What Motivates Us

James 1:9-12 NLT
(9) Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them.
(10) And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field.
(11) The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
(12) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Is it financial wealth and possessions that drives us to do what we do? What about power and influence over others, deep down does that make us feel good at the end of the day? I read that no matter how great our achievements if it is not done for the Lord then it will all die with us when we pass from this life and though we think those achievements can be used as tokens when we stand before our Creator we will find only bitter disappointment because we have spent our lives chasing the wrong things.

If we truly believe God know all and sees all and that He really loves us then why wouldn't we obey His commandments? If my motivation is money or possessions then I have separated myself from a relationship with God and know nothing of Him. I then have effectively pulled away from Him not the other way around. The rich man asks where is God in times of trouble while his fists are clinched to his achievements and money, somehow hoping they will save him. It is not easy trusting in the unseen but that is faith and faith is required of us if we are to please our Heavenly Father.

You see it is not by my strength that I endure all the tests life throws at me but my strength comes from having relationship with my Savior, regardless of what others think, say, or do. It is too often too easy for someone not understanding the trial your going through to offer a solution because they think too highly of themselves and fail to realize, like you, just how dependent they really are. Like the teenager who brags to all his friends how independent he is but has not yet ventured out on his own, some never leave home. And like that teenager there are many spiritual teens who like to brag how well they're doing but fail to realize it's because of the protection of the Father.

Like a good father God also moves us toward maturity through trials and tribulations, not that He sends the test but that He pulls back His wing of protection enough for us to understand just how much we need Him but make no mistake the temptation is just that because of the evil desires within our own hearts. God allows us to see who we are as we grow closer to Him and as we come face-to-face with our own depravity there are ample opportunities to fear but James tells us this...

James 1:2-5 NLT
(2) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
(3) For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
(4) So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
(5) If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

It is God's good pleasure to help us through, as we look to Him but should we depend on something apart from Him the result is clear.

James 1:6-8 NLT
(6) But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
(7) Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
(8) Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

The Shrinking Army

Judges 7:4-7 NLT
(4) But the LORD told Gideon, "There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not."
(5) When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, "Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream."
(6) Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.
(7) The LORD told Gideon, "With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home."

Have you ever felt your list of friends get shorter as God leads you into a deeper understanding of what He wants to do in your life? The response of many would be that of defense but it is true. It doesn’t mean those who are unable to follow aren’t friends, some you would even consider close, it just means God says that they can’t go where you are going. Like Gideon the first group that went home before the battle began was 22,000. This group was allowed to leave because they feared for their lives and after that 10,000 remained but God said there were still too many so He tested them. After the test only 300 hundred warriors remained, the other 9,700 were indeed warriors and were ready to fight but God did not choose them. In the same way there are casual friends (the group of 22,000) who are scared of the places God leads you and there are friends who would go into battle by your side but God says they cannot go where you are going (the 9,700) but God has reserved a remnant that will work with you side by side until the victory is revealed. Your job is to allow God to do the selecting, trusting that He knows what He is doing. It’s not an easy process as I am sure Gideon watched a lot of people leave that he didn’t want to let go of but he chose to trust God. The 10,000 weren’t the only ones tested for Gideon’s test was the most difficult but did you notice the relationship between Gideon and the Lord? That’s where each of us needs to be if we are to ever hear God lead us into battle.

A similar situation happened to me recently. I do not think any less of this friend from my youth but have high regards for him. In typical fashion I needed to know it was God that I was following and three times a test came and three times God said no. I do not understand what God has planned but I do trust Him completely and I pray that He shapes me and molds me into the person He has purposed for me to be. 

To Fight Fear

To fight fear three things are required: Know who God is, be obedient to His call, and trust Him. It is that simple but those three things are the most difficult things to you’ll ever do.

Genesis 22:9-14 NLT
(9) When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
(10) And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.
(11) At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," Abraham replied. "Here I am!"
(12) "Don't lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from Me even your son, your only son."
(13) Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
(14) Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the LORD will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

Here we see first of all Abraham had relationship with God and he communed with God and God with him. What does that look like for us? It begins in our hearts, our hearts hunger to know more about who God is and then the Holy Spirit of God leads us to pray. Asking that He reveal more of Himself to us and we take the time to open the Word of God and we pray for understanding. God is faithful and if we seek Him our understanding of who He is will grow. That is the first step of conquering fear.

Matthew 14:24-30 NLT
(24) Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.
(25) About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.
(26) When the disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "It's a ghost!"
(27) But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," He said. "Take courage. I am here! "
(28) Then Peter called to Him, "Lord, if it's really You, tell me to come to You, walking on the water."
(29) "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
(30) But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.

Like Peter we do many things wrong as followers of Christ Jesus but he was the only one willing to trust Jesus while the others were filled with fear. For all Peter has been criticized for he got this one right in that he was obedient to God’s call for him to step out of the boat. It was only after he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the circumstances surrounding him that he began to sink.

Jonah 2:1-10 NLT
(1) Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish.
(2) He said, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and He answered me. I called to You from the land of the dead, and LORD, You heard me!
(3) You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath Your wild and stormy waves.
(4) Then I said, 'O LORD, You have driven me from Your presence. Yet I will look once more toward Your holy Temple.'
(5) "I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
(6) I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But You, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!
(7) As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to You in Your holy Temple.
(8) Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies.
(9) But I will offer sacrifices to You with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone."
(10) Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Though Jonah tried to run from God he knew deep within there was no escaping God’s call on his life. He then told the sailors to toss him into the sea and the storm would cease and it did. However for Jonah he had to learn his lesson in the belly of the great fish but even then Jonah could hear the call of God on his life. In the midst of his desperation Jonah stopped trying to run from God and decided the best thing to do was to instead trust God. I believe the moment he had experienced a true heart change the fish spit him out on dry land.

As God’s people we are not perfect and even in the midst of our failures, if we know Him, we can hear His call on our lives. That can either bring great misery or great joy but that depends on our willingness to trust and obey Him. In all three of these accounts fear had to be overcome; it wasn’t overcome by running away but instead running to God and in turn God was glorified through that individual for all the world to see! You want to do something big for God, you want to tear down the walls fear has built in your life, then know God, be obedient to His call, and trust Him in all things.

Bread from Heaven

Exodus 16:4 NLT
(4) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow My instructions."

So God brought you out of Egypt, freeing you from your bondage but all you can think about was how good you had it then. Without knowing it your thoughts have blinded you from the miracles that surround you now and change, even though it is good, feels like the enemy. It seems unimaginable but the Israelites own thoughts were leading them down a path of destruction but at any moment all they had to do was look up to see what God had provided for them and accept the challenge to be different. Strangely enough there was a comfort in being a victim because your outcome wasn’t your fault but to follow an invisible God into the wilderness who then could you point your finger at if things didn’t turn out good? 

Just the thought of failure immobilizes your legs and feet until they feel like cinder blocks and your thoughts begin to overwhelm you with ideas of returning to the way things once were. Fortunately, unknown by you God has a plan much like the Promised Land waited for the Israelites but to reach it you have to take your eyes off of yourself and look to Jesus and even though you may want what God wants your flesh will fight you every step of the way, even to the point of being self-destructive. Yes your own flesh will sabotage the efforts of the spirit within you all because of the fear of the unknown. The only defense against such behavior is to see and understand your own desperation for God to lead and guide you every step of the way, even when it feels like you’re headed the wrong direction.

Exodus 16:35 NLT
(35) So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

I don’t want to waste time in the wilderness because I was afraid to trust God fully but even if I do God is faithful to provide until such time when I step foot in the Promised Land.

Not my strength but Yours

I know the popular saying, “if God brought me to this place then He will take me through it.” But it can be misleading. This paints a picture in my mind that I will come out of the storm stronger than before but that is not always the case. Lately, I’ve come to realize that God brings me to the storm so that on the other side I come out broken thus more dependent upon whom He is, not who I am or even hope to be. In every situation where Jesus heals someone we see what is expected – the physical healing but we also see something that isn’t expected – a spiritual connection that speaks to the individual more deeply than anticipated.

Mark 5:18-19 NLT
(18) As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with Him.
(19) But Jesus said, "No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful He has been."

The demon possessed man whom Jesus delivered begged Jesus to go with Him but Jesus said no. What was going through his mind at the time Jesus denied him? I would have been crushed but the Holy Spirit of God gave him power to obey.

Mark 5:33-34 NLT
(33) Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of Him and told Him what she had done.
(34) And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over."

The woman with the issue of blood was healed by simply touching Jesus’ garment but when Jesus asked who touched Him the woman was frightened knowing Jesus could easily condemn her but trusting that He was good she confessed and God was glorified.

Mark 5:35-36 NLT
(35) While He was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now."
(36) But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith."

The man who’s daughter was dying had to wait on Jesus as He tended to others and when the message came it seemed Jesus was too late but Jesus told him to have faith. What that father went through on the remainder of the journey home is difficult to imagine but once again God’s Holy Spirit enabled him to remain with Jesus and trust Him.

In all these instances there was faith, brokenness, trust, and strength but the strength was not from the individual but from Jesus’ voice and the Holy Spirit. Once we become broken we never forget it but we also never forget God’s ability to bind us together again and what we become on the other side is something previously unobtainable because it didn’t come from us and what binds us now is stronger than if we had never been broken.

Tentmakers

Acts 18:1-3 NLT
(1) Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
(2) There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome.
(3) Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.

We, being children of God are called to be tentmakers as Paul was for several reasons. First because we are to work for a living, being idle brings about selfishness, laziness, and a judgmental attitude but there is more to it than that.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 NLT
(10) Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to work will not get to eat."
(11) Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business.
(12) We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.

Many pre-Christians today know of someone who refers to themselves as being a “Christian” and the one that acts the least like Christ is usually the one set as the standard by which all other followers of Christ are judged. People do not go to church because they are afraid of being judged or they see the church building as a place that harbors hypocrites. Whatever the reason it’s no wonder the world builds up a defense whenever someone mentions the Bible. The true followers of Christ know this is a snare from the enemy of God so people will turn from the truth and we know that the truth will break their chains of bondage which they so desperately want to be rid of but the question is what do we do about it? Paul used tent making not only to support himself but also to spread the Good News of the Gospel. Though many rejected Jesus as the Christ whom they had not seen they could not reject or deny the change that had taken place in Paul’s life, who was Saul. It was the power of his testimony bearing witness to the change in his life that attracted others to Christ Jesus, even though initially they would have rejected Jesus because of what others had said about him.

All who follow Christ Jesus faithfully are tentmakers in one way or another and we know that we are not to beat pre-Christians over the head with the Bible hoping to see them submit but instead it is by working with them as we make a living, allowing them to watch us live out what it means to be a follower of Christ Jesus, and to offer our testimony as God’s Holy Spirit leads us. As tentmakers we come alongside them and show them the way rather than simply telling them the way. This is the meaning of true leadership, just as those who have gone before us and taught us right from wrong so are we to show the way to others who have not yet believed.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 NLT
(13) As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

If I am to be Your ambassador

Lord if I am to be Your ambassador please remove this complacency within me. Cause me to be filled with anticipation for the moving of Your Holy Spirit; cause me to come alive and awake my soul. Help me to be aware of Your moving through preparation and study of Your Word, let not my heart grow faint or weary but wholly trust in You. Burn within me Your desires so that I might please You in all I do and say and forgive me when I fall short. I believe You have prepared this path I am on just for me and as I walk it blessings abound but there is more to it than simply being blessed, for You have created purpose in each step I take. I do not know Your plans, only that You said to go. As you prepared Your disciples for the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two so do You now prepare Your people if they will seek Your face. We know that all these things must happen for Your purpose through us to be complete so that we may prepare for the return of Your Son Jesus the Christ.

Acts 2:17-21 NLT
(17) 'In the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
(18) In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on My servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.
(19) And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
(20) The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives.
(21) But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.'

Help me not to be easily beset by the desires of my flesh but strengthen my spirit so my feet may step on solid ground. Help me to live for You with consistency so my faith may grow and ultimately become who You’ve purposed for me to be. As always Lord thank You for Your mercy and grace, for I am nothing without Your love.