Gary L. Ellis

I would think – listening to many people talk – that this picture is on the mantelpiece of God’s fireplace.

To hear many people talk, “bringing the pain” is the only implement in God’s tool kit for training His kids in the ways of righteousness (upright living).

When is the last time something really wonderful happened in your life and you said, “I wonder what God is trying to teach me?”

But, I betcha you’ve said it dozens of times when trial seemed to triumph!

I don’t deny that God brings discipline to the hinder parts of His dearly loved children.  I know that’s true.

However, there is still a mentality alive and well among so many people that pain, trial, turmoil, and tragedy are God’s instruments of choice for rearing His children.

Bad things happen to good people.  It’s the nature of a fallen, sin scarred world.  God says,

“I didn’t cause your pain.  Inferior flesh driven choices did.”

“The nature of demonic destruction in the earth did.”

“However, I will be with you in spite of it all and walk you wisely out of it to the other side.”

“I will heal and nourish you as we take the journey of your recovery together!”

It’s true that struggle will often lead us to gain…as in exercising, or struggling to solve a tough problem, or learning new helpful habits.  But, that’s something altogether different.

Next time you feel blessed ask the question, “I wonder what God is trying to teach me.”

Then the next time….and the next….and the next.

Gary

It’s perfectly accurate to say, “Apart of Christ, we are unworthy.”  It’s also true to say, “Without Him we are nothing.”

But here’s the thing…

• Because of the New Birth, you are NOT apart from Christ, therefore you ARE worthy.
• Because of the New Birth, you are no longer without Him.  Therefore, you clearly HAVE great worth.  You truly are something!
  
• It’s very important we get our value statements lined up with the reality of the Cross.

If we keep making statements that sound spiritual but actually aren’t, we can expect very little new life manifestation in our Christian experience.  Be humble…

Based on New Life Truth!

Gary

Things have been going pretty well.  Your relationships have been by-in-large pretty good.  In fact, you feel positive about some fresh new steps in your walk with the Lord. 

Then {squish} eewwww…what was that I just stepped in?

Here’s a factoid…

Even the most powerful positive people have pukey periods in life.

I’ve been there, done that, and bought the silly T-shirt.  It’s common to life for everyone….absolutely everyone.

However, I’ve found one of the simplest responses with the most sure effect was discovered by King David a long time ago.

Psalm 42…especially read in “The Message” (in my opinion anyway) we discover, yet again, David’s roller coaster journey through life.

(Side Note):  Have you ever wondered why God chose the inspired Psalm writings of David to be a great song and prayer book?  Perhaps because David is so human…which encourages people like us in an understanding of real spiritual life?  Hmmm?

You know from the outset of this Psalm, David is clinging to the under belly of his emotions.  At one point early on he exclaims that he was on top of the mountain.

Then the dark side of life happens and David is on his back looking up.

But (and this is what I admire about David) he includes the solution.  In the middle of the emotional swamp, David says

vs. 5:  “Fix my eyes on God.  Soon I will be praising Him again.”

vs. 6: “I rehearse everything I know of You…”

Fix…fasten…superglue my eyes on God.  The truth of His life begins to replace the lies in mine.  But how do I do this “fixing of my eyes?”

Answer:  Verse 6:  “I rehearse everything I know of You.”   That’s how David learned to encourage himself in the Lord.  That’s the literal idea of what it means to rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice.

To rejoice isn’t simply another word for praise.  It means to re-joy oneself by rehearsing God’s previous acts of love, power, and kindness in one’s personal history.

Temptation and trial is common to life on planet earth.  Life will be very good (because of God’s goodness).  But, it will also occasionally suck BIG rocks.  In those time take David’s prescription (rewind to verses 5, 6)

Gary

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise.  But, to many folks it does.  They want better things in life.  They’re hoping for a change in their circumstances.  The solution is as clear as the surprised nose on their faces.  It’s as common as common sense (that is…before common sense stopped being common).

Here’s the miracle working bit of wit and wisdom…

Doing more of the same produces more of the same.  

That little piece of sagacity (oh, sorry.  I’m trying to increase my vocabulary by learning new words and sagacity just slipped out of my brain and onto this post)  Let’s try it again…

That little piece of smartness has the ability to open the gates of new experiences.  Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it is to quip.  It takes a kind of resolve to start a new habit.

We’re creatures of habit and once a habit pattern is well entrenched through months or years of usage, a person has a “holy war” on their hands to make adjustments.  Not to mention the fact that we’re “comfortable” with the habitual road we’re traveling.  Even if it isn’t taking us anywhere more satisfying and productive.  But, there’s hope…

It’s not about changing everything about your daily life actions all at the same time.  The simple act of changing one habit has the inertia to domino effect into more of the needed changes.

The other important reality is that the Lord isn’t so interested in you taking on your own behavior modification by yourself without His involvement.  But, He also knows “we are but dust.”  The treasure we have, in Him, is located in an earthen vessel.

Therefore, the first thing is this:  You need to be CONVINCED that “more of the same produces more of the same.”  I suppose you could be sorta convinced.  It would just take longer.

Next you must engage the Lord in this quest.  (That one bears repeating…you must engage the Lord in this quest.)  Don’t fool yourself, the flesh and the devil are not going to assist you in a journey of doing anything that’s going better you in things that really matter.  Behavior modification as a solo act is self effort.  Self effort is flesh.  In fact, the flesh (especially flesh energized by the devil) may let you think it’s going pretty well…at first.  Then the flesh yanks on your chain…your weak spot, and {whip lash sound effect} you’re back where you started.  Except now you have a sore neck and are blaming God for it when you never got Him involved in the first place.

The third thing.  As you’ve committed all of this to the Lord.  Follow His lead.  Begin with the first thing that comes to mind…no matter how seemingly small.  And keep at it until you have a new habit in that area or action.  Habits literally only take three weeks to change.  The Lord may have you sticking with the one for the whole time, or add more little things along the way.  Literally, before you know it, you are experience a life that’s beginning to glow with different results.

One more quick word about prayer in the process.  I believe that the prayer of others…especially if you have a lot of confidence in them…can produce helpful results.  In fact, it’s really not a bad idea to have accountability partners on the journey.  Not to keep pointing out your failures, but to encourage you to keep moving forward toward the goal.

I also believe that there are cases in peoples lives where the issue is something more than an unproductive habit.  In fact it’s very possible there is a strong demonic bondage.  When that’s the case, I also believe that it’s very important to have people with a belief in power anointing to break yokes to pray into your situation.

However, in my 40+ years of ministry, I’ve seen far too many people looking to “a specialist” to set them free without the person, themselves, engaging with the Lord in the sometimes painful choices of the journey.  Their freedom lasts about as long as the emotion is present.  Then…back to ground zero.

More than likely, this is your thang to walk out and through with the Lord.  The advantage is that you’ll come out the other side knowing Jesus a whole lot better.

Blessings on your journey,

Gary

I’d like to start by saying that a person who is against prosperity is against biblical salvation.  Kind of an incendiary statement, eh?  Well, let me explain…

If you look into the words salvation, save, or saved in the New Testament, you’ll discover those all come from the Greek word, “sozo.”   You’ll also find that the word prosper is one of the primary defining words.  That’s why I can start off today’s post with such a radical statement.  But, there’s more…

First of all, I am definitely pro prosperity.  There’s just too much scriptural evidence that it’s a quality of the Kingdom of God.  But now…here’s the rub…and a question.

Is Kingdom of God prosperity a mirror image of the so called American Dream?  To be clear, I’m speaking of God’s government or rule in the Earth today…not an after the last heartbeat afterlife.

Truth be told, we are heavily influenced by the conscious and subconscious message or indoctrination of our culture.  More often than not it is easiest and most logical to define the word prosperity with what our culture has told us it looks like.  What that often means for a Christian (or Christ follower) is a “churched-up” version of the same.

Challenging our own thinking.  Probing our own priorities.  Those are good and healthy things to be engaged in.  That’s what I’ve been doing to myself again of late.  That’s also what I’m proposing in this brief article.

Prosperity is a core value of God’s Kingdom.  What does it look like for you?  The best Kingdom answer and action will bring the greatest good and satisfaction in life.

Gary