The Secret of Contentment

Content (World English Dictionary definition)
— adj
1.	mentally or emotionally satisfied with things as they are
2.	assenting to or willing to accept circumstances, a proposed course of action...
— vb
3.	to make (oneself or another person) content or satisfied
— n
4.	peace of mind; mental or emotional satisfaction

We all know the declaration of Paul in Philippians 4:11-13, but tonight I am refreshing my memory and asking God to help bring within me an increase in this radical posture of heart...

...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I've been contemplating this "secret" of contentment more intentionally over the past week as I prepare to teach briefly on the "gift and calling of singleness" to the missionaries in training at Bethany College of Missions.  I've taken time to reflect on contentment in general as I realize more and more what a testimony it declares of the goodness of God -- that whatever our circumstances, whether married or single, rich or poor, experiencing great success or obscurity... contentment is not only possible, but ought to be a genuine characteristic of those who have encountered the love of Jesus and are being anchored in it.  I'm not convinced I fully pass the "contentment test" in all areas of my life, but I have my heart set to consistently pray for the Holy Spirit to give me grace to grow in it (and that, my friends, is the real secret!).

I want my life to speak of the reality David proclaimed of God in Psalm 16:11...

You make known to me the path of life;
 in your presence there is fullness of joy;
 at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

But, if I am to be honest, the hardest reflection of the night has been this little excerpt below that I came across online (hard because it exposes to me how much room for improvement I have in cultivating deep gratitude in both my heart and speech)...

Steps to Contentment

1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather.
2. Never picture thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not.
3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.
4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself.
5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide."

—Published in G. F. Maine's "A Book of Daily Readings"

Holy Spirit, give us grace to testify of the goodness of God as You enable us to fully trust You, live out true contentment, and overflow with thanksgiving.

Secrets for Abiding

If you've read many of my blog entries, you'll know that I am passionate about learning to pray and to encounter God through studying His Word. It was a pleasure to be given the opportunity a few weeks ago to share some of this passion with the students at Bethany College of Missions in a class I entitled "Secrets for Abiding". Admittedly, I can't take the credit for much of the content as I have been taught by many others over the years -- first-hand, via books, and through online teaching... and by the best teacher of all, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

If you're interested in listening or reading more, you can find my notes and audio by CLICKING HERE.

Here's a sneak peek:

As we have real encounter with the Lord in His Word, the Word can more readily flow out of us from a place of personal, experiential understanding (Eph 3:19) and empower us to grow in love for Him and others (1st & 2nd commandments: Mat 22:37-40; Mk 12:29-31; Lk 10:27). Our first calling as believers is to wholeheartedly love God which is impossible without both cognitive and experiential knowledge of Him. As for other callings; preachers, teachers, prophets, evangelists, intercessors and worshipers can all be more effective in ministry when the “inner-storehouse” is filled with the Word of God, which comes from a lifestyle of abiding (Jn 15:7-11).

His Unending Glory...

Over the past few days I've been frequently praying a prayer that goes something like this: "Lord, help me to worship You simply for WHO You are rather than primarily on the basis of what You do for me." It's been burning in me since the sermon I heard last Sunday while I was visiting Forerunner Christian Fellowship in Kansas City. Stephen Venable preached on the worth of Christ to receive incessant worship for all eternity.

The quote that inspired this prayer in my heart and has kept me wrestling with my own selfishness and lack of revelation of His worth is this: "The Seraphim and the larger angelic host who are enraptured with ministry to Him have never had a single sin forgiven, never an ailment healed, and never a financial need met and yet their testimony is that His unending glory warrants their unending praise."

Venable was referencing Revelation 4:8 "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'" and Isaiah 6:1-3 "...I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'"

I don't know about you, but my heart is prone to being fickle... worship and thanksgiving to God often flow more readily when life is going well and I am keenly aware of the benefits God offers. During times when things just don't seem to be going smoothly; when life is hard and the fire of testing feels too hot, I'm usually less likely to offer up prayers of thanksgiving to God. Selfish? In my case, the answer is too often "Yes!" I need a deep revelation within my being of the magnificent greatness, holiness, power, glory, and love of God that I couldn't help but adore Him through every high and low. Help me, Holy Spirit!

Here are links if you're interested in watching, hearing, or reading this sermon from April 25th.

Voluntary Weakness :: What?!?!

Nita, pictured here with with me and my dear friends Kerry & Angie

"Prayer is the ONLY means to access grace... divine favor and power..."

- John Harrigan (teacher at IHOP-KC)

I've been blessed this past month to sit under the teaching of two of the most humble and anointed Bible teachers I have ever been privileged to know: Nita Steiner and John Harrigan. They've been teaching me about prayer and how to live my life today for the age to come.

Here's a little nugget that has been "messing with my mind" and beginning to change the way I order my life:
"The hearers of the Sermon on the Mount were people who understood all about a coming Messiah who would destroy wickedness and rule on David’s throne in Jerusalem, restoring the earthly paradise that was in the beginning. They saw in Jesus the signs of the Messiah and were following Him around because they wanted to be in that Messianic kingdom; knowing this, Jesus preaches this sermon, showing them the nature of His kingdom and of those who would be part of it; then He tells them what the lifestyle must be in order to persevere in this age and prepare for the age to come – it’s a lifestyle of watchful prayer and voluntary weakness in the areas of food, time, energy, money, and words. Through the activities of praying, giving, serving, blessing our enemies and fasting food (Matt. 6:1-18), we voluntarily embrace weakness and declare to God that we derive our life and strength from Him alone. Unless these are practiced with a heart motivated by love, they are vain and empty."

How contrary to everything we've grown to know and embrace in this life! We love strength, wealth, pleasure, receiving, free-time... and yet, if we are really honest with ourselves, none of that truly satisfies us in a lasting way, right? I know I was made to be satisfied in God now and for all eternity... God, I pray that You would give me grace to embrace voluntary weakness.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matthew 5:6

Strangers & Pilgrims on the Earth

..living for the age to come..
How do I live TODAY for THAT day when Jesus will return? Do the moments and decisions of my days declare that I love Him and desire to stand before Him without shame when He comes? Do I live as a "stranger and pilgrim" in the earth? Do I love this life, this world, more than I long for and live for the one that is to come?

God's been rearranging much in my heart this year. I've been stunned to see how much the Bible speaks of living blameless and holy today, on this earth, in light of our permanent residence being in Jesus' coming kingdom (Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 1:6-8; Ephesians 5:27; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 5:23; 1 Timothy 6:11-14; Hebrews 12: 28,29; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Peter 3:13-14; Revelation 3:4-5). I'm beginning to believe it really is true that the best this world has to offer, with every last one of it's pleasures, cannot compare to the glory we can know in the age to come.

Hebrews 11:13,16 These [fathers of the faith] all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth... But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

1 Chronicles 29:15 - For we are aliens [sojourners, temporary residents] and pilgrims [transients] before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow...

This has been the overarching theme that has helped to guide my days since 2009 began and I wouldn't trade the fruit that has come within my heart for anything this world has to offer! To hear more, listen to my recent teaching entitled: "Strangers & Pilgrims ..living for the age to come.."

Calling Forth "Budding Virtues"

Death and life are in the power of the tongue... Proverbs 18:21. Words have the power either to destroy or to cause faith to grow. With our speech, we have the opportunity to help people come into maturity and agreement with God’s truth and plan for them.

God has been challenging me to look for the budding virtues (the destiny; the good yet to come) that He sees in others and then to partner with Him in calling them forth through affirmation. I'm beginning to literally think of encouragement as putting courage in the heart of another. I recently taught in BHOP on the importance of praying positive prayers -- speaking life, destiny, and encouragement over the church, regions, groups, and individuals (follow these links for teaching Audio and Notes). This doesn't often come naturally, and so we ask the Holy Spirit to give us insight into what God sees and how He feels. Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works… encouraging one another… Hebrews 10:24,25

To ensure that I press into growing in this, God has opened the door for me to step into a new role as BHOP's Director of Operations. In addition to bringing sharpening to BHOP's structure and daily operations, I will be seeking to help each team member excel in their roles. Jesus most effectively motivates me through the power of cherishing, and so I am asking Him to help me to do the same in this team.

The Righteous Judge

“The most neglected subject in the Kingdom of God is God. The knowledge of God is the Mt. Everest of the Kingdom... we must have a steady resolve in our spirit to press on... it takes a lifetime to climb and the Holy Spirit is our escort...” - Mike Bickle

I've found the above statement to be very real in my own life lately as I've just been beginning to dive deeper into studying what the Bible says about Jesus as Coming King and Righteous Judge. I was asked to teach on this subject this past Sunday night at our weekly BHOP "Forerunner Gathering". I thought I'd share the notes and audio of my message if you're interested in a deeper glimpse into my work at BHOP, or if you too are looking for a little paradigm tweaking!

Sneak peak from my notes: "In the season of His return, it is critical that the Church embrace these three expressions of Jesus [Bridegroom, Judge, and King]. Today, Jesus invites us to know His whole character, the plans that are in His heart, and how He will carry them out so that we will be in agreement rather than in offense on that Day. Eschatological understanding of Jesus' judgments steeped in His jealous love and desire for a pure Bride with whom to reign when He returns in victory, will help us overcome offense, anger, fear, and confusion so that people trust Jesus' leadership and mature in love."

Enjoy! And feel free to dialogue with me if you have questions, thoughts... I know this can be a provoking subject (it's been ruffling my feathers a bit too!)... but the intention of the provocation is that we each be drawn into getting to know Him better - He's beautiful!