Kreittón

In the original language of the New Testament, Kreittón is the Greek word for ‘better’ or ‘superior’ or ‘more excellent way’. This is a common theme across the Bible, which teaches us there that is a better way to live through Him.

People often say, ‘Hang in there, it’s going to get better’. But that’s kind of hard to believe when your situation is bad, and maybe even getting worse. We’ve all had people tell us something like that. It was meant to make you feel better, but it actually had the opposite effect. Because when your life keeps getting worse the last thing you want to hear is ‘Hang in there its going to get better.’

You have to remember that when Jesus died for you, he did it to establish a new covenant of salvation – so it is going to be better. And even though sometimes you feel like you should have done better – His blood is better than the worst thing that you did, so whatever His blood needs to cover in your life today you can have confidence that there is nothing you can do to separate yourself from the blood of His covenant & His love for you.

Reread that paragraph above. I wish I had been taught that as a child. Perhaps my life would not have been so guilt filled as I viewed myself a product of my failures as a Christian.

Let me tell you this – You never have to believe the voice of accusation in your life, no matter how bad it is…

The blood of Jesus is better.

It’s a better covenant (than the Old Testament). It is a better promise. It is a better hope. Some people have a surface-level hope and as long as things are floating along in their lives and everything is moving along, they have great faith.

But we have a better hope. Something better – A hope that doesn’t even kick in till you hit the bottom. Maybe you’ve hit bottom in your emotions this week, or the bottom in your bank account, or the bottom in your body and your physical health…There is a hope that is better than the passing pleasures or fleeting aspirations of this world.

Its a hope that says, ‘I’m convinced of better things concerning you.’

As cliche as it might sound, Jesus believes in you.

So many men who ultimately gave up on themselves will tell you the same thing. That someone they loved, a wife, girlfriend, family member etc. gave up on them when they desperately needed that person. Men are expected to never need anyone. To never show emotion. To never have feelings. Men are expected to carry the weight of the world. Men don’t need much, but they need a purpose & a cause to fight for, and people who believe in them (See ‘A Calling & a Cause: Men’).

Isn’t it great to have somebody believe in you? When you don’t believe in yourself? Somebody who sees something in you that you quit believing a long time ago. I am so blessed in this life to have not only been saved but also to be chosen by God to be a Kingdom man (See ‘Victory’).

It is my mission & purpose in life to bring that message to others

In order to get better, we have to move forward, and sometimes what we think of as the pathway to better can be a little confusing. Better is relative. Better needs a point of reference. When something is new it doesn’t necessarily feel better, in fact its the old that usually feels better.

For instance, for some people, as God is moving in their life there is a ‘rejection period’ where they’re trying to assimilate a new truth into an old life and an old mindset. The temptation is to go back to bad because sometimes bad feels better.

We tend go back to bad patterns of thinking because they are more familiar than new ways of faith and opportunities that doors open. Sometimes we go back to something bad, and we go backwards because what is new is not working at first.

Here’s the thing – most of what will come into your life through God’s grace will almost always feel worse at first.

Sometimes in order to get better, first you have to go backwards. This is the tough part. When you’re moving backwards it often feels like nothing is working and there’s a temptation to revert back to something that worked.

Think of it like learning to play tennis. Maybe you picked up a racket and taught yourself to play. Then someone showed you that you’ve got the basics all wrong. You have to fix your grip first, and now that you’ve got this new grip – you’re terrible at tennis.

You see, God said this is a season where He is fixing your grip. All of your life you’ve been doing things a certain way and it worked for a little while, but you’ve entered into God’s grace now and this is a better way…

But it doesn’t feel better! The temptation is always to go back – to go back when you feel like it’s not getting any better.

It’s especially hard when you’ve been raised your entire life hearing about everyone that’s a better Christian than you. They memorized all this scripture, why can’t I do that? No, they’re a better memorizer, that doesn’t make them a better Christian.

Sometimes we get better all backwards – Well if I had more followers, it would be better. If I had more money, it would be better. If I had a wife or husband, it would be better. We all have this idea that it’ll get better IF…

But you still feel miserable because better is not a byproduct of external circumstances improving..

Better comes from improving your relationship with God.

When it’s getting better and it feels worse – it’s so difficult for us to believe that it’s getting better because we compare our real life to somebody else’s fake life. If the reason you feel like everybody is happier than you – its because you’re not seeing the parts that they choose to hide from you. You are only seeing the version of them that they want to broadcast.

I know more than a few people who try desperately to show the world how smart they are, how successful they are, what a social life they have, etc. I feel sorry for people like that who are so lost in this world.

So when you really understand, you understand that better is relative.

Better is relative – If you walk into Mary Lee doughnuts – it’s better than broccoli. Unless you need to lose 30 pounds. If the purpose of the food is nutrition, give me the broccoli. If the purpose of the food is to make my taste buds dance and shout, then I want the Mary Lee doughnuts…better is relative

So if you’ve been telling yourself that somebody could do it better than you, that there’s somebody more fit than you, that there’s somebody who’s got more knowledge than you – Sometimes God needs somebody who is lesser so He can show that He’s better.

You are better for what God intended you to do! You’re perfect for it – there’s nobody better to do it. There’s nobody more qualified to do it. There’s nobody who can do what you do, when God has put you where He puts you. God doesn’t make mistakes folks. You’ve got to give him back what you’ve got.

Be better. Be kreittón.

You never know what experiences are better. Sometimes you look back over the things that afflicted you, horrible things that happened to you and you realize those are the very same things that developed you into the person that you are.

Maybe you just want to quit – because depression is making you give up on the belief that it could ever get better. Maybe that’s the point where you feel like you want to end it all. That’s why we need faith. That’s why we can’t let that go no matter what.. that’s why we must continually tell ourselves it’s already getting better.

Because it is. I have been through it, and this is my testimony.

Maybe you’re looking at better but haven’t recognized it yet? Some of us don’t know how good we have it. If you would take a minute and go back in your life, you would realize that God has made you so much better, that He has treated you so much better than your sins.

There’s a verse in the Bible that says: “Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife.” (Proverbs 17:1 NKJV)

Maybe you don’t have much, but the crumb you have is better…

Why are you trying so hard for the house full when its filling your entire life with strife? I’m speaking this to someone I know needs this message.

I’m grateful in my life for this piece. Its not perfect but I’m grateful for this little bit – it’s better. We miss some of the best moments of our life because we’re waiting on something better.

I don’t know what’s going on in your life today, but maybe it seems like it’s going backwards. Kids getting harder to manage, bills getting more expensive, everything in life seems to be more and more out of control.

Could it be that God is making you better by taking you lower?

I’ll leave you with this..

Maybe its not clear how Jesus could also become better, but the way He became better, since He was already seated at the right hand of God. Since He already inhabited eternity. Since He couldn’t be raised any higher.

The Bible says that Jesus came lower.

The son of God went backwards and became human so that you could get better…

NOTE: In this devotional I mention several alternate Bible translations other than NIV & NKJV which are the most widely used versions for translating the original Hebrew & Greek into English. I think there is a lot of value in studying expanded & alternate versions of verse for the messages they convey. Not for their deviation from the original word-for-word text, but for the abstract concepts they offer – a message that highlights the love, compassion & mercy of God.

So long as nothing is removed or added to God’s message then nothing is wrong with that. Hopefully you’ll understand when you read the passages below.

Finding your way home.

Anyone remember paper maps?

If you’re old enough, you remember your parents had that giant paper map carefully folded up and put away in the glove compartment of the car.

When you wanted to find your way somewhere you’d get a map out, unfold it and carefully study the map for the roads, highways & turns you’d have to take to get to your destination. It was actually a huge pain.

Now all the folding and unfolding and finding has been replaced with a navigation app on your phone.

And its amazing, I love it.

My favorite feature is a button that says HOME

No matter where I am around town, no matter how lost I am, I tap home and it quickly gives me the directions to return home. To return back where I belong. The place where I feel safe & protected.

Do you ever wish you had a spiritual HOME button? To return home to God. Coming back to a safe place in the arms of your Creator.

It would be awesome if there was an app for that.

Fortunately, God isn’t an app you download from the Apple store.

That said, it may take a little work like that paper map, but you can return home to God.

Close your eyes and reflect on this passage from Isaiah chapter 55. And as you do, center on the spirit & safety of God. Attend to God’s presence during this time as you return home to God. Begin to return home…

As you read this passage, respond in your mind “Lord God, I long to return to You.”

ISAIAH 55:6-7 (NIV)

Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near.

“Lord God, I long to return to You.”

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts, let them turn to the Lord.

“Lord God, I long to return to You.”

He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“Lord God, I long to return to You.”

In your navigation app you have to type in your home address for it to know your location, but once its there the return destination never changes. No matter where you move around town, home is always in the same place. Its the same way with God.

We move, He doesn’t.

Like the song we sing, “God never changes”

I know in my own life I often find myself moving – sometimes closer to Him, sometimes away from Him. A lot of this depends on the circumstances. Especially during times of peace, ironically, we find ourselves moving away from Him. We so often only draw near to God when we need Him.

Note those times and how it feels when you are moving away from Him. Note how it feels to feel lost. Do you ever feel you are too distant to return home?

To return to God..?

What does it feel like when you realize you are back on the road to returning home? Focus on those thoughts of returning and how good it feels to get closer to home, closer to God and His Spirit & His presence.

Along the way there’s always going to be distractions, however, don’t get angry or upset at those distractions – rather, celebrate them, as reminders to center yourself back on your journey, your journey home to God.

Whisper the prayer, “Lord, I long to return to you.” and contemplate on this expanded reading from the New International Readers Version, a passage from the prophet Joel.

He was writing to a people lost, in the midst of chaos and destruction:

Joel 2:12 (NIRV)

“So then my beloved friend, listen carefully to the Lords announcement, hear him whisper to you, return to me now with all your heart – there is till time – do not wait, do not eat any food, do not weep & mourn – just return to me now.

Contemplate on that passage and follow His voice.

Now listen to the same passage but with a wider reading from the Christian Standard Bible.

(Joel 2:12 CSB)

Even now this is the Lord’s declaration – turn to me with all of your heart, with fasting, weeping & mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love and He relents from sending disaster. Who knows, He may even turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him so you can offer grain and wine to the Lord your God.

Consider how that passage made you feel? How you feel about God? The God described in that passage?

Now reflect again, on this this 3rd expanded reading of the English Standard Version – as a prayer of faith & contemplation on the Word of God.

(Joel 2:12 ESV)

Dear heavenly Father, yet even now as I come to you in prayer I desire even more to return to you with all of my heart – To return to you, for your promises are gracious & merciful. You promise to be slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, so by your grace grant me a reprieve from your judgment, and send me a blessing instead of a curse – I am following your voice home as I pray this now in your glorious promise keeping name,

AMEN

Reflect on the joy of slowly turning around to follow His voice home, with the desire to return to Him with all of your heart.

Sometimes in life we feel lost beyond hope or start becoming afraid that we are too far away. One interesting feature of a navigation app is it constantly recalculates the way home – even if you miss an exit or make a wrong turn.

In the same way, the location of God never changes.

His voice will always guide you home even if you make a wrong turn.

Listen to His voice. Listen to His directions…

They’ve already been calculated, no matter how lost you are. No matter far you have strayed.

Return to where you were destined to be & silently whisper your answer to your prayer –

Lord I have returned to you.

As you rest in the centering presence of God, notice those around you that you encounter on the road of life who are still lost, going in the wrong direction, and think on how God might use you to help another return home too.

Be mindful of those early moments you start to lose direction, and immediately begin to return home to God.

Hear him whisper to you, “Return to me with all your heart, there is still time..”

Do not wait..

NOTE: These are my thoughts as I go through “Heart of a Warrior” and put down into words its message and theme to help men reclaim their identity – as Kingdom men who stand firm in their faith and are willing and able to serve Christ and the greater good of this world.

It starts with the heart.

“The most critical need of the church at this moment is men, bold men, free men. The church must seek, in prayer and much humility, the coming again of men made of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made.”

-Aiden Wilson Tozer

As men, we always hope that this is going to be ‘the’ talk that changes us..

Always vague enough to include everyone, always applicable enough to make every man feel a twinge of guilt. Always a package aimed at men’s hearts to do more , do better, sin less, and achieve more..

That doesn’t work because there are serious flaws with the modern men’s church program – yet another one size fits all approach men buy into, the speaker assumes too much – how do you know these men are ready for this… for a mission? Everyone is fired up and ready to go but where?

Being fired up in the locker room isn’t the same as being well trained and oriented on the field. Its basically a bunch of talk packaged into an hour long program – and it seldom sticks.

What does make a difference? The reality of how it works is missions find YOU. Go and make disciples – that’s always been the mission, but is that too broad? In the bible men had all kinds of missions, a farmer told to build an ark, a shepherd commissioned by a burning bush to free a nation, a boy soldier who slays a giant, a fishermen summoned to leave his nets and go follow a teacher.

These men weren’t trying to create a mission, they weren’t even looking for one.

Missions find YOU.

You don’t have to find them. A kingdom man will have several missions in his lifetime they will always be bigger than their own and include his heart and the hearts of others.

When we make up our own missions, they are small enough to accomplish on our own. Yet is just the opposite with men and women of the Bible – they are caught up in them and the only means of success and even survival is to walk with God.

Or if left to our own we will manufacture a mission that is grand beyond reason and needs the help of others. Again, it is the pull to self-reliance.

If you are not on a mission then you are in danger, and the scales are still over your eyes and you are blind to what you must see and overcome.

Too many men put the cart before the horse – Jesus spent 3 years with His disciples before He deployed them & gave them their mission. Only then were they ready. Before you become a warrior, you must become a beloved son, and before you can become a beloved son – you must reclaim your heart.T

hat is the 1st Mission. The dangerous and glorious mission of getting your heart back.

Enter the battle too soon, untrained and unprepared, and you will fail.

We build our belief system, brick by brick from our stockpile of conclusions, and experiences. How to promote ourselves, how to avoid pain, etc.

All stored in a man’s heart. The heart is in constant danger of being compromised and wounded.

All the experiences of one’s history are stored in the heart. It is the seat of emotions, knowledge, wisdom, moral character, etc.

The heart knows, understands, and reflects.

It is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit within us. It is the center of every man. All our attitudes, beliefs, and conclusions shaped by our experiences – these need God’s attention!

As men, our hearts need God’s restorative work – scriptures say to guard the heart above all else. There are things growing there, wandering about that have gone unattended for far too long.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

There is a remedy to this false self-life from which we all suffer – another kind of life, another way of life.

The life of a son of God.

How to fight, how to rest, how to be loved, and in time learns how to love.

God has millions of prodigal sons – His idea is to restore what has been lost – as that begins to take place a man begins to see challenges in his inner life that must be overcome. He also begins to see who he can become and the role that is his and his alone that he must play.

The enemy of our hearts knows that we are never alone. A man can be so fooled, tricked into believing his false-self is his real self that he isn’t ever ready to fight against it.

God wants to change all that if a man is ready.

But most men aren’t.

A dead giveaway is they don’t ask questions, they don’t listen – not just to God but to anyone, they are closed off, their lines of communication deeply infiltrated by the enemy.

Most men don’t know the effect their life has on those around them – either they haven’t had the courage to ask or no one in their life has had the courage to tell them.

The mantra of men – don’t let them know you don’t know anything, or make sure they know that you know everything.

The ability to see the things within oneself that need caring for and then bring those things to God for treatment & healing – is just another training day in the Kingdom.

Overcoming self, the false self is the highest gift.

Things begin to change in my life when I began to observe my false-self and continue to change when I let my true self, core identity in Christ take over my false-self. Some things need to be unlearned, too – one of the first steps is to circle back around to what has already taken place in our story – what we learned along the way and why we became the way we are – requires a lot of attention if we are to become truly free.

Regular visits with God to explore one’s personal history are standard practice for men to shed their false self and to become true men.

Like a construction site the foundation is to be loved well. A strong base of love makes for a strong structure. For a boy being seen, wanted, invited, encouraged, provides tremendous foundational material. Having his heart handled lovingly and intentionally furnishes sound building blocks for building a man of quality.

A good father makes sure his son gets plenty of such materials.

But what if our parents had unfinished foundations of their own? Feuds, fights, instead of harmony may have been your home.

What would that foundation later produce when it was their turn to build yours?

An inspection of the materials passed down from one generation to the next can explain a lot of where we are today. Awareness of what damaged us and who is responsible doesn’t stop the damage or the pain – healing does.

In order for healing to happen, our ill constructed legacies must be seen.

This is a critical first step.

It is critical that we fight the battles of the past. When we were younger, no one showed us. When we were boys there was no one there to intervene – to step in and fight for us.

The first part of training is to recover from the past – from the losses and wounds accumulated over a man’s life journey. We don’t go back to the past to stay in it, but rather we go back as men to honor our moments of loss – to grieve them, to acknowledge it happened.

They hurt , they matter – and they need to be treated.

We go back with God for our healing.

When we do, God extends his love & compassion to our hearts. One wound at a time he addresses them.

Our enemy senses this and tempts us to live in the power and authority of our wounds.

Ask God these questions:

Who delivered the messages & materials that formed the beliefs of my heart?

What happened to me that brought on the loss of heart?

In my life journey who inflicted hurt, guilt, shame?

When? Where?

Be gracious, be patient – it takes time. It happens in installments over time.

Pray Davids prayer from Psalm 139:23-24:

“Search me, God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
 See if there is any offensive way in me,
 and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Then actively listen and write down whatever comes to mind. God wants a man to know his own story before he rewrites it.

You are needed. You must win your heart back before you can become a beloved son and warrior.

Such a man knows that first he is truly a son who is then further trained up in the art of warfare.

We must go with God to dislodge the lies the enemy has embedded in our heart, in the core of whom we are – where our true identity dwells. The enemy’s attack in our formative years is like a virus, compromising who we are and who we might become.

You cannot be the person God meant you to be and you cannot live the life He meant you to live unless you live from the heart.

This is why the enemys plan from the beginning is to assault the heart:

Make men so busy they ignore the heart.
Wound them so deeply they don’t want a heart.
Twist their theology so they despise the heart.

Doesn’t that sound like every man?

Take away their courage, destroy their creativity, make intimacy with God impossible for them.

Why? Because the enemy fears you and what you might become. He therefore wants to separate you from intimacy with God. From the very thing for which you were created.

Separate a man from the Father and that man is Lost.

Unable to receive what God has for him and unable to provide for and protect the hearts of others.

The journey is not easy. It typically takes 2 -3 years for a man to get his heart back if that man walks with God and stays the course.

The question is how earnestly do you want what you seek? How badly do you want your heart back?

It is in the healing of a man’s heart that the greatest training takes place. Reclaiming your heart is the first step in fighting for other hearts as well.

Your story is part of a larger story and you are needed..

Bushidō (武士道, “the way of the warrior” represents the ethics and moral code that samurai warriors were bound to from ancient times (~790 AD) through today where it still represents the core philosophies and way of life that Samurai warriors lived (and died) by for almost 1500 years.

I live by these tenants. I’m incorporating them into the ‘heart of a warrior’ program.

It is a supplement to my faith & it coexists very well as a practical application of how to fight & survive in this fallen world we live in.

Roughly speaking there are 8 virtues that comprise the core of modern Bushido:

• Righteousness (義, gi)

Be acutely honest throughout your dealings with all people. Believe in justice, not from other people, but from yourself. To the true warrior, all points of view are deeply considered regarding honesty, justice and integrity. Warriors make a full commitment to their decisions.

• Heroic Courage (勇, yū)

A true warrior must have heroic courage. It is absolutely risky. It is living life completely, fully and wonderfully. Heroic courage is not blind. It is intelligent and strong

• Benevolence, Compassion (仁, jin)

Through intense training and hard work the true warrior becomes quick and strong. They develop a power that must be used for good. They have compassion. They help their fellow men at every opportunity. If an opportunity does not arise, they go out of their way to find one.

• Respect (礼, rei)

True warriors have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove their strength. Warriors are not only respected for their strength in battle, but also by their dealings with others. The true strength of a warrior becomes apparent during difficult times.

• Honesty (誠, makoto)

When warriors say that they will perform an action, it is as good as done. Nothing will stop them from completing what they say they will do. They do not have to ‘give their word’. They do not have to ‘promise’. Speaking and doing are the same action.

• Honour (名誉, meiyo)

Warriors have only one judge of honor and character, and this is themselves. Decisions they make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of who they truly are. You cannot hide from yourself.

• Duty and Loyalty (忠義, chūgi)

Warriors are responsible for everything that they have done and everything that they have said and all of the consequences that follow. They are immensely loyal to all of those in their care. To everyone that they are responsible for, they remain fiercely true.

Original Heart of a Warrior post: HERE

Catching Thoughts

One valuable lesson that I’ve learned my Salvation is I that I am under no obligation to keep anyone in my life. Anyone that doesn’t love & respect me, value their time with me, or share my vision in life will not have the privilege of being a part of it.

Its great strategy because you are in complete control of who you associate with, and by raising the standards of who you allow into your life you automatically raise the standards for yourself.

Don’t let yourself get dragged down by others. You are worth so much more than that.

How many of us should start by going through our contacts with that “swipe left, delete” move…?

Every time we are around them, or we scroll through social media its like we catch something.

We get in a certain mood, and can’t figure out, “How was I so happy three minutes ago, and now…?”

Have you ever had it switch that quickly?

It starts with a thought. Before you had that feeling you had a thought.

Sometimes that thought is just you going through your feed, and you’ll see something that won’t register.
Here’s the thing – you don’t feel it right away. Its later, after you’ve stopped.

Its like eating a whole bag of Oreos – you don’t feel sick while eating them, only after you’ve stopped.

Sometimes you are mad or upset about something that you saw 10 minutes ago on your phone… because you were in everybody else’s life but your own, trying to figure out, “Am I better than them? Are they better than me?”

Like the time I was scrolling and saw so and so having a cocktail party by the pool, and I know they’re in deep debt and can barely afford their lifestyle, so I caught a thought of judgment.

“Why should they live this fantasy life when I know they can barely pay their bills”

Now I feel sick 10 minutes later because of a thought I caught while I scrolled through somebody else’s situation that has nothing to do with my responsibility.

I’ll say that part again – somebody else’s situation that has nothing to do with my responsibility.

What happened to me was I caught a thought of offense, and then I reaped an attitude of frustration.

Or maybe I got offended the other day because I saw God blessing somebody he wasn’t supposed to bless.

Did you ever watch God just do something awesome for the wrong person?

And… He didn’t consult you!

Now here’s what happens: You become a victim of your own judgment. When you judge others that way, you judge yourself that way. So, when you catch a thought of judging others, don’t be surprised when the judgment comes upon you.

You can catch a cold, but you can also catch a thought. And it’s important where it came from, because where it comes from determines where it leads to.

For most people, we don’t hear God out loud, so we connect with God not on an auditory or sensory level; but we connect with Him at the level of thought. And that’d be great if He were the only one who spoke that way.

But we have this other one. They call him the Devil.

I’m not talking about a guy in a Halloween costume that he got on clearance at Target, walking up with a pitchfork and a cape and some horns.

The devil is not like that.

I’d just put him off my shoulder if he were. But he’s not on my shoulder.

When he comes to you or me, he comes through a thought.

So, we have God speaking to us through our thoughts AND we have the enemy trying to speak against what God spoke to us through our thoughts.

We have two voices inside of us, and sometimes we’re caught between a thought.

One is telling me, “Your greatest years are ahead of you.”

The other is telling me, “It’s over. You’ve amounted to nothing in life.”

One is telling me, “Go ahead and speak it and say it and do it and step into it and believe in it.“

The other is telling me, “Well, you can’t pull this off. No one believes in you, you’re just a fraud who’s going to be embarrassed. If you climb high, they can pull you down.”

You see I got caught by a thought.

All the time I have this thought that goes through my mind that says, “It doesn’t matter.” I could be doing anything, and it will be like… “Who cares? It doesn’t matter. You don’t matter“

Have you ever had that thought catch you while trying to do something?

“You’re not enough.”

I’ll bet you’ve probably felt that way more often than you’d like.

I even have a t-shirt that says, “You are Enough”

Because its true. Don’t ever forget that.

You matter. You are enough.

I think a lot of this is going around so much more now than it used to because now we don’t judge ourselves or measure ourselves according to the calling God has given us; we compare ourselves to a fictionalized account of somebody else’s life, their highlight reel on social media.

That’s where you always get into trouble.

And I’ve seen this happen too in my group – You always get in trouble when you start comparing your calling to somebody else’s.

When you compare callings, you catch insecurity.

When you compare callings, you catch insufficiency.

When you think, “I’m not enough…”

How many times have I sent away something God put in my life because I caught a thought – that I’m not enough?

Even sometimes when things are going great, you have this thought.

“It won’t last.”

“They’ll leave you too.”

“You can’t count on them.”

Then you sabotage the gift because you’re not secure in it, because even while it’s happening you don’t believe it’s real.

You know the verse:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (PHIL 4:4 NIV)

“Rejoice in the Lord always.” Then Paul says, “I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Well, you can say it as many times as you want to, Paul. But I’m sad & depressed right now, and I can’t find my way out.

So we end up in those situations. Fighting on the level of our feelings, but before it became a feeling…

It was a thought.

Even Paul had to fight against opposing voices that undermined the grace of God in the gospel, even in the churches he started, like the church at Corinth.

He would write to that church, telling them that they were being led astray. The word he likes to use is ‘deceived’. He says, “I fear that you’re being deceived by the power of suggestion.” He uses the example… He says, “Like Eve was deceived by the Serpent.”

Do you remember that story?

When God said, “You can eat any of this,” and then she caught a thought from a snake. She allowed something that was beneath her to speak to her.

She caught a thought.

The Serpent said to Eve, “Did God really say that…?”

He introduces a doubt into the possibility and potential of faith, causing her to focus on what is not available, rather than what is.

Paul says, “I’m afraid that you will be deceived.” There are these spies in the church at Corinth, and they’re leading the Christians astray.

How are they doing it? By the power of thought.

They are introducing the thought into the church that you need something other than Christ to justify your life. That same thing goes on today.

What happens is the Enemy deceives you. He can’t take what God gave you… The devil has no power to take away anything that God gave you.

Make sure you know that.

So he can’t take what God gave you, but if he can get you to catch a thought that opposes it, he can keep you so weak, so doubting you will not walk into it.

Or he’ll use his favorite tactic nowadays – distraction. If he can keep you so distracted that you never hear God’s calling, then those seeds God planted in you will never grow, never produce fruit. Think the parable of the Sower, in Matthew 13.

The spiritual battleground is your mind. And the front line is your thoughts.

I wrote this in my notes back in January. Its very relevant here:

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Jan 23 2022

Most of life‘s battles are either won or lost in the mind.

You cannot have a positive life if you have a negative mind. Why? Because your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts.

Victory isn’t what’s happening around you it’s what’s happening in your mind. It doesn’t matter about your situation around you, it doesn’t matter about your past, your family matters, your genetics, what’s been done to you, what’s been spoken to you, what you’ve done, what you haven’t done.

Victory is about the state of your mind and the enemy knows this so his main focus in your life is to attack your thoughts.

And if he can win the battle of your mind he can win the battle of your life.

You don’t need this situation to improve – you don’t need circumstances to change – you can step in to victory tonight by changing the way you think right now.

Pay attention to your thoughts!