February 21, 2013

^"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Mark 8:36

Imagine you had a car with an engine that, with mininal maintenance would run forever. In fact, with that routine amount of attention you know your engine will outlast the body of your automobile. Would you neglect that engine and devote all your energy to making the exterior of the vehicle look good?

 

I doubt it! That would be foolish!

 

You may not have an eternal motor, not even a Toyota lasts forever, but you do have an eternal soul! That soul is the core of your being and it is what keeps your body up and running. Your soul is eternal because it was placed within you by an eternal God.

 

So, how is your soul?

 

How is your maintenance record?

 

Are you devoting more time, money and energy on your exterior or on your soul?

 

In your natural vain flawed judgment you will focus on the temporary and neglect the eternal. Even one as spiritual as the Prophet Samuel needed to be reminded, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." I Samuel 16:7

 

Many of the religious leaders of Jesus' day were caught up in this foolish priority of looking good while neglecting their eternal souls and Jesus had a graphic description for them, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean." Matthew 23:27

 

I think you get the point!

 

So, what are you going to do about it today? Will you spend AT LEAST as much time with God in His Word and in prayer as you do with your grooming?

 

Spend more time on the eternal today.

 

 

 

 

February 20, 2013

^"He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27

 

Selfishness is your default setting.

 

That is true because your operating system is S-I-N (Selfish Infected Nature) and you process everything from the code of "what's in it for me".

 

Your operating system is incompatible with the programs God desires to download to you. In fact, it has compatibilty problems with all other users and servers. It would much rather use than serve!

 

Every program that has been downloaded into your soul is contaminated with the viruses and malware that attach themselves to self-centered living. Your system has some fatal errors and is due for a crash.

 

So what are you to do?

Download new virus protection software?

Press "control", "alt", and "delete"?

Do an uninstall of some programs?

I am afraid it isn't a matter of programming or reprogramming or a system restore, it is the need for a whole new operarting system.

That new operating system can only be applied by God through His Holy Spirit. In fact, the new operating system IS the Holy Spirit! He can only be fully downloaded when you have rejected the old operating systen and He has scrubbed your harddrive with the blood of Jesus.

In Scriptural terms, you cannot love yourself or others in a healthy way until you love God with all your SOUL (heart, mind and spirit included).

Are you tired of your default setting?

Are you weary of your incompatibility with God and others?

Do you live in fear of a systems crash?

Would you like a new processor?

Maybe it's time for a new operating system.

Why not decide to put God in charge of your IT (Internal Transformation) needs?








 

 

 

 

 

 

February 19, 2013

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12

Approximately 1/3 of the world's population are Christians.

 

In Brazil 92% of its citizens profess to be Christians. Mexico boasts a 95% Christian population. 80% of Americans claim to be Christians.

 

So how is it then that one Christ was able to change the world but 2 billion Christians don't seem to be able to do so?

 

Was Jesus serious when He made this statement or was He just trying to be optimistic?

 

Does this suggest that Jesus REALLY expects His followers to have the same impact that He had?

 

Think about it for a moment. As wonderful and powerful as Jesus was when He was here on earth, He was limited by His physical body to being only at one place at one time. Where ever He was amazing things happened, but he could only be at one place.I can almost sense His excitement in this verse as He envisions a time when thousands of "Christ ones" would be spread all across the world living out His love and His holy power!

 

Jesus said His followers would be able to do these things that He did to a greater degree than He did them because He was "going to the Father". What is the significance of that?

 

When Jesus went to His Father the Father sent the Holy Spirit to take His place. And Holy Spirit was not limited in time or space. He can be in every believer every where at the same time with the same amount of power! Therefore, the Christians of 2013 should be changing lives and changing circumstances and developing disciples at a 2,000,000,000 higher rate than Jesus did!

 

I don't see that happening where I live. Maybe you see it where you reside.

Perhaps it is time for some "soul-searching".

Maybe it is time for some "soul-surrendering".

Could it be time for some Spirit-filled living?

How is it with your soul?

Billions of souls are hanging in the balance.
 

 

 

 

 

February 18, 2013

^"But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Mark 8:33
 

Jesus rebuked Peter.
 

It isn't fun be rebuked.

 

I think it would be less fun to be rebuked by Jesus, especially after Peter had just been praised by Jesus.

 

The rebuke of Jesus to Peter was strong and it was stern. This word used for "rebuke" is the same word that was used when Jesus rebuked the storm on the sea. And it is the word used when Jesus rebuked demons and disease.

 

But wait a moment! What happened each time Jesus rebuked those forces? Change is what happened! A storm calmed down! Demons fled!  Diseases where healed!

 

There is power in the rebukes of Jesus and it is positive power.

 

Although this  rebuke of Jesus did not immediately change Peter, we know that eventually there was a dramatic and fundamental in him. That is the primary reason we are even talking about Him!

 

If you want to be changed in your soul you must be willing to receive the rebukes of Jesus.

 

Are you willing allow Jesus to rebuke you so He can begin to rewire you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 17, 2013

 ^"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" Romans 12:2

 

I often hear Christians say, "I need revival" or "My church needs revival" or "America needs revival".

 

There certainly is a case to be made for that. I can't disagree with the need for revival but I would contend there is a need greater than revival.

 

"What could be needed more than revival", you ask?

 

The Apostle Paul touches on it in this verse, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind".

 

Revival is being inspired - maybe for a day or maybe for a week or a month but being rewired is having your mind renewed by the power of God. That can last a life-time!

 

Peter is a good example. In Mark 8 he made the great confession as Jesus being "the Christ, the Son of the Living God".

 

Jesus was greatly blessed by Peter's insightfulness and de clared that God had inspired that insight nor flesh and blood!

 

Peter was inspired!

 

But just a few minutes later, Jesus rebuked Peter saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of man!" In other words, "Peter you need to get your mind right! You are thinking like man not like God!"

 

Peter needed to get his mind rewired! Just being momentarily inspired didn't change him! There would be even worse moments for Peter in the coming days.

 

Then there was that day - the day called Pentecost - when something transforming happened to Peter. He was rewired by the Holy Spirit! His heart was changed and his mind was changed and his soul was filled with the presence and power of God! He would never be the same! After Pentecost He thought like God and loved like God and lived like God!

 

Are you praying for a revival or a rewiring?

 

It is nice to be inspired but it is great to be rewired!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 16, 2013

^"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." II Corinthians 4:16-18

 

Have you ever seen God?

 

Have you ever seen a soul?

 

Neither have I, although I feel like I have been close as I have sat at the bedside of saints who slipped away into eternity.

 

Pause for a moment and think about the important truth communicated in these verses. As Christ-followers we fix our focus on developing something that we cannot see (our soul) in order to please and prepare for Someone we have never seen (our God).

 

No wonder faith is so important!

 

How timely is this study we are embarking upon over the next 40+ days because we will be focusing like a laser on the significance of the soul.

 

The challenge of living for the invisible is dealing with distractions of the visible. The truths of the eternal are obscured by the temporary troubles of life. Life is the clash of two realities - the physical and the spiritual or, the momentary and the eternal. We live in both realities but must decide which one we will live for. Faith is focusing on spiritual realities in the world of the physical.

 

Our physical existence is fraught with pain and suffering. All pain and suffering is allowed by God to develop our faith since it forces you to choose which reality you will permit to define your circumstance. Will you let the pain define your faith or will you, by faith, focus through your pain and see the real and eternal world? The purpose of our temporary suffering is to strengthen our faith by choosing to rest our invisible soul in the presence of an invisible God.

 

This truth is expressed well by the writer of Herbrews in describing the faith of Jesus during His earthly trials, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

 

Our soul is our escape hatch from the painful realities of the physical to the powerful realities of faith! Without our soul our pain WOULD be our reality with no hope of anything better. The invisible soul God gave us lifts us above the temporary until we arrive in the eternal.

 

How is your soul! Will you allow that which you have never seen to help you focus on the invisible?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 15, 2013

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26

 

Well, you are already reaping the benefits of this 40+ Day emphasis!

 

How so?

 

Your preacher has been convicted already! Yes, already! This early into the study it has already stomped on all ten of my toes!

 

In reading and watching the video for Sunday service and LIFE group Steve DeNeff made me squirm when he made the point that so many Christians (aka - preachers) have focused so hard on "saving" souls they have failed to adequately teach on the signficance of the soul. It is necessary to teach both to emphasize the importance of each.

 

This is my moment of shame and I won't drag you into it by asking you if you have ever done the same.

 

Ouch! Thank you Holy Spirit! It hurts so good!

 

I have repented of this error and will begin mid-course corrections immediately. Hopefully you will benefit as I refocus my teaching and preaching for the next couple of months.

 

By implication, Jesus makes it sound like losing your soul would be the worst possible loss. He makes a strong value statement when He claims that "gaining the whole world" is not worth losing your soul over.

Do I REALLY believe that?

Do you?

When I stand back and look at how I actually live my life does the evidence show that I value my soul more than I do acquiring and accomplishing worldly gain? As I think about how I spend my time, my money and my energy am I investing in my soul or in my status?

What am I giving in exchange for my soul?

That makes me re-evaluate the significance of my soul. It makes me seriously re-examine my priorities, my passions and my purpose. I have and I will continue to do so!

Does that qualify as a "soulshift"?