Random Points for Radical Change

Here are some thoughts that I can't shake that could change the world:

1.  Have every conversation that you've been putting off because of fear, loathing, or procrastination.

2.  When we are full of the Holy Spirit, transformation spontaneously happens around us.  Ask for a refill right now.

3.  Stand firm against all that is against Jesus Christ.  He will show Himself mighty.

4.  Love=Mercy+Truth - Make sure you use the right amount of both in any given situation.

5.  Never even hint at a compromise with Satan.  He is a liar and the father of all liars.

6.  "Love is the currency of heaven forever." - Luke Wood

7.  We exist to please God. Political correctness be silenced!

8.  God created sex.  Satan perverted sex.  Man likes Satan's perversions.  The man of the Spirit loves God's will.  Choose purity.  Wrestle sexual immorality to the ground.  Pin its shoulders. Stick a stake through its heart.  Let it die.

9.  Jesus owns us when we enter into relationship with Him by faith.  We are dead to rights and alive to His will.

10.  My money, stuff, and relationships are His.  I simply care for them until He returns. 

To Crave That Which Is Light

Matthew 17:2 - "And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light."

John 8:12 - Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, " I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

1 John 1:5 - "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."

Revelation 22:5 - And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

In recent months I have craved light.  This is not because of some fear of darkness.  It is an inner longing, a reaching out for something, Someone. 

God is light.  Jesus is the Light of the world.  We who are in Christ are sons and daughters of Light.  One day we will be in heaven where neither sun nor lamp are needed "because the Lord God will illumine them {us}." This longing for light is a longing for Jesus Himself.

I crave, desire, need, hunger and yearn for Jesus.  These strong words cannot even describe the deep, inner pining that resides within me for Him.  It has produced in me a deep aversion of that which is of the darkness.  The darkness leaves me cold, fearful, disconnected, and unsatisfied.  It makes me want to scream. However, the Light...wow...I am overcome. The Light is Life. 

Sit for just a moment and bask in the light of Him. I will stop writing now so I can do the same.............

Faith of our Fathers: Continuity of Remembrance

^{Exodus 3:14}God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" ¹⁵God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you ' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.

I started into Exodus this morning and these verses stuck out to me.  God gives Moses His names to tell the people when they ask who sent him.  The first...I AM.  Another way to say that is "I will be who I will be." He is the God who IS.  There is no other.

Second is His memorial name or name of remembrance...The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. It is a name of remembrance "to all generations."

We, through Christ, have become descendants of Abraham and enter into the promises that were given to him and the people of Israel.  My great grandpa Joseph started a spiritual lineage that continues to this day spanning five generations. In Christ by faith, he connected the Cartwright family into the generational narrative of the story of God's dealings with men.

Think on your heritage.  Maybe the generations that went before were not Christ followers.  Could it be that God has chosen you to establish a godly lineage that connects your future descendants into God's story by faith in Christ?

Faith of our Fathers

Yesterday I finished reading the book of Genesis.  I was struck by God's renewing of His covenant with Abraham to multiply his descendants and bless the world through Him.  God reminded Isaac, then he reminded Jacob.  

I prayed a strangely audacious prayer after finishing that reading.  It went something like this:

"God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  I come to you in the name of Jesus.  You are the God of my fathers as well: Joseph (great grandpa), Jesse (grandpa), and Bobby Joe (pop).  The promises that you gave to them that have yet to be realized I reach out in faith and take ahold of.  By faith I enter into and contend for the blessings still left on the table that my fathers didn't receive in their lifetimes. I receive them with thanksgiving in Jesus' name."

After praying this I sensed that God was moved and release came.  "You have not, because you ask not."  I have asked and will continue asking until I see them come to pass.

What about you?  Are there some generational blessings yet to be fulfilled in your life and family?  Simply reach out and grab ahold of them.  God is a giver and is faithful to do that which He has promised.

Concerned For Men

Wounded men are starting to emerge from the protective shells they've built around themselves.  Their well-constructed false selves are starting to crack because the pressure from their wounds is too great.  I am concerned.

While concerned, I am also hopeful.  Many are beginning the healing journey.  It is painful. However, it is necessary for real, healthy men to emerge. I am encouraged at seeing the progress of men I have counselled, prayed for, and held in the saddle to fight alongside them for their healing.

Men, stay connected in vital fellowship. We are learning to fight for one another.  Satan is pulling out every weapon.  The women and children in our lives are blessed when we become masculine in Christ. Stay committed to your own journey and give away what you receive.