The Intimate Dance

Then David danced before the Lord with all his might.

2 Samuel 6:14a

People often marvel that David felt free to dance with such abandon before the Lord in the sight of all his people, even though he was a king. But the truth is he was made a king by God precisely because his heart was willing to dance in this way—with a raw, unfettered, passionate devotion to God. The Lord made this clear from the moment of David's anointing: "Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). David's heart was willing to dance before God with all of his might. And so the anointing came to him.

What would it look like for you to dance before the Lord with all of your might? In all honesty, would you be wild and uninhibited, or would you make sure your dancing didn't offend those around you? Would you be timid or bold in your expression?

Life with Jesus is a dance. It's a daily interplay of His Spirit with ours—the subtle lead and follow of His gentle pressing, and our surrender to the movements of His hand. Or so it's meant to be. But we often resist His lead—or lose sight of Him altogether in the distractions of lesser matters.

Consider the way you're living before God right now. What sort of dance are you dancing with Him? If you had to name it, what would your dance be called? Is it a dance of fear, timidity, or hesitation? A dance of surrender, of might, of wild abandon? Or something in between?

From Fear to Understanding

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).

What is it to love God in this way—with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength? We all agree we should do it. It's easy to assess our love for God on a general, life-perspective level. But when it comes down to loving God on an everyday level, our vision for what this actually looks like often grows fuzzy and indistinct. Some of us secretly think it's impractical. We have obligations. We have bills, chores, stresses, and deadlines, all of which demand a portion of our strength and focus. It would be nice to give God everything all the time, but it just can't be done. Perhaps when we get to heaven, we'll know that sort of life, but for now, we must content ourselves with glimpses and dreams and hope for a time when we have more time.

But that's only a justification. The deeper reality is that we're afraid. Afraid to relinquish control on such a grand scale. Afraid that we'll not follow well. Afraid that God will not lead well. Afraid that, in the end, our attempt to dance before Him with all of our might will only make us look foolish on the stage of the world and cause a train wreck of our lives.

There's no shame in being afraid. There has never been a mighty man or woman of God who hasn't faced fear in the course of following God. The danger comes in refusing to recognize it's there—to make believe there's some other reason why you will not step into the wild, abandoned dance that God is inviting you to share with Him.

From Obligation to Free Choice

"I belong to my love, and his desire is for me" (Song of Songs 7:10).

When we hear the command to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30), our minds typically move to places of obligation and duty. "Jesus died for me, so I owe it to Him to love Him and obey His commands. It's the least I can do after all He's done for me." And off we go looking for a list of things we can do to show Him we're towing the line, to demonstrate that we're stand-up men and women of God, to establish that we're good Christian people. The problem with this line of reasoning is that no one has ever fallen in love out of obligation. As long as we believe God's command to love Him stems from a sort of "you owe Me this" mentality on His part, we'll never really love Him as He desires, and we'll never truly understand His heart.

Love is always a free choice. It must always be a free choice, without fear of punishment or reprisal, or else it cannot truly be love. Who wants to be loved out of obligation? I don't, and I seriously doubt you do either. Is it any surprise then that God wants our love for Him to be something more as well?

So what is it to love God in the way He desires? As with any love, it begins by understanding the core desires of His heart. "I belong to my love, and his desire is for me." The entire story of the Bible—from the first scenes with Adam and Eve to the final scene of the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven—is the story of a Lover wooing His beloved, simply because He wants to love her. He wants to know her and to make Himself known. He wants to share life together. The story of the Bible is, in essence, God's invitation to dance.

When at last we understand this, we'll find that whatever fear we've had in surrendering our lives to Him disappears. For once you see His heart, you begin to understand at last that the Majestic Creator of the Universe doesn't love you because of what you do or don't do for Him; He loves you because He sees your heart and thinks it's beautiful.

From the Sidelines to the Dance

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The word for acknowledge in this verse is yada. In the most basic sense, it means to "know"—as in, "think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths." But that's only the beginning of the riches this single word holds. The rest of the definition goes something like this: "to know (properly to ascertain by seeing), to be aware of, to recognize, to watch for, to discover, to befriend, to make yourself known to, to learn from." And so we see that the word yada doesn't merely refer to a cursory nod to God's presence in our lives, but it's a description of an intimate awareness and communion between our hearts and God's.

Take it a step further, and expand other key words in the passage. What you get is a beautiful depiction of our daily relationship with God—as He desires it to be: Boldly trust and place your confidence in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely or rest in your own knowledge, wisdom, or understanding. In any and every road you take—both great and small—look for God and see Him, recognize Him, watch Him, be aware of Him, discover Him, befriend Him, reveal yourself to Him, and learn from Him—and He will make your paths straight, pleasant, and prosperous.

Do this, and you'll no longer have to wonder what it would look like for you to dance with all your might before God as David did. For your own dance with Jesus will have already begun.

Leading Others To Christ

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother.

Matthew 10:2

Andrew was Peter's brother and a native of Bethsaida of Galilee. From the very start we see him leading people to Christ—beginning with his own brother.

The gospel of John records his first encounter with Jesus: "John [the Baptist] was standing with two of his disciples (Andrew and John), and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus… One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus" (See John 1:35-37, 40-42). Later Jesus called both Andrew and Peter to become His disciples, and they immediately left their fishing nets to follow Him (Matthew 4:20).

The next glimpse of Andrew is in John 6:8-9. It was late in the day and thousands of people who were following Jesus were beginning to get hungry, but there wasn't enough food to feed them. Then Andrew brought to Jesus a young boy with five barley loaves and two fish. From that small lunch Jesus created enough food to feed the entire crowd! Andrew also appears in John 12:20-22, which tells of some Greeks who were traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. They came to Philip and requested to see Jesus. Philip took them to Andrew, who apparently took them to Jesus.

Andrew didn't always know how Jesus would deal with a particular person or situation, but he kept right on bringing them to Him anyway. That's a characteristic every believer should have. Our spiritual gifts might differ from others, but our common goal is to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), and that begins with leading sinners to Christ. Let’s make that a priority everyday!

5 Steps To Overcome Fear Of Failure

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

Fear invades like a sudden fog, limiting our view and clouding our reasoning. When we are caught disoriented, can we find your way out? Does fear paralyze us into retreat, or do we know the way to push on? Fear of failure affects everyone. When you recognize it in your own life, you can take these 5 steps to see above it, get through it, and achieve your goals.

1. Identify it. What is it you are most afraid of? Are you worried your business may fail? Are you scared you will never find a special someone, or you will never succeed financially? Do you have personal worries that occupy your thoughts? Where in your life is fear of failure diverting your focus and preventing your success? Pray, think, and listen. Let God show you the fear, and then discover how to be free.

Fear of failure may look like:

• Procrastination. Do you wait until the last minute, so your perfectionist self will have an excuse if you do fail? In doing so, you create the failure you hope to avoid.

• Inaction. Are your insecurities or uncertainties overwhelming you? Do you allow fear to paralyze you, and miss great opportunities? Fear of success is really fear of failing if you succeed.

• Over-reaction. Are you angry, defensive, or acting aggressive? If you are afraid of failure, you might notice your reactions seem harsher than situations merit. Is your fear causing you to react instead of respond to life?

• Addiction. Do you manage your stress with self-destructive habits? Are you numbing your fear because you feel helpless to overcome it?

2. Evaluate it. If you stand on unstable ground at the edge of a cliff, fear sends adrenaline through your body and alerts you to danger. You can use that fear to step back to firm ground, or you can ignore it and fall. All the positive thinking in the world will not keep you from falling once your foot slips. Before you use these 5 steps to push on, be sure you should. Fear is your body’s warning siren, and it can go off even when it does not need to sound. Is God using fear to warn you that your choice is harmful, or do you need to press on despite the fear, and triumph through it towards your goals? Life lessons can make you too cautious, and the fear of risk may lead you to miss many wonderful opportunities. Life needs balance. If you determine you need to get past the fear, you can do it!

In order to focus on the positive and press on through the fear, you must first understand it. What is the worst that can happen? Write down exactly what it will mean if you fail. Then look at your answer, and get more specific. If you think the world will end, what do you mean by this? Will you lose your house, your family, your health, or your life? Will you lose your reputation, or create an undesired one? Are you afraid failure will confirm all the negative thoughts you believe about yourself? Are you thinking that by failing, you become a failure? Figure out the messages and warnings your fear sends you.

3. Re-interpret it. Once you know the messages fear sends, create positive messages to replace them. You may fail, but each failure brings you closer to success. Your identity is not dependent on your failures. Face your fear and be a success.

Fear is your friend and if it warns you of decisions that do not fit with your life purpose, it helps you live without regret as you change course. If fear tries to cloud your way and you must forge through to succeed, it gives you opportunity to improve, get past your past, and become a better person. The secret to living free from negative effects of fear is to embrace it and move on boldly in God’s strength.

4. Disable it. Your past influences perception of your present. Like looking through a magnifying glass, danger can appear greater than it is when you exaggerate it because you are still trapped in the fear from your past. Take the insecurity or hurt of your past and fight to remove its grip. Trauma, loss, and painful circumstances all contribute to your view on reality. Even little events can lead to unconscious behavior in your present. As you discover ways fear is magnified disproportionately in your life, bring it back into proper perspective.

5. Use it. What have you lost by letting fear confuse your way? Take the anger or frustration over your reactions and force it to motivate you to succeed in your future. Are you afraid to dream because of what obstacles you might face? Conquer fear and accomplish the amazing things that God is calling you to.

Creating Positive Thinking

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2

People are talking about it. It is on the news, in documentaries, on the radio, and in person. As the awareness spreads, more people are taking charge of life, and talking about positive thinking. As the world wakes up from self-pity and despair, it recognizes the power of the mind to impact the future. There are classic books to inspire us (such as Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking), and modern works (such as Terry and Donna Kruse’s Law of Increase) tell the world how to effect change starting in the mind from a biblical perspective. It is exciting anytime people want to talk about becoming all that God has created them to be and to accomplish on behalf of Kingdom for His ultimate glory, and it all starts in the mind!

The Law of Attraction goes along with this approach to life: whatever you think about will happen. I believe you do attract most of what you experience, but that life happens in balance, and there are ways to apply any theory to the extreme. While I agree positive thinking creates and attracts positive outcomes, God also gave people free will. Some find it comforting to believe in a false security that everything can be controlled, but the unexpected does happen. It is what you do next that determines your level of success.

Seize the rewards you attract with confidence and overcome both the difficulties that you attract and those few that come despite your best efforts. You are not a victim of your circumstances. You hurt, you heal, you move on, and you triumph over adversity and into greatness. Do not allow the 1% you cannot control to dominate the other 99% of your life, but focus on the 99% you can control, attract the success you desire for God’s glory. You can dream your way to the life you want: believe your goals are within your grasp and work hard to create amazing success, as long as it matches up to God’s will for your life. God has a unique plan for you. How do positive thoughts help you achieve your life’s purpose? Dream, imagine, and achieve—do it today!

The law of attraction has some great applications to life, and when viewed in balance, its roots can be found in the Bible. In Romans 12:2 it says “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind” and Proverbs 23:7 says that “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”. You were created with a mind and a will to determine what you embrace and what you eliminate from your thoughts. A child repeatedly told horrible things usually internalizes the messages as true. At some point, that child will grow up and learn there are other messages available. You must decide what to believe.

Where do you find the positive messages, and do you still hang on to the negative ones? Notice the term is “self”-fulfilling prophecy. Whose prophecy are you really fulfilling, are you believing false messages about yourself and creating your own misery? As an adult, you are responsible for the message that drives you. Are you around those who constantly berate you? Tell them to stop. Do you accept statements from others as true, or talk to yourself in a condescending manner? Confident people may more easily dismiss harsh insults from those distant contacts, but when uttered from close loved ones, it becomes even more difficult to keep from accepting them as truth. The hardest to fight of all is when you tell it to yourself. Are you your own worst critic?

Maybe these sound familiar: you are stupid, you will never amount to anything, you can’t make it, how could you have even thought you could succeed, you should have known better, why did you even try, what an embarrassment you are, you are ugly, worthless, unintelligent, incapable, and a failure. These cut deep wounds in our spirit, and it takes intent to replace them with positive truths.

Most people have a set of these to fight. In overcoming an eating disorder (anorexia) many years ago, I had to replace all the negative messages I bombarded myself with constantly, and I now live free of this mental harassment. I care about myself enough to treat me as a dear friend. Do you? I had to really learn about my purpose in life and how much love God has for me to make this life-altering change. Do you have time with God, time with positive friends, a place to go to help you change your perspective on a situation? Where do you draw your strength, and where do you find the positive messages? You can achieve your goals in business, you can get your degree, you can have a loving relationship, and God can change your life, if you only believe it. Positive thoughts do fuel success.

A positive outlook makes the difference between a quitter and a success. Determine to succeed and keep going despite obstacles. Successful people believe in themselves and their dreams, and persevere. They dwell on positive thoughts, and attract the truth they believe. If you are determined, you find a way to make it happen because you believe that it will happen. If you believe that you cannot, you will not. There is always a way. It may be difficult, it may be different than you had originally planned, you may have to adapt to the unfamiliar, but if you are focused and think positively, you can achieve your goals. Do you believe it? Decide you can do it, and start with the thoughts that are constantly playing in your head—renew your mind through positive thinking.

Prayer

I bow my knees to the Father. . . that He would grant you. . . to be strengthened with might through His Spirit.

Ephesians 3:14,16

Some may say that, “Spiritually, I am confused, so pray for understanding. Physically, I am tired, so pray for rest. Emotionally, I am very weak, so pray for strength. Mentally, I am worried, so pray for peace.”

Scripture illustrates God’s care in each of these areas.

Spiritual: Jesus prayed for His disciples: “Sanctify them by Your truth” (John 17:17). Truth leads to spiritual understanding, eliminating confusion.

Physical: Peter had a physical need—release from jail. His friends prayed—and he got out (See Acts 12:1-11). In God’s care we find security and rest (See Psalm 16:9).

Emotional: Often the psalmists asked God for relief from distress (See Psalm 4:1; 18:6; 107:6-7). We can find hope and emotional stability in God.

Mental: Insight and wisdom are promised for those who cry out to God (See Proverbs 2:3-6; James 1:5-7). Through prayer and reading His Word, the peace of God can be found.

Are you in need of a break through in these areas of your life? Then give it to God and ask Him for spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental assistance today!

Four Secrets to Time Management

Whatever your image of success, time management is at its core. Do not let time pass you by, but rather take charge of your time and pass it deliberately. Do not be distracted by the frivolous, nor be manipulated into what only appears worthwhile on the surface. Here are four secrets to overhauling your time management approach that will determine if you achieve greatness or live a life of regret. Be the 1% of people who accomplish greatness and reap the benefits of 99% of the world’s success. You are in control of your life and God has given you a vision of the amazing future you can create, if you only manage your time wisely. Do not let a moment be wasted by laziness, missed opportunities, or improper planning. Seize the day and make it count. Here is how to change your life, one minute at a time.

Secret #1: Be in the moment, every moment. Are you thinking in the present, one minute at a time? Successful people keep their eye on the task at hand. If a task does not merit your full attention, then it is not worth doing. Do you make those around you feel special by giving them your full attention? Your children, your spouse, even your clients can tell if you think them worthy of your efforts and focus. Show them your true priorities by giving your best. If, at any moment, you are consumed by frustrations over a past event, or dwelling on worries of a future deadline, you are not making efficient use of your time. Your life is an overloaded train poorly performing at reduced speed. How can you speed up your success? By releasing worries over what you cannot control, and facing challenges without distraction. By staying in the moment, you will lower stress, accomplish exponential growth in productivity, and enjoy a more peaceful existence as you confidently complete each task.

Secret #2: Make every moment productive. Instead of wishing for more hours in your day, create more day in your hours. Get up early, get started with strength for the day ahead, and you will see immediate results. Put this into practice even if you are not a “morning person” at heart, decided to rise early enough to have quiet devotion time every morning and to have extra hours to accomplish goals set for the day. First thing in the morning pray, strategize about the day, envisioned the big picture, and even added some exercise to get your adrenaline going. You will be amazed at how it changes your entire day! You feel better, have a better attitude, are more confident, and accomplished more than at any other time. Take an extra 30 minutes to an hour in the morning to situate yourself physically mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the day. Starting the day with quiet time—one on one time with God— will increase productivity immediately, lower stress levels, and help you be more prepared for the unexpected. Then get to work, and see how far you go!

Laziness does not yield success. What are you accomplishing right now, and why? Are you putting off today what you will only dread tomorrow? “If you ever want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, simply put it off” (Olin Miller). Successful people take care of what is important immediately. Efficient time management dictates that you conquer your fear and live courageously, completing what matters most as soon as you can, not as late as possible. Procrastination is what limits success in your future and lessens happiness in your present. Procrastination is the author of regret. There are different forms of productivity to your life: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual, and they all need attention in balance.

Secret #3: Balance your life. There is a beautiful illustration of balance in time management that has been formed into many analogies. Stephen Covey uses one such illustration. This is a shortened variation of the popular story, which makes a crucial point: take care of first things first. For those who like to follow along while doing the exercise and live the experience, you will need a large jar, some large rocks, some pebbles, some sand, and some water. On each large rock (10-12 of them, depending on your jar size), write something important to you, a major priority in life (such as a deadline, a goal, an event, clients, loved ones).

Now imagine you are sitting by rocks and sand in front of a beautiful ocean (no surprise why I picked the beach setting). In your hand you have a large empty jar. Fill it with lots of sand until it is completely full. Sand includes all the little things you have to do. Now pour a lot of pebbles onto the sand, and try to fit as many as you can, until you can fit no more. Pebbles represent what you enjoy in life. Now try to add your large rocks. How many can you fit before they spill over? Few, if any. As you imagine this (or better yet, do this), think of ways your life resembles your jar. Are you trying to squeeze the major rocks into an already full jar, hoping it all holds together for one more day? Are there important matters and people who seem to get the leftovers of your time?

Let’s try it again. Empty the jar into a bowl (you will use the ingredients again). This time, pick up as many large rocks as you can and place them in the empty jar. Now add even a few more on the top. Notice you can fit even more than you expected, when the important parts of life go in first! Next, pick your small pebbles out of the sand and add them to the jar. Add as many pebbles as you can until the jar is full again (it is okay to shake the jar until they fit). Do you see how many more pebbles fit this time? You get more joy out of life when these “happiness” pebbles come next. Now, add your sand. Pour in as much sand as you can until the jar is full. Notice how the sand seeps in to the very bottom, surrounding all the empty spaces?

The sand represents all those chores that have to get done, and rather than taking up your whole life, can easily fit in between the rocks and pebbles. Notice how much your jar weighs. Lastly, pour in water, filling the jar until it can hold no more. Now lift the jar. Feel the difference? Water represents all the ways you allow burdens, worry, and stress to seep in and weigh you down. Your jar is your life: what is yours saying? Are you made of sand and water (with a little rocks and pebbles in the way) or are you made of rocks and pebbles (with sand filling the empty parts and the occasional water seeped in)?

Successful people are not always busy, and busy people are not always successful. How you handle balancing the rocks, pebbles, sand, and water of your life can propel you towards success or stop you cold. Live a balanced life. Are you letting your time be wasted? Technology can be your avenue to prosperity or it can siphon the life out of you and your prospects for the future. You decide which it is for your life every minute you spend connected to the world wide web, watching t.v., reading, going to the movies. Be sure your habits fit in balance with your life strategy. Your body will run as well as you treat it. Are you running it down with bad habits now, draining it of a future? Do you have a regular sleep pattern? Are you eating right? Your body is a machine and needs regular nutritious fuel (and rest) for optimum performance.

Every day should contain time for business, refreshment (play, rest, eat), strategy (reflection on the big picture, goals, priorities, self-improvement, confidence, and spiritual strength), chores (managing the necessities and blessings in every day life), and relationships. How you handle these components of your time defines who you are.

Do you spend time talking with those closest to you? If not a spouse, a mentor, or close friend—give yourself time for friendships that last.

Do you spend enough time with loved ones? Even if it is just a few minutes take time to say a kind word of encouragement or do lunch.

Do you have intimate (if you are single will you take time with your spouse daily) time with your spouse daily? We are just talking about sex. Take time to cultivate a lasting relationship through thoughts, words, and actions.

Secret #4: Learn to say no. It is not selfish to say no, but rather is a healthy form of time management that draws others in. When you overbook your schedule, you say to your commitments “you are not worth my best effort”. Saying no tells others you know your limits and abilities, and you can be trusted to do what you promise. Being trustworthy is an effective tool to keep loyal clients, and a great parenting tip for building strong relationships with your children. Be a person of integrity, and do what you say.

Keep your focus on the big rocks to determine what to throw out. Are you keeping busy hoping to make it somehow, or are you focused on a goal and guiding yourself to it with every minute you spend? Every action accomplishes some goal, the question you must ask yourself is what goal is this action taking you towards. Your schedule defines your priorities, and your priorities define you. Why you choose your big rocks is often as important as what they are and how you deal with them. Do you have a grasp on your life purpose, and are you seeking ways to contribute to the world with your talents and your giftings? Have a strong foundation anchored in to succeed through the storms of life.

Pass your time wisely. If you live in the moment, stay productive, balanced, and live according to your priorities and God’s plan for your life—you will succeed!

So You Think You Love Him?

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.


1 John 5:3

Your obedience to God's commands is the most accurate reflection of the measure of your love for God. It's easy to love God when you're passionate about what God is doing through you. It is sometimes even easy to love God the midst of trials, if you are firmly grounded in the knowledge that He is your support, and the One who will bring you through the suffering. It becomes very difficult, however, to love God when He brings correction, or when He directs your life in the opposite direction of your will for your life.

If there is an area of your life where you are not honoring God, He will be faithful to point it out. It may be through His Word, or through prayer, or even through the word of someone close to you. But He will bring it to your attention, and the most important part about it is not how He makes it known, or even what He reveals to you, but how you respond to His commands.

When God reveals a sin issue in your life, the only appropriate response is immediate and reckless obedience to His will. But you must also love God's correction. Simply obeying the Word of God is only half of loving Him. The other half is being filled with gratefulness and worship because God has such an amazing plan for you that He meets with you personally and intimately to make sure that you're ready.

Do not let the will of God be a burden on your life. If you really want to love God with all your heart, then joyfully and thankfully apply His correction. Not to say this is any simple feat. It requires a severe death to yourself and your flesh, and it requires an unearthly amount of humility. And ask God to tear down the walls of your pride and He will be faithful to do so. Do you love God? Start living like it.