed, “then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Your Heavenly Father loves you so much, He doesn’t want what is merely good for you. He doesn’t even want what is better for you. He wants what is best for you, His perfect plan for your life. If you’re longing to build a life that matters, the best course is to seek and follow the will of God; first, surrender to God, then invite Him to transform your life by the renewing of your mind.

 

 

 

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How To Keep Your Joy In Hard Times

easter-cross“…in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus told us that we would experience troubles in life – “trials fall like rain on the just and unjust” and “the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy…” We can’t change the fact that at some point each of us will walk through a season of tribulation. But notice Jesus said, “be of good cheer.” What does He mean? How is it possible for us to “be of good cheer” when a member of our family dies, we lose a job or go through a divorce? How is it possible?

Jesus wouldn’t have made the statement if it were not truly possible.

First, we need to understand that there’s a difference between happiness and joy.

Happiness depends on HAPPENINGS and joy depends on JESUS. 

Since joy depends on Jesus then I want to share three ways you can keep your joy in troubled times.

1. Rejoice always, no matter what your circumstances might be.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 states, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Notice it says, “in” everything and not “for” everything. To rejoice means to show joy even when you don’t feel like it. Remember, your not rejoicing because of the bad situation – your rejoicing because Jesus gives us strength to endure all of life’s struggles. “Rejoicing” is a lifestyle characterized by a positive God-oriented attitude that sees mountains of trouble as mere stairs to success. When I leave out rejoicing then I can be assured that joy is going to be left out too.

2. Focus on Jesus who lives on the inside, instead of the trouble happening on the outside.

It’s impossible not to feel the affects of the storms we face in our lives, but we don’t have to lose our joy. During the troubles we face it’s easy to get swept away and to lose site of God, but remember that God gives us strength. Through the Holy Spirit who lives inside we can have peace and not lose our joy when troubled times come.

3. Make sure Jesus is your source of strength.

When hard times come your way, and they certainly will, you will lose your joy if Jesus is not your source of strength. Unfortunately, many people make their source of strength things other than Jesus. For example, some people make their job the source of their strength. Others make their bank accounts and retirement accounts their source of strength. Still other people make their spouse or children their source of strength. All of these are important parts of our lives, but they were never meant to be our source of strength. What happens if any one of these important parts of our lives were to disappear?

The truth of the matter is that real joy can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. In Christ there is joy and peace for troubled times. Jesus made our joy complete by his death on the Cross.

Hebrews 12:2 states, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus saw before him the opportunity for you and me to receive a complete pardon for our sins thereby making a way for us to have a relationship with God. Because of His great love for us and the joy that was to come, He was able to endure the pain and suffering of the cross for us. Because of the Cross we have the assurance that no matter what circumstances we may face in the world, Jesus Christ has overcome them for us.

You want to keep your joy in troubled times? Remember this:

Happiness depends on Happenings and Joy depends on Jesus.

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How To Make Wise Decisions In Difficult Times

Fork-in-the-RoadProverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Have you ever found yourself standing at a fork in the road? Each fork represents a different direction for your life and a decision you must make. Possibly a very difficult decision-one in which, depending on the path you choose, could have a significant impact on your life and the life of your family.

How do you know which way to go?

Most people make decisions based on four primary motivations:

1. Circumstances – making decisions based on the situation or the circumstances that surround your life.
2. Convenience – making decisions based on the path of least resistance or the quickest way to a particular goal.
3. Critics – making decisions based on the ideas and opinions of others.
4. Convictions – making decisions based on deeply held beliefs.

There may be an occasion when making a decision off any one of these motivations was successful, but I would suggest an alternative process for the hard life-changing decisions we must make.

Below are the five steps to making wise decisions:

  1. Clearly Define the Decision(s) to be Made. Someone might say you should pray first, but I would suggest defining the issue and then pray accordingly. Wise decision-making is informed decision-making. (Psalm 119:130)
  2. Pray. Ask God to give you wisdom, discernment, and an open mind. Prayer often brings us to a place of clarity. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
  3. Seek Biblical Wisdom. The Bible is full of wisdom to help you make the right decision. Seek Biblical wisdom to help you make decisions that are consistent with the teachings found in God’s Word. (Psalm 119:105)
  4. Seek Wise Counsel. After you’ve defined the issue, prayed over the decision, and sought Biblical wisdom, it’s important to seek wise Christian counsel. Wise counsel has always brought me clarity with the hard decisions. (Proverbs 15:22)
  5. Trust God with the Direction. When you’ve done your part then it’s time to trust God with the outcome. This doesn’t mean the path will be easy, that there won’t be bumps along the way, or that you won’t have to make adjustments on your journey, but remember to trust God. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Trusting God and having faith in Him, throughout the journey, will help you make wise decisions in difficult times.

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Hope Wins

image“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The late rabbi, Hugo Gryn, told how his father secretly used margarine to light the Hanukah lights when they were prisoned in a concentration camp in 1944. When Gryn protested about wasting food, his father replied that while they had often lived for three weeks without food, “You cannot possibly live for three minutes without hope.”

What is hope? Hope is an optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes.

Hope is a choice and I believe it is one of the most important attitudes that a person can choose. Life can be tough, but without hope it’s almost impossible. Remember, life will either bless you or bury you. It all depends on your attitude. We must make the conscious effort to choose hope when times are tough.

There are lots of things in life that you don’t get to choose. For example, you don’t get to choose your parents. You don’t get to choose your children. You also don’t get to choose your relatives. Nor do you get to choose the attitudes of others, but you can choose your attitude. Who controls you? Who lives in your brain? Who chooses your actions? The answer is simple – YOU! Nobody else controls what or how you think. It’s up to you, moment by moment, to choose what your attitude is going to be.

Here’s the deal. You don’t need a new set of circumstances. What you need is a new set of attitudes. There will always be troubles in life. You choose hope by moving away from the suffocating focus on your circumstances to the liberating focus on hope.

Here are two important reasons why you can choose hope:

1. God has a plan. One of my favorite passages is Jeremiah 29:11. It states: “For I know the plans I have for you….” As we say in Mississippi — “Ain’t that great!” That’s good news no matter where you were born. God has a plan for your life. Say it with me: “God has a plan for me.” When you choose to believe those incredible words then you can focus your energy on your future and not on your present.

2. The Future is in God’s hands. Have you ever noticed how people’s fear of the future has changed? Some years ago people feared they’d die too soon. Now they fear they will die too late. People are afraid they will outlive their assets and spend their retirement years in poverty. Fear is a powerful force. There are many reasons for us to live in fear. Think about it, there’s international terrorism, violence and financial crisis. The future can be scary, but be careful you don’t get so focused on the problems of the present that you miss out on your future..

Someone once said, “There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.”

I have good news for you concerning the future — Hope Wins!! Carve it in granite, etch it in stone, hope wins. Hope wins because God wins. There is nothing in this world surer. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future!

Choose hope today……

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Choose Forgiveness

RelationshipsWhat is the worst sin that a Christian could commit? Murder? Adultery? Stealing? Child Abuse? Although these are certainly awful sins, and many more could be added to the list, which would be the worst? The Bible makes it clear that from God’s perspective there is no distinction made concerning sin. James tells us that the smallest infraction of God’s law is the same as breaking all of God’s law.

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” – James 2:10

Sin is sin, but with that in mind, we also need to realize that some sins have greater consequences than others. For example, Jesus told us that if we hate someone in our heart we are guilty of murder, but no one has been sent to the electric chair for hating another person. So, maybe we need to rephrase the question. Instead of asking what is the greatest sin that a Christian can commit, maybe we need to ask what is the most destructive sin that a believer can commit?

Answer: Unforgiveness

In my experience, the most destructive of all sins is unforgiveness. Unforgiveness destroys people, families and even churches. Unforgiveness is an attitude that refuses to forgive offenses. It’s like a cancer; it grows and affects other areas, and if it isn’t dealt with, it destroys everything around it.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32

Forgiveness is the most basic and foundational attitude of every Christian. We have no right to choose not to forgive. If you’ve received the free gift of grace and forgiveness offered through Christ Jesus then you have no right to withhold forgiveness from another person. The forgiveness we offer is a result of Christ forgiving us.

#FORGIVEN PEOPLE FORGIVE OTHER PEOPLE.

God forgives us despite the number or the enormity of our sins. Those who recognize what Christ Jesus did for them on the Cross, choose to forgive others. I’ve learned that forgiven people forgive other people. Forgiveness is a choice – not a feeling. The choice to forgive almost always comes during a time in which we don’t feel like forgiving.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free….. only to finally discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis Smede

Do you have someone in your life that you need to forgive? Or do you need to be forgiven? Forgiveness is what you do for yourself, not for other people. So how do we forgive?

1. Choose Forgiveness. It’s not a feeling it’s a choice. You can’t just wait until you feel like forgiving the person who wronged you. When you choose to forgive you are actually choosing to give up the right to revenge.

2. Choose to Work Through the Pain. If you’ve been wronged then pain is inevitable, but continuing to suffer and harbor feelings of bitterness and resentment is optional. Remember this: The only person you can control is you. When you make the choice not to forgive you are actually giving power to the person who wronged you.

3. Choose to Respond in Faith. You can’t change the things that happened in your life, but you can decide how you interpret and respond to them.

Forgiveness is not easy. In fact, it can be very costly. Just ask Jesus – forgiveness cost him his life. But if we are going to truly follow Jesus, then we must choose to forgive. The choice is yours.

#ChooseForgiveness

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The Cross – Our Beacon Of Hope

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The Cross

Harry Emerson Fosdick tells this story: Some years ago a little church on the coast of England was ruined in a hurricane. The congregation thought themselves unable to rebuild. Then one day a representative of the British Admiralty came to the clergyman to ask if they intended to reconstruct the church. The clergyman explained why they could not do it. “Well,” said the representative of the British navy, “if you do not rebuild the church we will. That spire is on all our charts and maps. It is the landmark by which the ships of the seven seas steer their course.”

A true parable! Never more than now and at any other time in our history does the world need the message of God’s unfailing love. In a world where it’s often difficult to chart the right course and to set the coordinates of our lives on the right path do we ever need the message of God’s eternal truth. I’m fully persuaded, more than ever, that people need the divine, stable and secure, strong, sustaining, and empowering message of God’s great love demonstrated in the Cross of Christ.

Though the hurricane of hell brought the sins of the world down upon the body of Christ, crushing the life from its limbs, that body was rebuilt on Easter. And the spire of the cross stands to this day as our chart and map. It is the landmark by which the church and our lives steer their course. The Cross and the empty Tomb: Stable and secure, guiding, strong, sustaining, and empowering stands there for all of us as a beacon of hope for all of eternity!

 

 

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When Tragedy Strikes

struggle

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”

My heart has been burdened these last few days, but I’ve come to a conclusion. I don’t know why tragic accidents occur and I don’t know why bad things happen to good people, but I do know that God does not cause them. God is not the source of our pain. He is the source of our strength and comfort. God hurts when we hurt and God cries when we cry. God grieves with us, and God is the One who will bring us through the dark seasons of life.

I’ve had to walk through several dark seasons and I can tell you from personal experience that the key to walking through tragedy is to trust God and move forward one step at a time.

If you try to take it all on at once, you will get overwhelmed, and you won’t move forward at all. When you’re walking through the “the valley of the shadow death” you must take it one day at a time, and one thing at a time, and one step at a time, knowing that you do not walk through the pains of life alone. God is walking with you.

I remember the story told by, Dr. William Barclay who had to face a great tragedy. His 21-year-old daughter and her fiancé were both drowned in a tragic boating accident just a few short weeks before they were to be married. Reflecting on the event, Dr. Barclay said, “God did not stop that accident at sea, but He did still the storm in my own heart, so that somehow my wife and I came through that terrible time still on our own two feet.” He continued to say: “The day my daughter was lost at sea, there was sorrow in the heart of God.” Then Barclay said this: “When things like that happen, there are just those things to be said… first, to understand them is impossible; second, Jesus does not offer simple solutions to them. What He does offer us is His strength and helps us somehow accept those things that we do not understand. Third, the one fatal reaction is the bitter resentment, which forever after meets life with a chip on the shoulder and a grudge against God. The one saving reaction is simply to go on trusting, simply to go on living, to go on working… and to find in the strength and courage to meet life with steady eyes…” and to know that God is with us and that nothing – and I mean nothing – not even death – can separate us from Him and His love.

I think this is what the psalmist meant when he said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

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4 Steps To Help You Deal With Anxiety?

anxietyWe all have fears. Will I be able to pay all these bills? How many cavities will the dentist find this checkup? How much will it hurt when he fills them? What if I flunk next week’s test? Am I going to lose my job? Is this investment going to pay off or cost me my savings?  Are my children going to turn out right?

Uncertainty about the future and pressure from the world around us add up to anxiety. Anxiety—the great plague of our generation can steal away happiness like a cyber hack at Target. Anxiety in primitive humans was surely a God-given basic gut reaction to prepare them for fight or flight. Those physiological reactions that once enabled humans to run from danger or fight with fury now create problems for them. Anxiety becomes a confusing and paralyzing reaction because it is not appropriate in most social situations to fight physically or run away.

I want to accomplish something very badly. I fear that I will not be able to accomplish that task. Anxiety is the result when the desire to accomplish and the fear of failure collide. My desire to excel in my job collides with my fear of failing the day-to-day expectations of my boss. My desire to be a good parent confronts my fear of failing as a parent.  Anxiety, then, is the natural result and manifestation of fear. This means that if you can understand and resolve your fears, you can overcome the anguish and trauma of chronic anxiety.

But how do we do that?

I. Identify. Identify your fear and you’ll begin to understand the source of the anxiety. Ask yourself, “What is it that I am afraid of right now?” Often times you can feel consumed with anxiety and not understand the source. Anxiety is usually a sort of general, nebulous feeling, but with some thought you can come to a conscious understanding of the fear that lies below the surface. Take a minute and identify the source of your fear. Then you can begin to deal with the problem proactively.

II. Deal. Deal with the problem. Don’t get caught in the “excuse trap.” Excuses will keep you from taking responsibility for the situation. You can only change those things you are willing to take responsibility for. Seek wise council and then develop a strategy for handling the problem.

III. Relax. “God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV) Remember that God has not given you the fear; rather, He has equipped you with every tool you need to deal with the source of your anxiety. God has given you the ability, competency and the adequacy to overcome the issues of life. In all honesty I can say, “I am inadequate, but the Spirit of power within me is adequate to equip me for doing every thing I need to do.” He gives you the power to overcome life’s troubles when you ask for His help.

IV. Focus. Be driven by purpose and not by fear. It’s easy to forget our purpose and the task set before us when we become consumed with anxiety. Sometimes you may be anxious because you fear yourself. You think your are going to make a fool of yourself in public; you fear that your judgment will be faulty – that you will make a foolish decision; you fear that you will lack the necessary discipline in a given situation to do the right thing. Remember that God’s power is at work within you, so focus on your purpose and not the fear.

Anxiety can be defeated. As in all situations we find ourselves in, God has given us a way out. He is always at work in your life. All you need to do is relinquish control and ask Him for help. God has given us His Spirit to overcome fear and anxiety.