Use the bellows

Breathe fresh life to the flame.

If you remember from the last couple of posts, there are three things fire needs to burn.  Fuel, oxygen and a heat source.   Do you know what a bellows is?  It is a tool that is used to blow on a fire.  It allows fresh air to be pumped to the flames, allowing them to burn brighter and hotter for either heating metal or to allow fuel you just added to catch quickly. Some people will bend down and use their mouth to blow on a fire to get it going, but folks with a beard (like me) might singe a few hairs and opt for using the bellows.  

So what does this have to do with furthering Gods' Kingdom?  Just like a physical fire needs new air to allow it to burn brighter and hotter, our spiritual lives need the same.  This new air or new life can come from inside sources and we have touched on that a little last time.  But what are some outside influences that strengthen your love for God?

I personally feel recharged looking at His creations in nature.  Seeing all that He has made and shows to us.  Mountains, rivers, forests and wildlife are all here for our enjoyment.  All of them declare that He is God.  He made all of it for us to look at and to reflect on Him.  I love to ponder His ways while sitting still hunting or on a mountain trail with the family.  

Looking up at the stars on a clear night and seeing all that He has done in the heavens shows a portion of what God is capable of doing.  Yes, doing that can make you feel lonely, but try this next time.  While you are looking up think about how no one else on earth has the same vision of what you are seeing.  Even if you have someone right beside you, they are not seeing the same thing at the same time as you.  Only you and God have the same perspective and that is really cool worship experience.  

Worship service is a good one.  Letting the music and vocals flow over you and reaching into your soul to bolster you up and breathe life back into you.  Hands raised or not, being around others doing the same thing, worshiping God with an open heart strengthens us and encourages us to go on.  

Even while having coffee with a friend a word of encouragement can also have a wonderful effect on your personal outlook.  See what it says in 1 Samuel 23:16, "And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God".  A wonderful example of iron sharpening iron.   In Acts 23, Barnabas encourages the church at Antioch.  23:16, "And when he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all of their hearts."  Never underestimate a kind word.  

These breaths of fresh air can allow us to burn brighter and hotter for God.  Helping us to become a lamp for others.  As such we cannot hide our light.  We need to let it shine, so we can help people.  Matthew 5:15 says, "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house."  Do you see how that works?  We take encouragement from other people and outside influences and we give encouragement to the ones around us.  

Getting and giving encouragement not only feels good, but it gives blessings to the ones that we receive it from and whom we give it to.  Fanning the flame in us so we can go out and fan the flame in others.  Be the bellows, the encouragement that allow others need to go out and live a life for God.  

Burn bright so we can help others burn bright.

Coax the Flame

For when the spark does not fade...

There are three things needed for a fire to burn.  A heat source, fuel, and oxygen.  

Building a fire is sometimes an exercise in patience.  Once you have the spark on the tinder, it takes just a breath to bring it to life or to extinguish it.  That is a metaphor for life right there.       

Sharing the gospel is kinda like building a fire.  There must be a source of heat from somewhere.  That can be a spark from hitting two rocks together, striking a match, the sun and a magnifying glass, or another fire.  With the gospel, that source of spark is you.  It is me.  It comes from inside you.  It comes from the Holy Spirit that cries out to be shared and it will not be denied.  Jesus said in Luke 19:40, "I tell you", Jesus said, "if they keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out".  

Next, you have to have the fuel.  We have to want to be used as a light for this world.  There are multiple ways to do this.  You can share with one person at a time.  Maybe you can spread the Word by throwing out Facebook posts.  That is great.  Someone is going to read them.  Perhaps you have a captive audience at work where you get to share the gospel at lunch.  I have the ones that read this.  No matter who your audience is, if we do not open our mouths the Word will not be spread and someone will miss out on blessings.    

Last of the three is oxygen.  This allows the fire to keep going.  If there is no air, the fire goes out.  This is when you share the gospel with people and they listen.  They hear you and they want to know more.  That is an amazing feeling.  It makes you want to go and reach more people.  You are literally on fire for Jesus.  But the opposite happens also.  People do not want to hear what you are saying and sometimes outright reject the message.  That can take the air out of you very fast.  

So what are some of the struggles when sharing the gospel with others?  It may be that the fuel is damp and does not catch right away.  In those times gentle patience is required when no sign of catching is visible, so as to not put out the spark.  

Sometimes it is like a dry leaf that ignites very quickly, but then dies out just as fast.

What is needed though is where our fire catches quickly but burns slowly.  Which is easy to say, hard to find, and harder to do.  And more often than not we meet people who have willful ignorance of Christ and no desire to change their lives.  We can also meet people who accept Christ, change their lives and join everything the church has to offer.  Then like a dry leaf they burn out just as quickly and leave.  

Once in a great while though, there will be a few who start off slow, burn hot and long, and ignite others along the way.  These are the ones that this world needs.  Which type are you?
I want to be the one that starts slow and ignites others.  But I have difficulties as well.    

My difficulties with talking to people is literally talking to people.  I have difficulty with going deeper than surface level and opening up to have meaningful conversations.  I love the Lord and I want to be able to have the ability to create lasting relationships with the ones that I share Him with.  Even in these posts, I can tell when I re-read them that I could go so much deeper than what is there.  Talking about personal experiences, struggles and how God has helped me/us overcome them will help not only me, but also someone who might be going through some of the same things.

That being said, I am going to try and get out of my comfort zone.  I want to share deeper messages with you and communicate what God has placed on my heart better.  Let's get to work.  

Strike a spark
Coax the flame

Hard to believe that building a fire can help further God's Kingdom.  

Strike a spark

What gets you excited?  Sports, a beach, solving a problem, hunting season?  No matter what it is, you did not always have the desire and longing to go and do.  Someone had to show you what it was or what it could be.  Someone had to strike a spark of adventure with whatever it is.  They took you fishing, or to a baseball game.  They took you camping or to the hardware store or wherever. 

That little spark that went off inside of you gave you a longing to go back and do it again and again.

What is one thing that you learned to do and were really excited about in the moment or season and then stopped?  The spark faded and died due to either time or money constraints.  Or the lack of someone to go with you.   

We are told in Proverbs 27:17 that "As iron sharpens iron, so one brother sharpens another".  Have you ever hit two pieces of iron together?  You get sparks.  And "where two or more are gathered in My name, there I will be also" Matthew 18:20.  Sparks flying everywhere in the name of Jesus is what we should be aiming for. 

We have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone and start talking to people.  That is how we grow as men of God.  We do not start to have a passion for things we have not tried.  The first mission trip that I have ever been on was a few years ago when my wife and I went to Peru with our church.  That was the spark that led me to be here. 

Yes, it can be difficult.  But you don't get sparks without friction.  And that friction helps us grow.  Growing is never easy, but it is good. 

Go strike a spark.         

Like a child

Child in Your arms- Ryan Stevenson

Listen to the link above, then read on. 

Mark 9:36-37 says, "He took a little child whom He placed among them.  Taking the child in his arms, He said to them, 'Whosoever welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me'."

This is a story that we all know.  And as we read through the gospels, Jesus talks multiple times about needing to have faith like a child and taking care of children.  But it is the child in the verses above that I would like to touch on. 

We do not know where the child came from.  We do not know their name or what nationality they  were.  We can guess that they were part of the crowd that was always following Jesus, but that is not stated.  It is also not known if they knew Jesus.  But the trust that this child shows is astonishing. 

Just think about being small, called into a group of grown men, to then not only be talked to, but you are picked up and held in the arms of a stranger.  That would be scary.  I am now feeling self-conscience just thinking about that.  But the Word does not say that the child ran away in fear, or did not come when called because of distrust. 

I believe that this child came in perfect trust and possibly even longed for the comfort and closeness of being personally held by the Savior.  I long for that also. 

Jesus also states in the next chapter of Mark that, "whosoever does not accept the kingdom of heaven like a child will never enter it."  Do you remember accepting something with perfect trust and certainty just because someone told you something?  That is what Jesus is saying here.  We have to be comfortable trusting Him completely. 

We have to be a child in His arms. 

Priorities

Priorities are where we put our time.  The things that we want or "have" to do throughout the day.  These could include any number of things to do, people that we associate with or places we go.  When you think about it, you could find that you have so many things that you have to get done in a day that you do not have enough time.  List the ones that matter the most and do those first.  You could also find that you have very few and they are easy to remember and get done.  It is all personal to you. 

Most of the time you will find that you have things to do inside those priorities.  Little points that help you do what you need to do.  Cleaning the house could include, doing the dishes, laundry, sweep, etc. 

But what about having manliness God's way?  Becoming a man of God needs to be the #1 priority of not only today's men, but also our sons that we are raising.  But once you make this your top thing to do, satan will hit you with everything.  Tempting you to change your mind.  Putting up roadblocks to try and sidetrack you.  This priority is a choice and must not be taken lightly.  But it is necessary for our future.  To change things and turn the world on its' ear. 

I absolutely love Jeff Voth.  He is the founder of Cavetime.org and a pastor in Oklahoma.  He has written 'Cavetime' and 'The Sling'.  (I encourage you to visit  Cavetime)  In 'The Sling' he lists out five stones that every man needs to do to become closer to God.  These priorities are in addition to just attending church. 

They are:
Show Up- Show up everyday, taking time with God
Worship- A few minutes of uplifting music out loud or in your mind.
Prayer- Not just praying, but also listening for the response from God
Word- Diligently reading and researching the Word of God
Community- Iron sharpens Iron

Doing these will not only bring you closer to God, but will change your attitude to the world around you.  Your children seeing you do these will instill in them the need to, and probably spark some good conversations about it. 

My priorities are God, family, work, self.

What are yours?

Jesus is a mountain man

How many times did Jesus go to the mountains to pray?  The gospels say different numbers and I believe that not every time He went to the mountains is recorded.  But have you ever wondered why Jesus went?  

I believe that He went for the solitude He found there.  The physical struggle ending in the peace and beauty of what God had created.  Talking to God, pouring out His heart about the struggles He had faced and the ones yet to come.  Sometimes He brought His disciples with him.  Can you imagine what they were thinking as Christ took them on a journey up into those rocky places and the amazing feeling of being taught by Him in that solitude?  That would be wonderful.  

Just as Jesus sought solitude upon the hills, David sought it in the cave.  But sometimes we do not have a cave or a mountain to climb.  Sometimes we have a stream to sit beside or an open field.  Sometimes we have a car ride into work or a desk or armchair before everyone else is awake.  Those can be our places of solitude.  And in those peaceful moments we can hear God speak to us, just as He has with Jesus.  It is not easy to wake up before everyone and get in some personal quiet time with Him.  And more than likely it will not happen every single day.  But the quiet place, where you can find solitude is where God will meet you.  When you find it, you will know.  

Have you climbed your mountain today? Have you met God where you are?  It is not too late.  

  

Y'all get thirsty?

Imagine a ground so dry that it is cracking.  A dry lake or river bed that looks to be falling apart.  That is longing for rain.  That blessed resource that will heal the ground and make it whole again.  

Have you ever been thirsty?  I mean really thirsty?  Parched tongue, scratchy throat, hoarse voice thirsty.  It is not fun.  Going on a journey, can make you thirsty.  

Water is essential to living and your body knows when you need it.  Dehydration is a very slow, painful way to die.  Why would you do that to yourself?  

Your soul needs water also.  Spiritual water is more important than physical water.  Not only does spiritual water feel amazing to have, it will also quench the fires of hell inside of you.  You can tell when you do not have it.  You can tell when others don't have it.  The longing for something missing, trying to fill it with whatever is available but unable to do it on your own.

Jesus states:  "But whoever drinks of the living water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into eternal life"  (John 4:14 KJV)  What a wonderful thing to partake of.  And not just for yourself, but to share.  We cannot afford to be stingy with the gift of eternal life that we have been given.  We need to share it with others.  

Look at your neighbor, your co-worker, your friend or your family member.  Are they thirsty?  Can you share the good news of the gospel with them?  It is a hard thing to do, but think of the outcome.