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Maintaining Relationships From A Place Of Sonship

February 17, 2011 in Identity 23

Harbour Church Relationship Seminar

Last week I told you about a relationship seminar that we had in my church. I taught a break-out session for the single men. For all those that prayed for me let me just say, I FELT it. Thank you so much for your support. I feel like it went fantastic.

The initial sign up was 17 guys. After everything was said and done, we packed 42 single men into a tiny little classroom. I was thrilled!

As promised, I’m posting the audio of the teaching and the outline as well. Man or woman, I think you’ll find some good stuff here. Most of it is general relationship principles that apply to both men and women.

Scan through the notes and if you get to actually listen to the teaching, I’d love your feedback!

Teaching Audio

Teaching Outline

Overcoming The Spirit Of Fear

February 9, 2011 in Identity 50

Erase Fear

I recently had an opportunity to teach on a trip to Brazil. As I was preparing to share a message in front of 350 Brazilians, fear gripped me. This would be by far the largest group of people I had ever spoken in front of.

My pastor had spoken two days before and absolutely crushed it. The next day he was followed up by my friend Ryan and he knocked it out of the park as well. Now it was my turn.

I’m not much of a “preacher” in the sense of an exhorter or encourager with my message. I’m a teacher through and through. I am passionate but it never takes precedence over the meat of what I want to teach. I never want to distract anyone with myself for fear of them losing focus of the message. No one else that spoke before me had my style. I wondered how I would fare.

As I was preparing, the Lord was showing me how fear relates to our identity. Fear is the single most destructive force warring against the sons and daughters of God. It seeks to strip us of power, strip us of love and cause us to lose all sense of control of who we are. Fear robs us of our identity in Christ and ultimately causes us to bring down others with us. Because after all, misery loves company.

We all know the single most popular verse in regards to fear:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

As I read this verse, the Lord began to illuminate these 3 things to me in a deeper way. If he didn’t give us a spirit of fear, then clearly he DID give us a spirit of power, a spirit of love and a spirit of self-control.

The Spirit of Power

Power is linked to authority. Matthew 10:1 says that Jesus gave his disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. If the disciples operated in fear, there is no way they could have used the authority they had been given.

In a more practical sense, I got this illustration. In my church, at times I teach the 1st-5th graders. I’ve been given authority over them. The funny thing about kids though, is that they can smell fear. If I don’t walk into that room with confidence and authority, they will run all over me. Even though I have been given authority over them, if I don’t exercise it, they will recognize my weakness and take advantage. I believe the illustration applies to our walk with the Lord.

Fear strips us of power. It strips us of the authority Jesus has given us as sons and daughters. Skip forward in Matthew 10 and verse 7-8 says “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (emphasis mine)

The disciples had been commissioned to preach the kingdom of heaven. They had been given authority to bring it with them. It had been given to them freely for the purpose of them giving it out freely. You can’t give what you don’t have. Fear will close your hands to the power you have been given.

The enemy does not want us to understand the power we have. He will use fear to strip us of our authority. We become so preoccupied with a sense of worthlessness, failure, false humility and everything else we say about ourselves that we can’t accept the authority that has been “freely given”. When you see the world walking all over Christians, you can bet those sons and daughters are operating in a spirit of fear. God wants us free from fear and operating in the spirit of power. This is our inheritance.

The Spirit of Love

Love and fear are enemies. Love is the antithesis of fear. Love in it’s purest form is unequivocally devoid of fear. John, the apostle of love, (Which by the way is an awesome name. If you call me that, I won’t stop you.) said it decidedly:

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

The spirit of this age has been gunning for the purity of love for a long time. Love has been warped, perverted and twisted in so many ways that pure love is looked upon as naiveté.

One of the ways fear manifests in love is through control. What we fear, we try to control. Our relationships suffer due to fear and insecurities. It can manifest through jealousy, anger, selfishness and many other ways. However when fear is removed, we can operate in the spirit of love. We have the ability to love the unlovable. We can love our enemies. We can love those that do not show grace. When we are free from fear, we can love as we are loved by the One who loves perfectly.

The Spirit of Self-Control

As I said before, fear manifests itself in control. When we attempt to control others, it is damaging. However, when we operate in a spirit of self-control, we are only concerned with managing our own heart.

The spirit of self-control gives us the ability to maintain the internal environment of our heart. It gives us the ability to respond to situations as opposed to reacting to situations. James 1:19 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” This can only be accomplished when we are freed from fear and operate in the spirit of self-control.

The Spirit of Adoption

So how do we break off the spirit of fear and walk in the spirit of power, love and self-control?

Yup, you guessed it. It’s all about identity. When you know who you are, you will understand what you have been given. That’s why Paul talks about the spirit of adoption:

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” ~Romans 8:15-17

It is vital that we understand the spirit of adoption because it defines who we are. We can embrace the truth that as His sons and daughters, we no longer have the spirit of slavery which leads to fear.

Until you understand that you are an heir of the kingdom, you will continue to live like an orphan. Only orphans live in fear because they have no one to care for them. We are not orphans. This isn’t something we have to strive for. It is ours. We simply have to receive it.

I went through a time where I had to repent from the spirit of fear. The word repent literally means “change of mind”. Once I had the shift in my mindset to the reality of my position as a son of God, I began to realize that I was no longer subject to fear. The enemy comes with intimidation tactics, but he is really just like those little kids that I teach in the children’s ministry. Once I stand my ground, he has to flee (James 4:7). It’s time for the sons and daughters of God to take their place and resist the spirit of fear!

Are you living under a spirit of fear or living as a child of God?

Choosing To Change

January 25, 2011 in Identity 41

Welcome to the guest post extravaganza! First up is my good friend Mo. I can’t remember how I came across his site but the first time I did, I probably read 10 of his posts. I think I’m subscribed to the comment thread of every post since then. He is a storyteller with a unique blend of wit and the sly ability to sneak in powerful lessons. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be a teacher. Of course, when you’re a kid, the only adults you know are teachers (other than your parents maybe, who don’t count because you’ve heard them swear). I was pretty gung ho about it until I was 15, when I got a job with a friend’s dad, who was an engineer. And just like that, my future identity changed from teacher to engineer.

Then, when I was about to graduate from college, I met a patent lawyer and saw that he drove a Corvette, so my future identity changed again. I was going to go to law school and become a patent lawyer! And buy a Corvette! And some driving gloves! I actually told people I was going to do it. Driving gloves. It was serious.

But, it never happened. I decided I didn’t want to deal with the LSAT, so I went to grad school instead. And over the next 10 years, my identities spanned graduate student, teacher, engineer, Christian, husband, and frequent snacker.

And one thing I learned through all that change was that most of those “identities” never really defined me at all. Whether I was chasing a particular career or a particular girl, I was still basically the same person: same fears, same strengths, same motivations, same insecurities. And that’s probably a good thing in the end. People who identify themselves only by their current situation — constantly changing their friends, their wardrobe, their opinions — are exhausting to be around.

Of course, there were exceptions; some changes really did change who I was, down to my core. Getting married was one – but not the biggest.

The biggest was deciding to follow Christ, which I did when I was 26. That was big for me because it represented a conscious change to the way I’d lived my life up to that point. A lot of things came into clearer focus: how to live, how to love, what to avoid, etc. In the midst of a lot of superficial change, that was one lasting and profound change.

The crazy thing is, I didn’t have to change my core identity when I became a Christian, or even a husband. I could have kept the same essential habits, patterns, and views; it could have been like any of the other many identity changes I experienced. In fact, I know folks — husbands and Christians alike – who live just this way. And you know what? They’re missing out. The sacrifice of marriage, and the commitment of a life for Christ, makes you stronger, wiser, and mighty.

And that’s the key – real core change is a choice. I chose to let Christ change who I really was. I chose to redefine myself around a shared life with my wife. I chose.

As you move forward through your life, what are you allowing to change you? Are you changing for Christ, or the world? Are you changing at all, or stubbornly stuck in a rut?

Me? I’ve got my driving gloves on. My ’02 Taurus isn’t exactly a Corvette, but gets me where I need to go. And in the meantime, Christ redefines me every day because I let him.

Now if only I could do something about the snacking…

What’s something that changed your core identity, other than your faith? Having that mole removed doesn’t count.

Don’t forget to check out Mo’s blog “The Blogging” and follow him on the Twitter.

Why Jesus Wept

January 18, 2011 in Identity 40

It is the shortest verse in the Bible. It is the one verse that everyone has memorized, but may not be able to cite. John 11:35: “Jesus wept”. But why did He weep? I’ll attempt to explain why and possibly fix a little bit of theology along the way.

To understand why Jesus wept, we have to look at two related stories. The first one is about Mary and Martha which you have no doubt heard countless times and in various ways. It is a powerful and poignant story. One that I’ll need to recount to set the context.

Mary & Martha

It’s the story of two sisters; one distracted from too much serving and the other sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to His teaching (Luke 10:38-42). If you’ve been a Christian long enough, you have heard many sermons about these sisters. The story has really spoken to me over the years as I’ve struggled with the whole works-based mentality. I’ve had a tendency to be anxious and troubled about many things when I should choose the good thing.

I believe Mary knew that there were things to be done. However, she chose to be at the feet of Jesus. She understood what was more important. She wasn’t worried about impressing Jesus by making sure everything was perfect. She just wanted to hear His words. She wanted to be close to Him.

Martha gets a bad rap but I completely empathize with her plight. If she doesn’t get things done, who will? The problem I’ve had is leaning too far towards the “responsible” end. So much that I’ve missed out on fun and enjoyable things because I was “getting things done”.

I don’t think Mary was irresponsible in the sense that she didn’t think those other things needed to be done. She just understood the “good portion”. Sometimes you have to just let things be so you don’t miss out on the “one thing necessary”. I love how Jesus says that it will not be taken away from her.

Death of Lazarus

With this account of Mary & Martha at the forefront of your mind, let’s look at another passage. John 11 tells the miraculous story of when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. This is where we find another encounter with Jesus and the two sisters. The results are much more dramatic.

At the beginning of the chapter Lazarus is ill and the sisters send for Jesus to come. The author makes a point of identifying Mary as the one “who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair”. I’ll get back to that.

Jesus tarries for two more days before coming to Bethany to see Lazarus. He tells the disciples that he is well aware that Lazarus is dead and that He is going to raise him from the dead. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus had been dead for four days.

Jesus encounters both sisters and while they say the same exact thing to Him, the replies are very different.

Martha’s Theology

While Jesus was about two miles away, Martha goes out to meet him while Mary stays at the house (interesting). Let’s look at the interaction. It is a bit long but you really have to see what happens here:

“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” John 11:21-27

I don’t know about you but I read this in a very matter-of-fact tone. At first glance, it looks like Martha is saying all of the right things. Lazarus is dead but she professes that even still, anything that Jesus asks, God will give. She even gives some solid theology about the resurrection. I look at that and give her props! Good word, Martha!

But Jesus knows the heart. Look at what He asks her. He says “I am the resurrection…Do you believe this?” (emphasis mine) Again, her response is spot on. But why did Jesus ask her that in the midst of her mourning?

I believe He wanted to address her theology. Hers was a theology of the mind. She said all the right words but she didn’t know His heart. You can’t tell this by her words but Jesus knew Martha’s heart. She was the one that lost sight of the “one thing that is necessary”. I believe that one thing is intimacy with Jesus.

Mary had it, let’s look at her encounter with Jesus.

Mary’s Heart

Mary's Heart

Notice that in verse 28 Jesus calls for Mary. Again, interesting difference in how Martha went out to Jesus with her words.

Okay now check this out, Mary says the exact same thing that Martha says to Jesus. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus saw her weeping and “He was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled”. After He asks where they have laid Lazarus, we see the shortest verse in the Bible:

Jesus wept.

My heart is pumping hard in my chest just writing this. Jesus is overwhelmed with compassion in His heart. He weeps with Mary in her hour of despair. He loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus intensely. He knew the very thing He came for was to raise Lazarus from the dead. And still, He wept.

Mary’s response to Jesus wasn’t in an attempt to have the “right” answer. She believed that if Jesus was there, He would have healed Lazarus. Jesus didn’t need to correct her theology. Mary had the theology of intimacy. She knew His heart. I believe that is what moved Jesus to weep.

Identity & Access

Last week I talked about how John’s intimacy with Jesus was what gave him access to know what Jesus was doing before anyone else. I believe here Mary has access to Jesus’ heart.

Mary’s love wasn’t based on intellectual theology or book knowledge. It was more than just knowing the facts about why Jesus came and what kind of power He has. It was more than serving or works. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His teaching but more than that, she anointed him with oil and wiped his feet with her hair. She moved His heart with her love.

Now I am all for loving Jesus with my mind. I spent years studying theology and I still love it to this day. But knowing facts and knowing the person of Jesus Christ are two very different things. It concerns me when information about Jesus is exalted about revelation of Jesus’ love for us.

Experience with Jesus is being sacrificed on the altar of intellect.

I am a firm believer that our identity is rooted in His love for us. Knowledge is great but it also puffs up while love builds up (1 Cor 8:1). If a relationship with Jesus is not rooted and grounded in love, it is just a clanging cymbal.

Jesus’ response to the sisters is telling. He responds to theology with even better theology. He responds to love with even deeper love.

He tells Martha that one thing is necessary. Will you choose the good portion?

Oh How He Loves Me

January 11, 2011 in Identity 43

Most of us can relate to Peter. We know him as zealous, passionate, prideful and most notably…the one who denied Jesus. But can we relate to John? Peter’s identity was in how much he professed to love Jesus. John’s identity was in being the beloved of Jesus.

In the Gospel of John, he refers to himself five times as “the disciple whom Jesus loved:

“One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus” John 13:23

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” John 19:26

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” John 20:2

That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. John 21:7

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” John 21:20

I’ll be honest. There was a time when I was a little offended at reading this Gospel. I thought “What audacity John had to refer to himself in that way!” I felt it was a prideful to make it look like he was Jesus’ favorite.

Get Behind Me Satan!

The problem with finding our identity in our love for God or what we do for Him is that inevitably, we will fall short. Jesus told us to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48). Even with all the striving in the world, you won’t reach that perfection through your effort. You have to find the source of power to live as Jesus required.

We love Peter’s zeal and his boldness but the source of it was misplaced. His zeal came from his own effort. Jesus gives him a number of rebukes (most notably Matt: 16:23) to teach him this lesson. Zeal and passion are great and I would argue, even necessary. But if it is rooted in the wrong place, you may one day receive a “get behind me Satan” rebuke from the Lord. I know I don’t ever want to hear that. Yikes!

The Power of His Love

I love how Kingdom principles are so counter-cultural and an absolute paradox to human thinking. Remember JFK’s famous quote about serving your country? I would say that Kingdom principles flip that whole quote on it’s head:

Say not how much you love Jesus, but how much He loves you.

I already see you ready to object! Isn’t that how we’re programmed? But before you do, answer me this: “Is there anything we can do for God apart from His power working in us?”

I believe John found the source of that power. He found that power in how Jesus loved him. I don’t think John believed that Jesus loved him more than the other apostles. John’s capacity to receive Jesus’ love was expanded. Once John allowed himself to receive His love, he began referring to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. That became his identity.

Intimacy With Jesus

I want to show you something from the first reference John makes. They are eating around the table, partaking of the last supper. John was reclining close to Jesus. Another translation says “reclining on Jesus’ bosom”. What an intimate gesture!

I picture that little boy that will not stay off his father’s lap. The one that does everything just to be close to daddy. Now I know we are talking about two grown men here, but take in this scene in your mind’s eye. John was leaning right up against Jesus as they ate. This is a seriously intimate friendship that he shared with Jesus.

Jesus had just finished saying that one of the disciples would betray him. Since John is in such an intimate place with the Lord, this is what happens:

“so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, ‘Lord, who is it?’” John 13:24-25

Jesus tells John but no one else. He must have whispered it into his ear since he was so close. You can deduct that he only told John because no one else knew that it was Judas. Otherwise, as soon as Judas dipped the bread after Jesus they would have said something.

When you are the beloved of Jesus, you have access.

John was so close to Jesus that he was able to ask Him this in secret. Jesus told John before anyone else found out. Peter didn’t have the same place of intimacy with the Lord at that moment so he had to ask John to ask Him.

How He Loves Us

If you listen to any kind of Christian music, the chances are pretty good that you’ve heard the song “How He Loves Us“. It was written by John Mark McMillan. Most have heard the David Crowder Band (edited) version. Some have heard Kim Walker’s version on the Jesus Culture album We Cry Out. Many have heard the version from John’s album “The Medicine.” None of these are my favorite.

The original version was from his album called The Song Inside The Sounds of Breaking Down. It is raw and has stripped down production. He chokes up at the end of the song and I love that it isn’t edited out. You hear the nakedness of his faith. It is exposed and without makeup. It is the sound of a man who realizes that he is loved.

You can listen to it here.

This song changed my life. I don’t think I can listen to it all the way through without weeping. There is so much healing in this song because it marks a shift in my life. The shift from striving to receiving. I went from trying to be something for God, to letting Him love me. I’ve found my identity not in how I love Him, but how He loves me.

There is power in His love. His love enables us to do everything He’s asked. Not only does it enable us to do it, but because we’re loved, it’s easy.

I pray that today He expands your capacity to receive His love.

Do you believe that He loves you the way John did or are you striving like Peter?

Spiritual Calisthenics

December 14, 2010 in Identity 39

Breathe & Stop

In 9th grade I made the high school basketball team. It was a pretty big deal because it wasn’t easy to make the cut. I was excited to play with the other guys and see how well we all meshed. I anticipated the first day of practice to be like the Dream Team preparing for the Olympics.

The first day of practice we all arrived ready to show our skills, talking amongst ourselves about the upcoming season. When we looked around, we realized that all the basketballs were conspicuously absent. Our coach then lectured us about discipline and conditioning. He wanted to see what we were doing to keep ourselves in shape over the summer. Then we ran.

We ran laps, we ran up and down the stairs, we ran suicide drills. We stopped to take a water break and some of the guys actually threw up in the trash can (don’t look at me, I would never do that). Then we got back on the court and ran again. We ran for two hours straight. We ended the practice and he said “Good job guys, we’ll see you at the same time tomorrow.”

Guess what we did the next day? Yeah, we ran. We ran for two weeks straight. We didn’t make one layup, shoot one jumpshot or run one play. We grumbled, we complained under our breath and some of us were ready to quit. When the coach would catch wind of our complaining, he would make us run even harder. It was really bad.

“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” ~Hebrews 12:11

I’ve been through some pretty rough things over the course of my life. I failed, I’ve backslidden, I’ve even lost things that I felt like I didn’t deserve to lose. I’ve been faithful and still suffered pain and loss. I’ve been frustrated, anxious and even angry at God.

They say that hindsight is 20/20. Now that I look back at all those difficult things in my life, I realize it wasn’t punishment. It was training. Before anything is approved, it has to be tested.

There are times that I’ve looked at the discipline of the Lord as punishment. I felt condemned. But it was really just me condemning myself (Romans 8:1). God didn’t want me to suffer because I deserved to hurt. It was to prove that everything I believed was real. He knew what He deposited in me and He wanted to find it approved.

I remember the first game of my season in the 9th grade. We got on the court and ran up and down on those guys. We out-hustled our opponent on just about every play. We were in top physical condition. We had trained for this. We were ready. We were victorious.

If you are in the middle of a difficult situation right now, I encourage you to understand that God isn’t punishing you. This is your opportunity to shine. His heart is to see your faith approved. He is for you. These suicide drills are for the perfection of your faith. He is building endurance that will last for eternity.

Have you ever felt like you were going through spiritual calisthenics? What sport can you relate to?

Calling Out Greatness In Others

November 18, 2010 in Identity 41

Honor

I was a leader at my previous church. Things were great. Everything in my life seemed perfect. Then it happened.

I had one of those life-altering events that shook me to the very core of my faith. I made some big mistakes and I ended up stepping down from leadership. After a short time, I left that church. Then…everything in my world fell apart.

Fast-forward to 3 years ago. I joined my current church. I was content to sit in the seats. I felt disqualified for what had happened in my life. I was finishing the restoration process in my life but I had some serious questions about if I could ever be in leadership again.

After sitting and serving in small ways, I decided to have a meeting with two of the pastors. I shared my story. I was transparent about what I had been through. I ended the meeting by telling them that I trusted them, I came under their leadership and I gave them permission to speak into my life.

Awhile later, I received a call. It was the call I wasn’t sure I’d ever receive. It was the invitation. I was asked to be an assistant leader in a home fellowship group.

“He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.” ~1 Samuel 2:8

I was reflecting on all this as I begin leading my discipleship group through reading a book called “Culture of Honor” by Danny Silk. Danny states that: “Leaders…understand that their primary role is to empower the saints to know God and walk in the fullness of who He says they are.”

I went through some things in my life that made me forget who I am. I let shame and condemnation disqualify me. The leaders in my life empowered me to walk in the fullness of who God says that I am. Essentially, they were calling out the greatness in me. Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who God says that I am.

The trust that they gave me reminded me that I am not disqualified. They honored me because they knew who God says that I am. That simple act shifted the entire way I view honor.

I want to live a life that calls out the greatness in others around me, especially when they cannot see it. I want to remind those around me of what God says about them, not what they have been through. I want to walk out a culture of honor in my life.

How do you view honor? Are you able to see the greatness in others, even when they have failed?

Write What You Know

October 28, 2010 in Identity 26

Experience is a great teachter

When I first started this blog I debated on what I would write about. I brewed over ideas as I started the process by registering my domain name, purchasing hosting, installing WordPress, importing a template and I finally put the site online. I imported my previous blogs and random writings that I had laying around.

I opened up the Posts section and said to myself, “Where do I start?” Since I naturally gravitate to my gifts as a teacher, I thought maybe I would do what is most comfortable.

When I study the Word, I like to do an exposition of each passage. I look at the historical background, study the original Greek and Hebrew meanings, then find practical life application. That sounds like a good place to start, I figured.

I started to think of scriptures which I had studied recently that I could break down on a post. I wanted to make my first post impressive. But for whatever reason…nothing was coming.

Then I felt like the Lord was saying to me “Write what you know.”

Over the past 5 years, the Lord has done an incredible transformation in my life. I’ve been in the lowest valley and risen to the highest peak all in this span of time. None of what I learned through this period came from an intellectual assent to God’s Word. It was all from hard, painful, sobering, humbling experience.

I’ve had the idea of writing about this for a few weeks and tonight while having dinner with a friend of mine, I pulled this out of a fortune cookie:

“Experience is a great teacher.”

I laughed and thought to myself, yes it’s time for this post.

There is something about the power of testimony that speaks directly to the heart. I can preach a thousand sermons and their sum total will not have the same power as one testimony.

I’ve seen the power of my own testimony when I share it. I’ve had people tell me, “Please pray that what God did in your situation would be what He does in my life. You’ve given me encouragement that there is still hope in my circumstance.”

I don’t think any amount of teaching I could provide can illicit that type of response. And so, that will be what this blog is about. My life, my experiences, His glory.

There are plenty of great teachers out there; most probably a lot more well spoken and knowledgeable than I am. But I have my story; the one God has written for me. It is a story that I want to share if I know just one person can relate and be encouraged.

The verse I’ve been meditating on for the past few weeks was given to me by a friend in my home fellowship group. I was talking about the power of testimony and he gave me Romans 15:17-18. It really resonated with me but I like the version in The Message even better:

“Looking back over what has been accomplished and what I have observed, I must say I am most pleased—in the context of Jesus, I’d even say proud, but only in that context. I have no interest in giving you a chatty account of my adventures, only the wondrously powerful and transformingly present words and deeds of Christ in me that triggered a believing response among the outsiders.”

The way I teach has shifted dramatically. There is no posturing or haugty arrogance in how much I know. Just the simple testimony of what God has done in my life.

I have determined to write what I know and listen to the testimony of others on issues I haven’t experienced. I pray that as you read my stories, you are encouraged.

Have you witnessed the power of testimony? Are you comfortable sharing your testimony with others?

Reborn All Over Again

October 14, 2010 in Identity 2

My first guest post!

I have the honor of guest posting over at my buddy Mo’s blog today. I’m sharing a little bit of my testimony and how I’ve been through a process of continual rebirth in my walk with the Lord. I’d love for you to check out the post over at The Blogging. Be sure to follow Mo on Twitter. Mostly because he’s awesome.

Here’s the post: Reborn All Over Again

See you there!

Shame On You

October 5, 2010 in Identity 35

Shame On You

I was dog-sitting for my sister last week while she was out of town. Her dog is a beautiful little schnauzer/wheaten terrier mix named Nala. She is still a puppy and while she’s pretty much house broken, she still has accidents.

Typically I walk her in the morning after feeding her and she is fine all day until around 5pm. One afternoon, I go into the kitchen to get something to drink and I feel a splash on my feet. Yes, you guessed it…I stepped barefoot in pee. Just as I scream in frustration, she peeks her head around the corner of the kitchen with a big goofy grin.

Now as rage fills my brain, I flashback to how we used to punish my first dog. I remember we used to rub his nose in his business. We thought that this would scare him into not doing it inside again. Watch enough of the Dog Whisperer though, and you’ll find out that this does much more harm than good. The key is to correct the wrong behavior immediately after it happens. Anything after that is not remembered at all and the punishment is not effective. It just invokes fear into the animal.

Sin & Shame

Shame is one of the most powerful devices the enemy uses against us. It is what keeps us feeling unworthy and can completely lock us into a stronghold. It is really genius how the enemy uses it and we buy right into his strategy.

“I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” John 16:7-8

When we sin, the Holy Spirit brings conviction. A lot of people look at this as some ominous and heavy thing. But if you read the passage in context, the previous verse is talking about the Holy Spirit being our “Helper” or “Comforter” (paraklētos). This means “one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate.”

When we sin we are convicted because the Holy Spirit lives in us. This conviction is intended to lead to repentance.

So when we sin, then we repent, why do we still feel shame? Is that shame coming from the Holy Spirit?

I believe a lot of us think it is. I know I did for a long time.

The Power of Shame

Shame is such a powerful tool for one simple reason, it keeps us focused on our sin. The longer we stay focused on our sin, the longer we feel separated from God. Shame causes us to hide. Shame makes us feel unworthy. Shame keeps us fearful of a vengeful God that could never accept or forgive us until we were completely perfect. Shame is the enemy’s way of rubbing our noses in our business to completely humiliate us.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18

Punishment is the reward of he who is condemned. Shame is condemnation. The Holy Spirit doesn’t condemn because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). Conviction and correction are intended to lead us back to right relationship with God. It is that immediate check in our spirit that says “this is wrong”. I know you feel it. It is subtle and you probably feel it strongly before you even sin. That is God in His love showing you that there is a better way.

If after that conviction you feel a heavy weight of condemnation, that is not of the Lord. God does not want you to run from Him in fear. He wants you to run to Him for forgiveness. He knows that as His son or daughter, you are better than the sin. Jesus died for that sin and you will never be separated from Him.

Allow the Holy Spirit to convict you in His love and lead you back to Him. Don’t allow the enemy to keep you face down in your sin. You don’t have to be there. The price is already paid. He just wants you back in right relationship with Him.

Do you struggle with shame? What do you do to prevent the enemy from rubbing your face in your “business”?

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