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What to Do When You Face the Impossible

April 4, 2016 by

We all have times when we face the impossible don’t we? Often it’s not because we failed to plan properly or we didn’t try hard enough.

Yet, it happens anyway. The impossible.

And it leaves us feeling demoralized, afraid and frustrated. We think, “It not supposed to be like this.”

Jesus disciples faced exactly that. Jesus had been teaching and healing all day by the Sea of Galilee. Night was coming and the disciples told Jesus, “Everyone needs to head into the village to find dinner.”

Jesus responds, “No, you feed them.”

The disciples looked at each other bewildered then said, “Uh Jesus, we don’t have enough for ourselves. And we’re guessing we’ve got around 20,000 people here?”

Jesus responded, “Bring me your basket of food.”

So they did.

This story offers some interesting insights into facing the impossible.

Jesus says, “Bring me your problem. And bring me what you have. It’ll be enough. I’ll fill in the rest.”

How often is this the last thing we do rather than the first? How often do we thrash around in our own strategies until we’re exhausted then finally bring him the problem?

The disciples had no idea what Jesus would do but when he said that they expected him to act. Otherwise they were really going to look like fools. I wonder if that’s what holds us back sometimes?

I would add to that, they expected the unexpected. When we’re completely out of answers then we can expect God to act in a new way.

Surprisingly then the disciples were given the food back for them to distribute. They weren’t relieved of their involvement. Now they needed to act on their expectation.

And when they did they saw a miracle. Jesus worked the impossible.

He offers the same to us as well.

We’ll look at this further next time.

 

*Matthew 14:15-18

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“Quora” Post: “What Are The Lessons People Most Often Learn Too Late in Life?”

April 1, 2016 by

This is the latest post I wrote for “Quora” in answer to the question, “What are the lessons people most often learn too late in life?”

You can read it here.

If you enjoy it would you please click the “Upvote” button at the end.  It helps with the rankings and number of readers I can reach.

Please let me know your thoughts.

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Hearing God When You Need It Most

March 25, 2016 by

We all have times when it would be nice to just hear clearly from God wouldn’t it?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “You know, I’ve never heard God. I don’t know why I pray. I’m not sure he’s there.”

And you know, I believe them.

Yet frankly, as we looked at previously, God won’t yell through the chaos that engulfs our lives most of the time.

Only when we take time to truly quiet down and listen will we hear his voice.

Jesus modeled this over and over.

When his cousin John was murdered he left the crowds and went to a remote place to be alone. There God helped him sort things out.*

When he needed to choose the disciples, who would carry on his mission, he spent a night by himself in prayer and God gave him the list.

When he faced execution he spent several hours in prayer and God gave him courage.

When he was exhausted and feeling overwhelmed he went apart by himself and God restored him.

God promises we can hear from him in the same way.

What might happen if we slowed down long enough to listen?

 

*Matthew 14: 13

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How to Hear God When You Need It Most

March 23, 2016 by

I’ve found out the hard way God won’t interrupt my busyness. He won’t compete for my attention.

I’ve built several businesses and a church. So I know about pressurized life.

Yet, I’ve learned that no matter how great the demands I need to carve out time to listen if I wanted to hear God’s quiet inner voice.

While I fix breakfast I pray and listen. No TV, no radio.

While driving to my office the same thing.

On the weekends I get away from my computer, phone and TV. As I’m working around the house I can pray, think and listen.

In the evening while I’m getting ready for bed I read my Bible for a few minutes and often just ponder the day.

See I think we all have plenty of opportunities to be quiet enough to hear God. But we need to proactively set aside time for it.

Even Jesus had to. After he heard that his cousin John had been murdered he went in a boat on the Sea of Galilee to a remote area to be alone with God.*

Maybe that’s why he heard from God and often we don’t.

 

*Matthew 14: 13

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“Quora” Post: “How Do I Use Mornings Most Effectively?”

March 22, 2016 by

I recently wrote a post on “Quora” in answer to the question, “How do I use my mornings most effectively?”

You can check it out here.

If you enjoy it please “Upvote” it.  The button is at the end.  This helps rankings and getting posts read.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks.

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The Tyranny of Life Lived at Full Throttle

March 21, 2016 by

I’m guessing most of us on occasion would really like to hear from God.

We face a bewildering challenge that we can’t get a handle on. Wouldn’t it be really nice to hear God’s directions clearly? I mean maybe even audibly even though a little spooky?

Yet, think about for many of us our typical daily routine.

First thing we check emails and turn on the news.

We whip down breakfast chatting with the family briefly as everyone races to get out the door.

Then commute listening to our phones or the radio.

At work we’re barraged with conversations and activity.

At the end of the day we drag into the house exhausted.

Visit with the family over dinner.

Turn on the TV and vegetate until it’s time for bed.

Then we feel confused because we never seem to hear from God. Oh, we slip in a prayer now and then but we think, “He just never seems to answer.”

Yet, I learned a long time ago, and sometimes need to relearn, that God won’t intrude into our chaos.

He’ll let us live in the tyranny of full throttle life if we want.

Or we can step out of it to listen and hear a quiet voice.

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One Thing That’s Impossible for God

March 18, 2016 by

We all at times face the impossible don’t we? We face a mountain so big there doesn’t seem to be an answer.

A debilitating illness with no cure.

An imploded marriage with no reconciliation.

A terminated career with no direction.

Yet, in this darkness Jesus promises, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”*

Even an almost imperceptible amount of faith is enough to change the impossible.

Jesus says, “Whatever mountain you face simply say, ‘Move out of my way’ and it will go.

I want to qualify something here. Jesus didn’t promise, as too many claim, that we can dictate to God the details of how we want him to answer.

But he does say we have God’s unlimited power to move the mountains that block us.

Second, he says, “Nothing is impossible when we ask.”

The only mountain that won’t move, the only challenge we can’t overcome is the one we don’t ask God to solve.

When you think about it what could we face that God doesn’t have the power to overcome?

 

Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

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The One Key That Allows Us to See the Miraculous

March 16, 2016 by

I’ve had people say to me, “I just can’t believe in God because I’ve never seen him. I’ve prayed and never heard from him.”

And you know what? I believe them.

Jesus had a similar experience when he went back to his hometown after a ministry trip. The people said, “He can’t be the Messiah. He grew up here. His family still lives here.”

And Jesus worked very few miracles there.*

Yet, in contrast Jesus promised, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”**

So what’s the difference? What’s required to see the miraculous?

Literally just a minuscule amount of faith.

Have you ever looked at a mustard seed? I mean, it’s really tiny.

Yet, Jesus says that’s all the faith it takes to see the miraculous.

Just hope Jesus is who he said he was. And that he can do what he said he’ll do.

That’s it. It doesn’t get any more complicated than that.

Then the mountains in our lives will be moved.

And absolutely nothing will be impossible.

 

*Matthew 13:57-58
**Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

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Why Don’t We See the Miraculous More Often?

March 14, 2016 by

I find it ironic that the most militant atheists I know all grew up going to church. Those who rarely went to church, most of the time, are just indifferent. Yet those, who as a kid, went to church are the ones who seem the most vocally opposed to it.

One acquaintance posts antagonistic comments on Facebook. Yet, his thoughts reveal a pretty good knowledge of the Bible.

Another “loves to debate Christians,” yet was raised going to a fairly strict church. In college he made the decision to have no more of it and today labels anyone who believes in God as stupid.

A third was raised in a southern fundamentalist church. When she moved to the west coast she gave it up and said when she goes home they never talk about religion.

I experienced a similar journey in college turning away from my spiritual upbringing though not militantly.

Even Jesus found the same when he went back to his home town after a ministry journey.

Neighbors questioned him, “Who do you think you are? We watched you grow up. We know your family.”

It says they were offended by him, literally scandalized.

And they saw little of Jesus’ power.*

 

Matthew 13:57-58

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Two Questions that Unlock the Miraculous

March 11, 2016 by

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to see the miraculous and some don’t?

I’ve wondered why sometimes I’ve seen full up miracles and then later followed the exact same formula and nothing seems to happen. I mean what’s with that?

In a story of Jesus he comes to his home town and is met with resistance but also I think some honest questions.

“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”*

No doubt some meant this derisively. But I think there was also some honest searching with some.

I see two great questions which perhaps would help unlock the miraculous for us.

Honestly searching out, “Who is this Jesus? Is he really God? How can I live in a vibrant relationship with him?”

Then asking, “Is there real power? What power does God promise? What blessings does he offer?”

See I think often we want to see the miraculous but really have little idea of what God promises or confidence in the power available.

I wonder what we’d see if we really knew what to expect?

 

*Matthew 13:55-56 (NIV)

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