Transferred Guilt
"I know you wouldn't want your wife to know about...". Those were the words I heard over the phone many, many years ago as a voice from my past was trying to manipulate my future. Thank God I was able to say, "come on over and we will discuss it with her!" The attack ended. Guilt is a very powerful tool of manipulation. The goal of manipulation is to move you away from God's plan toward some lesser purpose and finally cause you to be immobilzed completely. Of course, my attack was from a real situation from my past. Bringing our sins to Jesus and doing our part to be reconciled to those whom we may have hurt releases us from guilt and shame. There are other kinds of manipulation from guilt that are not as obvious but just as limiting. People who don't know how to handle their own guilt or who are unwilling to assume responsibility for their own mistakes will try to transfer that guilt to others. I call this transferred guilt. Children seem to come into the world knowing how to do this. It is easy for Christians to receive this transferred guilt believing that is what they are supposed to do as Christians from a desire to be nice or sweet. If Christ has set us free from sin and the effects of sin, then it is an affront to the work of Jesus to allow ourselves to come under the power of guilt in any form. The Lord has designed us to live, work and minister in an atmosphere of freedom. Jesus said in Luke 4 that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him to proclaim Liberty to the captives. That liberty was purchases with his own blood so that you and I might live and minister in the perfect liberty of Christ. The world is waiting for us to live and minister out of that freedom and release that freedom to others.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Today
Nothing can sabbatoge today more than regrets from the past and fears regarding the future. To make matters worse, our concerns aren't without cause. We have made mistakes in the past and life patterns suggest that our future may be affected once again. One of the primary lessons of Jesus was to exhort us to live in today. Most leaders understand God's forgiveness. The problem lies in forgiving themselves and releasing the past. The problem of moving on into today with clarity is usually one of a lack of forgiving ourselves or the perceived guilt from others. It is impossible to walk in the success that God intends with these anchors to our past. I saw one Bible School graduate poison his future because he couldn't seem to get beyond his failures as a Christian. It's one thing to get beyond sins of youth, but more difficult to release our sins as a follower of Christ. The wonderful thing about redemption is that the Blood of Jesus is just as powerful forgiving our future as much as our past.
While in Dubai for a month, Teresa and I seemed to experience a new level of "living in today". Circumstances were out of our control. We were helpless in our own efforts to change anything. Our only peace was found in learning the secret of Jesus in living in today. You may be trapped in the swamp of yesterday or immobilized by the "what ifs" of tomorrow. Let them go! It not only is all you can do, it is what you should and must do! A refusal to not trust the Blood of Jesus is an affront to God and a sick kind of pride that says, "the Blood of Jesus forgives all sins but mine". Go ahead and jump into the flowing fountain of the Blood of Jesus with abandon. It is in that abandon that you will find courage and strength to not only face the future, but be the leader the Lord intends you to be.
Mat 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow...
Nothing can sabbatoge today more than regrets from the past and fears regarding the future. To make matters worse, our concerns aren't without cause. We have made mistakes in the past and life patterns suggest that our future may be affected once again. One of the primary lessons of Jesus was to exhort us to live in today. Most leaders understand God's forgiveness. The problem lies in forgiving themselves and releasing the past. The problem of moving on into today with clarity is usually one of a lack of forgiving ourselves or the perceived guilt from others. It is impossible to walk in the success that God intends with these anchors to our past. I saw one Bible School graduate poison his future because he couldn't seem to get beyond his failures as a Christian. It's one thing to get beyond sins of youth, but more difficult to release our sins as a follower of Christ. The wonderful thing about redemption is that the Blood of Jesus is just as powerful forgiving our future as much as our past.
While in Dubai for a month, Teresa and I seemed to experience a new level of "living in today". Circumstances were out of our control. We were helpless in our own efforts to change anything. Our only peace was found in learning the secret of Jesus in living in today. You may be trapped in the swamp of yesterday or immobilized by the "what ifs" of tomorrow. Let them go! It not only is all you can do, it is what you should and must do! A refusal to not trust the Blood of Jesus is an affront to God and a sick kind of pride that says, "the Blood of Jesus forgives all sins but mine". Go ahead and jump into the flowing fountain of the Blood of Jesus with abandon. It is in that abandon that you will find courage and strength to not only face the future, but be the leader the Lord intends you to be.
Mat 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Serve No Wine Before Its Time!
A number of years ago there was an ad for a wine company that said something like, "we will serve no wine before it's time". They were saying that they would allow the wine to age to it's best potential before offering it to the public. Maybe those of us who are preacher/teachers should take note of this. When we get a new revelation there is tremendous pressure to "preach it" at our next opportunity. The best sermons come from our own life experience. Think of a preacher speaking and how it affects you if he says, "so and so says" versus, "I have experienced". It has a totally different impact. People love personal stories. We need to learn to be better story tellers. To do so requires a willingness to be transparent and a willingness to be the object of our jokes, often times. The result will be a richer connection with your audience.
Now, the waiting part. Just as wine matures with age, so do life lessons and sermons. You can have a true revelation from heaven. It may have come while showering or it may have come from the depths of a traumatic experience. Regardless, it will sweeten with age. In truth, it may never have been intended for public consumption. It may be just between you and the Lord. But if it is for sharing, put it aside in a "sermon garden" and let it grow. Let the warm sun of time shine upon it and the rain of meditation water it. Let the process of your own healing and maturity feed it. Examine it from different facets and it will become richer and richer with time. When it is delivered, the impact will be multiplied many times over by allowing it to age in the cellar of your heart. If you do it right, Jesus will be seen in the forefront and you will be in the shadows.
A number of years ago there was an ad for a wine company that said something like, "we will serve no wine before it's time". They were saying that they would allow the wine to age to it's best potential before offering it to the public. Maybe those of us who are preacher/teachers should take note of this. When we get a new revelation there is tremendous pressure to "preach it" at our next opportunity. The best sermons come from our own life experience. Think of a preacher speaking and how it affects you if he says, "so and so says" versus, "I have experienced". It has a totally different impact. People love personal stories. We need to learn to be better story tellers. To do so requires a willingness to be transparent and a willingness to be the object of our jokes, often times. The result will be a richer connection with your audience.
Now, the waiting part. Just as wine matures with age, so do life lessons and sermons. You can have a true revelation from heaven. It may have come while showering or it may have come from the depths of a traumatic experience. Regardless, it will sweeten with age. In truth, it may never have been intended for public consumption. It may be just between you and the Lord. But if it is for sharing, put it aside in a "sermon garden" and let it grow. Let the warm sun of time shine upon it and the rain of meditation water it. Let the process of your own healing and maturity feed it. Examine it from different facets and it will become richer and richer with time. When it is delivered, the impact will be multiplied many times over by allowing it to age in the cellar of your heart. If you do it right, Jesus will be seen in the forefront and you will be in the shadows.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Honor The Past, Pursue The Fututre
In 1993 I found myself facing a different challenge after almost 20 years of ministry, mostly church planting. The Lord had led me to return to my home town and become pastor of my home church. I had never pastored a church I didn't start. I would be taking the helm of a church that was 85 years old! I was used to being the pioneer, recruiting the young zealots and leading the charge to "take this city for God"! Now I would be working with a group of people who had no youth group, no children's ministry and mostly older people. I believe the call to go there was because the Lord needed some "foundational work" done there in an effort to revive the weakening congregation.
I had some understanding of moving to a city, not knowing anyone, or very few, and casting a vision for birthing something new. I had never spoken against another church, but there was the unspoken implication that if the other churches were doing the job, we wouldn't need to plant a new church. Now I would be the old, "other church"! I didn't know what to do. I was out of my comfort zone. I have met Pastors who have said to me, "it would scare me to death to move to a new place and start a new church". I thought, "it would scare me to death to take a church with all it's weaknesses and negative traditions and try to do something new with that"! However, I was now the pastor of a church that had been considered by some, a dying chruch. There had to be change! There had to be a new direction that would seem attrative enough to young people who had the energy to come help us in this resurrection. (I had always said that I like church planting over taking over an existing church because I felt it easier to birth something new, than to raise the dead.)
Herein lies the tension, while I was having to seek to reach a new generation, I still had to be the pastor of an older generation who had been faithful for years and who had paid a great price to give us our launch pad.
As I sought the Lord, I heard very clearly, "Honor the past, pursue the future"! That was it! While I had a burden and vision for the future and a new generation, I had to honor those upon whose shoulders we would stand to build the future. Here is a warning for all new generation, movers and shakers. Be very, very careful how you handle your spiritual fathers and those who have paved the way for you. It would be very easy to believe that because God has given you a vision that you are free from honoring the past. Not true! God is a generational God. One of Absalom's mistakes was his despising his Father and feeling justified in bypassing him to build his own kingdom. It cost him his life.
I am not saying that we should be shackled to the past or in bondage to men. I am saying that we need to be careful in honoring our past and seeking to remain connected when possible in order to have an exponential increase of Kingdom influence.
In 1993 I found myself facing a different challenge after almost 20 years of ministry, mostly church planting. The Lord had led me to return to my home town and become pastor of my home church. I had never pastored a church I didn't start. I would be taking the helm of a church that was 85 years old! I was used to being the pioneer, recruiting the young zealots and leading the charge to "take this city for God"! Now I would be working with a group of people who had no youth group, no children's ministry and mostly older people. I believe the call to go there was because the Lord needed some "foundational work" done there in an effort to revive the weakening congregation.
I had some understanding of moving to a city, not knowing anyone, or very few, and casting a vision for birthing something new. I had never spoken against another church, but there was the unspoken implication that if the other churches were doing the job, we wouldn't need to plant a new church. Now I would be the old, "other church"! I didn't know what to do. I was out of my comfort zone. I have met Pastors who have said to me, "it would scare me to death to move to a new place and start a new church". I thought, "it would scare me to death to take a church with all it's weaknesses and negative traditions and try to do something new with that"! However, I was now the pastor of a church that had been considered by some, a dying chruch. There had to be change! There had to be a new direction that would seem attrative enough to young people who had the energy to come help us in this resurrection. (I had always said that I like church planting over taking over an existing church because I felt it easier to birth something new, than to raise the dead.)
Herein lies the tension, while I was having to seek to reach a new generation, I still had to be the pastor of an older generation who had been faithful for years and who had paid a great price to give us our launch pad.
As I sought the Lord, I heard very clearly, "Honor the past, pursue the future"! That was it! While I had a burden and vision for the future and a new generation, I had to honor those upon whose shoulders we would stand to build the future. Here is a warning for all new generation, movers and shakers. Be very, very careful how you handle your spiritual fathers and those who have paved the way for you. It would be very easy to believe that because God has given you a vision that you are free from honoring the past. Not true! God is a generational God. One of Absalom's mistakes was his despising his Father and feeling justified in bypassing him to build his own kingdom. It cost him his life.
I am not saying that we should be shackled to the past or in bondage to men. I am saying that we need to be careful in honoring our past and seeking to remain connected when possible in order to have an exponential increase of Kingdom influence.
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