Category: Christ

15,000 views reached! Thank you readers!!

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Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all for tuning into this little blog site! It’s unreal that in just over six months that this blog has reached 15,000 viewers. I will do my best to keep this going, and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in the process! Hallelujah for this wonderful opportunity and for the blessings God has granted me in this area of ministry!

In January I felt the Lord convicting me to share more from my heart in the form of writing, and so I began this venture…I really only got into it in March of this year! So with that said, I wish again to thank you all and keep reading and I will keep writing in His name!

-Blessings on you!

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When we utter “Why me God?”

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When do we utter “why me God?”  Sometimes It happens when we have felt His calling on our lives to do something for Him.  Other times we utter it out of frustration at life’s circumstances.

If we are honest with ourselves, at times, we doubt that God even has a plan for us.  This doubt may appear and disappear in a moment but still it is present in our thoughts and lives.  We fear and sometimes question if God truly knows what He is doing with us.  Don’t take this the wrong way, but faith sometimes makes it hard for us to grasp the tangible of the unseen.  Does it mean that God isn’t there or He doesn’t know what He’s doing?  Certainly NOT!

Let me be clear, God has a plan for each of us, you can be certain of that!  Does it necessarily mean that He  is involved in all of our steps?  I don’t think so, be His presence is certainly there.  Rather in the grand scheme of our lives He would love nothing more to forge us into His holy image and guides our steps in that matter.

How should we then respond to God in our circumstances and in His calling on our lives?

There are two biblical examples that I would like to draw from:

1) Samuel

He didn’t quite know who was calling him initially.  It is recorded in 1 Samuel that the word of the Lord was very rare in his day…so God calls Samuel in the middle of the night.   Samuel thinks that the high priest Eli is calling him.   So Samuel gets up and makes his way to Eli, but Eli awakens and says “I didn’t call you.  Samuel gets called two additional times, and each time he awakens and goes to see what Eli wants.  Finally Eli wises up and says;   “Samuel when you hear the voice calling you again say ‘Speak Lord for your servant is listening‘”.  (1 Samuel 3:1-10)  And so God calls to Samuel again and this time Samuel doesn’t respond with “Why me God?” but instead he responds just as Eli instructed him to.  Thus begins the calling and ministry of Samuel and his willingness to obey the Lord when He called.

2) Isaiah

God gives Isaiah an epic vision of heaven.  God is on His throne, and all around there are angelic creatures and angels calling out in worship to God, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!     The whole earth is filled with his glory!” As Isaiah is viewing this majestic scene, he quickly realizes that he is doomed to be in the holy presence of the Almighty.  He is confronted with his own sin and the sins of his people.  How could he possibly compare to the perfection of God who is in the very room as he?  And so Isaiah, perhaps wants to utter “Why me God” but he can’t because He is blown away by God’s very presence and Isaiah’s utter failings and sin.  In response to his damning pronunciation one of the Seraphim  flies over and brings a coal from the altar of the Lord and touches Isaiah’s lips.  Isaiah is purified of his sins and is finally able to respond to a question that God then asks; ” Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”  Isaiah doesn’t say “pick someone else“, nor does he say “why me?“, but rather he simply says, “Here I am, Lord send me.”  (Isaiah 6:1-8)

What happens when God calls us?

What is our response to His holy calling?  Our response ought to be similar to Isaiah’s response “Here I am, Lord send me!”  There might be times when we doubt.  There might be times when we feel like asking “Why me God?”  Yet when He calls to us and asks something of us, even despite our doubts, the appropriate response is “Here I am, send me!”

This response is a dangerous response.  It is a response that says, “Lord I’m going to trust you fully“.  It’s a response that says “despite the places and the people you send me to I will go!”  Yet the journey will be rewarding…not always but in the long run so very much more rewarding than refusing to go.  We aren’t forced to go where God tells us to go.  Nor are we robots in our decisions.  God listens to us and to our concerns.  He hears our worries and our desires.  Faith leads us into a deeper relationship with God.  Faith helps us to realize that His plans are perfect, He can use us and we can be worthy of His calling.

What will our response be to His calling?  Will it be “Why me God?”  Or will it be “Here I am, Lord send me!”

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High Council: Day 2

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From what everyone is saying in regards to the proceedings of the High Council presently things are moving rather swiftly.  The pace is faster than the 2011 High Council, which could mean that we will have a new General by the end of the week!  It doesn’t necessarily mean it WILL happen this way, but if the council continues to move at this pace our new General will be elected in a very short time frames.

Day 1:  the initial report of the first session can be found here:

http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/news/inr290713

Commissioner William Roberts, National Commander of the US was elected as president of the high council which means he will conduct the day to day proceedings and business of the High Council.  More will be added as the news come in and the daily report is given.

Here are also some photos from the first day at High Council: http://www.flickr.com//photos/salvationarmyihq/sets/72157634851189198/show/with/9393398571/

Also, if you have some time here is an interesting video and take of the High Council by Major Stephen Court:

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Haters be hatin’

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Are you a people pleaser?  Do you struggle with finding approval from your peers or church members?  Is that the way God wants us to live?

Of course not!  We are to live a life worthy of our calling, so accountability is important in this process, but our first priority shouldn’t be to please everybody!  Pleasing everyone is probably the quickest route to disappointment and loss of mission.  Don’t mistake working within the body and living in unity with others to be the same as pleasing everyone.  It’s not the same thing.

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We can all agree that each person that God has created is unique and different.  In so saying we should also acknowledge that our vision and means to attain this vision can and probably will differ from person to person.  This isn’t to mean that the vision differs, just the method of fulfilling that vision.  So what happens then when our roads that we travel upon in our mission for God differs from others?  Sometimes we face conflict and disagreement.

Understanding how we differ within the body of Christ can assist us then to understand that our primary goal isn’t to please everyone…it just won’t happen!  Our primary goal should always be to do the will of the Father who sends us into the world through Christ’s great commission (Matt 28:16-20).

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We won’t always see eye to eye with everybody along the way.  We won’t always agree with one another in our varying points of view.  In essence, there will be times when “‘haters be hatin'”…but if you are pleasing the Lord in what you’re doing and you have others within the family of God backing you up, shake off the haters and forget trying to placate them or please them…it’s just not worth your time and effort.

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 (NIV) 

Make it a point in your life to stop focusing on what others (not friends) are saying about you.  Don’t lose sleep over these haters, they just aren’t worth your time and effort!  Don’t seek to please them either, after all as the Apostle Paul puts it, who is more important to please God or man?

There is certainly something to be said about others and elders affirming your work, and I’m not denying that at all, but others who aren’t there to support you but rather judge, condemn, criticize and who will take joy in your failure and demise, just ARE NOT WORTH your time.

There will always be the nay sayers among us…don’t let them burden you with their hate and negativity.  Instead surround yourself with God pleasing people who will help you in your mission and vision.  After all, aren’t we all better off if we first seek to please God in all that we do and say?

-Just a thought for today.

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Finding Encouragement:

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Let’s face it, we are all accustomed to disappointment and discouragement.  Some days we might even ask ourselves ‘why did I even get up this morning?’  Yet I do know that there is comfort in the knowledge that we aren’t alone in our disappointments and troubles.  Though these times come to us all, we can recognize that we don’t have to endure these difficult moments alone.

Are you facing trouble today?  Are you downcast, disillusioned, weary?  Allow me an opportunity here to share with you an encouraging passage of scripture:

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Did you catch that?  Let me break it down for you:

1. The Lord God is here in your midst: 

God is here

He’s not far away, or distant.  He is with you in your good days, your bad days, your indifferent days.  God is near!  How encouraging is that?!  We serve a mighty, all knowing God that isn’t distant but personal with each of us.  He care for you.  He wants to be involved intimately in your life!  And despite our struggles, God is here in your midst.

2. He saves us!

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He doesn’t wear a red cape like superman, but He saves us!  His love doesn’t end with being near, He desire fellowship with us and for our deliverance from sin and death!  In Christ’s suffering and death, God provides salvation!  Our redemption comes through Christ, and now we not only long for Eternity but we have the Kingdom of God here on Earth with us!  We have been redeemed!  We have been saved!  Hallelujah!

3. He will quiet us with His love!

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Have you ever gotten bent out of shape?  Have you ever found yourself panic stricken, stress laden and crying out for relief from it all?  In your despair God is there and He, with His loving arms, will quiet our manic lives.  How amazing is that?  I can’t tell you how often stress gets the better of me.  Or how often my mind won’t turn itself off at bed time because I’m so consumed with worry or fear.  Yet when I allow God access to these emotions and these situations, I am not only comforted but I am reminded that His strength is enough!  There is nothing, absolutely nothing too difficult for Him to handle!  He will quiet us and our distress…if we allow Him access to our lives!

4.  He will exult over you with loud singing…

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um, ok that sounds kind of funny doesn’t it?  Yet think about it?  And don’t envision God with a megaphone singing loudly in your ear either!  But think of it like this:  God spoke the world into being with just mere words.  He will comfort us with these same audible words that formed the very stars that we look at!  How encouraging is that?  God will remind us of His might through this as well!  If He could do all of these marvelous deeds, how tiny our problems must seem to Him.  He will bring to us His songs of peace and deliverance.  He will declare His majesty through the music of Eternity.

-Put it all together-

Think of it again…in every season God is there! He wants to be involved in our lives and He will be there in our discouragements and in times of despair.  Take comfort in this verse, though it was originally intended for Israel at a time of exile, this verse is for all those who are called children of God through faith in Jesus Christ!

Discouraged?  Find Encouragement today!

-Just a thought.

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transMission: New Offerings ‘We Believe’ (Music Review)

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I wasn’t asked to give a review of this new offering of the band transMission by anyone, but I’ll give a review anyway.  transMission is a Praise/Christian band from Atlanta GA, through The Salvation Army’s Southern Territory’s Music Department, and its band members are also Salvation Army members.  transMission is inexplicably linked to The Salvation Army both in word and deed and their latest offering ‘We Believe’ truly strives to link music with doctrinal belief.  This may sound boring to some or too lofty of a project but taking one listen at their latest album one will hear the depth and breadth of what ‘we believe’ is all about.

It is a unique and very ambitious venture yet is consistent with the band’s ministry and mission. Never have I before heard a group put together an entire album based solely on doctrinal principles…and it works!  Their sound is unique to each song, and unlike some bands, transMission takes some musical/lyrical risk to present both gospel and personal conviction while maintaining the quality of praise/rock standards.

If you haven’t yet heard transMission, check out their website: http://transmission.virb.com/ and sample their latest offering on your web player or mobile device!  Here is the link for the ‘We Believe’ web player and list of songs too: http://transmission.virb.com/webelieve

Check them out, then support their ministry!

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No one likes change.

Don’t believe me?  You think you enjoy change?  Everyone in one shape or form has a routine and/or a method of doing things.  If that routine or method gets altered by anyone other than ones self we automatically become uncomfortable at a rate which matches the degree of change involved.

To illustrate my point, let me tell you a story.  It’s a rather sad story but it paints for us an accurate description of what change can do to us and for our need/dependence upon things to remain the same.

A few years ago a nursing home in my local area began to work on a new property that would be eventually replace its existing residential site.  This new location would be state of the art and include a lot of the modern day necessities that the old location simply did not have.

After much work, construction and interior decoration the new nursing home was finally completed.  As advertised it had all of the new bells and whistles necessary to modernize the facility for years to come.  When it came time for the transportation of the senior residence who had lived in the old unit and were now to embark on this relocation, the staff found resistance.  They attempted to help the residence adjust to this change by having members of their families assist in the process.

It was tedious and difficult and yet finally all of the senior residence were relocated to the new location.   At first all seemed well and the staff began to grow accustomed to their new work stations and surroundings.  But over time something truly disturbing began to take place.  One at a time many of the ‘original’ residence of the old facility began to pass away.

It might sound like natural causes but what actually took place upon further investigation was that these original residence of the old facility had grown comfortable in their old routines.  They were used to each nook and cranny of the old property.  Everything was very familiar to them.  But when they were relocated to a new building, despite its modern conveniences, they simply could not cope with the change.  Because of this change, many of them simply gave up.

It is certainly a sad tale!

I believe that there is a correlation here for us today as well.  We may grow accustomed to our lives and routines.  We find comfort in some of the mundane things of life.  And when change comes we may appear on the outside as accepting, even embracing these changes, but on the inside we find ourselves a little panicked and afraid.

Change is not necessarily bad or evil mind you, and we can eventually adapt to things.  But remember that change is an inevitability in this life.  Like it or not.  There are obviously changes that we welcome in life and then there are changes that we fear and avoid at all costs.  When change does come to your door always remember one vital truth:  though situations and circumstances change, God never does!  Hebrews 13:8 says: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

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-Just a thought.

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Lost Passion in Ministry?

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There’s an old joke that goes like this:

“A mother went to wake her son for church one Sunday morning. When she knocked on his door, he said, “I’m not going!”

“Why not?” asked his mother.

“I’ll give you two good reasons,” he said. “One, they don’t like me. Two, I don’t like them.”

His mother replied, “I’ll give you two good reasons why YOU WILL go to church. One, you’re 47 years old. Two, you’re the pastor!”

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 The problem:

There are, in reality, many pastors who feel this way.  They’ve either burned themselves out by working long hours, or they have simply lost the passion.   When some of us started out as young, vibrant, on fire for God pastors we could do anything!  We could face giants if we had to…but little by little over time some of us are at that point where we just can’t seem to go on anymore.

No one enjoys faking it in ministry.   No one wants to put up a front in our ministries and pretend it’s alright when at times it’s all wrong.  Some pastors will get to the end of their rope and walk away from the ministry, burned out and disillusioned.   While some others will hang on at the end of their rope but they are only going through the motions and passion is lost.

Can you identify?  Have you been there?  Are you there right now?  It’s a very uncomfortable place to be indeed!  Having no passion to get up in the morning and minister to people that you may find hard to love and lead.   Many pastors who are here and try to gut it out by working longer hours and striving harder often find themselves in depression and marital troubles.  Why?  Because the balance of ministry and family has been altered to over compensate for lack of passion.

How do pastors who are in this situation recover?  How do ministry leaders face their flocks when this personal crisis comes along?  Some pastors have friends within their congregations but it is often very hard to divulge personal issues with a member of flock.  Leaders who go to church goers with their issues can create separate troubles after all.  It is very hard to find peers when in a ministry or ‘appointed’ to a location that isn’t home to the pastor in question.

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 The Solution: (or at least 5 of them)

Steps to Recovering the Passion:

Here are a few suggestions that might help a pastor who is in need of finding their passion and way again:

1.  Take Vacation or a Sabbatical:

One of the top reasons pastors find themselves ministering without passion is because they have worked themselves to the bone.  Some are working 50 or more hours a week, striving to be ‘Super-Pastor’.  This passion over-compensator is very, very common within ministries of all kinds.  It’s not that work is to blame, but when one fixates on tasks instead of the purpose of the tasks we polarize our ministries.  Getting some perspective, collecting your breath is very important to reclaiming lost passion.

Someone once said that if God rested on the seventh day why do we think that we don’t need rest?  And this is true!  We as pastors need rest!  We can’t work seven days a week and expect to not suffer from burn out or family issues.  Ministry is requires a balance of pastoral and personal time and reflection.

Get away.  Plan a vacation without cell phone attachments or laptop involvement.  Do something that requires you to leave your work at home.  Spend time with your family.  Focus on improving these vital relationships.  Your family is your lifeline and anchor.  Without it in your ministry you might float away.  Invest in your family by resting together on vacation.

If you are able to and vacation just isn’t enough, ask your church denomination or district for permission to take a sabbatical.  Many times a sabbatical lasts between two months and a year. You might laugh at this notion, but which would you rather have a passionless ministry for the rest of your life or a concentrated holiday away for a relatively short period of time?

Rest is a vital component to recovering and reclaiming your lost passion once again.

2.  Read

The topics of our reading may vary but here’s an important tip:  Read both fiction and non-fiction books.  We all need an escape from the tasks of life, and sometimes reading a good fiction novel is a healthy way to take a break.  But don’t just stop in the fiction section; move on to challenging yet inspirational nonfiction.  There are many theologians and pastors out there that write excellent books for pastoral demographic.  Read up on their insights.  Take notes, highlight pages, find topics that inspire you.  Ask your peers and other pastors for some good books to read.  There is even websites now devoted to the recommendation of good reads.  Invest some time in reading more.  This investment has the potential of reversing the course of a passionless ministry.  Obviously don’t forget to consult ‘The Word’ as well in your search for good reads.  God’s word can be a salve in times of need and the Lord can speak to us through its reading.

3.  Join a Bible Study

Pastors and others in ‘the ministry’ often spend so much time shepherding and tending to the flock that they forget that they themselves have to be fed spiritually.  Even Jesus got away from time to time to be fed by His Father in Heaven.  Many pastors suffer from burn out and a passionless ministry because they haven’t taken the time to sit under someone else’ ministry.  We need to be fed like any other sheep in the pen.  Finding time to do this is difficult, of that I know!  But when we allow the time to find a fresh source of spiritual nourishment for us, we possibly reinvigorate our passions.

Perhaps there’s a church in your local area that conducts a bible study that fits into your schedule.  If nothing fits, then again look at your schedule.  Perhaps you’re so consumed with ‘the ministry’ that you are headed down the road of burn out…and that is not healthy!  Find the time!  Get to a group that you don’t lead!

Another danger in finding a bible study group as pastors is that we can either want to take control or become overly critical of the leader.  Be careful you don’t attend an ‘outside’ bible study solely with this attitude of ‘take control’ or ‘criticism’.   You will not be fed within this context and you will undoubtedly cause resentment either within yourself or others attending.  Instead enter a bible study group under someone else’ leadership with a humble heart and mind and listen for God to instruct you through these lessons or small group ministries.  Finding inspiration and passion in ministry has to have a source of fresh water and life, so to speak.

4.  Find a Pastor’s Group/Accountability Partner

Don’t pick a friend, or one who will say ‘yes’ to everything to share with them.  Find a mentor or another pastor who is possibly longer in the years of ministry than you are.  This may not always be the case, but it helps to create a disciple/discipler atmosphere.

Pastoral associations are okay sometimes…other times they run the risk of becoming a gossip group or a whine session.  Avoid these scenarios if you desire to restore your passion in the ministry.  Find not only one who challenges you but will pray for and with you as well.  We need to be challenged and listened to.  Being able to share our struggles with some in a confidential setting is also a vital must!

A Pastor usually can’t go to church member with issues.  It just doesn’t work.  Pastors, don’t neglect your times of being shepherded!  Allow others to come along side you in your times of need.  Seek out mentors on your own and learn from them.  Share and pray together as well.

There are times when pastors possibly need more than mentor as well.  Don’t be fearful of finding a counselor or a Christian therapist either.  It’s not a sign of weakness to seek out professional help, many people do.  Don’t let old stigmas of counseling keep you away from finding help in the midst of depression or other psychological needs!

5.  Pray

Do not underestimate the power of prayer in your lives and in your ministries!  Prayer shouldn’t be a ‘last resort’ tool, but rather a primary weapon utilized in our daily lives.  Jesus prayed.  We should also!  Remember the only source and power that will keep us going in our ministries is the power of God.  In order to be connected to the power daily and even moment by moment we have to be in constant contact with Him through prayer.  It’s our conversation and relationship to Him that ought to keep us going; our love and devotion which propels us onward.  This Christian life isn’t easy, and when we add the responsibility or leadership to that we find ourselves facing even more challenges.

Don’t live in a passionless ministry!  Don’t simply go through the motions when you get burned out or burned up.  A passionless ministry usually indicates something in life is either missing or out of place.  Face it.  Address it.  There are obviously more remedies than the five that I’ve listed but begin here, and my prayer for you is that you find your passion once again!

Additional Reads:

http://www.churchleaders.com/youth/youth-leaders-articles/145294-a-leader-in-crisis-i-ve-lost-my-excitement.html

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2012/spring/losingedge.html

http://www.redpointmag.com/2012/02/28/keeping-your-passion-for-ministry/

http://www.ministryhealth.net/mh_articles/234_twenty-five_ways_passion.html

LOVE THIS SITE:

http://soulcare.com/

And the ministry of Mindy Caliguire

http://www.soulcare.com/bio

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Real Discipleship, Real Problems…

“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 (NIV)

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Discipleship is NOT easy!

When Jesus came to call His disciples he turned tradition on its head. Rabbis didn’t go to their ‘would-be’ disciples. Rabbis waited for the disciples to come to them. Jesus was a revolutionary! Those who actually became disciples of a Rabbi were deemed ‘good enough’. These were the cream of the crop. Those who had studied and excelled at memorizing scripture and also at discerning those scriptures. A disciple would eventually, if things progress as planned, replace the Rabbi. So the disciple would emulate all that the Rabbi did. They would walk as the Rabbi walked. The would speak as the Rabbi spoke. They would apply the same lens and perspective to the Torah that their Rabbi would apply. Being a disciple was not an easy task. Every waking moment was spent living in the shadow of the Rabbi that they followed.

When Jesus came to call His disciples, He called those few individuals who had moved past their formal education in the temple and back to the vocations of their fathers. They weren’t the cream of the crop. They weren’t the best students, and they weren’t deemed worthy to be disciples by other Rabbis. Yet Jesus came to them. That alone should tell us something about Jesus. He came to get them. To call them. His mode of discipleship was vastly different from other teachers. He essentially picked working class people to become his proteges. He was telling them that though they hadn’t been good enough by the ‘professors and scholars’ of the law that they were good enough for the Son of God.

Think of it. Jesus, God’s own Son, tells a group of rough edged fishermen that they were worthy to become like the Christ. How can this be? One who is perfect, who will eventually take upon Himself the sins of the world and die to save mankind says to a group of imperfect, dirty fishermen; “You can be like me“. It blows the mind. It’s not how it is done in Jesus’ world. Yet He does it His way.

There’s a very real application for us today in this. Jesus still calls the ‘unworthy’, and He says to each of us, “You can be like me!” It doesn’t matter where we’ve come from. Or where we’ve been. It doesn’t matter if we even flunked out of school or lived with addictions. Jesus comes to us and tells us that we can be worthy to be like Him. Can you picture that?

Jesus is essentially telling us that no matter how badly we’ve failed in life. No matter how difficult an upbringing we’ve face; no matter what junk we have in our lives that He believes in us. He believes that we can be like Him. Now perhaps some are thinking ‘there’s no way I could be perfect like Jesus.’ And you know what? You would be right. We can’t be perfect in our own power and strength. We can’t be ‘godlike’ in our own good deeds or our goody-two-shoes attitudes. We won’t ever be good enough to be perfect. Yet God in the form of His Holy Spirit wants and can transform us if we let Him.

To be a disciple of Christ we have to decide that not only He is worthy of following but that we are worthy enough to follow Him. This is the real problem of discipleship. Many just don’t believe in themselves. Many have doubts that they are indeed good enough or worthy enough to be called a disciple of Christ. Here’s the solution to that problem: Jesus believes in you! He believes that you can do it! You are worthy of becoming His disciple because He says so.

I’m sure those fishermen on the shores of Galilee had their doubts in themselves too. I’m sure they too felt unworthy. And yet Jesus called them and said, “Come follow me.” Today He still says that to us. The journey will not be easy. Much will be lost along the way, but so much will be gained in following Him. My prayer for all of us is that we begin to realize that Christ believes in us. And because of that we might begin to have confidence in not only Him but ourselves as well.

“He who began a good work in you, will carry it on into completion!” Philippians 1:6

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-Just a thought.

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Joy & Hope…Retrain the Brain.

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Two simple words.  Yet all too the often these words fail to connect with humanity.  All too often hate and sorrow are life’s constant companion.  All too often if joy is captured at all it is but a brief glimpse, a blink of the eye…and then it’s gone.

How can we capture and experience true joy and hope?  How can life become so much more potent and alive?  It begins with a climb up a sheer rock face.  Not a real climb mind you, but a journey within one’s thoughts and attitudes.  This climb takes us from where we are to a place above in which we train our minds and prepare our thoughts.  Where we change the thought patterns within our lives and attempt to see life around us as we have never seen it before.

This isn’t some new age philosophy here either.  We aren’t attempting to reach within ourselves, and recognizing our bad habits within our own thoughts.  We face the blatant behaviors and poor choices.  We confront the darkness that resides within our minds.  This is the place where hatred, selfishness, sadness, and greed reside.  Our minds truly are a battle field.  We wage a war that is mostly unseen.  It may sound mystical but in reality where do our actions come from?  -Our thoughts.  Where do those choices come from which hurt others, hurt ourselves and lead us into deeper alleys of sadness?  -Our thoughts.

What would happen, if we could change this pattern of thinking?  What would happen if we could redirect our thinking and what we think on?  What would happen is that we could begin to experience joy and hope not just in mere fragments but in every instance.

So how do we do this?  How do we capture our thoughts and conquer these dark patterns?

1. Seek Guidance:

Understand that we have been created by God and that His fellowship with us can and will change and transform us.  This isn’t some sort of dogma we chant or words we use to line up the masses all straight and uniform in organized religion either.  This is a very personal and intimate relationship that God desires from each of us.  When He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins He made a way for that relationship to be restored once and for all.  So when we confess our dark patterns to Him and accept His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives we are accepting a better path.

This relationship offers guidance to a better way of living too.  Do you know that followers of Jesus were once called ‘followers of The Way’?  This is truth for us today.  Because Jesus offers us a better way to live.  One that frees us from the bondages of sin and those dark patterns of thinking.

His guidance is available to us and is truly the only way by which we can truly conquer the unhealthy and dark patterns of thinking.  We begin this climb by asking for God’s guidance through prayer and supplication.  But don’t stop with just your words speaking repetitions and utterances…listen.

2. Listening:

Part of the conversation with anyone and even God is not only talking but listening.  This is where instruction and guidance can begin.  We need to prostrate ourselves before God and be available to listen…simply listen.  How else are we to hear from God if we do all of the talking?  Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God…” Be still…we are to stop and listen, to be still and hear.  Listening takes patience, silence from distractions and tuning into what God is saying to us.  This act is truly an act of personal worship in a very intimate setting.  It’s not some mystical mumbo jumbo that we do.  You may not audibly hear God speak to you, but within our hearts resides his voice…within our soul He longs to permanently take up reside.  He will speak to us in moments of silence and in moments of deep devotion.  But all too often we are so distracted by the world around us that we hardly tune in to hear what he would say to us.

3. Meditate:

Not in some Eastern philosophy sense, but rather meditate on the very words of God.  By that I mean read His words written for us in the Bible.  Study it.  Read the red letters of Jesus in the synoptic gospels.  Read what Paul instructs the early churches to do.  Understand what James has to say about the tongue in His book.  Study the Bible, don’t approach it as some task or arduous homework assignment either.  Do it out of love and devotion to God and the longing to live a healthier, holier life-style.

4.  Discipline yourself:

Not by flogging yourself or punishing the flesh, by any means…but by being disciplined in your daily routines and attitudes.  Be serious about wanting this joy and hope in your life.  When we seek His guidance and listen to His voice we begin to find peace and understanding.  We begin to want to spend more time with Him.  For some five minutes in prayer is very difficult, but if we discipline ourselves in regards to prayer we will slowly begin to find five minutes isn’t nearly enough time to talk with God.

2 Corinthians 10:5b says, “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We we can make this climb out of our dark patterns of thought through God’s help, we will begin to understand this verse.  We can truly experience pure joy and hope because we have, through the power of the Holy Spirit, taken captive of every thought.  And we are in turn thinking within the realms of Joy and Hope.

Does this seem far fetched to you?  I hope it doesn’t because God does not want us to reside any longer in the darkness of our minds, but He wants us to surrender every nook and cranny of our body, soul and mind to Him.  When we are or have done so little by little we can begin to experience this joy and hope in every moment of our lives.

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