Posted on

Created for Purpose – a life of unfolding Providence

by Dennis Petersen

If you listen carefully to people today, you’ll hear a common question underneath a lot of their anxiety: “Why am I here? What is the point of my life?”

Many reach middle age, watch their children grow up, welcome grandchildren into the world, and quietly wonder, “Have I already done the important part of my life—and now I’m just coasting?” Scripture offers a very different picture. It tells us that from the very beginning, God has been a God of purpose—He creates intentionally, He calls personally, and He uses His people meaningfully in every generation and in every season.

The Lord impressed me to share with you today, one of the most life-changing lessons He has ever taught me. And it happened through a series of experiences that I could never have planned. I sincerely hope you’ll find a sense of renewed meaningfulness from what I share with you today. But first, let me lay down a few principle ‘bricks’ from the source of our Redeemer’s wisdom… the only source that really makes sense in a very confusing world

For starters, it doesn’t take long for us to discover that The Most High God does not create aimlessly.  Just as we discover purposes for every systematic design we see in nature, so, we eventually realize that, sooner or later, every human life is designed by Him for a purpose that brings Him glory and serves others. That includes the life of a middle‑aged man or woman, a grandparent, someone who feels “between” chapters, or even a tender sapling who’s just getting started on the journey of life.

I. God Intentionally Created You

Texts: Psalm 139:13–16; Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 138:8

Psalm 139 says, “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” It goes on: “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” That’s personal…  It’s detailed… It’s intentional language. God did not mass‑produce you on an assembly line; He knitted you together. He wrote out your days before you lived a single one of them. And He obviously had a plan in mind… and this verse in your Bible says it better than any other I’ve seen. Mark it well. Psalm 139. The whole psalm is worth visiting often and praying through it as your own declaration of faith in your Maker.

Jeremiah 1:5 gives us a glimpse of this with a specific person – the prophet Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you…” God is speaking to a young prophet, but the principle is broader: God’s knowledge and consecrating purpose reach back before birth. He does not discover us; He designs us.

Psalm 138:8 adds a prayer from King David: “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.” That is not arrogance; it is trust. The psalmist, David, looks at his life and says, “My story is not self‑written. God has a purpose, and He will not abandon it midway.”

A timeless Human story captures our attention: Moses, the man who found purpose late

Consider Moses – one of the most interesting stories of human history. For the first forty years of his life, he was the prince in Egypt. Then, after a rash act of violence in a fit of retribution, he fled his royal home in fear, and spent the next forty years as a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian. So, there he is, a middle‑aged man, watching his father-in-law’s sheep, largely unknown, seemingly on the margins of history. If you had met Moses at, say, age sixty‑five, you might have thought: “This man’s story is heading for a quiet ending. Whatever he was going to do, he did it long ago.”

Yet, at about eighty years old, God appeared to Moses at the burning bush and called him to lead Israel out of bondage. In other words, the most visible, history‑shaping part of Moses’ calling came in what we would call “old age.” His earlier years were not wasted; they were preparation. His later years were not irrelevant; they were crucial for the future history of the whole world of humanity.

Moses’ story speaks to anyone, at any age, who might be discouraged by their past. But it tells the middle‑aged believer, and the older saint: God’s intentional design includes seasons you didn’t plan and timings you wouldn’t choose. The fact that you have breath means God still has purpose.

Application

So, to the grandparent who sometimes thinks, “My children are grown; my career is mostly behind me; what now?”—hear this: you’re not random, and you’re not “done.” Your personality, your experiences, your scars, your skills, your story—all of these are woven intentionally. Purpose did not end when you retired or when the kids moved out. You can pray with the psalmist, “Lord, fulfill Your purpose for me, (Psalm 138:8)” expecting that God has intentional work for you in this chapter too.

Ask yourself: If God truly formed me and recorded my days in His book, what might He be inviting me to do now—in my family, in my church, in my neighborhood—that fits His design?

II. God Has a Purpose Already Prepared

Texts: Ephesians 2:10; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 8:28–29

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The word translated “workmanship” can mean a work of art, a crafted piece. God not only designed you; He prepared good works beforehand with your name on them.

Second Timothy 1:9 adds that God “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.” Purpose is not earned; it’s given. Calling is not a self‑promotion; it’s a gift of grace. Our fundamental calling is to belong to Christ, our Creator. And out of that relationship flows the good works He has providentially prepared in His own marvelous and mysterious sovereignty as only The Most High God can.

The familiar passage in Romans 8:28–29 tells us that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose…” And what’s that? “…to be conformed to the image of his Son.” God’s purpose is not just that we co-operate with God’s ways and do the right things that reflect His wisdom and grace; but, more than that, it’s that we become Christ-like. There are actually specific good works that He has prepared for us to do that are part of His larger plan to shape us into the image of Jesus.

Application to a grandparent’s life

Think about a middle‑aged grandfather named Mark. He has worked forty years in the same company, raised three children, and now has several grandchildren. He sometimes feels that the “meaningful” work is what he does at church—serving on a committee, teaching a class—but he wonders whether his day‑to‑day life really matters.

Ephesians 2:10 says that if Mark belongs to Christ, every chapter of his life is surrounded by good works God prepared beforehand. I suspect you’d be good at figuring what those works might look like:

  • No doubt – Praying consistently for each grandchild by name, asking God to draw them to Christ. That’s a big one.
  • How about – Telling stories of God’s faithfulness to younger generations, strengthening their faith?
  • Almost every day – he could be Using his practical skills to serve a neighbor in need.
  • And of course – Modeling integrity in semi‑retirement—showing that character matters even when you no longer “have to” impress a boss.

Mark’s purpose is not something he has to invent late in life; it’s something he has to recognize and deliberately walk in. 8:23 The same is true for a grandmother who spends her afternoons caring for little ones so her adult children can work. Those hours, if offered to Christ, are part of the “good works” prepared beforehand. 8:23

A good question to ask is not only, “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?” but, “What good works might God already have prepared for me in this season—especially in relation to my grandchildren, my church, and my community?” It doesn’t have to be anything grand or spectacular in the world’s eyes. Think of your unique skills, talents, abilities, and other hidden resources of stuff, or connections, or needs in your world that you could put to good use, bringing a productive blessing of some kind. But there’s even more to consider…  

III. God’s Purpose can be Bigger than Your Plans but could be just outside the boundaries you’re thinking!

Texts: Proverbs 19:21; Romans 8:28

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel (or purpose) of the LORD will stand.” Human plans can be right or wrong (good or evil); but the ways of God in Scripture encourage wise planning. We’re reminded that our plans are provisional. God’s purposes are definitive. When I discovered Proverbs 16:9, it stuck deeply in my own mind and heart. “The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” I’ve never forgotten that.

Of course, it’s good for each of us to make our plans with reason and with thoughtful counsel from others. But we eventually discover as God’s children, that ultimately, God has ways of directing our path that may be altogether different from the direction or ultimate outcome that we had expected.

Romans 8:28 will always be a reassuring promise from God, no matter where our journey of life takes us.  It assures us that God is weaving all things together for good for those who are called according to His purpose. That especially includes the tough times we may not have expected.  It could be a surprise layoff from work, a health crisis, a relocation, a child that’s wandered off course, or the late‑life caregiving responsibilities you never saw coming. Our plans typically expect a smooth path. But God’s purpose in the journey for each of us… often weaves through rough terrain, and He wastes nothing. Even a flat tire along the way can be a beneficial interruption. And I’m not ignoring the tragedies that happen and make us ask “Why, Lord?” Some of those will never make sense until we stand before God after death. But all of them are valleys where we can say, “Thou O LORD art with me! (Psalm 23:4)” And the peace in the midst of those storms will draw us closer to God in personal ways that are more precious than gold.

Application: When your script changes

For many middle‑aged Americans, life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. The career you thought you’d have into your seventies may have suddenly ended. Your marriage may have taken a turn you never anticipated. One of your children may have wandered far from the Lord, and you bear the weight of that grief. Or perhaps you find yourself raising a grandchild because your grown child is unable or unwilling to do it. Providential surprises are most always challenging… even disturbing.  But they happen to the best of us. So, we naturally ask God “what’s the purpose of this?” The best Bible answer I found is in John 11:4 when Jesus said that the sickness of Lazarus was for the purpose “that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” (John 11:4).

Proverbs 19:21 meets you there: your plans were real, but they weren’t final. God’s purpose isn’t always so crystalized that it’s fragile; it’s more like a tree that grows around obstacles even if shaped by constant prevailing winds. It can absorb life’s sidelines. It can transform our plans that got broken along the way. Romans 8:28 isn’t a cliché but a lifeline—God can take even your disappointments and fold them into His good work of shaping you and blessing others.

So, when life diverges sharply from your expectations, remember who owns your life. As God’s children, we are His precious possession. Scripture tells us “For you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your bodies (1 Cor 6:20).”  You can always pray: “Lord, I surrender my plans to Your purpose. Show me how to walk faithfully in this altered path.” That may mean learning a new kind of patience, becoming a prayerful advocate for a struggling grandchild, or using an unexpected free season to serve in ways you never imagined. His purpose is not lost by your detours.

IV. God Calls You to Live for His Glory

Texts: 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23

First Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” “Whatever you do” means that even the mundane is included—meals, conversations, errands. Colossians 3:23 echoes: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Everything becomes part of worship when it’s done with whole-hearted devotion to Christ.  We can’t afford to waste our precious days on this earth doing the things God gives us to do with a dull and half-hearted mindset.

Don’t miss this… Purpose, in Scripture, is not first about self‑fulfillment; it is about glorifying God. We find joy as a byproduct of that; our main aim is that His name be honored in our lives.

My story of how God rerouted my plans, directed my steps, and providentially surprised me with a totally transformed purpose for my life.

Now, can I share with you my story of how God directed me into a completely transformed sense of purpose… in a totally different career path?

After growing up with a great love for nature and being outdoors, my college career path to work as a naturalist in places like America’s great National Parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone, took a surprising bend in the road. As soon as I got to Sacramento State College, after getting a grocery store job to earn money to help pay for my college expenses, I had one more added plan.  My boyhood fascination with California’s Gold Rush history led me to ask the head ranger at Sutter’s Fort Historic state park if I could work for him in the old restored fort. This was the epicenter of California’s 1849 Gold Rush. He actually hired me to craft several new exhibits including some adobe brick exhibits for the Fort, most of which are still there today, 60 years later. After 4 years of college, I got a job building more exhibits for the Oakland museum’s hall of history for about a year. Then I worked some for the historic Old Sacramento preservation and Redevelopment Project. My college mentor and academic advisor there, led me to apply for a scholarship to get a Master’s degree from the new premier museum specialties program at Cooperstown, New York. I couldn’t believe it when they offered me a nearly full scholarship for the full year-long course of study.

While living in the rural upstate historic town, known for being the village of museums, like The Farmer’s Museum, Fennimore House Art Museum, and the Baseball Hall of Fame, I got to study and work with some of those museums nearly every day for a whole year. After completing my course of study and earning my Master’s Degree, I was offered a job back in San Jose, California as the Curator of a brand-new project to help with the planning, building and development of all aspects of a wonderful historic preservation and village museum. I worked there for 3 years until I was offered another job to be the director of a historic fort museum in Upstate New York. I loved every minute of my work as museum curator, being able to restore historic buildings, build attractive exhibits, and develop a sizeable volunteer staff to guide school students through the fascinating history of early California.

My future career in the world of historic museums looked more than promising, even if the pay was only enough for what I thought was basic survival. It didn’t matter… I was happy… surrounded with historic artifacts and doing what I loved. After all, during the 3 years I was working hard at the historical museum, I was also singing in my church choir and growing stronger in the Lord, attending every church service, evangelistic rally and Christian seminar that came along. That was in 1970 to 1973… right in the middle of the Jesus People revolution. And God’s Holy Spirit was really at work on me, as well as many people around me in those days.  I couldn’t get enough of the Bible. I fasted and prayed many weekends, spending hours reading large portions of the Bible given to me by my mom when I turned 16.

Finally, a fellow choir member at my church said, “it sounds like you need to attend a Bible College, and I know a good one in Canada that I think you’d like.” That was because her son had attended the school for two years, and was then taking a year off to help plant a new church in Texarkana.  It sounded like a great idea, especially when I learned that the cost was low and the courses of study at the school were almost entirely verse by verse studies of the entire Bible, designed to help young people have a solid knowledge of the Bible in preparation for life in whatever career they chose. After corresponding with the Bible School, I wrote out my story and why I felt the Lord was prompting me to apply as a ‘foreign’ American student. I had no idea if they would accept my application or not. There was only one little problem.

The day was approaching when I had to call my former grad school professor in upstate New York, who had a big say in new job placements for the historical museums in that part of the state, linked with the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown, where I had received my Masters degree. He was excited about the possibility that I might take on the job as Director at the old pre-Revolutionary War fort near the river that divided New York from Canada. I was excited too. But remember, I was also wrestling with my excitement that I found a purely Bible-focused, small Bible school in a small rural farm town in the middle of Saskatchewan, Canada.  I just didn’t know yet whether they were going to accept my application or not. Remember, in those days, communication was largely by postal mail. This was long before the Internet and cheap long distance with cell phones that hadn’t yet been invented. And my planned long-distance call to New York about the job offer was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 2. I had to give my decision… take the job or turn it down? Which would it be?

All my friends at my museum job tried to encourage me to take the job. I could always get Bible courses here and there from wherever I lived while working in my career, they reasoned. On the other hand, my friends at church were favoring the idea to trust God and believe my application for the Bible School would be accepted. Well, the day I had to decide came faster than I would have liked. So, I was fasting and praying for a clear signal from God which way to go. My logical reasoning side said, “take the job.” My spiritually yearning heart said, “trust God and He’ll work it out for me to be at the Canadian Bible school, come September.” Either way, both choices would mean a life-altering decision. It was a dilemma unlike anything I’d ever faced before. I was praying non-stop in my mind as I went about my work on the day I was to make the phone call to New York.

At lunch time, I drove out from work at the museum to pick up some things before stopping to get the mail at the entrance to the museum property. While driving around, as usual, I was listening to Christian radio programming during my lunch break. Two of my favorite Christian radio teaching programs were on during my drive time, so I heard only small parts of them. But it was more than just interesting that I heard specific words on both of those radio shows that seemed to be speaking right to me with a positive message about making my choice that meant God is giving the ‘go ahead’ signal for Bible school. I thought, “Okay Lord, that sounds pretty good.” But I reminded Him that His word says in a couple of places that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” (Deut. 19:15).

Well, would you believe it?  When I stopped at the museum mail box, out on the access road that led to my museum office, I went through the handful of mail and was a little surprised to find an unsolicited letter envelope addressed to me. The return address showed it was actually from the Canadian government ministry of travel. I’d never been in touch with them before. As I got back into my car, I opened it and pulled out the only printed brochure inside. It’s a good thing I was sitting down. I think I might have fallen over in shock at what I read. On top of a picture of a stack of luggage on the front panel of the brochure were 5 words in big black letters… It read: “So, YOU’RE GOING TO CANADA!”          

Well, as you can probably believe, that’s all I needed as the most direct answer to prayer I could have ever imagined. A big Hallelujah, as you’d expect, came out of my mouth, as the Lord gave me something to really smile about as I pulled the car up to the museum office, where I made the anticipated phone call to New York. I was a little nervous, but that disappeared fast after I told my professor what had happened. He graciously expressed how he totally understood. And he made a special point of saying that hearing me relay my dilemma and my decision, reminded him of the faith of his own deceased parents, from the pre-war (world war 2) generation.

With full confidence that God was directing my path, a few months later I was driving to Canada with my new friend, who had spent the last year planting that church in Arkansas. It would be his final year at the school as I began my first year of full-time study of the Bible, out in the middle of nowhere, in the farmland prairies of what seemed to be more like the back side of the desert. But, in reality the Lord had me on a completely new journey that would last a lifetime. Within two years, I’d be part-time teaching at the Bible school, even while I was still taking my third year of classes. The president of the school, who was one of the founders of the school, 30 years earlier, asked me to help him create a brand-new college course for all first-year students. It would be called “The Bible and Science.”  And ten years later that course became the foundation of my uniquely informative book with a visual feast for every explorer to discover the awesome works of God, that has now circulated all over the country for 40 years – “Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation.”

You can understand why I can look back now and agree so whole-heartedly with Proverbs 16:9… “We can make all sorts of plans for our life with our minds, but for the child of God, the LORD really is the One who directs our steps.” And His purposes for our lives can give us a providentially transformed understanding of our purpose in serving Him in this life.

To discover how the Lord is still continuing the expansion of the purposes He has worked through my life by Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation, you’ll want to see today’s Bonus Segment for today’s episode at Reclaim Your Legacy dot com.

May God establish a renewed sense of purpose for you today.

BONUS SEGMENT

Having a sense of meaningfulness and Purpose in living, as a believer in this life, is closely connected to lessons we learn about both contentment and vision. This is especially key to our abiding sense of peace as we grow older. As we sincerely rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7), it’s important that we let the Lord season our youthful ambition with a readiness to embrace new challenges that He might be laying before us to accomplish. Just because our physical and mental strength might decrease in our senior years, doesn’t mean that we can’t adjust our expectations of ourselves as He gives us assignments that can seem to stretch us a bit.

As all of us age…

God’s purpose for His older saints is to bless others in ways that are unique because of their long life of experience. All of us can be invigorated when we share accounts of His faithfulness when God has walked with us through our lifetime of challenges and struggles, as well as opportunities to become more productive in ways that we might never have imagined.

Another thing to be reminded of is the fact that other people, and even younger people, are more inclined to be curious about your life’s experiences, when you take an interest in them, showing them that they are valued as a person. We can encourage, exhort, teach, and pray in ways that can be transformative for younger believers and non-believers alike. When you have the time, you can share many stories of how God has sustained you through wars, recessions, illnesses, losses, and answered prayers. That investment can bear a lot more fruit than we might realize. It’s a living testimony to God’s long faithfulness in a chaotic world.

Everyday worship for grandparents

When I see adoring grandchildren, both younger ones and older ones, enjoying their time with grandmas and grandpas, I realize it’s because there’s been a deliberate effort to spend time with each other. That inevitably leads to a legacy of positive transference of not only skills and life lessons, but also of values and their own sense of purpose. When any of us spend time helping busy young parents by driving their children to school or special events, watching them in the afternoons, cooking dinners when busy family life with children gets overwhelming… think of this.  All of those “good works that God has prepared for us to walk in” … are investments of our time that can have far more impact that we will ever know.

Take First Corinthians 10:31 seriously: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” “Whatever you do” means that even the mundane actions are included— preparing meals, light conversations, helping with errands.  Can you see those tasks as acts of God-directed worship? Every ride, every meal, every conversation is an opportunity to glorify God.  And that’s done by:

  • Showing patience and kindness that reflects Christ’s character.
  • Speaking about God’s faithfulness in simple, natural ways.
  • Praying over grandchildren while folding laundry or washing dishes.

Colossians 3:23 tells us to do our “work heartily, as for the Lord.” Babysitting becomes ministry. Cooking becomes service to Christ. Listening to a teenager’s struggle becomes participating in God’s work in that young heart. What did Jesus say?

“…inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to Me.” Matt 25:40.

For a grandfather, mowing the lawn of a widowed neighbor, fixing a broken sink at the church, playing catch with a restless grandson—these can all be done in a way that glorifies God. The difference is not in how “impressive” the task looks; it’s in whether our heart is turned toward the Lord.

So, why not ask: “In my ordinary responsibilities, how can I consciously aim to glorify God?” Purpose is often found, not in changing tasks, but in changing who we see ourselves working for.

V. God’s Purpose Is Lived Out in Your Generation

Texts: Acts 13:36; Psalm 138:8

I never used to think about how God’s purposes for His children are actually lived out in their generation.

Look at Acts 13:36 (ESV). It says, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers…” David’s life had many chapters—shepherd boy, giant‑slayer, fugitive, king, sinner, repentant worshiper—but Scripture sums it up this way: “he served God’s purpose in his generations.”

Your generation may be different from David’s, but the principal elements remain: God plants you in a particular time, family, culture, and church so that you may serve His purpose there. You’re not only a person with a purpose; you’re a person with a time‑bound purpose.

Psalm 138:8, as we saw, says, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.” Put those verses together and you get a powerful truth: God has a purpose for you IN your generation, and He Himself is committed to fulfilling it as you walk with Him.

The role of older saints in their generation

Think of the possibilities for a middle‑aged grandparent. Your generation‑specific calling might include:

  • Being a living bridge between generations in your family – modeling faith for both children and grandchildren.
  • Mentoring younger believers in your church – sharing both your successes and your failures honestly.
  • Praying persistently for your descendants and for the younger people in the congregation.

David served God’s purpose in his time. And then his time ends (Acts 13:36). God doesn’t ask you to serve a future generation you’ll never see. He asks you to be faithful in this one. The very fact that you’re still here on earth can mean at least one thing… He has some way He intends to use you now.

If you’re still in a quandary about all this, why not ask Him: “What does serving God’s purpose in my generation look like, practically, in my family, church, and community? What small, faithful steps could I take – even this month – to align with that?”

Conclusion: You Were Made on Purpose, For a Purpose

When you put these Scriptures together, do you see a clear picture emerging?

  • God intentionally brought you into this world by preparing your parents, and their parents before you.
  • He prepared good works for you;
  • His purpose outlasts your own plans;
  • He calls you to live for His glory; and
  • He gives you a role in your own generation. And that’s true whether you’re seventeen, forty‑seven, or seventy‑seven—whether you’re just starting out or rocking a grandchild to sleep.

For the middle‑aged American man or woman with grandchildren, the message is this: you’re not in a “leftover” season. You’re in a strategic season. Your prayers, your stories, your quiet acts of service, your steadfast faith—they matter profoundly in God’s economy. You may not be called to lead a nation like Moses, but you are called to serve God’s purpose in your generation, in your household, in your church, and in the circle of people He has given you.

Closing Challenge – So, how do we respond to these thoughts about our own purpose?

  1. Surrender: Offer your life afresh to God. Tell Him you’re willing to serve His purpose in your generation, whatever that looks like.
  2. Feast on Scripture: Keep returning to His Word—especially passages like Psalm 139, Ephesians 2, Romans 8, and Acts 13—to shape your understanding of purpose.
  3. Use Discernment: Ask God to show you the specific good works He has prepared for you right now—toward your grandchildren, your church, and your neighbors.
  4. Deliberate obedience: Instead of waiting for a “big moment,” begin with small, faithful steps of obedience—prayer, encouragement, service, testimony.

Here’s a Prayer you can use to begin your talk with God about all this.

“Lord, thank You that my life is not an accident. Thank You that You formed me, saved me, and called me according to Your own purpose and grace. Today, I surrender my plans to Your purpose. Show me the good works You’ve prepared for me in this season—especially in my family and among my grandchildren. Help me to glorify You in the ordinary tasks of my days and to serve Your purpose in my generation. Fulfill Your purpose for me, O Lord, for Your steadfast love endures forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Posted on

The Legacy of A Stress-free Life

I’d like to talk with you today about one of the most important legacies that every one of us would love to pass on to the next generation.

I’m reading in Psalm 55, where it says…

“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.”

Psalm 55:4

You know, one of the realities of life that our current physical science-based medical system has had to admit in recent years is that there are non-physical causes to poor health and disease. One widely accepted non-physical cause is “stress.” It’s quite well known today that the presence of stress in one’s life, and how one deals with that stress, has a direct impact on our health. Unfortunately, the solutions the medical system most often prescribe today for mental and emotional health are expensive drugs. And they often have serious side effects. So many people are “stressed out” that anti-depressant drugs have become a growing and prosperous business for pharmaceutical companies.

Well, King David, the second Jewish king, lived a thousand years before Christ.  He was a man who faced tremendous stress in his life. Few of us today will ever face the kind of anxiety David experienced for more than 10 years of his life when he was constantly on the run from his enemies who were trying to kill him. As he wrote in Psalm 55, it wasn’t just his enemies that caused problems. It was his “friends” and fellow believers. He said…

(more…)
Posted on

God-orchestrated courage produced the Declaration of Independence – it is producing New Awakening

People all over the world are rediscovering many of the realities of the long chain of events that precipitated the unanimous declaration of some of the bravest honorable men who ever lived.

When those 56 very somber leaders of the American colonists gathered together in Philadelphia to sign the document they had crafted, the extreme hardship of revolution that they faced could only have been sustained because of the deep conviction and confidence they had in their Creator whom they often referred to as “Providence.” 

Over the course of their relatively young lives, their experience of dependency on their Creator reflected the profound knowledge that they had of the Bible and the principles of the God who is “at work in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” They intimately relied on the Sovereign of the Universe who “works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11),” and “works all things together for good to those who love God and …are called according to His purpose (Ro 8:28).”

As we review the preamble to that declaration, perhaps we can refresh our own need to make a renewed declaration of commitment to God’s purposes in the unfolding story of God’s development of this generation’s determination – determination to be a people – indeed, a family and community – whose God is the Lord.

(more…)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | RSS

Posted on

Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind

Have you ever watched in Awe at the spectacular display of a summer lightning storm?  Deep booming thunder fills the whole sky.  Lightning shatters the pitch darkness and illuminates everything for a flash, enough to dazzle your eyes unlike anything else you ever saw.

If you’ve ever witnessed a thunderstorm, you can relate to the deafening CRACK that splits your hearing as a lightning bolt strikes with no time lag and you gasp, thinking that was a little close for comfort.  I’ve seen memorable storms in the daytime. I’ve been riveted in wonder, watching night-time storms, more exciting than almost anything else I can remember.

I’ve been in the middle of daily afternoon thunderstorms in the Rocky Mountains when I worked on a forestry crew in Yellowstone Park. I actually witnessed a continuous, hour-long midnight display of lightning, cracking open illuminated clouds on a grand scale, at 30,000 feet, glued to my window, during a cross-country flight in a Boeing 737. Living on wide-open prairie farmland of Saskatchewan, Canada, I’ll never forget watching a late-night lightning storm overhead that you would imagine to be the most fiery and loud declaration of heavenly power imaginable… at the time, I almost wondered if God was expressing He was really angry about something.

And if you’ve never had a ring-side seat during a Texas downpour, punctuated by the thundering cracks and rolling rumbles of lightning storms for half the night, you’re in for a sight that will make you think twice about why the Israelites gave up on Moses, when his hike into the smoke-filled mountain top became a 40-day fast to receive the plans for the Tabernacle. They should have been praying for their leader instead of making the golden calf.   

Sometimes dramatic events, even witnessing terrifying natural disasters or their aftermath, can leave a transformational mark on us that deeply changes the way we look at life… and even everything that transpires in the world around us.

Think of the Apostle Paul. He wrote the book of Romans in A.D. 57. Paul was a man who knew what it was like to have his life shaped by a highly controlled cultural religious system from his childhood. He was enthusiastically devoted to the Second Temple Judaism… the Jewish traditions of the Pharisee sect. But then, in about A.D. 34 or 35, Paul’s journey was dramatically interrupted by the risen Messiah.  Five or six years had passed since the resurrection. Paul was on his way to Damascus, commissioned by the High Priest to arrest Christians.  It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck him blind.  And the thunderous voice from the Messiah himself was so undeniable, that it didn’t just radically change what he believed. It changed the very core purpose of his life. A personal encounter with Jesus transformed how he processed everything in his life. It was like resetting the operating system of his personal hard drive.

Over 20 years had passed since that transformative confrontation by Jesus, when Paul wrote his letter to the Christ-followers in Rome. After writing much detail regarding the mysteries of the rejection of Messiah by Paul’s natural Jewish countrymen, Paul writes what we now know as the opening comments of chapter 12.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service…”

And then he delivers a charge, to which he can relate in terms that are as profound as anyone could possibly imagine. That’s because of his own personal encounter with the Savior himself. And he spent seven years after that in virtual isolation from all the connections that had programmed his hard drive for his entire life. Here’s what he wrote to his Roman readers, whom he had never met, but had, by then, developed a good understanding of the challenges they now faced.

“And do not be conformed to this world (this age of worldly society in which we exist), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

We’ve all been exposed to experiences in our past that have affected us negatively in ways that are contrary to the biblical teachings of Christ Jesus and His kingdom. For most of us who have no choice about our exposure to our workplace and the neighborhoods of where we live, it’s easy to see why we need daily cleansing of the pollution that wants to cling to our souls. The ideas and fears, the anxious thoughts and challenges, the temptations and our own appetites… they all compete with whatever desire is in us to serve God honestly, humbly, and obediently.

So, when our conscious minds sit still long enough to really examine our own hearts about this verse in Romans 12, we can sometimes wonder why it’s so hard for us to stay focused on the outcome that all of us, ideally, truly want… “to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  The struggle in the deepest reaches of our inner soul can understandably be frustrated by the tension between our honest reading in Scripture about how we should be pleasing to our Lord… and… all the behavior patterns that we know, deep down, are inconsistent with those ideals in our Bible.

We can’t miss the polar opposites of two forces at work in every single human when we read the first part of verse two.  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…”

The word Paul uses for transformed is the Greek word “metamorphoo.” Hearing that, you probably recognize the word “metamorphosis.”  It’s the same word we use to describe the process when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. It’s also the same word used in the gospel accounts of Matthew and Mark to describe when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain. His very appearance changed in the sight of His disciples. Metamorpho is not just any old word. It’s laser focused… very specific.  Profound.  It doesn’t mean ‘to improve.’ When it says “be metamorphooed” – ‘be transformed’ – It doesn’t mean try harder. It means a fundamental change in form has to happen. It’s not a behavior change. It’s a state of being change. But how do you achieve that?

Think about what actually happens inside a chrysalis. A caterpillar doesn’t become a butterfly by will power or mind-over-matter effort. It doesn’t discipline itself into making wings. Something happens inside it – in the dark, in the hidden place – away from (separate from) all the world around it. And when it breaks out of its chrysalis, it’s a completely different creature. The change was interior before it was visible. Think how profound the Creator of butterflies integrated this natural phenomenon with our understanding of something so deeply connected to our own human condition.

Now look at the contrast Paul describes here in Romans 12:2. Do not conform but be transformed. The word for conform – syschematizo (soos-kay-mah-tee-zo) – describes the action of being pressed into a mold the way a malleable metal can be shaped by a form surrounding it. You don’t choose to be pressed.

The mold just does its work …passively …constantly. That’s what the world does. Every scroll on your cell phone, every headline you read, every conversation you hear that subtly tells you what to want, what to fear, who to be …the social media world all around us is a mold. If you’re not actively being transformed from the inside, the mold is doing its work on you, whether you feel it or not. Here’s where this verse goes much, much deeper than most teachers take it. 

Paul says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” And when most people hear, “Renew your mind,” they think about the surface level. Replace the negative thought with a positive one. Speak scripture verses over your anxiety. Change what you’re consciously telling yourself. And none of that is wrong. That all matters. But, in a way, it’s just half the house, because your mind is not just one thing. Your mind has two parts. The conscious mind is the part you know about. It’s the main floor of what gets all the attention. It’s all about what you’re actively thinking right now. The words forming as you read, the opinion you’re forming about what I’m saying. That’s your conscious mind – the main floor. But underneath that, there’s a deeper floor, the basement buried in the foundation under the main floor. That’s the subconscious mind. This is where everything lives that you’re not actively thinking about. Your habits, your automatic responses, your deep assumptions about yourself, about money, about what you deserve, about what’s possible for your life… about God, His nature, His will for your life…  It’s all down there …running constantly without you watching it.  Let’s look at a good example that really makes this idea click into our reality.  

Think of the first time you learned to drive. Every movement was conscious and deliberate. You had to actively think about lots of new things. Check the mirrors. Make your left fingers press the turn signal lever. Press your right foot on the accelerator oh so slowly. Don’t ride the brake pedal with your left foot. Turn the wheel very slightly.  Dozens of new things kept your conscious mind working overtime. But after years of driving, you can navigate through traffic quite naturally while focusing your mind on other things.  You’re no doubt considering the various places you’ll stop during your drive around town. You might be thinking about having all the ingredients you need for dinner. Your hands, your feet and even your eyes know what to do without you reminding yourself constantly of all the various details of driving. That’s the subconscious at work. It took over. It runs the program in the background.

Now, apply that to how you were raised. Every environment you grew up in was teaching you something. Not in a classroom, not with textbooks. In the daily details. How you thought about obeying your parents… Your relationship with God and your self-worth.  …The way you watched others treat one another… How you saw conflict handled or avoided… how you saw displays of anger without correction… the meaning of hard work… honesty… admitting your own transgressions… your sense of personal value… what it means to be successful and how to handle it with humility or arrogance. All the things that gave you a sense of moral conviction or lack of it… How you share your things or selfishly hold on to them, constantly fearing you’ll lose them. Your values and priorities… all of them… became ‘programmed’ into your subconscious mind. 

In our western world of affluence and constant exposure to competition and achievement, our subconscious mindset about money and stewardship becomes a big part of the automatic way we think and react to all of life in general. Envy and coveting things possessed by others we see around us becomes a way of life. Self-sacrifice and going the extra mile to honestly show kindness to others is not natural in a world that disregards any concept of personal accountability to an eternal heavenly justice. How does Christ’s idea of an abundant life jive with Christ’s teaching of the golden rule?

We’ve all heard and seen what often seemed to be conflicting concepts about how to have a satisfying life. Many of us lacked a clear and consistent ‘model’ of what we could call godly wisdom, godly character, and godly motivation or priorities.  And though there are many in our society who are surrounded by very dark and evil home lives, for most of us raised in a relatively safe community, we can’t avoid that the disciplines or lack of disciplines that surrounded our formative years tends to generate automatic patterns of behavior that clash with what we’re trying to embrace as followers of Jesus.

With good intentions, you can quote Scriptures and make ‘confessions’ of who you are in Christ and how you behave in godly ways, and still say things and do things that are inconsistent with your best hopes… Why? It all goes back to the way you were repeatedly programmed to think about those things. And until the program changes, the surface behavior will keep reflecting those long-held patterns.  That’s because verbal confession only registers in the conscious mind, while the subconscious continues running according to the same old programming code that has always dictated your outward behavior.

This is why Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:2 is so magnificently precise. He doesn’t say renew your thoughts. He says renew your mind… the controlling center of your whole being… not just the main floor, but the control panels in the basement… the foundation of your whole ‘house.’  And this is what makes this contrast between conforming and transforming so serious.

The world’s ways that have rubbed off on you from the time you were little, weren’t necessarily what you thought about and decided to embrace. Maybe they were, but regardless, those ways are more deeply embedded in your subconscious than you probably ever thought about. They were written for you, by the people who raised you, who were taught by the people who raised them… generation to generation… not to mention by all the mind-controlling influences of the commercial advertising world that have been overtly putting ideas in your mind that were often met with little to no resistance. That’s because most of us were not deliberately taught to question authority and examine everything with careful scrutiny. 

And here’s the painful part. None of those people meant to harm you. Your parents didn’t sit down and say, “Let me teach this child to believe they’ll never be successful or have what it takes to provide a decent living and righteous lifestyle to guide their family.” But if they lived expressing constantly conflicting values… if that was the atmosphere in your house… you breathed that confusion in every day until it felt like this is normal… it’s just the way life is.

This is what Paul means when he says, “Do not allow yourself to be conformed to the behavior pattern of this world (this age).” We can see that the world’s pattern isn’t just out there in culture and media. It was also in your home. It was in how failure and disappointment were discussed. It was in how dreams and inner thoughts were or weren’t encouraged, in what was possible for you or for anybody. Those patterns got pressed into you. Syschematizo (soos-kay-mah-tee-zo)… pressed into the mold …before you were old enough to choose. And now, unless something changes at the root, those same patterns will repeat themselves in your own children. It’s not because you’re bad, because the program keeps running unless somebody stops it. That somebody could be you. But only if the renewal goes all the way down to the control room – the subconscious. So, how does that happen?

So, how do you actually renew the mind? Both floors, not just the main floor. Paul gives us a second scripture that unlocks this. 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Notice what he says first. Casting down… not covering up… not managing… not tolerating… casting down. The renewal of the mind is not just addition. It’s also subtraction, which typically has to happen first. You have to identify the false thing, the imagination, the wrong assumption, the inherited lie… and actively pull it down from its governing authority in your life. Evict it. Make room.

Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” And Proverbs 23:23 says this, “Buy the truth and sell it not; also, wisdom and instruction and understanding.” Buy the truth. That word buy is telling you something important.

You don’t get truth for free. That’s not because God is charging you for it. It’s because of a fundamental fact of life. And there are often two parts to it.  Buying the truth requires to invest your time into obtaining it. That also may cost you energy and resources to do what you need to do to access the source of it.  Buy a book… a Bible. Attend a meeting. Take a trustworthy advisor out to lunch. But your personal buying of truth… receiving truth… will often require you to give something up. You exchange the lie for the truth. You hand over the false belief, the one you’ve carried for years, the one that feels like identity, and you receive what’s actually real in its place. That’s the transaction. That’s renewal.

It’s like updating software on a computer. You don’t just write new code on top of corrupted code. You find the corrupted file. You delete it. And then you install the correct version. The sequence matters. Identify, cast down, replace with truth. Most people only do the third step. They try to install truth on top of a corrupted foundation and then they wonder… why does the system keeps crashing? Casting down imaginations means getting really honest about what you actually believe. You can say whatever you want about what you believe in church. But what do you actually believe when things don’t go your way? What do you believe about yourself at 2:00 a.m? How do you automatically react when the pressure hits… when the tense situation arises? What do you do when your behavior is challenged by a true friend who really cares for you? That’s the program. And until you name it, you cannot cast it down.  It’s the exact opposite of what degenerate rebels to God do, as described in Romans chapter One.  “They exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” (Romans 1:25).

Here’s the harder truth for anyone struggling to overcome their carnal nature. You can know this intellectually and still not change. Psychologists understand the subconscious mind. They have frameworks for it… terminology for it… all sorts of theories, therapies and drugs to try to regulate it. But understanding a prison doesn’t unlock the door. What Paul is describing is not a self-help technique. It’s a spiritual renovation. The renewing of one’s mind requires the supernatural power of the Word of God, working from the inside. It’s not just information. It’s transformation. There’s a specific power in the word of God that does something to the subconscious that no therapy alone can reach. Hebrews 4:12 calls it “living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword.” It goes deep… all the way down to where the old programs live… in your subconscious soul… the obscure inner man that you sometime struggle to comprehend and govern the way you would like.

Before I go further, pause here with me for a second. What I just described – that moment of recognizing a program running in you that you didn’t choose – if you felt something shift when I said that, why not pause this recording if you’re listening on the podcast. Think what’s one belief about yourself you’ve been carrying that you’re starting to realize isn’t actually yours. Write it down. Set aside whatever time is necessary to talk with God about it.  And if you’re otherwise hearing this and you can’t pause to think privately about it right now, just go to Reclaim Your Legacy dot com and type in the search bar “Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind.” Don’t use Google… you likely won’t find it there. Type in your top search engine bar “ReclaimYourLegacy.com.”  Once you get to my website, that’s where you can type in some of the words in the title you’re looking for. Then you can rewind this recording and pause wherever you see fit. You’ll be glad you actually took the time to talk to God about this. I’m absolutely convinced that anytime you seriously mean business with God, He is faithful to hear your heart’s cry and meet you in ways you probably never expected.

Now… Look at the end of Romans 12:2 again. “That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” This is the part almost nobody around us ever talks about. The result of a renewed mind isn’t just better behavior. It’s clarity. The ability to test, discern, and recognize what is actually good for us in light of God’s purpose for our lives while we’re still on this earth. This is why so many believers, even sincere, faithful ones, still feel confused about their lives, confused about decisions, about direction, about what God actually wants them to do. They keep asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” And Paul says, “The answer isn’t hidden from you. You can’t see it yet because the lens you’re trying to look through is still dirty in the sense that it has yet to be transformed.

Your mind is your lens. When your mind is shaped by the world’s patterns, by fear, by intimidation, by the inherited programs of failure and limitation, everything you see is distorted. But when the mind is being renewed, genuinely renewed – both floors – something changes. You start to recognize goodness where before you only saw threat, you start to see open doors where before you only noticed walls. You start to know with a clarity that surprises even you about what is right, what is next, what is God’s will. The discernment was always available. The renewed mind is just a condition that lets you access it.

So, let’s be precise. What does this idea of renewing your mind – both floors – actually look like day-to-day? To start with, it looks like protecting the first input of your morning.  That means you cherish God’s thoughts as priority before whatever else tries to crowd into your conscious mind. If you pray… if you ever talk to God during your day…  why wait until you’re in some kind of a crisis?   Before you check your phone… before you turn on the news… before others start pressing you for attention… why not just say to God a simple prayer like “direct my thoughts today, Lord?” ..or.. “Lord, please help me discover your best course of how to order my day today.” It doesn’t need to be a fancy prayer or a particular prayer from the Bible. Just acknowledging God in your waking moment will set a God-honoring tone for all the rest of the moments in your day. And if you dare to deliberately focus for even a few minutes on a selected portion of the Bible, all the better.

What goes into your mind in those first 10 or 20 minutes after you wake, sets the framework for everything ahead of you. That’s not some kind of success-driven, motivational culture. That’s how your awesomely created brain actually works. When you deliberately set a new discipline… a new habit that you expect will be a benefit to you… it looks like you’re being ruthlessly honest about your content diet. It’s not just about whether the content is acceptable or not, but it’s building your mind to be capable of divine discernment because your old and misguided subconscious is no longer being allowed to filter it out. Everything that goes in gets filed. It looks like slow repeated engagements with God’s word. You’re not skimming it to avoid thinking deeply. You’re now being deliberate… sitting with the Holy Spirit’s insight long enough to challenge your assumptions as it reaches your basement floor to rearrange the hard wiring.

Now, you’re asking yourself hard questions. Where did this belief come from? Who taught me this about myself? Is this the voice of God or the voice of a person who misdirected, or even hurt me 20 years ago? Is this divine wisdom or just a man-made program I’ve never questioned? And your new habit looks a lot like persistence… that’s because renewing your mind is not just a series of singular events. It’s a direction. Slow, consistent, unglamorous, but compounding. Every truth you receive in exchange for a lie changes the architecture of your thinking. Every imagination you cast down makes more room for clarity. Every time the word goes in, something adjusts. Something gets repaired down deep where the real change happens.

When we started today, if you ever gave a thought to Romans 12:2, you may have been trying to apply it in the same way that most people apply it… main floor level… just getting your conscious mind to think about better or wiser thoughts and words of Scripture. You may have tried exchanging surface thoughts, confessing positive things, and ending up with the feeling that the verse isn’t working for you. Hopefully now, you’re able to be honest with yourself and realize the verse is working when you focus on refreshing your subconscious mind with deliberate intentionality. You’ve got to give it some time of applying regular edifying habits. Before now, you just might not have gone deep enough.  You’ve been trying to rearrange the living room furniture while the hidden content in your foundational ground floor has old and ineffective code running the structure of your life. The transformation you’re looking for isn’t on the surface. It’s down there in the ground floor in the inherited programs, in the lies you’ve been buying as truth that need to be exchanged for what’s actually real in the kingdom of God. You don’t change your life by trying harder. You change it by allowing the word of God to go all the way down to the places you didn’t even know needed changing… to the programs you didn’t choose but have been running your whole life. That’s what Paul means by transformation… it’s truly a divine plan of redemptive metamorphosis. And it absolutely requires your consistent, life-long commitment to a process that God is completely willing and able to complete.

That’s the renewing of the mind, both floors. And here’s the mercy in all of it. Paul doesn’t write this as a threat. He writes it in view of God’s mercy. This isn’t another standard to fail. It’s an explanation of a process that’s available to you right now, today. Not after you have it all together, nor after the destructive, disturbing thoughts stop coming back. Right now, the door to real transformation isn’t locked. It never was. You just needed to know where it leads… and then decide to go there and continue letting the Holy Spirit accomplish the transformative process that sets you apart from those who are satisfied taking the easy road that’s willing to compromise with the alluring, feel-good temptations of the spirit of the age.

When King Solomon operated in the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit, his words in the book of Proverbs will always be a kind of plumb-line to keep us from drifting off the narrow path, that assures our victorious and God-honoring long life. These are passages in which every honest follower of Jesus, will find not only God’s wisdom, but His peace and reassurance that protects the obedient soul from the Destroyer in the world. Hear some of what he wrote…

My son, do not forget my law, ​​But let your heart keep my commands; ​​For length of days and long life ​​And peace they will add to you. (3:1-2)

My son, if you receive my words, ​​And treasure my commands within you, ​​So that you incline your ear to wisdom, ​​And apply your heart to understanding; ​​Yes, if you cry out for discernment, ​​And lift up your voice for understanding, ​​If you seek her as silver, ​​And search for her as for hidden treasures; ​​Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, ​​And find the knowledge of God. (2:1-5)

When wisdom enters your heart, ​​And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, ​Discretion will preserve you; ​​Understanding will keep you, ​​To deliver you from the way of evil, ​​From the man who speaks perverse things, ​​From those who leave the paths of uprightness ​​To walk in the ways of darkness; ​​To deliver you from the immoral woman, ​​From the seductress who flatters with her words, ​​Who forsakes the companion of her youth, ​​And forgets the covenant of her God. ​​For her house leads down to death, ​​And her paths to the dead; ​​None who go to her return, ​​Nor do they regain the paths of life— ​​So you may walk in the way of goodness, ​​And keep to the paths of righteousness. ​​For the upright will dwell in the land, ​​And the blameless will remain in it; ​​But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, ​​And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it. (2:10-13; 16-22)

Don’t just think about that for a moment. Reread it and let it simmer on the back burner of your soul until it transforms the foundational hard drive that intuitively directs your actions to please God by discerning His perfect will and keep on the paths of righteousness.

Posted on

Doesn’t everyone deserve to know the cause and the cure for what ails them?

The Epidemic of tragic symptoms happening everywhere is now proven to link to mass poisoning by injection.

You don’t have to be a Christian to have natural human empathy and the desire to protect or care for friends and loved ones who are in danger because of something of which they were unaware was threatening their well-being.  Our challenge today is how to help people break free of the indoctrination and propaganda that they’ve been wholly committed to for most of their lives by institutions and highly educated people that they trusted.

In recent years, we’ve all learned a lot about massive deception, widespread fraud and vast public propaganda regarding health and disease prevention.  One of the many hard-working, medical-freedom-loving, health care professionals who has been sharing his research openly for everyone to benefit is Dr Bryan Ardis. You can access his discussion of some of his background and remarkable discoveries on a past episode of Reclaiming Your Legacy, linked in today’s transcript.

(more…)
Posted on

A Generation Called to Rebuild the Ancient Paths

When God’s people recognize that the path of the society around them is collapsing, the prophets of the Bible give us an unmistakably clear assignment, if we’re willing to accept it… Be a generation called to rebuild the ancient paths.

The confusion and uncertainty assaulting humanity worldwide today is being identified by many as an all-out strategy of destructive warfare from the Enemy of mankind himself.  So, what is the ‘assignment’ God has for His people in the middle of such alarming chaos?

The 58th chapter of the prophet Isaiah declares clearly, Almighty God’s displeasure with the superficial, self-centered, and hypocritically empty religious rituals of His people. Instead, He desires a deeper and personally more authentic form of worship, defined by distinctive actions. And biblical worship – let’s not miss it – is a sacrificially devoted spiritual life-style, not just a weekly religious exercise. 

When you examine Isaiah 58 .. let God’s Spirit show you where your life can better express what God identifies as “the fast” that He chooses.  That kind of a Messiah-following discipleship is characterized by several features. All of them require some effort and humbly asking God for personal direction.  Remember one of the central themes of the Bible: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct (or make straight) your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).  Your what?  Your PATHS.

  1. Justice and righteousness is high on His list: Can we do anything to break the chains of injustice? Are there oppressed people whom we can help to free?  Can we remove blame shifting and speaking wickedness? (read Isaiah 58:6-9).
  2. Caring for the vulnerable is naturally a priority with God: Can we find ways to share our food with the hungry?  Can we invite a poor homeless one into our home?  What about clothing those who are truly naked and needy? (read Isaiah 58:7). If we do, He promises “your light will break out like the dawn” (vs 8)… “you will call and the LORD will answer” (vs 9).
  3. Humility and sincerity are traits deserving our daily introspection: We just cannot allow ourselves to use devotional sacrifices like fasting as an excuse to exploit workers, or quarrel with others, or engage in self-righteousness (read Isaiah 58:3-5).
  4. True selfless devotion is assured God’s special turn arounds in your life: Fasting accompanied by “giving yourself” to those in need and “satisfying the desire of the afflicted” will result eventually in “your light rising out of darkness” and “your gloom becoming like midday.” (read Isaiah 58:10).
(more…)
Posted on

7 – The Promised proof God finishes what he starts

Have you ever been curious how the number 7 keeps popping up in the Bible?

Over 700 times, the number 7 is prominently woven into many Bible passages … nobody can miss it! But it’s not there as some mystical formula or code.  It’s much more powerful – a covenant signature. From the seven-word opening of Genesis to the final vision of Revelation, every appearance of 7 expresses the same unmistakable message – God keeps His word!

“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” Psalm 12.6 (NKJV)

This passage from Psalm 12 is packed with more personally relevant meaning than I ever imagined.

Did you happen to notice that the first sentence of the Bible is seven words long?

In Hebrew, the first 3 words are “Bereshit bara Elohim” … meaning “In the beginning God created.”

The last 3 words in Hebrew represent “the heavens and the earth.”

But there are 7 Hebrew words here. The middle word, the fourth one, is spelled with just two Hebrew letters, aleph and tav, the first and last …

(more…)
Posted on

How do I find a faithful Biblical church daring to stand up for Truth in a dysfunctional society?

I recently received an Email from a ministry friend, expressing the dilemma of a family, experiencing an increasingly common frustration with the irrelevance and shallowness of their otherwise satisfying local church. Amber and her family had been at their church five years. They enjoyed the congregational worship experience every Sunday. The people were friendly. Bible verses were sprinkled through the sermon. But the pastor didn’t seem to be addressing what was happening in the world around her. Nothing in the activities of the church even attempted to show interest in what her kids were facing in school. She heard about a simple test you can ask your pastor to fill out online to find out what your church really believes and what they actually plan to teach on.  She thought, “No problem—my pastor won’t mind.”  But when she and her husband used the website to send an email, their pastor dodged it. 

(more…)
Posted on

Reclaiming a Biblical Worldview takes Humility to Test All Things

Everyone has a worldview, but relatively few people see their world through the eyes of the Bible, even among those who call themselves Christian.  

The Great Commission

Christian people across the world are well familiar with what we call “the Great Commission.”  Jesus, after his resurrection, just before he ascended into heaven, spoke these words to his disciples:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20  

Many pastors who avoid debatable or political/social topics, claim they are ‘just called to preach the gospel.’  Others avoid contemporary arguments in society by sticking to their preaching and teaching schedule. These seem to be noble practices to most Christians, but do you think it’s only fair that those who sit down to dine at the table of where they get their spiritual food each week have a responsibility to humbly challenge their spiritual teachers to address controversial topics that are relevant to the issues we all struggle with that are going on in our world today?

(more…)
Posted on

Meekness – What is the most important thing you have ever learned?

the miraculous quality of childlike meekness – By Dennis Petersen

Yahveh’s prophet, Isaiah, declared “For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being declares the LORD … But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Isaiah 66:2

When you think about taking a proactive change of direction to reclaim your legacy, what do you think is the most important thing that you’ve personally learned in your lifetime so far?  While you make the focus of your attention on having a positive influence on your own children and grandchildren – your next generation – what truth or idea have you discovered that is such a powerful influence on your own life that you’d have to include it among the very top dozen or so important things that you have ever learned in your life?

(more…)