What Do You Want?

Music.  What a concept.  I've been involved in music ministry now for about 25 years in a myriad of venues, from performance to worship leading to back up vocals, to band member, and on the list goes.  I've been out front for a good while, but have been in the shadows mostly.  

That's where the real rubber meets the real road.

I've found that many of us "musical type" folks are like untamed race horses in the stalls.  We were built for running out front ahead of the crowd, but have to wait in the stocks until time to run.  We get impatient and frustrated in the wait.  We chomp at the bit trying to find some kind of way out.  But the more we try, the more frustrated and irritated we become.  And as a result of our impatience, we could even injure ourselves to the point that we destroy all chances of running period.  Just like that race horse kicking against the stall continues to kick and kick until it kicks wrongly and breaks its leg in a way that it can no longer stand the pressure of running, so we keep kicking and kicking to try and find a way to get going that we blow any real chance of it.  This sometimes shows up in bad and hasty choices, wrong decisions of who to hook up with, jumping at insecure opportunities, and so forth.

Many times, though, we strive to become household names and well-known people.  Many times it's an innocent pursuit of something we simply love and as a by-product, we enter the curse of exposure and forfeit privacy.  Other times it's just the pursuit of being the center of attention.  But here's my question: "When all is said and done, what will you have left behind?"  Will you have been popular only, or effective for something that will last forever.  What do you want?  Notoriety or lasting effectiveness?  What do you want?  To be famous or relevant?  It is possible to have both, but your heart motive will decide it.  What are you motivated by?  Why do you do the things you do?  What's the REAL reason?  

What do you want?

Selah.

G

"Simplicity Again"

     Throughout my years of walking with the Lord, and sometimes being chased by Him, I've come to notice things changing with every step.  Each time a child is born, they begin their lives in total dependence on the parents.  Later on as they continue to grow, they learn how to express love to the parents.  Still later, they become more and more independent and less dependent on the parents, but only in certain areas of life.  This continues on and on throughout their entire lives, but one thing is hopefully constant, and that is the love and acceptance they have toward AND receive from their parents.

     Unfortunately, the child now an adult, has also learned that with growth comes complications.  Now they have to deal with bills, employers, employees, taxes, relationships on a much higher level, expectations of others, rejections, acceptance, and on it goes.   But one thing is hopefully constant, and that is the love and acceptance they have toward AND receive from their parents.  

     Then later on, hopefully MUCH later, they have to deal with old age, retirement, weaknesses, loneliness, wrinkles, gray hair, NO HAIR, death of family members, and eventually death themselves.  But hopefully one thing was constant, and that is the love they have toward AND receive from their parents.

     For some reason in the Body of Messiah, we tend to go through all of these things and all of these stages, but seem to easily let go of the simplicity of loving God and being loved by Him.  We grow and mature, but let go of the simplicity of living in and walking in the understanding that we are "accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6)."  Unfortunately we replace the acceptance of the Lord for the acceptance of people.  But our life's blood is in HIS acceptance and love of us and for us.  

     I am personally desiring to return to the simplicity of trusting Him.  He calls it child-like.  It's returning to the place where all we needed was to see Him or hear Him, even just to sense Him near, and everything would be fine for us.  If we needed something, all we needed do was ask and the level of trust we had in Him at the start set our hearts at ease, for we KNEW He would grant our requests.  We knew He would do it not only because He was able, not only because of His power, but because we KNEW He loved us.  We felt like His favorite child.  We felt His pleasure of just being with us and us with Him.  We believed Him simply because it was Him.  We believed Him because He is Papa God (Abba Father) and that was enough.

So how about you?  Enough of the things we say we must do in order to be close to God.  Enough of the parlor tricks and gimmicks in the Kingdom.  Enough of the replacement of people for God.  And enough of the personal brow beating we put ourselves through as a result of it all.

Jeremiah 31:3, one of my absolute favorite scriptures, says, "...I have loved you with an everlasting love.  And I am drawing you with My lovingkindness."  Friend, this is foundational to your walk with the Lord.  I challenge you to fully embrace this reality:  "You are abundantly loved and accepted by God"  As a result of this acceptance, you vow to walk in obedience to His word and to His desires.  And also you LIVE in the reality that His heart and intentions toward you are ALWAYS for your good no matter what comes your way.  Good times, bad times, not so good times, not so bad times, happiness, sadness, peril, safety, defeat, victory, all of these God "works together for your good (Romans 8:28)."  But it's in the simplicity of living in and embracing this reality that we REALLY begin to live.

So all I'm saying is this: As much as it depends on you, as best you can on a daily basis, PLEASE strive to continually find that place of simplicity toward God.  That's where your victory will come from.  That's where your joy will arise from.  And you'll start living FROM A POSITION of victory instead of fighting FOR A PLACE of victory.  

Hope this encourages ya.

Shalom,

G

"Who? Me?"

As I look around the world in the places we go to minister, I see people all over the place with giftings, callings, and abilities just laying there dormant on the inside of them.  Yet at the same time, these same people that are exploding with incredible creativity gaze at others wishing they could do what they see others do.  They strive for the abilities in the lives of other people all the while neglecting the gifts inside themselves.  What a tragedy!

People walk up to Paul and I many times telling us how much they wish they could be doing what we're doing.  But the reality is, you really DON'T wanna do this unless you're called to it.  I mean, you next home becomes the airport because that's the one place you start to see more consistently than your own home.  A hotel room becomes your bedroom and an alarm clock becomes your spouse.  The restaurant becomes your kitchen.  A suitcase becomes your closet.  On and on it goes.  Your life is placed at the mercy of the next airplane you catch and you trust that all of your luggage and personal items will all make it to your destination, much less that they'd make it in one piece!  Yuck!!

However, there is an INCREDIBLY PRICELESS REWARD for doing this kind of thing:  GOD'S PRESENCE.  You have the privilege of watching others connect with God in ways they never thought they could.  You get to be a part of seeing people come into the Kingdom of God.  You get to see the Kingdom of God manifest in many different ways: worship, praise, miraculous healing and deliverance, freedom to love, freedom to be loved, and liberty in an entire congregation, just to name a few.  That makes all the other crap worth going through.  Just let the Lord be glorified and His presence be experienced, and let lives NEVER be the same after each God-encounter.  That's the REAL payoff.

But my point is this:  YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE DOING WHAT YOU SEE OTHERS DO IN ORDER TO MAKE YOUR MARK ON MANKIND.  However, you DO need to do what God has called YOU to do.  Nothing He has called you to do is insignificant in the Kingdom of God.  And understand this as well:  Whatever He has placed inside of you to accomplish is NECESSARY for THIS generation.  It is a tragedy that this generation gets short-changed because of our lack of what you have to offer.  Author, Speaker, and Pastor Myles Monroe said, "The richest place in the universe is the grave yard."  It's the place where dreams were never accomplished, visions never manifested, inventions never came about, songs were never written, books were never scribed, and we are all the lesser for it.  We need what you have.  If you don't rise up and do what God has given you to do, we as a generation have a deficiency.  

NO ONE can do what YOU were called to do.  

So look, don't shy away from opportunities to put into practice what God has placed inside of you.  You have that thing for a reason and for a purpose for the Kingdom.  You don't have to be on stages all over the world because, in reality, the whole world is YOUR stage and you're in the spotlight.  All you have to do is let out what's on the inside as God matures you step by step.

A successful vision remains successful when the focus on it is not diverted.

Keep believing that you have something great on the inside of you, because you DO!  God doesn't mess around, Man.  He didn't look at the creation and say, "I need some filler space here.  I think I'll create ___________ just to occupy some space while I bless all the others in My creation."  Not so much, Dude.  Not so much.  No, He doesn't waste time and He doesn't waste resources and YOU are a resource in His hands.  You gotta fight for that reality and not let people, life, or the devil steal it from you.

You're worth more than you'll ever be able to comprehend.

Stand up.  We're waiting!

Shalom,

G

Is Anybody Out There?

You ever hear the phrase, "Stuff Happens?" That's a little safer than how many others say it, but anyway.... It's true that stuff happens. Many times it's stuff we don't usually have any control over, Which makes it tough because we can begin to feel that we're at the mercy of our circumstances. We bow down and cower at the feet of circumstances and issues in life feeling like it's hopeless to go against the grain. And then we begin to feel like we're the only one going through our type is struggle.

But that's not true.

There isn't anything under the sun that happens to us that someone else either HAS gone through, IS going through, or is COMING OUT of what we're going through. The question is: "Will you be humble enough to recieve from the what they've learned or are learning?" You have a choice in this life about how you will live. How you decide will deternine the outcome.

Stuff happens. Issues come and go. But what will you subscribe to when the stuff happens? What will you choose to focus on in the midst of difficult times? What will yor words sound like? What kind of conversation will you participate in? The answers to these questions and many others will decide how much of God's peace you will allow into your life. He has already given us His peace in Jesus. How much of His peace do you really want?

Listen. You're not alone in what you're experiencing right now. God IS walking with you through it, and you'll be able to recognize that if you allow yourself to. How do you allow yourself to recognize His presence? You CHOOSE TO BELIEVE HIM over your circumstances, situations, issues, and even self-condemnation. He promised He'd NEVER leave or forsake you. He said He loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremaiah 31:3) and He didn't lie. On the contrary, the enemy tries to persuade you to the opposite of what God has said. And if you choose to believe what he says, he's got you.

But you're not that way.

You're the kind of person who knows better. You've walked with God too long to fall into the trap of doubting Him to the point of no return. No, you're one that believes Him because you've seen His faithfulness. And if He's been faithful in the past, you're one that knows He'll be faithful in the present and in the future.

So listen. When you go through hard times, cling to His faithfulness REGARDLESS of what you see with your eyes, hear with your ears, or feel in you emotions. Believe Him. Will it change your circumstances? Maybe. Maybe not. But will it change you?

Definitely.

You'll find the strength in Him to keep on going.

"Keep on keeping on!"

G