Forgetting

Forgetting

It’s interesting to me to think about how quick people can forget. Someone has something great happen to them, like an amazing experience, something supernatural, and over time, they seem to just let it go. Everyone is so quick to bring up the Israelites, and how they were stuck in the desert for 40 years because of there doubting and complaining, are we much different?

So many times I see people go and have an authentic encounter, where there lives are impacted, and over time they grow numb to it. They seem to ignore what happened, or try to call it an emotional high. At the same time, you could look at how many people deceive themselves into thinking that they can claim, “I’m a Christian” and live like everyone else. Clearly ignoring 2nd Corinthians 6 where it says, “come out and be separate says the Lord”… how does this happen?

You know what’s interesting to think about, it was only 40 days. It was only 40 days from the time where the Israelites saw the mountain covered in smoke, saw the fire, heard the thunder and lighting because God was moving; to where they made a golden calf to be an idol. 40 days after seeing God work miracles, the Israelites forget what happened. You can read in Exodus 32 how Aaron, who was Moses’ right hand guy, was the man who molded the idol for the Israelites after only 40 days. How could that happen? In the same way, how is it we can go to a camp, and get radically touched, only to forget about it after a couple weeks? How can we go to church and get transformed on a Sunday, then go and smoke a joint on Monday? How can we take our eye off the prize so easily after seeing God move?

I think the biggest thing is we get distracted. It’s easy to get distracted, in fact, it’s natural to get distracted. Why is it natural to get distracted? Well lets think about this, there’s this dude, he hates you, wants the very worst for you, and he sees that you have caught something that will change your life, and make it worth something. Do you really think he’s going to want to sit back and watch you reach for the stars? No, of coarse not, he’s going to throw every curve ball he can at you. He will try to overcome your emotions, might even throw you into some weird situations, because he hates you. He wants you to loose so bad, that he will give you something that seems kind of good, just to keep you away from this amazing plan God has for your life. Unfortunately, the scar of the church today is too often, we give in. It’s crazy how your mess will mess up your identity. Think about how many people you know are insecure, could even be one of your weaknesses, and how it cripples them; it consumes there mind, you can see it through how they talk, and it determines how they live. Here’s a crazy thought, you don’t have to fall back. How about you turn your mess, into a message.

Satan is real folks, and guess what, he’s totally content with you being a silent, back row, Christian. Someone who likes to live decent on Sunday, then walks through, and lives like, hell for the rest of the week. That kind of person will never have a real affect on anything, so the devil really isn’t intimidated by that. But when little old satan sees some kid, with a fire in his eyes, the look like he wants to take over the world for Jesus. That kind of look makes the devil a little nervous. That’s why he tries to hit you so hard right after your experience, because he knows that he needs to get you to fall quickly, because if you can keep this fire going, you will be unshakable. So he does everything in his power to make you doubt, because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, so you murmur and complain, preventing God from taking action. Sounds kind of like the Israelites, here's something to ponder on, easy doesn't make you happy...

It breaks my heart to watch people lower their convictions, for a piece of temporary pleasure that ends up haunting them for the rest of their life. It looked so good at that moment, what happened? How did you get to this point? Would you have ever done this during your encounter? How did you get distracted? It happened because you took your eye off the prize, and instead of focusing on things to come, you got stuck thinking about the now. You probably got kind of selfish, as you started to wonder if it was really worth the sacrifice, and you stopped reaching for the stars, and settled with crap. You can’t stop God, but you can miss him.

God has a purpose, and it is going to be fulfilled with, or without you. You have to commit, look back and remember what God has done in you. John 8:36 says, “He who the son has set free, is free indeed.” People get discouraged when looking at what is seen, focus on the unseen. Focus on the Promise! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts I have toward you says the Lord, Thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you a future, and a hope.” Don’t throw in the towel, you’ve just begun. God will give you all the strength you need.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

Psalms 11 says, “In the Lord I place my trust…”

Psalms 27, “The Lord is the Strength of my life…”

And if you have screwed up, and you don’t know what to believe because you feel as if God’s plan has passed you by, don’t quit. It’s never to late to make everyday for the rest of your life count. Make it count, if God can use a man who used to lock people in church’s and burn them to the ground, surely he can use you. In fact, that guy wrote most the new testament, his name was Paul, just think about what God can use you to do. God never kicks us out of his will, we leave. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" James 4

CS Lewis put it like this, "Aim for heaven, and you will get heaven and Earth; aim for Earth, and you will get neither" Make your life count, allow God to be the strength of your life. The problem we often encounter isn't that God isn't speaking, the problem we face is that he is, and we aren't listening...

Draw near to God, and Remember what he has freed you from. Don't focus on your situation, or the circumstance you may be in, instead focus on the promise and Where God is taking you.


Be Blessed


Dan Michno

Hope

So I think it is interesting how something like hope, can make us ignore pain. It pushes us to limits we never thought we’d see, but keeps us from going insane. You ever see someone push until they get to their strongest point, just to watch them break. One minute it looks as if you are untouchable, now we can see that there are even things that strong men can’t take. I can see the hard truth when I read about lust in the bible, I see how it says that, “all of her victims were strong men…”

now you might have thought that this is story was over, but it’s only just begun

How is it, that people can get so caught up in life, that they take their eye off the prize? Why is it that after a little bit of resistance, people just give in? Last time I checked, the only way to get stronger is by adding resistance. Could it be that God allowed the temptation because he wanted to get you strong enough to take you to the next level? If you accept corruption, where does your faith lie?

How can someone call themselves a Christian, yet get so angry, fearful, and depressed? What part do any of those things have in Christ?

Isaiah 40:31 says “But those who trust in the Lord shall renew there strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Where does that say I can’t do it, where does that say that if opposition comes, quit.

Psalms 34:19 says, “Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous, but the Lord shall deliver him of them all.”

The Bible never says we won’t encounter problems, but it does say that God will see us through them, that He will protect us.

So here in lies the question, how do the strongest men fall?

The answer is actually simple, it’s the same as why someone would accept corruption, it’s because they put there hope in man. Rather it’s in another person, or yourself, doesn’t matter; whenever you fail to put your faith in God, be prepared to be let down. Be prepared to have some hard times, with no peace. The Bible does say that God will draw near to you, James 4, but the key thing is you have to take the first step.

Why do you call yourself a Christian? What was the defining moment in your life where you said, “God I want to live for you, I give my life to you” When you say “I’m a Christian” that’s saying God, I die to myself. Yet I see so many people who call themselves Christians throwing pity parties, getting depressed, getting angry, fighting with each other… What? I thought you were a Christian?

To be a Christian is to be Like Christ. But for some reason, everyone seems to think that they can live like hell all week, then put on a little grace Band-Aid come Sunday, and it’s all good. That’s crazy! 2nd Corinthians 6 says, “Come out form among them and be SEPARATE says the Lord…” yet we think we can be just like everyone else. As a Christian, when you find yourself getting angry, or depressed, or feeling insecure and not knowing what’s next, here’s what you need to start doing

1. Stop worrying
2. Start Reading the Bible and Praying
3. Praise God for what he’s given you

We always have a reason to rejoice, and to be thankful; but when you aren’t praying, when you aren’t reading your Bible, and you aren’t rejoicing, that’s a signal for the devil to try to get into your head and mess with you. It’s the battlefield of the mind. If the devil can consume your thoughts, he can control your life, take every thought captive.

Biggest thing is, where does your hope lie? If you put your hope in people, you will be let down. If you try to put your hope in yourself, well on your own, you can do nothing of eternal significance. Just think of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things with Christ who gives me strength” well just think of the opposite, without Christ, I can do nothing.

Commit

It’s not easy to be a Christian, but it’s worth it! Nothing worth having in life comes for free, and it’s the same with Christ. It will cost you your life, but you’ll get one better than anything you could of ever dreamed of. If you only knew what God wanted to do in and through your life, it would crush you. It’s so awesome, that just the idea would overwhelm you.



Yup, I could go on all day with this one, but I’ll end with a quote

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear” - Ambrose Redmoon

Be Fearless and Do the extraordinary, Live For Christ!!!

A Bump in the Road

A Bump in the Road

So this time around, I think I’m going to really dive into a subject which has been stuck on my mind for the last few days, hopefully I word it all right.

What is the one thing that takes place after a mountain top experience? After an experience where you were impacted undeniably, vision was birthed, and your life was changed in an instant; what is something you can expect to take place after it’s all over? It’s interesting how after you have one of those life changing experiences, how life seems to throw a curveball at you. One thing after another, until you begin to wonder, “what happened? Was it even real?” and when you come to that point, that’s a good sign to start pushing a little harder.

I once heard a man say that, “If you aren’t moving forward, you are drifting, and in order to drift for a while, you need to be going downhill” It’s crazy how once something amazing comes in our lives, how we’re willing to forget about what happened, after a little bit of resistance. Why is it that when we catch ourselves drifting, that we do nothing and expect to get pass the struggle the same way we always have; only hope for, maybe even expect, something different this time around? This is insane.

How can this happen? How is it that people can forget so fast what God has done in there lives? It kills me how some people just fail to realize that they can succeed. Some people feel as if they don’t have the strength, and that’s the problem, you’re not supposed to rely on your own strength.

The Bible says that, “The Lord is the Strength of my life” Psalms 27. Why would you try to do something on your own, when the creator of the universe desires to have a relationship with you, make you stronger, and guide you through any storm? In Psalms 11 it says that, “The Lord is my refuge” yet we act like money is everything, as if looks are everything, that our popularity… honestly, is it worth it? Is it really worth trading your destiny over something as little as popularity? Is it really worth letting go over something as stupid as wanting to satisfy the flesh? Do you really believe that money is the key to happiness? Which by the way, being a Christian doesn’t mean you have to live a poverty stricken life.

I truly believe that the greatest athletes, should be Christians. That the greatest minds, releasing the most mind boggling inventions should be men, or woman, of God. But we somehow get caught up on this mindset, that in order to be a Christian, you have to live some kind of boring life, and I’m tired of it. This deception runs ramped until eventually people say, “It’s not worth it” and throw in the towel.

The Bible I read says that, “I can do all things, through Christ who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13. I find this interesting because people come out and say, “there’s no way that can be done…” my response is simply, “Joker have you even read the Bible?”

You’re called to be the head, not the tail. The Word says we are more than conquerors, that you will do greater things, that the holy spirit gives us the words to say when we need them, and you’re trying to tell me that you can’t do it… ok, you’re right. On your own strength, you can’t do anything of eternal significance, that’s why we look to God, the author and finisher of our faith, who desires to help you, all you need to do is draw close to him. James 4 even says, “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.”

Draw close to God, and he will supply all your needs; trust him, and he will take care of you. I was hit by a car yesterday while biking down Fairview, and jacked up my knee, hurting my ACL, MCL, and Meniscus. I know what it’s like to have obstacles come your way, the key thing is to see God in the midst. Never take your eye off the prize, and praise him for what he’s given us, despite of the trouble you might be facing. Sure I hurt my knee, but it could’ve ended a lot worse, like me lying on the ground dead…

Just something to think about

Never Give up

Jesus Loves you

and Be Blessed

Dan Michno