Unintended Consequences

Sometimes we totally forget about deeds we have done. However, just because we receive God's forgiveness and we ourselves may forget about the seeds we've sewn, there are still consequences and repercussions and they are not always predictable.

Think about the treaty between Israel and the Gibeonites. God instructed Israel to utterly destroy the inhabitants of the promised land, but the Gibeonites tricked Israel into signing a treaty with them. Later when Saul was King of Israel he sought to utterly destroy the Gibeonites in conflict with the treaty. God did not bring wrath to Israel until well after Saul was dead and David was King. So the issue was long forgotten when Israel began to experience a famine. David sought the Lord and asked why the famine? God reminded David about the treaty and that Israel failed to keep its promise. David asked God what to do and God responded. David allowed seven of Saul's descendants to be put to death. These may have had nothing to do with breaking the treaty, but there is always a consequence. This story reveals that God is merciful. Once David obeyed the Word of God and provided restitution the famine was lifted.

David didn't start crying or complaining about what was fair. He asked God what to do and then he executed. David didn't say to himself, Hey none of this is my fault or I'm not responsible for this mess. Instead he just did what God wanted. When Israel made the treaty with the Gibeonites they had no idea what it would lead to. These are unintended consequences. As Christians let's begin to seek God to help us steer clear of unintended consequences in our lives. We won't have to worry about lack and want if we obey the voice of God without question. We can relax and know that He knows what's best for us when we stop holding grudges and judging others. There are consequences for every word that utters forth out of our mouths meant to harm someone else and boost our own egos. There are consequences for choosing our will over God's whether the enemy tricked us or not. Once we put action into motion we should recognize that there will be a response and a reaction.

Let's live our lives doing all we can to seek God's face and to please Him; to lift Him; to acknowledge that He is sovereign. Let's be careful to allow God to order our steps. Let's be thoughtful of the lives we affect; of our words and our deeds. Sometimes our worst enemy is inaction. Follow David's example. He asked God what to do. Then he acted based upon what God told him. God will do the rest. Our feelings are inconsequential.

Competition is a Spirit

We were recently at a powerful conference hosted by CECO--Christians Equipping Christians for Outreach. Several topics stood out at the conference. First that we each have a God given assignment--I'm going to deal with that topic in another blog--because while we may each have a God given assignment make no mistake, each assignment is not good. I know that sounds outrageous, but it is the truth--think of Judas.

The topic that I want to discuss at length--may take a couple of blogs--is the notion that Christian people in Christian churches strive to compete with each other. Our Presiding Prelate cast the spirit of competition away from our fellowship, and yes it is a spirit. Competition to me is a natural phenomena--a stressor that drives humans to do more and to try harder--some people thrive from competition. Darwin might call it a survival necessity. However, there is no place for competition in the Church. The reason can be explained through Matthew chapter 20 which lays out the story of how the Kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a vineyard who hired several individuals to work for him at the beginning of the day for a penny. Those individuals worked hard all day. As the day drew to an end the owner noted that there were not enough laborers to complete the work so he hired more workers at the same rate of a penny. The workers who had been hired at the beginning of the day became jealous and started complaining saying, "How can you pay these who have been hired at the end of the day the same amount of us when we've been working all day? We should get more!" The owner answered, "It is evil to think the way you do. I own the vineyard and it's none of your business what I do, and why are you upset because I'm a good person? I will pay the last person exactly what you agreed to!"

There are people who feel in their hearts that this scenario is unfair. They may never say it because they are not honest. The fact of the matter is simply this, God's promises, judgement and salvation are not ranked by our assessment of what we think is fair. He created us. He made us who we are. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. It is His good pleasure to bless us and that should be enough.

Competition arises when we lose focus on who we are to please. Without argument all would say out of our mouths that we are to please God and would think in our own hearts that we do what we do to please Him, but there is a tale tale sign that your labor is in vain and that sign is the spirit of competition. Competition is a feeling that arises in you when you see someone else doing what you think you should do or you know how to do. Why weren't you chosen? After all everyone knows you do it and you are good at it. It is also the feeling that no one else can do anything so you purposefully leave people out and you try to do what you were not called to do. But what we fail to understand is that we cannot substitute our will for God's. This is why the scripture says obedience is better than sacrifice. There are people who would rather sacrifice then to allow others to do something in the Church. Competition comes from trying to please people not striving to please God. Think about it from the lives of two kings--Saul and David. We know these stories well.

King Saul was chosen by the people because of his stature and his appearance. He was popular and people liked him. He had an allure and charisma. He drew people in. Saul had it all. He had women, riches, popularity and favor, but Saul's fatal flaw was himself. His looked the part of the chosen. He sounded like the chosen. He "acted" like he was chosen, but one day his heart found him out. God gave Saul a command to utterly destroy the Amalekites. But Saul strayed from God's will and took up his own. He wasn't working to please God, but to please people and his own selfish desires. When confronted Saul lied about it and tried to blame others.

King David was chosen of God. He was short and young. He looked like he should be outside. He wasn't popular as a matter of fact when Samuel came to anoint the next king David wasn't even included in the line-up. He was alienated. He had been squeezed out. But the last shall be first and the first shall be last. David was God's choice and David wanted so much to please God. He was a man after God's own heart. He sought God for every decision and he admitted and repented when he was in error. He led a life that was pleasing to God because he put God first. As a result David who didn't have the charisma, wasn't popular and didn't have women and riches, gained all of that because when you seek the Kingdom of God first He adds richly to your life.

Eventually Saul was rejected by God and as a result he became jealous of David. He may not have even really known why he was jealous of David. Saul's focus was still off. Instead of turning to God, asking for forgiveness and pledging to do God's will, Saul lived out the remainder of his life in competition with a kid who would have given his very life. David adored Saul. He admired him. Saul's son became David's best friend. David married one of Saul's daughters. David played music to sooth Saul. David fought in Saul's army yet Saul hated David and wanted to kill him more and more. Isn't it interesting how instead of doing God's will we simply want to eliminate those who are doing God's will as if that would cause God to turn back to us? It won't! The only thing that will please God is obedience. The Bible says of God, "If you love me keep my commandments." We please God through focusing on Him and doing His will the way that He wants it done, when He wants it done and how He wants it done.

When you have people in the church who simply can't stand you it is most likely because of the spirit of competition. When you have people who can't seem to get over whatever it is that makes them hate you so, chances are there dwells the spirit of competition. This is why our Bishop rebuked this spirit and cast it out from among us. We are all needed in the body of Christ. No one is better or more desired or more depended on. These are weak human emotions that we devise to boost our own egos.

What good is it to think ill of someone? How does that help us be productive in the Kingdom? What good is it to get caught talking crazy about folks? How does that help save souls? Does it really feel that good to reject our Christian brothers and sisters? Is it that good to leave others out when we cook or have a gathering? Is it really necessary to talk sweet to folks in front of your Pastor and First Lady, and then snub them when those individuals are not around? Here's something for free, your Pastor and First Lady may not see what you are doing, but they have no heaven or hell to put you in or keep you from. God sees all and when we are judged our whole lives will be compelled of us as we stand before the throne. We will not be able to hide mistreating others and getting pleasure from it. Is it really going to further God's purpose for us as a whole to leave our co-laborers out of planned activities?

Competition brings these behaviors on. We have to mature. There's no rule that you have to like everyone that you work with. Yet there is a rule that you must love. Love causes you to put away competition and to choose God's will over the good feeling that you get by squeezing others out. The reward is the penny. You may have gotten there first and have worked hard all day, but because God chose me I'm going to get the same reward.

God's Word

Recently I was musing on Isaiah 55:11, which states, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

I asked God to reveal to me what the scripture meant. He told me that His Word cannot return until without accomplishing its purpose because it is in a state of perpetual motion. In order to prepare for this blog I researched the term perpetual motion. From a human perspective the Laws of Thermodynamics actually prohibit or make impossible a perpetual motion device, but the definition of perpetual motion is to put something in to motion that once started would continue indefinitely. The Bible says, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35.

I also like the Amplified version of the Isaiah 55:11 text which states, So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

As I was getting excited about this revelation about God's Word He then revealed to me how so many of us have a scripture that defines us. When you hear that scripture you often think of that person. For example, my husband's scripture is Isaiah 40:31, But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. First Lady Woods is known for quoting, Philippians 3:12-14, Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Bishop Woods frequently quotes Acts 1:8 and has made that scripture the very foundation of Urban Empowerment Ministries and it states, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

These are a few examples, but think about it. These individuals' lives are saturated with these scriptures so much so that they quote them frequently and themselves live by the very Word of the text. They seem to each exemplify the Word and bring it to life through their own testimony. For my husband this scripture is so much more than words on paper. This scripture has defined his life because at his lowest point when he had no other choice, but simply to wait upon the Lord, God renewed his strength and he knows and people who truly know him know that no one could have done this thing, "but God." No one could have restored life into him, but God. No one could have lifted him, but God and now when you see him he is an absolute walking miracle and testimony of the power of God, the realness of God and his ability to absolutely change a person's outcome. When others counted this man of God out, God said, I'll renew your strength and allow you to not only be strong but to mount up on wings as eagles, run and not be weary walk and not faint and if anyone truly truly knows Samuel B. Robinson, Jr. then you know that God has brought him out and given him strength that he should not have!

So now this testimony is passed from God to the writer of the text, to the preacher that pierced Sam's heart with it in the first place, to me to others to our daughter and so on. This is the essence of why God's word cannot return to him void and why it must and will accomplish what it set out to do.

What's my scripture? Ephesians 3:14-21, For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

What is your scripture? What is that Word that saturates you? That word that you have to quote? That you have to seek out and live for? God's word lives in us and passes through us to accomplish its purpose according to God's pleasure.

You have to go--even if it is all by yourself.

When you are meant to do something you have to do it. There are many stories in the Bible that definitely express that. I think about the woman with the issue of blood. She had to get to Jesus for her healing. She had to touch him--even the very hem of his clothing was enough, and even though we look back at this action with awe that moment that she decided to break with tradition and to do something out of the ordinary she found herself alone yet she had to do it. She was out of place. She was wrong according to society's norm but she had to do it to be made whole.

When God puts something in you that has to be done, you have to do it--even if you have to do it alone and in fact you will most likely have to do it alone. It is your journey--your process. If you don't do it then you will be burdened. You have to press. First Lady says many times that ministry is a very lonely place. The process is meant for you--to make you--to develop you and to bring you to the place where God wants you to be.

I have sometimes wondered when I have seen something like an injustice that I couldn't do anything about--why did God allow me to see that or experience that? I could have been like others and just oblivious to what was going on. But I have come to believe that God shows us things so that we can learn to put Him first through prayer. We have to learn to trust His ways and His promises. We have to trust the vision that He has put in us. Sometimes it is a lonely road where you wish and hope others will help you, but if it is truly your ministry--no one will respect it like you--no one will treat it like you--no one else will think of it as highly as you do. People will just plan not even know what you're doing or why you're putting so much effort into it. But if God is beckoning you to do it you have to do it.

Go. Even if you have to go by yourself. It is an exercise in faith and trust. Think of Abraham--no one before had the type of relationship that Abraham had with God. It must have seemed crazy to trust in the absence of evidence that could be sensed easily. Go. Do what you were called to do and believe that God has something in store for you. As one of my Pastors from my youth used to say, "It won't always be like this."

See yourself. Know yourself.

In my most thoughtful moments I think how wonderful it is to be in church and to be used for God's glory. It is what I and most other Christians have wanted all our lives--to find our purpose and to be used by God. So why, if we spend our whole lives wanting God to use us for His glory, do we get so upset with folks for being themselves and acting how they act? We are bothered when people act in ways that we believe are inconsistent with Christianity-or our internalized definition of Christianity.

Christianity is a walk and a relationship with Christ. No one can know what it looks like for another person--we must all walk out and work out our own salvation yet we have these imposed standards of conduct. Many of them I believe have been developed because of the hierarchy that we have created in the church and we don't even see ourselves and so totally are not aware of our behaviors. We really just do not know that we are hurting people because we are too caught up in what we do for the church. I believe that if we really focused on working for Christ's sake no hurt would be produced--how could it. The hurt comes we be turn our work for Christ into an opportunity to showcase what we know how to do or who good we are at something. Isn't it so very interesting that the church is full of people who have experienced little or no success or power in their worldly positions, but they can have a big voice there? This phenomena--if you will--can lead to selfish and shameless self-promotion that we are unaware of in ourselves.

There is a difference you know. There is a void between what we do for Christ and what we do for the "church." There shouldn't be, but there absolutely is. We are human and we can't help it and so this is where hurt is born. We forget about the people--God's people by the way--that make up the church. We begin thinking about people in terms of accomplishing tasks and getting things done--not in terms of soul salvation--or if we do it is to a lesser extent. This is why we compliment those who give a lot of money--think about the Widow's mite. This is why we promote people of note from the community. This is why we surround ourselves with the popular and can't even remember the names of others. Church becomes one big community asset mapping opportunity--we need all hands on deck. We need to know what everyone can do for our purposes--not for God's. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, after all church business has to get done to accommodate the people who come or who will be coming in. It is necessary, but sometimes we get so caught up in doing for people that we forget our purpose--that thing that we all wanted in the beginning--to be used by God.

What makes the difference? You are working for Christ when hurtful things happen to you and you are able to recover quickly--you learn that only what we do for Christ will last. You are working for Christ when you become invisible--know one has to ever know it was you that did something, when you know the Word applies to you to make you stronger and you're not imagining the preacher is always talking to someone else, when you refuse to make fun of others or participate in purposefully hurting, when your focus is Christ, when your life is in balance--you're not used up by church folk--because they will use every last drop and then still talk about you like your whole life is an inside joke.

All of this may seem like rambling. But this is very personal for me. Working in the church can be thankless--that's not really a big deal. Working in the church can be disappointing--people will let you down, misuse you, just plain use you, talk about you, dog you out and still fake smile in your face--you can get used to that. Working in the church can leave you empty--if you allow your focus to become the task rather than Christ. Working in the church can bring overwhelming pain--when you see others openly coddled, loved and rewarded for seemingly doing little and you're putting in your all and sacrificing.

I have countless conversations with people who feel hurt and helpless to do anything about it and frankly I was in that crowd--trying to understand the dynamics of the relationships in leadership--watching other people get hurt and not understanding why nothing was being done. Watching people fall off and leave because of hurt and the show still rolling on as if their hurt was their own fault and then one day it finally hit me. Why? Why do we allow church folks to hurt us so? After all people can only do to you what you allow them to do right? I know it may seem impossible, but some people live to hurt you. They want to see the look on your face when they tell you they know the pastor better than you or that they are communicating with the pastor and "Oh they didn't contact you too?" There are people who revel in watching others hurt, but I'm going to give you a sure fire way to escape this needless pain.

See yourself for who you are. Know yourself and your calling and purpose. Do what you do for Christ alone. Focus on Christ. All advice that you have heard before I know, but it really works. Stop expecting people to "act" right. They may or may not reach the conclusion that hurting others derives from their own hurt. That is not your concern. God isn't going to give you a get of hell free card because you responded to others because they hurt you.

Church is the only place were we put unrealistic expectations on people to act in a way that is inconsistent with their personality. If a person is nasty and immature and enjoys mistreating others they are going to do that anywhere, everywhere and at every opportunity that they have until they are made whole. They don't care that they are hurting children, adults, dogs, cats, or coach roaches. Their own life's pain causes them to lash out and most likely they are unaware that this is even a big deal.

Don't get caught up in someone else's turmoil. They are going to hurt you because that's what they do. Your testimony is that when they hurt you you stayed in position. You kept your focus. Like David at Ziglag--you recovered quickly and you recovered all. Your sole purpose in life is to impress Christ--to live like and for Him. Nothing and no one can pluck you from His hand.

I was recently stung by a wasp and that sting reminded me of the sting I sometimes get from church folk, but the key is--it was temporary. I got over it and you can to. Don't think of Christianity in terms of fair. Don't watch or compare yourself to others. Do what you do for Christ and see yourself doing it for Christ. Speak it. Have confidence in who God called you to be. You belong to Him--not to a congregation. He redeemed you. He paid the price. Focus on that and free yourself. Shake it off.

Be aware of your spiritual surroundings

The Bible instructs us to watch and pray. It is important to pay attention to your spiritual surroundings. Who do you come in contact with on a regular basis? Who do you hang with? What strongholds do they have in their life? Are you equipped to pray with and for them and are they equipped to pray for you?

We are spiritual beings and our God has let us know that He is a Spirit and those that worship Him must do so in Spirit and in truth. What that means is that we must learn to lay down our carnality and live in our spirituality. I've heard the term "super saint" being tossed around a lot as if to say it is a negative thing to want to live holy or to want to draw closer to God as much as you can on a daily basis. Make no mistake there is a difference between being a hypocrite and trying your best to exemplify a spiritual lifestyle. No one is perfect. We have all fallen and still fall short. This is why we so desperately need grace and forgiveness to make up the difference between our can't help its and God's standard, but like Giddeon soldiers we ought to strive to pay attention to what's going on around us spiritually and to sharpen and use our weapons, which are not carnal, but are powerful and mighty to the tearing down of strongholds.

There is a very real spiritual war and the battle is waging around us and even within us at times and the stakes are eternal life or eternal separation from the Father. Everything that has happened and that happens to us was meant for our good to make us into spiritual warriors with the ability to reconcile souls to Christ.

If you seek a purpose and a calling for your life, here it is plan and simple. The Bible instructs us to love God with all our heart and all our might and we prove we love God not through words, but through keeping His commandments. In most cases that is a very lonely place. Obeying God's will for your life will separate you even from the very Christian friends who you thought would never leave you--just like Jesus' time of prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. We are also to love our neighbor as our self. Loving our neighbor means since we don't want to be lost, we shouldn't want anyone else to be lost even when we strongly feel that someone is a lost cause. God specializes in making great things out of what we throw away.

We should pray for those who misuse us that God will heal their hurt. We should reconcile brothers and sisters who fall through a word of life and encouragement that Jesus saves to the utmost. We should live in a spiritual place and know our surroundings so that we can engage in the battle and stand with confidence knowing that our God has already prevailed.

That's a Keeper!

Proverbs advises that "Wisdom is the principle thing so get wisdom and while you are getting wisdom go ahead and get understanding." The Bible also tells us that if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who gives all good gifts and doesn't hold back.

Wisdom is experienced understanding and understanding is exercised knowledge. The one thing that wisdom will give you is the ability to know when. When to respond. When to speak. When to act. When to hold back. Wisdom causes you to take account of what's going on around you and who's looking and the consequences of what ever it is that you choose to do. A wise person measures her words. A wise person walks in order respecting God's authority.

With all of that said, there are times when God speaks to us and we hear Him so very clearly and we become excited that He has chosen to share something with us. We become so very excited that we sometimes mistake what we are to do with the information that He has provided to us. God reveals information to us for many reasons. Sometimes it is to admonish and exhort others. Some times it is to warn. God can share a word of promise to encourage or a word of life to uplift, but quite a few times God will reveal a word to us that is just for us only. But many of us are simply so excited that He is speaking to us that we do not allow wisdom to have her perfect work. We turn to others and blurt out what God has revealed to us. Many times God reveals something to you so that you can pray. So that you can fast. So that you can seek His face. So that you can trust in Him. So that you can produce a testimony and increase your own credibility. But we act prematurely and as a result we can damage the reputation that we so earnestly hoped to establish.

Wisdom isn't magical. It is simply thinking past yourself, past this moment, past this right now and considering the people around you and the long lasting affects of your choices. This is why we need God to grant us wisdom because we cannot know the future and our words can scar and hurt the future of others. We can be a stumbling block and a rock of offense so easily through unthoughtful words or actions.

Additionally make no mistake pointing out the obvious doesn't make you a prophet. The Bible tells us to desire all good gifts. But don't be in such a hurry that you miss out on the training season. Even Jesus had a transitional period before he launched out into full blown ministry. There is a story in the Bible about a servant who ran to deliver a message. He ran and ran and ran, but when he arrived at his destination he didn't have the right message to give. Wait on the Lord. Wait to be confirmed. Wait to be educated. Wait on your experience and wait on your qualification. So much more can be said on that topic.

All in all know this. God's word is always confirmed and never returns to Him void. It cannot. God's word has been placed into perpetual motion. While you are waiting for God to release you to operate in your gift(s) and in your calling you can begin by speaking life to and encouraging others--that word is confirmed. Use wisdom and always honor God's order, and if you're not sure if you should say something or not your best bet is it's a keeper!