anger or authority and assurance…

how do our dreams past the test?

when i face the test of denial, the answer is commitment.  when someone denies the dream it’s an opportunity for me to express a new and fresh commitment to GOD and to that dream. 

when i face the test of doubt, the answer is scripture, GOD’s word.

for joseph GOD’s word was the dream, he had to go back to the dream again for GOD’s word.  but we have a bible to look at.  we can look at this bible to find the answers for GOD’s dream for our lives.  dreams are personal so when people react with doubt at our dream we often react with anger.  one of the common things when people doubt our dream, especially if it’s someone important to us – a parent, brother, sister, close friend, pastor – is an angry reaction of “i’ll prove them wrong.” 

what happens then is our dream turns into a vendetta.  instead of following GOD’s dream for our lives we’re trying to prove somebody else wrong.  and that’s no way to find GOD’s will for our lives.  instead of saying, “i'm going to prove somebody else wrong” or instead of allowing somebody else’s doubts to cause you to admit defeat and give up, there’s a better test.  it’s the test of scripture.

GOD given dreams always have to pass the test of scripture.  what does GOD’s word say?  does it strengthen this dream or are there some things here that make me begin to doubt this is GOD’s dream for my life.  when you take a GOD-given dream and you start to read through GOD’s word with that dream on your mind saying, “LORD, if it’s right, show me.  if it’s wrong, show me.” when you start to ask people you respect who know the word, “is this a GOD given dream, does it fit with scripture?” one of two things are going to happen. 

you’re either going to find out it’s not GOD’s dream or it is.  and if you find out it is, the test of scripture does two great things.  first of all it adds authority to your dream and then it adds assurance to your dream.  if you get GOD’s authority you know you have something to say.  but also you know you have an inner assurance. 

just a thought from the front porch…

the power of trust…

another defining part in noah’s life was when he entered the ark and that shows the motivational power of trust. he took his obedience and applied it by trusting GOD.

and that had to be a scary moment. he’s got all these animals in this ark and he walks in and genesis 7.16 (msg), then GOD shut the door behind him. it wasn’t noah that shut the door, but GOD. that’s trust!

in my life many times i want to keep my options open – “GOD, i’ll do this for YOU but let me keep this over here open in case this doesn’t work out. i can go through that door too.” but if GOD’s saying, “i want you to shut the door,” it’s shut.

trust. genesis 7.6-10 (msg), noah and his wife and sons and their wives boarded the ship to escape the flood…just as GOD had commanded noah. in seven days the floodwaters came. the door was shut and it was seven days after that door was shut before the rain started to fall. how do you think noah felt during those seven days? seven long days. “GOD, what am i doing in here? YOU’ve made this promise. the rain’s supposed to come. where’s the rain?”

i don’t know why GOD waited seven days. i don’t know if HE was giving people an opportunity to repent outside the ark. i don’t know if HE was doing something inside noah’s heart within the ark.

and i don’t know why GOD waits in my life sometimes, or in your life. but HE does, doesn’t HE? some of you are in that seven-day waiting period and you’re wondering what in the world is GOD doing? you’ve gone in, the door has been shut. you’ve made the commitment, total commitment to GOD, and you’re asking, “GOD, i'm not sure this is going to work out!” noah had to feel that way but he kept coming back to trust and obedience.

in the span of things what was seven days? the longest seven days of his life, that’s what they were! in the span of days what’s seven days or seven years to us or 11 years? sometimes they can be the longest time in our lives. but trust says “GOD’s working.” the rain hasn’t started yet. what HE said hasn’t happened yet. but HE’s preparing it to happen just in HIS timing. noah’s trust was vital. and so is your’s.

just a thought from the front porch…

love is a commitment...

the bible says that love is a commitment. 1 john 4.16 says (cev), GOD is love. if we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with GOD and HE will stay one with us.

our relationship with GOD is largely affected by our relationship with other people. if we stay in love, then we will keep in one with our hearts with GOD, and HE’ll stay in one with us. because GOD is love.

notice the phrase, keep on loving. love keeps on. love is durable. love keeps on giving whether you like it or not. love keeps on keeping on. kind of like the energizer bunny. it keeps on giving, it keeps on loving, it keeps on going.

GOD is the only one who can give you a love that will last a lifetime. all other human love fails. it’s not strong enough. GOD’s love in your heart can help you through the inevitable test of your love.

my suspicion is that all of us need a lot of work in this area. i don’t know anybody who’s got this one down pat. we all have a lot of growing to do in mature love.

so how do you do it? how do you build a life of real deep love? how to get stated. there are some things that you can do this week that will help you get on the road to becoming a truly great lover, a truly great person of love. because this is what matters most in life.

one is learn how mature love acts and responds. personal change always begins with a change in perspective. it involves getting GOD’s perspective on what love is really like. because, as i said, the world knows nothing about real, deep love. get GOD’s perspective on what love is all about because GOD is love.

another is start your day with a daily reminder to love. the first 10 minutes of your day sets your entire mood for the rest of the day. if you’ll get up in the morning and say, “GOD, i just want to remind myself that the most important thing is love. loving you and loving other people.” if you’ll do that at the start of the day before you get busy, you pause and say, “help me to remember this because it’s so easy to forget. that if i don’t get anything else done today, if i just love YOU a little bit more, and i love the people that YOU put around me just a little bit more, this day has gone ok regardless of what else happens. whether i get anything else done in life or not, if i love YOU and i love other people today, this is not a wasted day.”

if you don’t do that, you’ll get halfway into your day and then comes the conflict or the crisis or the confrontation and all of these things, and you’re tempted to be unloving because you didn’t start the day with that in mind.

just a thought from the front porch…

a time to pray...

FATHER, you’ve promised to meet all our needs. but we often get in a hurry and we get impatient and we come up with our own plans. we try to dig our own wells. you offer us free, unlimited living water but instead we try to make our own plans and dig our own wells instead of trusting YOU. JESUS, i have no doubt that many people here on the front porch are having their faith tested in one of these ways. i pray that in the test they will turn to YOU instead of turning away from YOU.

would you just pray this in your heart, your mind, to GOD. ”FATHER, thank YOU that YOU want to meet all my needs. forgive me for all those times i’ve tried to meet them in my own way, on my own timetable. i ask YOUR help with the stresses in my life. help me to turn to YOU instead of to others or other things. i want to look to YOU and not others to be my SAVIOR and my HELPER. i want to put my hope and confidence in YOU. help me to see that my disappointments are a part of YOUR loving plan in my life.

also, i ask for YOUR help in keeping the commitments that i’ve made to other people and especially the commitments that i’ve made to YOU. i’m choosing on this day to give YOU first place in my thoughts and in my money and in my time. from this day forward. and i thank YOU in advance for promising to meet all my needs here and for the rewards YOU have in store for me in heaven. thank YOU that these tests are not in vain. in JESUS’ name. amen.”

just a thought from the front porch…

a weak or wise person?...

ecclesiastes 5.4 (ncv), if you make a promise to GOD don’t be slow to keep it. GOD is not happy with fools, so give GOD what you promised.

what commitments have you made to GOD that you have failed to follow through on? read your bible every day? tithe? join a church? get involved in small group? find a ministry? share with your neighbors about CHRIST?

what commitments have you made to CHRIST (GOD) that you’ve let slack off. this is a test of your character and your faith.

ecclesiastes 8.5 (lb), the wise man will find a time and a way to do what he says.

the wise person figures out a way to keep his or her commitments. the weak person cops out. the weak person says, “i made that commitment but i’m going to blow it off. i made that commitment back then but i’m not going to follow through on that one. i didn’t really mean it. times/circumstances have changed.”

weak people give excuses. wise people find the time and way to do what they say they will do. do you want to be a weak person or do you want to be a wise person? this is a test. it’s a test of the kind of character you’re going to develop.

this is one of the major faults in our society today. people give up in the test before hanging in there to make it through. they give up too soon.

people have one little marriage problem: “i can’t handle this. i don’t deserve this. i’ve got to get out of this relationship.” and they walk just because they have a tough time. “i can’t afford to tithe. i’m in financial pressure.” so they walk out on that commitment. “i can’t afford to do the right thing in the business because if i do the right thing i will lose my job.” this is a test. it’s a test of your character and a test of your faith.

the bible says in psalm 15 that GOD blesses the person who keeps his vows even when it hurts. that’s the kind of person GOD blesses and it’s a test.

just a thought from the front porch…

life and your commitments...

GOD also uses the persistence test to strengthen our faith. "will i keep my commitments?"

life is about making commitments. your life is shaped by your commitments. your character is developed by your commitments. your success is influenced by your commitments. your eternal destiny is determined by your commitments so you’d better choose what you’re committed to very carefully: heaven and hell are in the balance. you become whatever you’re committed to.

the problem we have today is that most people are half committed to two dozen things instead of being totally committed to the one or two things in life that really matter for now and eternity. that’s a waste!

if you’re going to develop any skill or any maturity, for that matter, you’ve got to learn to make and keep commitments.

let’s say you want to learn a musical instrument – to play the piano. that’s not automatic. you don’t just sit down and it’s instantaneous. to learn to play any instrument or develop any skill it takes practice and more practice and more practice, which takes persistence, which takes discipline, which requires commitment. the hallmark of emotional and spiritual maturity is you make and you keep wise commitments.

the uncommitted person there’s a word for them, it's immature. immaturity shows itself in the inability to make and keep commitments. some of you need to understand that no commitment that really matters is easy. they’re all hard if they’re important. so you can expect your commitment will be tested.

some of you are in the commitment test right now. your marriage vows are being tested. is it really going to be “‘til death do us part.”? i made a vow in front of people and before GOD, “‘til death do us part.” am i going to keep that or am i going to walk out?

now here is a sidelight for those of you who have had your partner walk out on you. don't emotionally beat yourself up right here. it was not your choice. ok. stay with me, ok?

some of you are having your personal integrity tested right now. i know the right thing to do but am i going to do the easy thing and the convenient thing, the popular thing, the thing that everybody else wants to do? it’s a test. it’s a test of your character.

just a thought from the front porch…