Curing post-short-term-mission-trip sickness

Post-mission-trip sickness can be cured! Take two John 15s and a shot of Great Commission and call me in the morning.

Seriously.

Abide in Jesus and make disciples. There; you’re fixed.

What? Someone is saying, “Tim, what in the world are you talking about?” I’m talking about folks who go on a short-term mission trip and say for an entire year how much they miss it. That’s post-mission-trip sickness! And, it can be cured!

Maybe I should spell this out a little more. If you had a sickness that would take ten treatments to cure, would you go back to the doctor all ten times? Sure, yes, you know you would. You’d be concentrated on the healing, not the burden of going back and forth so many times.

Likewise, this will take you a few moments to read, and it make take a few days to get over your feelings about it and it may take a few weeks of God’s stirring before you begin to accept it and it may take a couple months for you to make it a reality. But, if you’ll concentrate on the cure, the trouble will be worth it.

Mind you, it doesn’t have to take so long. Remember, abide in Jesus and make disciples; that’ll fix you right up. But, I believe most of us need some convincing if we’re to take these things into our hearts. So, whether the following are considered treatments or truth we need to face, get ready for a potentially convicting ride.

First things first, a mission trip is about Jesus (or should be; if it wasn’t repent and then lovingly rebuke whoever planned it or rebuke yourself for going for the wrong reasons). But, assuming it was about Jesus, that’s something you miss. You went out for the Lord; you lived for the Lord; you served the Lord. Your time was spent focusing on His will for your life. Your time was spent watching your words and using up your energy in fellowship with Him.

Can you say your life is about Jesus today? One thing we miss when we come home from a mission trip is living for Jesus. Most folks return to “normal life” and drop the 24/7 living for Jesus they were experiencing while they were on mission.

Maybe, if we’re honest, some of us do not even know how to live for Jesus. Seek counsel. You may not even know it, but it’s the big thing you miss about the mission trip you were on… you miss living for Jesus!

Jesus' call to “Follow me…” is not meant to be for temporary visits to foreign countries or short trips to corporate gatherings of the Body of Christ. It’s meant for life. It’s meant for times in your family and school and job and friendships and community and EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME! He is THE way. He is THE truth. He is THE life. We don’t go to the Father, except through Jesus. We must have a Jesus focused life!

That Jesus focused life is the prescription, and most of these other 9 pills come from that bottle!

We need a Jesus focused life, and we also need a Word focused life. We were in the Word (devotional books) and under the teaching of the Word (team leader teaching and 3 Story) and leading in the Word (all the ministry activities) for 9 solid days. Not only that, we lead up to the trip with extra times in the Word. Not only that, we spent time teaching others how to teach others the Word!

Word! Word! Word!

It set your thinking.
It told your heart how to feel.
It resisted self and self-centered attitudes.
It informed our every day, all day.

Are you in the Word? That’s a start. Having a reading habit is a start. But, we also need a Word-centered meditation habit and we also need to build the habit of applying the wisdom of the Word to our lives AND living it out in obedience.

Again, you don’t know it, but one thing you missed if the focus on the Word of God the mission trip gave you. It shaped your approach to EVERYTHING!

Thirdly, the mission trip gave you constant fellowship with believers. That’s tied to the fourth thing (which has two parts); you had constant accountability.

Many of us live and identify constantly with people who do not care about God, or if they “care” about God, it’s hard to tell it affects their lives on a day to day basis. Seriously, let’s keep it real, being caught up in American culture and tripping over the silly stuff of everyday life can be cured with intentional discipleship. 

On a mission trip, we’re with the Body all the time. It matters! We are encouraged! We are held accountable for our behavior, speech and work ethic.

Who’s doing any of that for you now?
What do your friends focus on?

You see, that accountability deal is big. You were on a big team and part of a smaller team and we kept pushing each other. The other part of accountability was that excuses weren’t offered or allowed. In other words, we went on mission to get the job done, so we worked through tiredness and sickness and irritability or ____________; our family in the Lord held us accountable and didn’t allow us space for excuses!

Accountability is a huge blessing. Nothing encourages me more than someone who really cares about me staying on track as a disciple of Jesus. Do you have an accountability partner?

Are you on mission in your personal life and with your local church?

One of the great shames is (a) when people will go a long ways to serve God but won’t serve God right where they are and / or (b) people who expect to represent the Body of Christ in a foreign country when they are not committed to the Body of Christ right where they live. There is something hyper-hypocritical about these things.

You didn’t think about it then, but one thing you loved was the fellowship in the Body of Christ, every day, all day and the accountability that afforded you.

And that led you (and ME!) to the fifth thing… constant service. Even when we aren’t doing a project or preparing to do a project, we minister to one another.

Is that your mentality and habit right now?
What hobbies and habits keep you from a life of constant service?
Why will we go away and serve till we’re exhausted, but will barely lift a finger at home?

You don’t know it, but you loved the exhaustion of good works while you were on mission. The constant service blessed your heart!

And, though you might hate to realize this, the structure of your days and nights blessed you, too. You had a time for “lights out” and a time to get up and a time to eat and a time to study and a time to rest and a time to work. The structure of the trip created for you a discipline that you need to now create for yourself.

Too many things grab our attention. We are constantly diddling these blasted phones and pads and laptops and games and and and and and…

The structure of the trip was like a big knife, shaving off junk and getting to the good stuff. I think one of the BIGGEST blessings of being on most mission trips is our stinking cell phones don’t work! We actually get to hold our heads up and look around and talk to people.

Do you create structure for yourself?
It can be a huge blessing.

Honestly, it’s one reason you miss the mission.

Plus, it’s a no escape escape. What?

When we don’t have to answer the phone, we don’t have to answer the phone! We don’t have to run away from it! It’s not there to run away from.

We actually need this. We need no escape escapes. (This is #7, by the way.) We need to run away without having to go anywhere. The cell phone deal makes me think of it, but it’s true; we need to simply let some things go in our lives.

Often we cannot even tell what’s in our way until something shows us, but, when we discover it, we need to let it go. Then we don’t have to wrestle with it or run away from it. On a mission trip, you escape from all sorts of things without even knowing it!

Some of our relationships and hobbies and habits are anchors in our lives, and they hinder us from running the race of faith and service.

Some of us didn’t even know how good letting that stuff go was. We thought it was the mission trip that made us feel so good, so we want to go back. We want to escape.

What we need, though, is to let some stuff go.
Then, we don’t have to run from it or that…we can just run for the Lord!

We also loved living for Jesus without our personal history being on the scene. In other words, when we go out for the Lord to places where people don’t know us, they don’t know our hang ups and histories. They just see our smiling faces.

What is awesome, however, and where God gets glory is when we live for Jesus in SPITE of our personal histories. For example, nobody in Ukraine or Puerto Rico or Colombia or Nicaragua or any of the places I’ve gone knows I’ve been a drunk and a drug addict or that I have a criminal record. I seem like “awesome dude” to them.

But.
People.
At.
Home.
Know.

And they remind me…

I don’t have to face any of that out on the road.

Not only that, but my family knows I struggle with anger and that I’m borderline sinful in how much I work and that I need quiet time (ALONE) or I’ll become a monster. I can hold it together for a few days, but at home, they know me.

At home, we have to face that stuff.
The monster is in the secrets and the denial.If we turn it over to Jesus and let it out in the open, the power of it is released.

Finally, two tough truths (#s 9 & 10)…

IF we really missed the people, we’d be building them up in the Lord while we were away from them. IF we really missed the people, we’d be praying for them. IF we really missed the people, we would want them to come to Jesus, or if they are Christians, we’d want to see them walking passionately for the Lord. It would not be simple sentimentality.

When we really have a burden for people, and when that burden really comes from the Lord, and when that burden is born out of truly being on mission with God, we want God stuff for those people. We remember the jokes, but we long for their souls to be encouraged and for them to draw near to the Living God. That’s when we’ll know we’ve been on mission from the Lord.

That other stuff, well that’s something else.

And, if our hearts were bent for the place where we were on mission, then we’ll be working for that place from where we are. We’ll be trying to get the Gospel to them. We’ll be trying to build up the church there, so they can take the Gospel to their community.

These things are what it means for having a burden from God for a people and a place.

Now, I know, I know… you’re thinking, Tim, that’s hard. Maybe so, but it real, and it’s biblical.

Living for Jesus…
Word focused…
Constant fellowship…
Accountable…
Structure…
Getting rid of weights that hold us back…
Facing personal history…
Getting a burden for people…
Getting a burden for places…

On a mission trip, we got all of that!

We can have it now, too!

Friends, this COULD BE the greatest thing about short-term missions; they COULD BE the thing to show us that living a life of service is good and right and a blessing to our souls. We miss that place and that time and those people because they represent a time when were starting to see through the fog and see what our lives could be.

That’s what I’m saying! But, it all starts with that first one; that first admonition...we can live on mission, but we’ve first got to focus on Jesus.

Will you? Will you focus on Jesus? Will you get on mission?
This is the life you were called to, not just a trip you got to go on…

Possibly the worst advice ever

"Follow your heart." This has the potential to be the worst advice known to mankind. According to the Prophet Jeremiah, our hearts are "desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). Most of us don't want to believe this, but God's assessment is from perfect knowledge, and our motives and actions pretty much nail us and prove Him right. 

We can't follow a heart that is like that! It can get worse... 

When we don't recognize God for who He is and worship Him above all things, we lead ourselves into dangerous grounds with our hearts. Notice what happens when a "desperately wicked" heart is given over to its natural course. Notice what following that type heart leads to!

"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Romans 1:24-25, ESV)

Before we can follow our hearts, we need a new heart. We need what God spoke of through Prophet Ezekiel, when He said, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Then, that heart needs constant guarding (Proverbs 4:23) and abiding (John 15). Without the new heart, and without the Spirit's constant help, we will epitomize Ecclesiastes 10:2, which says, "A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left."

New heart; surrendered heart; growing, guarded heart: wise.
Stone heart; heart that follows own desires: fool.

I only trust my heart when it agrees with God. Period.

"Follow your heart" may indeed, depending on the condition of the heart, be the worst advice ever given.

Thank You, God.

Thank You, Father. 
Thank You for sending Jesus. 
Thank You, Jesus. 
Thank You for loving the church so much that You died for us. 
Thank You for counting us Your joy. 
Thank You, Holy Spirit. 
Thank You for revealing the Son to us, and giving the church Yourself. 
Thank You, Father. 
Thank You that I'm no longer an orphan. 
Thank You, Jesus.
Thank You for loving me as Your brother, and sharing Your inheritance.
Thank You, Holy Spirit. 
Thank You for invading my life and being intimate with me; knowing me and filling me. 
Thank You, God. 
Thank You for being personal. 
Thank You for being knowable. 
Thank You for revealing Yourself.
Thank You for revealing my sin.
Thank You for not leaving me helpless.
Thank You for the breathe of life.
Thank You for a quickened spirit. 
Thank You for calling me out of darkness and into the marvelous light.
Thank You that my wife loves You.
Thank You that she works hard.
Thank You that she is kind to me.
Thank You for the patience You give me through her.
Thank You for the oft-granted affirmation You give through her.
Thank You that she truly is a helpmeet.
Thank You that both my daughters love You.
Thank You for their tender hearts.
Thank You for their simple, honest faith.
Thank You that they have a fear of hell.
Thank You that they have an expectant hope of heaven.
Thank You for their work ethic.
Thank You that each one is unique.
Thank You for causing them to love each other.
Thank You that You are the Lord of our home.
Thank You for a sound mind. 
Thank You for a healthy body.
Thank You for a fine family.
Thank You for supplying more food than I can eat.
Thank You for a solid home. 
Thank You for plenty of clothes.
Thank You for my pots and pans.
Thank You for good friends.
Thank You for a great local church.
Thank You for refining me. 
Thank You for encouraging me.
Thank You for rebuking me.
Thank You for allowing me to hear Your voice.
Thank You for the Word, written and Living. 
Thank You for giving me ears to hear music. 
Thank You for eyes that see the beauty of all that you've made. 
Thank You for a curious mind.
Thank You for a changed heart.
Thank You for this computer.
Thank You that I can read and write.
Thank You that I can walk. 
Thank You for all the experiences You've allowed to work in my life till today. 
Thank You for every person You've used to shape me.
Thank You for every hill.
Thank You for every valley.
Thank You for the times I've been able to give.
Thank You for the times when I've only been able to receive.
Thank You that the giving and receiving is of You, and not me. 
Thank You for pillows.
Thank You for blankets.
Thank You for furniture. 
Thank You for our minivan.
Thank You for purpose on Earth.
Thank You for the waiting reward. 
Thank You for work.
Thank You for rest.
Thank You for honey badgers.
Thank You for puppies. 
Thank You for buzzards.
Thank You for clouds.
Thank You for the sun.
Thank You for the rain.
Thank You for oxygen.
Thank You for water. 
Thank You for magnets. 
Thank You for for listening... 

Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me!

Do you believe in demons?

Some people see a demon on every doorknob. So many, in fact, that they blame every single thing on demons. Some people dismiss the entire idea of demons. They say such things are not for the modern mind and do not stand up against intelligent thinking or scientific scrutiny. I say the truth is somewhere in between. But, beyond others' opinions to the extreme and my understanding in the middle of those extremes, their lies one important reality: Jesus believed in demons.

Consider this account:  "And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 'What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.' But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him!' And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, 'What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.' And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee." (Mark 1:21-28, ESV)

There, that's enough for me. It seems they believed in Him, too.

I think it's safe to say that Jesus believed in "normal" sickness, too. Consider this: "And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him." (Mark 1:29-34, ESV)

I also think it's safe to say Jesus believed in sickness springing from sin. Consider this: "'Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Rise and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins'--he said to the man who was paralyzed--'I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.'" (Luke 5:23-24, ESV)

My point is not to dispute the conventional wisdom of going to medical and psychological doctors. My point is that we begin to consider, in a fresh way, the fact, which Jesus believed, that there are some behaviors, activities, sickness and emotional disturbances directly linked to the presence of demons in our world.

And, then, petitioning God with all humility, ask Him to work against such evil. Fact is, what I am blatantly suggesting is to seek Him first in everything, even before we seek out the help of doctors, seek out the help of God.

I think one of our key problems as a culture is failing to consider some things as spiritual problems. We think everything is something the hand of a man or a pill from a bottle can attend to. Fact is, speaking of a demon in Mark 9:29, Jesus said, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

Speaking specifically about spiritual warfare, Ephesians 6:18 says, "...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and 18 say, "....pray without ceasing...for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Not everything can be repaired by human hands...

Nor do I believe everything people face falls simply into the realm of psychological or physiological problems. There is a supernatural enemy. Against such a foe, we should be knowledgeable. More so, we should be watchful. More so, we need God to deal with such a foe. Our role is often prayer and fasting, seeking the Lord and exercising dependency in Him.

Spiritual issues require spiritual solutions. Let us first and always seek the Lord.

It's the exact same, except worse

I've always wanted to be a tough guy. I don't know that I am, and I'm not going to start counting scars or sharing stories to determine for myself or you if I am. I mean, I've got scars and stories, but they prove I've survived; they don't really tell how I fared or feared in the middle of the trouble. 

You just can't look at a fossil and tell if the flower smelled good or not. That's a rabbit that I want to chase, but I've got an elephant to eat, so let me move on...

I'm out of shape. Anyone who knows me knows that. That's not revelatory to anyone. Some of those scars are directly related to that fact, too. 

You can't tell it now, but I wasn't always out of shape. I used to run, regular and far (but never very fast). 

I'm not copping out. Much of this is still in my hands (or, more geographically correct, around my waist). I've got to work and there's work I can do. Don't get hung up in this, or you'll miss the reason for my writing today.

I've got bad knees. Really bad knees. I've got feel-like-I'm-always-grinding-corn kind of knees. The right one is shot, as the saying goes. When I was 35 the doc told me he'd be surprised if I didn't get a knee replacement before 40. I dislocated my knee for the 40-teenth a few days ago. To say it swelled is an understatement. It ballooned. I knew a visit to the orthopedic doc was necessary, so I resigned myself to it and went. 

Today, he said I need a knee replacement. It's been 7 years (or maybe 8 -- maybe I was 34 ... ????).
"What's the other option, doc?"
According to him, keep on keeping on; expect bad days and worse days and bad weeks and long stretches of recovering from constant issues. Or get a knee replacement (expensive) and another in 20 years (expensive). Knee replacement or more of the same, except worse? 
So, I say, "Oh, so just keep living like I've been living for years?"
Yep. 

Well, there's the good news! It's the exact same as it's been for years, except worse. (I can't find the emoticon for this blog, so I'll just say "smiley face" and "winky face" and "LOL".)

Or, maybe not...

I really cannot remember how many orthopedic surgeries I've had; I don't recall all the broken bones; I lost count of ER visits and braces and I don't know how many sets of crutches I've owned. I'd say it's been a ride, but that would be a lie; it's been a limp. I've never felt like quitting. I've never felt like giving in to the injuries and the surgeries and the physical rehab. One time, I came back from a totally ruptured ACL faster than Jerry Rice (you know, that kinda thing is one for the annals and whoever reads those boring things knows my name).

Today, I kind of felt like quitting... 

Today, I felt punched in the stomach. Okay, not really. It was worse, and not in the "lower" sense, but in the higher sense. I felt punched in the heart. 

It was an unusual feeling for me. I'm no quitter. I'm no down-in-the-mouth kinda cat. I come up swinging.

I limped to my car, started it, turned on some Jesus music, adjusted the A/C and stared blankly for a few moments. Then in machine gun fashion, my thoughts roared so fast that statements where yells and questions had no time for answers:
"I'm never going to feel like walking more than a few hundred yards again."
"I'm too young for this junk."
"Blasted."
"I think I'll quit."
"How can I get on disability?"
"Shut up, idiot."
"Buck up. Be a man. Get your game up."
"Siiiiiiiiiigh." 
"I'm going to be fat forever."
"Good grief..."
"Arrrrrrrrrrggggh!"

Thank God, He loves me. Thank God, He intervened on my self conversation. Self conversations aren't always good, and my self-derision can get pretty brutal. So, yes, thank God He intervened.
I began to drive. I'm a do-the-next-needed-thing kind of guy, and the next thing was a needed trip to the grocery store, so I headed that way. 

Under Spirit-led compulsion, I pulled over; I knew God was communicating something to my spirit.  I didn't try to disguise it (who can trick God anyway?), so I'm sure my frustration bubbled out, or up in this case...
"What, Lord? I'm listening." 
"Tim," (that's what He calls me, or sometimes, "boy"), "Remember My joy. Rejoice in Me. None of this diminishes Me. Get your head right. Look in my word. Rejoice." 
I sat and read all of the letter to the Church at Philippi.
And, I began to pray...

Great Physician knows best. I set my mind on things above. I rejoiced in my Redeemer. I remembered that I can limp to heaven and run when I enter in. Then, as the Holy Spirit is so faithful in doing, I began to hear Andrae Crouch's voice in a song that is drilled into my heart and became re-convinced of how through it all I've learned to trust in Jesus and I've learned to trust in God. I began to thank God for the "storms He's brought me through." I've learned to "depend upon His word." He's good. He's true. He's right. 

Pretty soon, Lynda Randle's voice invaded my space, remembering a special song I love to hear her sing. The words came to me: "Life is easy when you're up on the mountain..." The tune began to stir in me: "For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He'll make them right. And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times. The God of the day is still God in the night." That woman can sing! I can't, but I did. 

So, yes, my knee is the exact same, except worse. But, my heart is better. 
That's the point of this.
God is faithful...
...and good...
...and I love Him more today after "bad" news than I did before.

Did He fix my knee?
No.
Can he?
Yes.
Will he?
I can't say, but He knows these bones will live. 

But, my heart is so much better. My head, too. 
I needed this word, and not just for knees; for my whole life...
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV) 

I can strain forward in a limp. I sure can. 

I walked into the grocery store singing Tom Petty. 

I know, I know... it's not Christian. Still, it's my song for today: "No, I won't back down. You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won't back down. No, I'll stand my ground, won't be turned around, and I'll keep this world from dragging me down. I'll stand my ground, and I won't back down. Hey, baby, there ain't no easy way out..."

After all, if God is for me -- and more important for today, WITH ME -- what have I to fear?
Yep, after 7 or 8 years, the knee is the exact same, except worse. 
But, the man, after those same years, well, I'm not the exact same, but I'm still depending on the exact same God. 

Rebutting a Skeptic / Killing the Seed

a seed is ever so small

but planted grows so tall

firm in solid soil

it roots and springs with little toil

the most dangerous seed ever uncaught

is yon seed planted to corrupt our thought 

You know how it works, right? It's a small thing; tiny, even. Doubt. 

Hang with me on this one, and I promise, it'll bless you or hurt you, but either way, it'll help you. 

It's helping me just to think through it!

It's at it's worse when it's about the most important things. Our enemy, using divers methods, would love nothing more than to cast doubt into our thinking of God. That's what the serpent did in the Garden of Eden. Here's the testimony from Scripture about this character: "Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made." (Genesis 3:1a) See that? Crafty. Yep. What is the first act of this craft trickster? "He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" (Genesis 3:1, ESV) Catch that? He planted a seed of doubt!

That's how the enemy works.
"Did God really say ____________?"
"Do you think that's what He really meant?"
"Isn't that just and old book?"
On and on...a doubt creating machine is our enemy. 

I think there are hoards of websites and college classrooms designed by Satan himself for the sole purpose of casting doubt. Sure, they claim you are "getting informed" or "gaining an accredited degree," and you just might be getting those things, but we'd do well to make sure we don't get some other mess along the way.

The Apostle Peter was given a word about this: "This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.' For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished." (2 Peter 3:1-6, ESV, emphasis mine)

Sounds quite Eden-ish, doesn't it? 

This stuff is the most dangerous. It is. It subverts our relationship with God, and no other relationship is more important. No other relationship matters more. No other relationship comes with larger blessings or more dire consequences. 

But, that's not what I really want to write about. Do not mistake what I mean, NOTHING is more important than our relationship with God, and we must wage all out war against doubt and unbelief. 

There's this other thing, though...

Relationships are tricky enough, right?
Love relationships.

Friends.

Family. 

Work / school acquaintances.
The authorities over and around us. 

E'erybody...

That's the second biggest thing the enemy wants broken, or jacked up in our lives: relationships with others. 

I'm becoming firmly convinced that the enemy's number one tool in those relationships is doubt, too. People do it all the time! It's usually disguised as ordinary conversation or gossip, but it does its dirty work, no matter how unassuming it seems. 

"You know how they are..."
"Someone said they ..."
"Bless her heart..."

"I heard..."
"They've always been like that."

Sometimes it's just a look when someone mentions someone.
Innuendo.
Rumor.
Gossip.

That's a scoffers work!
And, that mess ruins relationships. It casts doubt.
We must refuse it.
Maybe even rebuke it.
Definitely not receive it...

I've been thinking about this since the other day, when I was sitting in a hospital, talking to someone. They asked me a question about someone else, and it was like the Lord revealed to me that my answer would possibly cast doubt upon another person's character, so I just refused to answer. There was no flattering answer to give, and really only my unneeded opinion. I was pressed for an answer, but I refused. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I knew, in that moment, I was growing. (I wanted to go find a door frame and scratch something in it.) 

I've refused gossip before, but this was so subtle. God gave me discernment in the moment. It was a tiny seed, and I could see how we (I) plant them, and we jack up relationships.

I don't want to be a scoffer. Here's God's wisdom advised for scoffers: "Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease." (Proverbs 22:10, ESV) 

I think God is right! Hushing-up the scoffer would be the quarrel-killer.

Absolutely, I know what you're thinking, and you're right... sometimes we have to caution people and report things we don't really want to report. I know. But, keep it real with me, what's the ratio of times it's needed and times we just say stuff? I'd wager the need-to-say times are far, far fewer than the not-need-to-say times. 

We need to edify. There's the goal we make and the line we draw. Does it build up? Was that our goal when we spoke it? Do we desire to be built up? Are we desiring to build up the one we are talking about? Are we desiring to build up the one we are talking to? 

We must be careful of what seeds we plant. We may be seeding doubts and ruining relationships. That ain't good. 

Rebut the skeptic.
Rebuff the scoffer. 
Rebuke the flaming tongue. 

Let me close with James 3:1-12, 'cause he says it better than me... 

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we putbits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. (ESV)

Cracking Hard Shells

Life often feels like a full on assault. Seriously, I keep my knuckles up most of the time, and I remember the necessary armor requisite for the fray. Fightings within and fightings without, and that's when I'm alone! 

Things get hard. I dig in and scrap. There's an old saying: "It's better to make a good run than a bad fight." Let's just say I don't subscribe to that thinking. I'll make a bad fight without blinking! 

Now, don't you go mistaking what I'm saying. I'm not talking about fighting others. I'm talking about the spiritual battle that is my own life. Too often, I dig in and scrap rather than remember the battle is the Lord's. 

You know, being a man fit for the fight has a terrible side consequence at times, and that is, in my case, a closed heart. No, I don't mean a hard heart. I mean a closed heart. I don't let anyone new in. It seems I get all I can handle and there's no space for others; more accurately, it doesn't feel safe to let others in. Well, beloved, that ain't good for the ministry, it's not good for my life and it's not remotely close to who God calls a believer to be. 

I know that. Really, I do. 

I literally have a list of things I do to combat such a spirit when it comes creeping in.

• Consider Jesus. Seriously, ponder HIM instead of me! Think on His life, His teachings, His character, His coming, His coming back...just intentionally ponder Jesus.
• Get in the Word and let the Word get into me... I mean, you know, I'm in the Word, but sometimes I start thinking and scrapping so hard I forget to listen.
• Remember from whence I have come. The Lord HAS given me many victories in Christ Jesus! It's no coincidence that every big move for Israel -- whether negative or positive -- came with someone recounting their entire past. 
• Humble myself. I so do not like this, but I know it's right.
• Check my love meter. Am I embodying love in my relationships with God and others. 
• And, because I like do be palaverously redundant all over again, I simply go back to the most basic issues of the faith. The basics never fail me. Who God is; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What He desires to do to, for, through mankind. What are my purposes as a believer and disciple? On and on...
• Last, but certainly not least, count my blessings and be THANKFUL. 

That's where I am today. I am being thankful. I have a long, long, long, long, rather long, extensive list of things for which to be thankful. Did I mention the list is long? 

However, I am cracking the hard defensive perimeter today with a certain kind of thankfulness. I am thankful for the ministry God has given me. 

"I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service" (1 Timothy 1:12, ESV)

I know I'm no Paul, but I don't have to be; I'm Tim Bowes. That's Timothy Will Bowes to the official record keepers, and "Man Of  A New Name In The Heavenlies" to those watching and waiting for the Great Day. I've got a calling, too. How do I know? 'Cause I'm His!

In Paul's case, he was an apostle. I'm just a preacher / teacher, table server, encourager and exhorter; nothing so heady as an apostle. Sure, I'm a "sent one," but I've not yet experienced any of the "sign gifts" of apostleship, and I'm okay if I never do...all that's up to God.

See, the thing isn't about Paul or Tim or Billy or Martin or Count von Zinzendorf  or Peter, James or John...it's about Christ Jesus, because HE is the one who enables, who gives strength. I'm not as thankful to be numbered among the servants as I am thankful to be enabled to serve by the Master's power; I much more treasure His strengthening than I do their approval. 

It's humbling. 

Especially when I consider from whence I came. 

I think Paul could understand what I mean. He said, "...though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief..." (1 Timothy 1:13, ESV)

See, YOU might not know or remember who I used to be; YOU might not know how horrible of a product I was to begin with, but I know. I remember. You bet, I remember. How can I be anything but grateful? What other response would be proper? Well, you know, not just grateful, but humbled and grateful. 

People can question my theology. They can wonder about my intelligence. They can criticize my personality. All of these things may need questions and wonderment and criticism. One thing they can never take from me, and one thing I want to always remember is that I remember who I was and how when I called out to Jesus, He helped me. He saved me! 

It's humbling, and joy-restoring and encouraging!

And, I know it came by grace, not by merit...

"...and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 1:14, ESV)

Grace remembered.
Shell cracked.
Humility restored.
Fellowship grand. 

A look inward should only last as long as it takes to make us look upward

Be sure of this, when God tells us to look in, He really wants us to look up. When God commands us to look at ourselves, He desires that we see our need of Him.

In his work "Pensées", Blaise Pascal said, "Let man now know his value. Let him love himself, for there is in him a nature capable of good; but let him not for this reason love the vileness which is in him. Let him despise himself, for this capacity is barren; but let him not therefore despise this natural capacity. Let him hate himself, let him love himself; he has within him the capacity of knowing the truth and of being happy, but he possesses no truth, either constant or satisfactory." From the Oracle at Delphi, Socrates heard "Know thyself" and determined, according to Plato's conversation, in Socrates' work, "Phaedrus", that he could not be curious about anything outside himself until he knew himself. So, Pascal says love yourself and he says to hate yourself; Socrates, via the Oracle at Delphi, says to know yourself. What does God say?

He says, "Examine yourself." (2 Corinthians 13:5) He says, "Consecrate yourselves." (Leviticus 20:7)

We spend much too much time hating ourselves, and much too much time loving ourselves and probably much too much time trying to know ourselves. That's an inward focus. The Scripture does say we should "examine ourselves" but that examination is to determine whether we are in the faith, and not just in the historical sense, but are we walking in the faith in the moment. The Scripture tells us to "consecrate ourselves," or "separate ourselves" if you prefer, meaning, do not practice or be defined by worldly ideologies or false religion.

Pascal: Love yourself. Hate yourself.
Oracle at Delphi: Know yourself.
God: Examine yourself. Separate yourself.

"Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!" (Lamentations 3:40, ESV)

Negative Withdrawal

Do you pull away from people because you perceive yourself more spiritual or more wise than they? Proverbs 18:1 says, "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment." 

We know we are to separate ourselves from worldliness, for the Scripture says, "Be ye not conformed..." We know we are to have seasons of retreat for prayer and fasting. We know it is wise to pull aside for quietness, reflection, meditation and study. 

However, I believe Proverbs 18:1 is talking about something else. The key is where the Scripture says, "he breaks out against all sound judgment." It seems to indicate an attitude of refusing to listen to wise input from others. 

Sometimes, people simply do not want any other voice than their own speaking into their lives. They only value their voice. Proverbs 18:2 says, "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."

Sometimes this happens out of sheer pride. Some feel that no one is as smart as they are. Some feel no one is as good as they are; they are the only ones getting it "right" is their view. 

Sometimes this happens out of pain. Some feel no one understands their pain, or can speak into their sorrow and troubles. 

Sometimes people separate themselves out of apathy. They simply do not care. 

According to several commentators and translators, Proverbs 18:1 is a tough verse to translate. It may be one of those Proverbs that is a "riddle" (1:6) and meant, as is the Eastern custom of riddles, to make us think without having a definite answer. And, that is a good thing, to think and probe our motives, to consider the depths of hearts and to see the Lord's face and wisdom in the issues of life. 

What makes you run into solitude?
Is it to renew? To seek God's face?
Is it to pull away from people?
Is it out of pain and sorrow? 
Is it out of pride or superiority?

For sure, and not to belabor it, isolation has a benefit, but that benefit will only be gained if it has begun in the right motive.

Acc

Many

Making plans?

Are you making plans to join with the Body of Christ tomorrow? What if we did actually prepare? What if we readied ourselves to hear? What if we prepared to sing with our whole hearts? What if we began praying, asking God to use us to speak into the lives of the Family of God?

Some of us have no plan...

Some have no plan to meet with God, but we'll go anyway.

Some have no plan to be used of God, so we'll not go.

Some of us plan on being lazy.

Some will choose leisure over obedience.

Some of us plan on letting are battles with people keep us from our blessings from God!

Tonight, let's ALL change that.

Let's prepare to go.

Let's prepare to receive and to offer; to hear from God and share with others.

Excuses be hanged!

Don't let the enemy talk you out of either!

No excuses!

Don't let old issues with people stop us from new blessings from the Lord!

Consider these...

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Psalm 150:1-6 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Psalm 122:1-9 A Song of Ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.