Spirit vs Flesh

Are you foolish? Do you follow foolish advice? Do you try to handle everything on your own? Or, do you lean on the Holy Spirit? Do you know how to rely on the Holy Spirit? Or, do you think it is some mystical mumbo jumbo?

Our culture has become very educated and very scientific. We have discovered that much of what was once considered miracles can now be explained by science. In doing so, we now dismiss spiritual experiences as some flight of fancy, an imagination gone wild.

We have educated ourselves to the point of dismissing any possibility of God working in our lives. We no longer believe God will speak to us. We believe it is foolishness to think that God is living inside of us. We ignore His nudgings.

We have become afraid of talking about spiritual experiences, thinking our friends or family will look at us like we are crazy. Our society dismisses it as superstition. In other words, we have dismissed the idea that God is at work in our lives today, meaning we have lost faith in Him.

God is still at work on our lives, even if we don’t want to believe it or talk about it. He doesn’t necessarily speak to us in an audible voice, but He does nudge us in the direction He wants us to go. Sometimes we call that “mother’s intuition.” We may call it a “gut instinct.”

Unfortunately, because we dismiss God working in our lives, we fail to listen. We try to do it ourselves. We work in the flesh and dismiss the spirit. We rely on our education, our experiences, or both. Our approach to a problem is to logically think through it to come to a solution.

As I have learned to lean more on the Holy Spirit over the years, I have found by reaching out to God, I often get the answer I need. I have learned that God answers our prayers and our pleading for help. I also have found that when I follow the nudge He provides; my task goes from impossible to very doable.

Our belief and faith must be of the Spirit. If we dismiss the Spirit, our belief is false. We cannot work our way into God’s favor. We must accept His gift in our spirit and accept His Spirit within us. It is by collaborating with the Holy Spirit that we can follow God’s plan for our lives.

I pray we all decide to listen to the Holy Spirit. I pray we all accept Him into our lives. I pray each one of us will lean on the Holy Spirit as we go through our daily lives. Trust the Holy Spirit. Listen for God’s guidance. Follow the nudge God provides. Accept His free gift.

Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

Restoration

What do you think of when you hear restoration? Do you think of restoring an old car? Do you think about restoring a relationship? Are you thinking about restoring family ties? Are you thinking about restoring our country, bringing about normal functions and peace?

When we hear the word restoration, it can bring many things to mind. For many of us, we might be thinking of bringing things back to normal in our country. There are likely also many of us who are thinking of restoring peace and calm. Many of us may be thinking of restoring relationships.

Restoring relationships may take on many forms. It could be restoring relationships across racial lines. It could mean restoring family relationships. It could mean restoring a love interest relationship. We might think of restoring a relationship with an old schoolmate.

I think of restoring our relationship with God. Some of us may have turned our back against God. Some of us may have walked away from God. Some of us may have strayed away from God through a series of unfortunate decisions. Can we restore that relationship?

The good news is God has never walked away from us. He is waiting with open arms for us to return. We simply need to make the decision to recommit ourselves to Him. If we are willing to restore our relationship with God, we will be amazed at how all those relationship restoration projects we thought of will be restored as well.

We are called to restoration. As our passage today states, we are to restore through encouragement, keeping our minds on Jesus, and living in peace. Remember? Jesus stated the peacemakers are blessed.

Restoring is not always simple when it comes to human relations. It can be difficult. Many times, the difficulty comes in admitting we were wrong and swallowing our pride. When we overcome those two hurdles, restoration becomes easier. We can do the right thing.

I pray we all decide on restoration. I pray we pursue peace. I pray each of us becomes of one mind. I pray we encourage one another. I pray we rejoice in each other’s accomplishments. Seek restoration. Be an encourager. Live in peace. Be of one mind with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Seek Understanding

Are you learning each day? Are you seeking to understand why? Are you doing your own research? What are you looking to understand? Are you seeking to know how to improve your life? Are you seeking to know God?

We see it every day. We see people blindly following someone who is charismatic. We people following a leader. We see people going with the crowd. We see people who don’t really understand why they are where they are. We see people who are not aware of what is going on around them.

We are told not to be out of touch with reality. Often people are following someone who doesn’t really know themselves. Jesus warns against this in Matthew 5:14 as the blind leading the blind and says they will fall into a pit. Though figuratively speaking, the pit alludes to a place of damnation.

It is heartbreaking to see people being led around by their noses and not seeing the reality of the situation. It is especially heartbreaking when those people are family, friends, and coworkers—people we know well.

We want to lead them to knowledge and understanding. Sometimes we don’t know how to do that. Sometimes they simply don’t want to know and understand. Sometimes people don’t want to see the truth but stay in their own ignorance.

God doesn’t want us to be deceived. He wants us to be aware what is from Him and what is generated from evil. Unfortunately, we live in a broken world and much of what we see comes from evil. We see people being led astray day after day.

The psalmist calls this being led like a horse by its bridle. Those of us that know horses, know that they follow wherever the person leading them takes them. If you put a pair of blinders on the horse as well, they won’t see what is going on around them. A horse in this position can run off the edge of a cliff and fall to its death. Though symbolic, we can find ourselves in the same position and fall to our death, if not literally then figuratively.

I pray we all open our eyes to what is going on around us. I pray we all open our minds to understanding. I pray we take time to research and gain knowledge. I pray each of us will choose to follow God rather than following the evil of this world. Be knowledgeable. Seek understanding. Follow God.

Psalm 32:9

Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

or they will not come to you.

All The Same

How do you look at people? Do you look at those who are different than you and judge them? Do you snicker at how they look? Are you willing to get to know someone who is different than you? Can you look at them as a child of God?

We live in a culture that views anyone who is different than us as an outsider. We judge their looks, their clothes, their language, and so much more. We like to say we don’t, yet we do. We don’t want to get to know them and certainly don’t want our friends to know if we did. We are afraid we will become an outsider.

Yet Jesus was counter-cultural and He calls us to be counter-cultural as well. Jesus sought out those who were considered to be outsiders. He sought out those who were less fortunate. He sought out those who were sinners. He came to be their Savior, just as He came to be our Savior.

We are called to love God’s children. It is true that Scripture points out we are to give more immediate attention to those who are followers of Christ. Yet we are also to love all of God’s children, whether they follow Christ or not. Of course, that doesn’t mean we have to agree with their behavior, their actions, or their current state.

Jesus sent the Apostles out to spread the gospel and bring more into the fold. He also sends us out to do the same. We are to see opportunities to help others come to Jesus. We are called to simply state the good news of Jesus Christ. It is not our job to choose for the other person whether to believe or not.

We are to be non-discriminating of who we spread the gospel to. We are to be non-discriminating of who we love. We are to be non-discriminating of who we will serve in the name of Jesus. We are to welcome all into the body of Christ.

Many of us will scoff at the notion of serving those we don’t like, those who are different. We will decide not to spread the gospel to them. We will decide to judge them. We will decide to turn our backs on them. Yet that is disobedience to God.

I pray we all decide to love all of God’s children. I pray we decide to tell others about the saving grace provided through Jesus’ sacrifice. I pray each of us will learn to see the outsider and welcome them in. Trust God. Know we are all God’s children. See others as God sees them. Trust God to lead you.

Colossians 3:11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

As The Deer

How strongly do you seek God? Do you have a thirst for God that is difficult to quench? Do you feel parched when you miss a single day of reading Scripture? Are you constantly in communication with God?

All of us have a deep desire for something or someone. Our desire is on full display through our actions. Typically, anyone who is around us for very long can tell us what we are pursuing and can see when we are pulled in multiple directions, especially when they are negative ones. We often pursue multiple things simultaneously, which may make it confusing to determine our desire for a period of time. But when it comes right down to it, there is one desire above all others.

At issue in our modern environment is the sheer volume of options and distractions available to us. We can choose from hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of professions. We can be distracted by numerous hobbies and technologies. We are able to travel to a multitude of places to see man-made attractions or natural wonders.

We want to do many things, see many things, and pursue many things. We allow our wants to pull us in multiple directions at once, creating anxiety and frustration. Our desire is pushed down by popular wants our family and friends push toward us. We may even become fanatical about a few of those wants.

Yet what does our soul truly desire? Are we in touch with that deep-down desire? Do we recognize it? Far too often we do not. We squash the desire that our soul is harboring, smothering it with wants and distractions to the point that our soul’s desire is lying at the bottom of a hundred foot deep well.

Our soul desires to have a relationship with our Creator. It can only be satisfied by drinking from the endless well of life provided by Jesus Christ. Being in a close relationship with Him is our path to calm, peace, comfort, strength, courage, and all-around well-being.

I pray we all recognize the desire our soul has for God. I pray we seek Him each and every day. I pray each one of us will pursue a strong relationship with Jesus. I pray we communicate with Him in prayer all day, every day. Recognize your soul’s desire. Seek God every day. Continually communicate with God. Quench your thirst forever.

Psalm 42:1-2

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

Be a Good Steward

Are you taking care of yourself? Are you talking care of the things that have been put into your possession? Are you taking care of family members? Do you know that all you have, every member of your family, and everyone you see belongs to God?

We want to believe we own things. We want to believe we control our situation. We want to believe we can make our own way. Oh, we might get by with that for a while. If we are one in a million, we might even get by with that for our entire adult life, feeling pretty good about ourselves. However, in the end, we all will answer to God.

I’m not sure about you, but I don’t want to stand before God and feel ashamed that I didn’t take care of the blessings He so graciously gave me. My goal is to do the very best I can with what God has blessed me with. That means I must be in connection with God at all times and realize that He is the Almighty, not me.

We are told that when we humble ourselves before God, recognizing Him for who He truly is, He will lift us up (James 4:10). Everything we are given comes from God (James 1:17). Therefore, if we are going to truly follow Jesus, worshiping the Father, recognizing Him for who He is, we must be humble and grateful for the gifts He has given us. We can show our gratitude by taking care of those gifts.

As a parent, does it not upset you when you give a child a toy and they tear it up? How do you think God feels when we don’t take care of what He has given us? Since everything we have belongs to Him and is a gift from Him, shouldn’t we take care of all of it? Or, would you rather be a disappointment to God?

I pray we all come to the realization that all we have is God’s. I pray each one of us humble ourselves before God. I pray we take care of ourselves, our families, and our possessions. I pray we give thanks to God for all He has blessed us with. See God for who He really is. Thank God for His many blessings. Realize everything belongs to Him.

Job 42:1-6 Then Job replied to the Lord:

“I know that you can do all things;

no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me to know.

You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.’

My ears had heard of you

but now my eyes have seen you.

Therefore I despise myself

and repent in dust and ashes.” 

Pray Continually

Do you pray? Do you pray a lot? Do you pray continually? Are you wondering how you can pray continually? Do you think it is impossible? Do you know that prayer is as much about attitude as it is about speaking or thinking?

We are often told we should pray. We are told we should pray often, perhaps multiple times per day. I don’t believe we should pray multiple times per day. I believe we should pray once per day that lasts for twenty-four hours. You may believe that is utterly impossible. It is if your idea of prayer is being on your knees.

I attended a men’s prayer breakfast several years ago in Quantico, VA. The speaker that day was a retired Colonel. He spoke on today’s verse and provided his understanding of what praying continually means. Depending on the translation you use, it may read as “pray without ceasing.”

He looked at this as keeping the communication line between us and God open, always being available. His analogy was the communications used by the military, especially when on an operation. You see, radios are set up across the various organizations and perhaps with each individual. There is always someone assigned to be at the radio listening for communications and ready to transmit communications from the commander. The radio operator is to keep the radio on the proper channel and replace batteries as needed.

We are to be in the same posture or attitude when it comes to prayer. To pray continually means to talk to God often throughout the day. It also means being available for Him to talk to us, listening for His quiet voice for guidance. Much like our military could not effectively carry out missions without good communications, we cannot walk through life in a manner pleasing to God without constantly communicating with Him.

I can attest to this being a difficult concept to grasp and implement initially. However, as we continue to work at it, it becomes second nature. We can train ourselves to constantly be listening for God’s Spirit to talk to us and we can always reach to God as we come across decision points, obstacles, and reasons to give thanks.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:18 to pray for all kinds of things. By doing so, we include God in our lives in a much deeper way. We start living our lives in accordance with God’s will. We make God happy when we reach out to Him.

I pray we all decide to pray continually. I pray we decide to make an effort to listen for God speaking to us. I pray we decide to make God happy. I pray each of us will keep the line of communication open with God. Pray at all times. Pray for everything. Listen for God. Make God happy.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually

Renewing Your Mind

Are you looking for a fresh start? Are you looking for renewal? Do you long for self-improvement? Are you truly seeking renewal or only wishing upon a star? Do you know there is a means of renewal available to you?

People struggle through a multitude of issues during their lives. We all have a choice with every struggle. We can give up. We can gut our way through it. We can lean on the guidance and power of God to help us through it. The worldly person will only look at the first two options. The vast majority will choose option number two. They will rely on their own creativity, strength, and abilities.

Unfortunately, that sets them up for more struggles and draws them another step away from God. No, God likely won’t reach down and completely remove the obstacle in front of us. What He will do is provide us with the strength, courage, knowledge, wisdom, and ability to get through or go around the obstacle. He will also provide us with the peace, calm, and comfort that we are following His will.

How can we go about accessing all this from God? We must renew our minds. We renew our minds by reading and studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16). We renew our minds through constant prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We continually communicate with God, which is a two-way street, meaning we must listen as well as talk. Listening includes listening to other Christians, participating in worship, participating in Bible studies, reading Christian authors, and much more.

God has provided wonderful teaching for us to learn from. If you truly want a black and white picture of Jesus, read the book of John. If you want to know how to live a Christian life, read the book of Ephesians. Paul lays it all out for us in this wonderful book. No, it won’t tell you if you are to accept a specific job or not. It will tell you how you are to rely on God for all things and how you are to interact with God’s people. It will tell you how you are to clothe yourself for the battle you face in this world.

Folks, if we really, honestly, and truly want to be better people, people of God, we must renew our minds through God’s Word. We need to educate ourselves, pray that God reveal what He wants us to learn, and trust that He will provide the renewal. Otherwise, we simply condemn ourselves to continued misery. There is no magic pill.

I pray each of us will choose to renew our minds through God’s Word. I pray we all decide to spend time with God in prayer every day and all day. I pray we choose to allow God to transform us into the person He wants us to be. Choose God. Choose renewal. Spend time in God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Trust God with your mind. Trust God with your heart. Trust God with your life.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Why Are You Complaining?

Do you complain a lot? Do you look for reasons to complain? Has it become so second nature that you don’t even realize how much you complain? Do you know that complaining can be the same as indicting God?

Our culture is full of complainers. Based on my experience, the vast majority of people in our nation complain multiple times per day. Think not? Stop and reflect on every statement you make throughout just one day and keep track of your complaints. Why do we complain so much?

We complain about so many things, all of them temporary (2 Corinthians 4:18). Your house—temporary. Your car—temporary. Your clothes—temporary. Your job—temporary. You time on this earth—temporary. Everything we see and experience is temporary. Though all of it is temporary, they are all blessings from God, given to us so that we may live abundantly in His care (John 10:10).

When we complain about what we have (or don’t have), we are indicting God, stating He is not providing for us as He should. Think not? Take a look at the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) and see if the workers were not complaining about the vineyard owner. Folks, we are the workers and God is the vineyard owner! If we complain about what we have, what He has blessed us with, we are complaining about God, indicting Him in the court of opinion.

Perhaps you think stating we are indicting God is a bit strong. That only proves the point that we are not looking at everything we have as a blessing from God. We’ve forgotten that He is the One who blessed us with talent, skills, jobs, creativity, the ability to think, the ability to learn, everything! Our own self-centeredness, thinking highly of ourselves, our failure to recognize God for who He is, causes us to indict Him.

How do we rectify the situation? We humble ourselves before God and He will lift us up (1 Peter 5:6). We are to give thanks to God at all times for everything (Ephesians 5:15-20). Being humble of heart and thankful at all times will help us eliminate our senseless complaining. It will help us stop indicting God.

I pray we all humble ourselves before our mighty God. I pray we turn our hearts to thankfulness each and every day. I pray we stop indicting God with our complaints. I pray we decide to live the abundant life in the manner in which Jesus intended it. Stop accusing God of not blessing you. Be humble before God. Be thankful to God for all you have. No longer compare your blessings to someone else’s. Trust God to bless you with what you need.

Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

Rote Behavior

So, let me ask, how are things going for you? Do you feel like it’s Ground Hog Day; same story, different day? Do you feel as though you are in and endless circle of wake up, go to work, eat, go to bed? Do you want to put new life into your life?

It is human nature to get into habits. Those habits oftentimes become ruts. Let’s be honest here a moment. Those ruts we are in are self-made. We did something some time ago, liked it, continued it, and it became a habit, which became a rut. We get rather bored in those ruts and we can get depressed in them as well.

Let’s walk through a normal day for most folks. We get up when our alarm goes off at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. We get a shower, a cup of coffee, and a bite of breakfast just in the nick of time to head out the door for work. We go to work, and it seems as though we’re doing the same tasks we did yesterday, and, in fact, we might be. We get off work at 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon and head home. Perhaps we make supper or our spouse does or we get take out. Once supper is over, we quickly clean up and sit down to watch some TV. Next thing we know it’s time to go to bed. And the cycle will repeat tomorrow. Sound familiar?

We may be able to point some differences to the above scenario, but by and large it’s probably what the majority experience. We wonder why it’s the same ole thing every day. We look to find a better way, a more exciting way. We want to change our life so we don’t feel like we are just sleepwalking through it.

May I make a suggestion? Turn off the TV. Pick up a book. Go for a walk. Have a real conversation with your spouse and children. Perhaps you read a short passage from the Bible and ask what it means to your family. Might I suggest you spend time in prayer with the entire family. Ask each person what should be prayed for. You might even have each person say a prayer for those things that are important to them. Don’t make the prayer about all the “right stuff” we think we should pray about. Pray about what is really going on in your lives and what’s important at the moment. Make it real and honest.

Folks, we need to recognize we all have been blessed by Almighty God. We need to lift our hands, our hearts, and our minds to Him. When we decide to focus on Him, our ruts, habits, and false righteousness disappears. We are once again free from those chains.

I pray we all focus on God to get out of our ruts. I pray we purposely step out of our habits to focus on God’s blessings. I pray we allow God to change our hearts and minds so we can experience the wonder of each new day. Step out in faith. Change your focus. Allow the Holy Spirit to take over. Get out of your rut. Live an abundant life.

James 1:16-18 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.