In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:5-9

Hearing God's Voice

It seems that throughout our lives as Christians, we all go through what some would call "phases" or "seasons". I refer to mine as "themes". As I reflect on my walk with the Lord, it seems a certain theme keeps recurring, much like the theme song in a movie. If my life was a movie, the recurring theme would be titled "Hearing God's Voice". Or rather not hearing God's voice as of late.

I've talked to several people about and it seems that I am not alone in this. As a result I've received books, CD's, inspirational e-mails, text messages, all intending to make me feel better about my plight. But at the end of the day, I still felt like saying, "Why don't You just come down here and tell me what to do!!!" Alas, nothing...

I came across this on Chip Ingram's blog and thought I would share it. It made alot of sense to me and hopefully it will to you too.

From Chip Ingram's blog Keep Pressin' Ahead

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Why Can't I Hear God's Voice?

Last week we aired, Your Divine Design, a series that helps you discover your primary spiritual gift; yet, what I hear from a lot of people is “Why can’t I hear Gods’ calling for my life?” or “I’ve prayed about discovering my primary spiritual gift, but I’m confused and don’t really know what God wants me to do with my life.”

Well, just so you don’t feel alone, I want you to know I’ve experienced the same thing a number of times in my life. As I a look at scripture, wise counsel, and reflect back on my own journey, I think there are some common barriers or roadblocks that keep us from hearing God’s voice and getting clear directions on our Life Mission.

ROADBLOCK #1 – “The Dropped Call Syndrome”

Have you ever been talking on your cell phone and walked into an elevator only to find you are immediately cut off… the call was dropped. Or, another more common experience for me is the new Super Target near our home. When Theresa and I go there we usually head out in different directions and then spend a lot of time trying to find each other…the reason…there is so much metal in the building our cell phones don’t work inside.

Like many, sometimes we long to hear a clear word from God about our future vocations and Life Mission, but we’re disconnected. Jesus said to his closest followers on the last night of his life, “If you abide in me (continue in my word for the purpose of applying it to your life) and my word abides in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you” (John 15:7).

In other words, if we are not connected from the heart (unhurried time in Gods’ word and sharing our concerns with Him) we will not be able to hear His voice or call on our lives. God’s call first and foremost is to a reason (Jesus), not to a task. His primary concern and desire is relationship not assigning you a job to do. At times in my life I have allowed myself to get so busy “doing things for God” that it has destroyed my “relationship with God.”

Why would a loving, heavenly Father tell you and me what the next task is if we are spending time in the spiritual living room or around the table sharing hearts and sharing lives?

ROADBLOCK #2 – “The Answer is on Call Waiting”

Sometimes God is ready to give us the answer to the big questions in our lives, but we are preoccupied or simply refuse to respond to an earlier message.

A number of years ago when I was investigating this whole issue of God’s purpose for my life I got very frustrated with the Lord because it appeared He refused to answer me. I studied, got wise counsel, took some inventories to evaluate my strengths, but it all piled up into a heap of mixed messages and confusion. Frustrated and depressed, I cried out to God and asked Him why He was withholding His will for my life? I didn’t like where I was, I didn’t want to study and I desperately needed to know where to go and what to do!!!

Although it was not an audible voice, I heard the Lord specifically say into my ear, “Chip, why should I reveal more of my specific will to you when you are not obeying what I’ve already shown you in my Word?” Then Jesus reminded me of my ungrateful heart and that it is His will that I “be thankful in all things” (1 Thess. 5:18). I had resented in my heart toward a person and yet it was His will that I “forgive others just as He has forgiven me” (Matt. 6:12).

Often we cannot hear God’s voice about our future unless we are responding/obeying to what we already know. This was Jesus’ point in Mark 4 when He finished the Parable of the Seed and the 4 types of soil. To those who “hear” (respond in obedience) to the light they have been given (truth from the word) they receive more light (insight, direction and truth) but to those who do not respond to the light given, even what they love will be taken away.

So, as we continue this month to explore our gifts and calling, let me remind you to:

1) Stay connected – abide – enjoy and get to know Jesus as your #1 priority.

2) Face the hard stuff – obey – do what you already know is God’s will as revealed in His word so He can show you His more specific will for your future.

It’s a journey! He is patient! Don’t get discouraged! You are valuable. He wants to speak. He will speak!

I was scheduled to do a radio interview with Ron Brown, assistant football coach at Nebraska, for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. We were going to do a quick 10 minute interview on what it looks like to be an r12 coach and r12 student athlete. As we started to record, I asked Ron if he could hear me because all I could hear was lots of static and about every third word. Needless to say, we had to reschedule until we could solve the static problem.

ROADBLOCK #3 – “Static on the Line”

The same is true with Jesus. He wants to speak clearly and powerfully to us, but sometimes there are a lot of other voices (static) that bombard our mind and make it hard to make out what He is really saying. Many of those voices are well intended and are planted deeply in our subconscious mind which magnifies the problem.

Sometimes family expectations (spoken and/or unspoken) can be so deeply rooted in our thinking that we assume it is God’s voice, or feel overwhelmingly guilty when we sense God speaking to us about a direction that might disappoint those we love.

My son, Jason, wrestled with this in pursuing his dream to play and write music. Although I never said, “All my kids need to go to college,” he felt that pressure because it was an unspoken expectation I had clearly communicated. Both my parents were teachers and education was a very high value to them and it was passed on to me.

When he told me he wanted to drop out of college for a while to really pursue his dream, I was initially less than supportive. Then, he began quoting familiar phrases about “Dreaming Great Dreams” and “Taking Great Risks,” and “Making Great Sacrifices” – all from my sermons. I realized within a few days that God had an Ephesians 2:10 plan for Jason that may or may not require college to fulfill. I warned him of the realities of “making a living” etc., etc., but let him know I would really support what he believed God wanted him to do.

To make a long story short, it was a very painful road and Jason would not give up. The result: he has been named the “Contemporary Christian Songwriter of the Year” for the past three years in a row; loves what he does; and impacts millions with lyrics and music that magnify Jesus Christ. He did finish school along the way (while rarely attending class) but his success was born of his courage to God’s call and he pursued it even when his Dad (me) thought he was crazy.

We need to honor our parents, mentors, and significant people in our lives. We need to take their counsel and weigh it seriously; but we cannot let others’ expectations and even genuine concern for us deafen us from hearing God’s voice and stepping out to obey Him.

Another static inducer is the culture that we live in. Our culture tells me that power, position, prestige, and wealth are what make me a “somebody;” so some vocations just don’t make the cut. We have elevated so called “white collar” jobs over working with our hands, while other jobs/careers are simply cast in a negative light, i.e., “If you are ever going to make something of yourself.”

For me that was going into vocational ministry. I loved to teach God’s word, I loved coaching and helping people, but the idea of becoming a “minister” or “ pastor” was not at the top of my list. My church experience and view of ministers was so negative I could not hear God speaking to me. I fought the idea; I didn’t want to become “one of them.” My warped view of people in ministry as those who can’t get a real job or those who argue about the color of carpet in the church were invisible and untrue voices that kept me from viewing God’s call as high and holy.

There are no “A” callings or “C” callings in God’s Kingdom. You were made to do something unique and special and have been prepared and gifted by God to do that thing. When you discover it and do it you fulfill God’s plan and experience joy in serving and provide supernatural results. Oh, that we could believe as Francis Schaeffer said, “There are no little people and no little places.” That means your place, your call, and your role matters for all eternity.

Find it! Enjoy it! Pursue it! You are one of a kind!

Psalm 139

Lord, what is Your plan for my life?

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.