God at Our Fingertips

I am so thankful that I was born in a country that allows freedom of religion and worship.  Last week during the Global Leadership Summit sponsored by Willow Creek Association, I heard a story of an Ethiopian pastor who had been severly persecuted due to his work in spreading the Gospel.  The government became so annoyed with him that they attempted to execute him via electric chair two times.  Both times the surge of electricity shorted the electrical currents in the town and the pastor walked away unharmed.  After the second attempt his persecutors were so irritated that they released him.  A short while later he encountered an American missionary who had heard about what was going on.  The American said that he would pray for the Ethiopian pastor, and the pastor said he would pray for the American Christians.  The American missionary began to walk away but then asked why the Ethiopian pastor would pray for American Christians.

The Ethiopian responded, "You tell me that there is a church on practically every street corner in America but lots of people don't attend."  "Yes," the missionary responded.  "We meet during the darkness of night in the valley so that we can fully worship," the pastor returned.

The Ethiopian pastor continued, "You tell me that lots of people own 7 or 8 Bibles in their home.  We had one Bible but I torn it apart so that we would not be killed for owning a Bible.  I gave portions of it to our people to memorize and then destory.  Now when I am preaching, if God tells me to use scripture from Isaiah 58 I ask for that scripture and the person who knows it will stand and recite it.  You tell me that Americans don't pray everyday.  We pray all day because we know that only God can get us through one day and the next."  The American missionary simply responded, "Yes.  Please pray for us."

It is so amazing to me that we live in such a place that allows us to have God at our fingertips.  We have the opportunity to fully come to know Him through scripture, church, and open worship.  Yet so few of us truly know who He is.  We have churches on every street corner but none are full during worship services and many sit as vacate buildings. More people are dying that giving their lives to Christ every day.  Do we not know God more fully because we are so consumed with our own lives?  Are we concerned about our comfort that we forget to worship?  Do we clutch our lives and everything around us so much that we refuse to relinquish control to the One person who has the best plans for us?  Why don't more people give their lives over to Christ and walk in an eternal relationship with Him?  Christians, what are we doing wrong?

I strongly believe and do not doubt that the local Church is the hope of the world.  The Church is the only institution entrusted with the redeeming message of Jesus.  Church, it's time that we start getting this right.  With all of the freedom afforded to us, let's lead more people to Jesus and reveal to them the transformational power of His grace.

The Presence of God

Last week I was reading some old journals and I came across an entry that I was concerned about a friend's view on religion.  This friend was not convinced that there was a hell.  He proceeded to explain that hell will exist after the world ends but does not exist now.  Through all of the church background that I have and the religion classes that I have taken, I don't think I could explain to you what hell would be geographically.  I do believe that when a person dies, they will spend eternity in the presence of God or completely outside of the presence of God.  To me, spending eternity outside of the presence of God is enough to claim that a hell does exist. 
Each day provides us with an opportunity to live in the presence of God.  Even if we choose to continue our existence upon this earth denying God and turning our backs on Him, we still get to live in His presence.  There is a multitude of objects on this earth that is testimony to His existence...  from the beauty of plants to the everyday gifts that He knows will speak to the core of our hearts.  Additionally, God will spend every moment possible pursuing us with the hope that one day we will turn our lives and hearts to Him and begin living in the relationship that He designed us for.  However, if we continue to deny God that relationship and cease to exist in this life, He will deny us in the next.  Time is up...  the clock has stopped ticking... it has come to an end and the denial of allowing God into our lives will move us into an eternal existence without Him.  We will be outside of His presence forever.  There will be no more beauty, no more gifts, and no more pursuit.  Time is up...  it is done.

I don't know about you but the thought of living outside of the presence of God is enough to convince me that hell does exist and it exists right now.  It completely breaks my heart to know that people truly do spend eternity apart from God. I am so thankful that I will not have to experience what it would be like.  Everyday my life is filled with hope and grand expectations because I know that God is right there with me and we are walking hand in hand.  It is my heart's desire that everyone gets to experience God in close and intimate ways.

An Old Testament Perspective

A big goal that I have for this year is to read the Bible through.  I think I am doing fairly well.  :)  I have progressed nicely through the Old Testament and am almost to the end of Numbers.  The one thing that I have really noticed is that there were a lot of laws and rules about how to worship God and how to present offering and atone for our sins.  Quite honestly, I'm not sure I would have remembered all of the laws and the way to present offerings.  I'm sure my day would have went something like...

"Do I take 4 goats or 5 goats for this offering?  Shoot...  I only have a cup of flour instead of a quarter for this offering.  And did I just touch something that was considered unclean?  I don't remember if I'm suppose to leave camp for 3 days or 5 days until I'm considered clean again.  And do I take my offerings into the Tent of Meeting or leave them outside?  {sigh}"

I am so grateful that we no longer have to follow the laws that were presented to the early tribe of Israel.  I am certain that the laws and rituals would have gotten in the way of my relationship with God.  And, I am so grateful that Jesus came to fulfill the law.

Last night I found out that the father of a high school friend passed away.  There is no doubt that this man is now in heaven.  I was thinking about that this morning when it occurred to me that this man is now standing face to face with Jesus.  He is now in the presence of the One who fulfilled the law.  He is getting to walk and talk with the Man who became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that we no longer have to present multiple offerings and so that we don't have to pay the price for our sins.  He is with the Son who loves all of us so much that He agreed to go to the cross so that we could live in an intimate relationship with our Father.

To me this is amazing and beautiful.  I look forward to the day when I get to be face-to-face with Jesus...  the One who sacrificed His life so that I could live in a relationship with my Father and not be bound by rules, laws and rituals.

... one-hit wonder...

It has occurred to me that one-hit wonders are among the best songs ever done. Some of the most popular include "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Conner, "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus, and "Mickey" by Toni Basil. I'm sure you can list a lot more. There are some one-hit wonders that I have come across that I didn't even realize were one-hit wonders... the songs were just that good. A reason why one-hit wonders are so great is because the artists invested a lot of time and all of their creative energy into that one song. They poured everything they had into that one song making it to the charts.

God also recently showed me that I spent a lot of my life afraid that I would be a one-hit wonder. I remember even asking the question internally, "Will I be remembered if I am not selected as a senior superalative?" when I was a senior in high school. The main objective of earning excellent grades in school was to achieve awards... to advance... to be made known.  I worked hard.  I spent a lot of time earning good grades, completing applications, and becoming a leader in clubs and associations.  And... I was tired.  I was worn out.  But I was really afraid that no one would know me or remember me when my time passed.

Was it worth it?  Not really.  I was working so hard to impress people.  I was trying to live up to standards and expectations that were unrealistic and truly never met.  What I was missing out on all that time was doing the work that God had before me.  That is really all that matters.  I wish that all of my hard work had resulted in at least one life that was changed.  To know that I had an influence on one life would have made a difference, even if that person never remembers who I am.  I have changed over the years and I now pay more attention to the work that God has before me.  I believe that by doing so I have had influence in someone's life, even helping them cross over from death to life.  And, I know that in God's book, I am more than a one-hit wonder.

Hearing God's Voice

There were a few times in my life when I certainly heard God's voice...

When I was 18, during vespers at a church camp, I heard God's calling on my life. I am to serve Him and His Church. During my college years I could feel His presence as if He was giving me a hug or just a peaceful reassurance. On September 8, 2006 I became a whole-hearted follower of Jesus. Since then, God has spoken to me in ways that I never imagined possible. He has revealed Himself in scripture, in journaling, through nature, and audibly.

I heard God speak a number of times since 9/8/06. So many times and so clearly that I asked Kevin if I was going crazy. In November 2007 I heard Jesus ask, "So, you want to walk with me?" I know that this was not a statement that I formed on my own in my head. My thoughts before this statement were anything but this. The question was clear. Was I going crazy?

In his book The Barbarian Way, Erwin McManus statest that hearing the voice of God is not something that happens audibly, but it is an experience from within. The times that I heard God speak, it was such an impression on my heart that I heard His words in my head. It is a beautiful and amazing experience. An experience that you want to remember and preserve.

And, when God speaks, you really want to respond. Follow His voice. Obey His commands. Answer His question. Jeremiah 29:11 states that God has huge plans for us. Plans that were made long before we were born. God reveals His plans when He speaks to us. Trust me. You want to listen.

Sweet and Nice

Have you ever been in a situation when you knew God wanted you to say something or do something?  And if you said or did this thing that God told you, the circumstances that you were in would not go well at all?  Yeah, I've been there too and boy is it hard.

I've been known to have little arguments with God.  While talking with someone I have clearly heard God tell me to ask a certain question or make a specific statement.  The arguement would then go like this...

Alesha -- "But if I say that, it will not go well at all."
God -- "I know."
Alesha -- "But do you know how this person will react?"
God -- "Yes, I do.  But I want you to say it anyway."
Alesha -- "Well....  ok...."

Sometimes I will proceed as God directed.  In the end, the reaction was always so much better than I anticipated and I was able to either lead that person into a relationship with Jesus or onto a path of further freedom.  Other times, I would edit or sugar coat God's words, and that leads nowhere.

Have you ever heard the statement, "Sweet and nice never changed the world"?  Last summer God showed me that my leadership was too sweet.  I was choosing to edit or sugar-coat His words too often resulting in soft and poor leadership.  People I was leading were not growing and people around me were not seeing Jesus.  I was choosing to protect myself because I was afraid of the confrontation that would ensue if I said certain words. Quite frankly, I don't like to be yelled at.  But when it comes down to it, who am I to edit God's words???  If God provided me with specific directions, it is my only job to follow.  God is my great protector and I am not responsible with how the other person reacts.  The Bible is filled with stories of people who did what God directed and the outcomes were not as pleasant as one would expect.  However, the outcome was always honoring to God and revealed His holyness in new ways.

After asking God for His forgiveness of me choosing to edit His words and not follow through on His commands, I have resolved to speak and do just as He says.  My leadership will not be so sweet and nice any more.  I will change this world and I will do it under His direction.

Life Goal... Check!

Two weeks ago I was able to check off one of the life goals I set for myself earlier this year.  That life goal was to establish a financial blog.  Kevin and I launched our blog titled "Keys:  Unlocking Financial Freedom."  Why has it been on my heart to do this?  I truly believe that the vast majority of peope live in financial bondage, either living from paycheck to paycheck or hoarding all of their money.  Jesus knew that money would be largely used by the enemy to trap us and put us in bondage; thus the reason it is the number one topic, next to salvation, that He taught about throughout His ministry.  Unlocking financial freedom in a person's heart can open the door for further freedom and can possibly lead that person to more fully experiencing Jesus.

God placed us on this earth as stewards.  We are responsible for everything that He has given us.  There is not one thing that we own that is truly our's.  When we begin to fully understand that we are entrusted stewards of God's vast resources, that's when we will see the face of this earth change and more people experience the transforming power of Jesus.  We will all begin living as they did in the early days of the church.  One of my favorite verses is Acts 4:32 "All the believers were united in heart and mind.  And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had."

We hope you subscribe to our blog.  It can be found at http://www.unlockingfinancialfreedom.blogspot.com/.  God has called us to lead people into financial freedom.  We won't back down until more people get there.