July 6, 2010 Reaching Your Highest Platform

Thinking about Paul today, pondering the events that led up to where he is now in our readings, made me think about how a person gains "a platform," or influence with a certain audience.  The Proverb passage was, again, wonderfully relevant and light-shedding. 

"A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Proverbs 18:16 NKJV  This seems like a top-tier platform of influence, and the Apostle Paul certainly reached it.  He had a gift for explaining God's message in a way that was life-changing and relevant to the people he was speaking to.  He obviously had a calling from God to reach many people in many nations, and even powerful men in government. 

Paul had to put his faith in action, however, or he never would have reached this platform.  Not only did he have to work up to the envisioned platform, he had to take great risks to get there.  He was willing to accept imprisonment and even death in order to reach the people he had seen himself speaking to.  God gave him the vision, but he had to do what it took to reach it.  He did it God's way, and not the world's way, and we're told of many instances of God's direct leading. 

We are not all called to stand and speak to the president, or to sing and dance before a multitude.  But I think we could interpret the above proverb to mean "a person's gift will make room for him or her and take them where they are meant to go."  My understanding is that each of us has God-given gifts (spiritual and natural), that have a potential built into them that matches our God-given capacity to represent Him on a platform that is optimized for us.

We each have an area of influence of some kind.  People are interdependent; we cannot help affecting or influencing someone at some time, even when we're children.  Relationship and influence are part of God's nature and character, and He is growing us up to be influential in our world. What we do with our influence is, of course, greatly related to our growth and development.  Influence and an actual "platform" are two different things, even though they are related. 

We are prepared throughout life to use our influence on a platform of wider influence, when we are ready.  I'll use myself as an example: as a child, I was practicing all the things I do now that have become platforms of a somewhat wider influence.  I drew pictures, wrote poems, made up stories for my sisters and I to play (make-believe), and made up songs on the piano.  I do the same things now, just with more skill and with more to "show and tell."  There were training platforms, such as talent shows and school leadership, that taught me the need to rely on God's strength instead of my own (this is an ongoing lesson!).  I've learned, over the years, that God moves through my spiritual gifts and shines through my natural ones. 

Whatever I do now is also practice for the future.  Only God knows completely what my potential and capacity really are, and to what platforms He is leading me to in the future.  I can only be faithful on the platform He has given me now, and take the next steps towards the future vision He has given.  What I see in the future motivates me to keep growing.  He knows how much I need to see right now, and He gives me that and no more.  He always seems to give me things to do that are right on the edge of what I am capable of at present.  I enjoy the things I do, as long as I am leaning on Him and relating to Him constantly as I do them.  Allowing Him to move and shine through my gifts, on the platforms He gives me, gives me a sense of purpose and a feeling of satisfaction in my daily life.

Think about your own life and see how you've developed into a person with greater influence.  Do you feel satisfaction as well as a desire to grow into the next phase?  Or do you feel disappointed at the loss of your dreams?  Are you doing the things you are gifted in, or are you stuck doing things you dislike just to make ends meet?

I have been, more than once, stuck and disappointed with my life.  But God has always been there for me and redeemed my darkest hours.  He is faithful, and He has a plan to get you into a more hopeful, creative, fulfilling place in life.  He is greater than any of your circumstances or problems, even ones you've created yourself.  If you're lost, He's already found you.  If you're floundering, He's already made a way.  Call out to Him and listen for His reply.  If you come to Him in humility, and you are willing to take risks at His direction, you will eventually find yourself in a place of joy and wider influence. Maybe you will even reach your greatest potential and your highest platform.   

May 4, 2010

What a good role-model is John the Baptist!  He faithfully and passionately carried out his mission from God: to prepare the people for the Messiah.  He was a great preacher, and got results.  Lots of people followed him.  But when the Messiah was indeed revealed to him, just as God had told him, John the Baptist gave way to him.  "He must increase, but I must decrease."  He had joy, not resentment when the fulfillment of his calling had brought his ministry to an end.  His testimony about Christ is one of the most clearly articulated in Scripture: he left no doubt as to who Jesus was and what He was here to accomplish.  It would be good for us to meditate on John the Baptist's words and get them deep into our hearts.

There is plenty of practical application of John the Baptist's gracious giving-way to Christ.  Parents' ministry is to raise children to grow up and have their own life.  Ministers are preparing the saints to mature and carry out their own callings.  If we do our job well, we will come to an obvious place of having to release that which we birthed, for it has a life of its own. 

I came to the Lord as a broken and dysfunctional person who had no idea who she was.  My personhood had been stolen from me.  The Lord Jesus, by His Spirit and Word, and through His godly ministers, nursed me back to health, restored me to healthy functioning, and gave me a sense of worth, identity and purpose.  He gave me back myself!  It was so awesome to finally feel good about myself and about being alive.  Then I truly had the opportunity to "lay down my life" for Him.  Before that, I had little to offer, only a "broken and contrite heart", which we know He does not despise.  Now I'm in a different place of making way for Christ. 

I think it is important to note that John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  The Lord certainly increased in me, building me up from the inside out, starting from a below-basement level of destruction.  As I learned who I was, I discovered my weaknesses and how He could fill them.  I discovered my empty places and how He could fill those too.  He revealed my wrong thinking and replaced it with His truth.  He showed me my strengths and how He could empower them for His glory.  There's much, much more to do, (I'm far from being Christlike) but at least now, I know how to let Him live in me. 

At a certain point in my life, however, I became aware that He was "letting go."  He again gave me a choice to follow and serve Him.  Now that He had restored me, He was setting me free!  Is this amazing or what?  Of course, it wasn't a difficult choice for me.  I was like that Old Testament picture of the slave who didn't want to be set free because of love for the master, choosing to become a bondservant for life.  My ear has been pierced!  I totally belong to Him!  He chose me first, but then He gave me a chance to choose Him back.  I chose Him, and I have never regretted it. 

Now, as I live for Him, study His Word and get more revelation of Him, He continues to grow in me; it gets very uncomfortable for my "self" and I have to make more room for Him by letting go of pride, an agenda, or anything else that doesn't fit with Him.  I don't just try to get rid of something about myself or "kill myself off".  Picking up your cross and following Him daily is not the same as trying to crucify yourself!  That just doesn't work.  It leaves holes in us that can be filled with something other than Him if we're not very careful.  I think it's dangerous to try to decrease yourself so that He can increase.  The Lord will expose deeper holes in you that need to be filled with Him (He's done this to me more than once lately, through some trials).  He will also discipline us if we're resisting Him.  Seek the Lord with as much of your heart as you can, being as pliable as you are able, and let Him increase.  Present yourself to Him, obey Him, and He will take care of the rest.

Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  I have total confidence in His ability to finish the work He started in me, and in you too.  He knows what He's doing.  He is the Author and Finisher of the Church too, and He is in charge (the Head).  We should trust Him in forming us, and in forming the Church.  He's going to present us to the Father without spot or blemish.  What a glorious day that will be!

April 16, 2010

I woke up today feeling kind of old, wondering how I was going to ever be able to do all the things the Lord had put before me to do.  I was wishing I had done them when I was young, thinner and much more energetic.  I'm so glad I read the Scriptures today, for they really spoke to me about all this.

Even though I heard my call when I was 14, in an unmistakeable way (not an audible voice, but one that couldn't be missed), I wasn't in the place to walk it out.  In fact, I outright rejected it, more intent on my own way of doing things than worrying about what God wanted.  The next seven years was pitiful indeed!  Since then, every seven years has brought a new fresh call, a renewal of the very first call, with an increase.  God has never given up on His vision for my life.  He has never given up on His vision for yours, either.

I was so impressed with Caleb, who went to Joshua and asked for the inheritance that the Lord had promised him.  "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. 9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ 10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. 12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.” 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Joshua 14: 6b-13

At first, I was reading that thinking, "That sure doesn't fit me!"  But the Lord showed me otherwise, for two reasons.  One, I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me-- it's Christ's righteousness and work in me, not my own, that makes me worthy and gives me the ability to carry out God's will.  Only faith and obedience is necessary.  That is all.  I haven't always been so great on the obedience part, and that's the only reason I am still struggling to take my inheritance.  But I see now that the faith part has always been there, although many times as good as dead from lack of corresponding action.  But I am still believeing.  In my spirit, I am more vigorous than ever, and because I know my God more than I did when I was 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 50, and 57 (everything gets refreshed at the 50th year, the Jubilee), I think I am able to say:  Now, then, give me this mountain!

We saw Jesus teaching that men ought to pray and not give up.  Yet, He wanted to know if, when He showed up, would He find enough faith so that we could receive the answer to our prayer. 

Jesus has shown up over and over again to answer my prayers, and yet, I was still not ready enough to keep exercising my faith in His promises to stand firm when the giants came to try and steal it.  I am determined to see it though this time, with His help.  He's not going to do my life for me, or without me.  But when I take my Sword up and my shield of faith, He's going to be right there strengthening me, and fighting for me.  I think I even have enough faith in His creative power to get back my youthful vigor! 

What about you?  What's He promised you?  What's your inheritance in Him?  Are you just going to stand there and wait another 7 years?  I don't think so!  It's time to act out our faith and say:  NOW, THEN, GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN!

April 11, 2010

I think it would be wonderful to make a "scrapbook" or "memory book" of the things God has done in our life.  Don't you?  We take photos of our kids growing up, and the major events in our life, like weddings and birthdays, and we document our vacations and our mission trips.  We collect memorabilia from our various activities and event we want to remember.  Then we look at them occasionally, and these scrapbooks bring back the memories or our best times, strengthening them every time we do.  We talk to our kids about our life before they were born:  "Look, there's mommy and daddy with really funny hairdo's and clothes!" or the funny things they did when they were little:  "There you are at one year old, with a pie pan on your head!"  It's easy to laugh and share with our kids with something to look at that's organized and picturesque.

God did similar things with Israel it seems, only they didn't have iphones!  When Joshua led them across the flooded Jordan, heaping up the water, the Lord instructed them to take twelve stones out from the Jordan and pile them up in the Promised Land as a memorial for what He had done for them.  "Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” Joshua 4: 21-24

If we are to accomplish the things that God gives us to do, it is imperative that we bring to remembrance the times that He has worked in our life, the times He has empowered us and brought us through.  Otherwise we tend to lose faith in the midst of difficulty.  This has been one of my largest shortcomings throughout my Christian walk.  I'm a great starter, but carrying through is not so easy, and finishing something has always loomed before me like an impossible task. 

I very much related to this Scripture verse today: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Luke 14: 28-30  The thing is, when I start something by the inspiration of the Spirit and the word of the Lord, I know the Lord can do it through me, because I know His power and ability.  But do I really count the cost?

Jesus knew the kinds of trials, struggles, temptations and oppositions we would face as we walked through life as His disciples.  He gave us the perfect antedote to failure: "pick up your cross and follow me," and "whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."  The cost of fulfilling God's will and following Christ to the end, the finish line, is EVERYTHING.  You just don't quit!  And you let nothing stop you from obeying Him, not even yourself.

A scrapbook of remembrance, in lieu of stone monuments, might help us remember not only God's faithfulness to us and to our ancestors; but it might also remind us of the times we chose, yet again, to commitment ourselves to faithful discipleship.  We need reminders that we were once willing to pick up our cross and give up everything, so that we will continue in that choice when we feel ready to quit.

I like how so many of the verses tied together today, and I like how Proverbs sums up the concept of follow-through:
The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, But diligence is man’s precious possession. In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death. Proverbs 12: 27-28

There is only one righteous path, and that is Jesus Christ.  If we stop following Him, we fail, but if we continue to follow Him, enduring until the end, we succeed, because there is no death or failure in Him.

March 20, 2010

Have you ever been "in the wilderness" experiencing God's spiritual feast while you are distanced from earthly things?  I believe it's a necessary place to be in preparation for ministry.  Jesus was there, and while He was, Satan came to tempt and test Him.  I see three areas He was tempted in: 1) His physical existence, 2) His purpose, and 3) His identity.  In any one of these areas, He could have reacted according to the flesh, but He walked in the Spirit and overcame with God's Word.  We can all do the same, with His help.

In the area of physical existence, we are constantly challenged to rise above the worldly way of living and follow God's instructions.  He is to be our source in every way.  The wilderness shows us where we are relying on things other than God to sustain us and meet our needs.  As a personal example, when I fasted from shopping I became aware of how I was using it to cope with anxiety.

In the area of purpose, did you notice the theme of "authority" being expanded?  That again could be a whole blog in itself!  Let's just think about Jesus' purpose.  He knew what He was supposed to do, but it was obviously not to be done the way Satan suggested.  It looks obvious here to us as we read it, but our enemy tries the same approach on all of us-- it just seems more subtle when we're in the middle of it. 

We have to be on our guard, particularly when we feel we are clear on what our calling is and we are headed for it.  Satan will try to avert us from the path of truth and get us to accomplish, in our own strength, whatever God has told us to do.  If we didn't pass the "physical existence" test, we will be easy prey in this area.  Look what happened to Balaam.  It seemed that he had repented from his oracle-for-pay lifestyle, but today we read that he was responsible for a despicable plan to bring Israel down.  He was slain in the vengence against Midian.  What a reminder to maintain the fear of the Lord and not be driven by greed!  I'm sure greed is the reason many called prophetic people err, and even become false.

If the enemy can't stop you with the first two assaults, he will aim at the heart of your being. "Who are you, really?"  "Why would God ever do that for you?" I have many times, during this kind of test, felt like a delusional person while the enemy taunts me with "you are nobody" and "you're just nacissistic."  When my pastor shared that Jesus' last reply was "It is said," Luke 4:12, it revolutionized my understanding of the wilderness experience.    It's when the Lord has applied Scripture to you, or given you a vision, etc., and you've received it in your heart ("You are my child." "This is what we're going to do."), that you can use Biblical truth to overcome the lies of the enemy.  Just quoting Scripture isn't going to do it if you don't believe the Word in your heart.  And it doesn't have to be written word-for-word in the Bible if it's truth from God (you should test everything you hear or see against Scripture to make sure). 

Again, you can use whatever God had said to you, or shown you in any way, as part of your warfare.  Here's an example.  During my second pregnancy, the Lord said to me "Your baby is going to come early, but it's going to be alright."  Not long after, I had a dream (or vision) of my son grown up.  There were many times, during the course of labor and delivery, two months early, and afterwards while my son was very ill or had problems, I held on to the words and vision from the Lord.  Scripture all backed me up in my faith, of course, but it was the strength of direct revelation from the Lord that kept me going in the middle of distress.  Many times I had to refuse to follow advice from "experts."  Now, my son is grown up and married, and he is a wonderful, talented and successful man of God.  And I know that God's not done fulfilling His word.  Praise the Lord! 

That was a lot of words to say: embrace the wilderness-- because when you come forth, having been tried by fire, you will see the word of the Lord fulfilled.