SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE "DARK"

 

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE "DARK"

 

It’s been well over a month since my last blog entry or podcast for Insight360. A variety of reason for the cause but the main reason is quite frankly that I just haven’t been doing well.

I said before that I’m no Pastor, Scribe, Monk or Theological giant. I’m just a guy that is trying to live out his faith day by day by day. Living as a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. The LORD blessed my wife and I with an amazing unexpected trip. We were able because of her job to spend a week on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii. An absolutely amazing trip and something that I honestly never thought I’d be able to do. This turned out to be one of those times I could actually cross off an item on my “Bucket List”.

That said, I remember as my trip was coming to a close that as I walked out of the door from this little tropical island paradise and the little house we stayed in (AirBnB  by the way is the way to go) this random feeling of deep depression and Dred came over me. It stuck with me for the next 24 hours as I had to take a red eye from Hawaii to San Francisco and then spent 12 hours in the air going from San Fran to Dulles in Washington D.C. It was awful. I didn’t sleep at all and on top of that I was dealing with this “thing”.

I couldn’t place my finger on what exactly had me down. There were some obvious ones like work, busy life with “stuff” that had to be done, etc…but something else was driving me low. Yesterday it hit me as I curled over in the shower on my knees in prayer (literally naked before the lord). My past and all my failures were piling up on me as well dreams not yet lived and that feeling as though they are a million miles away never to be touched. I also had this overwhelming sense of despair and disappointment.

Have you ever felt that? It’s terrible and I’m an emotional kind of person so when this kind of thing hits me it usually sticks to my bones and like most men I retreat into my cave until I’m ready to come out. Thankfully my wife is away on business so she doesn’t have to put up with that kind of crap.

SIDE NOTE: The fact is if you’re a guy when you go into your cave your better half has to live in the cave with you and it’s not fun.

So, today I missed my workout since my wife is out of town I’m holding down the fort and had to take the dog out for his 45 minute walk. I enjoy that because it provides some very real quiet time at 5:30AM. I like to put my headphones on and listen to classical music or music that’s meditative. As I was walking I found myself praying or at least searching for the words to pray. I was reminded of a verse in the bible:

Philippians 4:6-7: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I just needed some peace but in this verse God is clear that he’s not making you “feel” the peace if you know what I mean. He simply says that the way you handle anxiety is through prayer, petition and thanksgiving and that as a result the Peace of God will “guard” your heart and your mind. Meaning, even though you don’t feel at peace God is guarding you when you trust in him.

With that I was free to just pray. I’ve certainly prayed and petitioned him a lot lately so my prayers turned to thanksgiving. Here’s some very basic prayers I prayed that put my mind and heart on track for the day and lead me out of the darkness this morning.

• Lord, thank you for your peace.
• Lord, thank you for your mercy.
• Lord, thank you for your great love that you have shown to me in Christ.
• Lord, thank you for the stars in the sky.
• Lord, thank you for the way creation proclaims your beauty (The stars were really out this morning)
• Lord, thank you that I am not defined by my past.
• Lord, thank you for yet another day to breath and live in you.
• Lord, thank you for my health. Thank you that despite the history of cancer in my family you have protected me and my family from that disease.

 Do you see what happened? It wasn’t till somewhere in the middle that I realized the Holy Spirit was guiding me through a moment of simple thanksgiving. Thanking God for the most simple of things. Life, salvation, health, the stars, the quiet, etc…It made me realize that despite the anxiety and trouble I’ve been feeling God is in control. He is still continuing to lead me and guide me along this path and even when it feels like he’s not speaking…He’s actually speaking into the silence or even using the silence to get my attention. You see, the trouble, the challenges, the anxiety and even the silence changed my perspective, changed my mindset and drew me in to Him.

I started writing this entry at 8am it’s now after 10am. Do I feel like a giant? Have all the stresses gone? Am I feeling on top of the world and keeper of my domain?

Nope.

BUT, I know that HE is with me in this thickness. Like Meshach, Shadrach and Abendigo he is with me in the fire.

Have Faith, Live Free and Live Fearlessly….even when you're in the dark.

Gordon

LESSONS LEARNED

 

Lessons Learned: 

It’s admittedly been a few weeks since my last post and life seems to have taken over a bit and that’s my fault. Pretty much since vacation I’ve been off my rocker a bit and over the past couple of weeks I’ve been working towards getting back to my early morning rise and shine habits of prayer, devotions, bible study and meditation and my evening reading. Between my FT job, the side hustle I'm working on, Insight 360, Church, Marriage, my daughters practices, games, teaching her to drive (Help me Lord),etc...Well frankly some days have been better than others. A lot of hills and valleys.

Have I been busy? Yes. Have I been lazy? Yes. Have been managing well enough. Nope. I have been learning to learn my lessons? Not well but striving to do so in HIS strength.

That’s life though right? There is a constant struggle between doing what you know you’re supposed to and giving into temptation or bad habits the ordinary daily routines that seem to take up every corner of your life. God is good though and thank goodness for his mercy and that my self-worth, righteousness, holiness, good works, etc…do not depend on my actions alone but on my faith in Christ.

So, here are somethings I’ve been learning along this short little journey of pot holes, hills and valleys. Some of this may feel random but they are things I believe the Lord has been teaching me. 

1.       Gods grace is big enough. In fact it’s bigger than anything I could possibly imagine. Bigger than my mistakes and much larger than my little grain of sand life. Every single day no matter how good of a day I have had it will never measure up to what HE wants from me. It doesn’t even come close. I do not measure up. I can trust though through what Christ has done for me that he has met all those expectations for me. Because of this my life is new every single day. Every morning when I wake up his Grace is new for me.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – BEHOLD !!! The new has come

2.       1Peter 5:10 GOD has promised to Restore me, Confirm me, Strengthen me and Establish me. God is changing me and making me more like Jesus. Better than I was yesterday. Through his sanctification I am being changed and renewed daily. I can engage in life, take risks and bear HIS image every day. My salvation is confirmed through HIS work and activity in  my life and he gives me the strength to do the work. With GOD as my foundation he has established me as a son and I can live my life fearlessly.

3.       Ephesians 5:15-16 / Psalm 31:15 / 1 COR 7:29 – I can Redeem the Time. I am called to a productive use of my time in the labor of the KING. “CORAM DEO” Live before the face of GOD.

All of my time is actually GODs time. He has given me each and every moment of my existence. What I think is “my” time is actually by Gods delegation. I have been granted a stewardship of my time and I must give account.

·         I can redeem my time with a focus and concentration. I need to be careful of Idleness because that is when I fall to the battles of temptations and inner struggle.

·         I need to be conscious of where my focus is

·         Redeem my time that is consumed by the ordinary by thinking of it as the eternal.

4.       THE RACE: You do not win the race by starting the race. You win the race by finishing the race. The question Paul asks the Galatians in his letter to them I should probably ask myself often: “You were doing so well, who made you stop obeying the truth?” and in 2 John 1:8 – “Watch out, that you do not lose what you’ve worked so hard for that you may be rewarded fully.”

To finish the race means you have to take initiative.  You have to start training and stick with the training and be consistent.

Place importance on Bible Study, Self-Examination and Prayer

5.       FAILUREs: Face them and then forsake them quickly. Let go of my focus on the bad habits and overcome them by focusing on the good habits. Focus my heart, mind, soul and strength on what I want NOT on what I don’t want. I am not the sum of my past. The past has influenced today but I am not defined by it. Yesterday is over and done.

6.       Rick Warren’s F.A.I.T.H goals

a.       F – Focus on measurable goals for yourself

b.      A – Attainable goals. Goals that can stretch you

c.       I – sett personal goals. Goals that are not attributed to someone else

d.      T – Trackable, set a date

e.      H – Heart felt, set goals that you can be passionate about.

Move on.

Have Faith, Live Free and Live Fearlessly

 

Here's a great song by Alicia Keys and John Mayer about Lessons Learned that I think is appropriate.

 

TALK IS CHEAP - Chapter 1 of the Book of James

 

 

 

TALK IS CHEAP

 

I love the book of James in the New Testament. Here’s why. James is a book of “action” and James doesn’t mince his words either he cuts right the chase with statements like “faith without works is dead.” , “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”,  “wash your hands you sinners.”, “you adulterous people...”.  Key words throughout this book are Resist, Submit, Joy, trials, sin, sinner and  or themes such as befriending the world means you’ve become an enemy to God. The language is strong and in your face. It actually reminds me a lot of Jesus which doesn’t surprise me given that most theologians and scholars attribute this book to the literal, earthly half-brother of Jesus Christ himself. Can you imagine what it must have been like to grow up with Jesus as your brother or having someone like that linked to your family. “Oh, James you’re the half-bro to that desert preacher Jesus...”.

 

James essentially says “talk is cheap...get to work. I want to see results.” He’s like my fitness instructor. It’s interesting as well that he starts out the letter by NOT pulling rank. He could have been like “Hey, it’s James, brother of Jesus, I’ve known him a really long time. I knew him long before you did...” but he doesn’t. He refers to him as LORD. Something to think about.

 

I just started reading the book of James again and it’s clearly about encouraging Christians to basically get to it and start acting like Christians and live a life that shows the world and proves to the world that the Good News of Christ is the real deal. That the Gospel does in fact change everything and if you are a true believer then the gospel is at work. Some view James's writing as a contradiction to Paul's teaching of justification by faith alone. The great Martin Luther even called it “The Epistle of Straw” feeling the book was indicating that you could only be saved by works when Paul clearly teaches the opposite. Most today will agree that really is no “issue” with Paul and James. Paul and James (having worked together) essentially stressed different portions of the same gospel.

 

Here are a few things that have encouraged me this week as I read and studied the first Chapter asking only three things as I read it. What does this chapter say about the GOD, The world and me?

 

• True faith takes ACTION with practical godliness when one is being tested (1:2-27).
• Faith again takes action by responding to testing with joy (1:2-4).
• You must ask God for wisdom in times of testing (1:5-8).
• True Believers must adopt God’s eternal perspective when confronted with poverty and riches (1:9-11).
• Someone with true Faith will persevere under testing and NOT blaming God for temptations (1:12-18).

I think it's interesting that James ends the first chapter by talking about Religion and what "true" religion is. He didn't talk about when to show up or how often to show up, he didn't break out into a discussion about the kind of worship music you should sing or not sing. He didn't talk about numbers or how many things a church should do. Nope, he said true religion basically is a reaction to true faith. It's taking action and striving to act out of our faith.

 

So as always folks, Have Faith, Live Free and Live Fearlessly. Enough chit chat...get to some living.

 

 

Insight 360 PODCASTs on Soundcloud.com

CO-HEIRS

PODCAST: CO-HEIRS with CHRIST

AN AUDIENCE OF ONE

 

 

I was incredibly shook this morning by a statement that John Moorhead said on the Ransomed Heart Podcast as he was being interviewed by Morgan Snyder from Ransomed Heart Ministries. John was diagnosed with Cancer in 2006 and passed away in March of 2015. In a lot of ways this was a man who was at the end of his life and essentially communicating the deep truths of the Gospel and how they had transformed his perspective on life during this interview.

In the podcast John said “You never know what life really has to offer until we manage to let go of what we believe life should offer.” Our culture is a culture that tells us that if it feels good then you should do it and that life “should” feel a certain way. We live in a world of “Shoulds”.

·         I should have that promotion because I deserve it

·         I should have that big house because….

·         I should be a better person or I shouldn't be sick

·         I should be making more money

·         I should be more of an exciting person

·         I should have more friends than this

·         My life should look a certain way because that’s what I was told it should look like and if it doesn’t then I’m screwed.

If this is hitting you the way it hit me then you’re catching my point. So then how do you stop the shoulds? How do you push back on the Shoulds?

John gave some great thoughts and insight on this. Again, this is coming from a man who was at the end or as he said “Nearing the end of his beginning”. Morgan Snyder also quoted Tom Cruise from the movie Jerry McGuire when he said “I’ve lost the ability to bullshit. It is the ME that I’ve always wanted to be.” This was the starting point for talking through how to push back on the Shoulds. The idea first that there are no boundaries. We can in fact be free in our relationship with Jesus and be sons to the Father and allow him to Father us. That the world is in fact a safe place. A safe place because as he said “the world is God bathed.” It is a safe place no matter what because God works all things for good, He will provide for you, he will use every single circumstance to father you that you might become more like Jesus.

We can begin to practice living before an audience of ONE. He sees and understand all of our circumstances and how we perceive life incorrectly because of our brokenness. We can live our lives expecting GOD to be faithful. Through intimacy in Christ, by living like God does indeed pursue us, our prayer life and knowing that Jesus is our companion in life we are in abled receive God as he is NOT as we want him to be or feel him to be at any given point.

So, push back on the shoulds. Have Faith, Live Free and Live Fearlessly.

If you have time please listen to this podcast. It is so rich and so full of grace and joy. I think you will find it enlightening to say the least.

https://www.ransomedheart.com/podcast/finishing-well-part-1

Gordon

SOUL CARE

 

 

 

 

 

When one of the religious scribes asked Jesus which commandment is most important, He answered: “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”

(Mark 12:28–30)

 

When you Google the definition of Soul Google defines it as “the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.” There is also evidently “Chicken Soup” for the soul and it has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul.

So, what exactly is God trying to tell us when he say’s to love him with all of our Soul?

Jesus says in Matthew chapter 16 that “for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul”? I believe it’s important to take a look at the original meaning of the words in the Hebrew and Greek.

In the Hebrew language the word used for Soul is Nephesh which is the feminine noun use of the word. It means: living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite or emotion. The greek word defines Soul as (a) the vital breath, breath of life, (b) the human soul, (c) the soul as the seat of affections and will, (d) the self and finally a human person, an individual. The Greek for Soul interestingly enough is psuché which kind of looks like Pysche doesn’t it? The phonetic Spelling is “psoo-khay'”.

So, when God created Adam he formed him from the dust of the earth and gave him life by breathing into him creating a literal Soul Creature. The breath of life from God himself + the dust of the earth and all that we are made of creates the Soul. I/We are souls. When God commands us to love him with our Soul he means literally to love him as one created by God. To love him with everything we are and with everything we have.

Soul sounds so deep and untouchable. When I first visualized “Soul” I had this picture in my mind of a ghost. But that is not the real deal here. Me/You…We are the soul. So how do you love with your soul?

To love the Lord with all your soul means to love Him in the way we live, in the choices we make and in the behavior and lifestyle we adopt. 

We are to love God with our:

·         Passions / Hungers

·         Perceptions

·         Thoughts

 We are also to love him with how we:

·         Talk

·         What we do with our hands

·         How we utilize our talents, gifts and strengths

·         How we react to challenges

·         Our entire being is to display that we love God.

So What Now:

Think about the choices you make every day. Choices flow from what we treasure. Start by asking yourself some questions.

·         What turns your motor on and gets you going?

·         What are you passionate about?

·         What are you hungry for?

·         Does the object of your passion have mastery over you? Are you worshipping an Idol of some sort?

·         How is your heart?

·         Is it causing a gap in your relationship with the Lord?

·         How about your perceptions? Do you see the world as it really is? Is your perception of the world Christ centered, based on biblical truth? A worldview is the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world.

·         What is your framework for making sense of life? The good, the bad, the ugly.

·         How do you respond to challenges, obstacles, difficulty or suffering and pain?

·        Your talents or gifts. How are you using them? Are you using them for the sole purpose of personal gain? What’s your motivation?

·         Are you even using your gifts or just living each day until you get to Friday so you can call it quits.

Your thoughts: Garbage in Garbage out. What are you putting into your head? Are you filling it with garbage?

Soul Care Pillars

·         Prayer - James 1, Philippians 4, James 1, Psalm 131

·         Spiritual Friendship, Community-Ephesians 4:16, Galatians 6

·         Solitude/Silence - Psalm 46, Mark 1:35-37

·         Soul Searching - Psalm 139:23-24, 1 John 1

·         Journaling-Your soul is alive and has a quality of life ... Journaling is a good tool to use to care for your soul.

Now when Jesus says “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul.” It means something even deeper than just some weird Ghost of you that sits behind your eyeballs looking out at the world.

 

Begin the day by asking how your soul is? How is it?

·         Does anything have mastery over you?

·         What am I valuing today?

·         Do I have a toxic mindset?

·         Are their toxic influences in my life?

·         Do I have an toxic attitudes?

·         Is there any negative self talk I’m listening to?

 Take care of your soul and love God with all your soul.

 

Have Faith, Live Free, Live Fearlessly

Gordon

STRENGTH

 

 

 

 

When one of the religious scribes asked Jesus which commandment is most important, He answered: “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”

(Mark 12:28–30)

 

When you line up Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength the last one; Strength seems to be the one that is the easiest to really wrap your brain around or hold onto. It’s a bit more tangible than Mind or Soul. The original Hebrew word for Strength is Toqeph which originates from the word Taqeph meaning Might or Authority. It can also mean power, strength or energy. The word translated “might/strength” in Deuteronomy 6:5 usually functions as the adverb “very” in the Old Testament. So think about it this way, loving your God with all of your “veryness”. Sort of your “everything”. 

The Greek version of this word is Dunamis which again can mean Power or Might but can also translate through various forms of the noun to: Force or Virtue, Potency, Fastness, Durability or Vigor. Ultimately we’re looking at physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning or even powerful deeds, even marvelous works. 

Funny Story: My wife’s grandmother past way in her early 90s. A number of years ago she was staying at my wife’s parents house and attended a get together for some women with my wife’s mother. During the event one young woman said to her “you look amazing what do you do to say in such great shape?”. Now, you have to understand first that my wife’s grandmother of German descent was a very independent, smart and witty woman who never pulled her punches and told things as is. So, she looked at the woman and said “Move your Ass”. Hilarious right? I only had the pleasure of meeting her one time before she passed and I will never forget the conversation we had when she told me that story. It has stuck with me to this day and I don’t believe I will ever forget it. I won’t forget it because it’s a huge nugget of truth that should ring out all over the world and especially here in the United States. Seriously, move your ass.

 

Woody Allen once said that 90% of life is showing up. I’m not a big fan of Woody Allen but he’s right just like my wife’s grandmother. Show up, move your ass. The Lord has given you a body, a brain, muscles, bones, blood vessels, a heart, lungs, hands and feet. When he created the human race he put us at the top of the food chain and we became living creatures that could rule, subdue and have dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:28) and yet on a day to day we can barely get to work on time. Look, you can read about and think about character, leadership, making decisions and living with intention (Heart and Mind) but if you can’t execute it means absolutely nothing. Really, James wasn’t kidding around when he said in his book “Faith without works is Dead” (James 2:14-26). If you’re going to live for God and Love God then you have to do it with vigor. You have to make the commitment and then get to it. We should be giving everything we’ve got in our tank. This is where the rubber meets the road in our spiritual life. It’s not just about who you are but what you have at your disposal. What you bring to the table (your family, your job, your kids, your house, apartment, dorm room clothes, tools, computers, etc...) or what you’re showing up with. 

SO, are you showing up?

Paul in his letter to the Romans said “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” In what ways are you giving your whole self to The Lord.”

 

There is a second and very tangible approach to this Strength that can not be forgotten either. God created our bodies and not only said that they are good but talked about us as created in his image....“God’s image.” Is that hitting you? YOU are created in HIS image. Your body is considered a temple (1 Corinthians 3:16) you should be taking care of it so that you can execute on the Heart, Mind and Soul. The Bottom line is this: Being a follower of Jesus means that you can not be passive. Following the King is an active engagement with GOD every single day. BRING IT!

It’s odd, as I was researching this I really did not find a lot of lists or practical steps for living for and loving God with all of your strength. So here are some of mine that I put together. Remember my relationship with The Lord is not your relationship. You’re not like me and I’m not like you so The Lord may work this out in you differently than he has in my life.
 

What I do:

• I work out almost every day with a group called Seal Team Physical Fitness Team or STPT here in Richmond, VA (www.sealteampt.com). The owner is John McGuire a former 10 year veteran Navy Seal and Sniper. I can’t even begin to tell you how challenging our workouts are. If you’ve ever watched a YouTube video or documentary of the Navy Seal BUDs program then you’ll get the idea. I don't think I've ever felt better and/or mentally "fit". It has prepared me to handle major changes and obstacles in my life over the past year and a half. This not a yell and scream at you or call you names kind of boot camp either. It's positive engagement, teamwork, having fun and staying fit so that you can live your life. If I’m not working out with them then I’m generally out for a trail run. I’m no longer a fan of the gym but that’s just me. You don't sunrises at the Gym.
• I encourage you to start taking care of your body. If you’re over weight you need lose the weight. If you're just out of shape then take the steps to get in to shape. Life is meant to lived and you can’t live it if you’re not treating your body right. It might cost you. You may  have to pay some money to get to where you need to be but it's worth it and you're loving your God by doing so. If you don't have the cash on hand then drop right now and give me 20 push-ups, 20 sit ups and then go for a jog, a walk or run if you can do it. Fitness begins with just putting two feet in front of the other.
• No Fear: A little ambiguous I know but I am trying daily to live without fear. Taking risks. I just signed up to be a part of my churches Track Club ministry and I working with kids who can barely speak English. It’s a challenge. Take a risk, step outside of your comfort zone. 
• Creativity: Again, kinda ambiguous I know but it’s a part of my “veryness”. I’m an artist. I like to paint, write music. But I also like thinking big and part of starting Insight 360 was a part of that big thinking. I’m also painting more lately…God loves it when I am using my gifts.
• I’m also taking a risk relationally with a family member that I’ve had a very difficult relationship with over the past number of years. It’s hard but doing the hard stuff is how you build confidence but also how you see the work of Christ in your life.

Most importantly I’m striving: Yeah, striving. I’m not perfect and I won’t do any of this perfectly and I have bad days just like everyone else but that does not mean I quit or just give up. In 1^st Peter the apostle tells his readers when outlining the virtues that they are to “apply all diligence, in your faith” and in 2 Peter 3:14-18 in Peters final exhortation he says “Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” We have to work at this. God is for us who can be against us.

 

Be strong in the Lord. Have Faith, Live Free and Live Fearlessly.

Gordon

Unlocking Heart and Mind

 

 

 

When one of the religious scribes asked Jesus which commandment is most important, He answered: “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”

(Mark 12:28–30)

 

Over the next few days I will be unpacking the core of Insight 360. As I’ve mentioned before in video and on this blog as well as our Facebook page the idea of “360” is that the command by GOD to love him with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind is not random. When I think about these “core” 4 it makes perfect sense to me because they really are the 4 corners of our life. As you take a look at the original Hebrew and Greek you will find that they are all very interconnected and draw off of one another as well. For example the Hebrew word for Heart and Mind are actually the same word; “Leb”.

 

In my opinion this is exactly where we all live our day to day and yet so often we do nothing to care for our hearts, souls, mind or strength. This was my life for…well, most of my life. I just sort of let life take me by the hand and lead me where it wanted. While I was certainly a believer and for many years from age 16 on into my late twenties I strived to live my life for the lord. I practiced Quiet Times, became a member of a church, served in small groups, led worship at the church, etc….but as there was no focus on the “4” I wasn’t living from that place. It was more about the works and activities. While those were absolutely important they were  somewhat shallow attempts and as a result fell away quickly. Along the way through many ups and downs (more downs than ups it seemed) I struggled with my faith.

 

Thanks be to God that now the Spirit has gotten a hold of me and I practice the presence of God and preach the Gospel daily to myself by focusing on these 4 areas of my life. After all The Lord isn’t casually asking me to love him HE demands it. They have become my non-negotiables for daily living for the Lord and the result is my vision statement of “Having Faith, Living Free and Living Fearlessly”.

So let’s start with the Heart. I’m including Mind because in the original Hebrew and the original command of God in Deuteronomy the word is the same.

 

Heart:

Hebrew: “LEB”

·         Means – Mind, Will, Inner-Self

Greek: “Kardia”

·         Means – The seat of physical and spiritual life. Character, Inner-Self, Will and Intention.

Mind:

Hebrew: “LEB” or “LEBAB”

·         Means – Mind, Will or Inner-Self

Greek:

·         Feminine form is “Dianoia” – Understanding, Movement, Choosing, Make things happen

·         Masculine form is “Nous” – Will, Reason, Intellect

 

Interesting isn’t it when you start digging into this. So while very similar they are somewhat different to a degree which is why I think the Lord and Jesus separated these out from each other.

Not being a biblical scholar or pastor it’s my perspective that the idea here is that God is calling us to “love” him and “live” for him with intention. To choose to follow him daily and make it happen. Obviously due to the fall we are broken and fallen people and can’t not live up to this standard. We miss the mark constantly but we as believers have been given the Spirit of God and by his power we can strive to live in this way. It’s hard but doing the hard things builds confidence and  empowers us to live a life of self-control.

Instead of allowing life to “rule” you and master you YOU get to decide how you will live because you’ve been set free from Sin and Death. We can live with intention. If you don't determine how you will spend your time, then others will decide for you. As it says in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 15-16 "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

To live with Intention means that you also have to have a spine. You need character. Humans, fail because they lack character. They lack things like courage, honor, integrity, self-control and commitment. They lack the very foundations of character and as a result seek advancement or improvement without the means to become better people, better husbands, better wives, better neighbors, sons, daughters…Better disciples and followers of Christ. Better versions of themselves. A boat full of people together floating around without a rudder.

When you’re living with Christ like intention, choosing quality over quantity then the quality of the commitments you end up making will be better and more Christ centered. The world, culture and society encourages “the busy”. It’s hectic and hurried. The world encourages gain, selfishness and excess with a focus on comfort. Jesus calls us to be disciples and that will cost you something. He also calls us to love him with our Hearts and our Minds. That will cost you as well. His grace is not cheap.

You have to spend time with Jesus and determine what this will look like for you. That said, here are some steps you can take to start the process.

 

·         You can not be intentional in life unless you’re first intentional with Jesus. He’s your King and you’re a Son of the Father. Create space for yourself and HIM. Let the Father be a Dad and father you. Spend time in the Word of God and Prayer. Be still and know that HE is your GOD.

·         Examine yourself: Understand your identity in Christ as a child of the living God. Give time and energy to this process. What lies are you believing about yourself that are not true? What idols have you been worshipping? What are you looking to outside of Jesus to bring you full satisfaction? What does your “inner-self” look like? Is it a mess or aligned with the Heart of Jesus. Do you strive to find satisfaction in Christ alone?

·         Who or what are you surrounding yourself with? What kind of people do you spend the most time with? It’s been said that you are the average of the 5 people you spend time with the most?

·         YOU are not stuck. You have choices every single day to make? Which one will be your first? Yourself or The Lord? Every day is a new day to be lived in HIS grace and practically you get to pick your attitude and your decisions. You do not have to allow the circumstances of your past or even present to rule you because there is only one God and King in your life now and he has set you free.

Practically Speaking:

·         There is only one life to live. Get to it. Get off the couch of life because that big cushy couch is a big fat lie.

·         Know this if you’re thinking “this sounds great but I don’t know what the purpose of my life is”. You have a purpose and it’s been spelled out in Scripture: What is the chief end of man? Your chief end is to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31), and to enjoy him forever (Ps. 73:25-26) and Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, Soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30-31).

·         Set some goals for yourself that are directly in line with your defined purpose. They will introduce living with intention into your life.

·         Stay focused and stay in the fight. Life in general is already a fight but to live it for Jesus will put you at odds with the world and culture and the evil one. It’s time to go to war so prepare yourself and stay in the fight. Don’t give up.

·         Be willing to fail all the time at this. You are not perfect but Jesus is perfect for you and in your weakness he is your strength. You will get busy and forget to spend time with the Lord, you will forget to pray for someone. You will lack the courage to meet your neighbor. Again, you are free from Sin and Death you have nothing to fear so take some risks. U.S. Navy Seals say that the only easy day was yesterday. Get out there, be willing to fail, learn from it, get to it again and again and again.

Here are a few things I do to live for and love The Lord:

• I get up at 4:30am everyday Monday through Friday and 6am on Saturday and Sunday and during that time I spend about 45 minutes or more in a devotional or the scripture.
• I also try to set aside a few days in the week for some meditation (another blog entirely)
• Take time to be still and be quiet or take a walk and pray
• I have a handful of Podcasts that I listen to in the mornings, afternoons or evenings and sometimes if I'm out for a run. (Ransomed Heart, Order of Man, Rick Warren, Donald Miller, Become Good Soil, Relevant Podcast and Theology Refresh by Desiring God ministries or John Piper). 
• I try to read every night for at least an hour. Books will fill you heart and mind with new things. Use the brain God gave you.
• I intentionally joined a ministry at church training kids in fitness and how to run track. These kids are from all over the world. By being intentional with my time I’m adding value, having an impact and preaching the gospel to Muslims, Nepalese, Latinos and other kids from other nationalities. I’m learning more about the immigration issues in this country instead of complaining about it. 

The worst thing you could ever do is waste your life so love The LORD with all of your heart and mind.

Have Faith, Live Free and Live Fearlessly !!
Gordon