What's In Your Will?

Even in death there is a lesson. Look for it.

This is a post about death. Well...kinda..

Over the weekend I did a bit of social media fasting because I wanted to create an atmosphere where I could tune out the white noise of the day to day and really focus in on what God is saying in different areas of my life. I needed it more than you know. My prayer on Saturday was that during my fast that He be revealed.

And this is what I got:

God's will.  Almost every time we speak of God's will for our lives we are referring to the future. We talk about what is going to come, what's supposed to happen, and what our purpose is in life. This is definitely true but I want to break down what I think can be considered the dual nature of this phrase.

God's will [for our future]. The common version of the meaning of God's will. Everyone knows that God has a plan for our lives and that ultimately they are what God wants to come to pass. Obedience, grace and growth towards Him is what helps us live out the calling He has on our lives.

God's will [for our past]. Among many other definitions for the word, Merriam-Webster defines the word "will" as:

"A legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property or estate after death; a written instrument legally executed by which a person makes disposition of his or her estate to take effect after death."

Basically, what I got this weekend is that some stuff in our lives is just dead. It was conceived, it was born, it lived... but then it died, and God has no intention of bringing it back in your life. Moreover, he WON'T bring it back because well, that's just not his will. This could be anything, an old relationship (or non-official-but-we're-creeping-and-got-all-tangled-emotionally relationship), an old hobby or skill, a group of friends you were cool with, anything! Once God shuts the door on that thing and buries it, it has no hope for resurrection.

How to tell what's not really dead [yet]. Notice in the last sentence I said that God is the one who shuts the door. Meaning, sometimes there are things that look dead in the natural but not in the spiritual. In the same way that Jesus died only to rise again later, Lazarus was raised from the dead, and God had Ezekiel raise up the dry bones, some things in your life could be on pause or on standby but not exactly dead. Maybe you have a family member that you pray for or a vision that you feel is God-given for your life, these things may look bleak right now but God's not done yet. I think that in order to sift these situations from the dead ones you have to examine how you look at them. These might clue you in on what's not really dead:

• You look back on the thing or person and still see the promise in it's future in your life.
• This thing is a part of your earnest prayer life.
• You notice signs of life/hope, whether brief flashes or blatant moments.
• This thing does not pull you out of alignment with Christian values/your walk if it were to be revived.
• The idea of God raising it from the dead increases your faith and draws you closer to Him.

These are signs that your situation might not be dead. Continue to believe in these things unless God says otherwise!

It's dead, move on. On the other hand there are things that are really, really, really dead. You can't escape these. In fact, sometimes things in our lives have to die so that new things can grow in it's place. The same way we would look foolish trying to revive a dead physical body is the same way we look foolish trying to revive something that's spiritual dead to us. These are signs that I've come across that help determine if something is really dead:

• This thing is not a part of your prayer life, in fact you've pretty much moved on from it.
• On the other hand, you haven't moved on from it but no new life is visible at all.
• Anytime you think back on the situation or person, it's more of a negative reflection than positive.
• You feel uncomfortable giving it over to God because the truth is, you really don't want it to live in you.
• If the thing/person were revived in your life it would draw you outside of your Christian values OR outside of your purpose/will.

That's not a full list and of course God has the power to revive anything, but for our sake it's probably best to turn these things over to God and allow Him to make the decision. Also, I want to note that this can and should refer to the sin in our lives. If we are in Christ, it should be our aim to kill fleshly desires and our sinful nature since there is no life in them.

Understanding God's will [of the dead]. When someone who has a will dies, the people in the will are told just what their inheritance is from the person. God works the same way in dead situations except his inheritance can be physical or spiritual. Perhaps that dead thing made you stronger, perhaps the void left by the dead thing leaves room for something to physically take it's place that God wants to be there. Spiritually, perhaps you've grown to learn a lesson. Whatever it is, do not miss it! Everything happens for a reason and if you don't catch the lesson, you might find yourself chasing down that lesson again the hard way until it sinks. The lessons in God's will for the dead things in our lives are always positive. Remember the lesson.

Bonus Coverage ( A lesson in how to bury the dead things/sin in our lives):

Tye Tribbett ft. Mali - Eulogy

Anger And Forgiveness Pt. 1

Today and tomorrow I want to spend time on the subject of anger and forgiveness through a message taught by Charles Stanley (Andy Stanley's father). We've all either been angry at someone or experienced anger towards us and know that neither feels any good. Anger is such a attitude of bondage and only forgiveness can unlock the key. Pray for those who have done you wrong and examine your heart to see if there are any areas where you may hold anger. Amen.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32; NIV 2010 Edition)

The pain and the promise of anger and forgiveness:

Sermon Notes:
Who are you angry with?
- Who are you angry with? What did they do or say? How did they heap on something that you can hardly live with?
- If you're angry you don't' want to see them and want to avoid them at all cost
- You can't just get rid of anger by replacing your destination, something on the inside has to happen to you.
- Anger, bitterness and resentment are enslaving attitudes.
-Physically you cannot avoid the affects of anger even if you don't show it on the outside.

Definitions:
Anger:  A strong feeling of intense displeasure, hostility or indignation as a result of a real or imagined threat, insult, frustration or injustice towards yourself or others important to you.

Forgiveness: The giving up resentment against someone and our right to get even no matter what has been done to us. It is the surrendering of my right to hurt you back. It's giving up our right to get even with someone.

Unforgiveness: The deliberate, willful refusal to give up one's resentment and the right to get even based on the wrongful thought that somebody needs to pay.

Obstacles to Forgiveness:
1. Wanting to forgive somebody
2. Rehearsing whatever they did to you
3. Pride
4. Fear (of being taken advantage of)
5. Rejection (feeling like it is a weakness to forgive)
6. Being Misunderstood
7. Negative advice (Sometimes friendly advice is not Godly advice. Discern between the two).

Part Two will be posted tomorrow! What are your thoughts thus far?

Dormant But Not Dead

"But every seed dies before it grows...

Do you love me enough to let me go?

Do you love me enough to let me go?

To let me follow through

To let me fall for you, my love

Do you love me enough to let me go?"

Switch Foot - Enough to Let Me Go

A couple months ago I went on a spur of the moment road trip with some friends up to Philly. While in the car, I put this CD (Hello Hurricane) on and the car was pretty much silent. Everyone had a chance to individually meditate on the lyrics and melodies and it became almost a surreal, in-car meditative worship experience. Yep, Switchfoot will do that to you.

This song is one of my favorites because it connects on so many levels, it represents true love. Love is not always about being up under someone, or having them long for you. Love is also patient, accepting of space, and allows both individuals to feel comfortable being themselves whether that means being together or apart.

That sounds a lot like Christ's love for us:

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.                                                                      (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8; NIV 2010 edition)

God loves us so much that in order to pay the price of our sins, He sent His only Son to die on our behalf many many years ago. His ministry and His ultimate sacrifice represents the depth of His love for us. It was a seed that was sown long long ago that He desires to see grow some day in all of our hearts and one day bring forth good fruit.

God doesn't push us to love Him nor does He make it an obligation for us to reciprocate His love for us. What He does is love in the shadows. His love is wound up so tightly within that seed within us that when it bursts,  it can't help but bring about good fruit. As the title states, our love towards Christ may be dormant but it's not dead. Even in the death of a seed, there is the expectation and anticipation of new life! Yes He loves us enough to let us go. Yes, He loves us enough to let us follow through on our own and fall in love with the seed He placed in our hearts long, long ago. Love is a two way street and God is fully aware of that. He's going to keep loving you until you're ready to make a move!

Whenever your seed is ready, it'll grow! It's not dead, just dormant.





(Bonus Coverage: Jon Foreman explains "Enough To Let Me Go"):


Jon Foreman- "I was thinking about how love (not just lust or codependency that commonly flood the tunes on the airways) actually involves quite a bit of faith. There's a lot of letting go involved. Two souls in love is an intricate dance of give and take. I can be a fairly solitary person from time to time. Sure, I love being with people, but I also need time alone. I guess I thrive on the poles. So this song is about the dance involved in a relationship the coming together and letting go. The song equates love with breathing- pulling in and releasing. Or a seed, for the seed to grow it has to be dropped and buried.

In our barcode media, love is often portrayed as consumption. As consumers in a commercial driven culture we can begin to view other souls as objects, or potential cures for our deepest fears and insecurities. "Perhaps if I found the right lover I would no longer feel this deep existential despair." But of course no human soul could be the Constant Other, the face that will never go away. Only the infinite can fill that role. But the silence can be deafening. It's a fearful thing to be alone. Do you love me enough to let me go? "I can't live without you"- "I would die if you ever left me"- These are not the songs of love, these are the songs of consumption."