Our study picks us with Peter having seen the possibility of the presence of God in a culture not his own. He was willing to set aside his communities presuppositions, prejudices and pride to live out his calling. The Jews wanted the Gentiles to acculturate into their way of life before they would accept them and they believed this was necessary before they could be saved (Acts 11:2). The Jews prioritized certain beliefs in the Law of Moses and felt they could judge and legislate who was saved by application of those selected laws. Peter must give an account for his actions!
In Acts 15, the Jews met at the Council of Jerusalem to discuss this question of those they considered different, the “other”. The Jews were determined to show Peter the law was on their side and he was wrong for focusing on “those other” people, especially Gentiles. Scripture says they “argued forcefully”. My study revealed this meant they had serious theological differences, debate, discord and disunion. Sounds similar to the infighting of the Church today?
Nevertheless, Peter put the law in its proper perspective. The law identifies all our sins and points us to Christ (Gal 3:19 – 29). Peter knew we are saved only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not forceful application of laws upon individuals. Peter also knew that Jesus had given two commandments to clarify the Law of Moses and guide the interpretation of it in our actions. In Matthew 22: 37 – 39 Jesus commanded us,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
If you love everyone as you love yourself; your beliefs about them, how you label them and how you treat them will always be guided by Godly intentions.
Today we continue to question who is “us” and who is “them”. Like the Jews in Acts, we still use the Word of God to divide and define people by lifting up certain commandments to support theology based on secular criteria. Remember, Peter faced men who believed in the Resurrection of Jesus (i.e. they were saved) but felt the commandments they determined to be most relevant were the ones that mattered most. But Peter depended on scripture to settle the controversy not what would benefit him most. Avoid unfruitful arguments; focus on loving people. Remember, we can’t save anyone. Salvation is only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
In our next session I will bring home the message of our series, Walking the Talk. We will look at the impact of our witness when people are watching our actions more than they are listening to our words.
Father God,
We are surrounded by a fragmented culture, focused more on separation than salvation, we need you. Help create in us a clean heart and don’t allow us to focus on the “Great Commission” at the expense of your “Great Commandments”. We desire to live on the right side of your Word so that our lives more than our words will be the witness to those that need to know You.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
Peter obeyed the Lord and went to Caesarea to tell Cornelius and those gathered with him the Good News of Jesus Christ. Peter’s words revealed a new understanding as his humility through Christ allowed him to serve others.
Peter’s witnessing paralleled that of the Gospel of Mark. (Acts 10:37-41)
The Book of Mark recounted Jesus’ perfect life from His baptism, to His ministry, to the miracles performed in Galilee and throughout Judea. His death on the cross, burial and in His resurrection scripture was fulfilled. Through His death, all sin is forgiven. Everyone sins and everyone needs to be saved. You can only be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Moreover, faith is available to everyone, not only for the Jews.
Upon hearing the Word of God through Peter, the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and all who heard the message. They were all baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. God speaks to people not only through their circumstances but also through the words of others. That’s why the message of August’s Journey, Do You Understand What You Are Reading, is so important. You can shine but if you don’t give them content, people won’t know what to do.
The key takeaway of Chapter 10 is not so much the conversion of Cornelius as the conversion of Peter. Peter was willing to remove barriers and set aside previous presuppositions, prejudices and pride. Peter entered the house of a Gentile, something that Jewish customs and traditions strictly prohibited. By entering a Gentile’s home, Peter showed that his heart and mind had changed. He was committed to the lifestyle Jesus commanded. While scripture tells us we are not to become like our neighbors; it also says God wanted His people to become a light to our neighbors who don’t know the true God.
We’ll pick up the story in Acts Chapter 15 next time. Where we will examine how Peter responded when challenged by his community for loving someone outside of his culture and community. Many of us want to be bold for Jesus, but sometimes we lack the courage to go against our communities’ presuppositions, prejudices and pride for fear of how we will be viewed or treated.
Father God,
Give us the boldness of Peter to be a living witness to all who don’t know you. Help us to be the leaders of culture rather than to be followers of culture. You didn’t save us to be silent. You called us to be a beacon of light to the world. So, strengthen our witness through our thoughts, lifestyle and most importantly our actions.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
“God will not give us the Holy Spirit to enable us to gain celebrity or to procure a name or to live an easy, self-controlled life. The Spirit’s passion is the glory of the Lord Jesus, and can make His abode [only] with those who are willing to be at one with Him in this”.
F.B. Meyer
Reading the Word is not only beneficial to our walk; it can benefit others. As the number of readers of The Journey increases, so do the types of follow-up questions. I am realizing some have limited context for what we are talking about. I now am more conscious of the importance of you and I taking time to teach those around us. People are expecting us to use our platforms to make the Word plain to them; not to tell them how great we are or creating thirst traps as a way of gaining attention or validation. Our goal should be to reflect Him through us. Charles Koller explains it, “Not as a pipe through which the truth flows out to others, but as a living embodiment of the truth to which we seek to win others”. Witnessing does not depend on flashy rhetoric or heart wrenching stories. The spirit does the convicting and convincing. We are merely the tool. So, “study to show ourselves approved”.
When we don’t take the time to teach the Bible to others we dilute the complexity, historicity, and beauty of its story, and the readers can miss significant facets of the Good News about Jesus. I’m reminded of the story of Philip joining the Ethiopian high official in Acts 8 as a perfect example for us to model:
27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch,
a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians,
who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship
28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked,
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”
And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Philip didn’t wait for him to come to church. Philip joined the Ethiopian where he was. The Ethiopian official needed someone to relationally unfold Isaiah 53:7-8 to him in a way that made sense.
So here are the two challenges this passage confronts us with. First, we must be willing to step into some elses “chariot” and sit alongside people who can’t make sense of life, much less the Bible. Second, we must study God’s Word diligently and learn from good teachers about His whole counsel, so that when we do have opportunities with those seeking to understand, we can engage them with the whole story instead of leaving them with a presentation. We can only teach others what we’ve learned ourselves; so consider studying a book or two of the Bible.
You never know who God may put in your path to share the Good News. When your opportunity comes, just like Philip, be prepared.
Father God,
Prepare us to share your Word with others. Unless we study, we won’t be ready. It’s not always easy to dedicate time to studying; and yes I know this is an excuse. Help me to do better. I want and need to represent you well.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
Everyone loves and crave relevance. Relevance is about getting attention, being connected, being valued, and becoming significant. But attention engineering is not limited to our social media activity discussed last month. For some, their sense of identity may not be strong enough to exist without the constant reassurance of others. We often worry about our position and status, hoping to get proper recognition for what we do. It’s when the quest for relevance becomes self-centeredness and moves us out of the will of God that it becomes sin.
Everyone has a measure of self-centeredness. We must work daily to minimize how much focus we put on ourselves. Jesus is so opposed to the sin of self-centeredness that He declared, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). To deny oneself is to focus on the interests of God rather than our own earthly, material, personal desires (Matthew 6:33). What are God’s interests? His interest is for us to love and care for our neighbors (John 13:34-35), to bear others’ burdens (Galatians 6:2), to not pass judgment on others (Romans 14:13) and to be kind and forgiving (Ephesians 4:32). So our question today is, how can we balance becoming revenant and seeking to make others relevant?
Some say God’s interest is only in our relationship with Him. Moreover, as long as we have a relationship with Him, “It’s ok for the strong to rule over the weak, justice has no intrinsic worth and moral values are socially constructed and subjective.” Additionally, some argue, “Catering to others is indicative of a lack of self-esteem. And while giving to others is positive, you truly cannot give until you have taken care of yourself.” This type of thinking is rooted in our fleshly desire to supplant God’s authority with our own. Scripture clearly states in Romans 8:8 that, “People who are self-centered aren’t able to please God”.
Being self-centered is juxtaposed to several Biblical commands: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). Romans 12 teaches us to be transformed from the thinking of this secular world and not to focus on raising yourself up. Philippians 2:3-4 leaves no room for self-centeredness, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather, in humility value others above yourself, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interest of the others.”
When we make others relevant first, our own relevance is a natural result and God will be pleased. In 1 Peter 5:6, Peter advises us to remember, that God’s recognition counts more than human praise. Therefore, seeking relevance or recognition is not wrong; it is seeking it in the wrong source. Seek to please God, not humans.
Father God,
We sometimes get full of ourselves and out of your will. We need to overcome the sin of self-centeredness, but we can’t do it without you. As we live a life pleasing to you, may others come to know you better through our words and actions.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
The billionaire French donors who publicly proclaimed they would give hundreds of millions to rebuild Notre Dame have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials. These wealthy donors want their money to go toward long-lasting, immortalizing structures and not on the ephemeral but equally vital tasks of cleaning and securing a site that poses real health risks for Parisians.
The same desire for personal recognition and popularity can play out in a believer when we put the focus on ourselves and not on God. As we continue to spotlight our promises to Him, let’s focus on the attention engineering of your social media posts. Do they reflect Him or do they reflect you? We’ve become obsessed with people seeing where we are, what we’re doing, what we’re wearing or what we’re eating. And even when we help or service others our post can say look at what I’m doing.
In Jeremiah 9:23 God says, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches.” God says, there is only one thing in life worth bragging about: “Do you know Me?” Because if you can’t talk about that, then it doesn’t matter how much money is in your account, what degrees are on your wall, what great trips you are able to take or what position you have in your company. The mindset of “he with the most toys wins!” has to be seen for the fallacy it is. See, the knowledge of God affects everything about you. God says, “If you are going to brag, brag that you know Me.”
But God doesn’t tell you the truth about yourself and then leave you where you are. Like a good doctor, He tells you you’re sick so you will get the proper treatment. The proper treatment for the sin of self focus is salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. He provides forgiveness for our sins by His death on the cross. If Jesus had focused on popularity, He would not have gone to the cross on our behalf. You can never know God until you are properly related to Him through a relationship with Jesus. If you have never come to Jesus in repentance and faith, today would be a great day to do so.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
“If a man makes a promise to the LORD or says he will do something special, he must keep his promise. He must do what he said”
Numbers 30:2(NCV)
We have spent the first six months of 2019 unpacking the many promises of God. We’ve seen the grace and mercy He provides to us day by day. We’ve seen that we can depend on His promises. We’ve search scripture to confirm His promises. Yet, doubt, disappointment or disillusion creep in when we think He has not fulfilled His promise to us. This month we pause, turn the spotlight, flip the script, reframe the focus to explore the promises we have made to God and ask, “Can He depend on the promises we have made to Him?”
When you give your word, you’re putting your honor on the line. You’re implying that others can trust you because you have integrity. Have you ever considered how God hears the fulfillment of your promises to Him –
I’m willing to offer a belief in you generally, but without specifics attached to it. If what you are asking is too hard for me to do, you’ll understand if I avoid it. I will sacrifice for others as long as it does not affect my own self-interest as I face life’s daily events. I studied your Word and used my intellect to discern all that was right and wrong with it. Besides, it was written by imperfect men. I ignore the parts that don’t make sense or make me uncomfortable. I’ll proclaim my allegiance to you by judging people on the parts that don’t inconvenience me. I’m willing to love those who are like me but as your Word says, I’m required to love my neighbor not those others. I’m not a minister so, at my own discretion, I will tell others about the Good News. I asked you to alleviate that situation and you told me “your grace is sufficient”; I know you understand that’s not quite going to cut it.
Sound crazy? Before you too quickly dismiss this and while you may not audibly say these things to God, have you not conveyed these words to Him by your words and actions? God expects all true believers to be His emissaries. One day we will all have to stand before the Creator and answer the question, did we take Him at His Word and keep our promise?
The most basic promise of most believers is to serve Him. Serving is the obligation to love Him. John 14:15 defines loving Him as keeping His commandments. There is a direct link between His commandments and His promises. They are our reward for a life of faith, belief, and devotion. When we prioritize, pick or choose which commandment to focus on, we open the door for the enemy to get into our heads. My friend says, “If the enemy can cause us to doubt one promise from God to us, then over time that will cascade into uncountable other questions creeping into our heads and causing more doubt.”
Today I pose a set of questions that will allow you to unpack how well you have kept your promises to Him. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or your favorite beverage. Find a quiet space to work through them. You can choose how honest to be with yourself in your answers. This is between you and God. These questions are not designed to challenge you from my own perspective. It is the Word of God, the Word that Christ committed to His Church, and the Word that we are commissioned to defend and proclaim. The Word that can keep the Church strong and pure if we believe it and obey it. We convey our promises to Him by our actions and our deeds. Our actions should seek to please God, not have God please us. Special thanks to Chuck Bengochea and Tim Donoho for allowing me to integrate some of their questions with my own:
1. What real sacrifices have you made for Christ? The operative word is sacrifices. Not what have you done for Christ, but what have you truly sacrificed. Webster defines sacrifice as, “forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim”
2. What pain have you suffered for God? List 3 examples
3. List three significant gifts that you have given to God that forced you to change your lifestyle for at least three months.
4. If you knew you were going to die soon, what legacy would you leave behind that would benefit the body of Christ?
5. Have you ever been so hungry for the Word of God that you couldn’t sleep until you had meditated on it for a while?
6. What does it look like to “Seek God with all of your heart”? What changes would you have to make?
7. Do you know God well enough that He could brag on you if He wanted to? What would He say?
8. Learning to fully surrender to God is a journey; being willing to release your families, your financial future, and your health can be very difficult. Where are you on that journey? What do you still hold onto tightly and why? What do you think would be the outcome if you fully released that part of your life to God?
These are brutal questions for some. For others, these will be the most difficult questions that we have to answer in demonstrating your promise to God. Some of you simply won’t attempt to answer because the spaces for answers might be blank. I pray your first response will be to drop to your knees and join me in asking God to forgive us for not offering him our best.
Processing your answers will set you on a journey. You will find or awaken a depth of faith that wasn’t previously present. It is not too late to fulfill your promise to God; start today working on doing what His Word asks you to do and watch the blessings of the Lord come. E-mail me the challenges, roadblocks, and detours you experience on this journey so that I may pray with you and encourage you as you engage, discern and make conscious choices as you walk out your destiny.
Father God,
Forgive me for not always holding up my side of this covenant relationship. Use me as Your tool, not for my own purpose, but for Yours. Inspire me each day to seek out how I might truly be a worthy servant to You. Give me the opportunity to share my faith in You with others in both my words and actions. And give me the courage to do it boldly, without fear of what the results might be, knowing that it is solely under Your providence what the outcome will be.
“There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind, that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.”
John Wooden
Dr. Travis Bradberry writes, “Regardless of the magnitude of the decision, our brains make it hard for us to keep the perspective we need to make good choices”.Problems in life come mostly as a result of bad choices. Look back and think deeply about a bad choice that seemed like the best choice at the time for whatever reason. The reason it seemed like the best choice was because of a lack of knowledge. At the beginning of June, we learned that Jesus provides wisdom and knowledge to those who love Him and keep His commandments. That’s reassuring because bad choices can dress themselves up as the best choices. Then they take you where you didn’t mean to go; cost more than you wanted to pay, and stay longer than you intended for them to stay. Therefore, it’s important that today we unpack this concept a little more so that you can tune out the distractions that give bad choices space in your life.
Every day we make a constant stream of decisions. Most are mundane, such as what to eat or in what order to tackle tasks. Others are more difficult, such as choosing between two job offers or whether to cut a toxic person out of your life. Then others, aren’t momentous in themselves, but can lead to tragedies: A person chooses to ride with a friend who has been drinking, resulting in a serious accident. Meeting a co-worker for drinks after work that leads to an affair. The young lady who decides to participate in shots at a party, resulting in her letting down her inhibitions. She ends up pregnant or with a venereal disease. Checkmate!
On our own, we don’t have the power to live Godly lives or make Godly decisions. We have to be willing to obey the wisdom God gives us and God’s wisdom comes to us through Scriptures. When making a decision in faith God provides an opportunity to stop us if we are wrong. He can close or open doors as He leads those who are willing to be led. No, “When God closes one door, He opens another” is not in the Bible, but be encouraged knowing that God is with you, no matter the position of the door of your situation. The Bible says,
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13)
He also expects spiritual brothers and sisters to be accountability partners. There’s no shame in getting help. We are the body of Christ. Building each other up is what we’re called to do. When you find yourself in a tight spot, share your situation with trusted friends who also believe in God’s power. But, choose your prayer partners carefully; the influence of friends is powerful enough to trump facts. The opinions of others really matter. The Bible provides examples of trusting friendships. God gave Daniel the wisdom to interpret the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. A wrong interpretation would have led to death. When God granted Daniel the wisdom to interpret the king’s dream, it launched Daniel’s long career as a political leader, trusted advisor, and well-known prophet. However, he first prayed with his friends. He prayed with them that God’s will be done through the decision made. Prayer was more effective than panic. Panic confirms your hopelessness; prayer confirms your hope in God.
On the other hand, Lot ignored his uncle Abram (not yet Abraham) and chooses to settle in Sodom. The Bible says in Genesis 13:8, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, . . . because we are brothers”. Nevertheless, Lot did what Lot wanted to do. He never considered the spiritual implications of moving his family to Sodom. The pull of the world looked too good to him. Ultimately, he lost everything and ended up living in a cave. He and his family paid the consequences for his bad decisions. (Remember the Butterfly Effect). See, no one is immune from the lure of the world’s choices, not even believers. Lot was a man of faith. 2 Peter 2:8 says, “Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day”. Be careful of letting your bad choices seem sexier than they really are. Choices can have eternal implications. Daniel exhibited faith, Lot exhibited self-interest.
Faith in Jesus Christ is based on trust in Jesus Christ. James 2:14-17 teaches that faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away. A life of faith leads to a better knowledge of God, self-control, patient endurance and godliness. These actions do not come automatically; they require hard work. They are not optional; all of them are our responsibility and must be a continual part of our growth process. Matthew 6:33 teaches us to, “seek first the kingdom of God”.Seek the Lord and wait for Him until He gives you instructions. Many in the Bible made their decisions without first seeking God’s wisdom and experienced unfavorable outcomes. The scripture continues, “then all things will be added unto you”. Right outcomes are the result of God-centered decisions. The only way we can keep his Word is to grow in His knowledge. That’s why Peter prayed that they would, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
When we ask in faith, God gives us the wisdom we need at that particular moment. We can confidently claim the promise, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5). A doubtful mind is not completely convinced that God’s way is the best way; so the better you know Jesus the better you will be able to discern right from wrong. Even mature believers will have their faith challenged. We will always need to draw closer to him. Pray to make wise, God-centered, not self-centered decisions in difficult circumstances. Then match your persistence in prayer with gratitude when your requests are answered. God gives wisdom freely to all who ask.
Again I ask, who’s informing your decision-making process?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Lord, you are my strength and my shield; in You my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give You thanks. For I know that my decisions will turn out for my deliverance through your Holy Spirit and according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, so Christ will be magnified in my every decision.
In the book, “Where Is God When I Hurt?” Wilson Adams tells the story of an older couple driving along when the wife spots a newly married couple in the vehicle ahead. She exclaims, “Look at them, Harold! Would you just look at them?” She continues, “She’s all scrunched up next to him with her head on his shoulder…” She sighs, “Harold, do you remember when we used to do that? I would sit next to you with my head on your shoulder…” She sighs again. “Look at us, Harold. Just look at us! You’re way over there under the steering wheel and I’m way over here next to the door. What happened to us, Harold?” She sighs even more. Harold was a man of few words. Ten miles later, he cleared his throat and said, “I never moved.” The same is true in our relationship with the savior. God is as near to us as He has always been. It is us that from time to time lose faith and move away from Him. He has promised to never leave us but like the father in Mark 9:24 we cry out “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” In other words, we never reach self-sufficiency. Growing in faith is a constant daily renewing of our trust in Him.
To forsake another person is to leave them entirely, usually in a moment of need. I’m glad our savior has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Over 100 times in the Bible we are told God will never leave us nor forsake us. To repeat it so many times and in so many different ways, He must have known we would struggle with this concept. Scholars call it parallelism, which means to restate something several different ways for emphasis. We assume if we struggle, He must not be with us. When we narrow our focus so all we can see are the challenges along the way and the things that are going wrong, it will keep us from understanding that God is compassionate, loving and faithful to bring forth His promises to us. The lyricist says, “He is moving in your life even when you can’t see it. Maybe you just haven’t seen it yet”.
Trusting He’s With You
The Book of Acts teaches that He sent a comforter to be with us, to encourage us when we’re weak, to guide us and to help us see right from wrong. In this, we can be confident. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.”(Psalms 46:1)
I am reminded of an invitation to golf at a swank Country Club in Boca. As I was parking, the car a caddie came to the car and introduced himself as Josh. Josh took my clubs and directed me to the locker room to change. After changing my shoes and a little stretching, I headed to the driving range. Josh was waiting for me there with my clubs set up. As I worked my clubs from wedges to the driver, Josh watched closely, sometimes asking me how I thought I hit a certain club and then making notes on a card. When it was time to go to the first tee Josh told me to enjoy myself he would be carrying my clubs. Now, this is important because, on the regular courses where I golf, folks carry their own clubs or put them on an electric cart. We make decisions based on our own beliefs, thoughts, and desires. We don’t have someone guiding us. In other words, the caddie knew the course and he had an understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. He knew how far I could hit various clubs. He knew the blind spots on the course and he knew how to read the greens and advise me. When I arrived at the first tee, Josh was there waiting for me. From my car to the first tee, he was developing a relationship with me. All I had to do was to make the decision to trust Josh with my total game.
On a par 5, I had hit a beautiful drive down the middle of the fairway. I asked for my 3-wood for the next shot over the water. Josh said, “You can’t get over, there’s wind down there. Lay up with your 5 iron”. I was going to show him, I was feeling good and swinging well. I could handle the challenge before me. I appreciated his advice but he didn’t really know me. I struck the 3-wood perfectly; the ball starting out low and rose like a plane takes off. As I posed in my finish position waiting for the ball to land in the fairway on the other side of the water – splash! The wind had held it up just as Josh had explained. He winked at me and told me not to worry; he would still guide me for the rest of the round. See Josh knew the dangers in front of me and he knew my swing. After that, I listened to Josh’s instructions for the rest of the round and played one of my best rounds of the year. I was able to accomplish this because Josh was carrying my heavy bag, giving me instructions, warning me of upcoming danger, advising me of my best option given my skill level and the situation. However, I had the free will to follow his lead or not.
It is the same in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Father has sent the Holy Spirit who is standing on the tee box waiting for you to accept Him as your life caddie. Before each shot or decision, talk it over and strategize with Him. Just like golf, life is better when we don’t play it alone. Jesus unconditionally loves you and wants to guide you around the course of life. He has provided us a yardage book, the Bible, which identifies the pitfalls of our course. It instructs us on how to prepare and how to identify for the challenges of life.
Unlike the caddie, Jesus can forgive your bad shots and wipe them off your scorecard. He wants you to reach out to Him in good times and in bad times. In the words of Ken Blanchard, “ you have a chance to have the ultimate Mulligan in your life. Someone who will forgive you for your bad shots, someone who will forgive you for your transgressions, and someone who will stand beside you and never leave you”. He promised in Matthew 28:20, “ . . . and be sure of this: I am with you always, even until the end of the age”. Always literally means all day. The Holy Spirit will never leave you. He has set you on a journey. He has a plan for your destiny. Yet, you have the free will to follow his lead or not.
Last month we celebrated His power over death. This month we celebrate His power in our lives. Now that you understand His presence in your life, you can join Smokie Norful in praising Him for never leaving you nor forsaking you:
My prayer for each of you is that you will make the pivotal choice to tee it up with God and seek to play His course. That you will embrace the plan God has for your life. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for dying on the cross for our sins; yet, we thank you even more for defeating death. Help us to always remember that you are always with us. You sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. Very much is promised to our believing. The enemy desires to deceive or destroy our belief. However, your Word teaches us that faith and belief prove to the mind, the reality of things that cannot be seen by the eye. Help us to always consult you before our every decision. You are a good God, and you only have what’s best for us.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
Adam is a qualified life coach residing in Melbourne, Australia. His life coaching work is however somewhat unorthodox. It’s unique and a little different in the way that Adam uses mind maps and visual thinking principles. Over a period of 8 years, Adam has developed over 300 self-growth mind maps that he calls IQ Matrices
Okay, so let’s say that you are intrigued by this idea of staying consistent and committed to a daily set of actions aligned with a specific goal you have in mind. On the surface staying consistent seems quite straightforward. It’s all about repetition, right?
On a surface level most people are quite aware of the value of repetition. Repeating something over and over again forms the foundation of any skill we are wanting to learn. What’s however not quite as clear is what repetition (consistency) demands from each individual.
Consistency-in-action is not purely about repetition. It’s rather about evolution.
This is not about mindlessly repeating an action over and over again. It’s about learning, growing and adapting your actions that can help lead to incremental improvements over an extended period of time.
Consistency-in-action is about gaining ever greater insights and understandings about what it is you are doing, and subsequently making the necessary adjustments to these actions to help improve your results and performance over the long-haul. In other words, it’s all about improving your effectiveness and efficiency at each step along your journey. Therefore consistency demands that you stay vigilant and focused on making incremental improvements and not just sticking with the status quo.
To be consistent means understanding that the greatest power lies in the present moment. Therefore consistency demands that you stay vigilant, mindful and present on the task at hand without losing focus. It demands that you are able to discipline yourself to this moment, and only to this moment without exception.
I discipline myself in this very moment…
Right now is the only moment that matters…
I only need to be consistent in this very moment…
Many people struggle with consistency when they fail to see immediate results from their actions.
We live in a society that thrives on instant gratification. We feel hungry we dial for a pizza; we get bored we switch on the television; we get lonely we call up a friend. As we have grown up we have been hardwired to expect that our desires will immediately be satisfied. However, when it comes to achieving any worthwhile goal, the rules are a little different.
Typically success in any field of endeavor initially requires that we commit ourselves to taking consistent daily action for next-to-no-reward. The rewards will of course come over time, however early on success demands that you put in the work with very little to show for your efforts. And this is of course where consistency-in-action comes into play.
You must consistently apply yourself to something over an extended period of time in order to reap long-term rewards. This sounds simple on the surface, but because we all live in a world built upon instant gratification, is it any wonder that only a select few people achieve any worthwhile long-term success?
IQ Matrix strives to help you improve and maximize your potential through the use of a potent combination of mind mapping and life coaching principles that provide you with the guidance you need to overcome life’s toughest challenges. Visit IQ Matrix at www.iqmatrix.com
Adam is a qualified life coach residing in Melbourne, Australia. His life coaching work is however somewhat unorthodox. It’s unique and a little different in the way that Adam uses mind maps and visual thinking principles. Over a period of 8 years, Adam has developed over 300 self-growth mind maps that he calls IQ Matrices.
Even though the concept of staying consistent seems very simple on the surface, most people do struggle with this idea. They find it difficult to stay consistent because there are just too many distractions. People are simply not focused, committed or disciplined enough to stick with something in the short-term for long-term results.
The key reason why most people struggle with staying consistent over the long-term is that they only live for the short-term. In other words, if they don’t get immediate results from their actions, they don’t see the point with continuing with those actions over the long-haul. However, the habit of consistency isn’t about obtaining quick results. It’s rather about making incremental progress and improvements over an extended period of time.
Consider for a moment a skill that you have developed over the years. Maybe you’re a good singer or guitar player. Maybe you’re a great dancer or can speak a foreign language very well. No matter what skill you developed, you developed this skill over many weeks, months and years. And you developed it because you applied yourself consistently toward learning that particular skill.
A Practical Example of Consistency-in-Action
Consider for a moment a child learning how to shoot a basketball. In the beginning the child is shown the proper technique of how to shoot the ball. However, early on things aren’t easy. They practice and practice the proper motion and movement but results are just hard to come by. The basket just seems too small and too far away. However, the child persists with practicing their shooting technique over many weeks, months and years. And through repetition they start shooting more baskets.
The results become more consistent over time because of the muscle memory the child has developed through the act of repetition. Furthermore, repetition has helped the child to better understand what works and what doesn’t work while shooting the basketball. In other words, they have learned from their mistakes and errors and made the necessary adjustments along the way.
Years down the track shooting a basketball has become second nature, and it’s all because they committed themselves in the beginning to consistent daily practice through repetition.
This is of course just one example of consistency-in-action. It’s just one example of how doing something consistently over a period of time can reap incredible results. However, what if the child didn’t commit him or herself to daily practice? What if they just practiced once or twice per month? What difference would that have made years down the track? Obviously a tremendous amount of difference.
You Are Already Applying Consistency-in-Action
There are no quick results when it comes to a commitment to consistency. Consistency is rather about making incremental improvements over time. The results you are after will eventually come, however they will only come over an extended period of time when you commit yourself to consistency-in-action.
Now of course if for any reason you feel that this is something that’s difficult to do, then consider for a moment all the poor habits that people develop over time.
For instance, regularly snacking on that candy bar or overeating just a little each day over the course of many years can lead to major health concerns, obesity and mobility issues. But of course you probably won’t notice what overeating “just a little today” is doing to you, because it really doesn’t make much of a difference “today”. It probably won’t even make much of a difference tomorrow or next week, and maybe not even next month. But over the course of several years, overeating a little each day makes a significant difference; for that is when you finally start seeing the results from your consistent daily actions, and therein lies the power of consistency.
This is just one example of many where we use consistency-in-action in a very negative and limiting way. I’m sure you can probably think of at least a dozen more examples.
Given this, it’s quite clear that we are certainly capable of applying the consistency habit into our lives. However, from here-on-in it will all be about applying it in the right way to help you achieve your desired goals and objectives.
IQ Matrix strives to help you improve and maximize your potential through the use of a potent combination of mind mapping and life coaching principles that provide you with the guidance you need to overcome life’s toughest challenges. Visit IQ Matrix at www.iqmatrix.com
