by Angela Sanders | Jan 18, 2018
“MEMA!”
Squealing with delight, I dropped my Sunday school art work and ran as fast as my five-year-old legs could carry me, dodging purses and parents in hot pursuit of one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.
She hadn’t seen me yet. She couldn’t have because she was headed in the opposite direction.
“MEEEMAAA!” I yelled again, turning her head and everyone else’s.
Blue eyes big, she squatted and received my biggest, best bear hug ever.
But she didn’t squeeze back. Not exactly.
“I didn’t know you were coming!” I blurted through welling tears, pressing my face into her neck.
No answer, just an uncharacteristic pat-pat on my back.
My heart squeezed. In a flash, hot and cold together scurried up my neck and over my scalp. Mema was too small. Her shoulders were too sharp. Her hairspray didn’t smell right.
People stilled and my ears began to ring.
“I think you’re looking for someone else, Sweetie,” a total stranger whispered in my ear.
That day, I became a bit of a skeptic, looking once, twice, three times before leaping at anyone or anything. It hasn’t kept me from making mistakes—I can be stubborn sometimes—but it’s definitely spared me a lot of hurt and confusion, especially when it comes to spiritual matters.
This being true, I encourage everyone to do the same.
Listen, it may look like God and sound like God from a distance, but that doesn’t mean it is God. Wait, watch, and listen before you embrace it.
What should you look for? That which is consistent with God’s Word (John 17:17). Everything else is false.
How will you know? Read the Bible for yourself, all of it. Memorize it. Meditate on it.
Then and only then, when imposters pose, you’ll know it and stand equipped to spare yourself and others untold grief. Remember, children aren’t the only ones in danger of being led away and harmed by strangers.
by Brian Hobbs | Jan 17, 2018
A few years ago, our family had a major medical emergency. The outpouring of prayer support we received from our church family and others—including people we didn’t know—was truly amazing.
Throughout the ordeal, I found myself especially encouraged by notes of prayer that were personalized. These days, I try to keep this in mind when I see others enduring trials and matters that can be lifted up to the LORD in prayer.
For example, someone you know comes down with cancer or a serious illness. They take to Facebook to let the world know. Too many times, we see it and simply post the words “praying for you” and keep scrolling.
Instead of merely commenting “Praying for you,” we could:
- Stop what we are doing and truly offer up a prayer to the LORD.
- Offer a more personalized prayer to God, then send the words by direct message, text, letter or other means to the person.
- Make yourself a note to remember the person daily.
Too often social media caters to the immediate. Those few precious moments we might have spent in prayer, we move on to the next post to see what entertaining, funny or outrageous thing we might see next on social media.
In doing this, I/we need to guard against pride and hypocrisy, the type of praying in public that Jesus warned about (Matt. 6:5). At the same time, what if your “praying for you” comment sounded more like this prayer?
“Heavenly Father, we praise You. I lift up to You now my friend (Name). During their time of affliction, please send relief. We pray for their full healing, and we ask that Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Glorify Yourself, O LORD, during their trial, and let them come into the open places where Your blessings abound. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
How much more would this mean to the person—and perhaps even to the LORD—if we took our “praying for you” to the next level?
While I am thankful for each and every show of support and prayer I have received during trials in my life, I will always remain especially grateful for those who went out of their way to pray without ceasing, and with great fervency.
by Caleb Gordon | Jan 16, 2018
So often in the church world, we are focused on getting people birthed into the kingdom that we can tend to lose sight of seeing them reach the finish line. Finishing strong is more important than starting strong.
In the book of Matthew, we are told, “but the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13). Did you catch that? It did not say those who burst out of the starting gate will be saved. It said those who make it to the end will be saved.
We have a 73 percent “walk-away rate” in the church today. Why? Because we are messing with the wrong idea. We are so focused on ‘trying to get people into heaven’, that we are failing to ask an important question. Are these people actually saved?
Starting is important, but making sure folks cross the finish line is even more important.
How do we do that? We have to actually preach the Gospel. The Gospel is what transforms. The Gospel is what brings life. I’ve sat in camp and church gatherings and listened, and a majority of what I hear is morals being pushed up on a pedestal. Jesus is who needs to be put on a pedestal. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).
And once we preach the Gospel to the crowd, we keep the Gospel the center focus of their discipleship. Keep the focus as “falling in love with Jesus every day” as the main driving point (Rev 2:4-5). And when that becomes the drive and the focus, you win every time!
Keep the focus on Jesus and His Good News, and you’ll never lose. Even if your numbers in attendance are low, you still win.
by Angela Sanders | Jan 9, 2018
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15
“Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.” John 13:34
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18
YES! All of this!
With all my heart, I want to do these things. I really do, but have you looked around lately? Watched the news? Scrolled through your social media feed for even five seconds?
There’s so much hurt right now, so much to be done, and so much to pray about. It’s overwhelming, and if your tendency—like mine—is not only to feel for, but with everyone, it’s enough to tempt you to despair, to just flip the little sign on the door of your heart over to ‘closed’ and lock up against the world so you’ll have something left for you and yours.
The Bible tells us that in the last days, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12), and I’ve got to be honest. I can see how that might happen, even in the warmest of hearts.
So, what do we do? How do we soldier-ambassadors for the Kingdom stay warm out there in the dark, in the cold?
We keep moving.
Relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us (Philippians 2:13), we keep praying, we keep serving, and we keep giving out pieces of ourselves, trusting God to replace what our obedience costs us like he sustained the widow and her son when it seemed their reserves would run out (1 Kings 17:7-16).
He’ll do it. He is doing it, and if we allow ourselves look back for just a moment, we’ll see He’s also bringing results.
You’ve heard it a million times and have probably said it to others, but that’s because this profound truth bears repeating: God is busy, even now, working all things—the things we want and the things we don’t—together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
God. Not us.
Oh, friends, there’s joy in that! There’s peace in that! There’s rest and release for our oh-so-weary hearts in that!
Serving God isn’t about praying harder—still not sure what that means—or burning yourself out or taking on burdens only He can bear. It’s about obedience, squashing superstition, ignoring expectation, and doing what God tells you to do as an individual. It’s about praying as you feel led, serving others as you feel led to serve, spending energy and emotion as the Holy Spirit stirs it within you, and leaving the rest up to Him. Anything more or less is rebellion.
Remember, God has set apart an entire people unto Himself (1 Peter 2:9-10). He has a whole Body to work with in the form of the Church, or those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, made up of men and women of different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds with different gifts, abilities, interests, and passions (1 Corinthians 12). It’s not only futile, but vanity to think that any one of us must, or even can fix things on our own.
Even if we could, even if we did, who would get the glory then? People who don’t deserve it. That’s who.
Nope. It’s about Him. All of this is about Him.
Listen, life here on earth, with all its hurt and heartache, is only a breath, no matter how distant the horizon may seem (Psalm 144:4)), and when it’s over, we get to spend forever—FOREVER—in the presence of our good, good Father, basking in His light and love (1 Peter 1:3-4).
Until then, we have one job to do, and it’s not to fix, convince, impress, or manipulate anyone or anything. It’s to keep our collective spotlight bright through individual submission and obedience to the Holy Spirit in all circumstances and train that spotlight on God (Jude 1:24-25), the One in Whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), the One Who has overcome the world (John 16:33).
The morning’s coming, sibs (Psalm 30:5)! Keep moving! By God’s power within us and for His glory, let’s stay and keep each other warm.
by Aaron Hanzel | Jan 4, 2018
Recently, my sister Hannah, my buddy Karl and I took my youngest brother Jonathan on a surprise birthday trip to Mt. Rushmore. It was fun to spend quality time with each other and enjoy the full depth of a grand adventure.
One part that stuck out to me was the seized opportunities that Jonathan, 17 years old, took by seeking the knowledge and wisdom from the three of us. I am not boasting, by any means, simply honoring his efforts to grow in his relationship with Christ and planning for his future.
My brother is wiser than he thinks he is while he stands on the doorstep of immeasurable odds with college, career, a new life and a faith that will be tested to his perceived limits. These will be the times that he must decide, who is the failure and who is the victor in his life. This sense of responsibility and obedience has been a reoccurring theme the Lord has placed in my path over the past few months.
In these past few months, I’ve had to face my past and peer deep into my previous friendships and wonder, “Where did I fail? Could I have been more supportive in my efforts to be a positive influence? Did I lead my friend into a self-absorbed mentality? Was I empathetic enough? Was I empathetic too much?”
These questions are a healthy part of the Christian nature. The Apostle Paul did a similar self-evaluation repeatedly and encouraged fellow believers to do the same.
The act of forgiving someone has also echoed this overarching theme. Jesus said in Matt. 5:23-24, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Jesus is talking about 3 things in this passage:
- Leave your act of obedience in worship to be responsible and seek out your brother.
- Reconcile with them.
- Return to your worship.
These tasks require faith, responsibility and obedience. These tasks demand perspective as well. A perspective that must exist in order to have faith, responsibility and obedience.
So where is this all going? What is the repetitive theme the Father has placed consistently in my life? My brother’s pursuit of righteous discernment, my broken friendship and the act of forgiveness all have something in common; Responsibility.
How many times have we witnessed or spoke in defense of ourselves? We are so quick to strike up blame against “forces beyond our control.” When judgment is upon us, we shift the blame on bad luck, death, sin, Satan, God, our parents, family, co-workers, time, bosses, mentors, friends, Facebook, money. We cast a delusional shadow of emotional and physical poverty upon our lives and say “Poor me.”
There is always a responsible party, and the Lord showers us with grace in the opportunity to observe it and appreciate it. There are two views that have my focused attention: either responsibility falls on me or on someone else.
Do you see the lesson the Lord has taught me? Our choices, our sin and even our righteousness fall on the responsibility of individuals. The Lord is sovereign, and we are accountable for our actions.
The two strongest points I’ve learned through this is:
- I must allow others to be responsible for their actions and not let myself be the failure or victor in their life. That does not imply that I should be less obedient to the Lord or stop praying for them. But it does mean that my intentionality should not be grounded on either result.
- In contrast, I am responsible for my actions. It is a simple yet powerful reminder. Lean on the Spirit for conviction and allow your heart to be sculpted by him.
Rest assured, God will glorify himself. Whether it is through your obedience or the example you become. There are numerous facets of God’s wonderful design of obedience, let this one be another reason to lift His name higher than the losses or victories in your life.
by Angela Sanders | Dec 22, 2017
It happened again today. Someone mentioned the “magic of Christmas.” Honestly, I’ve heard the phrase so many times it barely registers, but this time it caught my attention.
To me, the “magic of Christmas” is Jesus’ birth, the very idea that the Most High God would send His beloved Son to be raised then sacrificed by undeserving traitors for their eternal redemption.
To this woman, however, the “magic of Christmas” is people simply being nice to each other, tipping big and holding doors open, in particular, things she knows instinctively will pass with the season.
I supposed she has a point. It is kind of magical how most people tend toward kindness during the Christmas season, even if a few choose not to, and she’s right to assume this kind of magic will, for the most part, soon pass. Although we humans are pretty good at donning our attitudinal best and mustering up good will toward men for brief stretches of time, we just don’t have it in us to love others as God would have us to for the long haul. Our humanness gets in the way.
However, when the Holy Spirit, God Himself, enters a person’s heart as a result of their having put their faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection for salvation from the consequences of sin (Eph. 1:13), the impossible becomes possible (Luke 18:27) and being human is no longer a limitation.
To the degree we allow, the Holy Spirit begins to teach and empower us, to direct us and stir within us noble desires (Isa. 11:2, Phil. 2:13). All we have to do is listen to His voice, obey Him even when it costs us, and let God love people through our obedience (1 John 5:2), so illustrating the Gospel that began with Jesus’ birth.
When we cooperate with God, we shine like the Bethlehem star (Phil. 2:15) long after the general glow of the season fades, and people continue to experience the “magic of Christmas” in our presence. If our obedience leads them to put their faith in the One we serve, that “magic” will be theirs forever!