God Can Restore Our Broken Lives

All of us at one time or another will experience brokenness in our lives.  This brokenness may come as the result of a humiliating failure, or unwise decision that we may have made.  It may come through a broken relationship, or  some personal hurt that we have had to endure.  Some have experienced brokenness through a devastating loss which has shattered their lives and left them reeling.  Some continue to struggle with brokenness in their lives because of past abuse problems that continually haunt them.  Others are broken through major setbacks, or painful disappointments in life.  Whatever the case may be, brokenness can scar our self-esteem, create an uncertainty about our future, and be a painful journey to move through. 

The 23rd Psalm is one of the most well-loved and favorite passages of scripture in all of the Bible.  It begins with King David (who wrote the Psalm) saying, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”  It is good for us to remember throughout our lives, that God wants to be our Shepherd.  God wants to be the One who leads us, provides for us, protects us, heals us, and gives us hope.  In verse 3 David says, “He restores my soul.”  God is in the business of healing our souls!  God is in the business of pouring His grace and love into our lives to heal the damaged emotions that have come through life’s battles, life’s failures, life’s hurts, and life’s struggles.  Like the shepherd, who pours the healing oils into the wounds of his sheep, so God pours His healing powers into our hearts and minds so that we can overcome life’s pains and hurts.  Like a good shepherd, God stays with us until our lives are restored!  He tenderly works with us until peace and joy once again comes to our lives!  He wants us facing life with confidence!  

Is there some hurt that you seem to not be able to work through?  Is there some pain in your heart that you live with every day?  Have you gone through some major disappointment that has shattered all of your dreams and clouded your future?  Let God have control of it all!  Let God pour His healing into your heart!  Let Him restore your soul!  Don’t become locked in your past.  Don’t let failures eat your soul away.  God is your Shepherd!  He loves you!  He has forgiveness for you!  He has grace to meet all of your needs!  Give Him your hurts!  Let Him wipe the tears from your eyes!  Let Him deal with all the unjust things that have happened in your life!  He is able!  He can do it!  He is in the business of restoring broken lives!  Lift up your head, God has a fabulous future awaiting you!

Empower Your People!

Every successful leader uses his/or her best energies and talents to create environments where people will flourish!  Genuine leaders want to see their people thriving and growing personally and spiritually.  Leaders want to see their people developing their skills to a greater degree and giving them more opportunity to serve others.  True leaders are not so wrapped up within themselves, that their people are hindered in growing to their ultimate potential.  True leaders want to see their people empowered to achieve great things!  You must be willing to step out of the way, so that your people can be ‘unleashed’ to be a powerful force in your community!

This type of leadership will call for ‘big hearted’ leaders!  Leaders who aren’t easily intimated by other’s success, or whose own self-esteem isn’t so fragile that they must take a complete ‘hands on’ approach (i.e.–being in control) to everything that goes on.  If you are going to be a leader that empowers people to serve, then you must be a leader who is confident of your own abilities and strengths, and able to believe in others to reach their full potential!

Jesus modeled this kind of leadership for us!  In Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples…”  Jesus believed in His followers!  He empowered them to serve!  He sent them out with His blessing and encouragement!  He cheered them on!  He created a culture that empowered people to serve God with outrageous joy and abandon!  He wanted His followers to flourish and reach their full God-given potential under His leadership.  He gave them permission to go and be used by God…permission to love and heal…permission to be creative and innovative in their mission…permission to use their giftedness to make a difference in this world.  Jesus believed in people!  He believes in me!  He believes in you!

Do not be the kind of leader that stiffles people, or hinders people from becoming all that they should be.  No, instead strive to be the kind of leader that believes in people, and empowers them to reach their full potential for God!

“He is the One who gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and  the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and to build up the church, the Body of Christ.”                Ephesians 4:11-12  (LNT)

Learn the Art of Critical Thinking

What role does serious thinking play in your everyday life?  Do you give lots of thought to the decisions you make?  Do you seek out the wise counsel of experts who have traveled the same road ahead of you?  Do you do a lot of reading and gathering information on the important issues you face?  Do you give yourself time to analyze and evaluate situations properly, so as to give sound judgment when you speak?

Many today are part of a ‘herd’ mentality which just follows what everyone else is doing, or saying, with little serious thought or reflection of their own.  I guess some feel that it’s easier following the crowd!  If you are going to be a successful leader you must learn the art of critical thinking!  ‘Critical thinkng’ refers to purposeful thought, which enables one to give serious consideration about the issues at hand.  Leadership will not be taken seriously if one is constantly making unwise, rash decisions about important matters.  Some issues take time to study, and research, and reflect upon.  Questions must be asked:  What all is going on in this situation?  How will this decision affect others?  What are the most important considerations that need to be thought through here?  Am I looking at the ‘real’ problem, or is there an underlying problem that needs attention?  How will dealing with this situation properly help me (my staff, my company, my church) move closer to reaching my goals?

Good leaders are readers!  Good leaders take time to reflect and give purposeful thought to important issues and problems facing them.  Good leaders want to make careful judgments about critical things.  Good leaders take a long view of things, and do not get caught up just focusing on what’s in front of them.  I would encourage you to become a serious thinker in your work.  Give yourself time to read, listen to experts, evaluate, analyze, explore, and give your best thinking to the issues confronting you.  You’ll reap great rewards for doing so!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind.”   2 Timothy 1:7

Our Weakness, God’s Power

Some people think that the Christian life will be a ‘bed of roses’ with no problems, no stresses, or no struggles to deal with.  They incorrectly picture the Christian life as always being serene and peaceful.  These same people will recoil at conflict or difficulty, believing that God has somehow abandoned them and that ‘these things could not be in God’s will’ for them.  How mistaken they are!  The Bible tells us that God uses the trials and struggles we go through in life, not only show us our weakness, but to reveal His POWER in us!

Listen to the apostle Paul’s words found in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”  Here, Paul very graphically relates his own experiences in following Jesus Christ, and relates the hardships and difficulties that he had gone through.  Notice the descriptive terms he uses–afflicted…perplexed…persecuted…struck down!  These words open a window into Paul’s struggles daily as he sought to obediently follow Jesus.  There was a price to pay in following Christ.  Paul knew that, and wanted to honor Christ in every situation he faced….even when things got tough!

Earlier in verse 7 Paul writes, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.”  Paul realizes that his ability to press through these hardships and come out a stronger believer has been due to God’s POWER within him!  He was weak, God was strong!  How had he made it through these difficulties–without being crushed…despairing…feeling forsakenl….not being destroyed–it was God’s POWER at work in his life!  That is a great truth for me, and for every follower of Jesus! 

Yes, we are weak!  Yes, we fail at times!  Yes, our spirit feels overwhelmed at times!  Yes, we are tempted to give up at times!  Yes, we do not always know how things will work out, and sometimes even wonder if they will work out for good!  But in the midst of our struggles and trials, God unleashes His POWER in our lives so that we will know HE IS WITH US and HE IS ABLE to see us through!  Do you feel weak today…under a load…aching with pain…afraid that you may not be able to make it through this crisis you’re going through?  Lean on God!  Surrender to God!  Let His POWER grab hold of your weakness!  He can bring you through to victory!  He can work things out!  He loves you and has the best in mind for you! 

None of us want struggles…but here is where we discover God’s POWER unleashed in our lives!

“In this world you will have many trials and troubles, but take courage; I have overcome the world!”   John 16:33

Don’t Settle in Averageville

I want you to ask yourself some serious questions today!  Are you growing personally, spiritually, and as a leader?  As you maturing in the role that has been assigned to you?  Are you reading, attending conferences, spending time with mentors?  Are you stretching yourself to be all that you can be?  

It’s too easy to move in to Averageville and take up residence on Mediocre Lane.  We do only what’s expected of us, and no more.  We never take risks or challenge ourselves to do things that we’ve never done before.  We only do enough to get by!  Please!  Please!  Don’t settle down in Averageville!  Don’t let personal hurts, or poor decisions from the past, ruin the special person God created you to be!  Don’t waste your life and your talents accepting ’second best’.  No!  Strive for excellence in all you do!  Take risks!  Stretch yourself!  Develop your talents!  Stir up the fires and passions within you to make a real difference!

Too many people have given up on life, their families, their careers, and their future.  Laziness, procrastination, excuses, bad habits, poor personal disciplines, and rationalizations have choked out their zest and excitement to scale the heights of Mt. Extraordinary!  Don’t let that happen to you!  Start today!  Take action today!  Move out of Averageville and determine that you are going to start living in the town of Excellence!  Tell yourself that whatever it takes to develop yourself, your skills, your character, and your walk with God–you’ll do!  With God at your side, a bright and exciting future is in store for you!

“Finally, brothers, we intstructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.  Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”     1 Thessalonians 4:1

Is the Sun Shining in Your Life?

There’s nothing more uplifting than a bright, sunny day!  There’s just something about the sun that makes us feel good.  When the sun is shining brightly and the skies are clear, it somehow makes our troubles seem smaller.  I believe Ephesians 4:26 gives us some insight as to why we feel this way.  This verse says, “…do not let the sun go down on your anger.”  In other words, make sure that by the end of each day you are seeking to resolve any hurtful issues in your life.  Don’t let the sun go down on your anger…or an unforgiving spirit…or any bitterness…or any spirit of revenge…or any hurt that may cause you to want to strike out…or any resentment that may try to fester in your heart.  Don’t let the sun go down with unresolved issues in your life!  Why?  Because the next day you’ll be dealing with them all over again!

You see, when we allow anger, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, or any host of other ugly relational issues to fill our hearts–they will stay with us until we find some resolution for them.  If the sun goes down with these kinds of issues filling our heart, they will be with us when the sun rises the next day.  And, we all know from experience, those are not ’sunny’ days!  Those turn out to be dark, cloudy, depressing, discouraging days!  Days that we would rather forget about.  Those are days that leave us cold, and hurting.  There’s no sun shining in our lives when those kinds of issues are filling our hearts.

So, I’m going to ask you again, “Is the sun shining in your life?”  Have you put away anger and resentment from your heart?  Have you decided not to allow a spirit of bitterness to consume you?  Have you extended forgiveness to those who have hurt you, or wronged you?  Are you willing to turn everything over to God and let Him work things out (because sometimes He is the only One who can)?  Will you ask for His help in fighting your battles?  Will you let go of anything ugly and corrosive to your inner spirit, so that God’s love can heal you and give you peace?  When you and I can do this–the sun will once again shine in our lives! 

Don’t let anger ruin your life…let the sunshine of God’s love and forgiveness set you free!

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”     Ephesians 4:31-32

Accept Yourself

One of the keys to being a successful person in life is learning to accept yourself.  Too many people go through life trying to be someone else, rather than affirming their own uniqueness.  All of us have strengths and weaknesses.  God has made us the way we are.  He has placed within each of our lives–unique personalities, talents, and abilities that are to help us accomplish our purpose in life.  We are not to try and be a ‘carbon copy’ of someone else, or to try to always ‘please everyone’ around us. 

God wants us to accept ourselves!  He wants us to celebrate our own uniqueness before Him.  He wants us to be happy with who we are, and not try to be someone we are not.  He wants us to work, to give leadership, and to contribute to the lives of others through the abilities He has placed within our lives.  God does not want us going through life ’putting ourselves down’, or always ’feeling like a failure’ because we don’t measure up to other people’s expectations.  Be yourself!  Accept yourself!  Celebrate your strengths!  Celebrate the unique contributions that you can bring to your company, or organization.  Seek to always be about sharpening your skills, so that you can be effective in the areas where you are the strongest. 

You cannot always please everyone.  You will not always be able to make everyone happy.  Some may not applaud your work, or your giftedness.  That’s OK!  Just make sure that you believe in yourself, that God lives in your heart and you are surrendered to His will every day, and that you are pursuing excellence in all you do.  If we can each affirm these things in our lives….we will find peace and confidence in all we do!

“So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.”    Romans 15:7

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

We live in very troubled times today!  People are losing their homes and their jobs.  Businesses are struggling to keep their doors open.  There is great tension on the international scene with radical terrorists bringing violence and havoc to countries all over the world.  Many people live in uncertainty and fear for the future!  Sometimes our fears can get overblown in our minds, and cripple or even paralyze us from doing the things that we need to get done.

What can we do when fear has us in it’s grip?  We need to let God’s love fill our hearts!  We need to ask God to put His arms around us and hold us steady in difficult times.  We need to pray for His power to strengthen us daily so that we will not live in fear, but in faith!  God wants us to live with confidence and the assurance that He is our ally in life!  In 1 John 4:18 we read, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…”.  When we allow God’s love to fill our hearts, it drives out our fears!  His love brings us the assurance that we are not facing life’s battles alone!  His love reminds us that we are being held by His grace and that God will help us in life’s struggles.

If you find yourself stressing with numerous anxieties about your job, your family, your health, the economy, the future–then let God’s love flow into your life today and bring ‘the peace that passes all understanding’!

“Cast all of your cares [anxieties] upon Him, for He cares for you!”    1 Peter 5:7

Pray ‘Believing’!

A fascinating story is given to us in the Book of Acts, chapter 12.  Herod the King begins a persecution of Christian believers hoping to disrupt their gatherings and create fear in their hearts.  It’s not long before he has Peter arrested and thrown in prison.  Acts 12:5 says, “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.”  In verses 6-11 we read where God sent an angel to miraculously rescue Peter from prison and set him free.  Peter immediately runs to the house where he knows his Christian friends are praying for him.

Peter begins knocking on the door of the gate trying to arouse someone’s attention inside the house.  (Now, remember that the house is full of believers praying!)  A servant girl goes to the gate and recognizes Peter, and is so overjoyed she runs back to the house without even letting Peter in.  Breathlessly she says, “It’s Peter!”  And how do the believers react?  Acts 12:15-16, “And they said to her, ’You are out of your mind!’  But she kept insisting that it was so.  And they kept saying, ‘It is his angel.’  But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened, they saw him and were amazed.”  Isn’t that interesting…”they were amazed”.  They were praying…but not ‘believing’!

We read that story and say, “Weren’t these people believing God for anything they were praying about?  Were they just going through the motions of praying?”  The Bible said they were praying “fervently” for Peter’s release.  Did they believe God could rescue Peter from this delimma?  Did they believe that God’s power is greater than the circumstances we face?   Why were they praying?  Was it out of a sense of duty, or because they ’believed’ that God hears and answers prayer? 

Before, I get carried away here, I must confess that I have found myself sometimes engaged in times of prayer, but not really believing that God was going to answer them.  That’s sad, isn’t it!  I’m sure all of us have had times when we prayed, but our faith was weak when we prayed!  We sometimes find ourselves lifting our concerns up to the Lord, but we do not ‘believe’ that He can do anything about the situation we face.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 21:22, “And everything you ask in prayer, BELIEVING, you shall receive.”  Let’s pray ’believing’!  Let’s saturate our prayers with faith!  That’s when we’ll see answers come!  That’s when we’ll see the Hand of God at work in our lives!  Let’s go to God knowing that He is able to do impossible things!  Let’s learn how to commit all our ways to Him and trust Him fully for everything!  When we pray–let us pray with assurance that God is able, and God wants our best!

What’s Coming Out Of Your Mouth?

It was my senior year at Purdue University.  Baseball practice had ended and we were all heading back to the locker room area.  As we were leaving the field, one of the players on the team approached me and said, “Dave, do you mind if I ask you a question?”  I told him that would be fine.  He said, “Dave, we have played a lot of baseball together and I have noticed something about you that I don’t understand.”  I replied, “What is that?”  He said, “I have noticed that you never swear!  I have been around a lot of the other players and they cuss all the time.  They use profanity if they strike out, or make an error, or the umpire makes a bad call.  But I have noticed that your speech is always ‘clean’, positive, and encouraging.  How do you do it?  This is something I struggle with all the time!”

I told my teammate, “I’m not a perfect person.  What has made the difference in my life is Jesus Christ!  I have invited Him into my life, and have asked Him to take control of me.  I face all of the same temptations and struggles that everyone on this team faces.  However, I have tried to stay surrendered to Jesus Christ and let Him control my tongue, my thoughts, my actions, and my relationships.  Jesus is the One who makes the difference in my life!”

After our conversation had ended and we parted our ways, I was blown away to think that someone had taken notice of what was coming out of my mouth!  My speech had been a daily witness that I had not even considered.  Unaware to me, the words that were coming out of my mouth every day at practice, and during our ballgames, were testifying to the power and grace of Jesus Christ in my life.  I was so thankful I could give a positive witness for Jesus!

What is coming out of your mouth?  It’s a shame today that many people’s lives are characterized by ‘crude’ speech, profanity, gossip, putting other people down, being mean & vicious toward others with their words.  Your speech does matter!  What is in your heart will eventually come out of your mouth!  Guard your words.  Speak wisely.  Don’t use your speech as a weapon, but as words that will edify and encourage.  If this is a difficult area for you, why not ask Jesus Christ to be Lord of your life and surrender yourself to Him!  Let Him be in control of your tongue.  Ask Him to help you with your speech and let your words be a testimony of His transforming power!

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”     Ephesians 4:29

“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”             Proverbs 12:18