Man in the Middle

But he knows not that the shades of the dead are there [specters haunting the scene of past transgressions], and that her invited guests are [already sunk] in the depths of Sheol (the lower world, Hades, the place of the dead).  - (Proverbs 9:18)

This scripture sounds like a scene from an old horror flick. I see it as a warning; there is an evil that is subtle as a ghost. The definition of ghost in this particular scripture is: a returning or haunting memory or image.

Our Christian life can be a living dichotomy. We have this lingering ghost that follows us and his name is “the past”. On the other end of the spectrum we have a future named “freedom”. And there is a campaign we vaguely understand raging between the two. It’s a battle not fought with swords or guns. It’s a tug of war… in your mind. A reckless jerking of faith and fear like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind until we are at the verge of abandoning all hope for our God given future.

Picture yourself with your arms fully stretched out. In one hand you are holding the end of a rope that is pulling you toward an extraordinary future. A wondrous life specifically designed for you and offers everything you need to live a full life. In the other hand you are holding a chain that’s pulling you toward a fiery furnace that consumes any sign of joy, peace and hope. You lean toward the “freedom” but keep holding on to “the past”.

Revelation 3:16 (The Message) “You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit.”

Adam Clarke writes in his commentary about this scripture: “It’s a state of confusion and being unsure of how to act or proceed; undecided where you are with God.”

Unsure of where you are with God positions you to be the man in the middle.  Holding on to “the past” makes you stale and stagnant and makes the Lord sick to His stomach. I believe the Lord is sick to His stomach because He knows we cannot effectively live the full life He has for us while holding on to “the past”.

[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].  James 1:8 (AMP)

This scripture describes much of my past as a Christian. I was the man in the middle. I could see my future, but the past kept luring me back to the ashes of condemnation. This lead to an irresolute, undecided and careless thought process. I wanted more for my life but never made a solid plan to move forward.

Do you feel like the man in the middle, stale and stagnant? Are holding on to condemnation and guilt (the past)? If so, here are some suggestions to help you move forward.

+ Recognize you are stuck.

   If you are not moving forward, you’re stuck.

+ Fight condemnation.

   Holding on to your past is like being mentally abused and not doing  

   anything about it.

   Spend time in prayer and meditation and speak against           

   condemnation using the Word of God. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

+ Resolute that you will move forward.

   Colossians 3:2 (Amp) says: “And set your minds and keep them set on 

    what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.” 

   In other words, don’t let your mind hang out with “the past”. 

   “The past” is dead and in the depths of hell, attempting to drag you 

   down with it.

I encourage you to take a good look at your walk with the Lord. Ask yourself, “Am I a description of what James wrote? Am I a person of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]?”

If this describes you, be courageous and fight the battle that wars in your mind. Use your faith and believe you have been given “freedom”. Do the work it takes to let go of “the past”, set your mind on giving God your all and no longer be being the man in the middle.

Please share this if it helped you.

Andy

If you want help to find and develop their purpose, contact me at andythelifecoach@yahoo.com. 

Take Control of the Keyboard

Once we become "born again" we threw away the old script of our lives that were written from our experiences of pain, sorrow and heartache. But being “born again” gives us the opportunity to write a new story for our lives. 

But there is an opposing factor that will still try to dictate the writings of your future. It’s your old nature or thought process. It will want to continue to write the negative history of your life and not the promised future. It is like opening up a blank word document and letting someone else type in the script of your future life.
In this new life of ours we need to do what any good writer needs to do. Write daily and write often. Just as writers need to learn to write. We need to seriously take a good look at what the bible says about us and rewrite the script for our lives. We need to take hold of the keyboard and write the epic story of our lives.

The story has already been given to us. It’s in our heart. It’s in our desires.  It’s in the restlessness of our soul. Yes, we all know our story but here is the problem. It’s like the big bible in the living room that never gets read. All it does is collect dust. We’ve got to take action and dust off the inner script. We need to sweep away the dust of negativity, oppression and pain.

Think about this for a moment. Take time to remember a book you read or a movie you watched. One that has a victorious ending. It could be a love won or a battle well fought. Were there times in the scenes you thought of something deep down inside yourself that was lost? A dream, a vision or a desire that once gallantly danced in your heart and soul. But as life slowly, or even abruptly, buried your hope the music faded. The dance ended, and now it seems that the dance hall is closed for good. Life since has been a dry dusty desert with only trickles of water to keep you barely alive. Even zombies need water.

So what about this “River of Life” the bible talks about? We could certainly use this “River of Life”. That would wash the dust completely away. The trickle of water we have only makes the dust muddy. So how do we experience the “River of Life” or “life to the full” Jesus referred too? How do we dance again? How do we dust off the book that holds our dreams, visions and desires? How do we awaken the deep aspirations of childhood?

I have a few ideas. This is most certainly not an exhaustive list but it is a start.

1.        

        Read highly inspirational books, magazines and blogs.

When the bible tells me I’m more than a conqueror, it inspires me. John Eldredge and Andy Andrews have books that get my heart fluttering. If you don’t read or listen to books, you will have a hard time dusting off the book that reveals your future.

2.        Spend time analyzing your heart.

Proverbs 4:23 (Amp version) says: “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” I believe this is Christ Himself and all He encompasses. Your heart holds the intimate details that God downloaded into your personality. Your heart leads you to the good works and good life He has planned for you.

Watch an inspirational movie with paper and pen in hand. Write down the different emotions and thoughts that come to you. Don’t be afraid to cry (I’m talking to you guys) for it helps release the pain of the lost dreams. It also helps to sweep the dust off of those dreams so you can feel the depth of your love for those desires. This is good. The desire is not God himself but an expression of Him and how He wants to express Himself to the world through you.

Write.

You might ask why should I write? I’ll tell you in a moment. But first, you must know we all have a book inside of us to write. Though I do not believe everyone’s book is to be published. However, writing is a strong way for us to see who we are as individuals. Writing helps us express what is held in our heart. It helps express what we can’t yet say. Writing helps us envision our future and helps erase the pains of the past that hold us back in life. The very act of writing is a gift from God to help us to express what He has put in our hearts.

When you write make it personal. Write one word or a paragraph but write something as often as you can. It will help lead you into the “River of Life”.

I strongly encourage you to take control of the keyboard and write the story of your life. Don’t let anyone else write it. God has already planted the story in your heart. But it is up to you to search it out. Proverbs 3:32 (Amp) says: For the perverse are an abomination [extremely disgusting and detestable] to the Lord; but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).

Spend some time with God and He will counsel you in secret and lead you to the good works and good life he has predestined for you.

Now go and write your story.

Andy

He Upped The Ante Part 2

Last week we discussed the expectations Jesus has for us if we are to follow Him. In Matthew 5:20 Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness (your uprightness and your right standing with God) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In addition He added to the requirement. In verses 21-22,27-28 He digs deeper into our spiritual pockets and makes it clear on what He expects of us concerning our heart and mind.

When Jesus brings in these additional verses, He is stating that we have the responsibility to control what goes on in our mind and heart. Jesus also said in verse 48, “We are to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect.” He is making it very clear that we must, at all times, be conscious and cautious about our thoughts. In Philippians 2, Paul says to “work out our salvation.” He later goes on to say that part of doing that is to do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless… If we grumble and complain, it is because of our mindset. Wow! To be perfect as God the Father and prove ourselves blameless, are some big commands.

The bible is trying to teach us that the bottom line is we must take responsibility for our own thinking. Before Christ came and died and rose again for us, God said, “"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) But now that Jesus came and gave us a new and better covenant, as Christians, we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) We don’t have any excuses to think differently than Him.

So how do we start thinking like Christ? Here are some pointers.

1. Remind yourself daily that it is your responsibility to change your thinking for the better. No one else can make you think differently.

Others can give you different perspectives on subjects but that is all they can do for you.

2. Read the bible. It is the surest way to find out how the Lord thinks. Proverbs gives insight to His wisdom and the Psalms give insight to His great love for us.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the areas of thought that need to change in your life. He will show you and He will help you change those thoughts.

“Next Level Thinking” requires us to take responsibility for our own thinking patterns. Then we can take action to remove those patterns and replace them with God thoughts.

Some thought patterns can lead to self defeating behavior. Find an area in your life you wish was different. Ask yourself: What is a present thought pattern, I could change today, to change my life in the future?

He Upped the Ante Part 1

Sometimes I think the way Jesus presented His messages was a little unusual, . He would say these wonderful truths, then seemingly change the subject in a moments notice. For instance, the famous sermon on the mount in Matthew 5. Jesus starts out with the “Blessed are they” speech. It’s basically an “everything is beautiful” feel good message. (v3-v11) Then He says, (paraphrased) “Now that you know you are blessed because of God, don’t hide it. Let your light shine.” (v13-v16) After that it turns a little rigid. Jesus makes a very strong statement concerning the law of the prophets. He says: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

What the heck happened? Jesus went from everything is beautiful to unless your righteousness (your uprightness and your right standing with God) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The scribes and Pharisees were the religious elite. They had studied scripture for years. If anyone knew the law, it was them. Read the book of Leviticus. You will find it very detailed in describing how to do everything according to the law. There was no way these people listening to Jesus could practice the law better than the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus just upped the ante.

It gets worse! Jesus first clarifies what righteousness physically looks like in the eyes of God. Now He digs deeper into our spiritual pockets and makes it clear on what He expects of us concerning our heart and mind. Verses 21-22 make the point if we harbor anger against someone it’s the same as killing someone. Verses 27-28 add to the problem. Having evil desire for a woman is as committing adultery in our heart. Again, Jesus just upped the ante.

I have two points to make. Here’s the first. Jesus was setting up the death and resurrection prophecy. He was reminding the people of their need for a savior. He was making it very clear that it is impossible to be righteous enough, on our own, to be accepted into the kingdom of God. (Isaiah 64:6) The sermon on the mount was like an opening statement in a courthouse for the accused. In this case we are the accused. And we have been found guilty because of one man. (Romans 5:18) Jesus reminds us, in the sermon on the mount, that we completely fall short of being able to meet the requirements of the law. (Romans 3:23) He is refreshing our memory of why He came to earth. He came to fulfill the law because we can’t. He came so we could enter the kingdom of God with one simple decision. The decision to follow Him. The law required a sacrifice. He came to fulfill it and He did with His death and resurrection. He did it so we could enter the kingdom of heaven to live with Him forever. He did it to pay the price that we cannot pay to be in right standing with the Father.

“Next Level Thinking” fully accepts the price that Jesus paid for our sin. It fully accepts that we can live under His grace. It fully accepts that we don’t have to try to fulfill the law. (Romans 8:2)

Are you still trying to fulfill the law?

Are you still trying to earn your salvation?

If so, ask the Lord to reveal to you the power of His grace and the depth of His love for you.

Next week I will share with you part 2.

I appreciate your comments.

To hear the audio version of this article, visit http://audioboo.fm/boos/756155-he-upped-the-ante-part-1

Filled To The Brim With Garbage

Our society has slowly eliminated the

"Is the glass half empty or half full?" analogy.

Since we are totally affixed to the on-line,

blogging, cable TV world, we are always

being filled to the brim with garbage.

We as individuals must engage in a mental

battle to keep our glasses overflowing with

good, positive and uplifting thoughts.

We truly are the artist of our own future.

And it starts with what we are thinking.

And to fully have a successfully fulfilled

life we must have Next Level Thinking.








If you would like to hear this in audio form go to:
http://audioboo.fm/boos/648238-thoughts-on-filling-our-mind