Good Boss, Bad Boss

Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. (1 Peter 2:18 NET)

At some point in our lives, if we have a boss, we will experience the "good" boss and we will experience the "bad" boss. When a "good" boss, one that you really like, asks you to do something, you have no problem doing it. In fact you may even volunteer to do something for that boss. However, the enthusiasm of doing things for the "bad" boss, or one you do not like, really drops off when they ask you to do something. In fact, you may even be tempted to talk bad and gossip about the bad boss behind their back, especially at the "water cooler." As children of God, we are instructed that no matter what kind of boss we have, we are to obey them. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul says that we are not only to obey our bosses, but do it with the enthusiasm as if doing it for the Lord because that is Who we are really doing it for. It doesn't matter who your boss is, if he is mean, bad, bossy, arrogant, micro-manager, or if he is good, great to work with, no matter what, we are not working for them, we are working for God. As you get this attitude in you on a consistent basis, you will find that your attitude toward work will change over time and you may actually find your "bad" boss slowly changing their attitude.

Take Away: each day, before going to work, remind yourself that you are really working for God. When you look at your work as working for the Lord, it won't matter who our earthly boss is.

Trials and Character

This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away – and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6-7 NET)

Both the Apostle Peter and Paul wrote about trials that we have to go through. Peter wrote this passage, and Paul wrote the passage in Romans 5:3-5. Both say that we go through these trials because they produce character. The problem with us is that most of the time when a problem rises in our lives, the resulting character is less than stellar. In fact most of us groan, complain, get angry, get frustrated, etc. What we need to be doing at these times is developing patience, because patience will produce endurance, and endurance will produce character, the Godly character that Paul and Peter were writing about. When we behave in such a way that Godly character is the result, others see this. Think about it, when a problem rises in our lives and we "fly off the handle," this will not be a good witness to others, in fact we will look just like someone who is not saved. But when we start handling problems with patience and endurance, people will notice a difference and wonder what you have that they don't! This ONLY comes about by trusting God to handle your situation. When you get frustrated and angry, that should be the "red flag" that you are not trusting God, but yourself to solve your problems. You only learn to trust God by letting go of the problem and allowing Him to handle it. This is Godly character!

Take Away: When problems rise in your life, let God handle it, and while He is doing that, be patient, don't continue to look at your problem, but look to Him and worship and thank Him for taking care of it.

Useable

Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! (James 5:17 NET)

Did you ever feel like you were not good enough to be used by God to help someone else? Did you ever think that you had too many problems or just one big problem where there was no way that God could use you? If you are feeling this way, take a look at what James is saying. Elijah was human being just like us. That means he had problems just like us and he had issues just like us. He most likely felt at times that he wasn't good enough to be used by God. And even though Elijah had issues and problems, he prayed that it would not rain, and it didn't for 3 1/2 years! The enemy will lie to you and tell you that you are not good enough to be used by God and that you have too many problems to be used by God. Don't believe that lie! God can use you as long as you allow Him to use you. If you have the attitude that He can't use you, He won't. But if you open up yourself to be used by Him no matter what, He will!

Take Away: Whenever you are feeling like there is no way I can be used by God, say with faith "Elijah was human just like me, and he prayed and it stopped raining. Thank you God, use me!"

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him?

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:14, 24 NET)

There is an old saying, that "actions speak louder than words," meaning I hear what you are saying, but does what you are doing back up what you are saying? Anyone can say they are a Christian, a believer, one who follows "The Way" as it was called in the 1st Century, but is what they are doing supporting what they are saying? If you are a follower of Christ, then you will be displaying His actions. in other words, you will be walking in the fruit of His Spirit, which is love, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, thinking the best of your brother, joy, humility. For a short period of time, you can change your behavior so that it is different from what you believe, however eventually what you believe will be displayed in your actions. Take today and look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, "am I displaying the behavior of a follower of Jesus? Am I displaying the fruits of the Spirit?" Honestly, we all have our off-moments, we all have those days when we are not showing kindness, love, patience, etc. I'm not talking about those days. What I am talking about is your general behavior, not to dismiss those "off days," I just want to make clear that what I am talking about is the behavior that you generally display. If you can say no to any of the fruits of the Spirit, ask God to show you why you behave in such a way, ask Him to help change your behavior to be more Christ-like.

Take Away: Do a routine check on your behavior, and be open to hear what God is revealing to you. As He shows you areas that need correcting, don't fight it, work with Him and you will see your behavior change.

Severed from Sin

So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11 NET)

Prior to becoming Christians, we were, for all intents and purposes, dead, our spirit inside us was dead, headed for hell. We were wallowing in sin, and although we occasionally did some good things, we were sinners. However, after we became Christians, any relationship we had with sin was severed! That means we no longer have a relationship with sin, it means that we are no longer sinners, but the righteousess of God because of what Jesus did. Yes, we occasionally do bad things, but what we do does not define us, it is who we are that defines us. Look at it this way, I ride a mountain bike, but that is not who I am. Who I am is a child of God, the righteousness of God, an heir of God, and the pupil of God's eye! When we start looking at who we are instead of what we do, then what we do will start to change. We have it all backwords. We think that if we change what we do, that if we stop sinning, then we will become children and heirs of God. The reality is we are already children and heirs of God, and knowing this will start to change what we do.

Take Away: if you feel you are chained to a sin, start renewing your mind. Start looking at yourself as a child of God, the righteousness of God, and an heir of God. As you look at yourself this way, then those chains that you see will slowly go away and you will see your behaviour start to change.

Walking in Fear

The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. (Psalms 27:1-2 NLT)

Are you one of those who is constantly walking around in fear, scared to even walk out the door, scared to ride in a car, even scared to eat your next meal? There are so many fears out there, but there has always been many fears out there ever since the days of Moses and King David. As a Christian, however, we have something that the non-Christians don't have...a Protector. David, who had every reason to fear as he was persecuted by King Saul, and then his son Absalom, CHOSE not to fear, but CHOSE put his trust in God. He knew that he was being hunted down, but he had such trust in God to protect him that even though there were people hunting him down, he knew that they would stumble and fall.  Although we could come up with every reason in the book to fear something, that is a lie and needs to be recognized as a lie. We have a Protector who will protect you from danger. We have One that will thwart the plans of those that are against us and Who will cause them to stumble and fall and, according to the Jeremiah, fail. When we start fearing something, we need to make a conscious decision and tell fear, "No, God is my Protector and I will not fear!"

Take Away: When you find yourself walking in fear, stand up straight and repeat the words of David, "The Lord is protecting me from danger, so why I am afraid? Even if there are things out there that are against me, those things will fail!"

He Will Answer

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. (Psalms 17:6 NLT)

David was absolutely sure that whenever he went to God, God would answer Him. This is the kind of faith we need when we go to God. He even told God to bend down and listen to him, much like a dad bending down to listen to his small child. When you go to God, you need to go to Him with the surety of knowing that He is listening to you and that He will answer you. It may even help to say to Him, "God, I am coming to you because I know you will answer me, so bend down and listen to me!" This sounds kind of bold, but the writerr of Hebrews even said "come to His throne with boldness" (Heb 4:16). You may not get the answer from Him that you want, and some people might think this is an unanswered prayer, but it is not. In that case, God is saying I know what you want, but THIS is what you need. God will ALWAYS give you the answer that you need!

Take Away: Come boldy to God, knowing that He will answer your prayer with the answer that you need.

Rest and Sleep

I rested and slept; I awoke, for the LORD protects me. I am not afraid of the multitude of people who attack me from all directions. (Psalms 3:5-6 NET)

David was fleeing from his son, Absalom, who wanted to kill him and take over the kingdom. Fortunately for David, he had something that Absalom didn't have, and that was a relationship with God, a trust that went so deep that even when his own son was out to kill him, David was able to sleep because he knew without a doubt that God would protect him. The same goes with us. We may not have people out to kill us, but we have problems that need to be dealt with and we have decisions that need to be made. There are times when I will lay down at night, feeling very sleepy, but once my head hits the pillow, my mind starts racing, trying to figure out the problems, creating scenarios of every decision I could possibly make, then the next thing I know 5 hours have just flown by and I need to get up in another hour. It is those moments that I realize that I haven't been trusting in the One who solves problems, I've been trusting in me. God is our problem solver, God is our decision maker, He is the One we need to trust in so much that we can lay down and sleep. Now, when my mind starts racing when I lay down, I start saying to myself, "Kent, get a grip, God will solve this, He is in control, so I can therefore rest and have a peaceful sleep."

Take Away: The next time your mind starts trying to solve the problems when you lay down to sleep, say "God, I trust You that you will take care of this problem, not me, and that you will tell me what I need to decide on...now I will rest and sleep in peace."

Overwhelmed

Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. (Psalms 119:133 NLT)

I think we, as Christians, can honestly say that evil is all around us. No matter where we turn, no matter where we look, no matter what we read in the news, its everywhere. So how do we not get overwhelmed by evil? In Psalm 119:133, the psalmist says it very clearly...guide my steps by your word. What this means for us is that if we are not spending time with God, being quiet and listening to His voice, if we are not getting into His word, the Bible, then we will become overwhelmed by the evil around us, we will get unbalanced, agitated, frustrated, and the list goes on. This doesn't mean that nothing bad will happen to you or that we won't have problems in our lives. What this does mean is that we won't be overwhelmed by the issues that we face, or the problems that arise. For example, when I have gone through some really low times in my life, it was God's word that encouraged me. His word got my focus off of my situation and onto Him. The more I got into His word, the more I felt life returning to me. I encourage you that if you are not spending regular time with God, listening to His voice and reading His word, then start today. If you already are spending regular time with Him, ask Him to take you even deeper into His word.

Take Away: God's word is the only way that we will not be overwhelmed by problems and issues that we face in our lives. 

Facing the Issues

Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NET)

Are you one of those that seem like you are facing the same problem over and over and over, that no matter what you do, the problem or issue is still there? The reason for this is that we are trying to solve it on our own. We go to self help books for answers, or we watch the morning talk shows for answers, or we even hope our friends will say the magic words that will solve our problems. We need to first understand that the battle (which is our problem or issue) really isn't ours, it is Gods. In order to allow God to do what He does best is to do what He told the Israelites. He told them and He is telling us today to not fear the problem, stand firm and let God work! That means when we face an issue or problem, we are to look to Him, we don't try to solve it on our own, we don't run away from it, and we let Him do His job. "But Kent, what if I am still afraid?" Then stand your ground afraid and watch God! Whenever I face a problem, I say to myself, "Kent, don't be afraid, this battle is not yours but Gods, so I am going to let God defeat this problem and if I am to do anything, He will tell me what to do, but for now I am going to let Him do His job." It isn't always the easiest thing to simply sit on the sidelines and watch God work, but the alternative is if we try to solve it ourselves, we get in the way and it never gets solved. By standing your ground and letting God fight the battle, you will be able to face even bigger problems with greater peace and stability.

Take Away: When facing a problem, stop fearing it, stand your ground, and watch God move!

Choose to Forgive

If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive that one; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the presence [and with the approval] of Christ (the Messiah), to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions. (2 Cor 2:10-11 AMP)

One of the hardest things we can say is "I forgive you," and mean it. Forgiving people, although tough to do at times, is a necessity for living a Godly life, and it keeps the enemy from taking advantage of us. When we forgive, we don't do it to make the other person feel better, we do it for us, we do it because God wants us to forgive them, and we do it so that the enemy (Satan) can't wiggle his way into our lives with bitterness, anger, animosity, etc. Once the devil has been able to work his way into our lives, the bitterness and the rest of that junk will spread like wildfire in our lives affecting more and more areas of our lives with more junk. Forgiving people doesn't mean you approve of what they did to you, it means you no longer hold it against them. Yes, that can be tough, in fact you might say "It is too hard, I can't do it." But remember that God, in Deuteronomy 30:11 says it is not too difficult for you. 

Take Away: If you are holding anger, resentment, bitterness, etc toward someone, or it may even be a company, make the choice to forgive them and ask God to bring healing to the situation. Choose to not let the enemy take advantage over you and choose to let God bring you peace.

The Big Picture

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 NET)

About a 2 years ago, my wife was selling her house. There someone who put in a bid for it, which we accepted, but that person gave us a lot of problems with the deal, in fact we were praying that God would find some way to get us out of the deal. The day before closing with this person, a water pipe leaked in the house causing a bit of damage. Our immediate thoughts were, "really God, after all we had to go through with this person, and now this?" But then we remembered our prayers and remembered that God saw the big picture and wanted the best for us, so we chose to trust Him We could have gotten all upset and stayed upset which could have led us to anxiety, sleeplessness, you name it...but we chose, instead, to trust Him, stay in peace and watch Him work. In then end, that person backed out of the deal. We, you and I, need to understand that we don't know everything, but God does. We need to understand that we don't see the big picture, but God does. We need to understand that God is in control, not us. When it comes down to it, we need to trust Him with all our heart, no matter what the circumstances are and no matter if we understand what is going on or not.

Take Away: When someone or something tries to shake you, you need to say to yourself "God, this is really bothering me, but I know you see the big picture, and what might seem a curse may be a blessing, but whatever it is, I am going to trust you and stay in peace!"

Think About What You Are Doing

And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, “ I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16 NET)

In this passage, and the verses before it, the Apostle Paul is trying to get the Corinthians to think about what they are doing. Just as in the 1st century when this was written, many of us today really don't stop to think about what we are doing. We go through each day, almost automated, doing things by habit. Not to say that everything we do by habit is bad, but if we took a good look at our daily routine, we would see that there are some things we should not be doing. Paul says that we, you and I, are the temple of the living God! God even said to the Israelites that He is living in us, you and me, walking among us, you and me. This in itself should make us rethink what we are doing and saying and watching. Think about it, when you sit down to eat, God is sitting with you, when you go to work, God is going to work with you. On the flip side, when you are watching on TV, God is there watching it with you. When you are driving in traffic and you get a bit frustrated, God is there with you. We need to get a new mindset, realizing that God is in us, walking among us. When we realize this, we will start making changes in what we say and do...changes in our behavior that are pleasing to Him.

Take Away: Each day as you rise out of the bed, say to your self "I am the temple of the living God, He is living in me and walking with me. He is my God!" Then allow Him to tell you if what you are doing is pleasing or not pleasing to Him and then make the changes.

Removing Problems Little by Little

The LORD your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you. (Deuteronomy 7:22 NLT)

A lot of times, and I would venture to even say most of the times, when we ask God to take care of a problem, we want Him to take care of ALL of the problem right now. However, as we see in Deuteronomy 7:22, that is not how He works. The problem is not that He can't do it, the problem is us. If God were to take away all of our problems right now, we would not be able to handle it. God even said so in this passage, that if He did drive out all the nations at one time, the wild animals (in old testament days this could mean unclean animals) would abound too quickly for us. That means that if He took away all of our problems at one time, other problems would come on us too quickly and that would give us more problems. God always has a reason for doing things, and in this case to take away all of our problems at one time would cause more problems in our lives. We can look at our problems like the layers of an onion. Each layer represents part of the "core" problem. As God takes away a layer, He is taking away part of our problem, and He will continue to do so, layer by layer, until the core problem is revealed and taken care of. 

Take Away: whenever you start feeling like God is not moving fast enough to take away a problem in your life, repeat to yourself Deuteronomy 7:22 and say "I thank you God that although you may not be moving in my time, You are moving in Your time. I know You will continue to work on this problem little by little until the core is reached."

Statements of Faith in Times of Trouble

We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed, (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NET)

Just because we are Christians, that does not mean we will not experience trouble. In fact, throughout the Bible, we are told that we WILL experience trouble. But what separates us from those that are not Christians is that we have Someone we can go to when we experience these troubles. Jesus experienced more troubles in His 3 years of ministry than we will ever experience in our lifetime. He is our example, He is the One we turn to for help and comfort. He is the One that gave us the words of hope we read in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. These are words of faith we can speak to our problems. So, whenever you are experiencing problems, you can say to the problems "although I have these problems, through Jesus I am not crushed." Whenever you get perplexed (which is being puzzled or confused), you can say "although this doesn't make sense, through Jesus I will not despair." When you are feeling persecuted, you can say "although people are attacking me, through Jesus I am not abandoned." When you have given all you got but you are still feeling knocked down and not able to give any more energy, you can say "although I am completely wiped out, through Jesus I am not destroyed." You may have to continually speak these words over and over, but they will eventually begin to energize your faith where you will no longer feel crushed, in despair, abandoned or destroyed.

Take Away: When you are experiencing trouble, confusion, persectued or knocked down, speak the words of 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 to your problems as a statement of faith.

Living in the Past

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, (Philippians 3:13 NLT)

It is really humanly impossible to forget something. The Apostle Paul says forget the past, but what he is trying to emphasize here is stop living in the past. Every one of us has a past, good and bad, but we all have a past. This becomes a hindrance if we choose to live in the past when God wants to take us forward in our walk with Him. If our past was good and we are currently in a bad situation, there is a temptation to stay living in the past. Or, if our past was bad, we get this victim mentality where we blame our current situation on our past. In both situations we get stuck where our current situation remains unchanged. Our current situation will only change when we let go of the past and start looking forward to what lies ahead. If our past was good, we can look forward to an even better future. If our past was bad, we can look forward to healing in our lives where we no longer have the victim mentality and we start to see positive changes in our lives. 

Take Away: Remembering the past is fine, living in the past is not fine. If you find yourself constantly thinking about your past, or if you find you are blaming all your current circumstances on your past, take a stand and choose to stop living in the past and start looking forward to what God has in store for you.

The "okay" sin

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast affects the whole batch of dough? (1 Corinthians 5:6 NET)

Over the course of time, there are things in our lives that we know is wrong, but because we have done it over and over and over, or because it has become acceptable in today's culture, it has become "okay" in our lives. Unfortunately just because it has become "okay" in our lives, doesn't make it any less wrong. And once we say this sin is "okay" then this will, without exception, make other things "okay," like a domino effect. Then we get to a point where we wonder, "why am I not seeing God's promises coming to pass in my life," or we may say "how did I get to this point?" Fortunatey God is the God of second chances, and of the third and fourth and...well unlimited chances. It is never too late to turn to God and receive His forgiveness and repent. 

Takee Away: if you have a sin that has become "okay" in your life, stop making excuses for your sin, turn to God, receive His forgiveness and repent.