Maybe like me, you are happy to participate in sports but are more of a trepid spectator when it comes to body building. It’s one thing to exercise the body, another thing to sculpt it. When it comes to the Body of Christ, however, there is no place for spectators, only participants. We are all Bodybuilders. Throughout our whole lives we are being sculpted into the image of Christ by the indwelling Holy Spirit. (I Cor. 3:11-12) We are meant to display God’s glory and make His image visible – tangible – in the earth. We do this in relationship with God and others, and great spiritual warfare surrounds this purpose.
Are we out of our minds? Well, let’s hope so. The ways of the Kingdom are counterintuitive: you overcome hate by forgiving and loving, you are exalted by being humble, and you lead by serving. This makes no sense to the carnal mind, but we have the mind of Christ. So, if we think leadership is a ladder we climb, then we better start climbing down and start over. It’s the spiritual principle of dying to ourselves and laying down our rights and privileges. (Matt. 16:24-25) It’s about losing in order to win in this spiritual war.
Moving slowly is key to discerning whether we are letting God fulfill His promises in our lives. Otherwise, we might be stepping in trying to fulfill them ourselves. And that never works. “An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.” (Prov. 20:21) God has sudden-lies, but as a general rule, we can see His wisdom in moving slowly — so we listen, not just hear, and learn, not just teach.
The letter M is also the letter W. It just depends on the way its positioned. When it comes to me or we, both are important. Jesus said so, even when He reduced the Ten Commandments to Two: 1) Love God, and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:37-40.) In a world of the one and the many, love is how life is best lived. And it is God’s love that positions us to be blessed as both individuals and nations.
Love is perhaps our most compelling motivator. Feeling struck, love can swoop in and set us into motion in a moment’s notice. It can move us to action, propelling us along the road of life. Unlike worldly loves that often travel express lanes, God’s love has its own lane, called surpass. This surpass lane is traveled on roads in the Kingdom of God. It’s a relational lane steered by love, reserved for Jesus and His follower. This lane is not usually the fastest, but it is the most committed and steadfast. On this road less traveled, though often risky, we are not easily deterred or distracted.
As long as the sun rises and seasons change, a gardener’s work is never finished. The gardener’s goal is not for plantings to stay a seed or a young plant but to become a fruitful tree. The same is true spiritually. Plantings of the Lord are expected to grow, always progressing toward maturity. The Apostle Paul affirmed this saying he labored that Christ would be fully formed in us. His goal was to see followers of Christ become like “oaks of righteousness.” (Col. 1:26-28, Is. 61:1-5) If disciples are not conforming to the image of Jesus, then we must discern why.
If you want to work with God, you’ll find Him in the garden of your heart. That’s where He does some of His deepest work. Be prepared, though, to get your hands dirty. Good gardening requires much digging, weeding and pruning. Without that, there will be no good harvest.
Do Christians live to die, or die to live? Perhaps the answer lies in the metaphor of the seed. Only when buried can a seed find life. Down in the earth, the seed’s shell cracks, and new life springs forth. Likewise, for the Christian, we must lose our life to find it. (Matt. 10:39) Through Christ, the imperishable seed, we are resurrected to both eternal and abundant life. (Rom. 6:23, John 10:10) There can be no resurrection without death. (Phil. 3:10-11) Obviously, Satan was not a gardener. If he were, he would’ve never buried Jesus.
Now you’re speaking my language! We all love that sigh of relief when we’re finally understood. Known. When someone starts tracking with us, sharing the same page, relating. In cross-cultural missions, I call that the art of the Gospel – heart-level communication that reveals Jesus uniquely within another language and culture. This usually means you’ve lived close enough and long enough with the people to speak their “mother-tongue” and to understand and know them. This is that most sacred place of exchange where great spiritual battles are won.
There is power in friendships. So much so that kings and kingdoms rise and fall because of them. What starts as a casual acquaintance can turn into a divine connection that changes a nation. Imagine Israel’s fate without Naomi and Ruth, Elijah and Elisha, David and Jonathan, Paul and Timothy, to name a few. Of course, they weren’t thinking of their friendship in those terms at the time. And neither do we. Perhaps this is in part what Jesus meant when He said the Kingdom of God comes without observation. (Luke 17:20) We would do well to take account of the company we keep. The enemy does.
Opening your home is like opening your heart. Some of my most significant conversations have happened around the table. A simple meal becomes life changing. That’s what happened to Abraham and Sarah when they welcomed three visitors into their home. (Gen. 18) Sometimes all it takes is creating space for change to take place.
Connection with others is a basic human need. Being seen and known makes us feel validated and valued, like we exist. When we’re ignored or neglected, we wonder what’s wrong with us and question whether we’re good enough. The feeling of shame experienced in an individual or group can be devastating. It strikes at our self-worth, our dignity — the very part of us made in God’s image that was blessed and pronounced as “very good” at creation. (Gen. 1:31)
It’s said ‘if we don’t use it, we lose it’ in physical fitness. I say the same is true spiritually. Active faith builds a healthier, stronger Body. Flexing our ‘spiritual muscles’ through daily exercises of loving, listening, obeying, and following God purifies and matures us. It makes us better fit in times of heavy lifting. When circumstances displace us, or decisions become too weighty, our spiritual discipline helps us bear down, to press into God and push back the evil one.
When God puts His finger on something, we should take note. No doubt, the Holy Spirit has come to point the way. To mark the spot. When we can’t put our finger on it — that thing that keeps us in bondage — the finger of God can! He knows why something is the way it is and can set us free and heal us.
On the path of life, a crossroad, or a fork in the road many times is a sign of spiritual warfare or crisis. A decision must be made which activates our faith. Like a door or a gate of opportunity, our choice will either add to our faith or to an element of fear in our lives. Thankfully, Jesus said He is our “Gate” –- our Way through. (John 10:7) So, we proceed ahead, following Him and trusting Him with the opening or closing of opportunities for us.
Imagine driving without road signs or symbols. Not only would getting lost be easy, but traffic jams and wrecks would be everywhere. Road rage, too. Signs and symbols help keep us on track. Their meanings help guide us along the way. The same can be true spiritually. God often uses symbols to speak to us and give direction for our journey through life.
When it comes to the blame game, we’ve all played and lost. Our attempts to avoid responsibility and accountability have only caused greater harm and destruction. No one wins, except Satan, when we’re pointing fingers at others, deflecting, denying, and defending ourselves.
There’s a difference between a house and a home. One is a structure built by human hands; the other is a home made by human hearts. It’s from the heartbeat of home that family is made. This was God’s idea: He destined the human heart to be His home (Acts 7:48) and offered His gift of salvation to the world through a family (Luke 2:11-12). God’s wisdom confounded those inspired by the evil one. While they expected a king in a palace, Jesus came as an ordinary person in a home.
If entering a new year or realm feels daunting, take heart! God has already gone before you. There is no better foundation for going somewhere new than this truth: God is behind you, God is before you. Just as Abram was met by the high priest Melechizedek in the Promised Land, so Jesus awaits you in yours. But, expect opposition, as you move forward into the new, engaging people and territories that are rightfully the Lord’s.
To bloom wherever you are planted brings together worship and geography, just as God intended. Indeed, He has determined the specific times and places where we live and is not far from any one of us. (Acts 17:24-28) We worship God everywhere, but specifically in the place He has put us. There, our roots grow deep and in time we produce fruit. This is also where we are the greatest threat to the kingdom of darkness.
Out with the old, in with the new. Thankfully, that was not God’s idea for humanity, or the baby might have been thrown out with the bath water! The Good News does not throw out the Old but transforms it through a personal, passionate relationship with God’s Son. “I came to fulfill the Law, not abolish it,” Jesus said. (Matt. 5:17) So, we must discern and proceed carefully. How we help others transition from Old Testament (OT) living to New Testament (NT) living can have long-lasting implications.
What “pot of gold” at the end of a rainbow would you treasure, if there were such a thing? Most likely it would be different from mine. Treasure to me might not be the same to you. And that’s okay. God designed us that way. Satan detests God’s creativity and keeps stirring his black pot with much intention to strip us of our uniqueness.
Throughout the ages, mankind has been fascinated by God’s glory. We’ve meditated upon it. Marveled at it. Sought after it. Prophesied about it. Moses even saw it. (Well, only part of it.) God’s glory is powerful and transformative. This is why Satan is so determined to keep our minds blinded from it. (2 Cor. 4:4)
With so many ways of communicating today, filtering through all the noise can be challenging. And exhausting. We can easily miss God’s signals to us. The ruler of the kingdom of the air, Satan, seeks to block, confuse and scramble communication in order to hinder us from hearing and following God well. (Eph. 2:2) So, we must tune in and sharpen our listening and discerning skills.
When things are not as they seem, it’s easy to jump to the wrong conclusions and make mistakes. Believe me, I’ve made my fair share of them! At first glance, our discernment of a situation may not be the most accurate. We need to give it time. To dig deeper into the meaning of things.
Nothing deepens our walk with Christ like suffering does. That’s not a comforting thought, I know, but it’s true for all of us. Even Christ. We gain spiritual substance through suffering. Our tests and trials purify us. The Apostle Paul described it as ‘gold being refined by fire.” (I Pet. 1:6-7) Depending on how we respond to trials, our faith will either blaze or smolder.
Do you know that you are God’s treasure, and He comes searching for you? If not, it’s time you do. This is what makes Christianity different from any other religion. E. Stanley Jones said it this way: “Religion is man’s search upward for God, and the Gospel is God’s search downward for man.” Please grasp this: we don’t find God, He finds us. If our enemy can convince you otherwise, then you’re already defeated spiritually, striving throughout life in your own strength.
One thing we know about God: He is not boring! From rainbows and flowers to landscapes and thumbprints, God’s heart for creativity is undeniable. Open wide your eyes. Look around you. His glory is displayed everywhere. Just imagine on that Day when all the nations march into the New Jerusalem. It will be a much grander parade than we’ve seen at the Olympics. Kings and nations will shine in their own splendor, revealing Jesus as their Messiah. (Rev. 21:22-26) There is no wonder, then, why the enemy seeks to strip us and our cultures of all God-given uniqueness and beauty.
Let’s face it. Yes and no answers might be hard to swallow at times, but at least they’re answers. What’s worse is when there’s no answer, no explanation, no reasoning, and you’re left with seemingly nothing. Would you agree? Mystery can leave us wondering and wandering. This is when spiritual warfare can come into play.
Most of us would rather bottle-up than break. Yet, it takes a broken vessel to release the fragrance of Christ. Brokenness is one of the preeminent signs of God releasing the apostolic ministry. When we learn, like the Apostle Paul, to embrace humility, we become a great threat to the evil one. “The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit.” (Ps. 51:17) Only when others encounter the life of Christ in us do we become living epistles -- letters of Christ read by those around us. (II Cor. 3:1-6) Broken vessels release their content; unbroken ones withhold it. Our witness is released through brokenness.