31 Days To Maturity
By Craig B. Cooper
* Disclaimer fine print (You know there always has to be more than just one fine print). Any resemblance to person, places, or events that these blogs may make you think of is probably right. I have not tried at all to hide anyone’s identity. If they were foolish enough to do it then the world deserves to know. It’s the least that I can do. How else do you become mature except through extreme embarrassment?
All Rights Reserved © Copyright 2012 Craig B. Cooper
ISBN 978-1-4657-3615-4
www.craigbcooper.com
Published by Craig B. Cooper at Smashwords
Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® unless otherwise noted. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
31 Days to Maturity!
Testimonial
I have tried it all. Literally. With the amount of effort that I have expended to become mature I should be a spiritual giant by now and have written the 67th book of the Bible.
Instead my closet is packed full of self help maturity books, a How to Grow Your Soul workout machine, and various long distance bills to 1-800-GETFRUIT hotlines. My wife is threatening to call the county to come and condemn my closet.
On the third shelf of my closet is a year’s supply of 8 Pills a day to Maturity nutritional supplement special that I heard about on late night Christian TV. Do you realize how much space 2920 pills in 120 bottles take up? They promised that I would pack on the maturity pounds right away. I guess I should throw them away because I couldn’t make it past the first week. With each 8 pills you had to drink 2 ½ gallons! Water evidently is a symbol for the Word of God. It took me all morning to drink 2 ½ gallons! I was constantly late for work. All I can say is that I’m sure that it works for some but it was just too much work. I want my soul to mature not my bladder.
One of the more promising times I had in my journey was when I joined the local chapter of 18 Step Maturity Group. We met each week and were to hold each other accountable to read our Bible and not sin. Unfortunately all it did was teach me how to sin better. I couldn’t believe what people did. I had no idea. I grew up in a Christian home. I decided to leave the group when people had to come to my jail cell to hold me accountable.
The last thing that I tried to gain maturity before I came across this amazing book you are holding is the 5 Steps to Maturity Workbook. I figured that surely I could do just 5 steps. Was I a wimp? Of course not! Immature, yes, wimp, no. I could do 5 pushups so surely the $39.95 special from the ad in the back – way back - part of the Christian magazine would be no problem for me. And boy did I tear up the packaging when that bad dude workbook came in the mail. I spent all evening reading the first page. Actually all there was one page. Remember it was just 5 steps. You can say that easily on one page.
After a week I threw the page, I mean workbook, into the garbage disposal. I couldn’t get past the first step of Capture Every Wrong Thought. I mean really? How do you do that? I guess I should have bought the expanded workbook for $19.95 more because I didn’t catch a wrong thought all week. I tried sneaking up on them, openly scaring them, calling them names and nothing worked. After spending $48.28 at the local Home Depot store on glue traps, mouse traps, rat poison, bug insecticide, and finally a custom PVC contraption that The Discovery Channel would have been proud of I gave up. I just didn’t think I had the patience or the bank account to make it through 4 more steps. I guess I was a wimp.
But then one day I saw a shining light in the sky and I heard a voice that said read 31 Days to Maturity! It was neat to get a voice like that but I didn’t think that God sounded like Goofy the Walt Disney dog. They say that He moves in strange and mysterious ways. It would have been easier to pay attention though if it hadn’t been a shining disco ball light. I’m not complaining though because it changed my life.
But seriously, maturity nirvana has now come my way. Ask anybody, as long as it is my Mom. All it took to achieve my prowess was reading 1 of Craig Cooper’s blogs every day for 31 days. Every day you will feel the soul strength growing. You will find new brain synapses connecting under your pillow when you wake up every morning. It’s better than the tooth fairy when you were a kid.
I have no idea how the program works but it does! It’s sorta magical. Sorry, the publisher says I can’t say magical in a Christian book. It’s sorta spiritual. Wait a minute the publisher doesn’t like the word sorta either.
I don’t know how it works but it does! Just read one blog a day for a month and you will become a mature monster like me. These 31 blogs are from the first 150 blogs my hero Craig wrote over a 3 year period about becoming a mature believer. Just look at him. He’s my ideal of a maturity monster. Don’t tell anyone but if it can work for him you know it has to work for you.
Yours Truly,
Skeeter
The First 7 Days
Becoming mature is hard work, even with this book. So I start you off a little bit easier the first week. The first 7 blogs are a lot lighter. Some say they resemble helium but I prefer hydrogen because when you bring a match around it you get a big bang affect. Hey, if it was good enough to create the world (just kidding!) it’s good enough for your beginning.
Remember go slow. I really don’t recommend that you workout with 2 blogs in the same day. There have been reports of cerebral hemorrhaging in extreme cases of weak Christianity and believe me I can’t afford a law suit. Matter of fact, I can’t afford any kind of suit, maybe a blazer but definitely not a suit.
The publisher says I have to say the following:
Please check with your Pastor before beginning any fitness program. If you have any of the following conditions a counseling appointment with him is highly advised before starting:
A passionless heart.
You are pregnant with sin.
You have no back. Commonly called Spineless Syndrome.
You have trouble breathing when the Holy Spirit’s wind comes around.
You smell strongly of smoke from your frequent trips to the outskirts of Hell.
Severe muscle pain around the jaw when you try not to talk.
You are obese from gorging on too many episodes of American Idol.
You are over 45. (I don’t know why I said that. I am just trying to cover all the bases.)
Please note: The price of this book does not include the love offering required for the counseling session.
Day 1 Have You Ever Prayed for the Fire of God?
Have you ever prayed for the fire of God? I used to. It sounded so cutting edge spiritual.
I wanted to be all that God wanted me to be. “Lord, bring your fire! Consume us,” I would pray loud and long.
I don’t really know what I was thinking. I guess I thought that literal fire would come out of heaven and burn up all the sinners and burn out all the sin in my friends, or some version of that. Maybe I thought I would see flames of fire dancing around the auditorium like God did for the Israelites in the wilderness.
I now realize I was clueless.
I don’t remember exactly when the fire came. It was such a small flame at first that I barely noticed. But I knew I wasn’t cool anymore. My friends didn’t think I was cool either.
Believe or not, as the flame grew in my life I had to ask what it was. I was looking for something else. Not really sure what, just something else. I ended up telling the Lord that I didn’t like all of the heat and pressure that was now coming into my life. Have you ever done that?
In all honesty, I was much blunter with God. I said something like this, “what are you doing?” Followed by, “why me?” Finished by, “when is this going to be over?”
I didn’t like all of the burning up of things from my life. In hindsight, the removal of things was the easiest part. It was the burning up of me that was causing the heat blisters. The flame started moving around in my soul and burning up motivations, attitudes, pride, and even my purpose.
I am still being burned up. Evidently there is a lot of wood to burn.
Most everybody knows I am being burned up now. I look like the ashes in a camp fire pit. It’s not glamorous. I won’t make the cover of Christianity Today anytime soon.
The problem is that most people think it’s the devil getting his way with me. If only that was true, I could rebuke the devil. It’s hard to rebuke what you prayed for.
I am praying that the oxygen supply will give out soon.
How are your heat blisters?
Day 2 I Need a Soul that can Lift Weights
My soul is so wimpy. I need to start lifting some soul weights to get it stronger. I am tired of getting ‘sand kicked’ into my mind, will, and emotions. This has got to end. I would love to have a buff, muscled, lean, and mean soul but how?
I’m not totally sure. But here is my current workout routine that is helping.
1st Workout Station – Do the Right Thing … Always!
This workout machine is killing my soul. Always? That is the part that makes me feel like I am dying.
2nd Workout Station – Replace Fat Flab with Alive Muscle
But I like my fat. Well not really. But I do like my French fries, mashed potatoes, ice cream, wimpy worship, addiction to multimedia, and pasta that produces fat.
Broccoli? No way. Capture my thoughts? No way. Wait a minute; I wasn’t supposed to say that.
3rd Workout Station – Find God’s Presence and Stay There
I used to think His presence was just to be entered into on Sunday at the anointed faith filled church that has the cool logo and latte bar. But lately God has been showing me at this workout station that He is around at work and at the mall. Strange concept but I am being diligent to look for Him wherever I go.
I am improving. I did notice Him at Dairy Queen when I was getting a large blizzard ice cream. Wait, was that God or a sugar induced coma.
4th Workout Station - Beat Down Pride and Stay Humble
This workout station is basic instructions in the martial arts. I am learning to do karate chops and high kicks against my enemy called Pride. My instructor tells me that I have to ruthlessly punch him while thanking God for my real strength.
Some days I do pretty well but I can hardly walk today because I pulled a ham string muscle on the last high kick.
Oh well, there is always next week. Till then I am getting breakfast in bed from my wife. Bless her Lord!
5th Workout Station – Practice Spiritual Disciplines
My personal trainer tells me that what I do in my off time adds greatly to my workout sessions. He tells me to get plenty of water through the word, focus my concentration with meditation on the Lord, and let my prayers be continual. He says these are disciplines that must be a part of my life outside of the gym.
OK. I can see his point. But I did get strange looks while standing in the line at the grocery store praying. The check out lady made a manager come over while she put my stuff in the bags. What’s up with that?
6th Workout Station – Repair Wrongs You Have Done
My cholesterol and blood pressure is too high. Do you have this problem? It seems to afflict many people. My doctor says that I have to get the bad stuff out of my body. I told him, “Ok, take it out.”
He just laughed. He told me, “You have to take it out by getting the poisons out of your body through changing your bad behaviors.” He continued, “Apologize to your body for mistreating it and start treating it correctly.”
“You mean I have to ask forgiveness for the wrongs I have done and make it right,” I asked?
“Yep”
“Whoaa….that is rough.”
“I know. You can do it. Please pay your bill at the front counter.”
As I walked out the doctor’s office with a bill that I thought was too high, I thought, “This workout stuff is harder than I anticipated.”
Day 3 Death is so Inconvenient!
I have been ministering for over 30 years. Yes, I know that you must be thinking that with all of the wisdom I have it must be longer.
But no, I started working in small groups 3 decades ago as a freshman at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Who would have ever thought that I would have ended up in a church of small groups? I guess it is obvious now, but it wasn’t then.
As I look back at that young man of 18, I remember myself as very zealous, passionate, arrogant, and no experience and not realizing it.
As I think about these 30 years my biggest regret has been seeing how many people have stopped ministering for God that once were on fire for Him. Many of these were my friends. Most have not lost their personal relationship with Him they just stopped reaching out to others in ministry. The percentage of people that have done this is higher than I want to admit.
As a leader I regularly think about this. I want to know how to lower the percentage that drops out of the race. In their daily walk most don’t leave God but they never make it to their destiny either.
The reasons that people say they pull away are as varied as the number of people. But surely there has to be some root cause underneath the reasons? I want to propose to you what may be the root. As the presumptuous man of 18 I once was I feel that I am even more presumptuous at 48. But here are my thoughts…
I think the root cause is death. Yes, death – or the lack there of to be more precise. There is a paradox in the Christian life that I do not understand. On one side you have God promising blessings and giving you prophecies. On the other side, God tells you that the way up is down, the way to leadership is servant hood, and the way to heaven is through the death of the cross and I am to take up mine daily.
Death is simply inconvenient. I don’t like dying. It is not fun and I see little benefit in it. Let me share with you 3 deaths I have noticed all great men must pass through. Deaths that are very inconvenient.
I am a bucket of appetites. I want to eat, have fun, be fulfilled, look good, and a thousand other cravings all of the time. Many times these appetites take control and God loses out. I don’t like dying to them. Frankly, it gets old killing myself all of the time. I feel like a bucket with a thousand dagger holes in it. I know this is discipleship 101 but the first death to appetites is so inconvenient.
The second death is dying to a vision God gave me! This seems so unfair. As we grown God gives us a vision of our destiny and purpose. This is exciting – for a while. Then He comes and wants it back! This is truly strange by my human understanding.
For example, God promised Abraham a son and a great nation through him. As an old man, Abraham finally gets his promised son. Then guess what? God wants the son back! He asks Abraham to kill the son that He gave him! God is very strange. But I have personally seen no exceptions to this process. God always asks back what He gave you. “God gave me the promise, why is He taking it back”, you ask? I will leave that to you to figure out, but it always happens. Many people won’t give God His vision for us back. This is so inconvenient.
After all of this, I must die a third time to getting offended at God. Doesn’t it make sense to get mad at God? As a human it does. My appetites, which I didn’t ask for, are raging. I then follow God and He makes a promise that looks like He is going back on. Why shouldn’t I be offended? He definitely doesn’t make much sense. “Normal” people don’t do this. I still love God, but I am mad at Him. My mind is reeling. Death to offense is much more painful than I ever imagined. It is gory and traumatic. It messes up my plans, emotions and goals.
I guess it all comes down to submission – with a good attitude. I know this is a morbid subject…but the people that I admire the most are the deadest. May we continue to walk as dead people – and become the most alive at the same time. You go figure it out…I can’t.
Death is so inconvenient.
Day 4 How Do I Know When I am Dead?
Yesterday I wrote how we need to die at least 3 deaths minimum. Rough I know. But remember you are the one that wants to become mature.
Since yesterday I have wondered how would I know when I am dead? You know, not physically, but the part of me that is me, the part that gets in the way of God.
I have a partial answer. Quick aren’t I?
Romans 6:11 (NIV) In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Dead men don't sin.
Dead men don't have stress.
Dead men don't have opinions.
Dead men don't get offended.
Dead men don't get angry.
Dead men don't have to give their side.
Well, since I have done all of these just in the past month, I guess I'm not dead yet.
I think I must be on the slow budget priced death plan. I need to upgrade to the premium death plan and hurry up and die. I'm ready to plan my funeral.
I wonder how I could speed it up? But, I am afraid if it sped up anymore I might die.
Still alive and kicking. Unfortunately.
Day 5 Shaking
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, Hebrews 12:28a
Christians are right in the middle of being shaken. He is making you into a king for His Kingdom. Shaking means everything about us - body, soul, and spirit is being prodded, moved, and rearranged in order to see what is of Him and what is not. What remains 'stuck' to us is Him. What falls away is not.
Shaking is a part of His success training.
Shaking is when God says there is too much stuff in our life and it's time to get rid it.
Shaking is when God says there are too many distractions and it's time to become single minded.
Shaking is focusing us on what He wants us to do.
Shaking is removing from us the things that we thought were important but He doesn't.
Shaking is about showing us things that we presumed were from Him but are not.
How do you know if you are being shaken? Have 'things' fallen away from you? This includes activities you used to do, beliefs you used to have, friends you used to hang around with, possessions you used to own, or even dreams dreamed? If yes, then you are being shaken.
Shaking is a God thing. Shaking is a good thing. The short-term pain is immense but the long-term gain is equally immense. He is shaking everything loose that He didn't put there. We accumulate many things in our journey through life. Some of the things we accumulate we got without ever really realizing it. Other things we intentionally picked up.
The current shaking is violent and prolonged. But rest assured, you will not lose everything. What will not be lost in the shaking are those things that we heard from Him and then did. Everything else if we will let it happen will be removed.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matthew 7: 24 - 25
What does building on the rock mean? Doing things Jesus asked you to do, nothing else. These are the only things He wants to remain.
I know for myself many things are falling away from me. I feel lighter, more open, and transparent. I also feel naked, vulnerable, and a little frightened.
God walks very simply. He walks with great purpose. But He travels lightly. He is getting us to the same place.
Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Hebrews 12:1b-2a
Shaking won't last forever. Eventually you will be left with what He put and wants in your life. At that point the shaking will stop. He is bringing about the prophetic promises on your life and positioning you for inheritance! Let's run lightly.
Day 6 Where Does Potential Go? Seduction and Offense
I have seen many people lose their potential in God, too many.
I have seen people walk away from God because of obvious sin at one extreme and others drift away because they lost their passion on the other extreme.
Lost potential is probably the saddest thing for me to see as a leader in the church.
As Christians there are so many promises given to us. These promises come through the Bible, God speaking to us, and individual prophecies. These promises speak of our potential, the potential that God wants to see us walk in. I don’t know how many Christians actually achieve their potential. But my observations are they are few. Where does the potential go?
Potential is lost in the process.
Potential takes 3 steps. In the first step we get a promise for a specific area, then we must go through the process, and then we arrive at our potential. Promise leads to process which turns into potential.
There is a process to inherit the potential for our promise.
People often don’t survive the process.
Matthew 22:8-9, 11, 14 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' … "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. … "For many are invited, but few are chosen."
This passage is talking about salvation. But we can use the same principle taught in these verses to illustrate achieving our potential. When we are given a promise our clothes must be changed into the appropriate clothes that we must wear to walk in the promise. When we are given a promise, we are immediately enrolled in the School of the Holy Spirit to give us a new set of clothes to be worn when we get to our destination – the promise.
The promise only speaks of what can happen! Not what has happened. We must change clothes first. This means we must change habits, behaviors, motivations, so that we are able to walk in the promise. This changing of clothes is what I call the process.
I believe people lose their potential primarily for two reasons: First Seduction and second Offense. While they are changing clothes and dreaming of the promise, the enemy brings either seduction or offense into our lives to derail us.
Seduction is the enemy’s counterfeit promise. He tries to offer you something appealing to get you to substitute his promise for God’s promise.
There are three main seductions that I have seen Christians fall into. The first two, are getting involved with the wrong person romantically or taking the wrong job. As zealous Christians start to move out for God, the enemy will counterattack by being sure some attractive person or job offer ‘appears’ in their life. It is not God’s will for them. It is a blatant attempt to seduce them with second best. God has His job and his spouse for us but most Christians just jump at what seems desirable and doesn’t have discern whether it is God or not.
The third seduction I have seen is ‘Instant Ministry’. If the enemy can’t keep us from following God he will bring along a ministry ‘opportunity’. The greater the promise on your life the greater patience it will take to get there fully. In order to stop your full potential the enemy will bring along a ministry opportunity that is better than where you are currently at but will also never take you to your full potential. If he can’t keep you from moving, he will seduce you to move in the wrong direction.
Offense is the most powerful process for derailing Christians. The ways that we get offended are innumerable. But they fall into two general areas. First, we get offended at God. He didn’t do, act, say, or behave the way we thought He should. Secondly, we get offended at a person. Almost always the person we get offended at is key to helping us achieve our potential. They didn’t do, act, say, or behave the way we thought they should. Of course, usually when we get offended we always have a good reason, usually spoken in Biblical words.
Let’s pray for more discernment. The world needs the potential inside of us.
Day 7 Don’t Panic or Presume But Do Pause
Don't Panic or Presume, but do Pause for Purpose!
NW Georgia now has by some reports the second highest unemployment rate in the country at over 13%. Even for those people who have kept their jobs there is a great temptation to walk in fear and anxiety. For many people this is the first time that they have been through so much economic uncertainty. I know this is true for me. Let me share with you a very simple word that I believe is crucial to getting through this time without making the situation worse.
Let me share with you 4P's, 2 P's not to do, and 2 P's to do.
First, don't panic. When whatever causes you to fear comes in, don't panic! You must pause! That means stop whatever you are doing and breathe deeply, walk outside, turn on worship music, etc. but pause! Do something else and refuse to make a decision till the panic is gone! If you make a decision in panic mode you will overreact, most likely be wrong and regret it later. When panic comes, pause!
Second, don't presume. Presume means you assume that the way to proceed forward is the way you walked in the past. This may or may not be right, but don't presume this automatically. Instead, ask God what is the purpose for your life, problem, situation, etc. Tell God that you want His purpose for the future to come about. Most of the time when we go through hard times God is wanting to realign us for something else. If we presume that we are to continue as always we will miss the new purpose He has for us. Don't presume, ask first. If you don't hear anything from the Father then walk according to the wisdom you have learned in the past. But walk slowly, listening for His voice as to where to go next.
Don't Panic or Presume, but do Pause for Purpose!
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Days 8-14
Feeling a little sore yet? Don’t worry you are looking better already. It’s worth it. I imagine your kids are asking you if hair is growing back in your bald spot. I’m sure your spouse is wondering if you have at least started dying your hair on the sly.
I know you are tired and worn out after these exhaustive first 7 days. But it’s worth it. Keep your pace, drink plenty of highly carbonated sugar drinks and you will make it through.
We are going to pick up the pace slightly in the next 7 days. We will be moving from a crawl to a slow walk. If you need a buddy to hold you accountable then we do have a 1-900-PROPHECY line that is almost free of charge. Just call it any time and we will call you all kinds of names to keep you going. Feel free to talk to us as long as you desire. Your success makes us happy – and money.
Day 8 Simplify to Clarify to Finish
Studies have shown that Americans are the most distracted people on the planet. We are bombarded on average with 10,000 advertisements per day. We watch an average of 6 hours of TV per day. The amount of information we take in every day is mind boggling. One edition of the New York Times paper has more information in it than the average person got in their entire lifetime 200 years ago!
All of this information can steal your destiny. To make a difference during your lifetime you have to focus on one thing. That means that you know what that one thing should be. You can’t be great at a dozen things, probably only 1, maybe 2 at most. That means you have to shut out all of the clutter around you – simplify- to discover what you are to do. When you clear your mind of all of the clutter you start understanding what you are to accomplish. Simplification helps you to focus. If you are not careful you can lose yourself in all of the activity, noise, information, and other stuff and think you are doing something when in fact all you are doing is listening and processing information from others.
You find your purpose in the still small voice inside of you, the one that comes from the Holy Spirit. The world cannot tell you what you were created for. Your close friends that know you well can help, but in the end it comes down to you and God. Once you slow down enough to hear the Holy Spirit you will get your purpose and then you must stay simplified as you focus on the finish line!
Information has its place. I probably read 35+ books and listen to 120+ hours of audio messages a year. But if I am not careful I can spend all of my time processing and viewing information instead of creating something new. To create something new takes meditation and reflective thought. It takes soul searching and spending many hours with the Creator of the Universe getting insights. None of these actions are valued by our society. Knowing the latest political news or celebrity diet is what we value.
How do we cross the finish line of the race we are appointed to run? Here are 3 pointers that will get you started: Slow Down, Say No, and Simplify
Slow Down
If you are moving fast all of the time you will pass the exit you need to take.
The Holy Spirit is never in a rush. If you are, then you will walk alone.
The Holy Spirit only speaks significant direction when you are relaxed and enjoying Him.
Do you think the answer to your lack of time problem is to increase your efficiency? Forget it. You are doing too much.
It’s not wrong to rest.
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."- Leonardo DaVinci
Say No
Just Say No to everything that does not help you cross the Finish Line.
At the end of your life you will be glad you did.
Ask for wisdom on when to say yes.
“Simplicity requires ruthlessness.”- Timothy Ferriss
Simplify
Clutter distracts.
Clutter includes unnecessary things, people at the wrong time, and events that only fill time.
Less is better.
Things require time sapping maintenance.
When you simplify you get clarity.
Simplicity helps you to focus.
“There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth.” - Leo Tolstoy
Don’t be deceived by the cultural lie, the race does not go to the busiest or well informed, but the focused.
Day 9 Choosing Destiny Not Destruction
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I have been a Christian for over 35 years. One of the saddest things I have seen is Christians who love God that end up destroyed. It happens all too often. The Bible is clear that the Devil’s end game is to steal from us, destroy us, and even kill us if possible. God’s desire is to always bring life, life to the fullest.
I have asked the question countless times, how does a person’s life get so messed up when once it was so good? How does the Devil come in and destroy?
Recently I heard Larry Kreider of Dove Christian Fellowship International in Lancaster, Pennsylvania talk about the steps to destruction. He talked about how no one is destroyed overnight. It is a process that starts with something simple. The process of destruction starts with not handling unmet expectations correctly.
What are unmet expectations?
This is when we think something is going to happen and it doesn’t.
This is when we think someone is going to do something and they don’t.
This is when we have a hard time accepting what is going on.
When we don’t handle unmet expectations correctly we get disappointed and it starts the process towards destruction.
Here are the 12 D’s to Destruction. They are in the order that they come into our life.
Disappointment – Because of expectations that didn’t happen. Very beginning of Bitterness.
Discontentment - Grass looks greener other places. Negativity starts to occur.
Discouragement – Will it ever change?
Doubt – Start to question everything. Cynical. Danger Zone Spiritually.
Disbelief - Final form of doubt.
Disillusionment - Wanting to Quit.
Deception - Can’t see clearly anymore.
Disobedience - Through Sins of omission or commission.
Discord – Spread bitterness and division to others.
Dysfunctional - Messed up because God is no longer in center of life and affairs.
Despair - You lose it. Some even consider suicide. Hopelessness.
Destruction – Destroyed. Ruined. Broken pieces in your life.
Destruction doesn’t just happen. It is a choice. It starts by not properly handling disappointments. When disappointments come your way immediately go to God and receive grace from to handle them. Give Him your disappointments and forgive Him, yourself, and others where necessary. If you don’t a root of bitterness will immediately start growing in you.
We can get off the train to destruction at any time. It’s our choice. Everything starts with disappointment. Don’t let disappointment rule your life. End it with God’s grace, healing, and love. Thank God that He is still on the throne and let Him abort the destruction process and give us life.
Replace the path to Destruction by letting God Deliver you and bring you to your Destiny by quickly dealing with your disappointments!
Day 10 Surviving Difficult Times
We all go through difficult times. Many people are going through them now. Unemployment, under employment, broken relationships, etc.
If you are in one of those times, I want to give you a few short points that I hope will help you survive the shaking that is going on in your life. These have been learned from personal experience and have helped me.
1. Stay Flexible. The days of things always being like they were are disappearing. Listen for new direction continually. I have found that when God gives new direction it is often only for a short period of time. Realize that many more changes are probably going to be required.
2. Stay Close. Because circumstances are continually changing we need to stay closer to God than ever. Increase your ability to hear His voice.
3. Don’t Become Negative. Negativity kills. Guard your mouth first. Simply refuse to be negative. It brings in many other things that aren’t good. After guarding your mouth, take every negative thought captive.
4. Walk in Faith. Faith is the antidote to negativity. Faith is saying and believing that God will do you right – all of the time. Faith is believing that your best days are ahead because God has already been there and arranged it for you. Ask the Lord to release the faith that is already inside of you!
5. Don’t ask these Questions. There are 2 questions off limits – or bad theology – to ask God. You can ask them, but they will drive you further away from God. These two questions are:
Why did you do this to me God? God doesn’t bring bad circumstances into your life. John 10:10 makes this very clear. God is good – all of the time. If we think God is behind our difficult times then how can we honestly believe He will get us through them?
What did I do wrong? If we are not careful, this question will drive us into introspection to a place where we get depressed. Do not let your difficult times drive you inward but upward. In all honesty, we often do things that bring on difficult times. But immediately turn upward to God and if we did something wrong and if He wants to deal with it He will tell us. It is much better to be led by His voice than ours or others.
6. Ask these Questions. There are two questions that are advisable.
Help me to understand what is going on? This is a valid question, but we may not get the answer soon. I have found that God will usually answer questions about what we are going through, but only after a length of time has passed.
What do I do now? This is the best and most effective question to ask of all. In 1 Samuel 30 it talks about a difficult situation in David’s life before he was king where his home was destroyed, wife and children kidnapped, and his men ready to kill him. Look at what he did in verse 8. He did not become negative, blame God or others. He immediately turned to God and asked Him what to do next. God instantly gave him the answer. David then moved with great flexibility and faith and recovered all.
You can make it through your difficult times. Stay flexible, close, and have faith. Begin every morning asking God what he wants you to do next. Don’t ever stop asking, even when the difficult times aren’t around.
Day 11 4 Benefits of Knowing the Holy Spirit
I have had the Holy Spirit living inside of me for over 35 years. But it’s only been a fraction of those years that I have pursued getting to know Him.
There is a big difference between having Him live inside of me as a Christian and knowing Him. That difference has made all of the difference in my life.
Knowing Him is knowing Him. It’s not knowing about Him.
Knowing Him is knowing His voice when He talks to me.
Knowing Him is carrying on a conversation with Him.
Knowing Him is asking Him not just for answers to prayer questions but for His opinions.
Knowing Him is the best relationship that I have ever had.
Knowing Him has produced 4 benefits in my life. The funny thing is that I really never asked for any of these things. That’s the fun of knowing someone. They just rub off on you.
Benefit # 1 – Contentment
Contentment is realizing that where I am now is enough.
Contentment is not striving for more and being willing to say no to more.
Contentment with godliness really is great gain.
Benefit # 2 – Enjoying the Moment
Enjoying the moment is looking at a wildflower in a field that no one else will ever see.
Enjoying the moment is listening to someone talk without worrying about what I will say next.
Enjoying the moment is realizing that this moment is the most important.
Enjoying the moment is living like the sparrow.
Benefit # 3 –Not Having to be in Control
Not having to be in control removes control from me.
Letting others walk as they want allows me to run.
Not having to be in control allows me to find calm when there is busyness all around.
Not having to be in control allows the Holy Spirit to lead others.
Benefit # 4 –Losing the Need for Approval
When I talk to Him my need for approval diminishes.
When my need for approval diminishes the need for success fades.
When my need for success fades I stop doing things that don’t really matter.
When I stop doing things that don’t really matter I find the Holy Spirit is enough.
How is your journey to know Him going?
Day 12 My Issues Have Issues
Issue -Definition: A problem, challenge, or blockage that needs to be dealt with
The Holy Spirit is dealing with my issues. I have a lot of issues. My issues have issues.
I am finding that there are 3 ways to react to the Holy Spirit when He is dealing with my issues.
1. Ignore Him. This is my first response. It used to work. It doesn’t seem to work very well anymore. I think the Holy Spirit’s memory is getting better.
2. Endure Him. I say something like this, “OK, I hear you. The issue is now on my to do list. It will come up automatically on my planner when the due date hits. Do you see it written in? ” Then I go on living life as normal. To call my issue a low priority is an understatement.
3. Embrace Him. Let me give you a word of advice from that famous American shoe company – “Just Do It”. Embrace whatever the Holy Spirit is telling you. Quickly. Get it over with. It’s the fastest and least painful way.
Ask the Holy Spirit to just pull the band-aid off. The pain goes away quicker.
Day 13 What is a Disciple?
What is a disciple of Jesus? This is an important question because a disciple is different that a believer.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 go and make disciples of all nations. He did not say go and make believers of all nations.
If we are to make disciples and not believers then we need to know what is a disciple?
The definition of a disciple is usually one who believes like Jesus. The common way Christian leaders make a disciple is then to teach someone all about the Bible and ensure that they believe those teachings. I submit to you that this is wrong.
The Western culture believes that information is the key to everything - including making a disciple. This is a byproduct of the Enlightenment period of the 1700’s that has so heavily influenced the West. While this period did bring many remarkable changes, it also brought the primacy of knowledge above all else.
A disciple is not one who believes correctly.
James 2:19 says that demons believe correctly about God but they are obviously not disciples. Belief alone does not make a disciple. You can believe correctly about everything in the Bible and still not be a disciple. This may make you a great theologian or teacher, but not a disciple.
A disciple is one who loves and obeys their Master.
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Luke 22:42 “…yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Love and obedience are the mark of a disciple.
A disciple is one who follows His Master trusting that His Master knows best.
A disciple is one who knows that as He follows His Master he will gain the knowledge he needs when he needs it.
A disciple is one who walks with His Master and as a result comes to know His Master.
Correct thinking is important. But when you love and obey the Master He has His own teacher to guide you into all of the truth – the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:27). As you walk with the Master you will learn how He thinks. But just as important you will learn to be and do as He is.
This simple distinction of what a disciple is needs to be filtered through out all of Western Christianity. Our current programs of making disciples are information based methods of making disciples. We enroll new Christians into programs that are primarily composed of getting as much information about the Bible, God, ministry, etc. into their skulls as quickly as possible. We then have them recite this knowledge back correctly in some form. We then “graduate” them based on correct recitation of this knowledge.
This style of making disciples also limits who can disciple others to those who are extremely knowledgeable about Christianity and are also good communicators or teachers of that knowledge.
Biblical Experts are not needed to disciple others. Teachers are very important but they play a supportive role in the discipleship process. Disciple making does not end with teaching. Disciple making does not begin with teaching. We must teach people to get to know and love the Master first. We then teach them how to walk with Him on a regular basis obeying all that He tells us. This is the mark of discipleship. Anyone who knows the Master and walks with Him can disciple others. When a person is taught to walk with, love and obey the Master they will have the basics they need to grow as a Christian for the rest of their lives.
Love and obedience are the mark of a disciple. These two characteristics will turn Christianity in the West from an intellectual pursuit to one of transformation.
What are your thoughts?
Day 14 Need Power? Meet the Holy Spirit
Boy, do I need more power!
I love being a Christian. I love the Lord. I want to be righteous!
But it seems to be getting harder to do the things I love. Is it that way for you?
I’m not sure what it is that is making it harder.
Frankly, the only thing I know to do is to get to know the Holy Spirit better. Why?
I met Jesus at salvation but it says in Acts 1:8 that He sent the Holy Spirit to us and the Holy Spirit would come with power. So if I already have the power inside of me why don’t I experience it more?
First, here are some things I am learning about the Holy Spirit.
1. He is a person and I am to pursue Him like I do in my relationship with Jesus.
2. He has an infinite supply of power. Problems are not a problem for Him.
3. I keep ‘cutting Him off’ from giving me the power I need.
How do I ‘cut Him off’?
At least 4 ways:
1. I Don’t Make Him Lord. In Christianity, we are used to the phrase, “Make Jesus Lord.” But do you know that we need to make the Holy Spirit Lord too? What does that mean? It means the same as it does for Jesus, that when the Holy Spirit speaks we need to unconditionally obey. To get full power He needs to be made fully Lord.
2. I Don’t Listen to His Voice. It is the Holy Spirit that is inside of us. So we have to learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit inside of us. He speaks to us directly! When we refuse to listen to Him as a person it limits the amount of power that we can receive in our life. Don’t limit how the Holy Spirit can talk to you.
3. I Don’t Want All 9 Fruits He Plants. It says in Galatians 5:22-23 that the Holy Spirit can radically change who we are through 9 fruits that He wants to plant in our life. Those 9 fruits are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Don’t limit the Holy Spirit by picking and choosing what fruits you want Him to plant. Ask Him to plant all 9 in you as fast as He can and as He sees fit! Our character needs them! How are we going to look like Jesus without them?
4. I Don’t Want All 9 Gifts He Brings. It says in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 that the Holy Spirit also brings 9 gifts that He wants to give us. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are often more controversial. Many times we are taught that the Holy Spirit doesn’t bring gifts anymore. Or we are taught that not all of the 9 gifts are available to us today. This is one of the major reasons we don’t have enough power. The 9 gifts are: prophecy, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, miracles, healings, discernment, faith, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Ask Him for all 9 gifts today! When we put a ‘throttle or governor’ on the gifts we are automatically putting a throttle on power in our lives. We need the fruits to be and the gifts to do! Our life needs them! How are we going to do the things Jesus did without them?
When we say no or we are simply passive in any of these 4 areas we ‘grieve’ the Holy Spirit as it is described in Ephesians 4:30. Grieve means we limit the Holy Spirit from moving in us. He can be in us but not allowed to move in us. When we say yes we open the door to a new person called the Holy Spirit who always brings power!
Days 15-21
I know, I know, I have been there. The lactic acid build up in your emotions is horrendous. But it will drain away I promise! Better days are coming.
I am going to warn you ahead of time that the next 7 days are going to cause some burn. But please don’t quit you are already half way through the workout program. Just getting started was the hard part and it’s all downhill from here. OK, I lied about the downhill part but you are encouraged aren’t you?
The fire of God always causes burn. I can’t help it. He’s just a fire type of guy; fire in the desert, fire on the brazen altar, burning bushes, tongues of fire, He just likes fire. Now me if I was God I would be the ice cream type. Soft serve ice cream at the altar, follow the Oreo blizzard by day, come into my presence with milk shakes, etc. But I can’t make you mature so we have to go with the fire thing for now.
Day 15 Does God Like Me?
Do you ever think this? I often struggle with this thought, sometimes worse than others. Am I the only one?
Here are 3 things that help me to think He does like me after all:
1. God says He does!
The Bible is quite clear that He not only likes you, He loves you!
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…”
Gal 4:7 - So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
We know God doesn’t lie. So if I think he doesn’t like me guess what is happening? My mind and emotions are lying to me. Granted, my mind and emotions are not evil characters in some horror movie, so let’s not call them liars. My self esteem can’t handle that. How about ignorant? Yea, that sounds better?
So tell your mind to be quiet, it doesn’t know what it is talking about!
2. He doesn’t make me perform like a puppet.
When you like someone you accept them just the way they are. You don’t make them perform to some level of behavior.
Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast."
God likes me so much He has already done everything that I should have done. That’s cool. Really cool.
So what do I do now since I don’t have to do anything to get Him to like me? Like Him back.
3. He treats me like a son or daughter not a slave.
Galatians 4:5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
I would imagine that slaves are constantly living in fear of what is going to happen to them next. But sons know they will be taken care of simply because we are sons. We don’t have to worry about the future. That is a slave mentality and not son thinking.
Repeat over yourself every day until you believe it. “God likes me. I am His son. He chose me to be His son. He not only likes me, He loves me!”
Take that you old ignorant mind!
Day 16 5 Ways to Avoid Mediocrity
I have the disturbing problem of wanting to stop. Sometimes it is just not worth it to me to keep moving forward with God.
Now, I don’t want to lose my salvation. I don’t want to lose my relationship with God. I just simply want to stay where I am at and have no one including God expect any more of me. The visions I have been given, the promises I have had prophesied over me don’t seem to matter at these moments.
Are you this way? Do you ever have the tendency to go to the middle, average, acceptable, or status quo position?
Here are 5 things I have to do to try to stay out of drifting into mediocrity:
1. Never Say, “This is Enough”
When the battles come, I find myself saying something like this, “Well, what I have done is good enough. It’s better than most others do. I have been fighting for a long time; maybe this is all that I am supposed to do. I am getting older and it’s only right to sit back.” Have you ever said something like this?
I call this going into maintenance mode. Take appropriate time to rest and dream. But don’t lose your mission. I know when I am at the end of my life I will regret having ever lived in a maintenance mindset.
2. Never Say, “I Give Up”
Usually when I say, “I give up” it means I need a rest. Say, “I need a rest instead.” Never say, “I give up.” It is the first step to going into maintenance mode. These 3 words start lubricating the mind to get ready for its slide backward.
Faith says I don’t know how I will get through my problem, but I will continue to take risks, move out, and look for new opportunities to stretch my faith and allow God to move.
There always comes a point in every leader’s life when everything is stripped from him. Faith is what you have left.
Use the ‘I Give Up’ times to get some rest and let God build your faith.
3. Banish Wrong Thoughts
We process many thoughts per day. Some of them help us in our journey forward some of them definitely don’t. These types of thoughts can wear me down if I am not careful. Here are some thoughts that I have to avoid as much as possible: I am a victim, worry, fear, perfectionism, and negativity.
I have to avoid as much as possible people, places, news casts, magazine articles, etc. that plant fatalistic negative thoughts in my mind.
I am a child of God with a hope and a future! It’s hard enough to remember this without entertaining all of the other negativity in the world. I can’t avoid the negativity, but I can minimize it through what I watch and read and try not to become negative over my own life’s circumstances.
I need to remember what every mother says over their children, “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.” Still great advice.
4. Banish Jealousy
It is often a great discouragement when I notice someone else doing what I want to do and they seemed to get there so easily.
One word of advice: Jealousy is a momentum stopper. It takes my eye off my mission and kills me slowly.
I need to thank God for where I am at daily and trust in Him that He will do me right. I am just as much a favorite son as the other guy.
5. Banish Distractions & Diversions
I have so many things trying to come into my life and demanding attention? How about you? Distractions and diversions almost never help us to move forward. They simply distract and divert us.
I constantly finding myself becoming “tranquilized by the trivial ” as Soren Kierkegaard once said.
I want to become a ruthless killer! A killer of things that don’t help my get me to my mission. So help me watch my words and thoughts. I need the help!
Bye Bye Mediocrity. Hello Mission!
Day 17 How to Change the Spiritual Atmosphere Around You
In the Present : Talk about the good things God is doing.
About the Past : Talk about the good things God has done.
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