You Should Just Give Up

In Junior high, I was experimenting. I was playing football for school and I was in the school band. I didn’t know anything about either so I was giving both a shot. The band director gave me the French horn to play, which is a hard instrument. Every day at football practice, I thought about throwing in the towel since I was so small. Eventually, the band director, Mr. Hicks, told me I needed to choose: it’s either football or band Hall; which do you choose. So I gave up on band and dedicated the rest of my years (7-12 grades) playing football. It was the right choice for me.

Each one of us have moments in our life when we have to choose. There are difficulties and hardships. When hard moments come, it’s the enemy, Satan, trying to get you to choose to give up your relationship with God and other people. Jesus said that the enemy came to kill, steal and destroy. That’s all Satan cares about.

One dude in the Old Testament who experienced the full force of choices was a guy named Job. His story is one of the oldest recorded stories in the Bible. Job was very blessed by God. Job worshiped God every day and kept God in the primary place in his life. Job had lots of wealth, property and a huge family with 10 children. But Satan wanted to press Job into leaving his relationship with God so Satan created difficulty and chaos.

Satan had groups of people come in and steal all his livestock and kill all his servants. Satan also created a storm that destroyed the house all ten children were in, killing all of them. But even after all of that destruction, Job 1:20-21 says that Job worshiped God.

My guess is you also have had tough moments in your life. Maybe your marriage is not in a good place right now or your adult children are walking away from God. It could be your working through a prolonged illness or cancer treatments. Maybe you were hit hard in the market and investments and now you realize you’ll need to work a few more years before retiring. It could be you’ve been carrying around the shame and guilt from past mistakes, unaltered habits, or secret sin. These all are difficult moments where you must make a choice.

But like Job, we must realize your story doesn’t have to be defined by what happens to you; it should be defined by how you respond. As a follower of Jesus, we know difficult life moments are going to come. That’s a promise. Like Job, we must realize the script is already written for us in how we respond. Don’t buy the lie from Satan that you should just give up. Don’t let him sway you from the truth that Jesus has given us.

Like Job in chapter 19, we can say, “I know that my Redeemer lives!”. Jesus told us he’ll never leave us nor forsake us. He’s with us until the end. There are going to be storms in our lives. It’s just Satan trying to get us to walk away from our relationships with those we love, including God.

So, stay the course. Be resolute. Don’t back down. Make the choice to continue to walk with God through the storm. He’s with you. He’s got you by the hand and he’s not letting go. Blessings on the journey.

Starting Anew.

So what’s my new beginning?

After ten+ years at a local church, I’m starting today at a new church in a different part of the metro area.

New beginnings can be fraught with uncertainty but they are also filled with incredible joy and possibility. Think a new job, a new relationship, getting married, new house, new baby. All pretty exciting stuff.

Here are some of my initial thoughts on new beginnings.

You see possibilities and opportunities.

Possibilities and opportunities are everywhere. This is an incredible feeling! The problem is sometimes we just don’t see them either because we are either stuck in a rut, too scared to move out of our comfort zone or feeling pessimistic.

After months of prayer about where God might be leading my wife and I, we realized it was time to help others with Kingdom work. Through the process, the Holy Spirit confirmed over and over, God was still going to use us in Gospel work. We are blessed to be starting this new work today!

New beginnings are all about seeking out new opportunities and truly opening ourselves up to new adventures. Fresh starts allow us to see the world and often ourselves in a new light.

You see a clear path forward.

New beginnings give us a chance to work towards what we really want. They give us a chance to let go of the past, focus firmly on a bright new future, and commit to moving forward in leaps and bounds.

Fresh starts are a great time for reflection but more importantly for planning, goal setting, and for having fun at the moment!

You appreciate the wonderful things already in your life.

I have a lot to be thankful for. Great friends and mentors. So many people who believe in me despite what one or two believe about me. Health and mobility. A dynamic partner in my wife, Robin. Two sons who I couldn’t be more proud of. A new staff who are over-the-top excited about Robin and I joining them on staff. God is good.

Even though I haven’t had a lot of time for blogging lately (due to closing out my ministry and creating space to start a new one) I now have a renewed passion for my blog.

Now thankfully I am ready to learn and reestablish some rhythms. My mind is up and running and fully engaged to possibilities. My creative mind is clicking back into gear and I’m ready to dive back into writing and creating.

Granted new beginnings can be a little scary, but there’s no doubt they can also be magical, exciting, joyous, and thrilling!

Like everything else in life, it all depends on how you choose to look at it. What new beginning are you excited about? Whatever you are anticipating, God has this…He’s got you. So be adventurous and daring. Take the step you’ve been hesitant taking. Know that He has wonderful things in store for you. Blessings on your journey.

Ways I Have Learned to Trust God This past 12 months.

This past year I have gone through a number of difficult situations in my life. I stepped into new areas of leadership, I gave up some areas of leadership and I began new directions on some relationships in my life.

See, each of these transitions took me out of my comfort zone. I love getting to lead at the church level. I love having the privilege of preaching the Gospel. I love the relationships I have in my life and I love cultivating new relationships.

I full-heartedly believe that these transitory moments in our lives prepare us for all of the big and sometimes uncomfortable moments that happen in our lives. In each of these moments, I learned a new level of trust with God, but it wasn’t always easy.

I can’t say that I’m an expert at trusting God, but I can say that there are three ways of trusting God that have helped me to not only know but also believe that I serve a trustworthy God.

Develop a childlike trust. In Matthew 18, Jesus reminds his disciples that, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” We often use the first few verses of Matthew 18 to describe a childlike faith, but I want to talk about a childlike trust. Whether we call Him Papa, Abba, Father, or just Dad, many Christians know and understand that He is a nurturing and paternal God.

I believe that learning how to trust the Father in a childlike way is understanding our desperation for the Father, trusting Him without questions, and following Him because He knows how to do His job. I am helpless on my own but I am loved, led, and protected by my Father.

This is a very blind trust. From the world’s perspective, blindly trusting someone is scary and foolish. We need people to prove themselves trustworthy- sometimes over and over and over again- and even then, their actions may not be enough for them to earn our trust. This isn’t the way a child trusts their dad. As a child, I trust my Dad because I need to.

Grown trust. I believe that a grown trust represents our understanding that we serve a good God and a sovereign God. This kind of trust takes a bit of maturity and depth to understand. Much like a childlike trust or a blind trust, I don’t always know what God is doing, but I can trust Him because he tells me that I can. Even when I don’t understand what is happening in my current circumstances, I can see the good in what God is doing in, around, and beyond those circumstances.

I know that I follow a God who is Lord of all things and works to make all things work together for my good. This helps me to have a grown trust that says, I know that God is good, I know that God is sovereign, and because of these two things, I believe that I can trust God.

Aged trust. Philippians 4:17, And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When I think about people who are much older and wiser than I am, I know that their number of life experiences far outweigh mine. I know that they have seen the ups and downs of life and that they probably understand that everything will work itself out eventually.

I think that part of having an aged trust is knowing that everything is going to be okay. Life isn’t perfect this side of Heaven, there are high seasons and low seasons, but understanding that one day the storm will pass makes it easier to get through those low seasons.This type of trust goes deeper than simply thinking everything is going to be okay, because honestly, there may be times where it isn’t okay or it won’t be okay.

In John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus doesn’t say, “But take heart! Everything will be okay!” He says, ”But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I know that I will have trouble in this world, but I know that Jesus is bigger than my trouble. I know that regardless of how messy this life gets, I can have a peace that surpasses all understanding because Jesus has overcome the world. This is a trust that says, “everything is going to be okay, even when it isn’t.” Blessings on the journey.

Never Give Up!

Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Tired and feeling like the fight is not worth it? Have you convinced yourself that giving up and calling it quits is the best option for you? Guess what? Giving up is not an option for you becaue you have come too far to turn around now! The race is not given to the swift nor the strong, but to those who endure to the end!

When in doubt and feeling like giving up, pray! We will never know what one prayer will do until we trust God through prayer. See what James says about prayer in James 5:16-18.

I will admit that sometimes life’s strong winds, heavy rain and stormy seas can seem so fierce and unbearable to the point that they make us want to give up and quit, but we can’t! I was talking to a young woman yesterday who lost her husband last December. She expressed she felt God had abandoned her story. I reminded her he has not forgotten her in her pain.

Yes, life circumstances has a way to make us doubt that things will ever change for us and that God Himself has forgotten about us, but, I want to remind you on today that God is still on the throne and in control of ALL the world’s affairs. It does not matter how long we have had a problem, the power of God is still able to turn things around for us.

As God ask Jeremiah, I am asking you all on today “iS THERE ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?” Today is the day to trust God through the pain, knowing that one day when you least expect, it will end and you will find yourself on the other side of through in that situation.

Faith will be tested! 1 Peter 1:7: “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

In the midst of your struggle, you must tell yourself that you will press your way because there is a reward on the other side of weariness. God promises it in His Word!

As a way of encouraging you on today, the Lord your God wants you to know that in due season, you “WILL” reap a harvest if you do not give up and quit! When tested, turn to God!

Believe it or not, the moment you are ready to quit is usually the moment right before the miracle. Your storm is temporary but the blessings of God last forever! NEVER GIVE UP! Trust in God and lean on his power and might. Blessings on the journey.

Total Dependence.

In 1989, I went to Air Force basic training. Once I got off the bus, the molding, shaping, and refining began. I arrived as one person but the DIs shaped me into someone new by the end of my time there. I’ve been forever grateful for the eight years I spent in the Air Force, wearing the uniform, active during Desert Storm and protecting my country.

In 1 Kings 17, we are introduced to one of the greatest prophets in Israel’s history…a guy named Elijah. His name means “My God is Jehovah”. He becomes God’s sounding piece for a king named Ahab and a queen named Jezebel. When Elijah comes on the scene, Israel had experienced 19 consecutive evil kings who took Israel away from God. That’s about 200 years of poor decision-making.

Elijah pronounces a drought on Israel to get their attention and right after, God moves Elijah into the wilderness to do some work on him. God tells him to go to the Kerith Ravine where God provides a source of water and ravines to bring him food. “Kerith” means “cut off” or “cut down”. I’m inclined to believe Elijah may have had a pride issue so God cuts him off from everyone else in order to cut him down or humble him. So Elijah goes through a season of isolated pain and solitude but God will use these moments to shape him into the Kingdom man God wants him to be.

With no one to help him (except the birds), Elijah has to become totally dependent on God for all things. See, God didn’t give him a week’s supply of food or even a 2-day supply but just enough for the day. You and I can learn from this story that God will give us what we need, not necessarily what we want.

And then God requires unconditional obedience to His plan. So, to move Elijah, God eventually dries up his water source. I can only image Elijah asking, “What’s the purpose of all this? Have I don’t something wrong? Did I do something I wasn’t supposed to do?” But I think for Elijah and us, God sometimes allows the “brook” to dry up in order to give us courage to leave and go where he wants us to live into his story. So many of us put our trust in money, job, friends, or surroundings but many times God allows these things to dry up to move us forward in His story.

And then God moves Elijah to a village called Zaraphath where Elijah interacts with a widow. He asks her to cook him a meal but she says she only has enough flour for her son and her. Elijah is persistent and then tells her that if she does this for him, her flour and oil jar will never run dry, which is exactly what happens.

God changes Elijah. He molds him and shapes him into the Kingdom person God is looking for. In 1 Kings 17:1, we know Elijah only by WHERE he’s from (Tishbe). By the end of chapter 17, the widow calls him Elijah, man of God.

So know that if you find yourself in the wilderness and things aren’t going as you planned, God is doing something in you so that He can later do something through you. Blessings on the journey.

Letting Go

If you’re like most people, you like being in control. Period. You want things to happen according to your wishes and according to your timetable. But sometimes, God has other plans…and He always has the final word.

Oswald Chambers correctly observed, “Our Lord never asks us to decide for Him; He asks us to yield to Him—a very different matter.” These words remind us that even when we cannot understand the workings of God, we must trust Him and accept His will.

All of us experience adversity and pain. As human beings with limited comprehension, we can never fully understand the will of the Father in heaven. But as believers in a benevolent God, we must always trust His guidance and provision.

When Jesus one to the Mount of Olives, as described in Luke 22, He poured out His heart to God. Jesus knew of the agony that He was destined to endure, but He also knew that God’s will must be done. We, like our Savior, face trials that bring fear and trembling to the very depths of our souls, but like Christ, we too must ultimately seek God’s will, not our own.

I was watching the news a couple of days ago and a guy was being interviewed about losing his job due to COVID-19. His words and body language indicated he expected the government to pay him now since it was no fault of his own. So many times, that’s our attitude. We look for ways to change our journey that will not cost us anything.

Are you embittered by a personal tragedy that you did not deserve and cannot understand? If so, it’s time to make peace with life. It’s time to forgive others and if necessary to forgive yourself. It’s time to accept the unchangeable past, to embrace the priceless present, and to have faith in the promise of tomorrow. It’s time to trust God completely. And it’s time to reclaim the peace—His peace—that can and should be yours.

God says in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.” May you experience His peace and discover how to let go. Blessings on your journey.

Feeling the Pressure.

Right now, we all are a little stressed out. We can’t leave our home, we tired of Zoom schooling, we can’t visit our friends, we’ve watched every Netflix episode, our food bill is sky-high…we are a little overwhelmed. 62% of college students are overwhelmingly anxious about school for the future. 75% of hospital visits are induced by some sort of anxiety.

King David gives us some answers concerning his anxiety and how we addressed it. He doesn’t give us “5 Steps to overcoming anxiety” but he does write with emotion and allows us to enter his story. Psalm 55 is one of those moments where David is feeling overwhelmed but knows who to go to when he feels this way.

David starts the Psalm praying honestly about his anxious feelings. He’s vulnerable which is a tough thing for a guy with his reputation. Remember, he killed a giant so all Israel knows his prowess. Yet, he can say he needs help and rescue from God. We cannot let the expectations from the world deter us from being honest about how we are feeling and express those feeling to a loving Father.

We also see that David moves from generic to specific in his prayer. Paul says in Philippians 4, “Don’t be anxious about anything but in everything, make it know to God”. Be specific in what you want from God and how you feel about the thing happening in your life. I feel the most spiritual prayers are unscripted, honest prayers.

So what is causing you anxiety and worry right now? Your health or the health of your family? Your job? Financial stability? A relationship that has betrayed you? Your marriage? Your kids? The future? You’ve got things going on your life right now you want to have comfort concerning. You want to know God is with you no matter what.

So David feels the same way and he begins talking to himself about God. He started talking to God but then changed to talk to himself about who God is and God’s promises. He’s talking to God about his anxiety then begins talking to his anxiety about who God is. David begins turning down the volume of the noise around him and turns up the volume on God’s voice.

You have to do the same. You must turn up the volume on God’s voice and his promises to you. You must turn up the voice of God reminding you he is your rescuer, redeemer, healer, Father, comfort and guide. He’s real and authentic. He’ll never leave you. When we do that, worship drowns out worry.

David closes out Psalm 55 by saying in verse 22, “Give your burdens to the Lord and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” And so your challenge today and in the days to come is be honest with God how you feel. Talk to him morning, noon and night. And realize He’s with you. He’ll never leave you. He’s got this. Blessings on your journey.

Summertime Faith

You see it every summer. At a swimming pool anywhere in America. There are very young kids wanting to get in it but they are not sure about it. It looks scary and deep. They know they can’t swim. But then something incredible happens that changes their fear. Dad gets in the pool.

It doesn’t matter whether he is in the shallow, middle or deep end, those kids see dad. He holds out his arms and they jump in, unafraid of what lies in front of them. They crawl out of the pool, run to the spot where dad is and jump in again.

As people of God who believe that God is real, we should be doing more of this in our life. There’s a story that really spells this out for us in Genesis 22. Abraham, the father of the Israelites, is old. So old, we’d have already taken the car keys away from him. God has continually told him the world (let that sink in…THE WORLD) is going to be blessed through him and his child. The only problem is two-fold: he’s very old and there is still no child…not one kiddo. But finally, Abraham has a son when he’s, get this, a hundred years old!

You have to believe Abraham and Isaac loved being together. So many memories and fun times in the pool. But then God ask the unthinkable. God tells Abraham that he wants him to sacrifice this son Isaac to him. God wants to know how much Abraham loves God.

Now what kind of a God would ask a dad to sacrifice his only son?! But, Abraham knows God and understands everything he has and is has come from God. So, I would imagine with very heavy feet, Abraham and Isaac set out for Mt. Moriah, the mountain of God, to worship.

At the base of the mountain, Abraham tells his servants they don’t need to go with them. Both he and Isaac will both go to worship and both he and Isaac will come right back. Interesting. Abraham knows God’s requirement yet says with the faith of a kid jumping into the arms of a dad, “We will be back.” He says the pronoun, “we”. Abraham didn’t know how but trusted God to provide whatever was needed to fulfill the promise God had made way back in Genesis 12.

So, on the way up, Isaac asks where the ram is for the offering. Abraham replies, “God will provide.” And God does provide. After the altar has been built, the flame lit, Isaac tied up and the knife raised above Abraham’s head, the Angel of the Lord says, “WAIT!” God now knows Abraham trusts God to provide. He loves God more than his own son.

It’s a great reminder for each of us this holiday season. Each of us will be missing someone at the dinner table. Each will experience a loss. Each of us will hope for a different outcome in a relationship. Each of us will pray for a stronger marriage. Each of us will hope to make ends meet financially. Each will plead for a prodigal to come home. We all are trudging up the mountain.

And this story in Genesis 22 is a foreshadowing of the greatest story of all time. Thousands of years later, God will send his only son, Jesus, who will eventually die for all of us. God will give us his only son in order to gain back all his children.

What we each must verbalize and live out is that we serve a God who will provide. He is the keeper of promises and giver of life. He will provide the proverbial ram in the bush. So, this holiday, lean into the only one whose arms you can jump. The only one who can catch you while you fall. The only one who truly loves you for who you are. Blessings on your journey.