Got Problems?

What has God made you for? and How do you respond when the Holy Spirit says change directions?

Over the past 12 years God has moved me from using my spiritual gifts as a lay member to a pastoral student to an ordained pastor. He has given me a vision of what my purpose is and then opened some doors for me to pursue that purpose.

Yesterday as I sought some answers to some life issues I have been facing the last few months the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to me that I needed to make a short time change and wait for Him to make some changes in the situation. What I heard from the Holy Spirit was not what I expected or wanted to hear.

I could have approached this with an attitude that I would wait to make sure that what I heard the Holy Spirit say was confirmed by someone else. I could have ignored Him completely and continued full speed ahead along the journey because I am doing some of the things I want to do and believe I was made for. I could have neglected to act and hope that the situation would change on it's own.

What I did was to obey what the Holy Spirit informed me with the knowledge that He can restore whatever I gave up and heal relationships and make what He started even better. If I would have waited for confirmation, or ignored what I heard or neglected to act and hope things would change it would mean the Holy Spirit could not restore, heal and improve the things that are in need of His touch.

I encourage you to take time out and retreat from whatever you are facing and spend an afternoon, a day or a weekend seeking word from the Holy Spirit about whatever you are facing. You may not like what you hear but God always promises an answer to what you are seeking. It may be NO, or Yes, or even Not Now but He will give you an answer. The Yes is easy to deal with but No and Not Now are harder especially when you are living part of the dream and vision He has given you.

I woke this morning feeling assured that I did what the Holy Spirit revealed that I needed to do as a first step in healing, restoration and making better what I was asked to give up.

I encourage you to go before the Holy Spirit and spend some time sharing your heart and then listening to His response. Then take the action that needs to be done, remembering what He asks will never be in violation of God's law, and then work for healing and restoration. God will bring healing, He will restore and He will make what was even better.

An Evolution of a Dream

When I was younger I had several dreams that I wanted to accomplish. One was to have a second home on the beach in Grenada. I wanted to be able to stay at this home for several months each year. Another part of this dream was to have a sailing yacht and be able to sail the Caribbean when I was down at the beach home. I wanted to earn enough money to decide what I did when I wanted to do it and with whom I wanted to do it with. I do not think there is anything wrong with having a dream like that except that it did not involve helping anyone else except in the context of making more money.

When I thought of these dreams I could almost smell the salt water and hear the waves on the beach. I could almost feel the rocking of the sail
boat as it moved through the Caribbean sea.

For some reason though I could not fully get motivated by these dreams. Something was missing.
I would not discover what that something was until I was in my 50s.

In 1999 my wife, Kat, and I began to attend a different church called the Vineyard Church located in Overland Park, KS. We had just left a church that we had spent over 15 years attending and we were beat up and discouraged. All we wanted to do was go to church each week and worship God and learn more about how He wanted us to live.

Over the next four years a vision of what He wanted for my life began to develop. Here is what I found the above dreams are not bad in themselves nor is a desire to make a great six figure income. What makes them wrong is having a motive to use that money for one's own personal pleasure while ignoring those who are in need. Money is not the root of evil but the love of money is ( 1 Timothy 6: 120 ). I found my dreams were based on making money but I was not achieving them because my heart was not in it.

A vision placed in my heart by God began to grow and I was moving from a purely knowledge based faith to a heart based faith supported by knowledge. I found that my dreams went from having a beach home and a sailing yacht to using the gifts and talents I have been given to help others.

At this point I have not fully achieved my dream but I am moving toward it a step at a time. I have formed a small group that ministers to men, a small group that ministers to couples and this blog called REAL Men RoCK. I do not believe my dream is a destination but a journey and over the remaining years of my life it will change as the Holy Spirit moves my heart.

Here is my vision today: I want to live in the modest home that Kat and I have while I serve others in whatever way God desires for me to. I want to be able to take Kat on a vacation each year to a place where we can be energized for the next year. I want to spend time with my grand kids and my daughter. I want my daughter and sons and grand kids to discover a relationship with Jesus and then grow in their faith. I want to grow old with Kat and die in her arms after living my remaining years serving God by serving others. I want to do these things as I focus on building the following dream found in Matthew 25: 34-36 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

I have already received salvation through Jesus Christ and that is the greatest blessing one can ever have and it is that blessing that drives me to the dream listed above.

I encourage you to take a long hard look at your motive for the dreams you have. What are they rooted in? Who will they bring glory to? I would be interested in reading about your dream and vision for your life.