Stepping Off The Cliff

I frequently hear people say “God is never going to give you more than you can handle” when I have faced an overwhelming circumstance. All I can say is “hogwash!” More often than not, God has allowed things to enter my life that I could not remotely handle. I also have plenty of friends who would say the same thing with the circumstances they have faced in their lives. I’m sure each one of us can relate, at least to one degree or another. We all have had occasions in our lives that we have felt like we were drowning. I truly believe that God allows our worlds to “fall apart” just so that we come to the end of ourselves and to the beginning of Him.

I was thinking the other day about how God has asked my family to step off the cliff (spiritually speaking). In the natural, selling everything we owned, leaving a steady job, being forced to rely on the generous giving of others each month for our survival, and uprooting our entire family to one of the poorest countries in the world was God’s way of saying “step off the cliff.” It’s as if the Lord’s voice echoed “I dare you to leave everything sensible in this world and take a leap of faith that will cause you to be completely out of control. Yes, it will absolutely be more than you can handle, but watch what I can do with the things you can’t do.” 

When God called us to Liberia, there was no promise that my kids would not get sick and die, there was no promise that money would keep coming to sustain us, there was no promise that things were going to be okay. In other words, when God called our family to step off the cliff, He did not give us a parachute or a harness and rappelling ropes for us to bail ourselves out. There were no safety nets under us or helicopters standing in the waiting for our rescue. When God called us to step off the cliff, there was no turning back. The Lord dared our family to step out knowing that we had no chance of stepping back onto the safety and security of our comfort zones, aka, the cliff in which we we had left behind.

Two years after stepping off this cliff, our family would absolutely say that there have been many times we felt like we were free falling out of control. But, even in the midst of the falling, we are continually reminded that our lives are not falling apart, but rather falling into place. Stepping out when the ground beneath is unable to be seen is a scary place. But we have learned that when the Lord calls us to step off the cliff, it absolutely will be more than we can handle, but it will never be more than God can handle. And that my friend, is all the safety net we will ever need!

Call to Action

What is God calling you to step into and leave behind? I encourage you today to seek the Lord and find out what step of faith He is calling you into next. May the Lord birth in your heart the desire to step off the cliff of faith and never look back.

Heavenly Father I thank you for calling us into places of unknown, places that require us to take leaps of faith, to step off the cliff and give surrender some things in our lives. Show us the cliff you have for each of us to step off of in your kingdom. Fill us with the faith that draws us to the end of ourselves and into the beginning of you. We pray against the temptation to stay in our comfort zones, but to step out and free fall into your perfect will for our lives. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

Respecting Leadership

“In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” Exodus 16:2

“Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”Exodus 16:8

Not grumbling 
Moses and Aaron did nothing more than deliver the very words of God directly to the people and yet they chose to complain rather than yield. The truth be told, when we choose to gripe and complain about our leaders when they are simply delivering the word of the Lord, we are doing nothing more than opposing God Himself. By being a constant critic of our leadership, we are essentially telling God that He is not big enough to work through our leaders to teach and strengthen the body. In other words, our grumbling screams directly into the ear of Christ that we know better than He does about what is best for His flock and for us. Ouch! I don’t know about you, but when I see the kind of collateral damage that a grumbling spirit can do, it makes me want to keep quiet, sit back and watch what the Lord is going to do as He speaks through those in leadership positions. Please don’t misunderstand me here, I certainly am not expecting those God has placed in leadership to hear His voice with 100% accuracy all of the time. However, if the hearts of our leaders are submitted to our Heavenly Father and they are submitted to others out of reverence for Christ, (Ephesians 5:21) then we can walk in a greater confidence knowing that our leaders truly have heard from the Lord. It is an entirely different can of worms if our leaders will not submit to others. However, my desire for this post is to point our hearts to the correct response towards our leaders when they line up with God’s word. It is in this vein that I want to take a closer look at our responsibility in respecting leadership.

I love how Paul puts it plainly for us…

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7

Remember your leaders
Paul first off reminds us not to forget our leaders. When was the last time we told our pastor “thank you” or wrote them a note of appreciation? I don’t know about you, but that thought pierces straight through my heart! We seldom remember just how much work our leaders do to keep watch over souls. Being a shepherd  is no little task, take it from someone who actually raised sheep! (I grew up on a farm.) This is serious business here. Our spiritual life in many ways is in their hands and a pastor who understands the depth of this responsibility deserves a “thank you” from time to time! 

Consider the outcome of their way of life
Paul tells us to take a look at the fruit their life is producing, consider it, ponder it, study the fruit. We would be wise to plant the seeds from the Godly fruit we see flowing out of our leaders directly  into our hearts so that we too can produce a Godly fruit. What types of “fruit” am I talking about here? 

Let’s take a look at Galatians 5:22-23. 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

When we see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control flowing out of our leaders, it is always in our best interest to learn how to have those very same things flow out of our hearts as well.

Imitate their faith
I love how Paul tells us to imitate their faith, not imitate them, their behavior, their actions or their personality. I believe Paul was very intentional about choosing faith as our target for imitating. Faith can be played out through a myriad of people, actions, behaviors, and personalities. Our Heavenly Father has created each and every one of us in a very unique way. He did not design us to be carbon copies of each other. He designed us to be uniquely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We are designed to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) not imitators of man. So, when Paul chose this word “faith,” he chose it specifically to direct us to emulate the God within our leaders rather than our leaders themselves.  

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Hebrews 13:17 

Be a joy
We are sometimes quick to forget that our leaders carry a heavy responsibility set upon them by the Lord himself to keep watch over our souls. If we can remember the severity of this responsibility we will inevitably do a better job of  submitting to their leadership. When we are able to submit to their leadership with a peaceful heart, it will allow the weight of their responsibility to be lightened. However, when our mouths are quick to grumble and complain it increases that weight of responsibility upon their shoulders causing their job to become a burden. It amazes me how the very attitude of our hearts can change the atmosphere of the workplace for our leaders. Let’s be quick to check our hearts to make sure we are being a joy not a burden.

“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Respect and honor
This entire post has been showing us ways in which we can respect and honor our leaders. 1 Thessalonians reminds us once again to hold our leaders in the highest regard. They truly carry a weight much heavier than we may ever know. May we remember the magnitude of the responsibilities they chose to pick up when they accepted the beckoning of Christ’s call. Let us not forget that they are keeping watch over our souls, a responsibility that we can make a joyful one or a burden.

Call to Action
Take a few minutes this week to write a note of encouragement to your pastor. It doesn’t need to be anything formal. It can be something as simple as a text message letting them know that you are praying for them and you appreciate all they do. Find a way to let your pastor know that you are thankful for the work they do for the kingdom. Be an encouragement to your leaders this week!

For more reading on this topic read: Submission

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the leaders you have placed in the body of Christ who tend to our very souls. We may never know the extent to which they toil and labor in the kingdom, but help us to honor and respect them, be a joy to them, imitate their faith, remember to encourage them, and most importantly not become someone who grumbles against them. Help us to keep our hearts with all diligence in regards to our leaders. We desire to be a joy to them and not a burden. Show us today the very things we can be doing to bless those you have placed in our lives who are called to watch over our souls. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus.

The Still Small Voice of God

“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” 1 Kings 9:11-13

Several things came to Elijah while standing on Mt. Horeb. The first was a “great and powerful wind that tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks,” but the Lord was not in the wind. Next came an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. A fire came last, but the Lord was not in the fire either. The sound of the Lord’s voice came as a gentle whisper. If Elijah would have not had his ears ready he would have missed the Lord’s voice entirely. This story got my mind wondering how many times I am looking for God to speak in this thunderous, earth shattering, electrifying voice, that I completely miss the subtle whisper of his sweet beckoning. Is it me, or does anyone else expect God to speak with a flashing neon sign that says “this is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21)? I think sometimes our expectation of God’s voice is so far from reality we completely miss the still small whisper that He so desperately desires for our ears to be attuned to. 

“Then the Lord called Samuel. 
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:4-10

Samuel was a young boy of about 11 when he heard God calling to him in the midnight hour. During this time it was rare to hear the voice of the Lord (1 Samuel 3:1). This was largely due to the fact that the prophets had stopped listening. They had rebelled, allowing sin to be their lifestyle rather than the ways of the Lord. Sin blocked God’s voice from entering their ear. This didn’t mean that God had stopped speaking, it simply meant that they had stopped listening by allowing sin to dam up the channel for God’s voice to travel freely. Oh, how this resonates with me! How many times have I dug my heels into the ground of “being right” and in the meantime missing the sound of my Father’s gentle calling. Oh, how sin can easily dam up my ears from that sweet voice. Is anyone else like that, or am I the only one in this boat?

Since Samuel was young and still largely uninfluenced by the rebellious nature of the prophets of his day, he was able to hear the voice of the Lord for himself. However, having no experience in hearing the sound of God’s voice he assumed that it was Eli calling for him. Once Eli realized that it was the Lord, he instructed Samuel to attune his listening ear to what God had to say to him. “Speak, for your servant is listen.” 

How many times do we miss the Lord’s still small voice all because we do not recognize that it is the Lord speaking? I know I am guilty of missing the gentle proddings of God's tender words. Sometimes, I just wish the Lord would scream, shout or yell to get my attention. But I heard it said somewhere that the Lord is a gentleman. His character is not one that will back us into a corner. We will always have the choice to listen for the whisper. But like so many other things in kingdom living, attuning our ears to the sound of God’s voice takes practice, patience, and a willingness to wait. God doesn’t usually speak on our time table. We need to foster an attitude of waiting for His timing.

“ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” Psalm 37:7

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27”14

I truly believe that God is speaking to us all of the time, but somewhere between the distractions of life that cause us to take our eyes of Christ and the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1) blockages are happening. We get so busy with the cares of life, we forget to just be still and wait patiently.

Call to Action
Keeping an attitude of repentance and learning to be still before the Lord will go a long way in helping us to free up any blockages that may occur in our hearing. By allowing the Lord to work in our heart to show us any areas that need adjusting and then making those changes will free up our ears to hear His still small voice. However, this is a practice that we need to continually return to each and every day. This takes time, but God's voice will become clear and frequent when we are diligent in these areas. I want to encourage each one of us, myself included, to humble ourselves before the Lord and work on keeping an attitude of repentance today. Let's also set aside at least 10 minutes of uninterrupted time today to quiet our hearts before the Lord and just listen, not pray with a list of requests, but with no words, be still, quiet and wait. I'm not saying God will speak in those 10 minutes, but if we get ourselves in the habit of doing these things each day, the Lord will meet us!

Heavenly Father, I pray for ears so finely tuned to your voice that when you whisper we will hear it clearly. Help us to keep our hearts humble and in a place of repentance so sin is not blocking your voice from reaching our ears. In all our distractions, may we take the time to be still and quiet our hearts and minds before you. We pray for a greater attentiveness to your still small voice. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. 

To Be Known

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1

What comfort it brings my soul to realize that I am known. The Lord knows me. He knows every intricate detail about me, things I don’t even know about myself. Be assured that the Lord knows you too!

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

In my heart of hearts I can honestly say I am one of His sheep. Knowing this, allows me to lean on the assurance found in these two verses in John chapter 10, that Christ knows me! That word “know” used in both of these verses is the same Greek word (ginosko), meaning to know through personal first hand experience. Christ is saying that He knows His sheep in a very personal first hand, face to face kind of way. He is not saying that He knows us from afar. So often I think of Christ that way, that He loves me from a distance. But that is not what this is saying here. He knows me, up close and personal in a face to face, hand in hand, heart to heart, an intimate relationship kind of way. What a comfort!

“But whoever loves God is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:3

And again, that’s me. I love God! So, therefore I can be assured that I am known by God. As in the last two verses, it is the same Greek word "ginosko". I am known in an up close and personal way. In a way that requires a first hand relationship. 

“But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Galatians 4:9

Paul is correcting the church in Galatia for not keeping themselves free from the things in their old nature. Since I know God and He knows me (as Paul says here) I should desire to keep myself walking in righteousness. However, just like the Galatians, I too find myself “turning back” when I should be fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2 ASV). I find myself “enslaved” when I should be walking in freedom. Because whom the son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Paul also uses that same Greek word here we have been talking about for the word known. 

I am known by Christ. Not in some small, superficial, surfacey kind of way. No, God knows me in a face to face, hand in hand, heart to heart, deep and intimate kind of way. In a way that I don’t even know myself, but I can trust that the one who created me and knows every minute detail about me will slowly but surely reveal to me just how fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) I really am. I thank God for the journey. Sometimes I wish He was quick to reveal His secret truths to my heart, but I somehow have a feeling that if He poured them out all at once instead of one by one, I would not be able to hold them all and most of them would fall through the cracks of my forgetfulness. So, in His amazing graciousness He slowly and methodically reveals one truth at a time so that each truth becomes part of my identity and I will no longer question who I am, but will rest in who's I am! 

Call to action
Let’s write these verses on the walls of our hearts so that we can rehearse them in our moments of doubt. May we learn to rest in the assurance that our Heavenly Father knows each one of us so intimately and completely. Let’s take some time each day this week to rehearse Psalm 139:1, John 10:14-15 and John 10:27. May the Lord reveal to our hearts how intimately, passionately and deeply He knows each one of us this week.

For more encouragement read: You Are Royalty, Masterpiece (Part 2), You Have Purpose, Love Series

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you know us. Thank you for knowing us on the deepest level possible. Thank you for not being afraid of the secrets we keep hidden and locked away in the inmost parts of our hearts where no person could ever possibly visit if they tried. But you’ve been there and seen every hurt and scar and you’re not surprised by any of it. Thank you for knowing each one of us face to face and heart to heart. We pray that you help us to believe you when you tell us that you know us. Help us to write these verses on the walls of our hearts so that they can become part of our identity. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.