Fasting From Fleshly Desires

Recently I have been going through the Beatitudes in the book of Matthew and preaching on them in our Youth group.  This past Wednesday I preached on Mathew 6:16-18 where Jesus preached about fasting.  Theologically I know there is a lot of depth and breadth to fasting that can be discussed.  However, one thought that came to me as I was studying that I would like to share; fasting from fleshly desire. 

As I was reading through Isaiah 58, fasting from fleshly desires caught my attention.  For one I understand that fasting should not only be for our benefit spiritually, but also for the benefit of those in need.  Our doing without should benefit those in need.  Isaiah 58:6 reveals this truth; however I see another purpose in this verse.  Fasting from fleshly desires.

Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

There is no doubt that fasting is commonly associated with food, but not limited to nutritional intake.  Jesus came into this world to set us free from the bondage of sin.  He offers us another option to sinful fleshly desires.  He offers us His way, truth and life.  Jesus spoke this as it relates to salvation; “Unless you repent, you too will perish.” (Luke 13:3,5). 

Repent is to turn from sin.  In other words it is to eliminate and even deny yourself sinful behaviors and practices.  Fasting is to deny yourself food or other physical needs.  Both are practiced for the purpose of drawing nearer to God.  They are practiced so that your spiritual life can be renewed and transformed.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Let me share this thought with you; fasting from fleshly desires.  When you fast, eliminate, and deny yourself sinful and fleshly desires, then are you not set free from the yoke of oppression?  Think about it, sin is a yoke that keeps us in bondage to the flesh and ways of this world.  Sin is the yoke that oppresses you spiritually.  Sin is an addiction and addiction just as damaging as drugs, alcohol and sex. The only cure for any addiction is to eliminate and deny yourself whatever it is you are addicted to.

May I encourage you to fast from your fleshly desires so that you may be set free from the oppression of sin?  In doing so my prayer is that your life will be renewed and transformed in the likeness of Christ.

The picture is me and Laura.  Laura was once oppressed by abandonment and abuse in another country.  She was adopted by and American family. I was blessed with the opportunity to share Jesus with her during a youth mission trip.  Laura has been set free!

 

Romans 13:14   Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ’s love!

The Search for the Purposes of Church

During the time I agreed to lead our Wednesday night youth and the day I surrendered to the ministry, I was attempting to mimic other youth pastors and their methods of ministry.  I really had no budget to work with and not much money of my own to invest.  What I did have I spent on trying to make our Wednesday night youth appealing to our local students.  Honestly, that was an epic failure.    God had called me into His ministry not my ministry or the ministry of someone else.  My failure was trying to fulfill and mimic what others were already doing.  I was not seeking what God wanted to be done. 

It is funny how we have it in our heads that God needs all the fancy gadgets and latest technology to reach the lost.  The irony was in what I did have.  The digital projector was broken, I had no laptop, and the youth building was and still is the old church with no pews.  We did have an old pool table, a ping pong table and one basketball goal.  The floors were and still are bare.  The walls are just a plain white with grungy smudges everywhere.   No fancy lights, no fancy décor, no band, and no cool place to just hang out. What we had and still have is the blah boring bare minimum, a scratchy sound system, and an old school plastic sheet projector.  Most youth would walk in and think “really, are you for real!” and walk out.  In spite of all this, we are blessed beyond measure, we really are.  Today we do have a working computer projector and a somewhat working laptop. 

After several weeks of leading the youth, reality set in.  God wanted something different than what I was attempting to create and mimic.  If He really wanted what I was trying to do He would have provided for those needs.  So the big question was; “What was it that God had planned?”

The first night I led youth, there was 9 students in attendance.   Several weeks later there were 12-15.  Obviously something was wrong.  Please do not be mistaken, it’s was not about how many kids you can draw in and entertain.  It is about making an impact in the life of a student for Christ.  If you have a hundred or even a thousand and not one life is reached for Christ, then it is all in vain.  If you only have one and that one life is changed for Christ, then it is all worth every effort you have made. 

One fact I knew for sure was; we had more than one in our community that needed to meet the Lord.  I also realized that what I was doing really wasn’t what The Lord wanted.  The kids I was ministering to were the kids of parents who had been attending our church for years.  They all grew up in the church and they were expected to be a part of the youth group.  Not that this was a bad thing, because it was not.  The problem was our youth ministry was bound by the walls and membership of our church.  God never intended it to be that way. 

I began to pray faithfully, “Lord, what is it that our youth need? How do you want me to lead and minister?”  As I became more faithful in praying and more in tune to listening to God’s voice instead of making sure God heard my voice, I began to hear what He desired.  I began to realize that what God wanted was not entertainment it was church.  I began to see what God’s church looked like.  It had no walls or fancy comfortable interiors.  God’s church was the people.  With that in mind, I began to focus on what we did have and not what I thought we should have.  I no longer sought after the images of other youth groups; I sought after the images of Christ’s church and its purpose.

God began to put things on my heart and my mind of what He wanted.  It seemed like every time I asked He would respond “Church!”  As I would read His word and pray, I began to realize what Church was suppose to look like and what its purposes were.  When we make church what we want it to be and not what God has called it to be it may look attractive and nice on the outside, but in the inside, it is dead.  In my next post I will share what God showed me, and how He confirmed the purposes of His church. 

 

The picture is of a church in Romania.  the inside was absolutely gorgeous.  The outside was surrounded by homeless people with great need. There is something wrong with that. 

Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ’s love!

Luke Warm Complacent Christianity and Hitting Hopeless Rock Bottom

The stories I have shared so far about what I have seen and experience God do is just a small sample. You probably think that I would have had a unstoppable fire for the Lord just through the few things I have shared. The reality is no. Sure I had spiritual highs when I thought I could conquer Hell with a water pistol, but those highs were short lived. The things I had been doing had become routine. Even in the routine of going through the motions there were still times when I was burning hot spiritually. Those times were associated with the emotionally exciting events centered around MFUGE and Church camp experiences.

My spiritual life as a whole had really become luke warm and complacent. I had become comfortable in what I was doing. In my mind, I was doing more than most people. So with that said, I was better off. I was paying my dues by volunteering in Sunday school, vacation bible school, church camp, and MFUGE. I went to church most Sunday mornings. I even graced the church with my presence on Wednesday and Sunday nights, when it was convenient for me.

So how did I become so luke warm and complacent? I think it was because I had become comfortable. For the most part, everything was going well. We had no real significant needs and we were managing things comfortably on our own. My wife was happy, I was happy, the kids were healthy, work was good, Carri had a job, we were able to keep our home, and everyone was getting along. We had no real sense of urgency or great need. I was viewing life through rose colored glasses. I was justifying my spiritual success by comparing it to others who seemed less committed. So as long as I was doing more then God must be more pleased.

As far as my faith I was neither hot or cold, I was just like I said, I was luke warm and complacent. I was not doing anything to grow spiritually or mature in the faith. Neither was I really doing anything to reach others for Christ, including my own children. What better place spiritually can satan get someone? When we are complacent we are quiet, unnoticed, and idle. Being luke warm and complacent achieves nothing for the cause of Christ.

looking back, I am certain Jesus wanted to spit me out. He must have been frustrated and disappointed at my state of spiritual being. He had taken me to amazing places, showed me incredible things, and used me to achieve His glory. With all that said, how did I show my appreciation? I did not, I became idle and lazy instead. I was partially committed to attending church and slightly better than average at serving. However my faith had become mostly private. I was justified in my own eyes by simply going through the motions. Going through the motions meant I had no real dependence on Christ. My faith had become nothing more than partially committed ritualistic religious practices, highlighted by occasional acts of service.

What I needed was for God to put me in a place where I had no other choice but to depend on Him. So why does it take hitting rock bottom where neither you or anyone else can help before someone will totally trust in Christ? It is when you hit rock bottom and become completely helpless that you either turn to or turn away from the one who can rescue you. It becomes a choice of living or dying. It is so easy for a christian to become spiritualy dead. Spiritually dead is that luke warm place we often find ourselves. To be spiritually alive, we must have the same mind, heart and soul as Paul describes in Phillipians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

What I did not know at this point in my life is that God was about to get my attention. My wife and I were about to hit rock bottom with only two choices, one turn from Christ and die spiritually or completely depend on Christ and live. I am so glad He did not spit me out. Never do I want to become useless to my Lord. In my next story I will share how God brought our family to rock bottom in order to get our attention. We were literally taken to a place where there was NO HOPE, except through Him.

The picture is of a guy sleeping on a statue in front of Union Station, Washington DC.


Revelations 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ love!

She Was Not a god, but a Reflection of God.

My friendship with Carri grew and became something even bigger but not better.  Carri became my god.  Our relationship was not your typical fairy tale, or was it?  I guess you can decide as my story unfolds over the next several days.   As you read, remember the purpose of me sharing my testimony is not about Carri, it is about how I found hope in the midst of hopelessness.  As my life story unfolds, you will see how it all came together.  You will also see how God used Carri and life circumstances to lead me to Christ.  I hope it will encourage and inspire people around the world and that many will find the hope that I have found.  This hope will turn your life upside down, in a good way. 

Our relationship was typical for most teenagers, except for one interesting fact.  Carri and I always remained best of friends.  We never became bitter enemies.  Sure we had our fights, we had our breakups, we had our hopes and we had our dreams.   We dated off and on over the years. 

The biggest problem I had is that I made Carri my god.  No, I did not worship her religiously but I did allow her to become my reason to live.  I liked what was happening in my heart and being a part of who she was.  Like I had said before, she was different.  There was something so special; it was real and not a show. Carri was not fake.  Whoever she was on the inside is what I wanted the most.  Wanting that meant, I had to have her no matter the cost.

Frankly, the thought of losing Carri to another guy was devastating and heartbreaking.  I honestly did not think I could live without her.  Then, it happened.  She began dating another guy.  My world came crashing down.

Carri's mom, Sandy, was like a second mom to me.  I so clearly remember her advice.  She asked me if I loved her daughter.  I said "yes".  She said, "I don't like the guy she is dating right now, I like you."  She went on to say that who Carri was, dating was Carri's choice, even if she did not agree.  Then she said this "if you want to win my daughters heart, you will figure out who God is."    It was this statement that made me realize, there has to be something greater. His name is God, but who was He? Sandy helped me to realize that what I loved so much about her daughter was really who God was.  Carri was not a god; she was only a reflection of who He was.  At this point, the slow journey began to figure out who God really was.  This journey was not without hurts and failures, but its rewards would come in His time. 

 

Some Hawaiian god's...

but not the Real God

Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

 

May my life be the proof and evidence of Christ's Love!