LEARNINGS TO SHARE…

Let me introduce to you a special guest writer.  I have asked Hal Wilson, our college small group leader, to help me with some of these devotional posts.  I think you will be encouraged…thanks Hal!

When Mike first mentioned that maybe I should give writing one of these blog posts I was instantly excited, then suddenly nervous.  I’ve heard it said that public speaking is one of the biggest fears of people in America, but what about public writing?  As I thought about the people that I actually know reading this I started to get a little worried, but soon remembered some of the many verses telling us not to fear.  In fact, just a little earlier in Genesis (15:1) the Lord tells Abram “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” (NKJV)  In Genesis 21:17 the angel of God tells Hagar to “fear not.”  In Genesis 26:24 the Lord tells Isaac, “I’m the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you.” (NKJV)

So I put aside my fears and dove into the readings.  Surely it was Divine Providence that had Matthew 10:19-20 as part of our reading for today.  In the verse Jesus tells his disciples “do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
It is when we stop focusing on what we want to say or think others want to hear and focus on God that the words come.  I do not know what to say to the people of Haiti tonight, but God does and I pray he speaks through all of those who give donations and the aid workers and most importantly those who unite in prayer for all involved.  In today’s shrunken world, I even have a former basketball player whose family is from Haiti, and as I wrote this he does not know if his extended family is ok.  I pray that God would comfort him and that he would do as 1 Peter 5:7 says and “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you.” (NLT)

It is hard to try and find any good in tragedies, especially of this magnitude.  But as Mike mentioned in his Day 2 post, we are shown in the readings that good can come from Man’s selfish schemes and I believe that good can come of this disaster.

We see in the verses in Matthew that Jesus sends his disciples out not with their own plans, but with the wisdom of God.  To put that in Crossroadian I hope that as we go out (Building) that we base our journey on God (Being).  In Psalm 12 we learn that Man’s words are, as my college coach used to say “not good.”  But in 12:6 that “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”  After reading that I wondered, what do the words coming out of my mouth look like?  Probably not like purified silver, unless I have put my focus on God so that they are not my words but God’s.

Finally in Proverbs 3:13 we see that “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding…”
To me, that says that the wisdom of learning to rely on God is what brings true and lasting happiness, or as Paul writes in Phillipians 4:7 puts it “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

I am a high school teacher so we often have a review before the bell rings, so here goes.  Man’s selfish schemes and words= bad + sad.
Relying on God for the words as we go out= good + happy.  I wish you all a “good” and “happy” day.

HW

“God has blessed me b/c of you”, Laban told Jacob. (30:27)

A Christian’s influence touches all those around them.  Could it be that sin has been held back in some people’s lives because of your faith?  Could it be your Godly behavior has led others to be good moral people?  Could it be that your employers have made more money and had more profits because of your strong work ethic b/c you do your work as unto the Lord?  God blesses us and in turn those blessings overflow into others lives.  If you and I were removed from life as we know it, what influence would take over?  If all the Christians were gone, would crime increase?  Would immorality be worse?  Would politics and governments be more corrupt?

We will probably never know this side of heaven how our lives as followers of Jesus have actually blessed those around us.  I love Philippians 2:14-15, which say, “Do everything without complaining and argueing, so that no one can criticize you, live clean innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people”.

It sure is easy to complain how hungry I am or how cold it is, or why my heat doesn’t heat my house very well, or my head cold, or…..the other million things I complain about.  I could be homeless, bleading, trapped in rubble b/c of an earthquake like the thousands in Haiti.  I live a pretty much blessed life, no, in fact, I live a very blessed life, I have nothing to complain about.  I have no idea who the Laban’s are in and around my life, but I am sure they exist.  They are blessed b/c God has and is blessing me.  And You!

The average per capita income in Haiti is $560 a year.  More than half the world’s population lives on less than $1 a day.   We are soooooooo blessed!  The Bible says that no man lives for himself.  We are blessed to be a blessing.  God’s presence in our lives will, almost by default,  make a difference in lives around us, but how much more of a blessing could we be if we intentionally blessed others out of the abundance of our blessings?

I have enjoyed reading your comments, and hearing your stories.  Please keep them coming they are very encouraging and exciting and some are just plain funny.  Hang in there.  God is working…don’t forget today’s prayer item, it goes right along with our current series.  love you all, and praying for you…

Mike

Today I am studying at home.  Lord willing I will be writing the message for the 24th in just a bit.  So, as you pray today, I ask for your prayers, for God’s Spirit to fill me and guide my heart and mind to write and say what He wants Crossroads to hear.

Several things jumped out to me in today’s Scripture reading, so, I find it hard to discern which one the Lord is impressing on me the most to write about.   I think it is from Matthew.  the text reminds us how busy the Lord was going from town to town, house to house, need to need.  It seemed every time He turned someone was wanting something from Him, needing Him to do something, heal someone, etc.

Verse 35 tells us Jesus was all about living for the Kingdom and meeting people’s needs.  He saw the crowds and had compassion on them.  if I am honest, when I see a crowd, I am not moved with compassion.  I see the crowd as an obstacle.  I don’t like crowds.  I try to avoid them at all costs.  People get in my way, He saw the potential harvest, I often see the potential headache…..if I am honest…just sayin!  I wished I had Jesus’ eyes.  Don’t you?  So many times I feel I am “so busy”, that I cannot attempt to meet another need, I cannot possibly serve in another way, but such thoughts don’t line up with the example of our Lord.

Satan and his cohorts have deceived the minds of men and women and that is why they (often you and me), are confused, helpless, and like lost sheep.  why wouldn’t Jesus feel compassion, it was for them, you, and me for whom He came.  Lost, looking for purpose, pursuing glory in all the wrong things within the wrong kingdom.

This is what makes the Harvest potentially great and large.  Many need the message, life changing truth of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done to set them free from the limiting, self-non-satisfying, non glorifying pursuits.

the problem today is not much different than it was when Jesus was ministering.  there seemed to be a shortage of servants and kingdom workers.  Just like our church, Crossroads, Jesus needed more servants, workers and volunteers too, this amazes me.

I asked someone last weekend, “how did they become such a high-capacity volunteer”?  (I asked this b/c they do ALOT, I mean ALOT)  I said I need to know, so I can go to work on producing more like you.  do you know what their answer was… something to the effect of “that is just who they were”.  I can’t produce that.  I can’t make more like that, I need the formula.  how can I get more people to give of themselves, busy or not, to live their lives for God’s Kingdom, no matter how many needs exist?

Jesus said, pray.  no formula.  just pray.  the Lord is in charge of the harvest, so, ‘ask Him’ to send more to serve in “HIS” fields.  whose fields?  HIS fields, not mine.  Ask Him.  so simple.  how do I miss these things?  So, I resolve to not just let Monday’s ‘biggie’ prayer item be Monday’s prayer item.  So, I will ask, and continue to ask Him, the Lord of the Harvest to send more servants into His fields.  I am asking Him to send me, and you.  Will you ask with me?

Lots of love and prayers, have a great day worshipping and connecting to our Lord while fasting…blessings!

Mike

I found another resource for you.  Actually, Zach found it and let me in on the know.   There is a link to it off our website, www.come-see.com go to the “resource” link on our home page and you will see it there along with some other info and the prayer calendar.  i hope your first day went well.  i want to encourage you to rest in the Lord, trust in Him, not asceticism (rigorous self-denial), fasting is a discipline and nothing more than a means to an end, not the end…keep this in mind.

I have an awesome praise to share.  Remember Sunday in worship I mentioned God blessed us with “almost” all of our goal of $8000 for our ‘next step’ with our property/building?  I said we were $129 short of our goal and jokingly asked “who would take care of that by writing a check today?”  Well, …you know where this is going right… God took care of it in a BIG way!  about 6 different people gave to meet that need which puts us over our goal by $659!!!  How about that!!??  God is already moving in a powerful way in our lives and church, and I am so excited!!  Greater things are yet to come and greater things are yet to be done…booyah!!

As I read today’s reading in Genesis I couldn’t help but wonder how God uses all the deception, lying, stealing, anger and hatred within the household of Isaac and Rebekah to accomplish His purposes??  I remember reading just a day or two ago that when Rebekah was pregnant she was troubled by the restlessness in her womb and questioned God about it.  The Lord told her that the twins in her would struggle in birth and life and the “older would serve the younger” (ch.25).  So, he predicts the outcome found in our reading today as well as the future, but it seems that all the deception, lying, anger and hatred that later sets things in motion for Jacob to become, Israel, and the father of the 12 tribes, one of which the Messiah would come.  How does God use all that bad to bring about the ultimate good for all of mankind?

Honestly, I don’t know!  I really don’t.  The whole thing is a mystery to me.  I wish I had the answer for you and myself.  But i don’t!

One scripture that provides comfort to me though is Romans 8:28, “and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good” .  I don’t believe God authors sin.  But i do believe He can still use the circumstances resulting from sin and bring about good things.  He is so in the mix and in control of it all.  I don’t know about you, but I am very grateful for that, in fact, I am counting on it.

Of course, it’s not a license to do what i want…”oh, it will be ok if i just __________, God will work it all out for good”.  such an approach would reveal alot about who i really am and where I really am at.  But I am so grateful, that He is in control, and my sin, which is alot, doesn’t throw Him off course.  He is so patient with me, I don’t understand it, but I am glad for it.  Aren’t you?!  why not bow in prayer right now and praise Him for His faithful patience!

Don’t forget today’s prayer item on the prayer calendar.  I am praying for you!

Mike

Excuses!!

This is the first devotional for our Daniel Fast journey together.  I trust by now that you have determined how it is the Lord wants you to fast through these 3 weeks.  i am sure some are following the fast as it is generally understood, which is 21 days of no savory foods, basically a fruit and veggies menu (Daniel 10:2-3).  Also, i am sure there are many who are doing some variation of fasting involving all kinds of fasts not limited to just food.  Either way, God’s people are fasting for spiritual purposes!!  Awesome!!  i am very excited how God is going to work in all of our lives.  Don’t forget, we are part of “something bigger than ourselves”, b/c we are participating in a spiritual journey that is taking place across our nation.  churches from all over are doing the same thing we are.  Its called “Awakening”, check it out here if you have not already…www.awake21.org

Today, in our reading a few things struck me.  (by the way, if you dont have a prayer calendar with the daily Scripture readings please let me know and i will make sure you get one).  In the Matthew reading, I was intrigued by Jesus’ answers to those who offered excuses to why they “couldn’t” follow Him.  i read the passages in the NLT version of the Bible and Jesus said to those who offered excuses…“Follow me now” (v22).  i have thought of many reasons, really excuses, as to why i shouldn’t do this Daniel Fast, but you know what?  the bottom line is that i just don’t want to sacrifice.  But what i hear Jesus saying is to follow Him, requires sacrifice.  to be a disciple will cost me something.  to go to another level in my relationship with Him will cost me something.  in this case it is savory food something i really enjoy 🙂

the reason i have struggled with offering my own excuses to following Jesus in this time of fasting is because, to be honest, i love to eat!!  often, i love to eat a lot!  God has taught me this before but i seem to have to learn it every time and that is this…i often eat for my own glory, not God’s!!  i often don’t think….”Lord, let me eat this meal of oversized portions in honor of you”, or “Lord let me raid the fridge or pantry and binge for your name and your renown”.  Sounds almost funny doesn’t it?  But it really isn’t, is it?

Jesus said, “follow me now”, just before that He said He “didn’t even have a place to lay His head”.  following Him is not for the faint of heart.  it will require me to lay down my life, my wants, my desires, …my excuses.  every time i have fasted i have encountered great spiritual warfare, but, every time i have grown tremendously.  There is something unique about this spiritual discipline, it is very powerful.

my prayer is that i will not make excuses that i give in to, and that you will not either.  i really want to experience His presence so much that like Isaac in Gen. 26:28, others will be able to say, “we can plainly see that the Lord is with you…”(NLT), not that i want the praise of men, i just want the presence of Jesus, Holy Spirit and God Father…”no excuses, just presence”

Don’t forget to pray for today’s prayer item.  it’s a biggie!  We need God to answer this one!  Blessings, meet with you here tomorrow!

Mike

there have been many questions about our Daniel Fast.  I think that is great b/c that reveals that many are pursuing this issue and opportunity, how great is that!!

Well, I wanted to just provide some info for additional information if it is wanted.

First of all, when we did this last year we kicked it off with a specific message from a series we did on prayer.  the series was called “Can We Talk?” and the message was on Feb. 2, 2009, titled, “sometimes i wish you would just listen to me”.  you can download it off of itunes or go to our sermon archive on our website to listen and/or download, this link should take you there, http://www.come-see.com/pages.asp?pageid=40467 This message was full of information on fasting and some details about the practical stuff.

Also, i mentioned that we are participating in a nationwide fast along with many other churches at the same time.  what a powerful thought, God’s people, by the hundreds seeking Him through prayer and fasting.  Wow!  i can only imagine what power and spiritual things will take place in all of our lives and churches.  Well, you can go to that website too and learn a lot about fasting, and in particular the Daniel Fast, but many resources are there for your help.  this link should take you there, http://www.awake21.org

Well, i hope these resources provide answers to your questions, ideas for your own call to fasting, and overal spiritual guidance.  please know i am praying for you and our church to really hear from God.

Blessings..

Mike

our church will be praying and fasting during the latter part of January in what we call a “Daniel Fast”.   We did not come up with the name it has been around for a long time but it is fairly new to many of our people and our church has only done it once before, last February.

Starting Monday, January 11 until the end of the month, the 31st, we will be praying together, reading the same passages of Scripture together, sharing the same devotions, and of course fasting together.

the Daniel Fast is no easy thing, especially if a person has not ever fasted before for spiritual reasons.  to some degree, we all have fasted right?  i mean the doctors tell us before surgery or blood tests, etc. that we are to fast from midnight on.  i have always hated doing that.  but that is different than the fasting practiced in the Bible and by others for spiritual reasons.

Why Fast?

The reasons for fasting can be wide and many.  however, the basic reasons are for spiritual reasons, like growth, clarity for decisions, mourning, to focus our hearts and minds on Christ, to seek God for direction and wisdom, to go to another level spiritually.  all of these are common reasons why anyone would fast.  Our church is doing this fast b/c of many of those reasons.  we want our church to be spiritually minded and focussed in 2010.  we want purity of lives and hearts.  we want to connect to God at another level.  we want clarity for our future, do we begin a building project in 2010?  we want more salvations and baptisms in 2010.  we want holier lives, marriages, and families.  we want wisdom to know how to handle this tough economy and how it is negatively  affecting so many of us.  Basically, we want to connect to God!!

Why a Daniel Fast and what is it?

a Daniel Fast comes from the book and life example of the prophet Daniel.  Daniel was a person who fasted regularly. (1:8, 12-16, 9:3, 10:2-3).  the Daniel fast is basically a 21 day fast of eating only fruits and vegetables.   If you take the time to read Daniel 9-10 you will find that He prayed and fasted diligently and the Lord revealed truth and direction to Him and answered His prayers.  Any fasting is good to do, because fasting is a valuable spiritual discipline that unfortunately is not pursued much any more.  But a Daniel Fast, takes it all up a notch.  Think about it, for 21 days, diligently disciplining our bodies, minds, and souls to seek God.

Do i have to only eat Fruits and Vegetables?

In the strictest sense, yes.  However, this is not law and legalism and if you are not a ‘regular faster’ then i would recommend that you pray about what it is that God wants you to remove from your passions so you can seek Him more clearly.

Suggestions and Options

honestly, the options are wide open.  the key is to seek God about what He wants to do in your life.  what does He want you to give up to glorify Him?  pray over the next few days and ask God what He wants you to do.  Maybe your fast will be from TV for 21 days, or from sweets, or from the Internet (i.e.-facebook, email, etc), or from whatever…maybe in the 21 days you pick a certain meal from which to fast, like lunch or dinner, or both, or breakfast or maybe you fast from all food on a particular day of the week, or pick multiple days like Mon., Wed., Fri., or Tues., Thurs., Sat., or just the weekend or the weekdays.  Again, this is not law or legalism, but it is a spiritual discipline meant to focus you on seeking Him.  the time you would normally spend eating or whatever you would fast from, should be spent in prayer, scripture reading and seeking God.

i hope you will join us and participate in this years Daniel Fast!  i will post Daily devotions to go along with the prayer calendar readings and prayers.  i encourage you to bookmark this site and visit often, read the posts and others comments.  i am sure it will be a great resource for you.  if you need more information or have not yet signed up and want to participate, then just email me at mikek@crossroadswalton.org and let me know.  if you need a copy of the prayer calendar email me and i will send you a pdf version of it.  God bless!  See ya,

Mike