Mon // Surrender :: Control
Title: Our intuition Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5 Counterintuitive. I love writing this word on a whiteboard and asking a group what it means. After a lively discussion, it’s established . . . “to go against what comes naturally (our intuition).” We […]
Fri // Steel :: Passion
Title: Resilient Passion Love the LORD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. – Deut. 6:5 Gladiator. Braveheart. 300. These are just a few classic film examples of men who possessed the resilient passion and the steel to withstand impossible odds in battle, even at the eventual expense […]
Tue // Fuel :: Listen
Title: Chaos He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; – Psalm 46:10a. There’s some pretty powerful imagery in Psalm 46. Amid cataclysmic natural disasters of summer blockbuster proportions, God’s dwelling place holds firm and is unshakeable. During ancient warfare, God shatters the bows of trained archers and the spears of the best […]
Sun // Sacrifice :: Exalt
Title: High above us Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. – Psalm 99:5 Proportionately speaking, a footstool is a small accessory compared to a throne. Picture it: God is on the throne (big), and we are welcome to approach His footstool (small). While many Scriptures emphasize God’s immanence […]
Thu // Warrior :: Engage
Title: Spiritual Forces For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlyrealms. – Ephesians 6:12 As boys, many of us were convinced of scary things lurking under the bed, in a closet, or even in the bathroom plumbing? As we aged, we learned how “irrational” these suspicions were, taught to ignore fear and taught us only what is perceived with our five senses. “Nonsense,” we concluded. […]
Thu // Warrior :: Defend
Title: Represent God’s Character “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” – Psalm 82:3The saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” comes to mind upon studying the above verse, especially in its context. God is calling […]
Tue // Fuel :: Spirit
Title: Spirit or Flesh So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 Oil and water. Similar poles of a magnet. Light and darkness. The natural laws in physics teach us that some things are just not designed to “coexist.” They oppose. They resist. […]
Tue // Fuel :: Spirit
Title: Repetition and practice So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 Play to win. Don’t play to lose. For anyone who’s ever competed in sports or any other type of contest, you know the difference. Think about it too long, hesitate, second-guess […]
Fri // Steel :: Integrity
Title: Don’t hand it over I will not deny my integrity. – Job 27:5b I periodically utilize a method designed to reinforce someone’s resolve to resist old beliefs about themselves and begin thinking anew. It involves identifying a truth they wish to uphold and then handing them a couch pillow. “We’re going to play a […]
Mon // Surrender :: Idols
Title: It’s up to us. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. – Jonah 2:8 I believe that to the degree you and I turn and cling to would-be substitutes for God’s loving provision, we experience its absence. Conversely, to the degree we turn and cling to God Himself to […]