Tag Archives: CEB Blog Tour

Thirst For God

Just like a deer that craves streams of water,
my whole being craves you, God.
2 My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God.
When will I come and see God’s face?
 (Psalm 42:1-2, CEB)

A.W. Tozer’s great book, The Pursuit of God, was one of the first Christian classics I was introduced to in college. The past few weeks I have been on a quest. I want my tastes changed for the Kingdom of God. I want to THIRST again.

Tozer:
The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be ‘received’ without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. A man is ‘saved,’ but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. In fact, he is specifically taught to be satisfied and is encouraged to be content with little.

I can understand being content with “little” in this world. This world just can’t satisfy. But to be content with “little” from God is just crazy. Yet, that has been my life. I need a new thirst.

What is the Song God Sings Over You?

7 You are my secret hideout!
You protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of rescue! Selah (Psalm 32:7, CEB)

17 The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory.
He will create calm with his love;
he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph. 3:17, CEB)

Propositional truth is good. It is necessary. We need to understand what God has done for us and what we can do in return.

But the songs of love are good as well. THEY are necessary. We get our heads exploding with knowledge. Sometimes we just need our souls to sing. And sometimes we need to get quiet and hear our God sing over us.

Listen for his song!

Are We Faithful or Are We Drifting?

Doom, obstinate one,
the defiled one,
the violent city.
2 She listened to no voice;
she accepted no discipline.
She didn’t trust in the Lord,
nor did she draw near to her God.
3 The princes in her midst are roaring lions.
Her judges are wolves of the evening;
they leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless, men of treachery.
Her priests pollute that which is holy;
they do violence to the Instruction. (Zeph. 3:1-4, CEB)

As the American Church, we may need to pay close attention to this warning to Judah. Sometimes, if we will do ANY self-examination, we may find that we have become obstinate. The church on the “left” easily accuses the church on the “right” of being obstinate. And the favor is often returned. Yet… look inside. Perhaps there are times we are all obstinate in some way. We have failed to listen to God. We have failed because we are too busy talking and not caught up with listening any more.

We don’t trust God for alternate reasons. We are leaning on the public sector to be our supply… or we are leaning on rugged individualism. Both cases demonstrate a lack of trust in God.

And the spiritual leaders… Are we reckless? Do we care about people any more? It is a careful walk to be a pastor and spiritual leader in the Kingdom of God. We have to be able to see people. We have to be careful with the Word of God. Instruct people faithfully.

These words are harsh from Zephaniah. The easy thing to do is leave them in that era. Yet… we need to carefully hear those words once again. Do we TRUST God? Are we faithful to his Word?

The Singing God

17 The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory.
He will create calm with his love;
he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph. 3:17, CEB)

We serve a God who rejoices over us. We serve the One who has set us free from bondage. We are brought out of our barrenness into abundance…

So why in the world are we so BORED with God? 

He is the One who sings over us. His joy is overflowing toward us.

It is time to wake… to rejoice… TO SING.

Hard Work

Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them. (Ann Landers)

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” (Chuck Swindoll)

In our spiritual lives there are times of breakthrough, and that means some tough work. It means tough work in prayer. It means tough work in all kinds of areas.

In a prayer time last night one of the things that came up in our prayer was to not stop pushing in prayer now because there is a little resistance. Then the thought came to us, “Don’t stop in prayer when we get a little success, either!”

There are times of resistance right before key times of breakthrough. How many breakthroughs are missed because we stopped short in prayer?

2 Set your heart straight, be steadfast,
and don’t act hastily in a time of distress.
3 Hold fast to God
and don’t keep your distance from him,
so that you may find strength
at your end. (Sirach 2:2-3, CEB)

Speaking Truth Has Little to do with Response

That said, it is still up to us as believers to take up the admonition to speak the truth in love. That still may not go well, but it does not release us into the depths of this world’s system of “taking it to the man” (or whatever phrase they are using these days).

But when we communicate truth, the reality is that the truth does not always evoke a “positive” response. What we need to remember is that it is not our call. Our call is obedience.

10 He said to me: Human one, listen closely, and take to heart every word I say to you. 11 Then go to the exiles, to your people’s children. Whether they listen or not, speak to them and say: TheLord God proclaims! (Ez. 3;10-11, CEB)

Being Hard Headed

It’s okay to be hard-headed! Hallelujah!

Stubborn.

Immovable.

It’s biblical!

8 I’ve now hardened your face so that you can meet them head-on. 9 I’ve made your forehead like a diamond, harder than stone. Don’t be afraid of them or shrink away from them, because they are a household of rebels. (Ez. 3:8-9, CEB)

AND, being hard-headed puts you in “diamond” status!

It’s all good news! ;)

The real scoop is really, “Are you hard-headed for the gospel?”

When there is a message of truth that needs to be proclaimed, and the word of the Lord is strong, are you ready to proclaim what God has given you even if the audience doesn’t listen.

This is when I do NOT want to be “hard headed.” This is when I want to run away and wish God had never talked to me!

We all wish for “positive” responses.

What God needs, however, is straight up obedience. And he’ll even gift us with the hard head!

 

Isn’t It Time to Get in the Game?

17 No weapon fashioned against you will succeed,
and you may condemn every tongue that disputes with you.
This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants,
whose righteousness comes from me, says the Lord. (Isa. 54:17, CEB)

It’s time to “come home.” It’s time to put aside the shame. No more humiliation. Isn’t it time to let go of the past failures and realize the grace of God is calling you to something abundant and powerful?

It’s not our terms of abundance. Our terms are far too short-sighted. His terms of abundance are much richer.

We need to hear the words of our great Father calling us to get back in the game. You took a hard hit. It happens. Sure, the New Orleans Saints defense was gunning for you. It happens.

Healing has flowed. The “bounty” defense has been thrown out of the game. It’s time to get back in.