SESSION NOTES: TBD

WORD OF THE DAY:

God, I don’t know how

Call it whatever, the devotional/word/sermon/message of the week, I use all those terms – I just know that it comes from God and often the subject changes until I finally say “Yeah, that’s it, that’s what God wants me to speak about..” Like this week I started with a topic, thinking I would write about ‘God will do it anyway’, then changed it to ‘spiritual maturity’ and finally landed on what you’re reading now.. “God, I don’t know how.”

Its fitting really, what I just said, because its true. I don’t know how.

How to pick the message I’m supposed to give. How to make it not about me. How to speak clearly. How to speak wisdom. How to make the right words come out. And so on. But God does. And that’s the point of this Sermon.

God, I don’t know how.

The thing is when you don’t know how, you are in exactly the place God wants you to be in because He does know how, and He’s going to lead there. Everyday that you believe in Him, trust in Him, let Him guide you He will give you the ‘how’ piece by piece.

Right now a good bit of my how is the how of other spiritual leaders. They are my mentors, people that I love & respect & learn from.

Pastors like Erwin McManus, Christine Caine, Michael Todd, Mark Batterson, Steven Furtick (whose sermon this is based on), etc. I was once told when I was learning to be a boxer that a lot of guys try and emulate the style of their favorite boxer, but I needed to make my own way and have my own style. This is as true in boxing as it is in preaching. I’m still learning my own style and I’ll get there one day. God will lead me there.

But until then I’ll be leaning heavily on my spiritual mentors who are shaping me & teaching me how to convey God’s message. This just came to me: Leaning. Learning. Leaning is learning. Sometimes you have to lean so you can learn.. You just can’t let that leaning become a crutch, however.

What I pray for everyday is a simple prayer. Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated. Jesus isn’t impressed by your prayer’s four and five syllable words. Its what comes from your heart and the sincerity of your spirit that counts.

These are my words to God:

“Lord, give me the strength to do your will and accomplish my calling and reach as many people as possible and bring as many people as I can to your Word,” AMEN!

That’s it. I don’t know how it’s going to happen and that’s OK because where I’ve arrived at in my spiritual journey is I no longer have worry or stress or ask about that part, its going to happen & I’m gonna leave that part up to Him.

Why? Three simple words… because of faith.

PSALM 55:2 sums this up perfectly, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

If you can believe in that, I can tell you from personal experience that giving your burdens to the Lord, truly giving your burdens to Him will change your life.

But where do you go from there? This was one of the hardest things for me. For me to grasp hold of, because I like to grasp things, control things, make things go my way – that’s part of who I am.

I had to grasp and take hold of the fact that I couldn’t grasp this or hold it any longer – I had to let go and say “God, I don’t know how”

Show me. Show me, God…

This is one of the most courageous things you will ever do in life. It was one of hardest things I’ve ever done.. to let go and say “God, I don’t know how, but I know that You do.”

That’s the starting place for spiritual growth

To admit “I don’t know how”

How do I look at and believe in something that I can’t see?

How do I watch all these sermons, preaching redemption, and be saved?

“I don’t know how.”

You don’t have to…

You have a part you will play, and you will know what to do. The rest is up to God.

The bible mentions so many times “the seed”. The kingdom of God is like a seed. His Word is the seed. You don’t have to know how the seed grows, but you have to plant it, and water it, and let the dirt do its work on its own time. Man there is so MUCH in that statement. So much I’ve said before about this, it’s not your timetable it’s His. It’s not your plan, its His. It’s not about knowing, its about believing.

Plant that word in your heart. Water it. Read the scripture. Reflect on it. Do it daily. Live it. Let the dirt, let your situation, do its work. Its not pretty. Dirt never is. But it’s necessary. Are you receiving this?

It’s all about the cooperation between what we do know, and what we don’t – the part that God knows. That’s the part where faith steps in.

All the fruit that we bear, has to start somewhere. it starts with a seed, that is planted. That grows. That remains, in the dirt. For as long as necessary – until it sprouts and grows strong and bears fruit.

And the last thing I’ll leave you with is this reminder.

Who is the fruit for? The fruit is not for the tree.

It is for others.