Don't Pretend, Practice Love -Graham Cooke

Don’t Pretend. Practice Love.

By Graham Cooke

Jesus said,

“You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27)1.

Love is the way of the Kingdom and we are to exude His love to those around us.

But we must stop pretending and start practicing this craft.

Break Every Chain

I know that life can throw me for a loop from time to time and I struggle with knowing what to do, but I have the answer right in front of me. Jesus is the answer to every situations, He is it. I have to say "Jesus, I need your help," I need You to give me direction, it isn't about what I want, but what You want Lord. I try to steer God, but that isn't surrendering my will, it is trying to put God in a box. I need to allow God to be God and the answer is God, not self. I need to allow Him to break the chains that hold me back. He will set me free, but guess what I have to want to be free and I have to want to allow Him to lead. I can not be king of my life, I have to allow Him to rule and not just be someone that gives me answers, I have to allow Him to be the Master of my life. I am not the master. A master will shake me up and that is what He is doing when He puts us into the fire to make me better, He wants to clean us of all the imperfections, because He wants to make us more like Him. 

Refiners fire, it doesn't mean life will be easy, in fact when I allow God to have His will in me, He wants to clean me of all those things that are holding me back from being the man I need to be. I need to be totally surrendered to His will, not mine. Human wills are strong and God will use area's to break us of those things, but again we have to be willing for Him to change us, otherwise it will come through great pain, hurt and more for Him to show us the truth. If I am going through a tough time, I must look at myself and say Lord what are you teaching me through this? I have to look am I trying to be in control with my feelings, with my thoughts or am I saying Lord change me. When I try to control, is when it all breaks down, because I am not allowing God to lead. He wants total control, not just 95%, but total. Me as a human, I want to tell Him what to change in others, instead of saying Lord change me. I wonder how many other people try to tell God if they changed this in so and so, I would be much happier, but He says no Geoff, I am changing you. The more you fight, the harder it is, just let Me change you. 

Total surrender means, not my will Lord, but Your will be done in me, in my life. I want to change, I want to allow You complete access to my life, no longer about self, but about you. When He is the center, the King the Master of me, it changes things. Instead of crying over the discipline I receive, I am thankful for it, I learn from it and I grow. I want to grow. I have to look at what God wants to change in me, not in others. Are we so focused on others, we miss that God wants to change us individually? Don't miss what God is trying to say, because you want to be king of your life, He wants to be the center. 

When God isn't the center of everything, it will feel as if everything is in chaos. Is your life in chaos, maybe it is time to surrender, bring every thought captive to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If doubt comes into your mind, give it to God. If fear comes in, see what you are fearful of, but give it to God. If anxiety comes in, I have to be willing to surrender it to God, because He wants me to rest in Him. Not about me Lord, but about you. What is He trying to teach you?

"Break Every Chain"

There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus

To break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus

To break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

To break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

All sufficient sacrifice
So freely given
Such a price
Bought our redemption
Heaven's gates swing wide

There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

There's an army rising up
There's an army rising up
There's an army rising up

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

There's an army rising up
There's an army rising up
There's an army rising up

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

To Break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

When Walls Don’t Seem to Move (by Allison Bown)

This was a perspective that I hadn't thought about even in my life, when the walls don't seem to move, what do I do? I generally talk, but maybe God is calling me to silence and waiting, just as the Israelite's did for 6 days and on the 7th, even when the walls seemed to big to break down, they shouted as they were told to do and the faith alone, the walls came crumbling down. God said that faith as big as a mustard seed can move a mountain, just think these people had 6 days to wonder, but the 7th day God tore down the walls. Do you have walls that need to come down? Is it time for God to work?

God is so faithful, are we faithful to Him in the same way? He will have the glory for the walls that fall. Time for a change in our lives, our marriages, families, homes, churches and our land. It is time to pray for the mercy and grace of God. Time to walk around the great walls that need to come tumbling down, God is faithful, time to march.

^^^by Me^^^

_______________________________________
 

By Allison Bown

Our guest writer today, Allison Bown, is the Director of The Warrior Class—a group of amazing people who pray for me personally and for all the events that we put on as Brilliant Perspectives.

She is a great thinker, dear friend and very cool spiritual companion. I know you will love her perspectives as much as we do.

Everyone has encountered times where challenges remain challenging; where expectations don’t unfold as expected and the prayers we pray don’t seem to have an impact. What is going on during those times and how can they possibly be good?

A few years ago, I was in such a season and found myself in the book of Joshua… again.

Josh is an old friend and Jericho is one of my favorite stories. Most of us know it.  Israel has finally crossed over into the Promised Land and God has given the new commander a rather ridiculous battle plan: march around this massive walled city once a day for six days while the priest and the ark of the covenant lead the way.  On day seven, do it seven times.  The horns will blow. The men will shout and the walls will fall.

And did I forget to mention? No talking.  Not until it’s time to shout.

Seriously? This is a “plan”? It would be interesting to have seen the thought bubbles over the men’s heads when Joshua made the announcement.

As I contemplated this familiar story, I found myself asking a new question: Why was it so important that they didn’t talk?

But in classic Holy Spirit style, He didn’t answer that question directly.  Instead, He pointed out what seemed to be an irrelevant detail: that Jericho’s walls didn’t crumble little by little each day.  There were no signs of progress after each lap. On Day Seven, nothing (it seemed) had changed.  Not a single stone or gate had shifted… not even a little.

Hmmm…. Wait a minute. What if all those initial trips around Jericho weren’t about the walls at all?

(These are the odd questions I ask of God at 2:00 a.m.)

What if the walls that were crumbling were actually inside of the warriors— not outside?

Think about it— very few of these men remembered God’s majesty in annihilating Egypt.  Sure, God had parted the Jordan river for them a few days before and they had seen bits and pieces of His power in the wilderness – but this was a new landscape.

What if the time had come for each warrior to decide for himself:  Who is God for me in this place?”

I think it’s possible that with every lap around Jericho, with every opportunity to stare at those massive walls that weren’t changing, each man had to ask that question.  He couldn’t take an opinion poll from his friends or rely on the history of his parents.  In silence, staring at the impossible, he had to determine from his own relationship with “I AM”:

Who is God to me in this Promised Land?

– Allison

PS) If interested, I explore more of these kind of perspectives in “Unpacking Your True Identity.” 

Song of the Day

"Lord Over All"

In the valley of the unknown
I will lift my voice
In the shifting, in the shadow
I know You are with me

Lord over all
You will be my rescue
You will never fail
Lord, through it all
I will choose to trust You
You will never fail

In the searching and the waiting
You quiet my soul
In the stillness of Your presence
I know You are with me

Out of this darkness
Into Your promise
You will deliver me
Eternal Savior
You stand forever
You are my victory

I woke up singing this song, when I keep God at the center of my life, the center of everything, He will work even when I am not sure what He is doing, He is working. Allow Jesus to be the center. He is the only way to complete victory. When I am struggling it is so easy to look at the storm and take my eyes off of God, but He says look to Me, because He will be my safety and refuge. He will never fail us and He is always with us, are we so faithful to Him? That is true love, human love comes and goes like the tide, but when we base our human love on Jesus that love only grows. Don't take my word for it, read it, learn about it and see what God will show you.

Reminder, keep God at the center, Lord over all, He will not fail us. When we follow His ways, it is amazing how things work and without chaos.

Have a wonderful day.

Living for Jesus

Deuteronomy 6:5 "These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates." and then in verse 13 "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said."

This is such an important verse and I think so easy to miss. God calls us to live like we mean it, to love Him the most, no matter what. Bind it on our forehead, put a symbol on our hands. Then Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40  "34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”"

Jesus quoted scripture from the Old Testament to define what is true no matter what. What does it mean to love God with all our hearts, with all our soul and with all our mind? I think we have to look at how God defines love, love is not about self, it is about Him. When we put Him first in all we do, I stop thinking about what is best for me and we surrender to what God wants. When I do this, my choices are about Him, not about me. It is what will please God, that is the most important thing. He knows my hearts when we ask Him in and He knows our future actions as well. When I love God the most, I will do everything in my power to serve and honor Him. It will not be about how I feel, but about what grieves Him. That is what matters, I am to easy to say, well, I don't feel like it, but that is about me, not about God. Or a person treated me wrong, that is about me and so I have to right to treat the person badly, but that again is about how I took it. The choices I make has to be about God, not about myself interest. 

The world says if it feels good do it, well my human flesh thinks many things feel good, but they go against God. God says if you love Me, you will obey My commands. How many times have I fallen at this very thing, I put how I have been wronged before I think about how it grieves God to react the way I reacted. With God, it must be complete and total surrendering to Him. That is putting the human reactions, desires to death and about coming alive in Jesus Christ who is there to set us free from self. Myself says I am right no matter what, but God says that I must be willing to die to my rights and live for Him. What rights do I have when I surrender my life to Jesus Christ? It is Him who lives in me and my reactions represent Him. 

I have to remind myself this. When I was young I knew my Mom's God, I didn't understand who He really was. I walked away from God, I turned my back on God on everything it meant to be a Christian. I made very bad choices, that was all about me. In the years that followed I suffered great pain and loss, because I did not allow God to rule my life. A few years back, I turned my life over to Him, but I still struggle, because I am a human, I make bad choices and do not think of God first, but I confess my sins of thinking of self before Him. I believe when I asked Jesus to live in me, that changed me from that point on. The bad was forgiven and the God my Mom knows now, is the God I believe in. He has changed my life, He has given me hope for a new day and today I live in freedom from so much and it is because He is Lord of my life. I am not, but He is. It is what honors God has to honor most to me, not about self, not about others, but about God. When He is first, then things start making more sense. My sin is my reaction, but His grace continues to show me that my reactions can be changed when I love Him the most, because no longer is it about how I feel, but about how He feels. It is that the people that are doing wrong to me are actually doing wrong to Him. Now I don't need to point that out, but God will in His timing, not my timing. 

Being a Christian, isn't about following the crowd, it isn't about doing what feels good and what is easy, it is about laying down my rights, my will and replacing it with God. When I put Him first, that changes everything, will I want to honor my wife or myself? Putting God first, says honor your wife, love her as I love Him. This changes the very sense of the word, because no longer is being a Christ follower about me, but about dying to me and living for Christ. It is about loving Him more then the wrongs someone does against me. God will judge them, He will deal with them, I don't have too.