Every young minister who is called, at whatever age, is eager to share their gift. While some seek a specific call, others are just full of zeal, ready to share what they can. This is beautiful to God just like parents see all good in their small children who seek to perform well in their certain ways. The young minister is really excited when they get to sing or preach in a segment of the church service. They can feel they have arrived when they get the attention of others and feel that their "anointing" is confirmed. It's great to them and significant, but they often act like a teen-ager and don't realize that they didn't have to acquire the building and pay the utilities and set up the sound system and maintain the audience.
Emotional wounds strike at the very heart of a person. Even strong and confident people who experience emotional upheaval can find themselves depressed and down in spirit. If you are like most people, you have had a "broken heart" at some time because of grief from the death of a loved one, loss of a pet, or divorce. Betrayal also can attempt to crush and break your spirit. Long before medical science discovered that stress, trauma, and emotional pain affect the physical body, the Bible revealed the connection between the spirit or what we call the "heart" of a person. "A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but envy the rottenness of the bones." (Proverbs 14:30)
We all got saved via an experience with Jesus. We came from a very rational, intellectual space disconnected from our hearts and God. Then, we experienced Jesus in a way that doesn't lend itself to explanation or need to. Yet, surprisingly, many believers who start from a very relational, supernatural experience with the Holy Spirit try to revert to an intellectual explanation for how God speaks. There are rational reasons for spirituality; we are just adding Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) to IQ, EQ (Emotional Intelligence), PQ (Political Intelligence), AQ (Adoptive Intelligence), and ZQ (Visionary Intelligence).
Everything in our society today reminds me of my 7th and 8th grade Middle School orchestra room. Just before attempting to quiet the various instruments - all of them blasting, clanging, strumming, or banging their noises as loud and long as possible- the director would then make several attempts by raising his voice. That said, today we must not let go of the absolute reality that there is a quietness in God that He designed and desires for each of us and - believe it or not - for our surroundings. Since the latter may seem not only unlikely but virtually impossible, it often causes the former - a personal quietness in God - to either be skeptically regarded or surrendered outright.
The Bible says, "we walk by faith" (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). I really like this wording because when we choose to follow God, it means we are trusting Him to lead us in the right direction. It means taking steps of faith, even when things don't make sense...even when we don't see "the bigger picture." Hebrews 11:1 (AMPC) gives a definition of faith. It says, ...faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality....
This year, 2024, officially marks thirty years since I first became ill and began an unexpected journey that I never imagined would span decades. I originally wrote and published the following piece in 2022, sharing it on my health blog and social media in honor of Lyme disease awareness month [at the time]. The Holy Spirit never ceases to amaze me, so imagine my surprise when He recently informed me He wanted me to share this again now that I've reached the thirty-year mark in this crazy journey of journeys.
What does it mean to fight the devil? The fight is our battle to get the Word of God into our heart. Satan battles to take the Word out of our heart. That's the fight. Mark 4:15 speaks of how Satan comes immediately to steal the Word sown in our hearts. Even as I share that verse from the Word of God with you now, the devil is working to steal it out of your mind. You might begin to think about what you want for lunch right now. You may begin to worry over a decision in the midst of a church sermon. You might start to think about an unpaid bill, or an errand to run even as you sit and read the Bible. Whenever you allow your mind to wander from the teaching of the Word, you may miss a nugget of truth and encouragement from God.
How do you engage in spiritual warfare? If you're like most, you suit up in the whole armor of God. Maybe you raise your volume. Then you engage in combat! Certainly, that was me for many years before God revealed a different way. And He used the words of an atheist to do it. I was preparing to write a chapter on the whole armor of God for my book, "Silence Satan," when the comment of an atheist on my Facebook page began to play through my mind. "You talk so much about the love of God," the man noted.
Earlier this week I spoke at a leadership conference for a group of pastors in El Salvador. These pastors face a lot of spiritual challenges in their culture: Drug addiction among youth, alcoholism, idolatry, and rampant witchcraft. But I had to tell these pastors that the biggest challenge to their churches is not something outside—it is something inside the church. One of the biggest enemies of revival is the spirit of religion. It could be the reason your spiritual life is stagnant. It could also be the reason your church isn't growing.
Cue the confetti! Happy New Year, Friends! I have to admit, I just love New Year's Day. The idea of a fresh start, a clean sheet, a new chapter, excites me. But, for some, the new year holds fear and uncertainty. That's understandable. I mean, one look at the evening news can throw anyone into an anxious state. However, I believe God is calling us to enter the new year with courage and confidence. I always read through the book of Isaiah to prepare my heart for the new year. As I have been dwelling there the past few days, I have been encouraged by the promises God has given us.
