March 9, 2013

"By  faith  Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen,  moved with godly fear,  prepared  an  ark for the saving of his household,  by which he condemned the  world  and  became  heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." Hebrews 11:7

 

They are beginning work on the Washington Monument to repair damage done by the 2011 earthquake that was centered some 70 miles south of DC. Measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale, the quake happened deep below the surface of the earth where some tectonic plates collided along a fault line.

 

No one could see the cause of the quake but it was felt by millions and the effects where obvious above the surface of the ground.

 

So it is with soul shifts. They happen deep inside in the soul of a believer where no one can see but the outward changes are obvious.

 

While there are several great examples in the Bible of people who underwent the soul shift of Seen to Unseen. No one demonstrates it any better than Noah.

 

He had three Define the Reality moments that are necessary to make the Seen to Unseen soul shift.

 

I want to highlight those for you because I think they are key to anyone who will make this soul shift.

 

First - He Committed To Expectations Beyond His Experience - "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen"

 

Noah was a humble farmer just trying to scratch out a living from the land. God chose him to save the human race and most of the species of animals.

 

God spoke to Noah and warned him He would destroy the earth by sending torrential rains that would create a flood. That alone would be enough to stretch his faith but when you consider Noah had never seen rain nor a flood, it became a major reality test for Noah.

 

Would Noah base his decision on what he had seen in his life or would He believe God about something he had never seen?

 

Noah chose to let God define his reality for him.

 

How about you? Can you believe God for something you've never seen or live in the world of the familiar?

 

Second - He Committed To God's Call Beyond His Comfort Zone - "moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household"

 

Noah probably had never seen a boat but now he was going to have to build one. A very big one! To build it he would have to cut down the trees for the forest, drag them back to the building site, trim them and saw them into boards and planks and timbers, then plane them and nail them all together. All that would need to be done in his spare time because he still had to work and provide for his family!

 

Again, Noah chose to let God define his reality for him. He had never seen rain, nor a flood, nor had he built a boat. But yet he answered God's call to do just that!

 

Are you willing to be uncomfortable in order to please God? Will you allow God to redefine reality for you?

 

Third - He Continued To Serve God Even When It Didn't Make Sense - "by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith"

 

So Noah had now committed a century of his life to build something he had never built to prepare for something he had never seen when he wasn't sure when it would happen.

 

Every day for 100 years Noah cut trees and sawed timbers and hammered nails. I am sure he got thousands of splinters and hit his thumb with the hammer hundreds of times. No doubt he got faint from the hot sun and stiff in the cold winds. Progress seemed slow and the work tedious I am sure. And all the while he was completing this task, neighbors were mocking and cursing and ridiculing him.

 

Are you only obedient to God when it makes sense to you?

 

Do you only serve him when you see how it benefits you?

 

Noah saved his family and preserved the human race because he believed what God said more than he believed what he saw. He didn't allow his life to be shaped by the reality he understood but was defined by a great reality - one that is eternal!

 

What is most real to you? Is it what you see or is it what He says?

 

Have you made the shift from Seen to Unseen?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 8, 2013

^"Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."    

II Kings 6:14-17

Remember the last time you were seized by fear from the trouble that surrounded you?

Maybe that is where you find yourself now.

Perhaps it's a relationship problem or a financial struggle or maybe a health issue, but it is real and things looked real bad for you. First you panic and then you pray and then you plead and then you begin to plot a plan of escape. But often there is no painless way out.

When you are caught between the two realities in which you live you are confronted with a DTR (Define the Reality) moment. You must decide, "Will I believe what I see or will I trust what God says?"
 

That is what faced the servant of Elisha in this story, the third example of a Seen to Unseen experience. The fierce and mighty Syrians came against Israel with all their horses and chariots and surrounded the city during the night. The city was sealed off with no way out and the Syrians planning to come in.
 

When the sun arose the next morning those within the city where greeted by the horrifying sight of this vicious enemy preparing to attack the city. Seeing the Syrians and quickly assessing the situation sent the servant into a panic. Running to the Prophet he briefed Elisha on the dire situation and cried, "Alas!"

You can relate to "Alas" can't you?

The Prophet was not out of touch with the seriousness of the situation and he did not deny it. But he was also in touch with another reality that was unseen to his servant. So Elisha prayed for God to let him see the unseen. Wow! His DTR moment was complete!

Our present world has many frightening realities. The powers of evil are on the march and you are under attack! You are not to dodge those realities or deny them but rather deal with them in the awareness of a greater reality - the power and presence of God!

When the enemy comes at you like a storm. When he surrounds you on every side. Don't panic. God didn't allow them to come to destroy you but He let them come to develop your spiritual eye sight!

Will you learn to pray Elisha's prayer, "Open my eyes that I may see there is the greater reality?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 7, 2013

"Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

 

The reality you live in and is visible to you is impacted by a greater reality you don't see. It CAN be seen but it takes a soulshift - the shift from Seen to Unseen.

 

I am dedicating several posts to illustrating some DTR  (Define The Reality) moments from the Word. The DTR issue is essentially, "Will I believe what I see or what God says?"

 

Yesterday I gave you an example of Bartimaeus who went from being blind to being healed by Jesus (or by his faith, as Jesus told him) and gaining his sight. Once his physical sight was restored he began following Jesus. In the few minutes he had been following Jesus he was more in tune with the unseen than the disciples were after two years of being His followers. Apparently, because of his strong faith, Bartimaeus not only gained one level of vision  but two. He shifted from Seen to Unseen in those miraculous moments when he went from blindness to sight.

 

I want to give you another example of moving from seen to unseen. It comes from John 20;

 

^"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:19-28

 

Wow! This is amazing on several levels isn't it! Thomas asked for a DTR moment and he got it!

 

The resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples in a locked room soon after His resurrection but Thomas was absent for some reason. How excited and relieved they were to see Him, as you can imagine.

 

Since we are on the topic of two realities, think about this appearance. The room was shut up tight and all of the sudden He shows up in their midst. It seems He would have to be a spirit to get into the room and yet they were able to see Him and touch His scars! But for some reason Thomas was not there. He missed it!

 

Stay with me here! This gets even more amazing when a week later Jesus appeared again in their midst in a locked room. Thomas is in the room this time and Jesus walked over to him and it is obvious Jesus had heard Thomas' statement of doubt. So, Jesus was in the room that day and they didn't see Him! Whoa! In response to Thomas' declaration, Jesus offered His hands and His side to supply the proof.

 

Thomas collapsed at Jesus' feet and cried, "My Lord and my God!"

 

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

If I can paraphrase Jesus, "Blessed are you who have had a soulshift from Seen to Unseen" or "blessed are you who believe what I say above what they see."

 

What will define your reality today? Will it be what you see or what He says?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 6, 2013

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road." Mark 10:51-52

 

Hans Janssen and his son Zacharias were spectacle makers in the Netherlands at the end of the 16th century. They experimented with combinations of lenses secured inside a metal tube and are credited with inventing the first compound microscope.

 

Looking through that first crude instrument revealed a whole new world that never been seen before with human eyes but a world with a definite impact on what is seen.  This world had been there all the time but thanks to the microscope it went from unseen to seen and allowed scientists a whole new understanding of the human body.

 

The shift from Seen to Unseen is like that. It can allow you to see things in the spiritual realm that have always been there, that are as real as the visible world, that effect the visible world but you cannot see apart from faith.

 

In the Gospels Jesus healed about half a dozen blind people. Blindness was not just a physical malady it was also a metaphor for spiritual blindness. Not only did these formerly bind folks gain their eyesight but they were given spiritual insight.

 

Bartimaeus is an example of one who was given his sight because of his faith. The first face he saw was the face of Jesus. How good is that? If that doesn't change you, what will?

 

Not only is this an inspirational story but it is instructive as well! I want you to note how he responded to Jesus before and after his healing.

 

First, he knew what he wanted Jesus to do for him. "I want to see!" he declared concisely and with conviction. Most blind beggars asked for food or money but Bartimaeus wanted a miracle.

 

What do you want God to do for you? Do you know? Could you answer Him with conviction?

 

Second, he asked with faith. Obviously, he believed Jesus was able to give him what he asked. Otherwise, why would he have asked with such certainty and convictions? Jesus acknowledged as much when He declared, "Your FAITH has healed you."

 

Do you believe God can give you what you ask from Him? Do you even have enough faith to ask?

 

Third, he continued his faith by following Jesus. He didn't take his miracle and run as some did. Now that he could see he wanted to grasp the unseen. He followed by faith because he wanted more faith.

 

Bartimaeus moved from unseeing to seeing so he could shift to the unseen.

 

There is so much to be seen ---- in the unseen. Are you ready to see? Will you pray like Bartimaeus, "I want to see!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 5, 2013

^"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:3

 

Yesterday in the message I talked about "DTR" moments. "DTR" stands for Define The Relationship moments. "DTR's" are those necessary but awkward moments when relationships move forward or retreat. For example, the move from the first few dates to becoming a steady relationship is a DTR.

 

This week's "soulshift" also requires a "DTR" of another sort -  a Define The Reality moment.

Reality is generally defined in terms of what can be seen, heard, felt, tasted or smelled. You could expand that definition to include things that can be scientifically proven.

But, the problem with reality is it limits life to what can be experienced through the five senses or the intellect. We all know there is more to life than that. Most people will concede the existence of a spirit realm that can't be proven through the senses. There are different theories, beliefs and opinions regarding that realm but few deny it is real.

So, we recognize the existence of two realities. You and I have to decide for ourselves which reality more real to us. Is the physical world more real than the spiritual world or vice-versa? There is an entire chapter in the New Testament devoted to that question.
 
It comes down to this question when the two realities come into conflict, "Will I believe what I see or will I believe what He says?"

In our text verse the writer of Hebrews comes down on the side of what God says trumping what we see. Think about what he says here, ^"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command (what He said), so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:3

According to the claims of this verse, the visible world came from the invisible world. So, therefore, what is unseen is actually more real than what is seen! That is the essence of faith!

How about you? How strong is your faith? What is most real in your world? Do you believe what you see more than you believe what He says?




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 4, 2013

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."  Hebrews 11:1-3

 

Barbara and I were enjoying one of our day trips that we love to take. We had jumped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway at Roanoke, VA and went down to Linville Falls in North Carolina. The day was getting away from us by the time we headed back north on the Parkway. Just ten miles short of the main highway where we planned to jump off the Parkway we ran into fog. I am not talking about fog that makes it hard to see clearly, I am talking about a thick, soupy and zero visibility fog.

 

Driving in the fog is never fun but driving in zero visibility road that is two lane, narrow, and has no shoulders is terrifying.

 

I was literally driving blind. I could not see what was ahead of me nor could I see any behind me. That was very uncomfortable.

 

There was no place to pull off and even if there was I would have been afraid of some one might follow me off the road and rear-end my vehicle.

 

Trying to remain calm, I looked around for some point of reference to guide me. that was when I noticed the white line that marked the edge of the roadway. That line was clearly visible and you can be sure that I fixed my eyes on that white line alone. I knew as long as I stayed just to the left of that line I would not run off the road. So I did and I didn't.

 

As I drove at a slow rate of speed and remained focused on the white line I was able to get us to our exit and leave the Parkway. It was only a few miles until we drove out of the fog and I could relax. I am sure I left fingerprints in the steering wheel.

 

Thinking back on that harrowing experience I realized how similar it was to the life of faith. Living by faith is often like driving blind with only one focus to guide me. That one guiding principle or the "white line" for me is the Word of God. I depended on what I could see to steer me safely through the unseen.

 

Life often seems to be lived in a fog of uncertainty and it is easy to become anxious. Learning to navigate the unseen in a world of sight is the challenge of faith. Reorienting your life from the seen to the unseen is a soul shift every believer must make.

 

How are you doing?

 

How do you handle the fog?

 

What will guide your life today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 3, 2013

^"Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" Luke 15:11-30

This beloved parable serves as an illustration of how those who are children fall into becoming slaves. Each son did it in a different way but each ended up in bondage. They both were troubled in their souls but both misjudged the reason why.

The younger son had the attitude "I want"! He foolishly demanded his rights. If the father would only give him what was rightly his he would find fulfillment. But instead he become a slave of his own foolish greed. In squandering his fortune he found misfortune.

Now the older brother stayed home and played by the rules. He served his father and did his part. But during that time he developed the attitude "I deserve". And that attitude enslaved him in feelings of envy, resentment and frustration.

Only when the younger son had lost it all did he begin to realize that everything he really needed and wanted was at home with his father. He returned from his slavery to rediscover sonship.

Unfortuntely, the older brother never did.

This diagram shows the two extremes of spiritual slavery. On one side is what I call "rights" and it is characterized by the belief that happiness comes from having what I want and doing what I want. But like the Prodigal, it always ends up in slavery to those desires.

On the other end is what I call "religion". As the older brother illustrates, this form of slavery results from living close to the father and working for the father but trying to earn his love and favor rather than just  receiving it. And the attitude that kept him from receiving it was "I deserve".

Real satisfaction comes from being a son not demanding your rights or being religious.

Don't turn from the father like the young son. Don't spurn the father like the older brother.

Return to Him! Come home! Give up your rights and forget being religious. Confess you don't want anything but Him and that you don't deserve anything from Him. Just let Him be your Father and find your home in Him!
 

SLAVE SPECTRUM
 

 RIGHTS                       RELIGION

 

           “I Want” <------------------------------------------------------> “I Deserve”

 

-------------------------------------> SONSHIP <-------------------------------------

 

RELATIONSHIP

 

  “Daddy, I’m home!”

 

How is it with your soul?

Where are you on this diagram?

Where do you want to be?