KLOVE Radio Features – April 2022
EGOLESS CONFIDENCE –
The other day, I was considering the difference between Confidence and Pride. It’s important I know the answer. Pride is having a higher estimation of who God created me to be. The Bible guarantees it leads to destruction. On the other hand, insecurities and lacking confidence in God’s design and purpose will keep me from stepping into faith dimensions that will make me more like my Creator. Either deformed perspective, silly pride, or pointless insecurity would leave my soul empty, feeling I’d missed out on life, because I had. God’s ultimate purpose and intention for you and I is the best of all possible options. It’s called: His will. Confidence is not conceit any more than insecurity is humility. “Jesus, make me confident of Who You are, but not insecure about who You created me to be.”
WHEN IMPOSSIBLE IS NORMAL
I’m a very flawed person. I don’t want to be, but I am. Perhaps you are too. So, how should we flawed ones process life? I’ve found the best thing I can do is remember all of the flawed people in the Bible God used in mighty ways. Jacob tended to manipulate. Rahab needed a different occupation. David had a wandering eye. Solomon was a narcissist. Peter was impulsive. When you think of the flawed heroes in the Bible, they weren’t disqualified because of their eccentricities. God used each of them to fulfill His will, in spite of their seeming flaws and He’s also able to use you and me at our lowest moments. “Jesus, help me to not fixate and obsess on my flaws, but to whole-heartedly embrace who You have created me to be as I mature in my walk with You!”
THE PROOF OF EVERLASTING LIFE
If you are a genuine follower of Jesus, then you have been given absolute proof that you have everlasting life. It’s called “faith” and the Bible says it is the very substance, the evidence, the essence of everything you and I are hoping for, both now and forever. Sounds pretty incredible, doesn’t it? Pretty far-fetched! If it wasn’t the absolute truth. More real than this temporary world. More real than your or my feelings, or anything we can see with our natural eyes. So, how can we increase our faith to have more confidence in God’s amazing future? Only one way! “…faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17, NKJV) We grow spiritual eyes of faith to believe for all God has for us by washing our spirit, mind, will and emotions in the Word of God, the Bible.
THE ROAD TO CONVENIENCE
Would you like your life to be more convenient? When will our lives be convenient enough? Is there a point where dimensions in our lives become too convenient? Where easier is not better? Harder is. If we’re honest, I believe each of us would have to admit that we’ve each had more convenience than we’ve needed. For me, I found that the road to convenience was, at times, paved with situational ethics and moral relativism. Instead of blessing my life and making me stronger, it sabotaged my future and made me weaker. How about you? When was the last time you prayed, “God, if it’s really going to be better for me in the long run, make my life harder. Only You know what I really need. I trust You, infinitely more than I trust myself”?
BEING OVERWHELMED
Do you feel like there’s no way out of your present situation, and it’s overwhelming you? Perhaps it’s not supposed to be a good thing, but a God thing. Did Daniel feel being thrown into the Lion’s Den was a horrific ordeal, or a brilliant blessing? How much sleep did Moses get the night before God parted the Red Sea? We might be surprised that he slept soundly. When Jesus was dying on the Cross, was He absolutely persuaded He’d be back, in full, in three days? I’m positive that, He was positive. What about us? How much proof do we need before we actually believe God is able to fully meet our needs? I believe, if we look closely, we’ll see we’ve been given all the proof we’ll ever need.
HOW MUCH ENTERTAINMENT IS ENOUGH?
Do you ever wonder what the net effect is of all the entertainment you and I are experiencing? It’s important you do. Because it is possible that you’re entertaining yourself to death. Fun and entertainment can be absolutely wonderful, refreshing and encouraging. But, at most, they should be the garnish on your plate, and never the entrée. Too much of the wrong thing can kill you by destroying your soul. But too much of even a good thing can bloat your mind and dull your senses. We were made with purpose for a purpose. Not to spend our lives drooling in front of a screen, whatever size. But to experience the never-ending joy of flowing in the eternal Spirit of God, not being continually seduced by the shallow pleasures of this Earth.
HOW TO ALWAYS HELP PEOPLE
Many years ago, I decided that there was something I could always do to help people, whether they liked it or not. It’s really simple, but until you get used to it, you may find it hard to do. Here it is: When you hear a need, say a prayer. If you hear a need come out of a person’s mouth, then before walking away, offer to pray for them. If they say, “Yes”, as I’ve found many times they will, then God will give you the heart and words you need to bring Heaven to Earth. If they say, “No,” then you can walk away and pray as you feel led. Either way, no one can stop you from praying for them. I’ve been doing it for decades, and found it is one of the most supernaturally natural things you can ever do. Try it. You’ll like it.
YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND!
In Judges 13, Samson‘s father, Manoah, asked an angel what his name was. A seemingly simple question, unless of course you’re an angel. The angel’s response? You wouldn’t understand it, even if I told you. (Judges 13:18) Whoa! That’s another level! Actually, another dimension. And one that affects each of us more than we know. Every day, throughout our day, God could say those very words to every one of us. We are perpetually asking questions that are subliminally directed toward Him. Why is this happening? What does this circumstance mean? His consistent response could be, “You wouldn’t understand, even if I told you.” So, the key to processing life is to do what Manoah did. He trusted God, without fully understanding. It’s called faith, and God promises peace for those who learn to live by it.
COUNTERFEIT CREATORS
When we stop seeing ourselves as created in the image and likeness of a beautiful God, we eventually redesign our spirit, soul and body into the flawed caricatures of something God never intended. We become counterfeit creators, rejecting God’s natural order for man’s empty imaginations. The Bible says, “we are fearfully and wonderfully made,” each a masterpiece, affirming the absolute reality that none of us are mistakes or accidents. We can’t create better than God. We can only misread and ultimately deform. When we give up too soon on God’s plan, no other imagined intent can satisfy who I am created to be. It is a tragic misunderstanding. Believe God’s Word more than the world’s warped values, and you will experience the magic behind the mystery of your life.
JESUS WAS A HEALTH COACH
I’m a Health Coach! So was Jesus! I teach people how to care for their spirit, soul and body: the triune dimensions of each of our lives. Though it is true that only our spirit and soul will last forever, our bodies are the temple that allows them to do so. For, when our bodies die, the impact of our spirit and soul on Earth is over. Therefore, if we want to continue to help those we love, and become all that Jesus created us to be, then caring for His temple, our bodies, should be important. Sadly, our physical health is often made such a low priority, that when some people die, the statement is made, “It was their time.” Was it? Sometimes, certainly. But not always. At times, bodies die because they are not properly cared for. Care for God’s temple: glorify God in your body.
HOW TO EXPERIENCE ABUNDANT LIFE
Do you think Jesus was overstating His promise when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”? (John 10:10, NKJV) In terms of how many believers actually live abundant lives, it would seem this scripture is nearly impossible. Yet, Christ’s promise is not a pipe dream, it’s God’s will for each of us. Having lived 50 years following Jesus, I am persuaded the abundant life Jesus promised requires three essential transformations in each of our perspectives. First, we must have an accurate understanding of who God is. Second, that will bring the greatest clarity on how He views each of us. And lastly, only then can we love the life He’s given us. God is love. He loves, and even likes, every one of us. And His will is the best of all possible options.
THE STRETCHED LIFE
Living a healthy life is about movement. Standing water always grows stagnant. Bodies that stop moving become sedentary and eventually are unable to move at all. We only stretch when we’re reaching for something we really want. That’s why the Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV) They live carelessly, uncreatively. When we lose heart, we stop growing. Without something worth reaching for, we are frozen in time, and never reach our potential… becoming who God created us to be. Stop pretending you’re dead. You’re not! God has you alive for a reason. Spend your life discovering why you’re still breathing, still moving. If you find out the truth, it will absolutely, without a doubt, set you free. Let God stretch you. It’s for your own good.