Do You See It?

I read Jeff's post yesterday on "Whata-GreatDay" and he shared Genesis 16.13 that talks about the GOD-WHO-SEES-US! Awesome post Christian!

My question to you is do you see God? When it comes to finding your purpose in life, you HAVE GOT TO SEE GOD if you want to live out the purpose He has designed for you.

Will you survive and work and play etc without God? Maybe, but it will not be the optimal, risk-taking, full of experiences, world changing, dangerously faithful, recklessly abandoned life that God designed you for.

It's like eating and exercise. You can live off of fast food and be sedentary your whole life. But think about if you ate and exercised the way God intended, your health and life would take on a whole new meaning! You must be disciplined, you must be purposeful, you must be intentional...sound like work! Yep! *Newsflash for you, God designed us this way!

Don't take my word for it, look at Proverbs 6:6

[ A Lesson from the Ant ] You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!

You Can't Miss It!
So you may be wondering, how will I know God's Plans? Well if you are seeking Him, (Jer 29.12-14) God will make His Plan known to you so clearly that You Can't Miss It!

Also about seeking God, check out Christian's post, Man...I don't know what I would do without...

The Better Question?
The better question than "How will I know God's Plan?" would be to ask your self "Do I trust God?" Is God bigger than your challenges, your fear, your insecurity? One of the biggest questions you will ever ask your self is "How BIG is my God?" A quick assessment of that question is easily answered by how you are living your life...take inventory of your life right now...How BIG is He in your life? Are you taking risks, are you chasing your lions, are you stepping out of you boat and walking on water towards Jesus?

Join in the conversation for part II of this series to find out if we can argue with God once He has revealed His plans to us and for an Amazing list of the people He has used and their response to His calling in their lives!

Lion Chaser Inspiration

"Lion Chasers are risk takers. They have learned that playing it safe is risky." (Pg 104)

"The genealogy of blessing always traces back to God-ordained risks." (Pg 104)

"[God], What do you want to do with my life?" (Pg 105)

"Good is often the enemy of great." (Pg 106)

Lion Chasers: "The fear of missing out is greater than the fear of messing up." (Pg 108)

"Righteousness is using our God-given gifts to their God-given potential." (Pg 109)

* The above quotes are excerpts from Mark Batterson's Book:

"In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day."

"What's Next" Part III

Here are some bullet points from what we learned in part I of this series:

• God tells Moses that He is sending Moses to free his people out of Egypt (Exodus 3.9-10)
• Moses keeps saying essentially, "What If...," "But why me?" (Exodus 3.11, 13; 4.1, 10)

Contrasts
So here are some contrasts and some things I want you to meditate on in order to recalibrate your mindset to become a "Moses" in the lives of those around you, in essence, to answer The Calling of God in your life!"

• Moses says "But why me?" God says "I-AM-WHO-I-AM." (Ex 3.14)
• Moses says, and I paraphrase, "What makes you think I can go and deliver your people?" God says, "I'll be with you." (see vs 3.12,18, 4.11-12,14-17

Now Be On Your Way
God sends you, says He is going to be with you. Once you know this, you must "Be on your way." It race time, time to enter into "Race Mode!" So when you ask God, "What's Next?" instead of "What If?" He will show you and then say "Now be on your way!"

Reassurance
Every time Moses objects to God and says, "What If," God continues to reassure Moses.
(see vs 3.12,18, 4.11-12,14-17)

Is God Angry?
After all the times God tells Moses that He is with him and will be right next to him teaching him what to say, Moses still pleads with God. Look at verse 4.13...

He said, "Oh, Master, please! Send somebody else!"

God's response: God got angry with Moses. Friends, God wants YOU! Don't belittle God thinking that He has made the wrong choice in choosing you. Don't allow God to be angry with you...

God Chooses YOU!
Here is the point I want to make sure we all do not miss: GOD CHOOSES YOU!!!

Exodus 3.9-10 has The Words of God Almighty saying to Moses, "I'm sending YOU to Pharaoh to bring my people, the people of Israel, out of Egypt?"

Has God spoken that to you? Has He said, "I am sending you, (your name here)!!!

Have confidence in this and go "Chase Your Lions" because when God chooses us, He always follows it with, "I will be with you"...

God always provides
God chooses Aaron. Aaron was the brother of Moses whom God tells us speaks very well. (4.14-17). Even with Aaron being a good speaker, God still tells them that He will be right there with them as they speak, teaching them step by step.

So who is God sending or using in your life to accomplish His mission? I can almost say with 100% certainty that if God is calling you to do something, then you already know the answer to this question. It could be a family member, a teacher, a mentor, a colleague. It could even be someone you have never met, but one email to this person can start the "snowball" effect that will get the process rolling! If you don't know the answer quite yet, have patience my friend, because God will show you in due time, so Pray with Expectation!!! (Ps 5.3 NIV)

God Doing His Work Through You. Be Prepared!
God said to Moses, "When you get back to Egypt, be prepared: All the wonders that I will do through you, you'll do before Pharaoh. (Exodus 4.21-23 MSG).

Allow God to work through you. Always be Prepared for How He wants to use you (Ps 105.1-6 MSG)

Domino Effect
IN his book, "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day," Mark Batterson talks about taking risks and how every decision we make and every risk we are willing to take creates a "domino effect." By answering God's call in your life and asking Him, "What's Next?" instead of "What If?" you will push over that first domino that will impact the lives of generations to come! As Mark says, "You could not only change the course of history, but you could change the course of Eternity!"

What's Next?

Extreme Generosity!

Dinno Rizzo, http://www.dinorizzo.com/, talked a few weeks back on "One Prayer" about Extreme Generosity. His "One Prayer" for the church is, "Lord, make us Extremely Generous!"

I love how he talked about the power of two words coming together. Instead of saying, "Lord, make us Generous," he added the word "Extremely" to describe how generous we should be...

A few other illustrations he talked about when two words come together are....

Hot Donuts, Half-Price, Bold Love, High Grace, Fast Cars...

God Shaped Life
I want to share with you three verses from Proverbs 11 (A God Shaped Life) that talk about the importance of being Extremely Generous...

23 The desires of good people lead straight to the best,
but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration.

24 The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

25 The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.

Desire the good, be generous, bless others. When tempted to criticize; praise or compliment. When tempted to gossip; Worship. When tempted to turn your back; extend your hand instead. Be Extremely Generous and watch the world grow around you!

Seize Your Divine Moments*

In Erwin McManus' book, "Chasing Daylight," he talks about what he calls the "Jonathan Factor."

Israel was at war with the Philistines (1 Samuel 13/14) and we find a contrast between two characters, Saul and Jonathan. The battle looks hopeless, so Saul rests beneath a tree and ends up living a life of apathy and missed opportunity... Jonathan, on the other hand, seizes his divine moment, and impacts the future of Israel!

Jonathan goes on to living a life of purpose and adventure.

Saul or Jonathan...which one are you?

Don't sit under the tree...Go seize your divine moments today and live with purpose and adventure!

*Blog title credited to Erwin McManus, "Chasing Daylight: Seizing Your Divine Moments."

"And Then Some"

From "One Prayer" series created by LifeChurch.tv...

This weeks Prayer, given by Jentezen Franklin, Senior Pastor of Free Chapel: "Lord Make Us Passionate"

The 'hook' of the message is to be an "And then some" person; to go above and beyond the call of duty. Like the popular phrase, "You are all that and a bag of chips!"

Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom" (Emphasis added).

Thoughts
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be different. To shine on a hill and to be generous by opening up our lives to others so others can open their lives up to God. (Matthew 5:13-15)

Do people see you differently? Do you stand out from the norm? Are you shining on the hill God has put you on in order to make His name famous? If God can trust you with a few things, He will grant you with abundance! (Luke 16:10) ...Mark Batterson, www.evotional.com says it like this...

"If you are faithful in one place God will often bless you in another place. Or simply put: faithful here = blessing there!

Allow Christ to shape your character because as a Christ Follower, we don't just follow the job description or do what is expected...we are "And then some" followers of Christ, We have a High Calling in Christ...

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:14 (King James Version) , emphasis added.

What are the small things you can do in your high calling? How can you be an "And then some" person in the place God has you? Can people see your good deeds and Praise Your Father In Heaven? (Matthew 5:16)

Jesus, The "And Then Some" Savior
Hey, Hey, listen to this....Jesus is an "And Then Some" Savior. You talk about going the extra mile for you and for me! Wow! Our Brother and Friend was falsely accused, ridiculed, beaten to the point of being unrecognizable, then He carried a tree on His back as He walked up the hill to Golgotha...Any one who has every done squats immediately after lunges can appreciate this, and Jesus had already been brutally tortured...He was then Nailed, Crucified to a Cross...I think that qualifies, but if that is not enough, He went much farther...Jesus was Raised from The Dead and now lives at The Right Hand of God The Father Almighty interceding for you and for me! Whoo! Harooh Spartan Style! That is going the extra mile! Praise God! Amen!

"And Then Some" + Your "Highlight Reel"
In the previous blog, Highlight Reel & Master Card Moments, I talked about adding "MasterCard Moments" to your "High Light Reel." Being an "And then some" Follower of Jesus Christ today is a great way to spark some highlights! Go be an "And Then Some" Champion the way Jesus is an "And Then Some" Champion for you! Harooh!

Highlight Reel & Master Card Moments

Football season is right around the corner, and man, do I love watching ESPN's College Football Game Day! I love it so much because they show Highlights of all the amazing plays and intense action! But the reality is, that during any one game, their is also strategy, responsibility of each individual coming together as a team, and a process that comes together to create the BIG plays....

It's the same way with life. We live life in a process of learning and creating. We all get caught up in the responsibilities of life, and that is ok, in fact, it is great. Responsibilities can shape us and set up a foundation for improving our character. But what about dreams and excitment? What about creating a Highlight Reel for our lives?

Here is what you need to do...

Activate Your Faith
Do something that activates your Faith. Go on a Mission trip, hang out with kids at a Children's Hospital, start exercising, create a new project, feed the hungry, go play checkers with the elderly at a retirement home, write a book, sponsor a child, learn to play an instrument, take up a foreign language, chase a lion....the point is to do something that is bigger than your self that causes you to lean on God and to trust Him more that ever....

From Mark Batterson's "Lion Chaser Manifesto," you need to set a goal that is destined to fail with out God's Intervention...that my friends will activate your faith!

Ephesians 5 tells us to "Wake Up From Our Sleep." Verses 5.8-10 from The MSG paraphrase says it like this...

You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

Bored? Or Are You Boring?

Erwin McManus has a 'philosophical' statement:

"There is no such thing as boredom, only boring people."

That is a challenging statement to us all. It's very true though because life is what we make of it. If you say, "I am bored," well that is frankly no one's fault but your own. You have created that boredom. It's time for you to go create something to add to your "Highlight Reel!"

MasterCard Moments
We have all seen the commercials, no need to go into detail, but what I love about them is that they are moments of Highlights. We went on a Mission trip to Peru in 2006, and Christian used this idea for our motivation to serve during the week. He made it a point for us to focus on creating and looking for "MasterCard Moments." We even made personalized 'credit cards' for everyone so that this idea would enter in to their Reticular Activating System in order to creat a mental category for these moments! It was so awesome to gather back together at night and listen to everyone give their "MasterCard Moments" from the day!

The Plan
I want you to create what is known in the athletic world as Micro and Macro Cycles. A Micro Cycle is a day, a week, a month etc that makes up a Macro Cycle, which can be monthly, quarterly, or half a year, a year, etc...Create these cycles and set goals and develop projects, trips, learning, etc to establish your "MasterCard Moments" for your "Highlight Reel."

Start small and build your way up. Set a goal to create a moment once-a-month, then move up to once-a-week, then once-a-day. Review your "Highlight Reel" every week or month depending on your goals and Celebrate! You could even "Tithe" your time. Tithe one Sunday a month to go volunteer or serve! Eventually build up so many moments that your yearly "Highlight Reel" blows you away!

Generosity
Focus your moments on others as well as your self. Personal goals are amazing, but ask yourself how they can be fit into benefiting others. The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 11 has three amazing Scriptures that show us how important Generosity is...

23 The desires of good people lead straight to the best,
but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration.

24 The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

25 The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.

So live it up today! Please post your "Highlights" and "MasterCard" moments as a comment to this blog, we would love to hear about them!

I will close with the ending Scripture from Ephesians 5.11-16...

Make the most of every chance you get.