Journey Of Faith Blog

  May 2012 Blog 5: Let’s Talk About the Smoke

Sometimes in reading the Book of Revelation, there will be a tendency to fly past some words and phrases that are descriptive, but do not appear to add any additional insight to the meaning of the text. The word “smoke” is one of those cases. So, let me rewind just a little and do a word study on the use of smoke in the text.

The word used in Revelation 8 for smoke is found twelve times in Revelation and only one other time in the New Testament. On the Day of Pentecost and the first day of the Church Age, Peter quotes from Joel’s prophecy and says in Acts 2:19, “ ‘I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.’ ” Smoke is often considered the visible evidence that something is burning, whether in delight as a person sits around a campfire enjoying the evening, or in distress watching their home go up in flames as the result of a nasty forest fire. Smoke can be good; smoke can be bad.

In the Book of Revelation, there are three kinds of smoke. In Revelation 8:4 and 15:8, smoke is associated with the heavenly altar and is directly related to the power and Glory of God. Remember the vision of Isaiah? Isaiah 6:4: At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Second, in Revelation 9, smoke is connected both to the Abyss from which the locust demons rise and to the destructive horse demons of the sixth trumpet. The final description of smoke is found in Revelation 14 and 18 used to describe the eternal torment of the beast’s followers and the great prostitute Babylon.

In the Old Testament, smoke symbolizes several different truths. It can refer to the temporary nature of human life on earth. Psalm 102:3 reminds us, For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.  Smoke is used as a fitting description of the toll of judgment on all evil as portrayed in Nahum 2:13, “I am against you,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.” By far the most impressive and powerful use of smoke in the Scriptures is when it portrays the presence of Almighty God in His holiness. From our study in the Book of Exodus a few years ago, you may remember this description: Exodus 19:18: Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently.  Looking to the future, the Prophet Isaiah anticipated a day when the smoke of the Lord would declare His presence in the eternal city of Jerusalem. Isaiah 4:5 tells us, Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy.

May this be a reminder that every word God has placed in the Bible has pinpoint accuracy and value. Use this year to become better at slowing down a little and searching for the deeper and fuller meaning of God’s Word.

March 2012 Blog 3: What is “Replacement Theology?”

Some who are reading this Blog are wondering, “What in the world is this about and why is Glen addressing this as a part of the Revelation Series?” I will attempt to be short and sweet, but with current tensions in the Middle East and sermons later in the year on Armageddon, I do feel some education will be helpful.

The basic tenant of Replacement Theology (the more modern name) is that Israel has been replaced by the church in God’s plan and timetable. Those who hold to this errant interpretation of Scripture hold: 1) God is done with Israel as His chosen people; 2) Any mention of the title “Israel” after the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 is merely a reference to the New Testament Church; and 3) All of God’s promises to and covenants with Israel have been given to the church…except the curses, which still belong to the Jews due to their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah.

Replacement Theology has been around a long, long time and many believe set the stage for much of the anti-Semitic feelings in the world today. Originally called “Supersessionism,” some suggest this misled theological position dates all the way back to Marcion (A.D. 160), who launched a crusade to cleanse the church of what he considered to be dangerous Jewish errors and traditional influences. Unfortunately, several early church Fathers began to carry the same torch and Supersessionism began to gain traction. The result was a huge rift between Judaism and early Christianity leading to much of the persecution of Christians in the second and third centuries.

Without space for a lengthy discussion, let me simply share three reasons why this reasoning is incorrect and three dangers in holding this view.

Incorrect Reasoning

First, the approach to studying Scripture through this lens has led some to contend that the New Testament is anti-Semitic. Nothing could be farther from the truth…after all, Jesus was a Jew. The New Testament clearly honors the Jewish people. When you read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we are taught that Gentiles (non-Jews) have been “brought near” to God through “the blood of Christ.” But at one time, we were “separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2) Gentiles are said to be “loved on account of the Patriarchs,” who by the way were all Jews…as were the writers of the New Testament… as were the Apostles… as were the earliest Christians …as was our Savior!

Second, the people of Israel are still God’s chosen people. This has not changed. Seventy-seven times the New Testament references Israel and none of those references refer to the church. If you replace the word Israel with “church,” many passages lose meaning. Romans 10:1 shares, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Using the word “church” makes no sense. The church, by definition is the “called out ones;” the already saved community. “Yeah, but Glen, doesn’t the Jewish rejection of Christ create a sin so large, the result is their loss of favor with God?” Let’s let the Apostle Paul answer this question. Romans 11:1 says, “I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendent of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” God loves Israel is an everlasting covenant.

Third, the church’s role has never changed and can be summed up in a Great Commission and a Great Commandment. The Great Commission reminds us to go into all the world and make disciples. The Great Commandment tells us to love our Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We were never commanded to become Israel. We are to honor and support Israel “for the sake of the Patriarchs,” (Romans 11:28), for without them, we would not have a Savior. We are to show mercy to Israel, (Romans 11:31), because no nation has faced or will ever face the level of animosity and disdain Israel has. We are to pray for the Jewish people, (Psalm 122:6), as God has commanded us to do. And there is even a mention of protection found in the Bible. Isaiah 62:6-7 shares, “I have posted a watchman on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You will call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he established Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

Three Dangers to Consider

Danger One: Anti-Semitic attitudes and actions. Just look at history. This kind of reasoning has promoted persecution of the Jewish people and numerous atrocities on the people of Israel causing them to have to fight for their lives. Martin Luther, one of our heroes of the Reformation promoted Jewish ghettos and burning synagogues as well as the destruction of all Jewish writings, (On the Jews and Their Lies,” Trans. Martin H. Bertram, in Luther’s Works [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971], pp. 268-271). Is this the lens of all Replacement theologians? No! But anti-Semitism has a long history and this viewpoint has contributed to the suffering. Watch the news and you will see not a lot has changed!

Danger Two: Devaluation of the Inerrant Scriptures. Suddenly, the importance and credibility of the Old Testament Scriptures is gone because their prophecies are not to be trusted. When we read Scripture and scripturally differentiate between Israel and the Church, law and grace, the natural conclusion is the application to believer’s truth that belongs exclusively to Israel--and misapplied truth always results in error. And the more time you spend in the world of error and misinterpretation, the easier the slide down the slippery slope on biblical deviation. Large denominations and their schools are already well down this slide.

Danger Three: Prophecy has a faulty interpretation. God’s plan is for a remnant of Israelites to come to salvation and I believe the twentieth century re-gathering of the Jewish nation is both a fulfillment of prophecy and a miraculous work of God as the first step, (Isaiah 11:10-12). At the return of Christ, millions of Jewish people will turn to Christ. Zechariah 12:10 tells us, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Yes, a day is coming when Israel will finally recognize their Messiah and call on the name of the Lord, (Joel 2:31-32). Read Romans 11:5 carefully. One day the “fullness of the Gentiles” will have come to Christ and then Jewish stubbornness will be laid aside and revival will strike the land of Israel.

Warning Sign #4 - Perfectionism

My wife has perfectionist tendencies and often feels like a card-carrying member of the Rat Race. Perfectionists are ruthless in self-evaluation. Their inner drive can be depressing for both themselves and others as they continually push to set and achieve higher standards. At the very core of this warning sign is an innate fear of failure and rejection. The main problem for the perfectionist is the inability to distinguish between the “I should’s” and the “I could’s.” Overuse of the words “should” or “ought” drive into you the inability to meet your own standards. Your self-esteem then plummets.

Here are twelve statements to help you see how much of a perfectionist you are.

Answer “yes” or “no.”

1. I can’t sit through even a half hour TV show without getting up to do something during the commercials. 2. I have to look at many selections before buying the “right” gift. 3. When I listen to a sermon, I easily pick up on grammatical mistakes. 4. I can’t stand a messy desk or work space. 5. I often find it takes a long time to finish a project because I keep thinking of new ways to improve it. 6. I am always straightening up after family members, even when they are not finished with the item. 7. I can often think of a better way to do something than the way someone else did it. 8. It takes me a long time to decide what to wear to special occasions. 9. I walk into a room and notice if a picture on the wall is crooked. 10. When I got a “B” on a test, I felt my world was crashing in on me. 11. I never start anything I know I can’t do well. 12. It drives me up a wall to see the greeting cards out of place in the store, so I straighten them.

What if every area of your life is caught in the “all-or-nothingism” of the perfectionist’s thinking? What if you have reduced your life to a system of black-and-white polar opposites, so that either all is well in your world or nothing is? What if you must achieve complete success -- a piece of work flawlessly executed, a relationship with no conflicts in it, your personal best in every race, an “A” on every test? If you are caught in this endless trap of tunnel vision, blaming and shoulds, musts and have-tos, there is only one way you will ever get out of it. You need to stop and spend time alone with God in prayer and meditate on what He shows you.

Put Aside Perfectionism There will probably be several areas, in which you will want to seek God’s input. We will look at four common ones. 1. Establish your priorities. Sometimes we get so caught up in our perfectionist ways that we neglect critical areas of our lives. When we get out of balance in any of the following five priorities, we are in trouble. By bringing them back into God’s perspective and balance, we can often intercept the perfectionist tendencies that may be there because we are weak in one or more of these areas:

Spiritual Health. We need to have quality time with the Lord. This means that if we are not regularly praying and reading the Word we well may find ourselves trying to compensate by doing things for God, pushing ourselves to accomplish things that please Him. Too often we buy into the Enemy lie that the things we do for God are the most important things. Spending time with Him can sometimes seem less important than our witnessing, teaching a Bible study, or serving on committees. The visible becomes more valuable in our minds than the less visible. But God’s priorities are exactly the opposite. He wants us to spend time with Him so we can in turn be and do what He wants. We have to grow in Him to stay spiritually healthy.

Emotional Health. Oftentimes, we try to get our self-worth from the wrong source—accomplishments. When we feel uncertain about our acceptance before God or with others, we can get caught in the trap of performance, which leads to perfectionism. What we need to do is to know who we are in Christ. There are many wonderful statements in Scripture telling us just that. For example, “for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Eph. 1:4). We are dearly loved (John 3:16) and highly valued according to the parables Jesus tells about the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:44-46).

Another misconception in the area of emotional health is that we have to be perfect in order for God to be pleased with us. But if we will look at Ephesians 1:6 (KJV) we read that we are “accepted in the beloved.” This acceptance is not because of what we do but rather because of who Jesus is and the fact that we are in Him if we have invited Him into our lives as Lord and Savior. Therefore even perfectionists can and should be willing to risk falling short of perfection when they attempt to do what the Lord has asked them to do. Emotionally, it is very helpful to keep our eyes on Jesus, do what He asks, and not worry about the results. Leave the results in His hands. When we do this, we free ourselves from many traps of the Enemy such as worrying about what others think, or beating up on ourselves when we don’t measure up to perfection.

Social Health. People need to be made a higher priority than things. Perfectionists too often strain relationships by demanding the same high standards of others as they do themselves. Just as emotionally we have to see and accept ourselves as God sees and accepts us, so also we have to let others be imperfect and make mistakes. In other words, we have to give others the same permission to be less than perfect that God gives us. If we don’t, we will end up alienating people.

Intellectual Health. God has given each of us one or more abilities. But as with any talent, it takes time to develop the skills necessary to do well in an area in which we are gifted. Fear of failure can cause perfectionists to lose out on much that God wants them to do because they are not willing to take risks and be seen as less than perfect.

2. Seek the Lord’s help in dealing with perfectionism. Begin by identifying those areas in which you are a perfectionist. Then ask the Lord to show you why you are a perfectionist. Are you insecure, fearful, trying to please, wanting a sense of accomplishment and meaning? After you identify the sources of your perfectionism, ask God to help you overcome them. Share your discoveries with your spouse or a trusted friend and enlist their help as you try to overcome. 3. Learn to relax. One of the things that is crucial in avoiding the pressures of the Rat Race is to free your mind from the anxieties of the day. I have a “dump tree” which serves this purpose. It is a large tree overhanging a stop sign on the way home. Each day, as I drive past that tree on my way home, I mentally “dump” all the concerns of the day at the base of the tree. The next day as I return to church, I “pick them up” as I pass by the tree. Part of being able to cope well with life is to get enough rest. When we are tired, we become inefficient. We need to learn to pace ourselves, even to schedule rest and recreation in order to avoid the tyranny of perfectionism. 4. Admit that you are not God. When we decide to take control of our lives -- to play God -- we often find that God has to let us come to the end of our rope, to have to cry out to Him, before we will turn loose and let Him once again be in control. There is only one God and we cannot usurp His place! We need to learn how to keep from putting yourselves in the place of God, how to let Him lead us, and how to draw closer to Him so we can avoid all Enemy traps to lure us away from His will for our lives.

On the journey with you, Pastor Glen

• Am I satisfied with my priorities?
• Where will I be five years from now if this continues to be my weekly schedule? 
• What is my aim? What are my goals?
• Is there a need to reprioritize my efforts or reevaluate my schedule?

2. Operate in the present. Every day, you are given 86,400 golden seconds to use. And guess what -- if you don’t use them, you will definitely lose them. Remember again, time can be wasted, but it can never be recycled. So here is a very simple piece of advice: Don’t procrastinate! This concept is biblical. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

Haven’t you discovered that opportunities never seem to last? Take coupons, for instance. I remember our son, Scott, trying to cash in a pizza coupon that read, “For a limited time only.” It was so limited that it had expired, and we had to pay full price. If you don’t use it, you will lose it and often suffer loss in the process.

3. Appreciate what’s important. Follow Paul’s thinking as we read in Ephesians 5:17, “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” There is no more important place in which to be than in the center of God’s will for your life. God’s will for your life can be summarized in three words: knowing, growing, and going.

God wants you to know Him intimately, to have a personal relationship with Him. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD” (Jer. 29:11-14a, NKJV).

• God also wants you to grow, to mature and develop in your faith. That’s why He has given you the Bible and His church. “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart” (Ps. 119:1-2).
• Last, we need to go and tell others about Him and His love for us. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ ” (Matt. 28:18-20).

These are the basics, the important things, and when you don’t have the basics in focus, all the rest of life seems just a little out of balance.

4. Regulate the pressure. I do a lot of flying and whenever I get on the plane I hear the same thing, “Ladies and gentlemen, our cabin has been pressurized for your comfort.” The way I understand this, (despite the fact that my engineer friends say that I don’t fully get it), is that they are putting air into the plane to maintain the fourteen pounds per square inch necessary to keep us comfortable. Whatever the external pressure may be, the internal pressure must be the same or the cabin will collapse.

Paul in essence says that we should fill our lives with the Spirit of God and allow God’s presence to regulate the pressure.

I can almost hear some of you asking, “How does one become filled with the Holy Spirit?” If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit already lives inside of you. Allowing Him to have control of your daily life is a commitment you make every day. First you need to understand that this is something God wants us to do. In Ephesians 5:18, we are told to be “filled with the Spirit.” God would not ask us to do something that He does not show us how to do. So we then can take the next step of asking Him to fill us, based on His promise in 1 John 5:14-15 in which we are told that “if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” This is a straightforward proposition: Ask of God something that you know is His will, like being filled with the Spirit, and then you can know that He not only hears your request, but will also answer it because what you have asked is already His will. In practical terms, a person can pray a prayer similar to the following:

 Lord Jesus, I have been in control of my life, but I now want Your Spirit to be the One who runs my life. I am giving You all of my rights. Please take control of every area of my life. Whenever I am tempted to take back control, please point that out to me and help me have the courage and strength to resist successfully any temptation or desire to take control again of my life.

Show me how to live on top of my circumstances and not under them. Help me keep my eyes on You, Lord Jesus, instead of on my problems. Let me see You, Father, as the One who can and will meet every need of my life. Let me be sufficient in You and not in my own abilities and strengths. Help me to have the right balance between living in Your control and exercising diligence as I respond to each facet of my life. Whenever pressures come that have been unbearable or debilitating before, show me Your perspective -- anything I’ve been doing wrong or thinking improperly. Then show me how to correct my faulty actions and thoughts so that I can continue to walk in Your Spirit’s control. Thank You that You want to do these things in my life even more than I do. Remind me of that when my faith gets weak.

You can live successfully in any and all circumstances, including the severe pressures that come with the Rat Race. The choice is yours. Depend upon your own strength and abilities or depend on the Holy Spirit flowing through you, who keeps you anchored to the Lord and the solid Rock of Jesus, and keeps you “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).

On the journey with you,
Pastor Glen

The Rat Race is no place to slow down, relax, and have fun. There is always one more task to accomplish, one more job to do, one more committee to guide, and one more compulsion to fulfill. People caught in the Rat Race see fun as being counterproductive. They believe that no one gets anywhere in life by relaxing. Fun is at the bottom of the priorities because it demonstrates one’s inability to enjoy work and excel. People who are caught in the Rat Race inevitably get very tired, but they have so fooled themselves that they see exhaustion as a badge of honor: “Look how hard I’m working. What a good person I am to sacrifice this way for those I love.” Their self-esteem gets massaged along with their tired feet, and their aching back and neck. This warning sign leaves little space for fun, inspirational reading, physical exercise, prayer, hobbies, or anything else which hints at veering away from the day’s priorities.

Consider the following statements. The more “yes” answers you get, the less healthy fun you are allowing yourself to have.

1. No one gets anywhere in life by relaxing.

2. Even when I have time, I’m too tired to do anything fun or relaxing.

3. My state of exhaustion makes me feel that I am worthwhile.

4. My work is more important than my own personal comfort or desires.

5. When I rest, I feel guilty.

6. I never feel that I accomplish enough, even though I am exhausted all the time from the long hours I put in.

7. I don’t think that taking time off to have fun would relieve my stress.

8. Laughter should not be part of the workplace.

9. I often have work with me when I eat a meal.

10. I take a “To Do” list with me on vacations.

Have you ever noticed that some people seem to have an easier time making decisions than others? If they make a mistake, their world doesn’t fall apart. They would rather do something wrong than to do nothing at all. Other people have trouble looking at a menu and choosing what they want to eat for one meal. These are the ones who get caught in the Rat Race of indecisiveness.

Make Better Decisions

Because we are human beings, we have a great potential for error. We wait too long; we pay too much; and we will make wrong decisions. In order for us to enjoy life the way God intended, we need to examine some of the principles outlined in Scripture for decision making. There is no clear cut formula in the Bible because there are so many different types of decisions. But God gives us distinct principles that can make the decision making process much simpler.

Principle #1 – Request wisdom from God. I have found that when people face confusion in their lives, they react in one of three ways. 1) They may panic. They are not sure which way to turn or which choice to make. Life becomes a series of anxiety attacks. 2) Some people will ponder. Many find relief in never making a decision. They do not want to face life; they just want to think about it. These are the people who hope the problem will just go away. 3) A third option is to pray. James, the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). God Himself tells us that the wisest thing we can do is to ask Him for wisdom.

Principle #2 – Rely on God’s provision. In James 1, we read, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt….” In other words, expect an answer. Trust that God did hear your request; now rely on His provision.

It appears in the decision making process that first we must ask the right person – God -- then we must ask in the right way -- in faith, believing and not doubting. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Evidently, if you are to receive anything from God, you have to believe in advance that you are going to get it. That’s faith!

Principle #3 – Rest in your decision. James moves us beyond doubt, saying, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8).

Principle #4 – Relate to the facts, not your feelings. Feelings are a major part of life. We need them, but we cannot always rely on them. The best piece of advice I have ever received goes like this: Never make a major decision when you are tired, depressed, sick, or emotionally stressed. As a pastor, I will never make a major decision on Monday. If pastors lived their lives solely on emotions, most of us would resign on Monday. It is hard to be logical when you are emotionally spent or upset. So you shouldn’t walk out of your marriage when you’re depressed. You should never change jobs because your boss is angry with you. You must first look at the emotions and examine the facts. Ask God, then make the decision.

Principle #5 – Re-establish your life on the Bible. James 1:22-25 reminds us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does.”

Do you really want the wisdom of God in your life? Then you will need the Word of God in your heart. I hear people say all the time, “I asked for wisdom to make this decision, and I didn’t get it.” What I would ask these people is, “How often do you read your Bible?” I have discovered two important guidelines concerning God’s will for our lives. First, God’s will is found in God’s Word. If you are not reading your Bible, you will not discover God’s will for your life. Second, God’s will is never contrary to God’s Word. Many have asked, “How can it be so wrong, when it feels so right?” I’ll tell you why. Feelings are unreliable. It’s not enough to go to church on Sunday, anticipating that you will receive enough spiritual nourishment for the remainder of the week. You will forget the majority of what you hear anyway. How can we retain what we hear?

James 1:22-24 provides three tools we can use to hold onto God’s Word longer and thus provide a firmer foundation for the decision making process:

Study the Bible. By the one who “looks intently into the perfect law.” Get into a Bible study, join a small group, do whatever it takes to get into the Bible and it into you. Memorize the Bible. No, not the entire Bible, but portions of it which will revolutionize your life. Be the one who continues to do this, “not forgetting what he has heard.” Do what you learn in the Bible. Be the one who does what he hears -- “he will be blessed in what he does.” Follow the Bible, put it into practice, and trust that it will truly change your life.

Making decisions is an important part of climbing out of the Rat Race and back into God’s Royal Race. He will not make all of your decisions for you. He has given us the freedom to decide. He does, however, desire your decisions be based upon His wisdom. We are told in Psalm 119:105 that “Your [God’s] word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” In Jesus’ day, they didn’t have flashlights with batteries that keep on going and going. So how did the people walk in the dark? They had tiny lamps that would not allow the oil to slosh out. They would light the lamps, and then strap them to the front of their shoes. As they took each step, the light would shine just far enough ahead so they would be able to keep walking. The Bible is this kind of light. It is not a high beam that shows us everything that will happen up ahead over the next ten years. God doesn’t want us looking that far ahead because we’d panic. He wants us to live one day at a time. One decision at a time -- and He has promised to give us the wisdom necessary for each step we take.

On the journey with you,

Pastor Glen

BEYOND THE RAT RACE

Warning Sign #1 - Brownouts

I once lived in the city in the high desert where the draw on the electricity would be so great in the summer that periodic brownouts would occur. The lights did not go out. My digital clocks didn’t start blinking. Nonetheless, you could sense a difference. The lights grew dimmer. People in the Rat Race have these same symptoms. There is such a draw on their thoughts and attention that they seem to forget recent conversations and events, not because of memory loss, but because of preoccupation or overload. Here’s a little quiz to see if you are prone to brownouts…

Answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions:

1. I wake up with headaches in the morning and begin my day with aspirin at least two days per week.

2. I find I’m easily discouraged and feel like crying over the silliest things.

3. I’m always tired. I don’t feel creative and have trouble concentrating.

4. I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. I just don’t want to start the day.

5. I don’t get as much done as I used to. I feel mentally exhausted.

6. I just want to be alone. I don’t look forward to coming home.

7. I have no hobbies; I don’t have the patience or the energy.

8. I get mad too often. I lash out at my friends and family.

9. I get that “uptight” feeling in my stomach at least once a week. Antacids usually solve the problem.

10. I could use a neck or shoulder rub every day to help me get to sleep at night.

11. I’ve been making some bad decisions lately. My friends tell me I need a vacation.

12. I just can’t sit still. And when I do, I feel guilty because I have so much to do.

To score this tool, simply add up the number of your “yes” answers.

0-3 Brownout? What’s a brownout?

4-6 I possibly have a brownout once or twice a year.

7-9 I’m prone to brownouts; I struggle with my schedule.

10-12 Brown is my color! I’m a card-carrying member of the Rat Race!

Learn Your Limits

I am not the man I used to be. I no longer enjoy playing loud video games; they now make me dizzy. I used to stay up until midnight or one o’clock with regularity, studying and writing, but I’ve found that as I have “matured” (this is the baby boomers’ terminology for aging), I need at least six hours of sleep or I will be a waste the following day. All this to say, I’m learning my limits, which will help prevent warning sign number one, brownout.

One of the reasons we get trapped in the Rat Race is because we have not learned to set limits. Many of us don’t even know what our limits are. In fact, we don’t even like limitations. We see them as confining and the result of personal weakness. However, learning our limits will prevent much of the pain of brownouts, the first warning sign of a life trapped in the Rat Race. Dallas Willard shares a great insight in his book In Search of Guidance, “We all live at the mercy of our ideas.” These ideas affect every area of our lives--from our relationship with God to our relationship with those we love on earth.

Learning your limits implies that you have learned something about the real you. The tendency of people who struggle with the Rat Race lifestyle is to begin doubting their capabilities and strengths by questioning everything else from relationships to career. There are seven patterns of thinking that will cause problems because those involved have overextended their personal expectations and limits.

Thought #1 - I must be approved or loved by everyone. We all want to be loved. This is a natural desire but the healthiest way to experience love is to allow God to be the primary source of your life. Let His love for you be what satisfies your heart and let His indirect love as shown through others be an added dimension of His loving you. In this way, you look to Him to supply your needs--yes, even your need for love and acceptance. Others always disappoint us and fall below our expectations. When we look to others to meet our needs, we leave ourselves wide open for the hurt which inevitably comes.

Thought #2 - I must continually be striving to be the best in order to be happy. If this describes you today, it is a good thing you didn’t have this philosophy when you were learning to walk, to talk, or to ride a bike. People with this philosophy should hang up their car keys when they get their first ticket or have their first accident.

We must learn to redefine success. People who focus on accomplishments as their source and standard of happiness are doomed to be ruled by circumstances for the rest of their lives. Our happiness needs to be centered in God, in who we are in Him, in knowing that He is approving of us even when we make mistakes. Give yourself the freedom to fail. God does.

Thought #3 - I must blame others for my mistakes so that I can get ahead. All of us make mistakes. No one, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, is infallible. Blaming others for personal mistakes or bad decisions will never accomplish what we subconsciously hope for. Blame will never result in less stupidity on your part or that of the other person. People who are in touch with reality admit their mistakes, accept them, and will not allow the mistakes to become a catastrophe or lead them to feel worthless.

Thought #4 - Life is terrible when things are not going the way I want them to. When our lives revolve around ourselves--our wants, our desires, our plans--we are vulnerable to falling into the trap of self-centeredness and its resulting dissatisfaction. Two self-centered people will seldom be satisfied in any given situation because one of them may have his/her goals blocked by the other. That is why God wants us to be centered on Him, not on ourselves or our circumstances.

Paul gave his whole life to sharing the Gospel, yet he often found himself in difficult positions--shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned. He could have said, “Why aren’t things going more smoothly? I’m doing God’s will and following His plan.” But he didn’t let events determine his feelings. He says in Phil. 4:11, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Only when we realize that He alone can satisfy us, and can make sense out of our lives, can we rest in Him when things don’t go the way we thought they would.

Thought #5 - I have to do whatever I see that needs to be done or whatever others ask of me. One of the great traps of the Enemy is to get us so busy--so tied up in doing, doing, doing that we have no time for God, for our family, for rest, or for other important things in life. This is one reason God so clearly tells us that He is there for us, helping us sort out the good from the best. One look at the life of Jesus shows us that He did not do everything there was to do. Only one of the many sick at the pool of Bethesda was healed by Him. Why didn’t He do more? Because He said, “I do only what I see my Father do.” He had learned to seek the Father in prayer, to get His instructions for the day, and then to do only those things that the Father had for Him to do. We need to do the same. By so doing, we will save ourselves the stress and pressure of taking on much more than the Lord ever meant us to have.

Thought #6 – There are many things to fear in life and I dwell upon them continually. Life is complicated and unpredictable and fear is one of the basic tools of the Enemy. Those who try to live life apart from the Lord indeed will find it a fearful, overwhelming prospect. But those who trust in the Lord and have their minds fixed upon Him will have the perfect peace that we are promised in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” When we fix our eyes on the Lord and learn to see things from His perspective, we will find that our fears are not based upon anything but the Enemy’s desire to keep us in bondage and steal from us the joy of our salvation. Remember who your God is and who you are in Christ the next time fear tries to pull you into its trap.

Thought #7 - I must constantly rely on myself if I am ever to get ahead. Our society thrives on independence. As with so many things in the Christian life, what we usually see as strength, God sees as weakness. Paul expressed it this way: “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10b). How can this be? It is simple, yet ever so hard to put into practice, especially if you have a lot of talent and abilities. God’s ideal is for you to be a servant, to be strong through weakness by letting His Spirit, rather than your own strength be the vehicle of accomplishing through you the good works He has established for you to do.

The mind or our thoughts influence whether or not we have brownouts. It can either help us avoid pressures or cause us much more pressure. If people are always complaining and looking too much at circumstances and not at their Lord, who has promised to meet all their needs, then indeed they will have a constant and real struggle to survive the Rat Race. Jesus is our example. This is why no trap can capture those who keep their thoughts under the control of Jesus Christ as He asked us to do in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “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.” Choosing to look to the Lord for His provision, avoiding negative self-talk, repeating Scripture, and praying can all be instrumental in avoiding brownouts.

On the journey with you,

Pastor Glen

Journey's Children Ministries presents, RACE FOR JESUS, a fun-filled family event where the children can race child-sized Go-Karts, enjoy lunch and concessions, play in our bounce house and be part of an Easter egg hunt! To be held on Saturday, April 16, 10am till 2pm on the lower parking lot of the campus. Cost is $5 per person (children under 2 yrs. are free). The Go-Karts are for children 3 yrs. - 11 yrs. with a weight limit of 100 lbs.

To purchase tickets you can email jennifer.thomas@journeyoffaith.com or stop by the "Race With Jesus" table in the lobby between services (March 27 & April 3).