Free Will-y

I will.

We say it when we marry.

We say it when we agree to something we don't particularly want to do.

We say it when we swear in court to tell the whole truth.

I will is a powerful statement. It is a declaration of intent, an indicator that a person has himself under enough control that he can direct his future actions.

Lucifer was probably the first created being to use the phrase when he said, "I will be like the Most High God. I will set my throne above His."

Even after that revolt in Heaven, God still embedded in the human heart a free will. Lucifer's betrayal did not deter God from His purpose: to create man in His own image with the freedom to choose right or wrong.

You have a will. Every moment of every day you are exercising that will. Even though you may feel trapped by your circumstances, chained to a dead-end job, or drowning in children who had seemed a good idea at the time, you still have a choice.

Remaining chained is a choice. Whether or not to cave in to your emotions is a choice. How you choose to deal with your particular circumstances is up to you.

But God has a will too. It is His will that every one of his human creations come to love and honor Him. He desires that every one of us choose His will over our own.

But He won't force it.

Isn't it interesting that the God who created the universe sets aside His own desire to give us what we demand? If we demand our own way, if we insist on trying to meet our own needs in our own way, he won't tie us down.

He allows what he hates because He is completely just. He won't violate His own laws for the sake of His heart.

• What if you took your will--as though it was an object you could detach--and handed it to God?

• What if you made it your goal to forfeit your will in favor or God's, just as He has done for you?

• What would your life look like then?

Is that a scary thought?

Lucifer became Satan when God hurled him from Heaven and he lives for the dark thrill of scaring us to death. Where do you think you got the idea that total surrender to God will involve heartache and disaster? Whose twisted mind produced the thought that God only wants to hurt and destroy you? It wasn't yours.

Ever since the evil one uttered those first defiant words, I will, he has made it his goal to get us to do the same.

What if you stopped listening to him and made it your goal to have no will of your own?

What if God's will became yours?

What if you tried that today?

What if in answer to God's call on your life, you answered,

"I Will!"

Ask First

"Um, Dad? I think I'm lost."

The cell connection was weak and crackly. His heart sank. His little Princess was out there somewhere in the dark, alone in her car, on some treacherous highway filled with bandits and serial killers. Or at least that's what it feels like to a father when his teenage daughter calls at midnight.

"Why didn't you call me earlier?" He tried to check the irritation in his voice, but fear drove it an octave higher.

"Um...I dunno. I thought...I thought I knew what I was doing..." Crackle. "Oh, and my phone battery is almost dead."

Anger battled with fear. Once more her impulsiveness and overconfidence had become his problem.

God completely understands that father's frustration. In Joshua chapter 9, we read of a little incident when Mighty Joshua, who had just earned enough military medals to sink a ship, got a little overconfident and "did not inquire of the Lord" before making a disastrous decision.

The sworn enemies of Israel sent some spies, disguised as travelers from afar, and tricked the leaders into making a covenant not to destroy them--in direct disobedience to God's stated command. As a result, these enemies were allowed to live and became a deep thorn in Israel's side for generations to come. All because they "neglected to inquire of the Lord."

How much trouble would we save ourselves if we made it a habit
to run everything past God before making a decision?

God loves to be consulted. He loves having an active place in our lives, directing our steps, and blessing our obedience.

But how many times are we like the overconfident daughter who only calls when she's in desperate trouble?

We use God like 9-1-1. We want him to be there in an emergency, but the rest of the time, He's not even on speed dial.

It doesn't work. Joshua and the Israelite leaders could tell you that.

Take a look around your life right now. Got a choice facing you? A decision? A fork in the road?

Be sure you "inquire of the Lord" first.

You get peace and an "ever present help in trouble," and He takes care of the results.
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How Often?

Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily.

• So how often do I need to offer myself to God?

• How often should I ask God to search my heart?

• How often should I...?

Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily.Daily.

I am surprised at the number of times I am asked these kinds of questions. One major reason so many professing followers of Christ live in such defeat--never experiencing the power and joy God longs to give them--is that they are surviving on leftovers and hand-me-downs:

Leftover commitment.
Leftover dedication.
Leftover victories.

Hand-me down inspiration.
Hand-me-down values.
Hand-me-down insight.

If the Apostle Paul said he had to "die daily,"(I Corinthians 15:31) then how much more do we regular believers need to stay current in our relationship with God?

Just as dangerous is the current tendency to rely on books by others who have experienced God, rather than enter into that experience yourself. There are thousands of great books out there, but none can take the place of the living Word of God to speak to your heart, convict you of sin, and draw you closer to Him.

Would a marriage last if the partners only affirmed each other once a season? Would you be able to fully commit yourself to someone you'd only heard about through the grapevine? Could your body remain healthy if you only ate once or twice a week?

A friendship with only sporadic interaction is at best casual. Heart friends are cultivated by spending a lot of quality time together, going through things together, encouraging each other, and remaining faithful to the relationship. And God longs to be your heart friend.

There is no substitute for a daily re-commitment of yourself to God. If His "mercies are new every morning,"(Lamentations 3:23) that must mean we need them every morning.

We can't lay our fleshly desires on the altar before God and forget about them. They'll jump off! That commitment you made to Christ last spring has to be freshened every day, or it grows stale and your love grows cold.

So what's the secret to keeping your relationship with God the most vital thing in your life?

A daily offering of yourself to Him. Daily allowing His Spirit to search your heart for problem areas and getting rid of them. Maybe it wasn't a problem yesterday, but today is a new day. Don't let it get started.

How often do I seek God?

Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily. Daily.

The sun was brutal this summer.
The dusky sky gave no rain.
Days on end brought record heat.
Record drought.

And this was the result.

These dead sticks are supposed to be full of purple flowers.

I gave up on my flower gardens.
Even the grass wouldn't grow.
Everything was parched and brown.

And I got used to it.

So used to it that when the long-awaited rains finally came,
I scarcely noticed the subtle changes.

Amidst the dead,ugly sticks, new life had begun.
At first it was so low to the ground,
anyone would miss it.

But there was no excuse for not noticing
when the dead sticks began to bloom.

The beauty was there to see,
but I had stopped looking for it.

Have you gotten used to life being a white-knuckle event?

• Have you stopped seeing the potential, the beauty, the eternal benefits in what you're doing?

• Are you walking right past the gifts God has given you with scarcely a nod?

Take another look around your life.

• Maybe the rains have come and you didn't notice.

• Maybe that sour, negative attitude has become so much a part of you that you scarcely notice it anymore.

• Maybe that victim mentality has outworn its welcome.

• Maybe your words have started reflecting Satan's lies rather than the truth of God.

Is your life a flower garden that everyone can appreciate but you?
Isn't it time you enjoyed the flowers God has created for your enjoyment?
A flower is a terrible thing to waste.

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Copying God

I love this picture.

My son Sam was about 4, the age when he wanted to copy everything Dad did--including shaving hair that did not exist.

Notice his eyes. He's not even looking at his own reflection. He's watching Dad to see how it's done. Then he tries to copy it.

That's how we learn.

Jesus did the same thing. John 5:19 records these words: " Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does'."

That's hard for us to get our minds around. Jesus was fully God, even while on earth. So why would he say he could do nothing by himself? Why would he need to watch his Father to learn?

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then absolute obedience is humility perfected. Jesus set the example for us by not doing anything of his own initiative. He waited on his Father's timing and instruction.

Philippians chapter 2 lays out the road map for us when it instructs us to "have the same mindset that Jesus had when he set aside all rights as God and humbled himself to come to earth and take on flesh and blood."

Jesus is our model. If he attempted nothing on his own, then so much more should we take our cues only from God. When we take our eyes off Jesus and start acting of our own accord we are headed for trouble, just as Sam would have suffered if he'd set aside the plastic razor and picked up the one with the real blade.

• How many of your problems were caused by you acting on your own initiative?

• How much of your stress comes from burdens you've placed on yourself--drudgery that has no eternal value?

• How much disillusionment or disappointment stems from your trying to "do God's work" in your own strength? Maybe He never asked you to do it.

Notice what Jesus says:

I only work when I see My Father already there.

• What if you determined from this day forward you would take on only the tasks that God initiated?

• What if you evaluated every item on your To-Do list in light of its eternal significance, eliminating those that don't matter?

• What if you lived in such sync with the Holy Spirit that you heard His voice and only did what He asked you to do?

• How much would that lighten your load?

Ever wonder how Jesus accomplished all that He did in only 3 years of ministry?

The secret: He never acted alone.

What if you did the same thing?

Whose Terms?

He twitched across the short lobby and shot me a grin.

I followed him into the counseling room and shut the door.

His hands shook and his knees knocked together as he tried unsuccessfully to hold my gaze.

"How high are you?" I began.

"Oh," he laughed and wiped a boney arm across his forehead. "No. I know how this looks, but I'm not high. No, I'm' always like this. Jis' nervous, I guess."

I lifted a brow and we took a seat.

He coughed. "I-I c-can see why you'd think that..."

"Are you clean?" I continued.

"Well, I'm gonna be honest with you, Ma'am. No, I-I did take a hit last night. Just one. Really small."

"Thank you for your honesty," I said. His continual jerking was making me tired.

I studied the blank page before me while he tried to fill out the intake sheet. I didn't need to write down my observations. I would remember this clearly when I typed up my session notes.

Meth addict. Heavy denial. Convinced he was fooling me and convinced he could have a beneficial counseling session while under the influence. He wanted what I had to offer, but he wanted it on his terms.

We spent a fruitless hour-and-a-half as I unsuccessfully urged him to get serious medical help. He shook his head patiently, as though he was speaking to a small, dim-witted child. "I can stop taking this any time. I just t-took a little to help with my depression."

"You are a man in shark-infested waters with a shark chewing off your leg. I am the Coast Guard. How smart is it to argue with the Coast Guard?"

He left with tears in his eyes. "I g-guess I hoped you could help me, tell me why I do this. Give me some tools. But I don't need no doctors, de-tox, or Celebrate Recovery. I know God can help me without all that."

I watched him stagger away, miss the door, and try to open the plate-glass window. My heart cried after him: Why won't you listen? I'd love to help you, but I can't like this.

We've all been like that meth addict at some point in our lives. We find ourselves in a pickle and cry out to God for help. He shows us His plan, His requirements for healing, the steps we must take to get back to sanity...and we balk.

"I want your help, God, but I want to do this my way."

It doesn't work like that. God watches us stagger away, miss the door, and try to open the plate glass window. And His heart breaks.

Satan convinces us we can hide our pet sins, our selfish choices, our willful goals from God and He won't care. After all, God is love so surely He will rush to help me when I call. Won't he?

And when He doesn't, we get angry. Pride calls the shots. Mankind has been trying to get to God on his own terms since the Garden and it has never worked. God offers all the hope, health, and healing you need. But only on His terms: drop the willful sin, humble yourself, stick to it, seek Him with all your heart.

It's easy to roll our eyes at the meth addict, but are you sitting there twitching and trying to convince God you're not as bad as He says you are? If you want help, it only comes His way.
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Which One?

He strode through the bright morning sunshine. A car or two rolled past, but the town mostly slept.

It was Sunday, after all. It had been a hard week. The coffee pots were timed for three hours later than usual.

The steeple soared from the vaulted roof of First Baptist Church. "Where is God?" boasted the crooked letters on the marquee.

He shook his head. Good question. Did they really not know?

Jay's Hardware was opening for business, and beside it Chloe's Cafe fed a record breakfast crowd. Truckers and farmers bent over morning papers while sweating waitresses kept everyone's coffee filled.

He paused to look at them through the speckled window. A few looked back with suspicion, then returned to their papers.

Across the street, First United Methodist looked closed until further notice. One car sat deserted in the shade of the children's wing. The pastor had been arrested for propositioning an undercover officer. The flock was trying to decide between an openly gay interim or a female transsexual. The vote was dividing the congregation.

A stone's throw away, Antioch Full Gospel needed a paint job. Two windows were boarded over. Didn't matter. No one went there anyway.

He kept walking, eying the stilled bells in St. Matthew's Catholic belfry. He used to love the sound of those bells. Last year the city council voted to stop the bell ringing except on Easter. Disturbed the peace or something.

He kicked an empty beer bottle against the curb. A used condom rolled with it. Peace?

On he walked. Church after church dotted corner after corner. Mid-American Christianity at its finest. In a couple of hours, the churches would begin to fill. Everyone would be at his or her best, smiles properly adjusted, masks in place. Songs would be sung while stomachs growled. Pages would be colored in Sunday School classes, Bible lessons taught with all the enthusiasm of a study on peat moss.

In the livelier churches, guitars would shriek, hands would wave in the air, and moods would lift in direct proportion to the performance of the band. The gray hairs would complain about the volume and the young would leave as sin-encrusted as they arrived. No one brought a Bible. Everyone left just as they had come in.

He stood at the edge of town and looked back. The sun bounced off the peaks and steeples of two dozen empty buildings. Emptier than they knew.

The Son of God had come to worship with his people and he had nowhere to go.