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. 

The Architect and the Builder

Architect: One who designs and supervises the construction of buildings or other large structures.

Builder: One who builds; one who develops or gives form to according to a plan or process; create.

Many years ago (more than I want to admit) I was in the construction business: block laying, carpentry, superintendent, but was mainly in the residential concrete business. When working in all phases of construction, you have to be able to read blueprints. If you can’t read and understand them, you will fail to correctly do your job. In turn, your work may not pass inspection or worse, the building may suffer structural damage in the future.

For many years I had a misconception concerning my part with my daily walk with the Lord. I didn’t have the attitude of living life on purpose for a purpose. I mainly read my bible and prayed for direction. Most of my life I lived passively. I let my career and financial life suffer all for the sake of waiting on the Lord. I lived mostly in the wishes and dreams realm and not the action realm. Both are important and both are needed to fulfill all God has called us to do.

Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12 (KJ) :Wherefore, my beloved… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The word work in the original language means: to accomplish, by implication to finish, fashion, cause, do, perform, work (out). This is a strong action word. Clearly we are to participate in our own life after salvation. Adam Clarke writes in his commentary on this subject, “We must be workers together with Him, that we receive not His grace in vain; because He works in you, therefore work with Him, and work out your own salvation.” We are not to be passive in our walk with Christ as I was for so many years.

Let me bring this back around to “The Architect and the Builder”.

Fortunately, I’ve had a change of perspective in my career and financial life. I now see my life like a builder builds a house.

Building a house all starts with an architect having a thought or picture in his mind of the final product. He then with a team, starts implementing his thoughts by creating blueprints or plans. After the plans are complete with every detail drawn our, they go to a builder. The builder starts the process from the ground up to build the architect’s vision.

One thing I didn’t see on the construction site was an architect. The architect did his part with vision and plans. He may occasionally consult on the project but he doesn’t grab a hammer and nails to work on the house. The builder does the work with the detailed plans to complete the project.

We as Christians can use this analogy to help us complete the call on our lives. We know that God has work for us to do. Read what the Apostle Paul told the Ephesians: “…. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Eph 2:10 Message) We also know that He has already laid out good plans for us. (Jeremiah 29:11) These plans are written on the tablets of our heart. (2 Corinthians 3:3) It would do us well to spend more time listening to the desires of our heart for out of it flows the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23) Listening to our heart, in part, is listening to God’s plans for you.

God is the Architect.

We are the builder.

Too many Christians are falling short of God’s best because we haven’t read the Architect’s plans.

What about you?

Where are you at in respect to “working out your salvation”?

Are you a passive bystander or a builder?

If you want to learn to be a builder, here are some steps to take.

Commit

Decide today you will do what it takes to be a builder. You will need this in your spirit because it will take some work to shift your mindset. Your mind will still want you to be passive but your commitment will help you push forward.

Listen

Set a daily time and place for you to get alone with God. Make it a time of reflection, intimacy and study. Don’t get stuck with the idea that your time alone with God will look and feel the same every time. Some days just read the bible, others days pray and listen. Be flexible and enjoy your time with God.

Write

Writing is a gateway to your heart. So write down your desires, passions and visions. Write on a grand scale as if the whole world was yours to create with a pen. Be completely vulnerable to your own desires. There are no boundaries or rules when you write. It’s not about grammar or spelling, it’s about opening up the floodgates of freedom in your life.

Remember that this is a progressive learning process. In time you will begin to see the Architects plans. It will be up to you to implement them and create the life God has called you to live.

Now go and get your nail bags on and start building.

Andy

Run for Your Life

One warm day while walking on a trail, I saw an etched message carved on the path. It read, “TURN BACK”. For a moment I actually felt a touch of concern. Then I had to laugh at the humor.

But isn’t this what we often hear in our minds when we want to try something new or when the Lord is showing us a bit of our future. I’ve heard this voice many times in my life. It was loudest when I went parachuting. Everything inside of me yelled, “STAY IN THE PLANE!” Obviously, it was a false alarm.

I remember opening night of a play in which I had a lead role. It had a cast of 200. Music, acrobats and swordsmen were involved in this elaborate production. An audience of over 3,000 showed up. It was a dream come true for me but it all came with a few personal complications. I’ve never had formal training in the art of acting and I would be working with skilled entertainers and musicians. The only thing I had to offer was my willingness to take direction, energy and enthusiasm.

 I could have turned back and turned down the opportunity but that would have put me in a position to justify the act of turning back to familiar territory, and not moving forward to unchartered territory. If I had turned back, I would have been denying the very core of who I was created to be in that time in my life. It would have been disobedience, which is simply not complying with God’s will and purpose for our life. Disobedience keeps us from enjoying the good life God intends for us. But there is a much deeper downfall to turning back and disobedience. Much, much deeper.

Let’s look at the story of deliverance of Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah.

(Gen. 19 Message Bible)

Before God destroyed the two cities, He chased Lot and his family out first by sending angels to hurry them out. The directives from the angels were; “Now run for your life! Don't look back! Don't stop anywhere on the plain—run for the hills or you'll be swept away." (Verse 17) These are very strong statements.

But in spite of these statements, after the cities were destroyed and everything about them was destroyed, Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. (Verses 25-26)

This story makes me wonder, “What was she thinking? Didn’t she take the angels and situation seriously?” I have come to realize I wasn’t much different than her.

Let me explain. In this text I see the story of redemption not being taken seriously by those who know better. I had been like this for many years of my life. Often times I would agree with condemnation though the bible says I am free from that. God was serious when He said, “THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus…” and yet I would turn back and gaze at the past as if it were real. Jesus was serious when He said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”, and yet I would still look at my deep failures and decide it wasn’t for me. I had often turned back to the pains and problems of my past and used them as an excuse to not move forward. I’d turn back to the utter fallen state of my pre-redemptive life and agree with its vile lies. And just a Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt so did I. I became bitter with life, self-righteous and self-loathing. I failed to hear the seriousness of the call of freedom that was before me.

Take this seriously. Your past has utterly been destroyed! Stop turning back. All the promises of God are yes and amen but they are also in front of you, not behind you. Looking back exposes a sense of connection with your past and it keeps you from seeing the truth of your future. We, through Jesus, have been fully redeemed. Through Jesus, God rained brimstone and fire, poured a river of lava out of the sky, destroyed our past and the entire plain of it and everything that grew from it.

Nothing good comes from looking at the Sodom and Gomorrah of your past. God wants us to put it down for good. He wants us to live with the urgency of running from every thought of it. Not looking back and not stopping anywhere near it or we will be swept away from our God ordained future.

Are you serious about what God says about your past and future? If you haven’t been and you want to, begin with these steps.

·        Write down the negative thoughts that come to you regularly.

·        Find scriptures that counter those thoughts.

·        Every time negative thoughts come to you, tell yourself, “it’s not true” and repeat the scriptures several time throughout the day.

This is a process so give yourself time and you will one day notice a change in your thought life.

Andy

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

Invisible Chains

The chains of your past may have cut deep into your soul. If you still feel the pain of the chains, it's not the chains, it's the cut. 

You are free from the chains but the Lord needs to heal the cut. 
Let Him go there.

Don't we all have choice in our future? Most of us realize we have this choice daily. What most of us don't realize is the effect it will have on countless others for the good or bad.

God the Father gave Jesus a choice in the garden and He chose crucifixion because of the long term effect on your life.

What we do today, good or bad will make a difference in someone's life.

What will you do different today for the long term effect of someone you don't know?

Next Level Thinking Manifesto

Next Level Thinking Manifesto

I will not speak calamity

I will not let my mind harbor fear.

I will not let my mind live in the past.

I will take responsibility for my thinking.

I will learn to keep my tongue under control.

I will think and speak of unlimited opportunity.

I will pursue positive, productive and powerful thoughts.

I will not blame others or circumstances for my life today.

I will train my mind to live by principles and not by my feelings.

I will not let my mind harbor anger, resentment or unforgiveness.

I will take every thought captive and sift it through high level values.

I will choose daily to think purposeful, deliberate and meaningful thoughts.

I will not speak any negative, critical or demeaning thoughts about myself or others.

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?

Be Thoroughly Patient

James 1:4 AMP

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.

    The best long distance runners not only need to be physically tough but also mentally tough. They must be patient or have much patience to get to the finish line. What does patience mean? This is how the dictionary defines patience: The quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

    Paul said: let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and  let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1 AMP)

    We all know what the sins are. The bible makes it clear what they are. But it is the encumbrances that it doesn’t name. Could it be that a negative attitude is an unnecessary weight that clings to and entangles us? I think so.

    Let’s break this down. The word attitude is defined: A settled way of thinking or feeling, typically reflected in a person's behavior.

    Many of us have decided that we want everything fast. Hamburgers, weight loss, and answers to our prayers. Yet we know that anything good is worth waiting for. Personally I’d rather wait for a great tasting burger than have a fast food burger. Health professionals tell us to loose weight slowly so it will be easier to keep it off. And as for prayers, we all know they don’t always get answered when we would like. And to make things worse, the bible says to let patience have full play and do a thorough work… in us. I’m not so sure that I’m being comforted by the scriptures right now. But there is good news.

 Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:24(AMP): “run [your race] that you may lay hold of the prize and make it yours.”Now the questions becomes: “What is the prize?” This takes us back to James 1:4. One of the prizes is  patience mixed with endurance and steadfastness will help us be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. This is wonderful news to me because sometimes I feel like I’m not much of a person to be admired by God. These scriptures remind me I have purpose in this life. They remind me, God will complete the good work He started in me. They help me to remember, with the Word and the Holy Spirit, I will become more and more like Jesus.                                                                                                                                     

    Next Level Thinking embraces perseverance knowing there is a prize at the end of the race.

    I challenged you today to let James 1:4 be a prayer for your life.

The City of the Dead

I recently read a very interesting article about people who live in, “The City of The Dead”. The City of the Dead is a four-mile stretch of tombs and mausoleums in Cairo, Egypt. The article states that tens of thousands live in the tombs without water or electricity. Yet they have a satellite dish and a television because it’s free. What a contrast of living and dying.

In the book of Mark, chapter 5:2-5, it describes a man who lived amongst the tombs.                  

       1.    He was under the power of an unclean spirit

       2.   He continually lived among the tombs

       3.   No one could subdue him, even with a chain

       4.      He had been bound often with shackles

       5.      He was always shrieking and screaming

       6.      He was always beating and bruising and cutting himself with stones

This doesn’t sound like a man that was enjoying his life. It reminds me of all the ways the Lord has had to change my thinking process. This man’s story is my story. It’s a story of many Christians. Let me explain.

1.      I know that we believers cannot be possessed by an evil spirit, but we can be influenced by them. It’s called temptation. With that temptation we make a choice to do it or not to do it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

2.      We may not physically live amongst the tombs but we do in our hearts and minds. (Matthew 15:19)

3.      We as human beings get set in our ways and tend to not want change in our lives.(Psalm 55:19)

4.      When we continuously give in to temptation, it always moves us closer to addiction.

5.      As believers, our shortcomings and addictions will always back itself up with a loud voice of justification.(Galatians 5:4)

6.      For believers, condemnation will scream out in our minds the hopelessness and despair of our life.

If you cannot relate to this, then stop reading because you won’t get anything out of it. But if you can relate, there is good news.

Read this: Mark 7:20-23 (AMP) ²⁰And He said, What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders [him] unhallowed. ²¹For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, ²²Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride ( the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness). 

²³All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed. 

Jesus makes it very clear that our heart and mind is what makes us messed up. It’s a thought process and an attitude of the heart that keeps us from living the full life that Jesus wants us to live.

Here are 3 steps that will help you on your expedition to a closer walk with the Lord.

1.      Read the Bible daily.

a.      Jesus is the Word, so reading daily reveals more of Him and the contrasting life we may be living.

2.      Pray

a.      Praying can be an act of submission. Let the Lord know you need His help to change. Little by little He will reveal to you His thoughts and His ways. Then He will help you to renew your mind which will transform your heart.

3.      Believe that He absolutely loves you and hears your prayers.

a.      It’s take faith to absolutely know the Lord loves us just as we are. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The more you read and pray, the easier it is to believe He wants a relationship with you.

Next level thinking is thinking like Him. And thinking like Him will help you to live farther away from “The City of The Dead”.