20-Something Leader & Deeper Issues

Ever wonder why you are the way you are.  

  • Why you can’t trust people?  
  • Why you’re almost schizophrenic w/ your phone past midnight?
  • Why you’re always hungry at midnight?
  • Why you’re obsessed with breasts?
  • Why you can’t ever stop with just one drink?
  • Why you’re always restless and anxious when you’re alone?
  • Why you become ‘totally weird” around girls?
  • Why you throw your bodies at guys?
  • Why you become a “different person” with a particular group of people?
  • Why you can’t ever (for the life of you) resist ice-cream or chocolate? 

There’s a deeper reason for your anxiety, fear, doubt, addiction, obsession, craving, skepticism and mistrust.  

Deeper issues that you have been avoiding and running from.  

The truth is:  

You eat, drink, play games, get into sports, get addicted to stuff, stuff yourself with food, blast music in your ears, workout endlessly, for a reason you haven’t figured out yet.  

Isn’t that scary?  

It’s like you think you’re living your life … but you’re not.  

There’s something far more deeper in your being that is driving you to live the life that you’re living right now.  

There’s an interesting verse in the Bible that describes this phenomenon.

She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.  (Prov. 5:6)

Here’s a girl that has no idea why she’s the way she is.  And she doesn’t really care.  She gives it no thought.  She just copes through life.  Seeking love & attention in all the wrong places, from all the wrong people.  She doesn’t understand why she ends up with the guys she does.  She also doesn’t understand why she’s always cramming for tests and why she’s always hungry, frustrated, depressed and angry.  
Sound familiar?
As a 20-Something Leader, you need to be aware that there’s a way for you to live life that will cause you to simply “follow the supposed desires of your heart - that is helplessly crooked” - and end up dead!  
Here’s how her story ends.
At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.  (Prov. 5:11)
Your flesh (that is your crooked self) will always war against the Spirit.  
You can either let your flesh dictate and dominate your life or you can surrender your life to the Spirit.
If you ever want to, for once in your life, be freed of all these nagging issues that are driving you to be not you (that is driving you insane) - you need to surrender and let Jesus be the Lord of your life.  
In your Quiet Time with God, He’ll open your eyes to the deeper issues at stake.  He’ll gently guide you and lead you to deal with (instead of avoiding, ignoring and running away) all your insatiable cravings and addictions.  
And He’ll renew your heart to crave the things of the Spirit which gives life!  
If this post has stirred in you more questions than answer, praise God. And if you have any questions as a result of your reading, Ask!  :) I’ll be glad to enter into a dialogue with you and help your untangle and sort out the mess that your flesh has got you into.  

How God’s Omnipotence is Unleashed through us

Irresolution, indecision, weakness of purpose, found no place in their efforts.

They were willing to spend and be spent.

The consciousness of the responsibility resting on them purified and enriched their experience, and the grace of heaven was revealed in the conquests they achieved for Christ.

With the Might of Omnipotence God worked through them to make the gospel triumphant.

- AA 595

________

The revival & reformation in the early church was possible through people who were fully conscious of their responsibility to remain fully committed.   

God was able to powerfully manifest His Omnipotence, the “Nothing-is-impossible-with-God” kind of power, because they had fully committed themselves & ferociously awakened their conscience daily through fervent prayer to remain committed.

The commitment to remain committed.  

This is what it takes.  This renews & rejuvenates our commitment to the mission that God Himself has commanded, created & ignited in our hearts.  

This is what enables & empowers us to be “more than conquerors through Him who loves us”.  (Rom. 8:37)

Omnipotence is unleashed through us only when we consciously exercise our free will to put up a fight and remain committed.

Daily, there’s a need for us to resolve, decide and be firm (make the commitment to remain committed) in our purpose to make God’s name renown.  

On a side note:

Tebow (a.k.a God’s Quarterback) is relentless in his pursuit to use his platform, and his resources to proclaim the gospel message.  He commits daily to use everything He has (his position, his strength, his skills, his voice) for the glory of God.  Could it be possible, that God is unleashing His Omnipotence through him out there on the field causing him & his team to be triumphant in their efforts?  :)  We don’t know.  But there has never been a time in the history of football or any sports arena for that matter, where the name of Jesus has dominated our conversation.  

Renewal & Transformation

The heart must be renewed by divine grace, or it will be in vain to seek for purity of life.

He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ is building his house upon the shifting sand.  

- PP 460

_____________________________________________________

I’ve always thought about the man who built his house on sand.  

The archtype of those who “know” but don’t do.

And here he is again.  

Those who “know” that they can’t change themselves.   

Those who “know” their righteousness is like filthy rags.

Those who “know” their flesh wars against them.  

And yet, they “try to change” all on their own, by themselves.  

Then, they are overthrown & come crashing down, when the fierce storms of temptation roars in their lives.  (i.e. when they’re bored with lots of time & money on their hands.)   

Little and yet incremental changes build & thus transform us inside out, when we’re willing to daily, rely & fully depend upon the grace of God to renew our hearts.