Three Steps to Help You Find Your Strength

Last week I wrote about My Strength vs. GOD’s Strength. This week, I want to delve a bit deeper into the concept of inner strength. Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott wrote a wonderful book on this subject, and in their book, they discuss three important techniques to truly tap into one’s GOD-given inner strength. Below is a summary of their teaching.

"How content are you with your life? Do ever feel like you’re waiting on life – real life – to begin? Do you ever feel like the stress and strain of your daily routine, the pressures and fatigue of it, are keeping you stuck while you continue to hold out hope for the adventure of your life to start – someday? Down deep you know there is more to this life than merely making it. You know your future holds promise. And yet the uncertainty and powerlessness you sometimes feel causes you to question your ability to rise above your current circumstances. It keeps you from doing what you need to do. Here’s the good news: you’re stronger than you think. Here are the internal wells where your strength is most likely to reside. But be forewarned. They are found in counter-intuitive places.

Think simply – there’s strength in clearing your head. Few experts would dispute the fact that the beginning of renewed strength starts with how you think. Our mind is where we analyze, figure-out and plan. It’s where we hold our knowledge and understanding. We’ve all heard about the undeniable power of our attitudes. But I propose a new way of drawing strength from your mind. It has to do with simplicity. It has to do with finding strength by clearing your head to discover what should have been obvious all along. Too often, we make life more complicated than it needs to be and we get bogged down as a result. It makes us sluggish and exhausted. It’s time to travel light and think more simply, and in turn, find a fresh resolve and a new tenacity.

GOD wants to help you clear the clutter in your mind to think more simply. The Bible says, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2.2) Simplify your mind and begin with the purest knowledge that GOD loves you and saves you through the love of His Son, Jesus.

Feel vulnerable – there’s strength in owning your weakness. While the cognitive part of you may be a starting place for strength, your heart holds a wealth of power when you know where to tap it. And that, paradoxically, begins by finding the strength that comes through owning your weakness. Of course, I realize this goes against common knowledge. It runs against the grain of anyone who is trying to appear powerful. But that’s the point. I’m talking about authentic strength that comes from the inside out. It’s not about building a strong façade. And that’s why vulnerability is instrumental in finding the emotional power in your heart. Vulnerability begets vulnerability. It builds connection and comradely.

Jesus made Himself vulnerable by accepting death and painful separation from GOD so we would not have to. This vulnerability, rooted in His incredible humility, gave Him the power to meet us where we are, even in the face of our own weaknesses. The Bible says, “Who, being in very nature GOD, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2.6-7)

Be emptied – there’s strength in surrender. The ultimate source of strength resides deep in your soul. The secret is to empty yourself of your striving for strength. It may sound incongruent, maybe even absurd, but this deeply spiritual surrender, when done properly, is the only means to finding the abiding strength your soul desires. And it’s in your soul that you will discover a new boldness that will likely surprise you. It is in your soul that your faith, no matter how feeble, can conjure up courage. It is in your soul that you will discover a power greater than you ever imagined.

The Bible tells us that GOD “emptied” His love out into us so that, we can benefit from His strength and use that strength to benefit others. “...God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”  (Romans 5.5b) This means that the strength we have comes from GOD and is given so that we can be strength, not just for ourselves, but also for others.

Too often, we bide our time with the routine of a life that we hope will one day take us across the chasm. Our days become stacked upon other days. And as time moves forward, we think about the great abyss in our quieter moments. We wonder if we should take the leap soon. But the busyness of our days pulls us back from the edge and we perpetually postpone it. Why? Because we are afraid we do not have the strength to make it. Don’t let that happen. You’re stronger than you think.”

In Christ, we do have strength! Strength is not just for ourselves, but also for the sake of others. Use that strength to keep going, even when times are tough. You can be the change you want to see in the world. (Gandhi)

Parrott, Les and Leslie. You're Stronger Than You Think: The Power to Do What You Feel You Can't. Tyndale House Publishers, August 2012.

Based on article posted on FoxNews.com, published September 9, 2012.

My Strength vs. GOD’s Strength

I was studying the concept of inner-strength the other day. This is something that has often times intrigued me. As a person of faith, I truly believe that my strength comes from the LORD. Where I struggle, however, is when I think I am responsible to act, lead, and serve in my own strength. When I live in such a way, I am invariably tired, ornery, stressed, and wimpy. This is not good for me, and certainly not for those who have to spend time being around me. It can be hard to admit at times, but this is sort of an inner struggle for me to draw upon GOD’s strength as opposed to counting on my own. After all, GOD’s strength is limitless where mine is safe to say, well short of limitless.

I am reminded of a great story where a father and son were walking on a trail and passed a large boulder. The dad told his son, “I bet you can move that rock if you use all your strength.” The little tike stressed and strained against the rock, but it did not budge. Embarrassed and exasperated, the boy looked to his father and said, “I guess you were wrong; I used all my strength and I couldn’t move it.” The father lovingly knelt down beside him and said, “Son, you didn’t use all your strength, because you didn’t ask for my help.”

The Bible tells us that GOD wants to help us learn to allow His strength to be our strength. When we insist on doing things our own way, regardless of the task, we run the risk of emptying our strength reserve. Let’s face it…our strength is limited whereas GOD’s is limitless! But when we rely on GOD’s strength first, we are capable of things we cannot possibly imagine!

I love the exchange that GOD had with the Prophet Isaiah, talking about this very subject: strength. GOD had charged Isaiah with sharing His message and helping to inspire His people to change. Isaiah began this work in His own strength and he found himself worn out and burned out. Sound familiar? Check out the conversation between the LORD and Isaiah: “‘[Isaiah] replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’ And now the Lord speaks—the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him. The Lord has honored me, and my GOD has given me strength.  He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49.4-6, NLT, emphasis mine)

I love this passage, because it teaches that GOD wants to infuse us with His strength for living out our lives, the tasks great and small. When we do that, then GOD adds purpose to our endeavors and transforms them to achieve goals that we likely cannot even conceive…even to help bring salvation to the ends of the earth! These are lofty goals to be sure, but it all begins when you allow GOD’s strength to enter, empower, and transform you in little and big things alike!

We are mortal beings—there’s no way around that! Even in our best times, we will tire out if left on our own. So as you seek to live anew, calling upon and counting on the strength of GOD to be your power, remember the words of the Psalmist: “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but GOD remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” (Ps.73.26, NLT) 

May GOD indeed be the strength you need now and forever!

"Lectio Divina"

Recently I have been recommitting myself and encouraging others to delve into the Word of God for personal study and reflection. The Bible isn’t just a cool book (it certainly is that!), but the actual Word of God given to us to help us not only navigate life, but make a difference in it! Paul wrote, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3.16-17) Since we strive to be God’s servants, it is good for us to know what God wants to say to us, and the best way to do that is to read His Word and pray upon it regularly. I know that it can be a daunting task to get started, so let me share with you a system I use to dig deeper in the Word of the Lord.

I participated in a pastors’ conference last month that taught me an ancient model for reading Scripture and praying over it to consider and discern the heart of God. This model is called, Lectio Divina, which is Latin for holy reading. Lectio Divina has its roots in the 3^rd Century and is the practice of scriptural reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation intended to increase the knowledge of God's Word and promote communication with God.

There are four steps to the Lectio Divina holy reading that I would like to share and encourage you to incorporate into your own personal Bible reading and prayer. Of course, if you do not have one, this is a GREAT way to start. Before you begin, however, you must prepare yourself by carving out a time, finding a quiet comfortable place, and removing distractions – real or potential – so you can enjoy some uninterrupted time with the Lord.

The first step of the Lectio Divina begins with reading the Bible! You could start with a Psalm, a favorite passage, or maybe just a section within a chapter. The key is to make it manageable, so don’t try to do too much, especially in the beginning. Read through the passage in order to gain a grasp as to what God might want to say to you. You might want to read through it a couple times, but the key is to get familiarized with the text.

The second step of the Lectio Divina is to hone in on a word, phrase, concept, or verse(s) that jumps out at you and meditate upon it. The term meditation comes from a Latin word which literally means to chew as a cow chews its cud. Meditation in this sense is thinking and listening to the Holy Spirit for what God wants you to consider and going over it and over it and over it to hear from the Lord and find a deeper meaning. Once you feel like you have chewed upon and savored the sweetness of the Lord, it is time to move on to the third aspect of Lectio Divina.

The third step of the Lectio Divina is prayer. You have listened to God speak to you, so now it is time to speak to the Lord. Tell God what you think. Tell God where you struggle. Share your heart, your pains, your ideas, and the needs of your life…not just the simple things, but those that exist below the surface and perhaps no one else is even aware. In the Christian tradition, prayer is understood as dialogue with God – as a loving conversation with God who has invited you into an embrace – so embrace God and feel God embrace you, too! After you have said your piece, and feel you have allowed God time to speak as well, then it is time for the last part of the Lectio Divina.

The fourth and final step of the Lectio Divina is to contemplate your time with God. In contemplation, you are essentially reviewing the previous three steps before embarking upon the rest of your day. You might want to read through the passage again in light of what you have experienced. Meditate and chew on what you have discovered that the Lord revealed to you. Reflect over your prayer and how God might – nor might not! – have answered you in that moment. Once you feel like you are done, you are!

After going through this process, it will undoubtedly shape or reshape your day. Some days might be more enlightening than others, but this is an exercise and a process that will help you deepen your understanding and appreciation of your life in God and God’s life in you. If you would like to practice this further, and could use some help, please, let me know! I would love to hear from you and share in your experiences. Also, the small group that I help facilitate will be working through some of the Psalms using this Lectio Divina process. We will begin meeting next Wednesday (Sept.12) from 6:30-8:30pm at Bob and Debbie Johns’ home in Senoia and you are welcome to join us!

God bless you in your work to grow in the Lord. There is absolutely no substitute for reading scripture and praying to the Lord allowing Him to speak to you, too. Give this Lectio Divina process a try and see what happens. As always, I would LOVE to hear from you about your experiences and epiphanies as you dedicate time to spend with our loving and amazing God!

Calming the Storm

I have been riveted by the coverage of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac. I have always found such coverage fascinating as experts try to predict the unpredictable. Of course, the fact that within this week we mark the anniversaries of Hurricanes Andrew (20 years) and Katrina (7 years), keeping an eye on Isaac seems to be even more essential in light of our historical knowledge. Isaac might not have packed quite the wallop of an Andrew or Katrina, but it definitely has and will impact landscape and lives forever. The bottom line is, after such a storm, we are forever changed!

Storms of any kind remind us of our vulnerability. Regardless of the knowledge and/or strength we might be blessed with, all we can do in the face of the storm is prepare then sit back and wait. Still, no matter how hard we try and no matter what we do, we are unable to manipulate or change the weather.

During such times, I cannot help but reflect over Jesus. In Matthew 8.23-27, we read about an instance when a storm came upon the Lord and His disciples. The disciples – many of whom seasoned seafarers – were terrified for their safety. Jesus, on the other hand, was fast asleep. The disciples incredulously roused Jesus from his slumber, which prompted Him to speak to them about their faith. Afterwards, and it is important to note that this takes place after his brief mention of faith, Jesus calmed the storm. The lesson to be learned in this is that though Jesus has the ability to calm storms, He is far more concerned with calming those who are enduring the storm.

Enduring and surviving storms changes us. Sure we might have some scars (both real and metaphorical), but as we know from medicine, we are stronger in those areas where we have scars. We might be stronger, sure, but it is also true that we are even more aware of our vulnerability, and that epiphany is rarely fun. Still, this has the potential to help us change our misplaced sense of indestructible self-confidence to a true faith and trust in GOD Almighty! This is no minor shift, my friends! That being said, seeing and sensing a storm on the horizon gives us the opportunity to praise the Lord, because it is in such times that we can see firsthand how He is hard at work!

Are you enduring a storm today? Are you feeling vulnerable by the fact that you cannot control your life circumstances? If you answered yes, then there is no better time to turn to the Lord and allow Him to calm the churning in you, regardless of the churning in nature. If you find that you need help in calming the storm within, I invite you to prayer this prayer with me:

Dear Lord,

I recognize that I cannot control all of my life circumstances, let alone the power of nature. Help me to experience your presence and power and embrace the fact that you are more concerned with calming the storms within me than the storms outside. When I am anxious, give me your calm. When I am restless, give me your peace. When I am lonely, give me yourself. I also pray for those who are living in the midst of life’s storms right now…those actual and those metaphorical. And for those truly in harm’s way, I ask for protection. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Have a great week!

Pastor Mark

Back to School

It's been a busy week so far in the Jordan household. Not only are we trying to get re-acclimated from enjoying some vacation time, but we are back in the rat race as school resumed for Ethan this past Monday. It really can be dizzying going from one week of fun in the sun to the next with alarm clocks, bed times, and homework. We certainly are not alone, however; many families are working to adjust to new routines and responsibilities, and many more will next week as Fayette and other counties join back in with the school fun. 

Something that occurred to me in seeing some of the things that have come home the first couple of days this new school year is that teachers are working to catch the children back up from two-plus months of summer bliss. This is necessary, because no matter how you slice it, review is important. When we are not as engaged in reading, writing, and arithmetic, those skills need to be fine tuned. According to Dr. Harris Cooper, Professor of Psychology at Duke University and the director of the program in education, test scores were, on average, at least one month lower when students returned to school in the fall than when they left in the spring. So over the next couple weeks, as students return to the world of classrooms and textbooks, they will spend some time reviewing the foundational things they will need to remember in order to build upon for the new academic year.

Never having been an educator in the academic sense of the word, I can imagine there are certain advantages and disadvantages to having to spend precious time in reviewing older material. On the other hand, when talking about foundational material, there are some things we will always need to remember, like 1+1 will always equal 2; 'i' always comes before 'e' except after 'c'; and that there are always exceptions to every rule. 

The Apostle Paul was a very intelligent and well educated man. This was an advantage for him as he sought to bring the good news of Jesus to people all over the world. This education could have been a stumbling block for him, however, if he expected everyone to know everything that he knew. Instead, Paul dedicated his life of sharing Jesus to one not-so-little fact, and that is that it all comes back to GOD. In 1 Corinthians 2.1-5, Paul wrote, "When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God."

Paul would never be one to promote forgetfulness, but what he would say is that we need to remember to "keep the main thing the main thing." This is something we all will do well to remember. We must remember that we are called to serve GOD by serving others; to share the love of GOD wherever we go; and shine the light of GOD wherever we are. So while trying to get back into the swing of new routines (even if that is just adjusting to morning or afternoon traffic with school busses), may we remember what Paul told us we must never forget, and that is that GOD so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son -- Jesus -- that whoever believes in Him will never perish but have life everlasting! (John 3:16)

May this season of new beginnings and new opportunities begin by remembering that it all comes back to the love of GOD. When we build our lives on the knowledge of Christ's love, then we will see the world differently, as well as the opportunities that life presents. 

Have a great rest of this first week of school, and if it's your last week of summer, enjoy! Regardless, I hope to see you in worship on Sunday!

Galatians 5.13-15 & True Freedom

The Apostle Paul wrote the following about true freedom: "It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?" (The Message) How does this speak to you on this Independence Day?

Freedom

The 4th of July is upon us; a time for fireworks, parades, water games, and cookouts! As we get together with family and friends, we might not think about it, but it is because of our freedom we are able to celebrate. God has always intended for us to live in freedom; it was how we were created. Unfortunately, we all too often lose sight of what a wonderful gift freedom truly is. God with all His infinite power, wisdom, and influence could easily have programmed us like a computer to live according to His plan and purpose. But God felt we would better understand the nature of love when we freely come to Him on our own. We might think we live according to our own power and authority and captain our own ships, but in the end, we are living in God’s love. Sometimes we take advantage of our freedom to make our own choices but we can never run too far away from God’s. So how can we live to better experience this awesome gift that enables us to live in a special way? One simple way is to turn to Scripture and seek out God’s heart. The Psalms have this to say, “Oh, I'll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever; and I'll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom; then I'll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.” (Psalm 119.44-46, The Message) This Scripture encourages us to guard these freedoms now and guard them forever so we may live freely in search of God’s wisdom and truth. When we are confronted with injustice and a threat to our freedom, we guard it ferociously, both as a nation and as individuals. I know one thing that irritates me greatly is when I feel another is infringing upon my personal liberties. So I fight to maintain my own freedom through God’s love allowing me to make my own choices. But there is something else very important here. God gives us freedom so we can seek out truth and wisdom for ourselves. Just like love, our discovery of truth and wisdom means so much more when we come to it on our own. Sure, it would be much easier and far less painful at times if God would have just programmed us, but the sweet reward of the journey comes to us when we discover just how wonderful living freely can be. It is a wonderful gift to discover how awesome God’s love is, but there are others who are lost in the oppression of their own poor choices. That’s where we must come in. According to that passage from the Psalms, God wants those of us who have found freedom in wisdom and truth to go and share that with the world and to speak out boldly and without embarrassment. Then we can reflect that love to the world and show everyone what a blessing life can be when we turn to God. I want to leave you with a quote from William Havard who once said, “The greatest glory given to a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to [others].” So as we celebrate this 4th of July at the lake, around a grill, and watching the sky for the glory of lights, may we not forget that greater glory rests in our freedom and ability to share it with the world.