Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. -1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:27‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

One week before this writing, Hurricane Harvey was on its way to Texas’ Gulf Coast, and one week later, God’s sun shines on the aftermath: dark and light.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” is a quote of not-so-certain origin, but one that we’ve witnessed in action since Hurricane Harvey left wreckage, heartache, and death in its wake. There’s been looting and crimes, but also honest compassion and an outpouring of love and camaraderie.

People of all walks of life are seen worldwide in the media, helping one another with no expectation or want of something in return. For true believers, we can and should be the vessels through which God’s grace overflows to others. It is times like these where God can be seen and elevated.

There will always be hardship and tribulation and evil, but we can take heart, because Jesus has overcome this world (John 16:33), and is our bridge to an eternity with the Father. While in this world, we can walk the walk as agents of change…God’s hands and feet…in a world where depravity, idol worship of many forms, and outright rejection of God runs rampant.

Be the change. Walk the walk. Be His hands and feet. Help the afflicted and the oppressed. Be the vessel and instrument through which He dispenses His love and grace. Be a Christian without the quotation marks. Be the change God wants to see in this world.

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. -1 Corinthians 9:25 (ESV)

Sometimes, I find myself slipping in my spiritual journey when I’m behind the wheel. Little pressures and stressors I’ve accumulated and shouldered are weighing on me because I haven’t properly given them to the Lord. And I’m suddenly not wanting to wait in morning traffic like everyone else…and I try to find a faster lane.

You know what happens next. The lane I choose is now the slowest lane, so I dart over to another…and that becomes the slowest lane. People I impatiently left behind a few seconds ago are now many car lengths ahead of me in their lanes.

Clearly, I wasn’t going with the flow of traffic, and trying to make it about me. I wanted to just get the irritating now over with and get to my destination immediately…but the flow decided otherwise. So, I got over myself and went with it.

Just like in our spiritual journey, we need to go with the flow, and trust God’s river will carry us to the next thing He has laid before us, rather than trying to get there in our own strength and timing. His timing and plans are perfect, and if we just flow with Him, rather than impulsively wasting our time and energy thrashing against it, we’ll get to His next thing in our lives…and we can look back one day and thank Him for carrying us the whole way.

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. -Matthew‬ ‭7:12‬ ‭(NKJV)

Let all that you do be done with love. -‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭16:14‬ ‭(NKJV)

Remember how uplifting it was when you learned that God loves you for your perfect, finished self, rather than who you were? That happened at the moment when we accepted Jesus for who He was, and what He did out of His love for us.

We didn’t earn that. We didn’t deserve that. But God lovingly and willingly gave His Son so we could be forgiven and free, and live on after we pass from this world.

What if we treated others better than what they deserved?

What if we treated the difficult people in our lives as their perfect, finished selves, rather than treating and reacting to them in response to who they are now? What if we saw them through the same lens God sees us? What if we demonstrated that we were extensions and overflowing conduits of God’s love?

I’m still working on this daily, and challenge you to try it, too. It’s not easy, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can shed the resentment and indignation, and then treat others the way God treats us. You may be surprised at the response!

If you are willing to bear serenely the trial of being displeasing to yourself, then you will be for Jesus a pleasant place of shelter. -St. Therese of Lisieux

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. -I John 3:15 (NKJV)

Oil and water. Fire and ice. There are some things that don’t mix, no matter how much you may try to blend them. Oil will rise above the water, sitting atop it. Fire will melt the ice, and the water may even extinguish the fire, then vaporize.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit cannot reside in us when we hate, or if we’re so proud that we believe the lie that we are self-sufficient, or without blemish or sin. When we do that, we present to God a hostile environment to the Holy Spirit, one that doesn’t mix at all with it.

The Holy Spirit can only indwell in us, and work in us, if we are hospitable vessels. Can you lay down your pride? Your hate? Your resistance to surrender? If so, you open the doors of your soul in welcome to the one who will forever transform you and refine you on your life journey.

Today’s soundtrack

Francesca Battistelli’s “Holy Spirit” welcomes Him into our hearts and souls.

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. -James 3:5-6 (NIV)

Remember the old childhood saying that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” That’s what came to mind when my son, who’s in kindergarten, told me a girl in his class hurt his feelings with her words.

And the other day, when I was reprimanding him for a poor conduct report from school, he angrily looked at me and told me he wanted a new dad. Ouch.

I spoke with him about the power of words. They can maim. They can kill. They leave scars. But most importantly, when viewed through the eyes of compassion, hurtful words reflect the speaker’s hurt and brokenness.

Regardless, we have a choice before we utter such words, because they actually do hurt when spoken and received. Words will only not hurt us when we remind ourselves of our identity in Christ, forgiven and free. But we get hurt when we forget that and get caught up in the escalation of the flesh and pride and anger.

So yes, sticks and stones will break our bones. But, words will only hurt us when we set aside our spiritual armor and identity in Christ, and live in the flesh. Thank you, Lord, for helping us live above our circumstances!

Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. ‭‭-Ephesians‬ ‭5:17‬ (NLT)

Impulsivity, as I’ve learned, is not a hallmark characteristic of a true believer. Flying off the handle, and letting words fly that should never have been uttered, leave marks on the souls of those around us…and in ourselves.

OODA: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act

A United States Air Force Colonel and military strategist, John Boyd, developed a decision cycle known as the OODA loop, or Boyd loop. OODA is an acronym for:

• Observe
• Orient
• Decide
• Act

OODA has been applied to many areas of thought and strategy, and it can likewise help true believers act in meaningful, God-honoring ways.

Hotheads skip the observation, orientation, and decision parts of the loop, and just act. Obviously, that can be disastrous, especially in interpersonal relationships, and especially if we’re trying to make Him known through how we live and act.

Be intentional

In his letter to the believers in Galatia, Paul explains that self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. To have it means biting our tongues when we want to lash out, or even to tell someone off, when maybe neither will do anything in the big picture but leave things worse off than they were before.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. -Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

So, when faced with our own flesh’s impulsive nature, or that of those around us, we can apply OODA:

• Observe with discernment what is actually happening, minus the tinting of emotional distortion
• Orient your mind with the Holy Spirit, listening to what God would have you do, in a way that will honor Him
• Decide, prayerfully, on the God-honoring course of action
• Act intentionally, as a conduit for His love

When we let Him move through us, and act to His glory, there are no regrets as we interact with others.

He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made. His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate. -Psalm 7:15-16 (NASB)

The fictional superhero Iron Man has a very thin but strong suit of armor…but every now and then, a technical malfunction can cause it to pop off in pieces, and not fulfill its intended purpose of protection.

As I keep walking with the Lord (with plenty of stumbles and missteps!), I’m learning to glean useful parallels in popular culture to help with my walk. As I’ve mentioned before, Iron Man is one of them.

It helps me greatly to imagine myself encased in an invisible Iron Man suit, but it’s one I still have to consciously keep on. The second I forget, it disappears. But I learned another way that we can actually sabotage our own Iron Man suits even while they’re on.

If you’re wearing your armor, and it’s doing its job of making you impervious to evils of men and the high pressure circumstances befalling you, you can actually make your own armor self destruct by fighting fire with fire. There’s a temptation to sling arrows back, or to react poorly to being poorly treated, or to lash out because things are going badly. And once you make that conscious choice, your armor is gone.

One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is restraint and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), and it is only through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13) that we can do that in the face of hatred and extreme tribulation. And take heart if you’ve blown off your armor! because our Lord, the God of Hosts, is still right there with you, ready to help put your armor right back on.

How? To stop going down the disobedient path we’ve taken, confess and repent for it immediately, ask for forgiveness, and suit up once more. God’s grace and gifts and promises to help us endure this life are far greater than anything or anyone we will face!

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. -Ephesians 4:30 (NIV)

A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back. -Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV)

Did you know that the hurtful words you allow to give life past your lips trouble the Holy Spirit within you?

We are sanctified (set apart for holy purposes), to say, think, and do great things in His name, and to His glory. The context for the verse above comes from Paul’s instructions to the believers in Ephesus on Christian living:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. -Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

Sometimes a situation may irritate or even enrage you to the point of knowing you will release terrible words that are like death to the listener. They also poison you inside with bitterness, rage, and anger, and above all, grieve the Holy Spirit. Such words have nothing to do with honoring God, but everything to do with selfishness, being ruled by emotion and not God’s commands on how to live and love.

God gives us free will so we can always choose what comes out of our mouths. As we walk in obedience to the Lord, He builds our spiritual maturity, so we’re not ruled by our whims and emotions, like unbelievers who do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.

When we feel emotion rise up, we can recognize it and then do what is right in God’s eyes. Instead of choosing to destroy with your tongue, choose to either restrain it or speak life instead!

Today’s soundtrack

TobyMac’s “Speak Life” tells us that the words we say are like stretching out arms of compassion.

And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! -‭‭Mark‬ ‭7:9‬ ‭(NIV)

Jesus had a way of cutting to the chase. In Mark 7, we see various groups trying to trip up Jesus with fine print and trick questions. But Jesus told them that they were just getting in the way of God’s people pursuing God.

Whether it’s the new year, or any time of year, it’s worth praying to the Holy Spirit to help us discern distortion or barriers between us and God. Jesus would, at the drop of a hat, exhibit righteous anger at those obstructing pure, direct relationship with God. Remember how He told His own apostles to get out of the way when children wanted to talk to Him? Remember how He would overturn the tables of vendors and money changers when they would distract worshippers from going deeper into the temple?

As it was with them, we are also obstructed from God through obfuscation and distortion. Many teachers will deftly use longstanding traditions and distractions (like feel-good theology) to make you think you’re going directly to God through His son, but they’re instead siphoning your funds and attention. What can you do about it?

Stick with God’s inerrant Word as the lens and litmus test to sniff out the falsehoods and barriers between you and God. It might be false doctrines. It might be customs you’re long accustomed to. But are they biblical? Search God’s Word to find out. Pray that the Spirit gives you the discernment to take notice of what has been under your nose the whole time.

It’s all about our direct relationship with the Lord, not the manmade constructs and filters of religion and tradition.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. -‭‭I John‬ ‭4:4‬ (‭NKJV‬‬)

The ruler of this world has a way of attacking, dampening, and even crushing, our spirit, if we give him the opportunity. Not all of our spiritual battles are fought on some epic or prominent scale, but are fought right in our own minds and hearts.

My first tire blowout

On a Friday night in July 2015, I had my first tire blowout. I was on the the way home from work and tried taking the freeway, and the car juddered violently. So, I decided it would be wiser to get off as quickly as possible. I took the roads home, and about nine miles from home, my front driver’s side tire burst about 7 p.m.

As you would expect, it was no coincidence that my car was within limping distance of a church parking lot…and even though there was no service that night, the gated lot was open and empty!

Frustration

I thanked the Lord for this safe haven, and then surveyed the situation:

• I had a bottle jack in the trunk to lift the car…but because of the flat tire, the car was too low to fit the jack under it!
• The church was closed, so no one was around to help. I found some wood and bricks to roll the car into to get it high enough to lift, which I did…and then remembered my tire wrench was at home!
• I walked across the street to borrow another driver’s tire iron…and it didn’t fit.
• Some friends came by to take me to a nearby convenience store to get a tire wrench…and it didn’t fit.
• It was getting dark.
• I was missing out on a little birthday party we were hosting at our house for the same friends I asked to come take me to the convenience store. I sent them on their way to enjoy it without me, and specifically instructed them not to wait up.
• I surrendered my male stubbornness and called for a roadside assistance driver for a tire wrench. The operator said the driver would arrive in 15 minutes. They arrived an hour later.
• I hadn’t eaten in over six hours, and was sweaty and jittery.

With all of those things happening, I could feel my flesh rising up…frustration, impatience, indignation, self-pity.

But when I sensed them trying to rise up, I looked up instead of looking within and thanked the Lord for all the blessings he put before me:

• My family was home safe
• I was safe in this lot, even with bright lighting once the sun started going down
• I had friends who were able to go out of their way to a party for them and take me without a grumble to a nearby station
• I had my health!
• I had technology in the palm of my hand to reach others and be reached…and could even give me things to read while I waited
• I had a God whose Spirit in me could check me when I was getting in my own way!

The very verse I featured at the top of this post is the one that came across my phone’s screen as I waited for the roadside assistance driver. Of course.

Greater is the one living inside of me

The context of the verse at the top of this post is about false teachers in the world who can fool you into wrong thinking…godless thinking.

That’s exactly how the world wants you to think. It’s all about you, and you don’t deserve any difficulties or hardships or trials. No, you are entitled! You work hard!

But the Spirit in us, as believers, is greater and stronger than all the falsehoods and false feelings the enemy wants to penetrate our minds and hearts with. In every moment, situation, and season, let the Spirit help you discern all His blessings, so you can rise above your circumstances, just as God intended.

Today’s soundtrack

“Greater” by MercyMe is about the spiritual battle that goes on daily, but reminds us that the One within us is greater than anything or anyone the world has to offer.