• Is it in line with Scripture and its principles? Chances are, God will not ask you to walk up to somebody and punch them in the face. Much of our clarity will come through Scripture, but for times when there is still no clear direction or a difficult point is not settled, the other ways here can be sought out.
• Providential Circumstances–What doors are opening or closing in your life? How does your current situation help or hinder what God may be calling you to do?
• Common Sense–Is the new call something that is within your abilities (though it may stretch you beyond your comfort zones!). Might it be unhelpfully disruptive to existing primary relationships or stage of family life?
• Inner Promptings of the Holy Spirit–How do you sense the Holy Spirit at work? What inner prompts, words, pictures, themes are forming? Is there an inner sense of enthusiasm or peace as the path unfolds?

It is important to look for the harmonization of all of these since we can have inner promptings from somewhere other than the Holy Spirit. Common sense alone is obviously not enough. Open doors alone do not always mean it is God’s path for you. But test each one along with the other three.

Some add a fifth dimension–Other People’s Perception–what do your mature Christian friends have to say about the possibility you are considering?

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

What a tremendous liberty there is, and power, in crossing over from being agenda-driven and results-oriented to a state of being agenda-free and God’s glory-oriented.In this second state, there is no worry over what must be done. There is no anxiety about what the outcome must be. There is only trust in the infinite goodness and wisdom of God, who transcends our thinking. We embrace the mystery that is God. He knows what must be done and sees to it, showing us the part we may play in His will. Our task is to tune in to Him then, not to make things happen.

This is the mind boggling simplicity and brilliance of the parable of “The Good Samaritan “as we call it. Do the good that is right in front of you to do to the best of your ability. Do what lies before every day, every hour, each moment, focusing on that and trusting that the good you are doing is being used by God in ways you may not know or even comprehend. Every situation is much larger and grander than you can realize.

My mantra while working at Outreach, Inc. with homeless youth was always, “Don’t do this to feel good. And don’t do this for the results. Do this because it is the right thing to do.” It’s amazing the difference it makes to work with that mindset.

Being agenda-driven and results-oriented just really sucks. But trusting the process by doing what you need to do every day over the long haul is satisfying and when done well, typically brings good results anyway. And it is much less stressful.

Sometimes God allows me to see the ripple effect of something I’ve been a part of. Sometimes I’m paying enough attention to actually notice it. And of course it’s usually some result I did not have in mind, that I wasn’t necessarily shooting for. And so I have to just bow before YHWH in His infinitude, realizing again that I don’t know what the heck I’m doing half the time, quite literally. All I know is to keep listening to Him and obeying the voice, trusting Him and abandoning all outcomes to Him because He is up to way more than I can even imagine. It’s awe inspiring and humbling and freeing.

Just do what God places before you each moment and trust Him in it with the goal of all glory going to Him. Wave that white flag and rest the rest of Hebrews 4 which is a ceasing of your own work and a total dependence on God.

You don’t have to make anything happen. Throughout the Bible, when God called on someone, He told them what was gonna happen. I can’t think of any instances off the top of my head in which He called on someone to go do something in their own power and they better get some results.

So our anxieties may be coming mostly because of our bad listening, half listening, or lack of listening altogether. When you hear from God, there is a clarity and a peace that cannot be touched.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

It seems the spiritual life and the growth in it is more of a letting go than being an attainment of.

It’s not acquiring, but rather shedding.

Self-transcendence.

Loosening your grip on so much so that nothing holds you.

You need less and less for Life.

Detachment.

The more we’re attached to, the greater chance for temptation, anxiety, and hurt.

But if we prefer nothing to Christ, as the Benedictine monks attempt to live out, what does the evil one have to tempt us with that will work?

Maybe instead of striving for growth and maturity and skill-obtaining, we simply need to let more go and maturity will then precipitate from that weight loss.

I do believe in giving more energy to filling with good than emptying the bad, but is letting go different than emptying? Sounds easier, but not sure it is.

Could this be what Jesus was getting at when He said you have to lose your life in order to find it? When we loosen our kung fu grip on all that we think we need for Life or to be who we are, that’s when we are open to more of God and therefore, closer to who we really are, our True Self, who we were made to be.

For example, when I’ve loosened my grip on my time, gotten over thinking I have to do all these things I want to do or think I need to do, I’ve then been more open and attentive to God’s presence and working and speaking in my life. I am free to soak in His presence because I am no longer preoccupied with all that must be done. Sure I’ve got some things to do, but how many are things I choose? I have to eat, sleep, drink water, feed our children….not much else I guess.

It’s kinda like when people say they got “lost in the music.” Maybe at a concert or something. What happens? You forget where you are, what time it is, maybe even who you are, and become one with the music. A transcendent experience. And it only comes through losing yourself to the music. You simply let go. You are so tuned in, that everything else is tuned out and forgotten for right then only one thing matters. If we can just let go and become one with God, I believe the experience  would be so transforming that there would be no going back unless you suffered some sort of brain damage. Although I have a friend who has suffered brain damage and still clings to God and, miraculously, retains Scripture he memorized before this incident.

Losing our lives, letting go, is the most freeing of “activities” we can participate in, for then we find Life, our life, our True Self.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

You cannot grow in Christlikeness without plumbing the depths of your inner self as revealed through the Word of God. And most people have a very tough time just sitting with themselves.

It seems to me that there are two kinds of self-focus. One positive, the other negative.

On the negative side, there is selfish self-focus. This is what we see rampant in our society of seeking to always please self. Seeking out pleasure at the cost of a life of depth. And also seeking to insulate one’s self from pain, also at great expense. For when we insulate from pain, we insulate from love. We embrace our modern day idol of comfort and convenience. Anything pushing us out of our comfort zone is avoided with great energy. Our goal is to always be comfortable, pleased, and pain-free.

Then there is a positive self-focus which is, paradoxically, a selfless self-focus. This is the bettering of one’s self through healthy self examination, sitting with yourself, looking into the mirror of God’s word and letting Him penetrate your heart to reveal what is not of Him as well as what is, and to respond accordingly. Some things we will need to nurture and cultivate. Some we will need to crucify.

In this kind of self-focus, we are becoming a greater light to the world, more in tune with our true self, and therefore, a more effective human being as an instrument of God’s love and healing.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Thinking of yesterday’s prayer to experience being known, accepted, loved, and embraced by God, I do what I always naturally do and thought of the acronym to go with it. So then I thought to remind myself to eat more KALE–to take moments to remember that I am Known, Accepted, Loved, and Embraced by God. Then I wondered if that scheme would work for me, so I rearranged the words to make LAKE, and thought of how we all need to take a dip in the LAKE regularly to remind us of who we are, our true identities. I’m a nerd. But an accepted nerd.

How does it look for you to take a dip in the LAKE? What is it you regularly need to remind yourself of who you are?

Obviously, there are direct reminders all over Scripture. Perhaps you need to sit with it more, in meditation or memorization. Maybe getting alone for prayer, distraction-free every day. Maybe you need to get outside everyday and soak in God’s beauty. Maybe to hear and share stories with others of how God is at work in lives. It will look a little different for all of us, I’m sure. It’s so vital to keep coming back to who we are in Christ, to how God sees us. Sitting each day for a few minutes focused on how God sees you could be a game-changer for you.

Science is telling us more and more about this. That our identities come from who we love and who we feel love from. That is what shapes us most, not principles. Rarely does someone live as passionately about a principle as they do a person. So much of this goes back to appreciation. A friend the other day expressed some deep, heartfelt, and specific appreciation for me. And I felt on top of the world, validated. Simultaneously loved, known, accepted, and embraced. It’s that stuff that keeps us going and therefore is so important for us to encourage one another with to keep us going on the right path. It’s tough to keep going if you don’t feel appreciated. And since people will no doubt let us down, make sure you ultimately perform for an audience of One.

So I’m seeing more and more clearly how we need to live out of the Divine Embrace not just mandates. Very few people just start changing their thinking and making different choices without being touched by Love.

Here’s some interesting thoughts to chew on from Joy Starts Here, from people who have studied this stuff for over a couple decades now:

“Much of what we read about the brain is an updated version of what the Western church has been overusing for the last 400 years. The solution of Western culture the last 400 years is that we should make better choices by thinking better thoughts. The brain is used for thinking and choices so this seems totally logical and has instant appeal. The new literature on the brain has picked up the observation that emotions are fundamental to the brain and body. The brain requires emotions for processing experiences properly so many new books add emotions as the new ingredient to the old solution of thinking better thoughts and making better choices. The new load for our thinking and choices is that if we choose our thoughts carefully, we will control the emotions that run our brain and body system. Thoughts and choices become the solution to controlling emotions…

” While this sounds good and our choices do affect us, our identities are not formed by choices but by the bonds we experience. Who we share mutual mind states with and who we love will shape our choices more than the other way around. Attachments are at the center of our identities. It is very hard to make changes by simply thinking and choosing differently. Try to change the character of how young adults eat by telling them to think more about nutrition and make better choices. But watch what happens when they begin to love and attach to someone and we will see thoughts, feelings, and choices changing in a hurry. Think of anyone who fell in love and how they change schools, politics, friends, and are suddenly interested in Japanese art!

“The brain is much more concerned about who we love than what we think. Emotions and attachments rapidly change our reality…The attachment system in the emotional right hemisphere of the brain has the direct control of our identities and emotions and it is only indirectly influenced by thoughts and choices…

“While there is every reason to think good thoughts and make good choices, these are not the secret to developing mature Godly character. Training our brain’s relational identity center to live in joy and shalom works directly while thoughts and choices can only work indirectly and inefficiently to transform identities.”

Oh the immense brilliance of Jesus stating that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength….for all of life flows from that center.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

You are too much! You overwhelm me! Praying before lectio divina this morning, I uttered the words, “May I experience being known, accepted, loved, and embraced as I come to You naked, laid bare before You.” The words almost seemed to be given more than thought. Then I open to Hebrews to see where I was for my reading today, and it is the section of 4:11-13 where I read, “All are naked, laid bare before the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account.” Are you serious?? I felt Your presence and peace more tangibly than I have for some time. I came to You this morning more agenda-free and less results-oriented than I have in a while. And oh the freedom it brings! How You showed me You are with me in every bit the same capacity as You’ve always been, especially as I’ve experienced in the last four years. 

I felt a true intercourse with You and yet more affirmation to live contemplatively. More permission I cannot deny, more freedom in being laid bare before You. To take that hour, two, or more every single day for contemplation. As You’ve shown me, everything flows from that, and flows freely. You told me this morning, concerning what to do and who to be with, that You will show me as I obey and spend this time with You alone. And my trust in You, in this, is secure and as firm as anything I’ve felt and known. I feel free of so much. I don’t have to do or keep up with anything, but this. With You. I can trust You and what You’re doing and simply do what You put before me daily, seeing and hearing clearly as I sit and listen to You at Your feet.

Oneness. That is what I seek via intercourse with Your Trinitarian fellowship. This You also showed me clearly. My seeking has always been about oneness, and oneness with You. Slow down and just be. You’ve got everything. Do only what I hear from You, like all those in the Bible. Like Your Son. As You did, Jesus (John 5:19, 8:28). You never acted on Your own initiative, but said only what the Father taught You. You’ll show me what to write, who to call, what to do. For me, the only way to hear this clearly though, is to take the time to sit with You. This is unmistakeable.

Your presence is amazing. Your lovingkindness overwhelming.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Why?

If you have children, would you rather have them please you or trust you?

Why?

If they trust you, are you pleased with them?

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria