In the community our church is planted in (Pittsburgh’s South Side), there is a signficant & diverse homeless population; anyone that visit’s the communities main street after 8pm is sure to find homeless that range from 16-60 years old, from mentally stable to mentally ill, from those strongly bound by a variety of substances to just “out of luck.” Twice a month on Friday nights you will also find a crew of young people from our church spending time in conversation with the homeless, providing them with supplies to meet their basic needs, and speaking the truth of God’s love & power to redeem their lives and break their addictions. Since beginnig LSC’s homeless ministry over a year ago, we’ve seen individuals get off the streets and find housing, employment, and genuingly make Jesus the Lord of their lives.

Despite how exciting seeing life-change is, many believers find homeless ministry downright scarey while others just find it unappealing and it keeps them far away. I’ll cut to the chase, neither of these attitudes would Jesus tolerate as an excuse from anyone who calls themself His follower. And despite all of the excitement of seeing life-change take place, there are many other reasons that ministering to the homeless and poor should be a regular priority in the life of all believers; in fact, here’s 4!

Reason #1) Because we Love God: 

“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker; but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” - Proverbs 14:31

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” 1 John 3:17  

Plain and simple: Because we care about God, we should care about what He cares about- and He cares about the needy; He values them. How do we know He values them? Because He gave His son for them; as Christians we understand the precious value of Jesus’ blood and the fact that His blood was poured out for these people should automatically help us understand the value He places on them. Regardless of whether we feel a specific burden for the homeless or not, they should be a visible priority to us because they are a priority to Him.

Reason #2) Because it’s Uncomfortable:

Regardless of how much money we make, we live in a culture of affluence and despite our best efforts, we are too easily entangled in a life of comfort & too often sport our rose colored glasses- ignoring what is happening in our own communities. In studying the life of NT believers, nothing about their lives looked like they stayed in their comfort zone and were content to huddle together in their meeting places just being happy that they were saved. No! They were constantly being stretched, challenged, uncomfortable- pushed to live lives of faith. Affluence is has been quite the blessing to the Church but also quite the curse. American believers often do not live lives of GREAT FAITH because we don’t HAVE to- we have so many other places to run to besides God; many believe this is why such great miracles & moves of God are being seen in other countries across the world and not so in America (although I believe that is beginning to change!). Taking part in homeless ministry provides a PRIME opportunity to develop those spiritual faith muscles that are needed not just to minister to others but in our own relationships with Christ as well. It is so unbelieveably healthy for us to take time out to forget about ourselves, our problems, our wants, our stresses and to just focus on someone else. We need to be uncomfortable because that’s the enviornment where growth occurs.

Reason #3: The Spiritual Realm is in Your Face:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.” -Ephesians 6:12

As believers we know that there is more at work in the world and in the lives of people than just what we see taking place with our physical eyes. The enemy of our souls (the devil) is very real and many are heavily influced and bound by him, and the homeless are certainly no exception. There is probably no other time that I can see what is taking place in the spiritual realm then during a homeless outreach- it’s just in your face. This may scare some, but it’s actually incredibly exciting to be able to pray for someone who is so bound by something and believe that they will be free in Jesus name! Does a prayer/life like this not sound like the same Christianity you follow? Check out what Jesus himself says was His (and is our) purpose here on Earth:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and has anointed me to preach the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor!” – Luke 4:18-20

If we’re going to be honest, this is the kind of life any believer wants to live, right? It’s just that it seems easier to live as if this amazing life of breaking bondages and bringing freedom doesn’t exist so that we don’t have to step out into the scary world of faith but nobody really wants to live like that- right? Saying that we believe that all of this is possible but never seeing it for ourselves? If you’re ready for this to become a part of your life, homeless ministry is for you.

Reason #4) Because it’s YOUR Purpose:

The term Christian means “little Christs”- meaning people should be able to look at our lives and say- “Wow! Based on how the live, love, what’s imporatnt to them, and the power coming from their lives, they are like little Christs!” The verse listed above is all the reason any of us should need; it shows that preaching the gospel and ministering to those in need isn’t a calling for some, it’s a commission for all. If making disciples and preaching the good news is our purpose than our lives should be FILLED with examples of how we’re doing just that.

Friends, belive me, I know it is a fight to keep things such as these a priority in our lives when so many other things, even good things, are fighting for our attention, but we’ve got to be committed to following Jesus’ example and keep “the main thing, the main thing.” Even if you can’t be at every outreach your church does towards the poor or homeless, commit to going 3 or 4 times a year- it’s about knowing that this responsibility and privilege belongs to all believers- not just some. Personally, I’m looking forward to the day when I see our Savior face to face and our interaction mirroring something like this…

  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:37-40

*For information on upcoming LifeStone Church Homeless Outreaches, check out LifeStone Church’s facebook page or visit www.lifestonechurch.com

God being our spiritual father is by no means an advanced theological concept, but for some reason reading this verse this morning hit me right in the chest.

What is the significance of God calling us His children? I never really had thought there was much- boy was I wrong.

Interestingly, God being our Father is perhaps the one characteristic of Himself that we as humans can relate to the best. Sometimes certain attributes of God can be hard to grasp as we just have nothing else to compare it to here on Earth; what other human relationship can we say will always display unconditional love, consistency, and sacrifice in the way that our relationship with God is characterized by? None. Which is why it can be challenging to really believe God is acts/feels this way toward us.

God “calling us His children” means:   

* He claims us. He is not ashamed to be associated with us. 

* He views our “acting up” (a.k.a. sinning) as part of our growth & shows patience towards our short-comings. He will not abandon or disown us for our short comings any quicker than a mother would disown her toddler.

* He is committed to us for our entire time on Earth & into eternity. He is willing to put up with the good, bad, & ugly for the long haul.

* He takes responsibility for us & knows it is His responsibility & delight to provide for us in every way.

What makes all of this that much more meaningful is that God didn’t get stuck with us not knowing what He was getting Himself into, He CHOSE to be our Father & call us His children. Isn’t that beautiful? Think of all of the other ways he could have kept our relationship with Him as- if it had only remained a Creator/Creation relationship or just a Lord/Subject relationship, there wouldn’t necessarily be any commitment, love, or patience. He willingly chose to enter into a lifelong commitment with us, knowing that there would be moments that we would come to Him with bruised knees, bloody noses, broken hearts, would choose to spend our affections in places and on people who would hurt us, & have to reapetedly come and pick us up out of the garbage when we want to hide ourselves from Him out of shame from our sin.

Truthfully, I sometimes have a difficult time remembering that God sees me as His child and not just as someone who owes Him my life & devotion and gets upset when I just can’t get it right. What a warped view that is- especially if put in the context of even a human parent/child relationship.

Oswald Chambers writes, “We want to be fully aware of what God is doing in us, but we cannot have complete awareness and expect to remain reasonable or balanced in our expectations of Him. If all we are asking God to give us is experiences, and the awareness of those experiences is blocking our way, we hurt the Lord. The very questions we ask hurt Jesus, because they are not the questions of a child.”

I can only imagine how it would hurt me when I become a mother if after my child messed up I found out they truly felt unloved, feared that I would kick them out of the house or disown them, was ashamed to be called their mom, and regretted ever having them. It would make me wonder what sort of mother I had been to them in the past for them to think that I would react like that.

God is a GOOD Father & none of us has any reason from His track record with us to assume that He would exhibit any of those negative actions towards us & it breaks my heart to think of how many times I’ve drawn those conclusions about Him when I’ve messed up and that He knows how I’m thinking.

For those of us who don’t have positive earthly examples of parents to relate our heavenly example to, may explain why it can be challenging to believe God really will always be there for us or show unconditional love. The work of the enemy in family structures has surely left many believers with having only God as their example of what a parent/child relationship should be like. And what a great example it is!

I encourage everyone to take a moment and THANK God today for the good, amazing, faithful Father that He is & begin to live in the freedom & rest that comes from knowing YOU are HIS child.

Paul says in his letter to the church at Phillipi: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. i.e. I had done and accomplished every single external thing possible in order to deserve the favor of God and the right to be spiritually superior and in right-standing with God.  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

These are the words of a man who has allowed the Holy Spirit to remove every ounce of entitlement from his life. As I read these words the other night I couldn’t help but be perplexed at how absolutely lost Paul is in his love and devotion for Christ. He has willingly laid aside every accalade that he had ever cherished- not just saying that these things weren’t just the “most important” thing anymore, but calling them TRASH- in comparison with just one thing: knowing Jesus.

Paul had completely unplugged himself from allowing what others thought of him spiritually, the number of prestigious positions he could have held, and even his own opion of himself and made knowing, loving, and being found in Jesus his ONE desire.

Paul had lost the taste for anything in life but Christ- for he knew that nothing else would ever be able to satisfy him the way Jesus could. I found myself a bit perplexed by the end of the passage where Paul says that he WANTS to share in Christ’s sufferings and even in his death…at first I just didn’t get it- surely, Paul must be dilusional or lying…for real, no matter how much you love Jesus, who really wants to share in that? And then it hit me, the greatest things about Jesus were displayed in His suffering for us and as long as Jesus would meet him there [in suffering and death], Paul would endure absolutely anything with Jesus because comfort, safety, or happiness wasn’t Paul’s prize- Jesus was.

I know from experience how easy it is to get caught up in the same things Paul did before his encounter with Jesus- basing our ”Christian lives”  and relationship with God on everything but Christ- we begin to believe that our spiritual maturity can be gaged by how many days a week we can be found at church,  what leadership positions we hold or ministries we are involved in, the amount of scripture we have memorized, number of mission trips we’ve gone on, or who are parents/grandparents are instead of the ONLY thing that truly matters-  KNOWING Jesus. That- and that alone- is the ONLY thing that makes us believers. How far from this we have strayed! How do I know that we’ve strayed? Because the world has come to recognize believers by these things: church attendance, political affiliation, and how we react to various social issues and media frenzies- and as a believer I can attest that this is even what some Christians have narrowed down being a Christian to. So, if being a believer isn’t about these things at all, what then is it about? Well, KNOWING Christ. If Jesus became our one and ONLY prize and goal and we truly KNEW him, then the world would begin to know believers by the HEALING that would flow out of ouf hands in the face of cancer, disease, and even death, the PEACE and JOY that would flow out of our hearts in the most unpeaceful, unnerving situations, and the lack of attachment that we have to ANYTHING of the world because of the utter and absolute ABANDONMENT of our souls to Christ.

The unfortunate truth; however, is that is it much easier to try and secure or earn our spirituality through activities and merits than it is to resign our souls from all earthly attachments, possessing nothing but a heart to KNOW Jesus.

I really wish I could come to some simple conclusion about how to make all of this happen but the truth is- I don’t really know- I am learning to bring my heart to Christ in simplicity and asking that He do the work that only He can do- removing from my heart’s throne anything and anyone else but him. Many of these thoughts have been spurred on by my further reading of A.W. Tozer in “The Pursuit of God;” I close with his words from the chapter titled “The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing” which clarify the true nature of this matter so well:

“There is within the human heart a tough, fiborous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets things with a deep and fierce passion. Not just material possessions (clothes, ipods, cars, etc.) but love and adoration from others, even self-respect. The pronouns my and mine look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic (Adam) man better than a thousand volumes of theology could ever do. They are verbal symptoms of our disease. The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never ogininally intended. God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by this monstrous substitution.”

I close with this final thought from Tozer about how then, we are to live:

“The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and the abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and  have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. These are the “poor in spirit” (Matt 5). They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem. These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things. They have broken the yoke of the oppressor; and this they have done not by fighting, but by surrendering. Though free from all sense of possessing, yet the possess all things and “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Most of us don’t think idolatry is something we even need to be worried or concerned about falling into as we can’t remember the last time we bowed down to a large stone figure but idolatry is something that Pastor Rock stated EVERYONE, absolutely everyone, struggles (or has struggled in the past) with. He states, “We commit idolatry anytime we seek satisfaction from anything apart from God.” Wow. I think we all need to read that statement again: ANYTIME we seek satisfaction from anything APART from God, it’s IDOLATRY.

This is not to say that we will never receive satisfaction from things like our family, friends, intimacy, or seeing the Kingdom advance; however, it is when we seek satisfaction from any of these things APART from or INSTEAD of God that these things become “our God” and idolatry takes place.

Is this a little scarey to anyone else? I need to say that being Christians does not exempt us from committing idolatry- believing that God exists and receiving Christ doesn’t mean we will never look anywhere else for satisfaction- it simply means we no longer have to.

Dillaman points out that “most addiction is actually idolatry;” some of the most common things we seek to get satisfaction from (even as believers is) instead of from God are:

* Friends: Feeling liked, accepted, and safe.

* Food: Feeling complete, satisfied, and emotionally secure.

* Relationships/Sex: Feeling desired, worthy, loved.

* Social Media: Defining how we want others to see us or knowing how we are viewed by others.

* Possessions/Money: Feeling successful, stable, and worthy.

And the list goes on and on. The kicker is- none of these things are inherently evil,  but they are only poor substitutions for what it is we really desire. Dillaman says, “We are all created with deep longings for God, and when we attempt to meet that need with anything else we will constantly be disappointed by the diminished returns we receive and are always left wanting more.”

How true is this? No matter how much many friends we have, food we eat, cool gadgets we own, people we date, or degrees we earn, it will never be enough to give us what we really want. And here’s a thought that really made my head spin: Every desire we have can never be fulfilled apart from God. As Pastor Dillaman exclaimed, “The only thing that can truly THRILL YOUR SOUL is Jesus Christ- and if are seeking for ANYTHING else to do it- it’s idolatry.”

So, what’s the anectdote for this predisposition towards idolatry we all have? Devotion.

Many of us can already feel an aversion to that word as it has left us with less than satisfied high-hopes before but Dillaman shares that, “Devotion isn’t sinless perfection, but single allegiance…it’s a word of focus, not performance.”

As believers, we have to come to terms with the raw desires of our souls, realizing that it is not the adoration or love of others we seek, but the adoration, acceptance, and love of our Father. We must determine to be devoted to Him and Him alone and refuse to be MOMENTARILY satisfied by any poor substitution for Jesus.

So let us ask ourselves:

- What or who am I currently seeking satisfaction and fulfillment from?

- Why do I believe that they/it can satisfy me better than my Father?

- What beliefs about God do I need to ask the Holy Spirit to help me change and beliefs about myself do I need to bring to my Father?

Isn’t it great that God can handle our junk?

I can easily get caught up in the logistics of things- what will I read, when will I pray, for how long, should I be silent?, should I sing?, what should I pray about?, should I read good books or just the Bible?, what book of the Bible should I read?, should I journal?, and the list goes on and on. I’m not getting caught up in these things this time because my goal isn’t to be well-rounded, to cover all the bases, and most certainly not to be perfect- it’s just to know him.

I began reading A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God today- it is so thick of truth I haven’t been able to get past the first three pages…of the preface! I need a way to fully think through what Tozer is saying (and what the Spirit is saying to me about what he is saying), and so… I write.

On page 7 Tozer writes: “Current evangelicalism has laid the altar and divided the sacrifices into parts, but now seems satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire upon the top of lofty Carmel. God be thanked that there are a few who care. They are those who, while they love the altar and delight in the sacrifice, are yet unable to reconcile themselves to the continued absence of fire. They desire God above all.”

How easy it is to, in an effort to advance the kingdom, work tirelessly developing programs, church structures, and events, building better buildings and churches, desiring excellence in sound and aesthetic, only to completely neglect the very PURPOSE of the kingdom- of the Church- which is to provide an avenue for people to encounter God Almighty. And sadly, as Tozer points out, we have gone on for so long with being pre-occupied by building the organization of the church and working within the “program” that we haven’t even noticed there is no fire- no manifest presence. Why, oh why are we okay with this? Why does this not bother us?

Upon reading this I became so deeply thankful that we ARE experiencing God’s presence at my church (LifeStone), we DO desire God above all else, and that we continue to desire MORE. We are by no means a perfect church, but God is there because He is alive and well in us. But I cannot pretend that this is not what most churches are experiencing on a weekly basis or that it is what most Christians experience on a daily basis- I know, because even I have become satisfied with the flickering spark of what should be an all-consuming flaming fire burning in my soul for God.

Tozer goes on to say: “It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the kingdome, to see God’s children starving while actually seated at the Father’s table.”

I’m wondering when it became normal to stop experiencing and expecting to experience God in a tangible, real way both corporately on Sunday morning (and any other time believers meet) and individually? Why have we become satisfied with SO little of God when He is SO great? Don’t we realize that we will NEVER get to a point where we don’t DESPERATELY need more and more of Him? I am afraid that our lack of desperation and desire for Him either reveals that we don’t think we really need Him to meet our needs and satisfy our souls, that He is unable to, or that we just don’t find Him all that desireable. Perhaps this is why we so easily run to other things and people to fill the void that we all, no doubt feel.

We must come to a place where we refuse to be satisfied with ANYTHING other than God, we must take the religious limits that we have seen placed on our God and have been told to not expect anything more than off of Him and let Him reveal Himself as I believe He so desires to. But He will not be revealed to a people who do not expect Him or desire Him, and will not set themselves apart in anticipation of Him, because He cannot inhabit them.

The final excerpt I would like to quote from Tozer is one I simply cannot move past (page 9): “For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the veryGod Himself in the core and center of their hearts.”

If people are simply being TAUGHT the truth from God’s word but never EXPERIENCING God for themselves, it is no wonder there are so many weak, disfunctional, malnourished believers (particularly in America)! It is our responsibility as the church to allow the Spirit of God to be so alive in us that when we interact w/ others they are physically experiencing God themselves- and the only reason that seems to be unrealistic is because we don’t want to be pushed to have the faith it requires to live this kind of life.

If Biblical truth is not lived out it is nothing more than a philosophy or story that someone may choose or not choose to believe. As Spirit-filled believers we should be FULLY expecting to and experiencing God in a real, tangible, life-altering way EVERY DAY and if this is not happening in our lives than something has gone drastically wrong. I have a hard time believing that God would sent Jesus to die for a philosophy or religion or so that people could get together once a week, sing some songs, talk about the same things over and over and be able to sleep well at night. There has got to be more…there IS more.

It is both our responsibility and joy to not only teach the truths of scripture but to create an enviornment where the Spirit of God is welcomed and moves among His people so that people can have that genuine experience with God and not just have to settle to adhereing to a set of ideological principles.

God desires to be known by us; He desires to move, to heal, and to radically restore what has been broken, but we have got to wake up and realize that the fire may have gone out from our altars and we must refuse to live under the illusion that says it’s burning bright enough and should never expect anything more for another second.

The “Armor of God“- for many believers (particularly those of us who have “grown up in the church”) this passage of scripture has had little more signifigance in our lives today then it had when we learned songs about it in Sunday School and would “pretend” to dress ourselves with all the various pieces.

I find this to be quite ironic as the Word of God makes it clear that it is this very armor that we MUST “wear” in order to fight the most difficult, dirty, and lethal battle that EVERY Christ-follower must fight…and win.

I love that the image that God chooses to use to describe the Christian life is that of a warrior suited in armor- because the truth is that following Christ is not for the weak or uncommitted- when we choose to follow Christ we not only inherit salvation and eternal life and are put in right relationship with God, but we also begin to engage (whether we know it or not) in an unseen battle for our souls that leaves so many people who start out with every good intention to be committed to Christ as Christian casualities who have fallen to the wayside when they have found themselves unprepared for battle.  

This passage begins by saying, “(vs. 10-11) Be strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…” I think it’s important to note that Paul isn’t just giving this command to pastors, leaders, or missionaries but to ALL believers. This verse tells us that we are not called to simply endure the attacks of the Enemy but to fight them- as believers we are not doomed to be victims but destined to be victorious…but it will take us choosing to PUT on the armor of God.

Verse 12 goes on to say “… For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms…”

As this verse explains, the battle all believers face is a spiritual one and comes in almost every form. If you are wondering if you , as a believer, are really being effected by the “powers of this dark world” then I would remind you that every time you feel tempted to lust in your mind or in action, to act maliciously toward another out of jealousy, hatred, or selfish ambition, to think negative and untrue thoughts about your appearance, your worth, your future, or your Creator, you are most definitely experiencing the influence of the “powers of this dark world.” These temptations and issues are something that ALL believers struggle with at one time/in one way or another and if we begin to think that being followers of Christ somehow exempt us from such things is a deadly mistake that will only lead to strife and confusion. It is understandable to wonder how doing something that sounds as simple as “putting on the armor of God” can truly prevent us from the very real temptations that we face but because it is a spiritual battle we face, it is with spiritual weapons that we fight and are defended.

So if the Armor of God is important and necessary and is more than just a fun thing to talk about in Sunday School, what exactly does it consist of?

Piece #1) The belt of truth: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…” Most translations say to “gird ourselves with the belt of truth” and as Henry’s commentary states, “The girdle kept the whole suit of armor in place and supported the sword;” meaning that everything that the armor of God consists of is supported and held together by the Truth. Everyday we are to make the truth of God our anchor and full support so that we are not swayed when our foundation (if built on anything else other than Christ) begins to crumble.

Piece #2) “with the breastplate of righteousness in place…”Because we have been brought into  right relationship with God through the sacrifice of Christ, our hearts (breasts) are covered by His righteousness. Everyday we must put on the breastplate of righteousness and remember that we are no longer subject to condemnation because we have become sons and daughters of God and our hearts and consiences guarded by His righteousness.

Piece #3) “and with your feet fitted with the (preparation)readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…” Every day we should prepare ourselves to walk in peace and share the peace that only knowing the Jesus of the Gospel can bring. Peace is not something that comes naturally to us so we shouldn’t expect it to- but with our minds fixed on (and prepared with the gospel) there is no reaction that can be had but one of peace.

Piece #4) “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one…” A shield is what a warrior uses to protect himself from attacks- anything that comes at him will test the strength of his shield and if it is strong enough- nothing can harm him. Our greatest defense against the attacks of the enemy is not how strong our will-power is, who we have as an accountability partner, or even prayer… it is FAITH. It is almost insane how easy it is for many Christians to live a Christian life without an ounce of faith beyond their initial step of believing that God exists and accepting Christ as their Savior.

When the enemy begins to fire darts at us of temptation and lies, we do not have to simply take the hit, we can stand boldly behind our shields and choose to believe in faith that God’s word is true and that He is who He says He is and that we are who He says we are. Truthfully, I had never thought of my faith as being a weapon that I was supposed to use to protect myself from the attacks of Satan, no wonder my spiritual battle success rate isn’t always that great!

Piece #5) “Take the helmet of salvation..” When we put on the “helmet” we are reminding ourselves that as new creations in Christ all our thoughts are subject to and must pass through a renewed and redeemed mind.

Piece #6) “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” It is interesting to note that up until this point, every piece of armor has been defensive, the sword (the Word of God) is the only WEAPON the believer needs. Also, there is no armor to protect the believer’s back and as John Wesley points out, “this is because Christ followers are to face the enemy head on and never turn back.”

When told that the 2 weapons we are to fight the greatest fight of our lives with is faith and the Bible, some believers may feel ill equipped- this could not be farther from the truth. Christ used the sword of the Spirit to fight the enemy was the was tempted in the desert and it was Abraham’s faith that allowed Him to trust in God’s goodness and promises when asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God has not left us on the Earth to try and resist Satan, but to fight him and there is no weapon more powerful than truth spoken from the very mouth of God.

Some final thoughts…

- It is clear that God considers “the armor” to be sufficient in defeating the attacks of the enemy which should lead us to placing great value, importance, and attention to it.

- We are told twice in this passage of scripture to put on ALL of the armor of God- one piece is simply not enough. How many times do we think that just knowing the world is enough (belt) but have never lived it out and applied it (shield)? We must put on ALL of the armor of God in order to be protected and fight the way we need to.

- It is a scary thought to think of how many times I have woken up and went throughout my day completely defensless and weaponless against the enemy or thinking that because I tried my armor on one day earlier in the week (Sunday) that I’m still protected- this passage explains that this is something that must be done continually.

All believers are in for the fight of their lives- the victory has already been won and the way made for us but we must choose to walk in and utilize the weapons God has given us. The armor of God is so much more than just a children’s story- it is essential to the live and growth of every believer.

Tomorrow when you wake up I challenge you to not step foot out of your bed before you have equipped yourself with your armor and every day choose to live sincerely and grounded in the truth, remember the right relationship with God Jesus as brought me into, be prepared to share the Gospel in peace, filter my thoughts through the renewed and redeemed mind Christ has given me, block all lies and temptations with my faith, and to allow the Word of God to be the final test of anything’s worth.

Christianity is

Check out this verse in Luke 9:23 (NIV) “Then He [Jesus] said to them all, “If anyone wants to be my disciple, He must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” And The Message version puts it like this: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.”

Somewhere between the time that we read verses like these and think to ourselves, “Yep- this sounds good- I’m up for this” and when real life happens and we find ourselves worrying more about our own needs than the needs of the homeless and hurting, spending our time figuring out what we need to get/do to make ourselves feel more fulfilled/happy than how we can surrender more of our lives to Jesus, and constantly trying to make sure everyone sees us as successful, funny, popular, etc. instead of trying to make sure people see more of Him in us. Clearly, there is a disconnect here.

Jesus said that ANY person that follows him (aka- would identify themselves as a Christian) MUST take up their cross daily in order to follow him. Dr. Neuman, one of my religion professors at SEU, explained that this is not a pretty statement. Jesus is literally saying, “if you want to follow me-  then willingly sit yourself down in an electric chair and flip the switch because your life is not your own anymore; following me means a life of surrender and sacrifice- but it will be worth it.”

I’m sure the above paragraph will probably make some people uncomfortable- heck, it makes me feel uncomfortable because most of the time I’m just not ready to move myself out of the #1 priority in my life.

Oswald Chambers adds to the uncomfortability by quoting Jesus first and then continues: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus cannot write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, “[You] cannot be My disciple.” This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.

Reading through and realizing what these verses actually mean can feel like getting beaten with a 2×4 and although it’s “easier” to just continue to live our Christian lives thinking about no one but ourselves, hearing the Word of God but never living it, and blissfully thinking that we are living the lives Jesus died for us to have when we are in fact, not is just not something I can live with anymore.

So how do we “take up our cross daily” and truly become followers of Christ? Different things work for different people and I can’t say there’s 1, 2, or 3 real “tricks” for this because heck- I haven’t even figured this out for myself. But here’s some things I’m going to implement in my own life so that Jesus could write over my head- MINE:

#1: At some point in the morning meditate on this truth: God is fully committed to me and has demonstrated His commitment and love through the sacrifice of His Son and deserves nothing less from me. My life is not my own and today I’m going to demonstrate the same sacrificial love He did by taking up my cross and following His example.

#2) Examine my motivations. Many times the things we do (even unintentionally) are done out of a desire to life ourselves up and fulfill our needs. Take Facebook or Twitter updates for example, how often is the motivation behind why we post certain things have to do with wanting people to think we are funny, clever, busy, important, or have a lot of friends? We have to examine our motivations for event things as simple as these because many times we will find that we do these things to satisy a need that we have and it is the complete opposite of the sacrificial/Spirit filled life we are called to lead.

#3) Become best friends with the Holy Spirit. The truth of the matter is, we are not perfect- in fact we are fallen human beings that will eternally struggle as long as we are on this earth to crucify our flesh and it comes naturally to us to put ourselves first and to make satisfying our own desires our main priority, which is why we need to hang out with the Holy Spirit all day everyday.  When we invite the Holy Spirit into our days He will speak to us reminding us that we belong to Christ and don’t have to live selfishly anymore as well as give us the power to live the way our spirit’s want us to.

Father,

I want to live above my desire to make my life all about me, what I want, and how I feel- help. Your Son’s sacrifice is enough to make me want to live my life for You and if I’ve allowed other things to become more important than that. Holy Spirit, I want all that the Father has for me and I ask that you invade my life with your presence, power, and reminders of cross.

Love you,

Tiff

How do I know this?  

I read old highschool friend’s facebook status’ that say: “It’s been a successful day when you’ve taken even one small step in the direction of your dreams.”

I overhear the conversation between an overbearing mother and her daughter who is about to go off to college as they sit behind me at the coffee shop and while the daughter is busy texting whoever on her phone- completely tuning her mom out, her mother is pining over her telling her that she is the most beautiful, talented, creative being to ever walk the planet and reassuring her that everything in her life will always be fine- as long as she follows the detailed to-do checklist she has printed out for her.

I watch how so many work so hard every day to build something- whether it be a business, support for a cause, or a a household- there is always that silent conviction that if I leave this earth without having done something impressive or moving it is as if I’ve never lived- as if I don’t exist even now.

Passion for a cause, the creativity to build, and the vision to dream are divine gifts; but they are not reason enough alone to live or to measure how well a life was lived.

A life lived, a passion had, a vision dreampt, an empire built without the all consuming love and presence of Jesus doesn’t matter.

Creativity, passion, love- all have their origin in God, yet it is so easy to try and allow these things to define who we are what what we believe to be true- all while trying to deny the existence of the Giver of those gifts.

Nothing matters apart from Him. Of course our family, friends, justice all matter- but not apart from Him and most certainly not in place of Him. No matter how hard humanity tries, we will never be able to fill the void we feel with anything or anyone than our Creator.

Let us foster creativity- allowing His love to be expressed in ways words alone are incapable of doing.

Let us dream impossible dreams- allowing Him to show us just how big He is.

Let us love unashamdely- so that the world will see what transformation looks like.

Let us build- so that His glory might increase, not ours.

Earlier this week I found myself unable to move past the very first sentence in a book I’ve begun to read. In fact- I didn’t move past it because it messed me up that bad.

In the very 1st sentence of the book the author asks this question: “What if you were told you no longer had or needed to pray.”

That somehow through divine revelation the entire body of Christ discovered that we no longer needed to pray to receive blessing, protection, provision, or healing- that God, in His infinite wisdom, would just make sure everything in our lives works out according to His will- and that of course, this was all ok with God. You tracking w/me so far?

How would you react to such news? I could be wrong, but I would bet that many believers if told that they were no longer expected to do their devotions or spend time in prayer would experience- dare I say it…relief? I know I can’t/don’t speak for every believer but it’s my guess that many would feel relieved that they will no longer have to feel disappointed in themselves for not spending the amount of time in prayer that they feel they should. And as a person who at times has struggled with guilt and condemnation in regards to spiritual disciples I can’t say that I wouldn’t relate in some way to this.

And this leads me to 2 conclusions: If relief is even a hint of what would be experienced if told that prayer no longer had to be apart of the believer’s life-then…

1. The person does not believe that prayer is practial or powerful- and even worse- that the word of God is true.  1 John 5:14 says: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God-that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” How can we read this verse and conclude that having the ear of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe isn’t something beneficial to us? So what is it that we (I) miss? Do we not think that prayer is effective? Do we think the word isn’t true?

2. This is the one that hurts a bit…why would we experience relief when told that we don’t have to talk to a God that chose to create us, loves us unconditionally, and even put His own self/son to death so that a relationship with us would be possible?  Perhaps we have begun to chase the wrong thing…instead of pursuing God in prayer and getting to know Him for the sake of getting to know Him we have settled and substituted it for doing His work and knowing about Him.

 But the TRUTH of the situation is this:

We have an access to God that even His chosen people Israel did not have for thousands of years; furthermore, as believers we know we have an access that many other denominations who claim to follow God do not believe they have even today.

Let the following reshape your views on prayer:

• John 14:14 [NIV] “You can ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” It’s tempting to read verses like these and think, “Surely, Jesus doesn’t mean EVERYTHING- there’s no way…”. And then I realize that I’m thinking that simply because I’m afraid that I may have to try and come up with a way to answer for God if He doesn’t come through. God doesn’t need anyone to clean up His messes or tell Him that He wasn’t sincere or practical enough when He spoke these words.

• Hebrews 4:16 [Message]: “Now that we know what we have- Jesus this great high priest with ready access to God- let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all-all but sin. So let’s walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy- accept the help.”

Father- forgive us for not realizing what a priviledge it is to know you and be known by you.

Lighter posts to come I promise!

Ok- does anyone else ever do this…lately I’ve noticed that when I’m reading a book (and sometimes even my Bible) or listening to a sermon and I find or hear a quote that I really like and find super inspiring or challenging, I’ll underline it or think to myself, “wow, that is good!” and then… I forget about it. Of course, I have every intention in that moment to write this quote or scripture down on a index card and meditate on it later but most of the time (*coughs*or all of the time*coughs*) I get caught up in whatever I’m doing next and it is really as if I never heard it/read it in the first place. 

So…needless to say, I’ve made it a goal of mine to really take time and digest the words from God that I hear whether it be through His word, a book, a sermon, or just His Spirit and not just rush past them as if having thought about it for a second is equal to me actually changing anything.

What spurred all of this on is this: “The man who knows the good thing he ought to do and does not do it- sins” (James 4:17).

It is easy to just that this verse applies to Biblical truth alone; meaning that when we read something in the Bible and then are deliberately disobedient then we sin- well duh. But this verse encompases much more than that…

My generation of believers loves having deep conversations about justice and helping the homeless and how we want to bring so much change to the Church- but often the conversation is left at the coffee table as nothing more than good intentions. And that is sin. And that is scary.

When God speaks to us through a sermon and we simply walk out of the service never remembering a single word that was spoken, let alone actually putting any of it into action, the Bible says that it’s not okay (aka- it’s sinning).

When we have a really great small group discussion and we are convicted about our apathy toward the hurting and our loved ones who don’t know that their Savior loves them and we walk away and do nothing- it’s sin.

Scouts honor I’m really not trying to be a Debbie Downer- but I am sickened to think of the amount of sermons that I have listened to (literally hundreds and maybe even thousands) that I have enjoyed, was convicted by, yet remain unchaged by because I simply chose not to discipline myself to take any course of action.

Here’s what I suggest (and what I’m putting into practice myself):

- When I hear something from God (through His word/a book/a sermon/etc) I’m going to write it down in a notepad that I’ll bring everywhere with me so I don’t forget about it.

- Pray through the things written down and see what the Spirit would like to teach me about it.

Let us do more than ask God to speak to us and then ignore Him when He does; let’s listen and obey.