Reform Fatigue

Jeremiah 1:4 - 10 (NKJV)...
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

The Call to Reform & Being a Reformer

If you are to be in cutting edge ministry as was Jeremiah, with the call to ministry comes the call to be a reformer. The obvious requisite to being a reformer is to have gone through the process of reformation yourself and occupy the place of being reformed.

It is of utmost importance that as a reformer you know the scope and extent of your sphere of responsibility to ensure that you are not easily shaken when difficulty presents itself. When you are faced with the calling of God upon your life (to reform and be a reformer), you can expect to be immediately confronted with your limitations and inadequacies (vs. 6). God's consistent response to our limitations and inadequacies is absolute obedience to Him (vs. 7). We access God's power and ability (the anointing) in our obedience to Him.

In verse 8 God says to Jeremiah, "Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you." Hidden in this admonition to resist fear is a promise of opposition. While there is a hidden promise of opposition, notice the visible and open promise of God's presence and deliverance. God provides the tools you need to accomplish His will (vs. 9).

Jeremiah 1:10 (NKJV)...
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.

Not only did God call Jeremiah to be a prophet, but he called him to be a reformer. Notice the order...before Jeremiah could get to the point of building and planting he had to first root out, pull down, destroy and throw down (a 4:2 ratio). You cannot build on a faulty foundation...the old must first be destroyed before you can build and plant. It is spiritually illegal to destroy without having the wherewithal and sustenance to rebuild anew...and this is the seat of reformation.


Reformers Opposition

Jeremiah 20:1 - 2 (NKJV)...
1 Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.

Pashhur the priest, the chief officer in the house of the Lord, had Jeremiah beaten and imprisoned. Observe that Jeremiah's opposition comes from a fellow believer who would not accept the prophetic message of reform which Jeremiah proclaimed. The uncomfortable message of reform will not be met with immediate acceptance, but rather with opposition and controversy.

Opposition often causes us to wonder if we are operating accurately under the direction of the Lord and this is a dilemma. There is a tendency to desire migration towards that which is popular and engaged by the majority. This fixation to be enthralled with that which is popular can often be a fatal mistake. Be careful and very cautious about crowd mentality.

1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)...
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

The biblical record of holy writ is provided for us to be an example and an admonition so we have a clear understanding of the configuration of God. The stories in the Word of God give us understanding on how God works and how we should and should not respond to God and our situations / circumstances. That being said...

On What Side Do We Really Stand...? It begs the question...given our fixation with the crowd and the majority, on what side would we have found ourselves had we been in these situations accounted in the canonical record...

• Noah and the Great Flood
• Sodom and Gomorrah
• Moses and the Israelites at the Red Sea
• Moses and the Israelites at the base of Mt. Sinai
• The Crucifixion of Jesus

Jeremiah 20:7 - 8 (NKJV)...
7 O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily.

Here we find Jeremiah, in the big middle of operating in his call as a reformer, distraught and complaining about the outcome of his opposition. This is the classic example of "Reform Fatigue". This is the place where you become tired of being the reformer (read: the "odd ball" out) and you just want out...whatever out means or represents. Have you ever been there...?

Jeremiah 20:9 (NKJV)...
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.

Within the heart of a true reformer is the resolve to continue in the call regardless of the stance of the majority or heat of the opposition. To the reformer the message of reform is like a burning fire shut up in his bones. Without technical controls, fire cannot be contained...it will spread beyond its containment.

Jeremiah 20:10 - 11 (NKJV)...
10 For I heard many mocking: “Fear on every side!” “Report,” they say, “and we will report it!” All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, “Perhaps he can be induced; then we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.

Jeremiah recognized, as we all must, that regardless to the opposition waged against the reformer, the might and power of the awesome God is ever present to deliver and avenge (as he was promised at his calling).


The Reformer's Addiction

1 Corinthians 16:13 - 16 (NKJV)...
13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
14 Let all that you do be done with love.
15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the
saints—
16 That you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.

Within the heart of a true reformer lies an addiction to the message of reform and the ministry of the saints. Let's look at the anatomy of an addiction...

• You can't help it...You find yourself doing whatever it takes to get to what you're addicted to.
• Nothing deters you from your addiction.
• You seek out others who are addicted like you and you attempt to recruit others to the addiction.

Paul's direction to the Church at Corinth was to submit themselves to the addiction of the ministry of the saints as did those in the house of Stephanas. The cure for reform fatigue is to find someone who is addicted to the message and ministry of reform and to become addicted like them.

THE CURE FOR REFORM FATIGUE IS THE REFORMER'S ADDICTION...!

Efficiently and Effectively Finding Your Frequency

There are not many things that can be more frustrating than listening to a radio station that is off frequency. The static, the background noise, the inconsistency of sound and the inability to accurately discern what you're hearing drives you to readjust the station to either better capture the station you're listening to or just find another station altogether. This is a concept that is easy to understand as we have been in that place before. Even with the proliferation of CDs, mp3s, iPods and the like we can embrace this concept either by recognition of radio listening or cell phone usage…being out of frequency is a frustration and an irritation not to be tolerated.

What I find to be strange, yet real, is that while we can embrace the need to shift frequency and find a better signal in our usage of technology we struggle with this reality when the frequency is off in the operation of our lives. We will continue to tolerate the static, background noise, inconsistency of sound and inability to rightly discern rather than making the shift to truly find our frequency. What are we afraid of…? This stagnation causes us to continuously spin our wheels and chase our tails living lives that have been dictated to us by the proverbial "others". The strength of resolve comes in finding, setting and living in your own frequency that has been specifically carved out for you. Here's a special news flash for us all…WHAT WORKS FOR YOU MAY NOT WORK FOR ME AND WHAT WORKS FOR ME MAY NOT WORK FOR YOU…! Since God created us as individuals He specifically put a plan in place to deal with us as individuals. God being Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, He is more than capable and able to achieve this objective.

We can easily identify when we're off frequency once we acknowledge our inability to rightly discern where we are or where we are going. Before we know it we can end up flowing along operating by the dictates of someone else's ideals to the loss and ultimate demise of our own. I am not purporting an independent standoffish demeanor and attitude, but I am espousing the strength that lies in interdependence where we know well who we are and live in the frequency that God has designed specifically for us to excel.

I cannot nor can anyone identify your frequency for you and vice versa. This is a quest that we each must go on and be secure in knowing when we have found the correct frequency and the courage to recognize and acknowledge when that frequency has grown weak and shift frequencies and find a better signal.

In recent days I have come to an intimate realization of this phenomenon. You can get there before you know it. I found myself in a place where I knew things were not working for me, but I remained there in an effort to keep other people content. And the saddest part of this reality is that I didn't even realize it. Even after I recognized it, my refusal to acknowledge it further delayed my progress. The only way I could shift was to make some radical changes in direction and focus. Many people that I love and respect could not, and some still do not, understand my feverishly audacious maneuvers to which my only response is…"so be it". What seemed spontaneous to them took me many long hours in prayer, contemplation, study and strategy. It hurt me to hurt them, but it was necessary for me to be in the center of God's will, which is the ONLY place of safety. I am still tweaking the frequency for the right signal, but I am closer than I have been in quite a while. And you know what…it feels great…!

So to those who have taken the time to read this blog I challenge you (I can't help it…I'm a preacher) to find YOUR frequency. Be who God designed YOU to be and live there happily and without fear.

Well, I sort of went off on a tangent on this blog. It was my intention to deal with the difference between being efficient and effective in finding your frequency and the necessity of both, but I'm swiftly running out of steam plus I don't want this to be too long. So, perhaps I'll do that another time.

Just Consider…

Consider the following passage of scripture in light of the discussion in this blog about finding your frequency:

Hebrews 6:1 - 6 (NKJV) …

1. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
2. Of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3. And this we will do if God permits.
4. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5. And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6. If they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

My Friend Jimmy

For those who have occasion to read my blog I want to invite you to view a website of a good friend of mine. The site is owned by Jimmy Hayes, a native of St. Louis, MO. Along with information about himself, his site conveys an experience he encountered with his former employer, J.B. Hunt. Jimmy's story is unfortunately another saga of racially based bias and discrimination. He is still looking for his day in court as he has been unable to find an attorney to take his case. I am sharing this in hopes there will be someone who will read this and be willing and able to support this effort.

Here is the link to Jimmy's site… http://web.mac.com/jimmyjamm

That Which Quells Essential Power In The Body Of Christ

What is one of the greatest reasons why we lack essential power in "the church"…? Façades…!

We have heard it said time and time again, the greatest actors are not found on the silver screen in Hollywood or on the stage on (or off) Broadway. You will find the greatest actors you'll ever meet in your life gathering Sunday after Sunday in churches around the globe. Why do we find it necessary to keep up facades with one another…? We try to convince one another that we have everything all together not recognizing that it is the strength of recognizing weakness that we find the strength of the Lord…? Who do we really think we're fooling, other than ourselves…? The only ones really tricked in these occasions are ourselves.

James 5:16 (NKJV) …
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

We use this scripture often to emphasize the latter part of it about "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man". And this makes for great emphasis on the power of prayer in the life of the believer. While I do not disagree with emphasizing that reality, I believe we do it to the neglect of the greater reality that resides in the foundation from which that power is built. Here's what I mean… While we can greatly preach on the effectiveness of prayer; get many "amens" and shouts of approval concerning the fervency of prayer; tout with great conviction the importance of personal righteousness; and "hoop" in succession of how all this culminates into availing much for the praying believer, all from the latter part of this verse…we tend to be particularly silent and often painfully mute concerning the first portion of the passage with the admonition to "confess your trespasses to one another". Isn't it strange, yet real, how we so easily bypass the "confession" to get to the "effective", when it is indeed the "confession" that forms the "effective". Our hesitancy towards this part of the passage is largely due to our outright fear of the whole idea of "confession". I really like the way this passage reads in the Amplified Bible…

James 5:16 (AMP) …
16 Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

It begs the question…if we are not confessing our trespasses, how do we know what to pray for and how can we be healed and restored…? This is why much of the body of Christ is bound…paralyzed in façades. We cannot expect or anticipate effective, fervent prayer availing much because without "confession" we won't be righteous. After all, what is righteousness, if not right-standing with God…? How can we indeed be in right-standing with God if we live in and exude façades…? David said of God that He desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6) and I add that truth in the inward parts will ultimately spill outward.

I have personally gotten to the point that I am frustrated with the lack of truth exhibited in the lives of those we call "Christians". Deliver me from the falsehood and "poker face" we practice in the church. I have recognized this trait in me and it sickens me to think I have perpetrated a fraud, particularly when there was nothing to gain and much to lose.

fa.çade n [F façade, fr. It facciata, fr. faccia face, fr. (assumed) VL facia] (ca. 1681) 1: the front of a building; also: any face of a building given special architectural treatment 2: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect

Let me sound the alarm for all to hear…FAÇADES ARE NOT REAL…! Per Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, a façade is a false, superficial or artificial appearance or effect. In a word, it is a lie. It is a lie that we choose to believe and we orchestrate for others to believe about us. This is not the manner of true citizens of the Kingdom of God.

For those of us who walk in current expressions of the Kingdom of God and live in the present truth of Apostolic Reformation, if we still afford ourselves the perceived luxury of maintaining our own personal façade we have not advanced the way we think we have and we are as religious as we espouse others to be. It's the religion of "me" and not the relationship of God.

How do we worship effectively with a façade when the word of God says that "the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him" (St. John 4:23)…?

The sad reality is that we are afraid of confession because the church has not created an environment conducive to confession. We are at the mercy of the "gossip mongers" and their salacious and intently interested listeners. And such we some of us...! Real, true, honest confession becomes a laborious process in the presence of our fellow believers who many are sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the first opportunity to crucify the one who dares follow the Word of God and engage in the practice of open confession. Oh, you know how it's done…we hold a "bull session"…you know what that is don't you…? It's a luscious gossip session, during which we dissect and re-dissect the incident with relish. Let's grow up saints and follow the Word of God. This spirit must be broken. We side with Satan as the accuser of the brethren when we take this course of action. I recall that Michael the archangel dared not bring a reviling accusation against the devil (Jude 1:9); yet we take "pop shots" at each other all the time without a second thought. Help us, Lord…! Can we honestly say like David, "I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress" (Psalm 17:3)…?

In this last hour, the body of believers needs all the power it can muster and we cannot afford to let anything slip. We must pray like David; "Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip" (Psalm 17:5). I challenge believers everywhere to exercise the Word of God and confess your trespasses to one another so we may all know how to pray and see true healing and restoration come to the body of Christ. It is then, and only then, that we will realize the true effective, fervent prayer of the righteous availing much.

Quote by Elbert Hubbard

"Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal."

-- Elbert Hubbard

The Bondage Called "Me"

Judges 16:15-21 • 2 Corinthians 3:17 • Galatians 5:1

Our Current Freedom From Bondage

We can now successfully and rightfully boast in the Lord of our freedom from many different forms of bondage…

• Sin
• Drugs
• Sex
• People
• Religiosity

Liberty vs. Bondage

• Synonymous with the Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of Liberty.
• Bondage, of any kind, cannot co-exist with the Spirit of God.
• Once you have embraced the liberty available in Christ Jesus through His Spirit, you are to be mindful to not allow yourself to be entangled again under the yoke of any bondage.
• There is no acceptable bondage…!
• While we have made great strides in dealing with our external bondages, we have yet to deal with our internal bondage.

The Bondage Called "Me"

St. Matthew 16:24

The bondage yet to be dealt with is… The Bondage Called "Me"…!

• Personal & cherished fears
• My own personal mindset
• My delusions of grandeur
• My personal lover called "hurt"
• My ever increasing need for attention
• My exaggerated opinion of my own spirituality

The problem with retaining our internal bondage is that it leads us back into our external bondages. 2 Peter 2:20

Samson

• Samson, a child of destiny, was destined to deliver Israel out the hand of the Philistines.
• Samson's life & lifestyle had a way of not matching his destiny.
• Samson's greatest enemy was not the Philistines, but that he was bound to himself.
• Originally God used Samson's "pledge to himself" for His purposes, but just because God used Samson's flesh does not mean that God validated his flesh.
• Samson's allegiance was so pledged to himself that he led himself to his own destruction.
• The Bondage Called "Me" will have you looking right at the path of your undoing and keep walking the same path.
• After Delilah made it clear she meant him no good, Samson continued to trust her.
  • …bind me with seven green that were never dried…
  • …bind me fast with new ropes that were never occupied…
  • …weave the seven locks of my head with the web…
  • …No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man…
• "Bind me…"
• Notice how he got closer to his undoing with each disclosure.
• We give the enemy too much information.
• Samson liked playing too many games.
• Many of us are playing games with our safety.

Judges 16:27-30

• The reality of Samson's destiny was not realized until he was willing to die.
• Samson finally came to the end of himself.
• There is a death to self that is necessary to release the Bondage Called "Me".

Destiny - A Place Called Destination

Destiny – we talk a lot and hear a lot about destiny these days. Our destiny discussions are often exciting & personally fulfilling to us. What we often fail to consider in our destiny discussions is the relationship that exists between destiny and destination. Destiny is a series of destinations ultimately arriving to a final promised destination. Our problem is because of the difficulty of the process we often abort important destinations.

Genesis 37:1-11

• Joseph presents as a prime example of destiny from a series of unforeseen destinations…
  vss. 3-4 – Unfortunately, being called & chosen will always place you as an object of jealousy & hatred.
• vs. 5 – Many times difficulties befall us simply because we talk too much…!
• vss. 6-11 – Observe, Joseph dreamed of his preferment, but he did not dream of his imprisonment.

Joseph's brothers conspired to kill him, but Reuben thought better of that plan & decided to cat him into a pit, delivered him out of their hands so he could be returned to his father. They stripped him of his coat & threw him in the pit. After having their lunch they saw of company of Ishmeelites coming & decided to sell him into slavery, selling him for 30 pieces of silver. The brothers killed a kid goat & dipped Joseph's coat in the blood to perpetrate his brutal death to his father Jacob, who mourned heavily for the loss of his son. Don't be too surprised & alarmed by the treachery of jealousy.

Genesis 39:1-5

Even in the midst of his predicament the Lord was with Joseph & Potiphar noticed the anointing on Joseph. The Lord blessed Potiphar's house for Joseph's sake…many times people are blessed because of you & they don't even realize it. Being the overseer of Potiphar's house was not Joseph's destiny, just one destination on the road to destiny. On the road to destiny there will always be intermediate places of blessings in between the many & varied struggles…DON'T CONFUSE AN INTERMEDIATE PLACE OF BLESSING AS YOUR DESTINY …&… DON'T SETTLE FOR AN INTERMEDIATE PLACE OF BLESSING IN LIEU OF YOUR DESTINY…HOLD OUT FOR THE TRUE PROMISE…!

You can always tell an intermediate place of blessing because it will be short lived. Potiphar's wife gets designs on Joseph…she sees different talent in Joseph than did Potiphar. Potiphar's wife invites Joseph to a "bedroom blessing" to which he denies as he did not want to betray the trust of his master Potiphar nor did want to do that sort of wickedness and sin against God. She put the pressure on daily for a real good "flesh festival", until finally she couldn't take it anymore & took matters into her own hands and snatched the man's clothes off. Dude broke camp & ran out the house.

Potiphar's wife then lies on Joseph & says that the he was trying to have her, of course angering Potiphar. The now angry Potiphar throws Joseph in prison. Joseph now in prison & even in prison the Lord was with Joseph as he was put over all the prisoners and all that he did there the Lord made it prosper.

In prison Joseph's anointing as an interpreter of dreams arises and becomes evident as he interprets the dreams of the butler & the baker of the king of Egypt that was thrown into prison in the same ward where Joseph was. The butler promised to remember Joseph once he was restored, but he didn't. After 2 full years Pharaoh has a dream & looks for an interpretation. The butler finally remembers Joseph as an interpreter of dreams.

Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream & the grateful Pharaoh sets Joseph over all the land of Egypt (a rank & position far higher than that of Potiphar). (Joseph was 30 years old when Pharaoh promoted him.)

The pit, the Potiphar and the prison is the passage to the palace…! Genesis 45:3-8

Joseph arrives at his Divinely appointed destiny in the palace…"the place of destination"…but only after experiencing the pit, the Potiphar & the prison. Even the treachery of his brothers couldn't keep him from his destiny; in fact, they didn't even know they were simply part of the plan.

Why couldn't Joseph just go straight to the palace? God knew that's where He wanted Him. Destiny is the finish of many destinations…! Don't abort your destiny by trying to take detours…! When you miss Sovereignly determined destinations you delay & potentially abort your Divinely appointed destiny.

FOCUS

When you say "yes" to an opportunity, get ready to focus...!

F - Faith
O - Operating
C - Creatively
U - Under
S - Stress


F - Finding
O - Opportunity
C - Customized
U - Under
S - Scrutiny

Relationships

I've been having some thoughts about relationships...particularly relationships in church among those in the Body of Christ. We tend to operate on the mindset of "feeding one another with a long handle spoon", not recognizing this is the antithesis of the original design of Master. If we related to one another beyond mere fellowship to true relationship we would find see the presence and power of God in our midst in far greater way than we have experienced heretofore.
There are three levels of relationship that each of us must aspire to in order to be totally fulfilled in the life of the church. Real friendship runs strongly through each of these levels, producing a depth of relationship that will frustrate the purpose of the devil while bringing great glory to God.

1. We all need accountable relationships in the church. These are friendships in which we are supported and helped by others. This support would include confession; the sharing of life and pressures; open and honest relationshops; mutual integrity; and the development of character, gifting, and ministry. We all need people we can depend upon to uphold us, strengthen our morality, and champion our calling and destiny.
2. In ministry we need significant partnerships as we develop a team ethos across the church. We need working functional relationships that carry a strong friendship base. When we know the people whom we will specifically labor, we must build a solid friendship that can take the pressure of warfare, tension, and action.
3. Additionally, we need relationships where we provid a base of support. This speaks of the discipling relationship that all key ministries and faithful people must develop in order to build church and reach the lost. Making disciples is a major part of our warfare against the enemy and our zeal to fulfill the Great Commission. Each of us needs to think of the people around us whom we are consiously shaping and developing.

This threefold aspect of friendship is our model in relationships for producing the house of the Lord and the Body of Christ. Developing our relationships in these key areas will ensure that not only our own lives but also those of the people around us will be cultivated by the Holy Spirit.

I found a quote that was most enlightening for me and somewhat intriguing. I wish to share it here:

"Spiritual leaders who are fairly intact in their self-esteem can build community. They breed health in their relationships because they themselves possess psychological health. The opposite is also true; dysfunction breeds dysfunction. The contrast of David and Saul teaches us that people can commit themselves to leaders who are not threatened by them. Healthy people tend to avoid being trapped in the leadership constellation of paranoid kings. Sick kings can, however, usually attract those whose own needs for approval keep them tied to dysfunctional systems and relationships." - Reggie McNeal, A Work of the Heart (Jossey-Bass, 2000)