The Monday Memo from John Stanko

908: Make Yourself Available

The last two weeks, we have looked at bad examples of what I am calling the "Put Me In, Coach" mentality. People with that mindset is not only ready to be used by God, they are also aggressively seeking ways to be used, making themselves available. Our bad examples the last two weeks were King Saul and Moses, but our two good examples are Nehemiah and the Apostle Paul (who we have already looked at, but we have more insight to garner from his life). Right now, let's look at Nehemiah.

PASSION

When Nehemiah heard some visitors' answers to his questions about the conditions in Jerusalem, he was deeply moved: "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 1:4-5). 

When I speak or write, I sometimes substitute the word passion for purpose. Passion is a driving force that activates your creativity and will to do something. Tears of joy and sorrow often accompany that passion as you respond and make yourself vulnerable and available to a need that exists in the world. The first time I spoke about purpose, people in the room wept. I have seen thousands more cry over the years. Tears and purpose seem to go hand in hand.

In 1998, I was watching a television documentary about the suffering of women in Afghanistan and began to cry. I remember praying, “Lord, why am I crying? I don't know anyone there, but if you need someone to go to Afghanistan, I’m willing.” Out of the blue in 2003, I received an invitation to go to Afghanistan from people I didn’t even know. I went and it changed my life and the course of my ministry.

CLARITY

Nehemiah prayed and fasted to clarify his passion and way forward. Then his big break came. One day he was serving the king and the king noticed that Nehemiah was sad. Let’s read the rest in Nehemiah’s own words. 

The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it." Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me (Nehemiah 2:4-9).  

When the king asked Nehemiah what he wanted, Nehemiah had a ready answer. The king understood what he wanted and could then either say yes or no. There seemed to be no hesitancy or ambivalence on Nehemiah's part. He had prayed and thought out what he wanted to do. Also, notice how little religious jargon there was in his dialogue with the king. Yes, Nehemiah did admit he prayed and that God's gracious hand was upon him, but besides that, he was remarkably natural: "Send me . . . so I can rebuild." "I set a time." "May I have letters?" God was not offended or put off by Nehemiah's desire to help the city of his fathers. At no time do we see that God told Nehemiah to go. He made himself available to go, and asked God's and the king's help.

What do you have a passion to do? What problem do you have a passion to address? Are you clear about what you want to do to engage that passion? I urge you to get the kind of clarity Nehemiah had, and then pray, "put me in, Coach." After that, watch for the door to open and see it as God's help so you can participate in the matter that is close to your heart. Nehemiah had nothing but success when he went home, and you can expect that can kind of success as well, but only if you follow your heart to put yourself in the game where it is most meaningful for you. Have a blessed week!

907: Don't Put Me In, Coach

I promised a few more entries on the topic of 'Put Me In, Coach," so here is the second with two more to go. Last week, we looked at King Saul and his reluctance to step up and step out to fulfill God's purpose for his life. This week we look at Moses, and you may be surprised to learn that he also was reluctant to put himself in the game, so much so that the Lord's anger burned against him. Let's look at how all that played out in Moses' story and life.

EXCUSES

When God spoke to him from the bush, Moses’ first comment was, “Here I am!” He seemed ready to do what God wanted before He knew what it was, an attitude that we would do well to imitate. Then Moses offered his first excuse, however, when he asked, “Who am I?’ I related that question to our tendency to discount our ability to accomplish our purpose when we find out what it is.

Later, Moses’ second excuse was: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" (Exodus 3:13). Moses was coming up with the excuse that he wasn’t ready and didn’t know enough about God, so he could not go. His third excuse was: “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" (Exodus 4:1). This question indicated that Moses was concerned he would fail, which is a common hindrance to being purposeful and creative for all of us.

Moses’ fourth excuse was, “Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ ‘A staff,’ he [Moses] replied” (Exodus 4:2). God was teaching Moses to use what he had and not to fret over what he didn’t have. Moses’ fifth excuse was: “Moses said to the Lord, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue'” (Exodus 4:10). With this excuse, Moses had moved from honest questioning to procrastination. He was working hard to come up with some excuse, any excuse, so he wouldn’t have to go to Egypt.

When we look at Moses’ final comment at the burning bush, we see that Moses, having expressed five excuses, simply refused to go to Egypt. “But Moses said, ‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it’” (Exodus 4:13). In essence, Moses said not to God, refusing to go and basically saying, "Don't put me in, Coach."

What was God’s response? “Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses” (Exodus 4:14). Up to this point in the story, God was patient and gracious with Moses, responding to all his objections. At this point, however, God was angry. I hope I never make God that angry, but this story proves that it can happen. God is patient but there are limitations to His patience, and we are never quite sure when we will reach those limitations.

MISSING PURPOSE?

People ask me all the time, “Can you refuse your purpose?” and my answer is always a resounding yes. Consider these two passages:

1. “But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves” (Luke 7:30).
2. "As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

You can receive the grace of God’s purpose in vain, choosing to ignore or do nothing with it. You can sit on your gifts, remaining in the comfort zone of life rather than experiencing the discomfort of new faith experiences. You can also be so afraid of doing the wrong thing that you choose to do nothing. God had answered and addressed each of Moses’ questions and concerns so that the real reason for Moses’ reluctance could be revealed: Moses just didn’t want to do it.

How about you? Are you testing God’s patience through delays and excuses? The good news is that after Moses gave his final answer, God assigned Aaron to go with him and sent them both on their way to Egypt, where they changed the course of history. If you confess this week that you don’t want to fulfill your purpose, that you’re scared, lazy, or lack confidence, then the Lord will still help you.

You are not alone in your PurposeQuest; God is with you, even if you are hesitant. All you have to do this week is acknowledge where you are and ask God’s help. He will do the rest. Let this be the week when you face reality and still move on to do great things for God, just like Moses did. Have a blessed week.

905: Don't Be a Fool

Today is my last day in Nairobi; I depart tonight on the direct flight to New York, a first for me (a direct flight, that is). This has been a wonderful visit for me, and I look forward to returning in October at the latest.

This week will be the last installment in our "Put Me In, Coach" series which we began last year. After this, I will edit all the Memos I have written along with a few from the archives on this topic and publish them as a book under the same name. My premise has been that we need to involve ourselves more aggressively in doing the work God has for us to do. We have been much too passive and cautious to say' Here I am, Lord, use me, involve me," even volunteering if we don't see a door open. Let's now look at the role that others can play in helping us put ourselves in the game.

A FOOL

This week, I was editing an entry from my daily Proverbs devotional that focused on this verse: "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he walks in wisdom is kept safe" (28:26). If you are like me, you have read that verse to be negative in that if we trust in ourselves, we will go astray or get into trouble because what is in us is wrong because we can be so deceived. Is there another way to interpret that verse? There is and here is what I wrote this week:

It is easy to underestimate your potential and the power of your ideas. That's why you need other people speaking into your life if you are to walk in wisdom. Who are your coaches and mentors? Who challenges and broadens your perspective on life and purpose? Who is on your personal "board of directors"? As an example of the kind of input and encouragement you need from others, read about the encounter that Jonathan and David had in 1 Samuel 23:16-18

And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

Jonathan did not visit David to rebuke him or tell him he was doing something wrong. He came to remind David of the promise of God and to encourage him not to give up. Jonathan affirmed the call and David's role in serving the nation even though under the threat of death, and helped keep David on the right path. Yes, we may need people to correct us when we are wrong, but we more often need them to encourage us to accept our own greatness and brilliance in the area of our gifts and purpose. You are a fool if you don't listen to people who tell you what you are doing right and encourage you to do more of it.

AN ASSESSMENT

About 13 years ago, I had what's called a 360-degree evaluation done on me. I chose 30 people who completed an online survey that evaluated me and my leadership and character in 29 different areas. It was a long and complicated assessment, which I also completed, answering the same questions as the 30 participants about myself. When I got the results, it scored me in areas like collaboration, community care, communication, personal growth, criticism, cooperation, among others.

The scores came back on a complicated circle graph that had dark gray areas in each category with a red line somewhere in that category as well. The red line was where I saw myself and the gray area was where others saw me to be. Without exception, my red line fell below the gray areas of others in every positive category, but was above the gray areas in the negative characteristics. I had overestimated my weaknesses and underestimated my strengths. 

I was stunned by the results, but I heard the Lord. He was telling me to stop playing small, to stop being "Christian" by being humble. My humility was actually false and was denying what the Lord had done in my life and who He had made me to be. I determined after I examined the results that I was not going to shrink back, not be "Christian" and act like everything depended on God and I had no role in His plan for my life. From that point, I decided to publish and broadcast everything I knew and seize every opportunity to make myself available to help as many people as possible.

As I walked out of church today, a place I had not been in many years, I was greeted by three women (and it is a church of thousands) who told me how I had changed their lives when I met with them in 2005-2006. They gave me their stories, wanted my card, and promised to re-connect with me. I was surprised because I thought my impact was forgotten there due to my prolonged absence. It had not, and I am not more determined than ever to renew my efforts to play big and live by the "Put Me In, Coach" philosophy. 

I invite you to join me because my guess is you are just like I was and to some degree still am: underestimating my capacity for God's work and purpose. Don't play small and don't hide in the crowd, insisting that if God wants you, He will have to find you (and you won't make it easy for Him to do). Present yourself to the Lord in the fullness of who you are and make a difference while you still have time. Find other people, coaches, mentors, friends, or whoever they are who will help live up to your potential and not live down to your fears. Don't be a fool and only trust yourself where your strengths are concerned. Listen to what God has been trying to tell you through others and don't stubbornly cling to your negative view on who you are and what you can. If you do that, the best is yet to come for you. If not, then get used to the view from the bench, for that is where you will sit as you watch others play the game of purpose. Have a blessed week! 

904: Freewill Means Free Will

I had to take a week off last week as I prepared to leave for Kenya, where I am now. I have had a good first week of work and ministry and this coming week should be the same. If you live in or around Nairobi, I will be co-hosting a purpose seminar next Saturday, June 1. If you are interested in attending, and I hope you are, then please write me for more information.

We are almost finished with our series "Put Me In, Coach" in which we have examining the concept of the propriety of exerting and exercising our personal will when doing the will of God. Is it ever appropriate to see a situation and volunteer to be involved even if we do not sense the leading of the Lord? I have tried to make a case over these many weeks that it is and here is one more argument to help prove my case.

AN OFFERING

When Moses laid the plans before the people for the Wilderness tabernacle, he said it would be necessary to take an offering to the Lord to meet the construction cost. Here is how the people responded:

Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. . . . All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the Lord freewill offerings for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do (Exodus 35:20-23, 29, emphasis added).

The phrase "who were willing" is used three times as Moses described how the people responded. What they gave was designated a freewill offering. Therefore, the Lord did not tell them how much to give. He only directed them to give and left how much up to each individual. He did not say, "Give what you want," and then as the people contemplated the amount, the Lord did not whisper, "ten talents of gold," only then to have the person give ten talents in obedience. That would not be a freewill offering. It would be a willing offering if the giver's heart was right, but not a freewill gift.

AN APPLICATION

Therefore, it was acceptable for the people to determine how much and what they were going to give toward the tabernacle, so let's see if we can apply this same principle to our situation today. We are building the church of Jesus and He has laid out what needs to be done. We have received gifts from the Spirit and we each have a purpose to develop and fulfill. If it was appropriate to give an offering of money or wealth for the tabernacle, why would it not be appropriate for us to give a freewill offering of who we are and what we do to the Lord's work as our hearts move us? 

What's more, since we are to exercise dominion over the earth as commanded in Genesis 1:28-29, why would it be inappropriate to offer those same gifts and talents to make the world a better place to the glory of God? Would God really be offended if you decided to help 50 orphans in Africa as an offering of thanks for His care and provision for your family? Do you think the Lord would respond, "Who told you to help 50 orphans? I only wanted you to help 10 orphans and let the other 40 suffer. How dare you step out of My will to do good? I am the boss around here, and you will do what I tell you to do--no more and no less."

That may sound preposterous, but it seems that some believe if they get ahead of the Lord or do too much or go too far that God will be displeased. My perspective is if God gave me a gift to write, then I must work to make it as good as it can be and then use it as often as possible. I spent nine years writing a verse-by-verse devotional of the entire New Testament. I started my publishing company to help other people write because I am a writer. It is a freewill offering of my gift to God's people to help them express their creativity and know the joy of having a published work. Did I go too far? Did I give too much? Am I outside the boundaries of what God permits? I will let you be the judge of that, while I continue to publish and write.

My point this week is that freewill means just that. We are to use our own judgment to freely and willingly give what we have and who we are to the world around us, both the church and society. God is not looking for slaves, although He does direct our work and at times will be quite specific about what He wants us to do and with whom. There are other times when the Lord poses the question, "What do you want to do?" and I maintain that it is permissible to respond, "Put me in, Coach!" After that, you need only look at the needs around you and put your hand to work. God won't be threatened. To the contrary, He will be honored and you will find the joy of doing something not because you have to do it but because you choose to do it. Have a blessed week!

***

ALASKA! There is space for the Alaska cruise this summer from August 4-11. Here is the link with the information, but you must act now if you want to be a part. We will have a great vacation and still spend some time in the Word while we look at the concept of your life purpose. I look forward to hosting you on the cruise!

903: Becoming Efficacious

As we look to wrap up our series title "Put Me In, Coach," it occurred to me that having that life and work philosophy requires that we become efficacious people. Admit it, you didn't know efficacious was to be on your bucket list. If you are really honest, you may admit you don't even know what it means. That's fine, for I didn't know until about 15 years ago, but when I discovered the definition, I determined to become more efficacious with God's help. Let's look at the word and then an application for this week's lesson.

EFFICACY

The word efficacy simply means to make something happen or to cause something to take place. Whenever you have an idea you are making an efficacy appraisal, determining whether or not you can make something become a reality. If you think, "I should go back to school," you begin your efficacy appraisal and either talk yourself into the reality or out of it. You either think, "Yes, that will be enjoyable. I have wanted to do that for a while," or "My God, I haven't been in school for 20 years. I don't do well in math. I don't have the time. I don't have the money. This can't be the Lord."

Do you see how it works? Either you use your thinking and self-talk to move toward making something happen or preventing something from happening. You become either efficacious or inefficacious. It is important that you either trust the thoughts you have or reject them as foreigners and alien beings to be feared and eradicated. 

It is interesting that you probably never have a thought that "I should be an astronaut or a nuclear scientist." Most of the ideas you have are related to something you have the capacity to do or learn to do. Your thought of going back to school would be for something you would enjoy learning: "I have wanted to study the Bible or art or psychology; this will be my chance." God isn't trying to trick or entrap you; He is working with you to make you the best and most productive person possible. With that confidence, you can say, "Put me in school, Coach! Put me in ministry, Coach! Put me in mission, Coach! Put me in business, Coach!" That attitude will make you an efficacious person.

AN EXAMPLE

In the book of Acts, Paul and his team were praying for the Lord to put them in the game of missions. They had been trying to go in one direction but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them to go:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them (Acts 16:6-10).

What can we learn from this passage to help us be efficacious? The team was actively seeking the Lord, and were in motion trying to find the open door. They trusted that the Lord was with them and wanted them to go in the game. When Paul had the dream, he was confident it was not a trick. The vision he had was not outlandish, but something they could and wanted to do. Then was the most important step in the story: they got ready at once to act. They did not need more confirmation or time to wait on the Lord. They packed their bags and became efficacious, causing the vision Paul had to become a reality.

Are you probing and experimenting to discover what position God wants you to play in the game? When you have an idea, are you immediately looking for a way to make it happen? Do you trust the Lord to guide and not trick or mislead you? If you answer yes to those questions, then you are on your way to becoming an efficacious person. If not, you have some work to do so you can stop being the biggest obstacle between you and the Lord's will for your life. 

God is with you and not against you. Armed with that knowledge, you can be confident to step out and into the game, no matter what game God has assigned to you. When you do that, you will be God's partner as together you work to make a mark in the world only you two can make. When you don't do that, you will devote your energy and creativity to blocking instead of enhancing God's purpose for you. The choice is yours and I pray you choose efficacy. Have a blessed week!

902: Learning to Trust Your Heart

As we continue our "Put Me In, Coach" theme, I want to look at the issue of our heart this week, not the one that beats and keeps our blood circulating, but our inner one where our emotions, desires, and our unseen parts exist. If you are looking for an exact description of what our heart is or does, you will be disappointed, for I will not attempt to explain the heart in detail, but will show why you can trust what's in your heart far more often than you have up to this point in your life. At the end, you can tell me how well I did in trying to accomplish my objective. 

THE HEART IS WICKED

I regularly hear a comment or read something that warns me and the other listeners and readers to be careful when it comes to our heart. We are warned that the heart is wicked and evil and not to be trusted. The basis for this warning is found in Jeremiah 17:9, where the Lord said to the prophet, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" We have been repeatedly warned that to trust one's heart is an invitation to sin and disaster. And who can argue with that? We have enough life experience to know that doing what's in our heart has brought and can bring long-term negative consequences. We heed the warning and thus don't trust what's in us, requesting and demanding confirmation after confirmation before we will even begin to trust the listen to what our heart may be telling us.

The problem with all this is that we heed the warning in Jeremiah 17:9 without moving on to the next verse, where the Lord answered His own question: "“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve" (Jeremiah 17:10). It would seem from the context that God evaluates our heart matters and they are not all evil, otherwise there would be nothing to reward. God would have said, "I am here to punish all your deeds if they emanate from your heart, which is evil and beyond hope." That is not what He said.

If there may be some remnant of hope for our heart, how can we learn to trust it, for we will need our heart if we are going to live out the put-me-in-coach philosophy? The key is not to acknowledge the truth in Jeremiah 17:9 but to read what else the Lord said that pertains to the heart.

A NEW HEART

The Lord promised He would do a new thing in our hearts when He introduced a new covenant:

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:31-33).

It seems that God promised to override the operating system of our old heart with a new script, new code if you think in computer tterminology. Therefore, some things in our hearts may be good, recorded there in God's own handwriting, but that still may mean that we have an old wineskin of a heart and Jesus said new wine cannot go into an old wineskin or the skin will burst. 

God took care of that problem as He explained to the prophet Ezekiel:

“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:24-26). 

So God promised a new covenant, the terms of which He would write on our hearts, and promised a new heart that would not be made of stone but of flesh. I argue that this new heart was not given to Israel in the context of a new land and temple when they returned from exile, but was done in the power of the Spirit made possible by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. 

If all this is true and has happened, then we certainly cannot trust our old heart but we can trust our new one because we can trust its creator, shepherd, and surgeon. The Lord is the one who works in our hearts and I have learned to trust the God of my heart. If it's on my heart to write, I write. If it's on my heart to go, I go. If it's on my heart to help, I help. God isn't trying to trick me and the old heart that still shows up every now, is being gradually filled and overwritten with love messages and directives from the Lord.

This is important if we are going to live out the "Put Me In, Coach" philosophy, for there are times when your heart moves you and you should act--should I say must act? May the God of your heart give you confidence not in your old heart but in the new one He has shaped and fashioned and my you learn not to trust your heart, but the God of your heart, who will never lead you astray. Have a blessed week!

*****

ALASKA (Aug 2019) AND ISRAEL (Apr 2020):Don't forget about my upcoming trips to Alaskaand Israel. Click on the link to get the information you need.

AND NOW KENYA (Feb 2020):Download the attached flier and then pay your deposit to reserve a place on my next trip to Kenya.

Download Kenya flier 2020_preview version

901: Doing Only What the Lord Says

I was sitting in a meeting recently as someone shared their creative projects. As this person described what they did, they repeatedly said, "The Lord inspired me . . . the Lord showed me . . .the Lord gave me the idea." I want to say as we start that the Lord does do all those things as evidenced by what David said to Solomon when he handed his son the plans for the Temple: "All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan" (1 Chronicles 28:19).

I do not believe, however, the Lord does this for every creative expression. The Temple was a specific project that would impact the world until Jesus' day. In most cases, we are talking about your purposeful creativity that involves poetry, starting a business, writing a book, or painting a picture. The Lord will bring that work to you, but then it is up to your creativity to make it happen. You will function in the creativity the Lord gave you, but you will say as Luke wrote, "With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you . . ."(Luke 1:3a, emphasis added). Luke decided to write something and God was with him, inspiring him, but did not dictate to him what he wrote. He was free to be Luke, using his experience, vocabulary, and ability to organize material he gathered into a cohesive account of Jesus' ministry. Luke did not claim that God told, directed, moved, or confirmed him to write. He simply decided to write.

Luke said, "Put me in, Coach. I am going to do like many others and that is write an orderly account." While it sounds spiritual to attribute all your creativity and purpose expressions to the Lord, here are some reasons why that may not be wise or the way God wants you to function.

GOD TOLD ME TO . . .

When we say, "God told me to do this or that," He may very well have done so, but we must be cautious not to make that an excuse for being unproductive.

1. We have all been grooved with fear by repeatedly warnings not to "get ahead of the Lord" or to discover "God's perfect timing." Fear does not activate but debilitates, and triggers a fight or flight response in our brain. If we are afraid and have an idea, we will either fight it or flee from it, often employing spiritual-sounding excuses when we do.
2. One of our fears is what other people think if we step put and do something. They may be threatened by our actions or grooved with the same fear, so we try to preempt their criticism by saying, "God told me to . . ."
3. We do not hear the Lord perfectly. Our fears and preconceived notions of who we are and what God would or would not direct us to do distort what we hear. Don't believe me? Jesus told the apostles to go and they stayed. The Father spoke from heaven endorsing Jesus' ministry and some thought it was thunder. The Lord told Peter in Acts 10 to "kill and eat" and Peter said, "No way!" That would have required him no longer eating a kosher diet, which he assumed God would never change, and therefore, God had to tell him multiple times.
4. It was never God's intention that we "wait on the Lord" for every action in life, especially where our creativity and purpose are concerned. Second Corinthians 6:1 says that we are God's "coworkers." In Genesis 2:19-20, God brought all the animals before Adam so he could name them. God did not whisper in Adam's ear what to name them, but rather left it to Adam's creativity to do that. God directed Adam's work but Adam involved who God had made him to be to complete the task.
5. We have been taught that we have a wicked heart, so we must be wary or downright hostile toward the desires in our hearts. We ignore the fact that God promised--and has followed through on that promise--to give us a new heart by His Spirit (see Ezekiel 36:26). I am not claiming our new heart is infallible, but it is not as wicked or wayward as the old one. We can trust it far more often than we currently do.

AN EXCUSE

God has given me a gift to write and a heart to serve in Africa. I have walked with him for 46 years, studied His Word, and learned His ways. A decade ago, I said, "Put me in, Coach" and He has done so. He has presented opportunities to me and has asked, "What are you going to do with these? What do you want to do with these?" My answer has been, "As much as humanly possible by the power and energy You supply!" 

God could give David the plans for the Temple and the mind to understand them because decades earlier David had composed music and poems. Then he creatively fought in the Lord's army and learned how to recognize and hear the Lord through circumstances as well as the still, small voice. Then he organized his kingdom, and finally, he was ready for even bigger things--a building the likes of which the world had never seen. As you insert yourself into "game" situations, the heavenly Coach will be able to entrust bigger and more significant opportunities to you. If you use Him as an excuse for inactivity, you will languish on the bench of life, soaking up God's love but never knowing the joys of being on the field of action.

Are you using God as an excuse not to create? Are you waiting on the Lord to do what only you can do? Do you have your marching orders and the apostles did but you are not marching, or only marching in place? The disciples stepped out after only being with Jesus for a little more than three years. How long have you known Him, and what are you doing to prove the validity and vitality of your relationship with Him? I urge you to take a more aggressive and active role in being and expressing who God made you to be, trusting that God will direct you as you go and realizing He won't pull you as you resist or continually wait on Him. Have a blessed week!

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ALASKA (Aug 2019) AND ISRAEL (Apr 2020): Don't forget about my upcoming trips to Alaska and Israel. Click on the link to get the information you need.

AND NOW KENYA (Feb 2020): Download the attached flier and then pay your deposit to reserve a place on my next trip to Kenya.

Download Kenya flier 2020_preview version

900: The Authority of Love

This week, we continue our quest for an answer to the question, "Is it permissible to take an active role in being creative and fulfilling purpose, or must we wait for the Lord to direct all our actions?" I am of the opinion that not only is it permissible, but mandatory that we express ourselves in as many ways as possible, and I have published entries on this topic under the theme, "Put Me In, Coach."

Jesus was asked, “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” (Mark 11:28). If you stop out and do more than you are currently doing, someone will ask you the same question. Let's try to find a biblical answer.

SHOULDN'T WE?

Jesus instructed His disciples to love one another. How should we define or recognize this love John defined it this way: 

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:17-18). 

Let's expand what John wrote to include any need that a brother or sister may have? If we have experience that could benefit them, shouldn't we share it? If we have a gift that could edify them, shouldn't we express it? If we have a creative expression that could bless them, should we not produce it? Would God have to direct us to do these things, or would love dictate that we do it unless God specifically directs us not to do so?

LOVE'S AUTHORITY

When asked by what authority we choose to put ourselves in the game, I maintain it is by love's authority. I am a gifted teacher, so love is all the authority I need to volunteer to teach a class. Love will motivate me to go to school or read to become a better teacher. It will drive me to watch other teachers to learn from them to be even more effective. Paul explained what I am describing this way:

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:13-14). 

We are freed by faith, but we are to make ourselves slaves by love: "Do everything in love" (1 Corinthians 16:14).

One final thought: we don't offer to put ourselves in the game of life more often because we are afraid, pure and simple. We are afraid of missing the Lord, of getting ahead of Lord, or disobeying the Lord. I stopped being afraid and took seriously 1 John 4:18: "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."

My fear was a manifestation of imperfect love--for God and others. My problem was not a fear problem but a love problem, so I asked God to expand my heart. Today, I write, travel, and speak in love, and I put myself in the game because the Coach, my magnificent Master, has loved me enough to use me. It doesn't get any better than that. Have a blessed week!

899: The Authority of Purpose

I was getting ready to teach a class this past week, and one of the students brought in a cake and snacks because it was her birthday. When I said, "You invited yourself to the party," it reminded me on a Monday Memo I wrote five years ago titled, "Invite Yourself to the Party." I knew right away it fit in with our current theme, which is "Put Me In, Coach." Let me explain with examples from my own life.

For years, I would be a guest on media shows, after which the host would rave about how well the show went, promising to have me back on the show soon. In almost every instance, I was never invited back. Now, either they were lying that the show went well (I concurred with their assessment that it did go well) or they had no intention of asking me back (which meant they were lying), or they just did not follow through (sincere but inefficient). Whatever the reason, I decided after so many disappointments to invited myself to the party: I sponsored my own weekly show on two AM stations for six years, and I hosted hundreds of blog radio shows. I started a Vimeo channel and have many video shows posted there and on Facebook. 

My point is that I was no longer content to be invited to the party. Just like my student, I threw my own party.

A CALL TO PURPOSE

I ran across this commentary I wrote eight years ago on Matthew 10:1-4.  First, here is that passage, and then my comments:

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

When God calls you to a purpose, He calls you by name and He calls you to Himself. It isn’t just a task, it’s a unique relationship with Him. I have found that when I function in my purpose, God provides for me and takes care of all I need to fulfill my purpose. He speaks to me, and my relationship with Him is somehow closer and more intimate when I am going about my purpose. 

In Matthew, Jesus called twelve men to Himself and gave them authority. That was a question the Jews always asked Jesus; “By whose authority do You do these things?” Jesus did the things He did in the authority of His purpose. That is all the authority you need as well, for your purpose is your assignment from heavenly headquarters. When you move in your purpose, you don’t need an invitation to the party, so to speak. You invite yourself. Someone else said that you nominate yourself for the job.

AUTHORITY

If your purpose is to help the poor, you don’t need anyone to invite you to do so. You show up where the poor are and start helping them. I was reflecting on this issue of authority the other day, and came up with nine aspects of purpose that give you the authority to do whatever it is God wants you to do. Here they are:

1. The authority of results – your purpose helps you bear fruit. No one can question your authority when you can show them the fruit of your labors.
2. The authority of clarity – your purpose is a clear, concise statement of what you are on earth to do. People will follow and respond to you because you are direct, clear, and focused.
3. The authority of knowledge – your purpose enables and even drives you to be skilled at what you do. You will have more insight and knowledge about your sphere of purpose than others.
4. The authority of calling – God assigned your purpose and wants you to fulfill it even more than you do. He will open doors and create opportunities for you to succeed.
5. The authority of integrity – your purpose causes you to live by your values, the things that are most important to you. You don’t want to undermine your purpose, so you have added incentive to be an honest person of your word. 
6. The authority of courage – your purpose makes you a leader where you function. You face your fears because your purpose is more important than you are. There are people waiting to benefit from what you do and who you are, so you press through obstacles to be there for them.
7. The authority of success – your purpose gives you endurance to press through the barriers and endure long periods of suffering and frequent setbacks. You don’t only achieve short-term results; you do so over a long period of time, which constitutes some measure of success
8. The authority of humility – you know your source of strength, which is God Himself. You acknowledge your source, but you don’t deny that you are good at what you do because you know God helps you produce results. 
9. The authority of honesty – you do not engage in “false humility” (denying what you can do). You know and face your limitations and weaknesses with openness and transparency, and you do the same with your strengths.

When you have a purpose, you have all the authority you need to act. If you can't find a partner to help, you go it alone and wait for a partner to find you. If that doesn't happen, you then be content with the fact that you have the most important partner of all, the Lord Himself, and together you will attend a purpose party that will impact the lives of others and enrich your own. Thanks for reading, and have a purposeful week!

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ALASKA AND ISRAEL: Don't forget about my upcoming trips to Alaska and Israel. Click on the link to get the information you need.

898: Reward

Let's take another look this week into the concept we have been discussing this year, which is summarized by the phrase "Put Me in, Coach." We have been looking at our role in bearing fruit and being productive for the Lord, specifically if we can actually volunteer to act or do we need to be directed by the Lord at all times. The last two weeks we studied Jesus' life, the greatest volunteer of all time. This week, let's look at the man who had the greatest impact on the early church after Jesus, and that is the Apostle Paul.

VOLUNTARILY

Paul wrote the Corinthians about his commission to preach the gospel:

If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:17-18).

It seems Paul was indicating it is acceptable to carry out God's will without volunteering, but it seems that there is no reward for doing so. It is simply a matter of duty. Yet if we do it voluntarily, there is a reward, but not as we would think. Paul's reward was that he could volunteer to preach free of charge to those who heard.

It was customary in Paul's time for teachers and speakers to travel and receive pay for their services. Paul also established that this was an acceptable practice for God's servants as well. Yet Paul chose to work and cover all the expenses for his team. He chose to do this; he says this was his reward for volunteering to preach the gospel. Therefore, Paul preached voluntarily and then volunteered to do it for free, adding to his responsibilities the task of working for a living. Paul saw his ability to volunteer as his reward for volunteering to preach. That's an interesting spin on what he did, don't you agree?

FREEWILL OFFERINGS

In the Old Testament, there was such a thing as a freewill offering: "These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:38). This was an offering that was not prescribed or demanded, but was given because the offerer chose to do so. God did not "lay the offering" on their heart and they obeyed; they chose what they wanted to give.

I include the concept of the freewill offering because that seems to be what Paul was doing when he voluntarily preached and also volunteered to do it for free. He chose of his own free will to do it. Yes, the Lord appeared on the Damascus road and said He was sending Paul to the Gentiles. When He did, Paul said in his heart, "I'll go," and then added on the part about doing it for free. 

God has assigned your purpose and gifts, and bestowed on you a measure of creativity. You should now willingly and enthusiastically accept them and not sit back and only wait for God's direction. You should voluntarily make all those things available and accessible to other people. I am not suggesting God will not direct what He has given you; He most certainly will. At the same time, He will not direct every expression, but will wait for you to volunteer. When you do, make it an extravagant expression, just like Paul did, and receive the same reward, which is the knowledge that you are in partnership with God and the two of you make an unbeatable team. Have a blessed week!

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ALASKA AND ISRAEL: Don't forget about my upcoming trips to Alaska and Israel. Click on the link to get the information you need.