What do you really believe about Ephesians 3:20?

This verse became a favorite of mine many years ago when I was in a job that at times felt WAY over my head and often required God to come through in big ways for everything to work out. What better verse to memorize and cling to than this. 

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine! I've seen him come through when I couldn't manufacture the outcome needed...He stepped in and helped. I know that he has come through for me many times and done exactly what I needed or wanted, and done it better than I could have done on my own. My question today is, how does this verse play out when I don't get the outcome I expected?

I can't help but contemplate this question as we sit here on Saturday of Easter Weekend...the day between Jesus' death and resurrection. It doesn't mean much to us, we know He's alive, but what about his followers, his mother, his friends? What would they have said about this truth on this day? They expected a powerful ruler to lead their people, and the person they trusted to do that was now dead. How can God do immeasurably more with this? 

This verse does not mean that God takes our expectations and makes them bigger and better. It means he wants us to trust him with our expectations and watch him do something that we couldn't have even thought of on our own. Jesus' followers, despite him telling them over and over, had no idea he would be alive tomorrow! 

What do you believe about this truth? Are you holding on to hope that God will take your expectation and do it bigger and better than you could do on your own? Are you in the dark place of an unmet expectation, left feeling hopeless before the one who was supposed to help you? 

If you could have imagined it or even asked for it, then it may not be what He's planning. He can do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine. Sometimes to see this happen, we have to do 2 things...

1 - Let your expectations die and trust His plan even when you don't understand or see any possible way he can make this better.

2 - Hope in HIM when circumstances seem hopeless. 

Why...

Because HE's ALIVE!!! Proving he is able to do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine!!!!

Trust Without Borders

I love to sing worship songs, and one of my favorites is "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)". Countless times I have sung that song with my whole heart and begged God to

"Lead me where my trust is without borders" 

and to

"Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander 
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior."

Then all of the sudden I was there, in the deepest waters, where my feet were failing, when devastation surrounded me. A dear friend of mine died a tragic death, unexpectedly, a pastor's wife, with kids the same age as mine...a friend of 15 years, that I had not gotten to spend enough time with. We were supposed to take family vacations together, do life together, watch our lives and ministries turn out like we dreamed about together in 1999, which was actually happening until that sudden jolt of horror on May 13, 2014.

This heart that I had given to God and allowed him full access to now hurt in ways I didn't know it could hurt. I hurt for the loss I would experience, but I was absolutely broken for her boys. She was the most incredible mother! How could these boys have that taken from them? I was devastated for her husband. She was his best friend, his support, the love of his life, the other half of his heart.

I felt helpless to do anything for her (or her family), and complete hopelessness in the situation. I know God had the power to do something to stop it, or to save her life, but I didn't understand why he would choose not to. I don't know that I will ever understand why he didn't. But that's where I found myself, feeling helpless, hopeless and not able to see anything good in any direction.

I did what I have learned to do when I'm struggling...fight feelings with truth...

What do I know to be true?

• I know that God is a good God. 
• I know that he wants good things for his children (Psalm 31:19, Isaiah 44:3, Matthew 7:11, John 3:16 to name a few examples). 
• I know he works all things together for good (Romans 8:28). 
• I know God is in control and you can't mess up his plans (Job 42:2). 

But this time, I couldn't find evidence of any of this in these circumstances. I couldn't see it, no matter which way I angled it. There was no good that outweighed the bad. I know Jesus is alive and he is my savior. He wins in the end, but I felt like Satan had his victory, even if only in this one thing.

I didn't lose my faith in God completely. I just wrestled with how I could know these things were true, even in the middle of all this hurt. And that's when I found myself in a worship service singing (sobbing) my way through the words "You've never failed and you won't start now."

Did I really believe that this time?

Then the words following..."take me deeper than my feet could ever wander" hit like a ton of bricks. I could never have gotten myself here. I had begged God on many occasions to take me to a place where I can't see the borders, where I can't get there on my own, where my faith would be made stronger, where my feet may fail, and here I was exactly where I had asked to be and it looked nothing like what I thought. It was hard, and it hurt. I have taken some BIG steps of faith and trusted God before. But every time, I could see what he was gonna do. I didn't have any trouble believing how he could work it out for good, if only he provided like he said he would, and he always did. But this was different, I couldn't see it.

That's when he so kindly and gently said, "that's why its trust without borders."

Had I always believed him because I could see it?
What was I going to do now that I can't see it?

I had a choice to make. Does my being able to see it or not see it make it true? These things are true about God because that's who he is. If I believed that, then I had to believe it for this too. I've never had to come face to face with such a real life, do you believe everything about me or not, moment with God before.

In that moment, like every other time since I was 15, I chose to believe him. I chose to trust him without borders. I know these things are true about him, and I don't have to understand how he can make good that outweighs the bad out of this situation. I just have to know he can...in his way...in his time.

And now, I find myself experiencing the same tragic story again. I may not have been as close to Amanda Blackburn as I was to Kimberly Rewis, but what I see today is God using what I experienced in that hurt a year and a half ago to prepare me for this experience and to use me to help others this week as they face some of the same heartbreak and questions.

God DOES work all things together for good, even when we can't see it or don't feel it. I choose to believe it and today if sharing this helps just one person "keep their eyes above the waves," then friend...we are seeing some good from it already.

Arms Wide Open

I've been thinking a lot about what it looks like to live life to the fullest over the last 2 years. I saw an image today that gave me a mental picture of what God has been teaching my heart. 

I saw a picture of a person standing with their arms stretched wide open. After I unknowingly started singing part of the chorus from an old Creed song, I started thinking about how uncommon it is for us to make this motion. What is it about this position that says so much without using any words? I think it is very difficult to half heartedly form this position. When done right, it shows excitement. It makes me think of incredible love. I have opened my arms like this and told my kids "I love you THIS much!" My heart is filled knowing that no matter how much I stretch out my arms, Jesus stretches his further. In fact, it was this position that he took in order to give me life. He stretched his arms wide open when he died on the cross for me. I think the power of this position exists because it evokes so much emotion not only because you can't do it half heartedly, but because it is hard for anyone to deny Christ while standing (or even seeing someone else) in the position.

God began to speak to my heart and remind me that he wants my life to be lived in this position. Where this position speaks of excitement, whole heartedness, passion, love and forgiveness, it also expresses fullness. It says, "I have so much in me that I just can't contain it. I have to stand with arms wide open and shout from the roof top!" Jesus wants us to have a full life. In John 10:10 Jesus says "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." It was a gentle reminder for me that I can't worry about what someone else thinks and live my life in this position. I can't build walls around my heart and not allow people in while living my life in this position. There is no half hearted living in this position. It is the position I picture living life and having it to the full!


Thank you Jesus for stretching your arms wide open for me, for showing me how much you love me. Thank you for this image of what a full life looks like. I pray that you help me to live my life in this position, not afraid to be who you've created me to be, facing life whole heartely and so full that I just can't keep it to myself. 

Want to join the Super Hero Squad?

  

I guess I have super heroes on my brain after Cooper's Super Hero birthday party a couple of weeks ago!

As I read in 1 and 2 Kings I couldn't help but picture the Super Hero Squad. I know, I know there are heroes all over the Bible! This one however, includes super human speed, strength and a cape! I've been a Christian for over 15 years now and I had no idea the Bible included these things. I love when God pours out things like you've never seen them before. I hope you enjoy!

So, let me set up the story...(only wishing I had pictures and caption bubbles). Israel had again turned their back on God and was caught up in worship of other gods, of which the most popular was Baal. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest to determine who was the real God. There were hundreds of Baal prophets against Elijah and his God. Elijah gave them all day to have their god set fire to an altar. There was even mocking and taunting. Yes, trash talk existed in the Bible! Then Elijah had a turn. He had them dig a trench around the alter and soak the wood with water 3 times before calling on God to light the fire. Immediately upon asking God to show who he was to all these people "the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!" (1Kings 18:38)

Elijah saw a great victory, but the super hero part starts here! There had been a drought for 3 years and after the defeat on Mount Carmel Elijah prayed for God to send rain. As the sky turned black, "A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel." (1 Kings 18:45-46) Did you catch that? Ahab left quickly in his chariot, but Elijah tucked his super cape, channeled his super speed and super strength and stayed ahead of Ahab's chariots all the way back. POW!!! This boy was on fire! (oh wait - that's the human torch aka Abednego...another story/another day.) 

Let's talk about that super cape! In 2 Kings he used that cape when he met Elisha. God told him to go get Elisha and train him to be his replacement. He headed out to find Elisha working in a field and he "went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away." Elisha asks simply asks if he can go and say bye to his mom and dad, and Elijah answers, "Go on back, but think about what I have done to you." (1 Kings 19:19-20) Ka-Bam!!! That cape has some powers. What had he done to him, and how on earth did Elisha know what that meant? It must be part of the super hero code! 

But you know...I hear stories like this all the time at NewSpring. People out doing their jobs, serving in the church, minding their own business when God starts working on something in their heart..."sell your business and get ready for what I'm gonna do"..."quit your job and wait for me to show you the ministry I have for you." Then, out of nowhere someone from the church asks you to lunch and says, "I think God wants you to be our next campus pastor", or "You know, God has been preparing you to do this ministry we want to start." I guess Elisha knew what it meant because it lined up with what God was doing in him. Boom!!! Being a super hero requires sacrifices! He knew exactly what Elijah had "done to" him, and he was willing to go.

There's another story involving that super cape, though. The transfer of power! 2 Kings 2 Elijah is making his way to the other side of the Jordan, (where apparently he has a rendezvous scheduled.) When they arrive at the Jordan river "Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!" (2 Kings 2:8) It was on the other side of the river that "suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven...Elisha picked up the cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. He struck the water with Elijah's cloak and cried out, 'Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?' Then the river divided, and Elisha went across." (2 Kings 2:11-14) Elisha went on to do many super human feats including raising a boy from the dead!

It was fun to see real super hero kind of stuff with super human feats, cape and all, but I guess what I'm trying to say in all of this is that God has the power to make you into a super hero.

     Do you believe he has the power to get you out of a jam?
     Do you believe that God is the same God today that he was then?
     Are you willing to make the sacrifices?

Are you focused on what you would do with that power, or what God would have you do with that power?

I love that Elijah's prayer on Mount Carmel had nothing to do with him, and was all about God's glory...

"O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself." (1 Kings 18:36-37)

God is the same God he was for Elijah and Elisha. He does have the power to do anything with you and through you and He wants to use you to bring people back to Him!

What are you doing with your Super Powers?

How much did you pay for that?

This question may not be asked out loud too often, but I am sure people think it! Today, I was challenged to ask this of myself in regards to my relationship with God. David, in 2 Samuel 24, has the opportunity to get something for free and his response caught my attention. I mean, who doesn't want something for free, right?

Let me recount the story for you...
David is near the end of his reign as king and "once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel." As judgement fell upon the nation in the form of a plague 70,000 people died. But as Jerusalem was about to be destroyed the Lord stopped the death angel at the threshing floor of Araunah. Then sent word to David to build an alter at that spot. As you may be inclined to think today, that was not David's property. David would have agreed, so he went to Araunah to buy the threshing floor from him. Araunah offered to give David the threshing floor as well as oxen for the offering. "But the king replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.'" David paid him, built the alter and sacrificed his burnt offerings to the Lord.

So, I ask you what I asked myself this morning...What are your offerings costing you? Are you giving up something in order to give to God? Are you making sacrifices to follow him? Or are you simply sliding by giving God only things that have cost you nothing?

These are a few questions that got me thinking today, I hope it does the same for you.

At least no one is trying to kill you...

Most of us know Joseph's story starting with the boy given the coat of many colors, thrown in the pit, then a LONG process of different seasons until he becomes the Pharaoh's right hand man and gets reunited with his family.  But what about David? David's story is very different, but still a story of seasons. Most of us can tell you about his poor choices leading up to and following his affair with Bathsheba, and we take hope from this story because even though he made mistakes he was called a man after God's own heart. What we don't usually focus on is the time between the boy who killed Goliath and him becoming the King that was on his roof looking for trouble.

He was a young boy, the baby of the family when God sent Samuel to anoint him king. He knew what God was going to do with him, but he didn't know how or when. He went from the shepherd in the field to mighty David who people sang songs about how he killed his tens of thousands after defeating Goliath. He became a man (son-in-law) that King Saul grew to hate out of pure jealousy. He spent YEARS running and hiding as Saul chased after him trying to kill him. He showed mercy and grace to the man who would never have done the same, only to spend many more YEARS in a war (after Saul's death) before he actually ruled the kingdom God had given him many years earlier. 

 

David experienced seasons in his life, seasons of joy and hope, seasons of heartache and pain, seasons of victory and defeat. We do know (Philippians 1:6) that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." We see this played out in David's life as well as Joseph's and many others in the Bible, but I think we forget that for our own lives. I know for me it is a struggle not to continually ask God what the completed Bonnie accomplishes. I have a hard time waiting out the season, sometimes good ones as well as hard ones. 

 

All of that to say...I believe the answer is to live each day to the best of your ability. Allow God to smooth the path ahead. When he begins something in you, he is at work. He continues to work even when you don't see how this is going to get you anywhere. You are simply asked to represent Jesus, show his mercy and grace and follow after the things of his heart. He will put you where he wants you and use you in ways unimaginable. Enjoy the seasons of hope...be calm in the waiting...push through the hurt, God is at work...and no one is trying to kill you!

What season are you in? 

 

What has God put in front of you that you don't know how to get to? (Remember, it is not your job to get yourself there. He is the one at work.)

A message for MOMS!

Something new God is teaching me I thought I would share today is about being a mom and a woman in ministry.  If I'm being really honest I can tell you I have been struggling trying to figure out what it looks like to be a stay at home mom. I am not a homebody. I like to be out and about. I certainly don't like to miss out on anything. And most of all I have prayed for a long time for God to use me in a mighty, powerful way. (Now, don't misunderstand, I don't care if that means I do something big and great or if it is something small and never recognized, I just want God to know I am here to serve him and want to be used by him to further his kingdom.)  I am not trying to minimize the role of the stay at home mom either. I am just trying to figure out what it looks like for me. I am used to going 90mph and I find myself in a new place only having to go 30mph. I don't really know how to "stop and smell the roses" being that I am wired to be very task oriented, so there are lots of discoveries for me here and now.
I have been reading through Ruth and Samuel and God has been really teaching me some different ways that it might look to be used by him. If you look at the story of Ruth and the little bit you get from the life of Hannah what you see is that God used them in a mighty way and they may not have ever known it.
You know the story of Ruth...(If not, you can read it. It's the little, short book in the Old Testament titled, :) Ruth.) She had the opportunity to go home to her family, but stuck with her mother-in-law and saw God go ahead of her and provide for all her needs. She wound up being in the lineage of David, who in case you don't know was in the lineage of Jesus! Pretty big role to play, I'd say, but she had no idea. She just lived her life of honor each day not knowing how she was going to be used.
And Hannah is only mentioned briefly in the beginning of 1 Samuel as one of two wives to Elkanah. That alone is the start to trouble - 2 wives...Anyway, we find Hannah crying out to God because she has been tormented by not being able to have kids. She asks God to give her a son and in return she will give that son back to him. God answers her prayer and she follows through and hands the young boy over to the priest to be raised in service to God. I love in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Hannah praises God for what he has done and honors him for his ability, recognizing that he is God! That son was Samuel who grows up to honor God and speaks for the Lord to all of Israel. Hannah, too had no idea how her life would play a mighty role in serving God, she just lived each day to honor him and God did some amazing things through her.
With all that said, I want to encourage any moms, working or not, that God just might be using you in a mighty way just by you being a mother and a woman of honor! So, in search of defining my role in ministry, my job is to do the best I can do to honor God today and teach my kids to do the same.

What speed do you feel like you are going? Do you find yourself focusing on how God might want to use you, or are you just serving him the best way you can where he has you today?