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Triggers

Overcoming the emotional misfires of life.

The word “triggered” has been used a lot over recent years in mental health circles. I’m finding in my own life that being “triggered” is something to be dealt with. Sorry for those of you who are anti-gun but for this post, a gun is the picture God showed me. If you’ve ever shot a gun then you know it has one trigger. You pull the trigger and the weapon fires. Could you imagine how confusing a firearm would be if it had multiple triggers? This is what we look like as we go through life allowing multiple things to trigger us. Triggers are those things bring up an old habit, hurt, or hang-up. It can be a song, a movie, a place, a person, or anything that puts us in the same emotional state of a past traumatic (angry, sad, hurt, etc.) experience.

As I get older and experience the process and pain that comes with life, I’m finding that my triggers are trying to multiply! ha!  Even recently, I saw something online that triggered feelings of anger, betrayal, and hurt. Unfortunately I did the exact opposite of what I’m going to tell you to do! When those feelings were triggered in me I responded as if it just happened to me. The anger, the hurt, the frustration…. all of it rose up in me at that very moment and I responded poorly. They say hindsight is 20/20 and it is so true. Looking back, I know the exact moment something was triggered. At that moment here are four things I should have done…

1. Phone a friend.

Yes, I said PHONE a friend. I didn’t say text or message. BUT literally, CALL someone you trust so you can explain how you are feeling and they can help process why. I did end up doing this hours later and it helped me immensely!

2. Ask is the feeling true?

I did a little video about this recently. Feelings are powerful and they can drive you to do some dumb things so you have to pinpoint what the feeling is, why you are feeling it, and then is it a true feeling? Meaning, that no one can make us feel a certain way. We choose our feelings but sometimes our feelings want to choose us. We can become offended or enraged at something and not even know the full story.

3. Pray.

I know this sounds so trite but it’s so true. I’ve found that when I am triggered and I stop to pray either for myself, the person, or the trigger… I immediately feel better. It’s not to say I won’t feel that ever again but for that moment, I’ve released it to God and He can deal with all that way better than I ever could.

4. Find healing.

The older I get the more offendable I can become. So I seek healing. I reach out to counsellors and friends. I read books and listen to podcasts. I read my bible and listen to it on the bible app. I put on worship really loud and full-on worship at full volume. I place myself in environments of healing. I ask for prayer. I do the things I need to do in order for my soul to be healed and whole.

In conclusion, the goal is to not be triggered. The goal is to not misfire in life and wound those around us. We could be shooting people who are unarmed and not a threat! I don’t want to look like that goofy gun in the title. I don’t want to walk through life having so many triggers that if some little thing pulls on me I just go off on everyone around. And my bet is you don’t either.

Let’s ask God to help us with those things that trigger the darkness in our souls.

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Driven

 

What are you driven by?

Everyone is driven by something. There’s a thing inside the heart of every person that drives us. It’s what wakes us up in the morning. It’s what gnaws at our conscience at night. It’s what helps or hinders our relationships. There is a driving factor behind every decision we make which results in the actions we take as well. So what is it that drives you?

Is it money?
I’ve been in very close proximity with people who were greedy. It seemed every thought and action was driven by how much money they could make and what they could get from people. If your driving factor is money… newsflash… it has no eternal value. As a matter of fact, Jesus talked more about the idol of money than almost any other thing that could sit on your heart. Money is a great servant but a terrible master. Money is never satisfied. You’ll never have enough money… if money is your driving factor.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

Is it sex?
This is another driving factor that I’ve seen in the lives of many people after pastoring for some time now. Sex, whether we’d like to admit it or not, drives the lives of many people because at it’s core is a deep longing to feel loved and accepted. So, people engage in sex but what they truly crave is intimacy. The problem is we are trying to solve a spiritual problem with a physical solution. No matter how much sex or food or whatever you feed that appetite, it will never be fully and finally satisfied.

Is it power?
Power means we can exercise control over people. It means that we get to be in charge. Power can go to your head real quick. I love what Abraham Lincoln said: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Power that isn’t checked by the fruit of the Spirit leads to pride and arrogance. Every destructive sin is birthed out of pride.

The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols will completely vanish. -Isaiah 2:17-18 (NASB)

Is it fear?
Fear drives the lives of many people without them even knowing it. Fear is so subtle that it works it’s way into every part of our life. Think about the reasons why we don’t do certain things. “I don’t want to step into this new ______________ because I’m not sure it will work out.” Fear can paralyze us to respond to God in faith. Taking a risk is a huge part of faith. Sometimes we disguise fear as “wisdom” thinking that we are being so “spiritual” but in fact we are in disobedience to what God has asked of us.

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. -Hebrews 10:38 (KJV)

Is it a relationship?
Many people are living everyday for a relationship. They get so focused on the person God may have given them that they forget to focus on God! Relationships can take the place of God so quickly because we spend our time trying to please this other person instead of pleasing the Lord. Unfortunately, this results in a co-dependent relationship and God wants our dependance on Him, not another created being.

What about being driven by faith?

Let’s take it a step further… what about being driven by eternity?

What a sobering thought. The actions we take on this earth may echo in the halls of eternity. What if we woke up everyday with eternity on our mind? How different our lives would be! We would look at life from an eternal perspective! I wrote a post on this subject a while back.

What drives you is what propels your life. Your motives are the fuel for your actions. If we get this fruit of the Spirit deep down in our souls then our lives will be driven by the Spirit of God. That’s where I want to be. I desperately want to be driven by God in my thoughts and actions. I’m not there yet but I do move towards that goal through intentional growth and time with God.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. -Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

I think about our ultimate example… Jesus. What was His drive? What motivated Him? You and I.

Jesus was driven by love. Love drove nails threw his hands and feet! Love drove Jesus to the cross! It was love that made a way for us when there was no way. LOVE is the ultimate motivator. We weren’t created to do anything for God. God doesn’t need our help. We were created to be loved by God. Everything we do is a response to this great love! At the end of my life, I want to be known as a person who was driven by eternity and love is what people felt when they were around me.

How about you? What is your driving factor?

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Fasting For Your Future

 

Have you ever been in a situation that just won’t change?

Life happens. Situations come and go. Things get challenging. Some things don’t ever seem to change. In life we all will have struggles but what if something is happening that you just can’t seem to change or control? What do you do when you don’t know what to do. It seems like you’ve tried everything and your faith is being tested. Ever been there?

I have… I’m there right now! Last week, I got to a place in my life where there were a few things I continued to notice that were bothering me spiritually. I couldn’t place my finger on it but I really felt like God was leading me to fast. Not a complete fast either (being void of food and water). Also not a water fast only (being void of food), but I felt He was leading me to do a Daniel fast for 21 days from Aug 1st – Aug 21st. This fast will be void of entertainment, social media scrolling, meats and sweets, obviously no alcohol, no sodas… basically water, fruits, veggies, nuts, protein shakes… that’s it. For me, this is what I need to do. For some of you it may be more or less but regardless of what you fast, what’s more important is why you are fasting. Fasting must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained. When we fast this way… power is produced!

This passage is so rich with insight! Check it out!

“And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said,“O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them,“Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”” Matthew 17:14-21 NKJV

 

Within this passage we see a pretty well-known scripture… if you have faith as a mustard seed you can move mountains! Powerful right!?

Yes of course it’s powerful…. but right after that… however.

Jesus says, “However,”. Jesus is telling us that there is another secret to having spiritual authority and power in the earth. Prayer and fasting. I’m not sure how it happens but when I fast, God gets bigger. It’s like John the Baptist said about his cousin and Savior Jesus… I must decrease so that He may increase (John 3:30). When we fast, we strip away everything that seems to sustain us. The food, the habits, the entertainment, the information feed, the thing that brings you temporary comfort… whatever it is, that thing has to go for a season. All the things we fast aren’t inherently evil but when we take a break from them and fix our focus back on Jesus, we then come to the glowing realization that He is our sustainer and He is our comfort. Fasting reminds us that we are sustained “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Here’s the thing… it isn’t just fasting that produces power, it’s prayer! Some folks get so focused on fasting part they forget what they are supposed to be doing while NOT eating…. that’s pray! Your prayers are unhindered!

We can get amazingly different results in life if we start doing different and better things. Listen, fasting isn’t easy or glamorous. It’s not really even for anybody else to know about. It’s between you and the Lord. The only reason I’m even writing this to encourage you to do something different. I’m on my first day and my flesh is going crazy. I tend to get irritated or emotional because obviously I’m hungry but I also think it’s a purification and cleanse of all things that would bring temporary comfort or enjoyment. When you fast… the spiritual gets raw and real pretty quick! All of this is necessary though. It gets us to a place of ultimate humility and dependence on God… and really… that’s all that matters.

I encourage you to buy “The Celebration of Discipline” by Richard J. Foster written back in 1978. What a great book on each of the spiritual disciplines. The section on fasting is so rich with revelation. Of course, Jentzen Franklin has some great resources on fasting as well. My prayer is over the next 21 days… that God will show Himself to you in a new and fresh way and I also pray that you experience personal breakthrough at every level!

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70 x 7

 

Have you truly forgiven those that have hurt you?

Recently I’ve been discovering that the course of our life is set by the course of our hearts. Where our hearts are headed is where our lives will follow. If we want to be graceful people then we need to be full of grace. We are to be dispensing grace out of the overflow of our experience with that same grace. Eventually though we experience a radiating slice of pain and betrayal. I don’t care who you are… this happens to all of us. When it does happen… not if but when, how do we respond? I know I know… you’d prefer I not say someone is going to hurt you but the truth is Jesus had his Judas and the servant isn’t greater than the Master. So we may want to pay attention to learn how Jesus dealt with forgiveness.

I love this exchange between one of my favorite bible characters, Peter and Jesus. Check it out…

“Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him,“I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV

I love this exchange and have pulled quite a bit out of it for a number of reasons. I love that we get to see the personality of Jesus. He uses hyperbole and just shows how He is the Master communicator! What I mean is, in Hebrew culture if you forgave someone three times then you would be considered extremely merciful. It would be pretty unheard of. So Peter thinking he’s going way beyond the legal limit of forgiveness in those days throws out the number seven. That’s pretty over the top for that context. So then Jesus jumps right back with the illustration of total forgiveness.

Wow. What a thought. Total forgiveness.

It’s what Jesus did for us.

The implications of this passage go far beyond overcoming hurt feelings. Forgiveness is vital to our souls. It’s what must pervade our hearts at all times! Unforgiveness produces bitterness; and bitterness is a poison that eats at your soul on a daily basis. I’ve seen how people live when they walk around offended and living with unforgiveness in their hearts. I’ve been there and let’s just say… it’s not a good look.

The rest of this passage (Matthew 18:23-35 NKJV) is so rich with insight but I really wanted to get to the main point of how important this is by talking about the last verse of this entire passage. So the parable Jesus is telling is how a ruler forgave the insurmountable debts of a servant but then that same servant turned around and did not forgive the a very tiny debt of a fellow servant. Well the ruler finds out and here’s what happens…

“Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”” Matthew 18:32-35 NKJV

I don’t know about you… but that last part concerns me. After doing quite a bit of research on that one verse it’s not clear whether unforgiveness has eternal implications but the fact that unforgiveness will produce pain in our lives is good enough for me! It says the master “delivered him to the torturers until he payed back all that was due to him.”

Living in bitterness is like living in torture.

We continue to repeat the offense over and over. We have those fake conversations with that person. We gather other people to our cause of being offended. We do everything we can to make sure everyone knows that we are hurt.

But honestly…. the truth is, we must release those who have hurt us. It doesn’t mean we become BFF’s or even have relationship with them. You must be your own person and create boundaries but those boundaries should not be constructed from bitterness. At the same time though, we should make amends for the pain we have caused others as well. Sometimes it may be well-received but for the most part, don’t expect someone you’ve hurt to be glad to hear from you.

In conclusion, when we walk in forgiveness, we walk in the love of God. My prayer for you is that you walk in freedom and that comes through forgiveness.

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Rich & Reckless

 

Are you reckless with your heart affections?

Recently I had the opportunity to speak at Destiny Church and I had the best time sharing a new message with an old lesson about the heart. The lesson… it’s all about the heart. Over the last several years, I have learned a lot about my own heart. After experiencing seasons of pain and betrayal, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am powerless over many things around me. I can’t control what people do or how they act but I can control my own heart and my own affections. This is so important because the affections of our heart produce behavior in us that either honors God or it doesn’t. Our heart will always produce our actions.

So let’s look at some scripture together and I’ll show you what I mean…

Matthew 19:16-26 NKJV

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

We have this young man who has it all together. Rich, successful, handsome, religious… he’s a baller. He has it going on. He is living The American Dream! I feel that it’s an interesting exchange because Jesus already knows this guy’s heart. Jesus knows this young man has been reckless with his affections and his true heart worship was with money. Jesus knows where our hearts are at.

It’s interesting that Jesus only listed 6 of the 10 commandments but the four Jesus didn’t mention… well it was for a reason.

5. Honor mom and dad

6. Don’t kill anyone

7. Don’t cheat on your spouse

8. Don’t steal stuff

9. Don’t lie about things

10. Don’t be jealous (covet) of other people’s life

  1. No other gods before me (Jesus at the center)
  2. Don’t worship anything but me (heart worship for God)
  3. Don’t take my name in vain (honor God in your heart and words)
  4. Keep the Sabbath holy (take time with God)

Vertical & Horizontal

The life… the very brief life, we are given on this earth is made up of two things we must keep in check at all times… the vertical and the horizontal. The first 4 commandments all deal with our vertical relationship with God. The last 6 all deal with horizontal relationships with people. I have lived the fake Christianese life and it leads to death! That’s why I’m so passionate about my own heart. I don’t want to go through the motions of being a Christian and I hope you don’t either.

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Let Freedom Ring

 

Let Freedom Ring!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Happy Freedom day! I love the fourth of July for all the same reasons most of you do… grilling out and chilling out with your family and friends, watching the glow of fireworks, enjoying some time in the pool with the kids… and most of all that we get to live in America. It’s a blessing to live in this country and I for one am proud. I couldn’t help but think about the term the “American Dream” though. The American Dream is this perfect little picture that society puts on us in order to be good and productive people. Nothing wrong with being good or productive but this “dream” we are pushing so hard for might be the very thing that is keeping us bound. If all we do is work then when do we live? If our only pursuit is money, then when do pursue Jesus? Let’s even dig a little deeper… Are you truly free?

Well as a country we are free, but as individuals we could be as captive as a death row inmate. What I mean is in our hearts and our spirits… are you free? I recently had someone ask me that question and I was glad to share with them how God had restored me and how He set me free. It was a lively conversation because the path that God had set them on was different than the path God had set me on. For some people God does instantaneous and miraculous deliverance from something that has kept them down for years. Then on the other hand, for people like myself, it has taken a process of years of discipleship, growth and transforming my mind to experience true deliverance and more importantly, to be more like Jesus.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  -Romans 12:2 NIV

This process of transformation isn’t something that is going to come easy. No matter how you became free, it’s even more important to maintain that freedom. Regardless of what type of freedom we’ve experienced in the past, freedom isn’t a one time event. Freedom in our minds and hearts is a daily battle because the enemy doesn’t respect your freedom. When you are on purpose and on target, the enemy is going to attack your freedom with every opportunity and temptation possible!

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.  -Galatians 5:1 NKJV

So freedom is a daily fight. It’s worth it. Stay free and don’t give up any ground today!

Oh…. and eat a burger and light a sparkler 😉

 

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Fruitful – Love

 

This week I’m starting a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Love.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. -Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

My favorite uncle recently came to visit and we had an amazing time. Amongst the delicious grilled chicken and home baked cookies, we got into some good talks about theology. He challenges me quite a bit but this time, it was a little different. He asked if I had ever taught on the Agape Eros Paradigm Shift. Um…. the agape…. what? 😀 Yeah… I had to really think about his question. Ha! But he was talking about love. What it means to really be loved and to love.

Love is the highest form of responsibility we have because God is love. Do we really love people? This is the question. When someone betrays us at the deepest level, do we “love” them? When someone doesn’t seem lovable, do we “love” them? It’s interesting in ministry, I have had so many people tell me they love me. “I love you brother! I love you with the love of the Lord!” they say. I actually laugh on the inside. You have no idea what you are talking about. The love of the Lord means I could smack you in the face until you are unrecognizable, spit on you, takes thorns and mash them in your skull, take nine-inch nails and drive them through your wrists and ankles, hang you on a wooden cross in the center of town in your underwear, then stab you in the side… how about now? Do you love me still? Where’s the love of the Lord bro? I know it seems extreme but in reality this is what love is, this is what love does. I’m honestly no where near this at the present moment. “I want justice! I want revenge! I want the one who hurt me to hurt worse!” Of course that’s where our emotions go, of course we feel that. To live in love, to live in the Spirit, we have to overcome our own emotions and forgive and love with no recourse. I’m far from perfect, I give people a piece of my mind way too much. I’ve found if we keep giving people a piece of our mind, someday we’ll be mindless! So let’s look at love and what it means to truly love people.

4 Kinds of Love

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.” -John 21:15–17

So this passage takes place after Jesus has been betrayed by Peter, crucified, and had risen from the dead. Peter had gone back to fishing but Jesus had found him on the beach and starts up this conversation in order to confront and restore him back to his calling. He asks Peter the same question three times and Peter gives the same answer three times, at least in our English language it seems like the same question and answer trio. Let’s dig into the original language here a bit and you may be able to identify.

1. Agape – This is the kind of love that God is. Agapē is not kindled by the merit or worth of it’s object, but it originates in it’s own God-given nature. God is love. It delights in giving. This love keeps on loving even when the loved one is unresponsive, unkind, unlovable, and unworthy. It is unconditional love. Agapē desires only the good of the one loved. It is a consuming passion for the well-being of others.

When Jesus asked Peter do you LOVE me. He asked Peter, “Do you AGAPE me?” This is what he asked. Peter’s answer was less than sufficient. I mean… he said I love you but what did he really say?

2. Phileo – This the kind of love that has strings attached. You love me and I love you because of what you can do. Phileō is a companionable love. This love speaks of affection, fondness, or liking. Phileō is a love that responds to kindness, appreciation, or love. It involves giving as well as receiving; but when it is greatly strained, it can collapse in a crisis. This love is called out of one’s heart by qualities in another.

This is what Peter said… it sounds similar and the scary thing is it is very similar. This is where we mostly operate. It’s a “give and take” type of love. This is the difference though. Agape is selfless and the rest of the types of loves we are going to discuss are selfish. It’s interesting that when Jesus asks a third time, “Peter, do you love me?” Peter just crumbles and breaks down. The third time, Jesus asked Peter do you PHILEO me? How heartbreaking. Jesus used the same language Peter used. I’m so glad God doesn’t have the same measure of love for us that we tend to have for others.

3. Storgē – This love has its basis in one’s own nature. Storgē is a natural affection or natural obligation. It is a natural movement of the soul for husband, wife, child or dog. It is a quiet, abiding feeling within a man that rests on something close to him and that he feels good about. This is pretty much what we mean when we say we love something. It’s not a real love but a word we use to describe a feeling.

4. Eros – Eros is a love of passion, an overmastering passion that seizes and absorbs itself into the mind. It is a love that is an emotional involvement based on body chemistry. The basic idea of this love is self-satisfaction. Though Eros is directed towards another, it actually has self in mind. Unlike Phileo, this says I love you because of what you can do for me. The foundation of this type of love is some characteristic in the other person which pleases you. If the characteristic would cease to exist, the reason for the love would be gone, the result being, “I don’t love you anymore. Eros looks for what it can receive. It’s a “take and take” type of love. If it does give, it gives in order to receive. If it fails to get what it wants or expects, bitterness or resentment could develop. This where the majority of people live.

Living in the “love of the Lord” has everyone else in mind. I don’t think any of us are here yet but it’s exactly what we need to be aiming for in this journey of life.

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Right to the Heart Pt. 2

Two Sundays ago I had the opportunity to preach at my friend Ryan’s church, Vertical Church here in North Carolina. It was a powerful message out of the book of Mark. I preached from Mark 7 and decided I would share my notes with you over two weeks. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed preaching it!

 

 

3 Steps to Keeping Your Heart Right

Mark 7:1-23 NIV

1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

6He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.

7 They worship me in vain;their teachings are merely human rules.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

9And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—

12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.

18“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

20He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Everything we do in life, good or bad, is derived from our hearts!

James 1:13-14 NIV
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

Ok cool… So how do I keep my heart right?

1. Present your heart

Pray for forgiveness and healing. This happens on a daily basis for me. Me, Jesus, my bible, and a cup of strong coffee.

Everyday has the ability to bring up a new wound or a new hurt; but God is a Healer everyday. He’s not surprised by how tattered our hearts are.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV
9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
10 I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.

The last part of that… your doings come from your being. Who we are will result in what we do.

2. Guard your heart

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Guarding our hearts is easier than it seems. It happens by using the fruit of the Spirit called self-control. Disciplining our minds and hearts to be better than we were yesterday.

One major way to guard our hearts is to stop comparing!
Stop comparing your life to someone else’s.

Don’t compare your behind-the-scenes to someone’s highlight reel!

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” -Albert Einstein

You do you and stay in your lane! Focus on what God has called you to do. One of the best things we can do is not scroll through social media!

Who cares that your loser best friend from high school who was supposed to fail in life is visiting Paris, Italy, and London?! Who cares right? Or do you… see this is where our hearts are tested.

When someone who isn’t living right, who isn’t going to church, who isn’t serving at Vertical , who isn’t tithing yet they are prospering and seem to be doing great! How’s your heart then?

This is why it’s so important to stay focused on our own life and not worry about what everyone else is doing.

3. Renew your heart

Cleanse yourself from all bitterness, envy, hatred, anger. Sometimes we want God to just cleanse us from everything all the time and like a good Father He does…. but He wants us to grow up and mature and do some things for ourselves…

Hebrews 12:14-15 NKJV
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

“Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” -Anonymous

We need to understand forgiveness is way more for us than it is for the other person.

Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you need to be best friends with the person who hurt you. Forgiveness and trust are two different animals.

So how do you know if you have forgiven someone? Well just imagine them walking in the same room as you… what’s the first thing you want to say or do? This is a great indicator of where you may land on the scale of forgiveness.

Cleansing ourselves happens through forgiveness. We can take practical steps to cleanse ourselves.

Maybe we take the time to write an email, text, or maybe make a phone call or go even further and set up a lunch face to face with someone who hurt us… with the sole intention of cleansing ourselves through forgiveness.

Sometimes the key to forgiveness is honoring people who are dishonorable.

This is how we tend our own hearts.

 

I hope you enjoyed this blog series! It was a blast to preach!

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Right to the Heart Pt. 1

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at my friend Ryan’s church, Vertical Church here in North Carolina. It was a powerful message out of the book of Mark that they have been in. I preached from Mark 7 and decided I would share my notes with you over the next two weeks. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed preaching it!

 

 

God isn’t interested in behavior modification, He’s interested in heart transformation.

Mark 7:1-23 NIV

1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

6He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.

7 They worship me in vain;their teachings are merely human rules.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

9And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—

12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.

18“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

20He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Everything we do in life, good or bad, is derived from our hearts!

James 1:13-14 NIV
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

God isn’t interested in behavior modification, He’s interested in heart transformation. Religion about God focuses on our exterior behavior, relationship with God focuses on our interior condition.

Who you ARE will determine what you DO. You don’t really have to wait around too long to see who someone really is; eventually who we are will come to the surface.

I love that Vertical Church is about making disciples, it’s not about religion, it’s not about how spiritual you are, it’s all about becoming everything God has called you to be. Becoming the person God has called you to be always starts with your heart.

Jesus was emphatic about the condition of our hearts…. he said things like “if your eye causes you to sin, poke it out, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, if you even look at a woman lustfully you’ve already committed adultery, if you have hatred in your heart you’ve already committed murder!” Jesus went right to the heart!

Jesus didn’t come to set up a religion, He came to incite a heart revolution! The Old Testament is about how we get to God through our works, by what we do; our self-righteousness… the New Testament is how God has done everything for us through Jesus and our job is to keep our hearts in check. Jesus came to fulfill the law by showing us the heart of the law!

 

Next week I’ll share with you three steps to keeping our hearts right. Stay tuned!

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Anything Goes

Some people just go along with anything.

Ever hear the saying, “You’ve got to get along to go along?” It’s a great saying about just getting along with people. The problem is some people just go along with anything. I’ve learned that if you go along with anything you will stand for nothing. Sometimes we have to be confrontative and stand up to certain situations and people. Now I’m not talking about political injustices or social movements, although those are important. Even more important though is you, your destiny, and those closest to you becoming everything God has called them and you to be.

Recently, I was in a text conversation with someone and everything they said to me was negative. Honestly it was not helpful to me personally moving forward in life in a blessed and fulfilling way. It was interesting though because after a few exchanges of me being annoyingly positive, and my comments filled with FAITH, they changed their tune. They probably realized I’m not going to agree with them about their funky opinion!

Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.   – Matthew 18:19 NKJV

The power of agreement is real. This is a verse I take literally and seriously. God will give us what we ask for. The key is faith, most of us have faith that our job is going to suck, that our spouse is subpar, our boss is an idiot, or that our situation will never change. What we have faith towards is what we get in life. We must, somewhere along the way, overcome this hump of negativity and “worst case scenario” in our minds and actually believe GOD for His very best! We should be trusting in Him that our heavenly Father has good things in store for us.

You don’t have to agree with everything someone says about you or to you! You have to come into agreement with the word of God about who you are. You are saved by the blood of Jesus and the work of the cross. You are filled with the greatest power in the universe; the Holy Spirit. You have the wisdom of God if you ask for it. You have the power to obtain wealth. You have been healed physically, emotionally, and psychologically by the stripes Jesus bore on his back. Understand this my friend, when we put ourselves in agreement with these statements, we become disgusted with anything that would differ.

The next time someone says something about you that is contrary to what God says about you, do yourself a favor and wholeheartedly disagree! Don’t just go along with anything, go along with with what God has said about you. The best is yet to come and that is something you can agree with!

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