Get A Grip! Your Issues Are Showing

“Everybody’s got issues!”  This is a common statement that is often repeated by many. It is most often heard after a behavior as been noted or pointed out. Additionally  it is used to deflect the scrutinizing glare of someone who is making us feel uncomfortable. 

Isn’t it tragic that so many of us are  in denial about what we  really do?  The very nature of  our issues are self-defeating.  We hurt ourselves and others.  But, the reality is we can recover from such behavior.  However, we must first want too recover.   Many of us simply keep on going through life with little consideration for the impact of our words and actions. 

The word recover/recovery has almost become as distasteful as issues themselves. This is a result of the comments of the uninformed.

The Far Country

Have you ever taken a long trip as a child and wondered how long will it take to get to your destination?   It seemed so far and it felt like you were riding for ever. Every journey taken is not a long one. The prodigal son took a trip to the far country. It did not take him long to arrive.

A trip to the far country mentioned in the scriptures does not require a plane ticket nor a bus ride. It does not even require an expensive pair of walking shoes. One can arrive into the far country simply by thoughts and desires.

The far country is forgetfulness of God. You can reach it in a few seconds. So many Christians today have been reduced to spiritual ineptness because of the far country.

The far country is forgetting God. We are mandated by the scriptures “to acknowledge the Lord in all of our ways”. The moment the prodigal thought about getting his inheritance from his living father, the selfish and self serving thoughts projected him to a place far from the will of God. 

The far country is a place where prayer meetings are not a priority. The far country does not boast of the saving power of the blood of Christ. In the far country no one looks each other in the eye and senses the hope of the cross. The far country is not the place to sing friendship with Jesus and fellowship Devine.

This place is a virtual pit of obscurity. I want better for the ones I love. Therefore I seek the Lord with my whole heart and I call upon him  to be saved from my own issues and weaknesses. The Bible says “ He will keep us in perfect peace whose mind is centered upon him.

The Character of God

R.C. Sproul writes in his book the Holiness of God “The mysterious character of God is contained in the Latin word Augustus.” To be August is to be awe-inspiring or awful. The study of the character of God will tend to hold us in awe while at the same time it brings feelings of terror. God’s nature requires fairness and goodness. God’s character is one of righteousness or right doing. The requirements that the eternal Father has for humanity emanate from the core of his being, his character. Holiness is the pertinent element of God’s being. It sets the God of sacred scriptures apart from any other god. The God of the Holy Bible mandates through scriptures the necessity of understanding holiness. It was once said, “A reputation is what people think you are, your character is what you are.” Unfortunately many only know God through the eyes of others. In a sense they know Him only by reputation.

Too often, relationships with God have suffered because of improper representations. J.I. Packer writes in his book Knowing God, “Those who know God have great thoughts of God. There is not space enough here to gather up all that the book of Daniel tells us about the wisdom, might, and truth of the great God who rules history and shows His sovereignty in acts of judgment and mercy towards individuals and nations according to His own pleasure. Suffice it to say that there is, perhaps, no more vivid or sustained presentation of the many-sided reality of God’s sovereignty in the whole Bible…. Is this how we think of God? Is this the view of God, which our own praying expresses? Does this tremendous sense of His holy majesty, His moral perfection, and His gracious faithfulness keep us humble and dependent, awed and obedient, as it did Daniel? By this test, too, we may measure how much, or how little we know God”.

How well do we really know or understand the holy God? Are we interested in only His reputation, or will we pursue a course that connects us with His character?

My Experience

I was playing basketball with a relative and I was inadvertently hit in the throat by an elbow. I was stunned by the blow and backed out of the game a short while later. After a week of being hoarse and unable to communicate properly I went to see a physician who later sent me to a specialist. I was informed that I should see a speech pathologist. I learned from all of this that that the trauma I experienced while playing basketball affected the way I was breathing.

Please note the following definitions with regard to trauma.

• Physical trauma, an often serious and body altering physical injury, such as the removal of a limb.
• Psychological trauma, an emotional or psychological injury, usually resulting from an extremely stressful or life-threatening situation.
• Post-cult trauma, the intense emotional problems that some members of cults and new religious movements experience upon disaffection and disaffiliation.
• Blunt force trauma, a type of physical trauma caused by impact or other force applied from or with a blunt object.
• Penetrating trauma, a type of physical trauma in which the skin or tissues are pierced by an object.

My enhanced understanding of trauma prompted me to look at my life with a different perspective. Perhaps some hurts and afflictions have caused hidden trauma. Because trauma is not always recognized immediately, there is the possibility that I may not be able to see just how damaged my perceptions and objectivity have become. Trauma, whether physical or psychological can produce this kind of affect in our lives. Therefore, because of the possibility of skewed perceptions as a result of traumatic experiences, I’ve come the to the realization that I must make myself accountable to a process so that I will not be my own bottom line.

Isaiah’s Trauma

There are other ways to be traumatized. A case in point is portrayed in Isaiah 6. The prophet himself literally became undone in the presence of the absolute Holiness. The power of almighty God swept into the room where Isaiah was standing. The heralded power was noticed by the moving of the door post.

This was not just a move of the spirit as many choose to speak of and yet the moving of the Holy Spirit should never be trivialized. The angels that are placed around the throne of God declared vociferously “Holy, Holy, Holy”. They were proclaiming not merely the entrance of the Lord into the temple, but rather the presence of the Holiness of God of which is also his character.

This exposure to the greatness of his unmitigated glory affected Isaiah in such away that he literally came apart. He was contrite and broken. What a phenomenal experience. His final response to the encounter moved him to respond positively to the question of our Sovereign “who shall we send, and who will go for us?”

It is the trend of many popular television preachers to deliver sermons that make people feel warm and fuzzy. There seems to be little interest or concern in preaching holiness. It is not popular to preach anything that would remind people of sin. Marketing schemes, television ratings, building and maintaining large congregations have become more important than seeking an encounter with the holiness of God.

The holiness of God can and will be traumatizing to our flesh and its propensities. In the absolute presence of God, the desire to sin goes away. Ask yourself the question why am I still giving in to ungodly urges and unsavory ways?

Stay tuned for more…

Brokenness – Part 2

Why is the practice of brokenness so essential to our daily walk?

 

Simply put, the body of Christ was offered up as a sacrifice for the atonement of my sin. There is no other way to have my sin removed but by the shed blood of Christ. Brokenness or the breaking of my heart over sin then becomes a sacrifice of acknowledgment. The Bible says, “if you cover your sins ye shall not prosper, but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.” I am acknowledging my sin and the fact of my blood guiltiness. In the wrong spiritual state I say and do things of a spirit that sheds innocent blood. I become guilty of leading the lame out of the way. The blind leading the blind. I may have been sincere, none-the-less there is a trail of statements, actions and behaviors that came from having the wrong spirit or not being broken. There is blood on my hands. Luk 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

My need for brokenness is my acknowledgment that I choose not to be left in this destructive state. I am longing for suitable affections toward my God and my Lord. I am bringing a charge against my own fleshy ways and suing for the disposition of gracious. A heart not broken is a soul in the far country where the spirit of a man cannot sing friendship with Jesus and fellowship Divine. There in the far country is forgetfulness of God.

A heart not broken is a life potentially dangerous to the mission we pursue as believers. A heart not broken cannot be the effective conduit for sinner to be converted. A heart not broken is viewed as carnal mindedness. In this position you are not subject to the law of God and neither can you be.

Only those who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and the danger they pose to the kingdom will give God anything or everything. Here is a news flash God does not want your burnt offerings. He does not want the animals you fed, the clothes you purchased, nor the place you hold in society. Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

He wants all of you all the time. He does not want to be first in your life he wants to be the center of your life.

Brokenness – Part 1

The Fifty-first Psalms tells us much of the difficulty that rebellion and sin does to our inner man. It reminds us in less than endearing ways that we have become liars and frauds by pushing an agenda not sired by the heart of God. We must be careful of every path we take, every agenda we follow, and of advice that is given; lest we find ourselves distanced from His will, continuing the journey until we have drifted away from the very will of God.

 

The seventh verse implores God to wash, purge and restore us to a state held before our rebellion. The writer is pleading to have the forfeited pleasures of intimacy and closeness with God restored. Without a doubt, it was sin that robbed the Psalmist of a vital connection. The statement requesting for purging was ceremonial, however, the disposition of the writer is one of being genuinely disturbed by the lack of a productive relationship with our God.

How wonderful it is to discover the lack whenever it exists. The bible speaks of dead works. I wish that everyone would have their conscious cleaned and cleared of the guilt of dead works and the stain it leaves. I look forward to my sin damaged conscious being acquitted by the higher court of God’s holiness. I leaned to my own understanding and went in the wrong direction. Everything I did on that journey resulted in dead works.

We were convinced that we had a good plan and an astounding idea but it was not prayed for, we simply figured it out. The Psalmist’s penitent heart can’t be mistaken. The writer of John’s epistle states “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

How shall we describe this new attitude with sensitivity of the spirit as it’s main concern. It is as the bible states “brokenness”. It is the result of a work done on and in the heart. It is humiliation and a broken heartedness not related to the despair of life. It is a heart pliable to the Word of God. It is a state of being broken from yourself, your pride, and your sin. There is no notion of arrogance for the heart is subdued and brought into obedience through humility.

As we read we discover that the sacrifices that God accepts is this very state of brokenness. It can never be self imposed but it can be maintained through steadfastness in prayer. The very notion of protracted corporate prayer is a turn off to our flesh. The discipline of prayer is not optional in the life of believers.

Unfortunately ministry is attempted without that constant state of brokenness. To pray with the body of believes until there is blending of heart and spirit is a must. Anything else would be simply be carnal activity. There was a time in the life of man I know, that he became pleased and overwhelmed with very little. What was so note worthy is that in his past he had many possessions, and accomplishments. Yet this man became so contented with so little. He experienced the grace of brokenness and was no longer driven by things but only moved by the urging of the spirit. What about you. Do you practice brokenness?

A Time for Reconciliation

Never before has there been a greater opportunity to teach the power and significance of reconciliation and restoration in relationships as guided by the Holy Spirit.

During my nearly 35 years of ministry there have been many milestones. I thank God for the many positive and rewarding events in my life. Unfortunately there were other times that were not my proudest moments. Not only did I fail God during these turbulent times, but I am also painfully aware that I was the cause of hurt and pain for many people. As a believer committed to the principles set forth in the Scriptures, I take every opportunity to “repair the breach” as recorded in the book of Isaiah. According to the recovery paradigm, we are responsible for our actions and thus we must make amends to the people we have mistreated or offended.

If we are interested in reconciliation we then must not focus in on blaming and shaming people. We are looking diligently for a way to reconnect. The pain of separation has to long lived in my heart and spirit. God has called us to unity. Lets look at the scriptures:

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18,19

Jesus took upon himself the weight of the sin of others. We must learn to approach others even if we are the wounded or violated party. We go towards them because Christ has gladly and joyfully died for us. As we have freely received we freely give. The sin of pride is a major hindrance to this part of the process. Yes we have been hurt however; we recognize that our daggers have cut deeply as well.

With regard to the hurt we have caused others, we must recognize that the mere utterance of “I am sorry” is not enough. Those words were not created from Biblical principles. The Biblical paradigm requires godly sorrow followed by repentance for our wrongdoing. The words “I am sorry” are simply a phrase of convenience used by humans to help them feel better about their actions. By not naming our specific transgressions we are not taking full responsibility for how we have hurt others.

Reconciliation requires taking ownership of our own actions. Selfish and self-centered people tend to minimize their actions and culpability. Denial is a skill learned in our youth that insulates us from the pain of reality. Identify your actions. If Jesus humbled himself even to the death of the cross, how dare we make efforts to make ourselves look better than we are. Brokenness and contriteness are prerequisites for reconciliation. However, our ability to attain this attitude directly hinges on our intentional willingness to specifically identify and confess our actions and behaviors.

Dear reader does pride hinder you from being reconnected to your spouse or loved one? Do you go to sleep at night refusing to be restored in a holy manner to people placed in your life by the Holy Spirit? Have there been years since your last friendly dialogue with various loved ones? Remember it is not important who is at fault. It is not our job to decide who is right or who is wrong. Because of Calvary we pray “Lord I want to be restored”. Then our heart says in response to conviction “show me how”.

I hope this writing challenges you to travel on the road to reconciliation. Restoration in all your relationships; especially those in which you were chiefly responsible for the injury, is essential. Be very careful that in your efforts to reconcile you are not looking for an easy way out or in other words the “cheap seats.” To be confronted and to seek the forgiveness of others is far more pleasing to God than choosing the path that costs nothing.

Contact Pastor Ezekiel with your thoughts & comments.

Stay in the Moment

All that we have is the gift of right now. How often have we humans engaged in the art of thinking ahead? Forethought should not be considered wrong. Planning one’s future moves and goals are important to maintaining our well-being.

The issue that we would care to explore is the preoccupation with the things we cannot change. The providence of God is not subject to human’s whim. We humans too often find ourselves in an emotional upheaval because of unbridled thoughts. Older Christians referred to this wasted energy as the “wonderings of the mind.” Our minds can paint vivid pictures that represent horrors and indignities. We may even accept these ponderings as an embracing reality that torment the soul and upsets our life.

What of the future? Who will loves us? Who will feed us, and take care of our needs? Will people accept us, will we be happy or sad? This is not constructive thinking that leads to helpful plans and valid strategies. These thoughts cause the inner man to be disquieted. They reject the notion of God’s providence, his ability to provide, and to sustain circumstances for our benefit.

A worldly heart can only think this way. It is a way laced with humanism and fueled by evil itself. Satan enjoys every act of mistrust by the believers. It is the stated goal of darkness to rob the believer peace, to steal the joy of the redeemed, and to kill the hope that would help the masses.

Matt 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? This is a warning against being distracted by the cares of this life and not looking to the light of the world for guidance and direction.

If God will clothe the grass in the field will he not be concerned about His children?

Don’t worry about anything. Worrying is the trait of pagans and infidels. Our Father in heaven knows already what we have need of. The question then is do we trust him?

If we do trust our Lord we then live in this our current moment. We accept the gift of right now. The Lord will provide.
 

 

 

Survive the Season of Change

There are many Christians currently struggling with personal issues. This is not necessarily noteworthy. What makes this article cogent is the topic of change. We will deal with the challenge of change. Real change will not take place with out resistance. God has planned for us to be formed into His Son’s likeness. Our base nature is opposed to conforming to any attitude or disposition that is consistent with holiness.

If we understand our flesh’s basic distaste for compliance to God ‘s will, we then have momentum towards victory. We will be on our way toward the goal desired. We must define this so-called victory. Lets not confuse the issue; we are not speaking of some cataclysmic event with earth shattering elements announcing a final and conclusive end. When we speak of victory we are speaking of a turning away from a practice or predisposition, to a state of godly acceptance and repentance. Victory is not a place but a transitioning. It is the moving from the turbulent winds of March to the calm breezes of April, from the cool and colorful days of November to the cold and wintry days of December. These seasons are familiar because of the weather, however they are often unrecognizable by our devastated emotions and beleaguered souls.

There is a real challenge when it comes to change. We all have natural resistance to any way not of our own choosing. It was once said “The greater the change the greater the resistance.” For God to bring us into his likeness our stubborn will and resistance are the chief adversaries.

We all have a vision of what we want to be. The price for that vision is change. Our challenge is to fight our own resistance and to come into agreement with God. This challenge has a season. It will not last forever. With God’s grace we can and will survive the season of change.

Why Call Me Lord?

 “Why call me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?” This is one of the most challenging questions in the entire bible. This was a question of the stewardship of service. How are you managing your service to God? Luke records this as a significant utterance. It rings as a Divine summons into the court of duty and responsibility.

Jesus was not unhappy with the disciples calling him “Lord.” He looked at their confession of faith as the beginnings of a changed life.

Jesus warned the disciples in His teaching against the temptation of offering God pious looks, phrases and practices. They were to live their faith day by day. In Matthew 12: 23 they were told ” The tree is known by his fruit,” In other words we have work to do.

Confessing him as Lord is not enough. The very utterance of the word “Lord” sounds the alarm of responsibility.

We live in a country that has proudly boasted itself as a Christian nation. We have the highest divorce rate in the world coupled with the highest murder rate and a strong proclivity for immorality. The other day I read that women cheat in marriages at the same rate as men.

There is a gulf between what we possess and what we profess. The unbelieving world is in its charge against the church. We have been giving a trust. That trust calls for us to conform in every way to the life of Christ. The Christian church has failed in its stewardship of the opportunity for service.

John Wesley was one of the most effective witnesses to a vital life with God. During his life in England many were converted to calling Jesus, Lord after he preached the gospel. Wesley was not contented to have the converts live on the high of the conversion experience alone.

There was work for them to do. Each week they reported in class meetings what they did during the week because of their new faith.

David Livingstone was a perfect example of Christian service. His brother Stanley was extremely wealthy however, after years of living their lives separately Stanley as an entrepreneur and David as a missionary in Africa. David acquired world recognition because of his selfless work.. The high school students of the world in his day voted him as one of the Ten Greatest Men in History. Yet he constantly refused to accept honors, which the world sought to give him because he simply considered himself as an instrument to be used for God.

He wrote in His journal: “People talk of the sacrifice I made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice, which is simply paying back a small part of the great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay. …. It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege.

The Bible says ” there was a certain rich man who had a beggar at his gates” . How many of us either walk by or ignore the people who are in the gates of our opportunity. You however, have spoke the words Lord, Lord. You have been given an opportunity to do good.

The hour has come when there can be no postponement of the mandate to do the things which I say. Pagan and heathen forces are marching relentlessly into the citadels of Christianity. They are threatening to convert the already lost to further doom and destruction. Satan is working and inspiring the foolish to spread his message of spiritual complacency, non-involvement and unproductive lives.

This will stifle the lifeblood of the ministry of the church?

Luke 21: 34 (NIV) “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.

35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.

36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

This revolution cannot be blamed on the destroyers of the faith. The responsibility, rest on the shoulders of the irresponsible believer. Those that say Lord, Lord and will not lead a soul to Jesus. Those who hide behind the weak excuse that I don’t know how. Those who are caught up in their own lives and care very little about building the kingdom.

We are mandated to go into all the world. We are commanded to pray without ceasing so that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit He will work through us if we present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

There is good news. Here in the Valley called New Beginnings there is a rumble as the bones are coming together. The prayer has sparked the spirit of revival. Just recently one was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Diligence

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

Diligence, is defined as constant an earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken. Next we can say : the degree of care and caution expected of a per-son, esp. as party to an agreement.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15: 58 (KJV)

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15: 58 (NIV)

Corporations in America are challenged to perform due diligence in all of their business practices if they wish to stay competitive and remain productive. Unfortunately there are companies whose practice of diligence leaves much to be desired. A company cannot simply purchase the latest technology and think that it is enough. Due diligence requires a thorough examination of the target market, what the particular company does best, of the competition and what the long-term value of such investments will net the company.

In order to have a successful marriage relationship, due diligence must be employed. Couples seeking relational happiness must investigate the character and background of the individual that they will share their emotions, finances, family secrets, and their life’s security. There is a reason why in America so many marriages end in divorce.

In America, in particular, culture too often and how one feels is the only device used to determine the fitness of the upcoming relationships. Our lives are a business. Diligence must be used to ensure that the lives we live will be filled with the glory of God. Feelings alone are not the ingredients that loving relationships are made of. What about the individuals’ commitment to God? Do you want to raise children in an environment not conducive to spiritual productivity? Diligence suggests that a thorough and objective appraisal be done.

We have discussed due diligence with regard to business and relationships. Remember, when we speak of “diligence” we are speaking of an earnest effort to accomplish an undertaking with care and consideration. When it comes to the navigating of our souls isn’t it reasonable to assume that diligence is essential to its well-being? Becoming a Christian requires acceptance of a different life-style. Walking as a Christian suggests that care be given to many things that affect our productivity as believers. The company that we keep, the attitude that I maintain, and my hunger for the Lord are just a few to be named.

Lets examine the scripture. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Be stedfast: resolute, indomitable, undaunted, intransigent, obstinate, tenacious, inflexible, unyielding, uncompromising, unchangeable, unchanging, unalterable, deep-rooted, deep-seated, single- minded. 1 Cor 15:58

Unmovable: Standing firm, no motion. Abounding: teeming, overflow, spill over, be flooded, be filled, have plenty of, luxuriate, be well supplied, be rich in, swarm, run wild, proliferate, superabound; exist in great numbers, be plentiful, flourish, thrive, be numerous.

A heart that diligently pursues the course of holiness is needed for believers to be productive. This cannot be obtained by human resolve. God provides the impetus to move in the desired direction. Our hearts are challenged to say yes to the principles set forth in the Scriptures.

As the scripture mandates we must diligently seek the Lord. There must be a major effort in pursuing the heart of God and His holy instructions. It is already promised that the Lord will reward them that do so.