Not enough

Have you ever caught yourself saying or thinking ...
- Why is money always so tight?!?!
- Poor me, we never have extra money!
- If I had more money, then I would give...
- I will be able to give one day when I have margin...
- There is no way I can give right now...

Or how about ...
- THEY have plenty of money ... THEY should be giving ...
- I'm not rich. Whew! Good thing the "camel passing through a needle" verse (Matthew 6:24) doesn't pertain to me!

If this is you ... and I admit this WAS me.. you need a change in perspective. Want to hear something disturbing... or better yet, something that will rock your world? In a sermon a few years ago, my pastor said something so impactful that forever changed my "poor me" view.

"If your combined family income is more than $40,000 a year, you are considered to be in the top 1% (YES, ONE PERCENT) of the world's wealth!!!" This means the vast majority of Americans are considered wealthy. I am rich! These verses do pertain to me!!! Yikes!

Are you familiar with the story behind the verse mentioned above (Matthew 19:16-26 The Rich Young Ruler)? In this story, the ruler asks Jesus what "good" thing he could do to have eternal life. He believed he had kept all the commandments which is how Jesus responded to his question. Jesus then told him to go and sell all of his possessions if he wanted to be "perfect". The man "went away sad."

I believe Jesus was inferring two things. First, he used the phrases "if you want to be perfect" and "there is only One who is good" to illustrate that we cannot earn eternal life. This, however, does not let us off the hook which bring me to my second point. The problem wasn't that the man had a lot of money ... God blesses many with prosperity (King Solomon, Abraham, etc.). The problem was that He loved it more than Jesus. That is why Jesus asked him to give it up. The man was, in fact, breaking a commandment - Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me. His love for money was greater than his love for God. It was his idol. This story poses a question for us all (no matter what your income is) - Is money an idol in my life?

BOTTOM LINE - WE ARE BLESSED WITH MORE MONEY THAN WE NEED
We need to stop having such a narrow perspective and change it to a kingdom perspective.

I CHOOSE to change my focus from "poor, poor me" to "richly blessed me." The Lord provides and gives us everything we need (Psalm 16:5). He's almighty God and knows what's best. Everything He instructs us to do is for a reason ... for our own good! When we are NOT good stewards, it opens the door for stress ,worry, greed, jealousy, etc. Many times, destruction follows. Why are we to be good stewards? To release control. God knows what Satan can do with money in your life if he can get a foothold.

THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE EXTRA?

Would you be able to give IF you had more money? The truth is, if you're not giving now (monetarily, materially and in service), you won't give later ... It will already be allocated elsewhere.

In the end, I will have to answer to God as to how I chose to handle what he has blessed me with ... not how better I did than my neighbor.  

Are you the One percent? What are you doing with your riches? What does the Bible say we should do?

Been there?

Overwhelmed? Overcommitted? Got too much on your plate all of a sudden? Struggle with saying no and trying to please everyone? I totally did it to myself and I'm trying to do it in my own strength....again.

My accountability partner gave me some wise advice today... wait for it ... "You put too much pressure on yourself. Just chill and give yourself some grace." Profound, isnt it? My first thought was ... I can't... I have to get this... and this done... And, then the stress and anxiety start to take over.

Once again (thank you God for your grace), I have to stop, recognize my feelings and then CHOOSE to live by what I know. I KNOW those feelings and situations are not from God. He is not a God of disorder, but of peace (1 Cor 14:33). It is deception and it's trying to pull me down. It's something I created without God and I need to stop, be still and give it back to Him. Otherwise, I will fail because I am in my own strength.

So God, here goes ...

"I give you my dirty ... oh, so dirty house... even though people are coming over tonight!"

"I give you my children who are driving me bonkers at the moment.. mainly because my stress has distracted me from them and they are acting out."

"I give you this blog and the deadline I place on myself ... It is your blog anyway. Use if for your glory and not mine."

"I give you my time.. .May I focus more on being in your presence than filling up my calendar and striving to live up to it's demands."

Bottom Line: I give you my feelings of inadequacy and CHOOSE to find my Identity IN Christ and not myself.

I am ALIVE with Christ (Ephesians 2:5) and FREE from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2)

I have the MIND OF CHRIST and hold the THOUGHTS of his heart (1 Cor 2:16)

I have the PEACE OF GOD that passes all understanding (Phil 4:7)

I am more then a CONQUEROR thorugh Him who loves me (Romans 8:37)

I am the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:21)

I am the TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Cor 6:19)

It is not I who live, but CHRIST WHO LIVES IN ME (Gal 2:20)

It's now the end of the day... and as I look back ... all my worries from 10 hours ago are gone ... completely. My house is pretty clean, my kids are good, my blog is complete and I simplified my day. Most importantly... I have been at peace all day since I gave it all back to Him and stopped trying to do in my own strength. Wow, may I always remember this moment!

What Happened?

So, the thing I've been preaching is transparency... tell your story. However, the Lord reminded me, its not just about what I am overcoming, but also struggles I'm in the midst of. Well, here goes... I'm in a dry spell with my time with the Lord. I want to be in His presence. I want to hear Him. I want to be spiritually hungry. I want to be and have the desire to spend my time with Him. I want that to be the first thing on my mind when I wake. I want to have that consistent and constant communion with Him throughout the day. And I want to know exactly what that looks like... Right now... none of this is happening... I can't really feel Him. My quiet times have lost their quality and are fading fast...So...who moved!?!? ... I did!


What happened? Right now, there is a disconnect in our relationship... Why? The only reason can be because I moved. Sometimes it's in obvious ways... this time is was subtle. How did this happen? This week, I think I heard my answer...When you are focused on "your feelings", you cannot as easily feel Him... because there's not much room for Him. Why? Because He gives differently than the world gives... so it feels different. If you're so enthralled with the world and how it gives... you might be clouding out the Giver of Life (1 Timothy 6:13). For the past 7 weeks, I haven't been feeling my best... physically.. morning sickness for me has been an all day thing. Thankfully, it has not been as bad as stories I've heard... but overall I have felt very blah. I have been focused on this and letting it dictate my days.. how I feel. Even though these are physical ailments, they still produce feelings. So, if you allow it... it's not much different than allowing your emotions to get the best of you when circumstances are dim. When I look back over my highs and lows (closeness) with the Lord, I can't help but wonder if the distance was always a result of my feelings (physical or emotional) at the time. These feelings are only obstacles. All I need is the right perspective.

Our relationship with the Lord is exactly that... a relationship. Take new love for instance, when you meet that special someone ... there is a spark... that "feeling"... it's all you think about, the only place you want to be ... and you will do whatever it takes. However, over time, the feeling fizzles... and without properly cultivating a relationship... it will die. In any long term relationship, true intimacy does not come without work and sacrifice. In order for it to grow, you have to cultivate(nurture) it.. study them...give of yourself... listen, and most importantly, DO IT WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT.

Take marriage. God created a husband / wife relationship to be a tangible example to the world of Christ with his bride (the church). When you marry, you enter into a life long commitment that must be based on more than just a feeling. Because, as mentioned before, feelings are fickle. You will not always feel like loving or even talking to your spouse. (Sorry to burst the bubble for newlyweds ... but it's true). You must CHOOSE to live beyond your feelings, die to self and continue doing what you know you are supposed to in the relationship. That is cultivating... and exactly what I must do in this situation. CHOOSE to cultivate whether I feel "it" or not... regardless of my physical or emotional feelings.

What should you do when you feel a disconnect or distance in your relationship with God?

What are you Carrying?

Picture this. My youngest, Connor, absolutely loves his cars... I mean to the point of obsession. Ever since I can remember, he has to have at least one hot wheels car in his hand at all times. Many times it's a car between each finger. Sometimes it's even with both hands. They are the first thing he asks for when he wakes in the morning. And what he wants when he is upset. Thankfully, I did put my foot down very early on and he doesn't sleep with or sit at the table to eat with them. However, he has to keep them close by where he can see them.

They are his comfort... his treasure. Something he refuses to let go of...They can also be something that holds him back. He doesn't want to let go of them for anything: to clean up, get dressed, go to the potty, take a drink from his cup (wish I had a picture to show of this one), ride his big wheel, play sports, swim, climb things, etc. As you can imagine, this slows him down and might even cause him harm. I want to take them from his hands for his own good, but all he can focus on is his cars... He puts up a huge fight. If I ask him to put them down instead of just taking them, he will eventually put them down but only in a spot he determines (so he still has control) and only for a short time. And, this is ONLY if and when I ask him to. If I don't ask, he continues to try and do whatever task he's working on with them in his hands.

Do you see where I am going with this? This is a beautiful example that we can all learn from. We aren't much different. Our "cars" can be good things or bad things. They can be "sin(s) or weight(s)**". We all have at least one sin or weight that holds us back. It can vary from the intangible like  thoughts, struggles, grudges, burdens, responsibilities, wrong perspectives or mindsets; to the tangible like addictions, proximity to certain people, co-dependency on spouse, children, money, jobs, things, etc. It's what we find our identity in or security in ... anything that we cannot let go of, so instead, we carry around with us whether we mean to or not. It's what consumes us. They slow us down, hold us back, harm us and keep us from so many things ... including God. He knows what it is doing to us, be we cannot see it because we are so focused on it. He knows that if we would just let them go or give them to Him, we could do and be so much more.

What are your "cars"? What do you carry around that holds you back? Consumes you? Can bring you harm?

Hebrews 12:1-2 ...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (emphasis mine)

What has God been telling you to put down so you can run your race with perseverance and fix your eyes on Him? Are you putting them down sometimes but only when you can still see and control them?

If you don't know what it is, ask God to reveal them to you. He knows us much better than we know ourselves.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Begin to be aware of these things and how they can affect you and your walk. Whether it's sin or just a weight, practice handing it over to God by declaring it through prayer. Speak it everytime it tries to take hold. If it's a tangible thing, ask for the strength and wisdom to distance yourself from it.

** Christine Caine, founder of A21 Campaign - the fight to abolish human trafficking, spoke at our church recently on this subject as well as her organization. Click here to listen.