It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? We want to be something we’re not, but we don’t want to change to become it, do we? We want to be more like Christ, we want to be successful, we want to be loving husbands and fathers, but we don’t want to change.

Here’s a great question for you, guys, “How do you supposed we become more like Christ in our homes, relationships, workplace, communities, and church if we don’t change our hearts and mindsets?” To be honest, I don’t have a clue.

Change – the last frontier of our lives, yet the constant in all of life. Change brings life. Change brings new and with new comes life. Your body is constantly changing – some of you would definitely agree with me – but, it’s that change that rejuvenates life. A lack of change and rejuvenation ushers in stagnation and with stagnation death – death of the heart, our passions, and the mind.

God has been changing me lately – my mind and my heart. My life got to the point that it seemed that my anger was raising it’s ugly head all the time. I haven’t had to deal with my anger and its sinful outbursts in a long time. My outbursts scare Cindy. She reminded me that every time I get angry it costs me something – money to replace or fix something, my relationship with her and others, even my relationship with God. Something needed to change and change quickly!

Through some great counsel (thanks Scott) I’ve begun to read through a book that’s been around a while, but is having a dramatic impact in and on my life. It is T.W. Hunt’s The Mind of Christ. Did you know that you can have the mind of Christ? Do you realize that to have the mind of Christ is to be in complete harmony with God and God’s desires? I want that. I want to be so in tune with God that I’m free from the bondage of sin and sinful thinking.

Did you know that to have the mind of Jesus requires change? YEP!! Make no mistake about it, this is a process. It doesn’t happen over night, though there are some biblical principles that will make an immediate impact (change) if you begin applying them to your life and your relationships. I’m working through the process now, asking God to change my heart, my relationships, my loyalties, my prejudices, my thought process and I’m seeing God in a whole new light.

I’ve also asked some men, a band of brothers – fellow warriors who knows about struggle and life change – to pray for me and hold me accountable for my anger. They are. In fact one fellow warrior asked me about it this past Sunday morning. Thanks Terry. Keep it up.

Life, the life in Christ we can all have is about change. Life changes. . .we change, but do you want change for God?

As God teaches me I will share with you.

I would ask that you pray for me and pray for Cindy. Pray that God will give me opportunities to share what He is teaching me with other men who struggle as well.

Mike

I was recently speaking with a friend of mine about girl-guy relationships. This is a guy that has grown more in his relationship with God over the last year or so, than since becoming a Christ-follower. He’s a great guy – a hard worker, smart, and rides a motorcycle.
We had been talking about purity and how God calls us to remain pure in our girl-guy relationships until the time He unites us in marriage. He struggled with this for a while – like most guys do. As we walked through God’s standard for us as single men and how it is up to us to guard that standard as the spiritual leaders in our relationships he equated his desire for sex to “Snickers Bars.” We laughed, but what a great analogy! It was his way of talking about sex in terms he could understand since he likes Snickers Bars as well.

As I thought about his struggle and his analogy, I realized many of us have our own “Snickers Bars.” Don’t we? It may not be the overwhelming desire to be sexually active in our girl-guy relationships, but it could be our pride, our desire for more toys, pornography, the demanding desire to be in charge/control, our attitudes that we cling to, or our expectations of others. . .you get the picture.

What’s your “Snickers Bar?”

I’m so proud of my friend. He came to me one night and told me how he went to his friend’s house and told her, “No more.” He walked away from his “Snickers Bar.” I’m not sure if their still friends, but I know God loved to see him walk away. He enjoyed watching my friend set the example, not matter how tough it was for him. I know it wasn’t an easy decision for him to make. The decision to put down our “Snickers Bar” is never easy. But I do know he wanted to please God and be obedient. For my friend it meant finding an alternative way of spending his time and a substitute for “Snickers Bar.” If you and I want to please God, as well, we will have to do the same. My buddy did it and I believe with all my heart that God is looking at my friend with an incredibly huge smile and a special place in his heart for him. And God has blessed him with more jobs to do in his side business.

My friend fought for his King and the King’s standard of purity in girl-guy relationships. What a warrior!

What about you? You ready to put down your “Snickers Bar” and follow God? Willing to walk away and walk to God? Are you willing to fight for the heart of your King?

I won’t be easy, but God assures us that He will grant us the grace to see us through. He will be there all the way. Won’t you make the commitment today. . .now?

Mike

I was lead to this question by God during consecutive quiet times just before the new year. Allow me to explain. After Christmas I asked God what He wanted from me this year. Yeah, I know the easy answer – “Your heart!” or “Your life.” or several Sunday School answers. And these wouldn’t be wrong. But that wasn’t what I was looking for, nor was it what God wanted me to discover – at least I don’t think it was.

Instead God lead me to John 6:1-13. It’s a very familiar passage to many of us. Reading it we find that it’s where Jesus feeds the 5,000 (considering all that was recorded were men, estimates are upwards to around 10,000 people). Through this passage there’s a couple of unique lessons God wanted me to learn and I want to share with you as 2008 gets kicked off.

Trust God to provide for you

As we begin reading we are allowed to listen in on Jesus’ conversation with Philip: Hey Phil, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” But we’re also privy to the thoughts of Jesus – He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. You see, God didn’t expect Phil to provide for the people. As a matter of fact Jesus asked him a where question, because Jesus already knew the how. Jesus was simply testing Phil, just like He tests you and me.

Philip’s answer was about the means. . .the how. He responded to Jesus’ question, “No matter how much money we have, it won’t be enough to buy what we need.” Of course looking back we think, what was Phil thinking? This is Jesus. He could do whatever he wanted to! Yet, we often respond like Philip. Ever responded to God like Him, He asks something of you and the first thing you mention is how you can’t do it? He asks you to trust Him and the first thing you do is tell Him how you can’t do something for God.

When we trust God to provide whatever it is we need – peace, love, direction, fellowship, companionship, finances, solutions, etc. – we have to leave the how up to Him. Why? Because He already knows how he will provide. He’s just waiting for you and me to trust Him. Don’t fall into the “How” trap. That is a trap of faithlessness.

Surrender your stuff to God

I’m cleaning out closets and getting rid of a lot of stuff. See, I’m a pack rat. I hate throwing stuff away. Why? You guessed it, I might need it later. Right? You know what I mean?

Listen, God started this process in my heart last year and it’s a lesson I’m still learning – stuff is just stuff. It doesn’t do any good to hold on to it. If you’re thinking its about memories or value or whatever, let me assure you I have plenty of reasons to hang onto stuff. But God has reminded me it’s just stuff. The memories are in my heart and in my mind. They will never go away. And the value – Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19-21 that our hearts shouldn’t be set on the stuff of earth, especially things with monetary value. What if they all burned up in a fire? What would I do then? Where’s the value?

Instead, give your stuff over to God. Remember, though, stuff doesn’t just mean our physical goods. It means our abilities, our passions, our giftedness, our fears, our situations, our relationships. I told God I would turn my teaching abilities, my limited writing experience, my desire to read and study His Word, my ministries, my relationships, my marriage, my fears, my anxieties, my emotions (especially my anger and temper), my feelings all over to Him. Yeah, there’s some big things in there, but there’s also some things that I would consider little things or maybe not as consequential as others. That’s what God is waiting for you know?

Reading the passage in John we find a little boy gave up his 5 biscuits and 2 sardines. This was probably all he had. Barley loaves and fish were the food of the poor, so this wasn’t donated out of extravagance. It wasn’t like the boy said, “Here, take this, I’ve got plenty!” No, it was probably all he had. I wonder, was he the only person in the entire crowd that had food? If he wasn’t, then why didn’t others give up their meals? Probably for the same reason we don’t: It’s all I’ve got! If I give it I’ll have nothing. Yet a child said here, take it.
It’s like that with our stuff. God is wanting what you have. No guarantees. The boy had no guarantee that he would get any of the food back. But it didn’t stop him from giving it up.

Thank God for everything, even the small stuff

When Jesus received the biscuits and fish the first thing He did (after having the people sit down) was to thank God for it. It was all there was, nothing more. Just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Yet, Christ raised it up and thanked God for what He had provided. Jesus didn’t question God. He didn’t complain about what He didn’t have. He thanked God for the little bit they did have.

I have to say, this is the most difficult lesson for me to accept. I struggle with the stuff I don’t have. I complain, whine, cry, and plead with God for the stuff I don’t have – like enough money to pay bills, rather than thank Him for the house I have, the fact that I haven’t been late paying any of our bills, for a wonderfully supportive wife, clothes to wear, food to eat, opportunity to trust Him and grow in my faith, a loving family, I could go on, but there’s no need.

What about you? Do you complain to God for what you don’t have or thank God for what you do have – no matter how small or insignificant it appears to be?

Expect God to do the impossible in and through you -

When Jesus distributed the bread I think He knew that everyone there would eat well. John tells us that when they had enough to eat – i.e., when everyone was full – they gathered 12 baskets of leftovers. Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing? Watch Jesus lift up a handful of food and then watch everyone eat until they’re satisfied? OH MAN!!

Getting back to that little boy – I wonder if 5 biscuits and 2 sardines would have filled him up? Don’t know. But I do know he at to his heart’s content. I also wonder what he thought has he saw his “little” donation go farther and farther and farther and. . .?

Do you expect God to do the impossible in and through you? Do your pray believing? Do you surrender and trust believing? Jesus reminded us “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Do you want God to do the impossible in and through you? I tend to think there’s a lot of us who want the comfort and security we have now rather than risking letting go of it so we can He can bless us with an armful.

I’m expecting God to do something powerful in and through me this year. There’s a lot I could accomplish and do in my power, but I learning to want and desire the impossibilities of God. I hope you will, too.

Mike