Overcoming with God and man...

The end of Genesis 32 is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. When you think about it, other than possibly Cain and Abel which I think was more of a "kill you when you ain't got no idea it's coming" sort of thing. This could possibly be the first recorded MMA match in the history of mankind! And frankly...that's exciting to me. I can imagine Bruce or Michael buffer making the fight announcment "In this corner fighting out of nowhere really on his way to Edom...Jacob! And in this corner fighting out of Heaven.....The LORD!" And it's obvious that the Lord let Jacob hang in there because he knows everything and is perfect therefore he obviously knew Brazilian Ju Jitzu before the Gracies invented it and all he had to do was touch Jacob in the hip and he was wrecked for life! All for everybody's benefit of course....

This story along with being the most impactful moment in the life of Jacob, and initiating the country if Israel, has so many things we can extract, learn from, and apply to our life. I just want to focus on one statement the Lord makes which is in verse 28 the Lord says "Your name shall no longer be Jacob but Israel" which I don't have time to get into this right now but in a nut shell by this name change the Lord brings Jacob from nothing into his ultimate purpose and destiny. He goes on to say "Because you have struggled (or wrestled) with God and man and overcome."

At times life is a struggle...a wrestling match. But when you are walking with the Lord you can always find purpose in the challenge. Jacob had to be thinking "Why is the dude attacking me?!?" but at the end of the fight destiny was released. I think it's important that we understand the Lord says "Because you have struggled (wrestled) with GOD and MAN and overcome...destiny is being released. Because when all we do is struggle and fight in the natural we are never going to make it to our ultimate purpose. At the same time if all we ever do is fight spiritual battles and don't walk things out in a natural practical way...we will never fulfill our destiny. We live a life and function in a time and space that is both natural and supernatural and we MUST understand that it's when I overcome in the spiritual and the natural that I can see my life's purpose fulfilled! Also notice the order "because you have struggled with God (1st) and Man (2nd)...." The spiritual battle is the most important! Here is the reason: Because in the spiritual wrestling match you find the place of faith. It may take a moment. It may take years...but if you don't loose heart, if you keep fighting...information will become revelation and you will hear and understand the voice of God and the path he is guiding your feet down. It is at the moment you can release true faith (not hope, wishful thinking, or an I'm gonna do this even though I don't believe it attitude...real faith) that results in the natural are guaranteed! FAITH is the spiritual results producer, and sometimes it takes going through a spiritual wrestling match and overcoming to get to that place.

Ok you got this...? What's the issue in your life today? What is the next step? What is the hump you can't quite get over to make it to the next level of destiny in your life. Maybe it's trusting the Lord, maybe it's a confidence issue, possibly and obedience issue. Whatever it may be, have a willingness to fight for it. Both in the spiritual realm, and then in the natural realm while you walk out your spiritual victory.

Hope this helps you guys...Nice weather is around the corner i promise, so hang in there on that. Be an overcomer today!

Progress

"Progress"...Definition: A movement toward a goal, or to a further or higher stage. I have been pondering the topic of progress lately. I am the type of guy who expects greatness from myself. There are times that I settle for less when I shouldn't, there are times when I fail at things, but overall I expect and achieve a high standard in most of what I set out to do. While this is a good thing, there are times that it can be a detriment. When things aren't going my way, when I'm not getting the results I desire there is a tendency in my life and in my own mind to feel like I am failing. While I may "feel" like I am failing at something weather it be a business venture, a relationship, or what have you I have to keep in mind the thought of progress, and ask myself am I moving towards the goal, the dream, the aspiration I have set out to achieve. If the answer is "No" then I definitely should make some adjustments to what I'm doing. If I don't feel like I'm moving at a good pace there is usually something I can do about that as well. But if I'm giving it my best, and I have not yet accomplished my goal, I can have a sense of peace in that I am making progress toward the goal and to a further and higher stage of life.

I was thinking about the reality of progress when it comes to our walk with the Lord. I believe in a miracle working God. However I also believe that God is progressive in his relationships with his children (You and I). I believe God has plans and purposes for each one of our lives but the only way to fulfill these plans and purposes of God is to consistently progress in your relationship with him. You could call it growth, maturity, whatever you want to term it, but to be consistently moving forward it what I believe God is after from us. He's not looking for perfection although his standard is perfection...the blood of Jesus makes us perfect in his sight. He's looking for a people who will constantly move forward in their relationship with him so he can take them to higher levels if influence, effectiveness, empowerment, and purpose in life.

Are you making progress today? It just takes one step today, one step tomorrow, one step each day toward the goal and you'll be there before you know it. Fretting and worrying and complaining does nothing. Empowerment comes through progress!

Cheers,

Chad

So many of you may have heard here or there that the national day of prayer has been canceled. While it isn't a good direction for our country to trend, that statement is not entirely true either. Judge Barbara Crabb declared that the government sponsorship of a recognized day of prayer was unconstitutional based on the first amendment due to a lawsuit brought against the government by a group called the freedom from religion foundation (they should call it the freedom from Jesus foundation, but whatever). Here are Crabb's comments regarding the government sponsored day of prayer "It goes beyond mere 'acknowledgment' of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context," However Crabb also had these comments "I understand that many may disagree with that conclusion and some may even view it as a criticism of prayer or those who pray. That is unfortunate. A determination that the government may not endorse a religious message is not a determination that the message itself is harmful, unimportant or undeserving of dissemination." and "it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray."

Listen...like I said I don't believe it's a good direction that things are tending in government but the ruling is actually somewhat legit based on the letter of the law. The spirit of the law...maybe a different story. But here is the main question for you and I if we are Christians...what are we going to do about it? Complain about Obama? Obama didn't make the ruling nor did he cancel the day of prayer. He did cancel a service that President Bush routinely engaged in which of course I'm not stoked about but was his decision. But he indicated that he would in spite of the ruling recognize the day of prayer himself. So sorry all you super political people who don't like Obama you don't really have anything (else) to complain about on this one. Which brings me back to my question as Christians what are we going to do about this? We could complain, which seems to be what Christians are best at these days. We could make a bunch of signs and picket...just another way of complaining. We could do nothing...let our own personal issues of life be more important...we're all too busy to actually take the time to do anything but complain anyway right? Or we could actually pray on the national day of prayer! Pray for our government, pray for our cities, pray for people, bless them! Instead of curse them...You see the question is how are you looking at and responding to the situation? If you aren't going to do anything about it, just keep your mouth shut is my opinion. I'm actually really tired of Christians complaining about what the deem as wrong, yet being too lazy or feeling too small to actually do anything about it. Isn't faith without action dead anyway? But if someone will stand up and do something about what they feel...I will definitely give them my ear, even if I don't agree with them because I respect the fact that they are people who DO not just complain and whine...are you sensing my theme yet?

Don't be a complainer, don't be a whiner, be a doer! You may get what you personally want by whining and complaining here and there...but you'll never change the world, and you'll never be remembered for your whines! Complaining isn't faith...faith releases grace and changes things...whatever it is you are passionate about step out in faith today! If you have something to SAY about the national day of prayer issue....then hopefully you can come up with something to DO about the national day of prayer issue. My dream is that more people will pray blessings over our communities, citizens, leaders, government, ec cetera than ever before in history because the issue has been brought to the forefront. When you are a doer God will take the things that were meant for harm and use them for good!

Have a good one all!

Chad

I've had this what I guess you would call a "speech" in my heart for the last little while, basically themed after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech regarding the reformation of the church, and the raising up to the fullness love influence and power of Christ's Bride on the earth that is God's intention. (is that like a horrible sentence or what...hopefully you get the point)

Anyway...God used mixed martial arts (something I love) to speak to me regarding this concept or theme in my heart today. Basically he said this "the best fighters on the planet are not those who specialize in one art, or who try to prove their art is better than another, but who embrace all the arts learn them, implement them, and focus on there personal strengths to obtain victory. Maybe the church should be like that." Would God use the UFC as a model for the reformation of the church? WOW the more I think about it the more I see it! The UFC used to be about styles fighting styles ie, Karate against Ju-Jujitsu, or wrestling against kung fu. However as fighters realized "I don't have everything I need focusing on this one little sector of fighting to be the best I can be" they got better and better. The fights became better, the athletes became better. What ultimately happened? The WORLD took notice! Just some things to think about...and as I read on the back of some dude's shirt the other night at a local cage fight "Jesus Loves MMA" haha.

Later y'all,

Chad

Standing in Grace

WOW...maybe I've set a PR(personal record) for longest non-blogging stint. I apologize because I know everyone reading this anxiously...almost breathlessly awaits this blog. Okay...I'm totally kidding. I do apologize that I've had nothing to say as of late. It's not that God isn't talking or doing anything. It's almost that so much is going on in my head and in my heart that I'm not sure what I should put out there. Well here has what has been going on in my heart lately...I hope you like it, more importantly I hope you think about it and allow God to do what he will on the inside of you because of it...

Ephesians 2:8 says this: It's is by grace you have been saved, through faith. And that not of yourselves. It is a gift from God. What amazingly great news! Thank the Lord we don't earn our way to eternal salvation! It is by GRACE through FAITH we are saved. This has been the model since Abraham the "Father of our Faith". The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was accredited to him as righteousness. Most Christians know that...we don't always live like we know it, but we know this truth none the less. I encourage you to walk strong in the assurance that your salvation is not earned it was is and always will be a gift from a Heavenly Father that loves you and wants the best for you.

I'd like to take a moment to point out an underlying principal in this verse that the Lord showed me recently. I'm sure it's nothing new...I'm sure there has been many a sermon on this very topic. But it was new to me and I found it exciting! We know that we receive salvation and it comes by grace through faith. This very statement shows us that when we release faith, God releases grace.

What is grace? Many define grace as the unearned unmerited favor of God. The Strong's concordance dictionary defines grace as God fanning the flame of our hearts that compels us to live for Him (my paraphrase). I personally truly look at Jesus to define grace for me...because John 1:14 says Jesus came full of grace and truth. Grace and the theology of grace isn't something we have the right to argue about in Christianity. Some people don't like to hear folks talk about grace because they think people will take that truth and contort it into a license to sin. You know what I've found that some people do that. But regardless of what any hard hearted person may do, grace is the foundation of true theology because Jesus is full of grace. The gospel is not the true gospel without grace. I see grace not as a license to sin, but empowerment to raise above sin, sickness, demonic torment, and any issue of life. Jesus came into the world revealing to us the truth of God's kingdom, and to empower us to live eternally and abundantly. Grace is empowerment.


John 10:10 tells us the Jesus came into the world to give us abundant life. Abundant literally means: More than adequate, well and richly supplied. It means we are over supplied with everything we need. Why? Not only so we can have a good life but so that we can be a channel through which grace, resources, and the love and abundance of God flows to the rest of the world.

The thing about the abundant life is that it applies to all areas of our life; family, finances, relationships, work, school, whatever it is that you do in your life. However in and of myself I'm not capable and you are not capable of really living this way. I can't succeed in every area of my life doing it on my own. We've all heard about or seen the guy who is super successful in business because he put everything he has into it, but his relationships his marriage ect are horrible because of it right? It's just a small example of the fact that when we in our own power attempt to succeed in every area of life we ultimately fail. When we try to make it happen for ourselves it can't work. Which is where faith and grace come in. Deuteronomy chapter 28 is an awesome chapter proclaiming the blessings of God. I don't have time or space to quote it here but read it yourself! The Blessing of the Lord affects every area of our life causing abundant life, a whole and complete life which lacks nothing. But how do we qualify? How do we inherit that abundant life of God? Deuteronomy 28:1 - If you OBEY the voice of the Lord......

Obedience...is the key that unlocks the blessing. What do I mean? You are saying...God said don't steal and I don't steal, God said don't commit adultery and I don't commit adultery, somebody told me when I was in youth group don't listen to rock music so I don't listen to rock music...whatever the case may be. Following the 10 commandments is great we should do that...the 10 commandments and other such things in scripture that are standard to the average person are the easy things to be obedient about though...every person knows that it's wrong to commit adultery (Even Tiger)...most of humanity abides by this, everyone knows it's wrong to steal...society has these standards. But to live in the abundant life of God as we mature and develop in our faith we need to go deeper.

It's easy to do what everyone else is doing...that doesn't take any faith. But it does take faith to sow financial seed into God's kingdom in a down economy. It does take faith to love those who persecute you...it does take faith to "Not worry about your life"...it takes faith to believe that God has a plan and a purpose for your life that is exceedingly and abundantly more than you can ask or think of.

If faith releases grace, then by really releasing faith we access empowerment. I stated before that I can't live a life full of blessing in every area on my own...I'll burn out trying...I'll defeat the entire purpose. But if I can release faith by operating according to the order of God's word in every area of my life then GRACE will empower me do do what I could never do on my own. We say as Christians so often that I'm "standing in faith" for my healing, finances, an unsaved family member, or whatever the issue is in our lives we need the power of God to show up in. I understand the point, but I'd like to challenge that thinking with God's word. Romans 5:1-2 says "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have access by FAITH into GRACE in which we STAND". We are trying to stand in faith, which really means we are trying to work ourselves into a position where our faith produces results. But we never get there by trying hard enough. Faith is really a confident assurance in God. Faith results in actions that line up with a confident assurance in God. Ultimately faith is obedience to God's word...that's where we miss it. Many Christians don't know God's word well enough to live it. That's why it is important to be a student of the word of God...so that you can be obedient to it. Because if you are simply obedient to God's word you don't have to try to stand in faith. You don't have to try to work yourself into a position where your faith actually works...you simply release faith by being obedient to God's word...and stand in GRACE stand in empowerment, and Jesus takes care of the rest!

Be a student of the word of God today, get to know Jesus more...live out what you learn. As contradictory to standard thinking as it may seem do what God says to do. It really works...and watch as empowerment, abundance, and the grace of God become reality in your life!!

Chad

Evaluation....

Habakkuk 2:2 says write the vision, make it plain so that he may run who reads it. If you hang around me much at all you know I consider this to be a spiritual principal not just some words on a page. I teach this as a mandate, a playbook, a road map to seeing your dreams come true. The funny thing is that inside or outside the Kingdom of God truth is truth, and it's just a fact of life that if you write down your goals, and dreams and visions, read them, share them you are much more likely to see those things become reality in your life.

However one thing we often leave out is EVALUATION. Where am I? How am I doing? In this process of reaching my goals weather it be in your ministry, personal life, or business it important to write down your goal, keep the goal in front of you consistently by reading it, and share it with others who will support you. I believe it's important also to evaluate your progress. Give yourself a report card...not everyday that's too much pressure, but periodically. Weather that mean monthly, quarterly, or whatever have a plan in place to evaluate your progress....hold yourself accountable! It's the old business adage of "inspect what you expect".

I evaluated myself on my yearly goals the other day and to be honest with you based on my own grading of myself (Im probably harder on myself than anyone) I was ranking a solid B- overall. What does that tell me? Well it tells me that I need to make some adjustments if I truly want these goals to be more than words on paper. Don't be afraid to evaluate your progress as it relates to your goals. It takes 5 minuets and a little courage! I believe it's important and will help you acheive what you are believing for! Faith without action is dead.......Let's breathe life into our faith today!

Have a great weekend all!

Chad

The greatest love of all.....

"I believe that children are our future....teach them well and let them lead the way...give them a sense of pride..." OK depending on your age and your music taste you may or may not already be familiar with the Whitney Houston classic "The greatest love of all" I've got know idea how many weeks that song spent at #1 back in the day, but I'm pretty sure it was a lengthy stint. The essence of the message of the song is that self love is the greatest love of all. I remember singing that song in a school program in the second grade. Wow! That was a long time ago. Whitneys' getting old...come to think of it...so am I!! So what's the point here Chad...Okay I'll get to it eventually.
As Christians, Jesus Lovers, God Chasers, I think we could all agree that "Self Love" is not the greatest love of all. However I believe it is important to love one's self. The important matter is perspective and the filter through which that love flows. Our filter of self love or how we view ourself can flow through one of two avenues. The love that comes from the world and/or our own flesh, which if you know Whitney Houston's story at all let to a road marked with terrible addiction, and heartache. Or a love of self can flow through the filter of the love of God.
If our self perspective and self worth is filtered through the world and our flesh it becomes tainted. Many, many people struggle with self-worth issues, depression, even suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Why? Because the filter through which they view themselves is the world and their flesh. When this is the case we are looking at the media, friends, those we consider to be cool, family members, ect to give us our sense of self worth. This is a loosing battle. I know because I've been there. Proverbs 27:20 tells us death and destruction are never satisfied, so the eyes of a man are never satisfied. The proverb likens the eyes of man to death and destruction. Sin = Death. Romans 6:23 says the wages (or reward, or secondary consequence)of sin is death. We are born into sin as a result of the sin of the first man Adam as the Bible tells us in the book of Genesis. If we never change the filter of our self perspective it's naturally a filter of sin and death and flesh....therefore according to Proverbs it will never satisfy. We will never feel complete, we will always be searching for something we can never find through the filter of the world. This is why we often look to relationships to satisfy and they never do. Some people turn to drugs, or sex, or money to give them a sense of self worth. But what is received from those avenues lasts only momentarily and always leaves us wanting more...eventually resulting in tragic circumstances for you and those around you. So what do we have to do? Change the filter! The one we've got is dirty! It doesn't work right!!
The only way to truly be able to love ourselves or view ourselves in a healthy way that will satisfy is to know that there is a God that loves us with an amazing love. The bible says that this love reaches to the Heavens Psalm 36:5....that's a lot of love! That love is waiting to be poured out on you! It's a love that satisfies...and you can always come back for more without it ruining your life. You can be addicted to the love of God with no possibility of winding up on the TV show "Intervention", and it will take you higher every time you go to God to get your fix! It won't drain you dry, it will fill you up! The love of dudes and chicks outside of the love of God will never satisfy you...because people will fail you, and when they do you'll be a lost soul once again if their love is what was fulfilling you. Sex...well outside of God's love will just turn you into a sick perv, and quite possibly leave you with some nasty diseases or the responsibility of a child you aren't ready for. Drugs...we all know...the high last for moments and only leaves you needing another fix or another hit. The wife of the youth pastor at my church Holly Begneston says "there's a God shaped hole in each one of our hearts and He's the only one that can fill it." I believe that. We are born into a spiritual condition that causes death to our soul. We can try to fill that hole in our heart with any number of things...but anything we fill it with never fits correctly because it was designed for God. It's like a puzzle that you can't find the last piece to. It's never going to be complete until you find that piece. I don't like cheesy plays on words but you could say that God is the "peace" that you are missing. When you respond to his Love you become whole. The missing piece and peace is found...you can be at peace with yourself and who you are because you know that God loves you! You can be an authentic YOU and not a cheap imitation of someone else!
Here are some good scriptures to meditate on about a God who passionately love YOU!
Psalm 36:5, John 3:16, 1st John 4:19, 1st John 4:7, 1st John 3:1............And there are many more throughout scripture. The "Greatest Love of All" is Gods love for you! The scripture says in 1st John 4:19 we love him because he first loved us. It all starts with him! Our ability to love him, others, and ourselves.........starts one place. With the love of God!
I pray that every reader begins today to grow in a greater revelation of God's love for them....in Jesus Name!

Alright peace the heck out homies.....have a great day!

Chad