Counsel and Advice

When there is no guidance a nation falls, but there is success in the abundance of counselors. (Proverbs 11:14 NET)

We think we can do it by ourselves. We think we don't need anyone, because needing people shows weakness. I use to think that...yeah, that really worked for me...NOT! If we are really honest with ourselves all of us would say the same thing. Oh yeah, it may work for a short period of time, and you may get close to what you were wanting, but the reality is we can't do it by ourselves. We need each other, we need people in our lives, that is how God made us. We were created to be social creatures, individuals with our own talents, giftings and thoughts, but as Jesus said, we are all one body...each person needing the other. The Apostle Paul even said to the Acts church "do not forsake the gathering of yourselves together." Being an only child I got use to doing things on my own, and yeah it worked for me for a while. But as I grew up, I saw the need to have others in my life to give me wise counsel. True, we are the ones that make the final decision, but when we have the advise and guidance of the people around us, people that we trust, our decisions are made with more assurance and wisdom.

Take Away: When you are facing a decisions, seek advise and wisdom from those people around you whom you trust, and above all, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Are You Willing?

So now go, and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what you must say.” (Exodus 4:12 NET)

God will never tell you do to something or give you a calling and then say "Good luck with that, see you later!" However that is what we think. We tell God, "I can't do what you are telling me," or "I don't have the skills nor the talent to do that," or "I've never done this before," and the list goes on and on. We are so worried about what we can't do and we don't even stop to think what God CAN do. God is not looking at your talents, knowledge or skills, He is looking at your willingness. If you are willing, He will teach you just like He taught Moses. God will not tell you to do something and then drop you, He will give you what you need when you need it. I'm not much to look at (you definitely won't see me on the cover of GQ), I don't have a soothing voice, and I don't have a lot of patience, yet God called me to teach and counsel. I fought Him on it for a while, but God being Who He is won the battle. I said "okay God, if you want me to do this, I will do what you are asking me to." God taught me, gave me the skills, showed me what to do and gave me opportunities to practice what He was teaching me. God is looking for people who are willing, regardless of their talents or lack of talents, their education or their lack of education. Be willing to do WHATEVER He asks of you...and the sky will be your limit!

Take Away: Stop looking at what you can't do...and start telling God "if you are looking for someone who is willing...here I am God!"

Training Weakness

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. (1 Corinthians 9:25 NLT)

When athletes train, they fail at times. However it is in those failures that athletes find their weakness. When they discover a weakness, they work on and train that weakness until it is no longer a weakness. Thats how we should be as we grow in the Lord. We will fail at times, but it is in those failures that God is showing us where we are weak. When we find those areas in our lives where we are weak, we are to work with God to make them strong. For example, one of my weak areas was low self esteem. God wanted me to see myself as He saw me, but I always saw my faults. When He showed me that I suffered from low self esteem, at first it hurt, but then He showed me in the Bible how He saw me. I took those scriptures, meditated on them, thought about them, read them out loud until low self esteem was no longer a problem. God is not showing our weak areas to make us feel bad, He is showing us our weak areas because He wants us to train those areas to make them stronger in order that we can win the prize. 

Take Away: when God shows you an area in your life where you are weak, first acknowledge that area as being weak, find scriptures that speak to that area of your life, meditate on them and then rejoice in the fact that God loves you enough to want to help you.

Really? You Want Me?

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 NLT)

A lot of us don't feel we have anything to offer God. We think we have no talent, we don't have a degree in a certain field, we make mistakes all the time...the list can go on and on. When God called Moses, several times Moses responded, and I am paraphrasing..."Really God? Me, you want me? What do I have to offer?" We do the same thing when God calls us to do something. You may not have said it, but you probably thought it, "Really God? You want me? I have nothing to offer." I thought the same thing. I thought He would use me in an area that I had talent and knowledge. And while I use those things in ministry, that is not where He has called me. He called me into counseling and teaching, something I never thought I was capable of, in fact I even said that I didn't think God wanted me to teach. The Holy Spirit got a hold of me and since then He has used me to teach in many areas. You see, God doesn't care how much knowledge you have or don't have, how many degrees you have or don't have, or how much talent you have or don't have. What He cares about is a willing heart and a willing mind, someone who isn't afraid to say "yes God, I'll do whatever you ask of me." Stop looking at what you don't have, and start looking at what you do have, God!

Take Away: Stop giving God all the reasons you think you can't do what He is asking you to do, and start saying, "God, I don't have the knowledge, the talent, or the strength to do what you are asking me, but You are with me and that is all I need, so lets do it!"

Drastic Life Changes

Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. (1 Corinthians 7:17 NLT)

It is exciting when we first get saved; the newness of being set free from sin, a new outlook on life, a freedom we have never experienced. And with the newness comes the want to change the world. We get these grandeur ideas of leaving our jobs and going to Africa and being a missionary, or we get the idea of changing our major in college to become a pastor and head up a huge church. At least that is what I almost did. I was in my freshmen year of college at the University of Missouri and my major was meteorology. I had been saved for a long time, however I started attending a non-denominational church and just got baptized with the Holy Spirit...and I wanted to change the world. I wanted to quit school, become a pastor and go to a third world country and get every one saved. Fortunately the Holy Spirit spoke to me before I made those changes and brought my feet back to the ground. During the time I was thinkin of quitting school and becoming a pastor I really felt disturbed, uneasy...and then when the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said stay in school and don't change anything right now, I had a peace inside of me...ie the uneasyness went away. I finished school, and with my job in meteorology, God was able to use me in ways I would never have done had I gone off on those "grandiose" ideas. It is exciting when we get saved and when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, but listen to the words of the Apostle Paul...remain as you were. God will let you know what you need to do when you need to do it.

Take Away: Enjoy the excitement of being saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit, but don't make any drastic changes in your life until the emotions have settled. Stay as you are until God tells you to move.

Faults and All

The LORD took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:5 NET)

Abraham was not the most upstanding individual. He lied, he was deceitful to his family, to the Egyptian king, he walked in a lot of fear, he...well...he was just like us...human. What is crazy is that God still used him, and used him in a huge way...as the father of the nation of Israel. We have gotten into our minds that we have to behave perfect for God to use us. I certainly thought that for many years, but as I look back over my life, I saw how God used me when I was not only behaving in a manner that was godly, but also when I was not behaving very well. While trying to live in a godly manner is a good thing, it is not a pre-requisite for God to use you. Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that we have the license to behave in any way we want to because if you have the Spirit of Christ living in you, you will want to strive to live in a godly way. What I am saying is that we should not think the only time God can use us is when we are behaving in a godly manner; Abraham was a perfect example of that. God knows we are human and that we are going to make mistakes, and in all of that He will still use us!

Take Away: when you start thinking that God can only use you when you are acting in a godly manner, think about Abraham and say, "God used Abraham, faults and everything, and if He used Abraham, He can certainly use me!"

Two Ears and One Mouth

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. (James 1:19 NET)

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine many years ago. The problem with the discussion was that whenever I would start talking, he would start talking over me. I asked him why. He said, and these are his actual words, "what I have to say is more important than what you are saying." I knew then that I was wasting my breath because he would never listen to what I have to say.  This also shows a lack of respect for the other person. Its saying "you are not good enough for me to listen to." Everyone has a story to tell and everyone wants to be heard. But look at what James was saying, be quick to listen and slow to speak. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason! We are to be listeners. Just because you have something to say doesn't mean that you have to say it. If the Holy Spirit wants you to say something, He will prompt you to do it. Be respectful of the other person. Remember what Paul said to the Philippians in chapter 2 verse 3: treat others as better than yourself. 

Take Away: Be respectful of others, let them talk and listen to what others have to say. God may actually be trying to speak to you words that you need! 

Adding to God

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2-3 NET)

Here is a case where Eve took what God told both Adam and herself, and added to it. God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but He didn't say they must not touch it. She took what God said, and added another stipulation, another rule, whatever you call it, she added something God never said. We do that as well, even today. God will tell us to do something, and then we add something else to it. When we do that, we are saying "God, I know what you said, but it wasn't good enough...I have to add this."  For example, a few years ago God told me He wanted me to record my classical music. Right away I thought that meant I had to put a band together, so I put a band together. Then some of the members of the band wanted to re-write the classical music by adding our own music, so we did that. Needless to say the band never took off, and one by one the members left. When I asked God what happened, He said "I never told you to put a band together." I added to what God told me to do, and although the music we created in the band was very good, God was not in it. When we add to what God tells us, He no longer is in it because it is no longer what He asked us to do, it is what we decided to do.

Take Away: When God tells you to do something, don't add to it, no matter how logical it may seem. God knows what He is doing!

Getting Ahead of God

He waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul. So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered a burnt offering. Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. (1 Samuel 13:8-10 NET)

Samuel told Saul to wait until he arrived. Saul was doing fine until circumstances around him started to get him thinking Samuel wasn't going to show up. Saul took things into his own hands. The problem? He didn't wait. Although Saul said Samuel didn't come at the appointed time, the truth is Samuel DID arrive at the appointed time. The problem with Saul was that he saw his army start to abandon him and he got afraid and let circumstances dictate his actions. We do the same thing. We see things not going the way we think they should go or we see things going in the opposite direction that God said they would go and we think we have to do something. It all comes down to a trust issue. Do we trust God enough that when circumstances are going in a different direction, do we still stand our ground and trust that God IS in control? When God says He will do something, we can trust that He will do it, no matter what the circumstances.

Take Away: When circumstances are going in a direction that is contrary to what you are trusting God to do, shake it off and trust God...stand your ground in His promise!

The Move

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

About 2 months ago Tammy and I started on an "adventure" that is just about completed. Without going into a lot of details, we purchased a house that will also house my mom who will be moving down here from out of state.  As we started on this adventure, the Holy Spirit reminded me a few...uh...several...uh many times the words He spoke to Tammy and I about 2 years ago, and that was to stop all our planning and let Him guide us. Well, we are human and SQUIRREL! Make no mistake, we had deadlines that had to be met as we packed, moved, painted, cleaned, etc, that were out of our control. But you know, God knows all about these, and when we found ourselves getting stressed out and frustrated because we didn't think we would meet the deadlines, the Holy Spirit reminded me..."trust in the Lord and do not rely on your own understanding and your own timing." What seemed like impossible deadlines to meet, they were met...all of them. God made it happen WHEN we stopped being frustrated and stressed and allowed Him to work. When we start getting frustrated and stressed, that is a sign that we have taken God out of the equation and we are trying to do it on our own power. When I catch myself getting frustrated, I say "okay, Kent, stop it, stop doing what you are doing" (yes, I do a little self talk). Then I step back and say "God, I confess I took you out of it, now I want you back in it, I am releasing it to you, please take it." In every instance He has done that.

Take Away: When you find yourself getting frustrated and stressed, stop what you are doing, take a step back, confess to God that you were trying to do it on your own strength, and then ask Him to take over.