Clutter.... Setting the stage for Spiritual Chaos

Have you ever noticed that the amount of things a person has is directly correlated to the chaos and stress in their lives?  Sure, things are fun, but each thing requires a precious commodity.... mainly TIME.  But is it only time we are giving up?  Because these things dominate our time, they also cloud our mind with the things of this world.  There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, 

"A cluttered space equals a cluttered mind".  This would indicate that these possessions we collect are slowly starting to dominate our thoughts, leading us to somewhat of a mental chaos.

Yesterday, I was on a return flight from a mini-vacation with my bride.  We had a screaming 15 month old in the seat in front of us, which was an interesting dynamic for the entire plane.  The child was being taken by aunt and uncle for a week to give mommy a needed break, so that is an admirable act of service.  About an hour into the flight, a nice lady from a few rows up came back to calm the child.  She had a kind and gentle spirit about her and she obviously loved children.  She was acting in a selfless way to serve not only the aunt and uncle, but the whole plane.  During this kind gesture, the child's foot accidentally knocked over this fella's beer onto his precious computer.  His entire demeanor changed as he violently rushed to dry off and attempt to salvage his device.  He has no idea how shallow he looked at that time.  Then I thought about all of the times I have acted the same way, even modeling the unnecessary reactions to my children........

Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.  Colossians 3:2

But everything must be done decently and in order.                       1 Corinthians 14:40

So are we creating our own chaos?  Are we building our own stress levels by having the "things of this world"?

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.  Romans 12:2

Other versions say "patterns of this world" or "trappings of this world".  This is a warning to each of us.  If we are HIS WORKMANSHIP (Ephesians 2:10), and uniquely created (Psalm 139:13-14), WHY would we want to conform and be something OTHER than what we were created to be?

How easily we are deceived by the physical things of this world, because of our thoughts.  Notice all the scriptural talk about the mind.  And it continues.....

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.  Philippians 4:8

Interestingly, the 2 verses prior to Philippians 4:8 give us directives about stress and anxiety.  the Bible tells us what to let in our minds for OUR OWN PROTECTION.  His truth is so evident in the lives of those who have rejected His love and care for them.  He offers the peace that we cannot understand (Philippians 4:7).  You see, our mind (thoughts) offer a doorway to our heart.  This is where life flows from.  If our joy is compromised by our thoughts, we have little to give.  If we are wounded and have not received freedom and healing, we will rarely trust enough to give of ourself.

Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.  Proverbs 4:23

What is holding you back today?  What are the areas of physical/spiritual clutter that you need to clean up?  What thoughts are you struggling with?

I urge you to seek Biblical counsel and discuss these areas with someone today.

Thank you for reading.   I invite you to like, follow, and share with anyone who might enjoy or need this message.  Freedom in Christ is available to all who are willing..... to leave the ledge.

Declaration.... Devotion's Call

"Soldiers, when committed to a task, can't compromise.  It's unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until it's been done."
- John Keegan

I want to start this off by honoring those who have served the United States of America, those who fought, declared, and kept her independent.  While she is far from perfect, she is the greatest nation in the world. I am proud to be an American.  This would have never happened without the original visionaries, who were devoted to putting vision into print as The Declaration of Independence.

dec-la-ra-tion

-  a formal or explicit statement or announcement.
-  a formal announcement of a beginning of a state or condition.

Declarations call us to be devoted to a cause outside of a personal desire.  They call us to, at times, act and think differently, but with purpose.

Who is wise and understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom's gentleness.  But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't brag and lie in defiance of the truth.  Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.  For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy.  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.  James 3:13-18

On February 1st of this year, Tracy and I celebrated 25 years of our original declaration of marriage.  God continues to bless our marriage as we continue to declare Him Lord.  As we devote ourselves to Him, our selfless pursuit of each other becomes second nature.

A cord of three strands is not easily broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:12

At our 25th anniversary, we rewrote and read vows in the presence of God and witnesses.  It was a declaration of deeper devotion to each other, with new spoken words.  It was our witness and the word of our testimony to those who were in attendance.  We want others to see that selfless devotion is beautiful and consistent.  Much like the flag that we fly today is a symbol of our independence, our marriage is a symbol of our pursuit of each other... and the continued love and devotion on display is our daily declaration.

"The time you spend alone with God will transform your character and increase your devotion.  Then your integrity and godly behavior in an unbelieving world will make others long to know the Lord." - Charles Stanley



Please enjoy, share, follow, and like.  If you know of someone who could use this encouragement, please share this with them.

Beyond comfort.... Rest

I cannot relax or be still;  I have no rest, for trouble comes.      Job 3:26

I am churning within and cannot rest;  days of suffering confront me.  Job 30:27

Have you ever been at a place where you were forced to rest?  Where your mind can't stop, but your body can't go?  When there is so much to accomplish, but physically you have hit "the wall"?  Why is it so uncomfortable for us to be in that place?

Last Friday, I had a laser procedure done on both feet.  Everything went well and I was looking forward to a quick recovery.  At this point, I venture to say there is no such thing.

re-cov-er-y

1. a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.

2. the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost.

In this life, it seems as if we are all striving for something.  Whether it is the struggle for position or possession, we feel like we control our own destiny.  We never stop lest we might fall behind... and that makes the reality of the TRUTH so hard for us to understand.  Yes, we were created to work, but also to rest.

For we are His creation- created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10

By the seventh day, God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.  Genesis 2:2

So if we have been created in His image, should we not emulate work ethic?  Even Our Creator knew rest would be necessary after work had been done, yet in our need for control, we fail to stop.  What we don't see, many times, is that The Father is always drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him.  He desires to be in fellowship with us, but we have to stop.  This is not new.  The book of Job, one of the oldest books in the Bible, shows humanity's weakness in complete rest even in the Lord's most faithful of servants.  Here we have Satan gaining God's permission to torment Job in a great test of his faithfulness to God.  God knew Job would be faithful, but in the end, Job had to be corrected.  While his faithfulness was sound, his trust was lacking as he continued to question God about his circumstances.

"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

So here, we see the differentiation of physical rest from work, and spiritual rest from our mental stresses.  While God was training Job to trust Him deeper, even through terrible times, He was also showing him that He was trustworthy through anything.  God wasn't asking Job to defend Him, but rather just to let Him be the faithful God that He had always been.  This is His rest.  The same rest Jesus calls us to when we don't understand or don't have all of the answers.  We were not created to carry worries and burdens, but rather to trust. 

I would encourage you to read Hebrews 4.  Once again, we see the example of God resting on the seventh day....after His work was complete.  We also see that knowing the "good news" (yes, this is referring to the Gospel), and being disobedient to Its call, invites torment into our lives.  BUT, the door is always open...because He loves you.

Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.  Hebrews 4:7b

So, my new definition of RECOVERY... is to fall back into alignment with Him through obedience, and enter into His rest.  Re-covering me in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  You see...the work for these characteristics has been accomplished...and they are available to you through submission to Him.

I invite you to share, like, follow, and comment.  Thank you for reading.

Confession.... under judgement??

Confession.... under judgement??

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.  The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.  James 5:16

If you grew up in church, then you most likely have spent some time trying to figure out just how the above scripture actually works.  Most of the folks I have talked to about this have come to the point where they are of the mindset of, "You must be crazy if you think I am unloading all of my failures, and have all of the people's judgement of my actions.  You have no idea the shame it would cause me."  The fear of transparency has been ushered in by the culture we have created... especially in the church.  It is a culture of self-righteousness and pride that can only come from a thought that someone is above the sacrificial action Jesus did on the cross.  I must confess (and dare one to judge), after growing up in a religious culture of shame, I have committed my fair share of unsubstantiated judgements.  I beg forgiveness for anyone who sees this and has experienced this from me.  Know that I am not the person I once was.  I had no right.

"Do not judge, so that you won't be judged.  For with the judgement you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but don't notice the log in your own eye?" Matthew 7:1-3

So this culture that we have created has been an open invitation to the enemy, who has established a spirit of fear within the church.  In our own conventional "wisdom", we have created an environment which is not conducive to confession, yet we are called to bear one another's burdens and confess our own sin to others.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9

In John chapter 8, Jesus tells those of judgement if there is one without sin, cast the first stone.  One by one, they dropped their stones to the ground and left.  They knew that Jesus was without sin and didn't act.  Perhaps they began examining their own lives.  Examination of the heart is called for in our humanity.  Scripture tells us that God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  If we are made in His image, we should do the same....starting with our own lives.

Imagine the peace that was experienced by the woman who was almost stoned to death when Jesus told her He had no condemnation for her.  "Go and sin no more", was His response.  I will bet her life was changed forever.  I believe this because of lives I have seen changed...including mine.

Christ has liberated us to be free.  Stand firm then and don't submit again to a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1

So once we are liberated, through repentance and forgiveness, we are instructed to not return to our sinful ways.  Jesus came to set us free from the guilt and shame of our failures.  We do this through confession of our struggles and failures.  If we fail to act in this manner, we carry a burden we are not meant to carry.  We also keep any encouragement we might need in our struggles inactivated.  Transparency will elevate the name of Jesus and, in reality, is your greatest weapon.

They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.  Revelation 12:11

The word of your testimony is the story of your depravity drowning in His grace.  This is abundant life.  What His plan is for you and me.  Shame and guilt can't be used by the enemy any longer at this point.  He is defeated in the name of Jesus.

I challenge each of you to find freedom through confession.  I know it is hard, but this is His desire for you...not to carry an unnecessary burden.  Trust Him... He wants you to... Leave the Ledge.

Please share this with those dealing with the shame of past failures.  There is freedom in the name of Jesus.

Words.... What are you speaking?

Words.... What are you speaking?

All of us have been on the receiving end, or have delivered, a verbal tirade.  The spew of harsh words carelessly plastered together for the purpose of tearing down and degrading a person.  It is a poor attempt to build ourselves up by belittling another, flexing the flesh muscle of our tongue to illustrate a power position.  When in reality, we are showing our weakness and fear.  My youngest daughter will correct a person in this manner....

No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear.  Ephesians 4:29

You see, those words that we use carry great power...and great responsibility, to be used appropriately and in the manner mentioned in scripture.  I will testify (and NO, I am not perfect.  I still fail daily) that I have seen the power of words completely change marriages, friendships, attitudes, and countenance.  The very posture of a person can be restored to health.  But I must profess the Holy Spirit's work in my life to soften and change my heart COMPLETELY changed my tongue.

"Brood of vipers!  How can you speak good things when you are evil?  For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart."  Matthew 12:34

These are the words of Jesus as He was teaching about the fruit of our lives.  We all need to hear, and offer, words encouraging others.  And on the flip side, we need to understand that when others spew, we have the option of receiving or rejecting those words based on the level of truth they carry.  This was me growing up.  I soaked up every word, good and bad, true and untrue.  It was very unhealthy spiritually, but I didn't understand my identity and who God says I am.  By the way, I am gonna go with what He says.  :-)

Several years ago, I was part of a layoff.  I was at the top of my game, but went 16 months without a position.  During this time, I was somewhat lost as I had lost my knowledge of who I was... I had become my position.  So I did a little exercise to get some perspective.  I utilized Facebook for feedback from friends.  I wanted to hear from those who knew me.  Just a word, when they see or hear my name.  I called this "The Blake Experiment".  This was not an appeasement strategy, but rather I needed to hear from the heart of those who I had let see my heart. I have never shared this list, but here it is.

Sincere, Integrity, Friendly, Gentle, a mess (that's 2 words by the way), Fishing, Christ-Follower, Caring, Country, Friend, Cutie, Leader, Fun, Generous, Faithful, Salty, Mighty, Talented, Tracy, Blessed, Persistent, Awesome voice, Kind, Loyal, Compassionate, Role Model, Funny, Steadfast, Diligent, Spiritual, Determined, Dedicated, Trustworthy, Devoted, Sharp, Opinionated, Observant, Cool, Solid, Genuine

This was humbling, empowering, invigorating, energizing, and challenging.  I know that I can't be all of that on my own.  I have chosen to build on this list.

He must increase, but I must decrease.  John 3:30

This is the way we change our tongues.  The fruit of our mouths will only change as our hearts are surrendered to our Creator, who has sent Holy Spirit to counsel us in our times of need.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.  Proverbs 18:21

For every creature - animal or bird, reptile or fish - is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God's likeness.  Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things should not be this way.  Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?  Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs?  Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.  James 3:7-12

If you have ever bitten into a bad piece of fruit, you likely spit it out because of its bitterness.  In this action, you have chosen not to receive bad fruit.  It tasted bad and you had a good understanding quickly that it was not good.  Reflect on this prayer of repentance from King David after being called out for correction after pursuing Bathsheba.  Remember, David was a "man after God's own heart".

Psalms 51

Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love;  according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.  Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.  For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me.  Against You - You alone - I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight.  So You are right when You pass sentence;  You are blameless when You judge.  Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;  I was sinful when my mother conceived me.  Surely You desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach wisdom deep within.  Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;  wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness;  let the bones You have crushed rejoice.  Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.  God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.  Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You.  Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.  Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.  You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;  You are not pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.  God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.  

For this is how our tongues will be changed...from within, by Him.

Faithfulness... A picture of our understanding

Faithfulness... A picture of our understanding

Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.  They are new every morning;  great is Your faithfulness!  I say:  The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him.  Lamentations 3:22-24

Just recently, I was in a store observing "dialogue" between a mother and her 3 year old.  By "dialogue" I mean the mom was standing over the 3 year old as the child's actions debated her cause.  We have all seen this on occasion and most of us shake our heads and walk on by mumbling the disciplinary steps that should be taken.  Meanwhile, a loving parent is stuck trying to explain the whys of their decision not to give in to the tantrum.... or some do.  It is an all too familiar occurance that has created the entitlement culture we live in today.

Because we are influenced by our environment, many have let this mentality creep into our relationships... including our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  When we pray, we want it now because we like control and are selfish in nature... much like the 3 year old.

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth.  He never grows faint or weary;  there is no limit to His understanding.  He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.  Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength;  they will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary;  they will walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:28-31

Do we completely understand that our Heavenly Father knows our needs, thoughts, struggles, failures, and desires before we ever bring them to Him in prayer?  Do we not trust His timing as Creator of the universe?

Have you ever looked back to evaluate the faithfulness of Abba Father?  His faithfulness remains in every situation.  Some of us need to put on our proverbial "big boy pants" and stand on the solid foundation of the Word of God.

Reactionary spirituality will fail the faith test every time.

Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.      Hebrews 10:23-25

This implores me to encourage you to continue and read Hebrews 11.  If those who have gone before us acted in the 3 year old manner, they would have lost out on the blessing they received.

Hold fast to the promises of The Faithful One, and remember... He is for you.

Please share this with those who might need encouragement, or are walking through the waiting.  The Father knows.

Trusting...With What??

Trusting...With What??

 There comes a time in everyone's life (truthfully, many times) when we are challenged to trust.  To trust teammates, our instincts, lawn equipment, our "smart"phones, but especially the promises of our Creator.  It is in those times we must evaluate the trustworthiness of who or what we have faith in.  This weighting of trustworthiness can be "scaled" by the value of what we are willing to entrust.  For example, we trust that our contacts will be faithfully stored on our smartphones, but not so much that we don't require cloud and other device backup.... just in case.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;  think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord and do what is good;  dwell in the land and live securely.  Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires.  Commit your way to the Lord;  trust in Him, and He will act.  Psalms 37:3-5

One of the most difficult things to do as a parent is to entrust your children completely to the Lord.  I must admit, our early parenting years were only partially done this way.  We often say that our younger 2 kids certainly have received a well improved version of parenting and guidance.  This is completely because we were tired and choose to live by the scriptures above.  

When we fail to trust, we choose to bear the burden of control, of which we have none.  

So out of control, we fail to trust.  One must ask themselves, what areas of my life are out of control?  What am I tired of carrying?  Where am I weary and burdened?

"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

JESUS wants your burden of control

Disclaimer:  I do not play favorites with the children God has blessed me with.  Each of them are unique and wonderful in there own way.  They were created to be different and one of a kind.


Enough with the fine print, but I thought it should be mentioned.

When I found out we were expecting our fourth child, I gave everything to Jesus.  Since doing that, my circumstances do not dictate my joy, and I truly am aware of His rest.  I get to enjoy my children and all of the great qualities each of them have.  Because of His rest, I peacefully have to opportunity to guide them in the truth.  I am loving this life!!

I would love to hear your comments.  Please share these words with those weary and burdened.

The Great Unknown

Most of us have been at this place in our lives.  No, not the Grand Canyon, although I would encourage everyone to go at least once to see the sheer majesty of God's creation.  I am talking about that place where intrigue and fear collide.  Where the unknown is calling, but the abyss beyond what we see is overwhelmingly frightening.  Where we all become "over thinkers", unable to breathe because fear has sucked every bit of free spirit out of our being, because it just doesn't make sense.  Instantly, worst case scenarios flood our minds, delivering a crushing blow to the endless possibilities and dreams we were called by our Creator to walk out.  So what is it that we might be missing out on?  I am much more comfortable within the misery of my controlled, simple life.  Why am I so drawn to this and what is it I am not seeing?

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.  Hebrews 11:1

So there is a reality beyond what we see with our physical eyes.  What exactly is this reality that faith brings us to?

Jesus said, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed.  Those who believe without seeing are blessed."  John 20:29

Once again,  fear creeps its head in through the voice of doubt, because we live in the tangible, physical world of what is right in front of us.  When do we learn to trust in things we cannot see?

Most, really all, of us have been breathing air since the time we were born.  However, I have never seen it.  Our bodies require oxygen to function efficiently.  So the element of faith is utilized by EVERYONE daily by the very definition according to Merriam-Webster, which states:  Strong belief or trust in someone or something.  Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not,  you have faith in something....at least AIR.  Being that we all exercise faith daily, why do we allow fear to play such a part in stifling our actions?  Why do we give it so much power?

In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt boldly declared these famous words:

"The only thing we have to fear... is fear itself"

I would like to think that FDR understood that fear controls faith by hindering action from taking place.  During the Great Depression, most Americans were shell shocked and defeated.  As President, Roosevelt knew he had to move citizens to action in order to rebuild the economy.  If there is no action, there is no faith.

In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself.  James 2:17

Sometimes these action supported moves of faith are little, and at times they will be radical.  The importance is to take action when being instructed to do something.  If your boss asks you to do a task, it is a wise thing to do that task.  So when the Creator of the universe tells you to do something, you might want to.  Your humble obedience is your ticket to blessings.  How do you know it is Him calling?  First of all, LISTEN.  He will always direct according to scripture (the Bible) and He will never motivate you in a selfish manner.  Remember that faith is required when things don't make sense.

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26

For it is written.....

"For I know the plans I have for you" - this is; the Lord's declaration - "plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:11-13

For we are His creation - created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

May God bless each of you in every faith leap you take.  Be studious in the Bible, teachable in the uncertainty, and know that there is POWER in the name of JESUS.

I would love to hear your "Leaving the Ledge" faith story and invite you to comment and share this with everyone.