May 9, 2017

"But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Genesis 2:20-24

This week leading up to Mother's Day I want to focus on the great mothers of the Bible. It's kind of hard to do that without beginning with Eve. None of us would be here without her.

God made Eve from Adam and for Adam to be a "helpmate". Life is challenging and even more so when you tackle it alone. I find it a great tribute to women that even though Adam was intricately connected with God, He saw the need to create another "helper" or "soul-mate" for Adam. It almost looks as though God created woman to be a helper for man BUT ALSO as a helper for God!

I told my son the other day, "Next to God, a good woman is the best thing that can happen to a man." It has been true in my life. I think God would agree with that.

As happy and satisfied as Adam was with God it was God Himself Who recognized Adam needed something else - woman. She was handmade by Him to complete a perfect creation!

Eve, the first wife and the first mother was a marvelous gift from God! She was hand-picked and hand-made for Adam by God. She was God's gift to Adam and God's tool to help shape his life, grace his journey and lighten his burden.

Of course, we know how it ended. We know that the very same one who completed paradise eventually brought it down by her disobedience. So, she was the first and final perfect woman.

Still, women are one of God's great ideas! I am thankful that He created them. Not only have the played a HUGE part in the history of mankind, they have been key contributors in the development of the Christian faith and particularly in the local church.

Thank God for women! Thank God for the women in my life - my mother, my wonderful wife, my daughter, my daughter-in-law, my sisters, my grand daughters and the strong women in my church. I honor you. I bless you!

This is your week leading up to your day! May you know how much you matter!

May 8, 2017

"David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground." I Samuel 17:45-48

What have we been talking about this week? We have been proving the statement that it was the five stones in David's spirit that killed the giant as much as the stone in his sling. I believe that and I hope maybe I have convinced you.

The five stones I identified are: purpose, passion, plan, perspective and now, prayer. The key to purpose is commitment and the question is, "What am I willing to live for?" For passion the key is conviction and the question is, "What do I truly believe?" A plan is essential for anything you do, especially if you intend to face a giant. The key to a plan is competence and the question is, "How do I play to my strengths?" Stone four is perspective and the key is concentration. Here's the question, "Where do I chose to concentrate?"

This morning I want to share some thoughts on the fifth stone, prayer. With prayer the question is, "Will I live in communion with God?"

When it comes to David, communion with God was the deal! Giant-killers are built on the backside of the desert alone with God. That's where David and God got acquainted and that's where David found out what God can do. It is also where God found out what David would do.

David proves that prayer is not and act as much as it is an attitude, it is an attachment with God. There is no prayer recorded when David faced Goliath and launched the stone toward Goliath's temple.

Giant-killers live in constant communion with God. His thoughts are their thoughts. His nature is their nature. His will is their will. His strength is their strength. Giant-killers don't start praying the just never stop. They pray without ceasing.

The small smooth stone that pieced Goliath's skull was the world's first guided missile. Was David skillful with the sling? Absolutely, but he was better at trusting God. You can't tell me that David didn't launch a quick prayer the same time he launched the stone.

Prayer brings a giant-God into play against the big trials and tests of life. Got any of those? Any giants on your horizon? Live in communion with God. Don't think about starting to pray think about never stopping!

May 7, 2017

"David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” I Samuel 17:43-45

When I went to my first church as a young fellow fresh out of school I was told by the pastor whom I was succeeding, "You will never grow a church with these people."

I was well aware that I couldn't but I was sure God could - and He did!

What was the difference? Perspective!

Perspective is how you see what you see. It is how you feel about what you see. It is what you think about the way you see and feel. Perspective is the fourth stone we will talk about this week as we talk about killing giants.

So far we have considered the stones of purpose, passion and plan.

When young David showed up at the camp of the Israelites that morning bringing supplies to his brothers, he found a bunch of fearful, frustrated and intimidated soldiers. They were being challenged by a very arrogant and extremely large warrior named Goliath. From their perspective he was too big to mess with. But somehow when David heard his threats and saw his size he thought that Goliath was too big to miss!

What's the difference in these opinions? Perspective!

So, why did the soldiers see things so much differently than the shepherd boy?

I'm sure thare are many reasons but let me suggest a few:

Fresh eyes. These weary soldiers had heard the taunts and stared at the behemoth every day for weeks and hadn't responded. As they became more discouraged Goliath became more formidable.

Obstacles are like that, the longer we try to ignore them or avoid them the bigger they get! Every day we fail to act or hesitate to confront them the more power they gain over us.

That is what happened with my pastor friend while I was coming to the scene with fresh eyes.

Faith eyes. David was seeing Goliath from the perspective of faith confident that God would use him to take down the giant. However, they had become fearful in their perspective and were convinced they couldn't win.

Faithful eyes. Unlike the soldiers, David was not content to stare at the giant and listen to his smack talk, he had to do something. He took responsibility for the problem. The leader in him emerged.

Focused eyes. When he looked at Goliath he saw a bullseye painted right on the side of his head. Looking at the giant reminded him that he had been attacked by a lion and slain it. A bear had threatened his sheep and he killed it. The same God who was faithful against those enemies would not fail him this time.

Fanatic eyes. David was a fanatic! Why do we shy away from that term? We are quick to identify ourselves as a Redskins "fan", or a Hokie "fan", or a UVA "fan", but cringe at the thought of being a "religious fanatic". Do you have a problem with being a "fan" of God? Does it bother you to be a "fan" of Jesus? If so, why? It didn't bother David to be a surrendered, sold out, stand up and be counted fanatic for God! Perhaps, that reason more than any other is why he had a different perspective from the others.

The same reasons that David became a giant-killer are the same reasons he was able to become a king! He looked at life through the lens of a faith perspective. His focus was on loving and serving God and he let God worry about everything else.

How is your perspective heading into this day? Are their some giants that need to fall?

Focus your faith fully on your Father. Concentrate on loving Him and serving Him and pleasing Him and let Him worry about the giants. Spend some time gazing on Him until He gives you fresh eyes - faith eyes! Suddenly the giant will change from a big threat to a big target.

My guess is the giant is beginning to shrink already!

May 6, 2017

"Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine." I Samuel 17:37-40

David and Goliath is a story familiar to everyone and it is one of the most beloved stories of all-time. Not only is it a compelling story but everyone loves the underdog. There probably has never been a bigger underdog than David facing up against Goliath. For Pete's sake, Goliath's spear weighed more than David! But the giant fell and David triumphed!

This week we are looking at the "story behind the story"! We are talking about the five stones that David took to go against the giant and applying them to fighting the giants we face. The first stone was purpose and the second stone was passion. We discussed those two important concepts.

The third stone is PLAN. Along with his purpose and his passion David added a plan. That is a powerful combination - as we will see!

One thing you will discover about life if you have not yet done so is this - if you don't have a plan for your life, someone else will! Because David knew his purpose and he was in touch with his passion he was able to know a plan that would work toward the accomplishment of that purpose.

King Saul, well-meaning though he was, tried to impose a plan on David. He wanted David to put on the king's armor before he went to face Goliath. Nice thought, but the armor didn't fit! Had David followed Saul's plan we would be reading a much different story.

David's plan was to play to his own strengths. He was going to carry out his purpose with the passion that was driving him and using the abilities God had developed in him. You, see, David knew it was not him going against the giant but it was God and him. God was going to be the giant-killer, David was just going to be the instrument. The slingshot wasn't the real weapon - David was! Having killed a lion and having slain a bear, David knew how to do it! His plan was undefeated, so why mess with it!?

With all due respect, David declined the armor and went looking for stones.

What is your plan for accomplishing God's purpose for your life? Do you know? Have you mapped it out?

How would I know that, Brad?

Several ways? What fits you? If you are a slingshot guy you can't build a plan around armor. If you are a sheep tender, you can't strategize like a king. What is your strength? What is your passion? Those are two strong clues for what your plan needs to look like!

Second, look for the carcasses! David had a dead lion and a dead bear to look back to. What victories has God given you in the past and how did you get them? The plans and the strengths you employed to get those victories will be the key to your plan for the next victory.

David had confidence in his plan because he had conquered with this plan. It fit him. It felt comfortable. God was in it. He sprinted toward the giant in strength and in confidence because his plan was a proven plan based upon his tested strengths.

Any plan that is not consistent with your purpose, fueled by your passion and inconsistent with your strengths is doomed to fail. Kindly decline the armor of well-intentioned friends and execute the God-ordained plan that fits you!

May 5, 2017

"But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." I Samuel 17:34-37

The first stone that slays giants is purpose. David was crystal clear about his purpose. He lived to serve God and Goliath got between him and his purpose. Goliath fell to the stone of purpose.

Let's look at the second stone. What is it?

The second stone is passion. Passion sells. King Saul objected to David going to face the giant until he listened to his passionate plea and suddenly he went from banning the shepherd boy to blessing him.

We know the power of passion, but what is it? How would you define it?

I think we tend to equate passion with emotion. I'm not sure that is accurate. Passion is much more than emotion, although you can definitely hear the emotion is his plea to the King.

Let's see what we can learn from David's statement.

As I think about his statement I see something deeper than emotion, I see conviction. Emotion comes and goes but conviction lasts and grows! Emotions are often based on feelings but convictions are based on facts.

David's convictions were based on the facts that he had singlehandedly, in the strength of God, killed a bear when it attacked his father's sheep. He knew that God had helped him do that and it convinced him that he could depend on God. And when a lion attacked the flock, he also killed it! He had been convinced of God's power and strength and formed his conviction on the fact he had killed two ferocious beasts with his bare hands.

So, David wasn't volunteering to face the giant based on a feeling that he might be able to handle Goliath, we was convinced of the fact of God's power. He has conviction because he had been convinced. His conviction translated into confidence because he reasoned that because God had used him in the past God would also use him against the giant.

One of the big differences between passion and emotion is that passion almost always leads to commitment. Emotion rarely does. Conviction and confidence are a much stronger foundation for success than warm fuzzy feelings. David didn't feel like he could kill the giant - he KNEW he could! He was confident because he was convicted because he was convinced! Because of David's passion Goliath was dead before David ever walked out!

You will never have passion until you have conviction. You will never have conviction until you are convinced. You will never be convinced until you take time to see what God is doing or have done on your behalf. If you aren't fully aware of what God has done for you you will never be aware of what God can do for you!

Our world is full of emotion but it is woefully lacking in conviction. One reason for that is because we settle for feelings rather than searching for facts.

If you are facing a giant in your life. You will need the stone of purpose and the stone of passion. Purpose makes it clear WHY the giant must fall and passion gives you the conviction and the confidence that he WILL fall.

Today, I challenge you to take the time to look for God. See where He has moved in your life. Remember how He provided for you in the past. Remember how He delivered you. Recall how He used you before. When you begin to gather the facts of Who He has been for you you will begin to grow in the conviction that He can do it again! From that conviction will come a confidence to step out and confront the giant.

Why settle for emotion when you can live in passion? 

Why linger in the shallow waters of feelings when you can live in the depths of the facts? 

Why settle for the vagaries of emotions when you can live in the certainties of passion and purpose?

May 4, 2017

"Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine." I Samuel 17:40

There has been a lot of speculation about why David took five smooth stones in his bag when he marched out to confront Goliath, the giant.

Was he afraid he would miss with one shot?

Where there more giants who might come after him if he somehow managed to get lucky enough to take out this one? Some have suggested that Goliath had four brothers and perhaps David was making sure he was prepared if they came after him.

Was five his lucky number?

Obviously, we will never know what he was thinking but we do know what he did. He took five stones and had four of them left over (along with a dead giant).

It is no small thing to kill a giant. Goliath was not just big, he was fierce! He was not just big and fierce he was an experienced warrior. David had better know what he is doing and be sure of his aim. He probably wouldn't get a second chance!

I am not sure of what David was thinking when he took the five stones but it is obvious that he was creating a margin in his life. A margin is making sure you have more than enough to be successful in any situation. Call it a margin for error. Call it playing safe. Call it caution. Call it preparation. Having a margin is a good thing.

We know now that David didn't need the extra stones but he had them if he had needed them.

During the blog posts this weeks I am going to talk about the five stones necessary to slay a giant. And let's be real - we all have at least one giant in our lives.

The five stones I will be talking about are the stones of purpose, passion, plan, perspective and prayer.

Do you know the purpose of your life? Why are you here? What in the earth are you doing for Heaven's sake?

Are you living with passion? Are you fully engaged spiritually, emotionally, willfully, mentally, and physically? Or are you going through the motions?

Do you have a plan for successfully serving God? Do you have a strategy for taking down the giant(s) hindering your life? If you are failing to plan you are planning to fail!

Do you have a perspective on life? Do you see the giant like David did and as God did? While everyone else was saying Goliath was too big to challenge, David was thinking Goliath was too big to miss! Do look at the giants in your life with faith or fear?

Are you praying for God's strength to face your giants? Some might say that prayer would be the first weapon you should have. I could not argue with that. I believe, however, that you can pray more effectively once you have the other four stones in your sling. It certainly doesn't hurt to pray at every point - pray about His purpose for you - pray for Him to fill you with passion - pray for His plan to be revealed to you - pray until you have a faith perspective and pray for God to fight for you as you face your giant.

Giants are made to fall! The bigger they are the harder they fall but you must have the proper weapons and the right ammunition!

Faith Is...

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Hebrews 11:6

This is a great verse, isn't it? Most consider it the key verse of the great 11th Chapter of Hebrews. In one concise sentence it captures the essence of faith that pleases God. For that reason it is worthy of our consideration.

So, what IS this faith pleases God?

Faith is coming to God - "because anyone who comes to him"

Everyone is drawn to something - or someone. What you are drawn to reveals a lot about you and, it will have a profound impact on you.

If you are drawn to money you may be greedy or ambitious.

If you are drawn to cars, boats, or houses you may be materialistic.

If you are drawn to God it is evidence that you have a measure of faith active within you.

Faith pleases God when it draws you toward Him!

Faith is believing God exists - "must believe that he exists"

Why would you come to someone Who does not exist? Why would you be drawn to an non-existent person?

Faith is seeing the invisible and touching the intangible. Faith is knowing that which cannot be completely known.

Faith is overcoming the natural tendency to disbelieve what we cannot tangibly verify or prove. So, believing God exists shows that we have moved beyond the natural to the spiritual. Faith comes from hearing the truth about God's nature and existence from the Word of God and believing what it says. That pleases God!

Faith seeks God earnestly - "that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

One evidence that God is real is that the more you seek Him the more you want to seek Him. That is because He rewards your earnest seeking with His presence and His goodness and His comfort and His joy and His love!

Earnest seeking means that you pursue Him not for what He can give you nor what you can get from Him. You seek Him earnestly to get more of Him! You let nothing stop you from your spiritual pursuit of God.

Who are you trying to please?

If you want to please God it will take faith.