"The Credibility Gap"

"The Credibility Gap"-- The gap between ideals and actions. The distance between planning and productivity. In my own life, especially concerning the things of God and fulfilling my ministry it is often the vacuum which exists between information (knowledge) and transformation (application). The dictionary defines a "credibility gap" as "A discrepancy or disparity, especially between words and actions." In other words our actions do not line up with our testimony! 

 

There is a glaring difference between the mind set of the first century Christian believers and many professors of Christianity in modern America today. Modern Christianity is often an exercise in intellectual assent. Just check each of these boxes, and then at the bottom of the page sign your name and you are in! (Don't forget to sign your initials on the waiver: "If at anytime I find myself dissatisfied with my experience in Christ I am free to take on other philosophies and doctrines to satisfy my flesh"). We could call the waiver the "Oprah Clause." The Scriptures tell us that the way that people are able to interact with heaven is through faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. James, our Lord's brother put it this way:

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do." James 1:5-8 (NLT)

Do you have divided loyalty's? Is your measure of faith invested 80% in the Kingdom of our Father and 20% in the world and its system's and values? What is wisdom for? Is it for us to look good in front of the world, or is it for us to be effective in revealing Christ to the world? I believe we all know the answer to these questions. So what do we do? Let's make sure that our faith is truly invested 100% in the Kingdom of God. Jesus promised us that if we seek Him and His Kingdom all these "other things" will be provided as well. What are those "other things?" The necessities of life. 

 

Secondly, Let us be willing to ponder the idea that what we are lacking in our Christian experience is not information, but actions. Yes we need knowledge, and we need proper training and doctrine. Beyond these foundational resources we need God's Spirit to anoint our lives for service. It is the anointing, the seal of the Spirit in and on our lives that gives us the power to do the works of Jesus Christ today. Ask God for his Spirit to empower you so that you can be His hands and feet in your world today. Ask Him to help you place ALL of your faith in His finished work on the cross. Take back whatever percentage of your loyalties that have been misplaced in this world and its systems and values and reinvest them back into the only place where they truly belong-- in Christ! 

 

With proper knowledge and the wisdom which comes from above we have been given the promise that we can do His work right here in our everyday lives here on earth. Let's put it into practice and the Kingdom of Heaven will move on our behalf. This is the only way to remove "The Credibility Gap" from our midst. When God moves in power all doubts have to flee!

Knowing the Difference Between Conviction and Condemnation

Life is a challenge. Whether we realize it or not we are in the midst of a great war. The battlefield is the landscape of human hearts and minds, the prize is the souls of men and women the world over. Victory goes to the one with the best strategy and enduring strength in the midst of the drudgery of battle fatigue and mind numbing fears. Every believer's duty is to be in submission to their Great Commander the Lord Jesus Christ, and to resist the devil and he will flee. To overcome in battle you need strength, endurance, and a sound strategy that is based upon your Kingdom's strength, and an understanding of how to exploit your enemies weaknesses. As we all partake in the "daily grind" it is easy to become complacent about or even forget that there is a war going inside of us as well as outside of us.

Beware the inside job--sabotage! Think back to the tales you heard and the movies you watched that were set in the time of the Knights and Kings with their castles. When under attack you would see the castle archers come to the windows to rain down arrows upon the invading marauders... you would also see the draw bridge that spanned the mote being quickly brought up to seal off the castle and make it safe for the King and his subjects to stay in the castle. What does this have to do with knowing the difference between conviction and condemnation? A lot actually...

Conviction and Condemnation both appeal to our God given conscience. Our conscience together with our minds (thoughts/emotions) and our Spirit (will, heart) work together to make a beautiful fortress in which God is enthroned... or shut out. Conviction is God's way of letting us know something in our life is out of order. Conviction is designed to protect. Conviction is the guard at your hearts door that lets you know that there is an enemy at the gate. Conviction is the Spirit of God speaking to your innermost being and letting you know that there is someone else present--He is present to save to the uttermost--IF we will let Him! 

Condemnation on the other hand is not the enemy at the gate, but inside the gate! It is the voice that says "You have blown it too many times, He does not receive you." Condemnation is the result of letting our barriers down and receiving the enemy into our being. Condemnation is designed to destroy. Why do we give in to this condemnation? We get unsettled and cannot hear the gentle voice of the Spirit.  We neglect to spend the time in God's Word which is His voice speaking to us. We listen to our selves (our flesh) rather than our Spirit Man. Habitually harboring ungodly thoughts and dwelling on fleshly things makes us like that castle which does not have any protection--The mote is down, the archers are absent and no one is present to fight the foreign invasion. The enemy of our souls wants to get in to the interior of your life to steal, kill, and destroy.

Settle it once and for all... Set a guard upon your life; your mind, will, and affections. Set a guard upon who you let into the deep parts of your life and who you fellowship with. Let the God of the Angel Armies be your protector, He is faithful to keep you safe from the onslaught of the wicked one. Keep a clear conscience before God it is one of His greatest gifts to you.

Conviction versus condemnation: One is designed to correct you and bring you back into fellowship with God when you are losing your way. The other is designed to put a wedge between you and your Heavenly Father and keep you away from His presence. Learn to watch over your heart with much diligence for out of your heart flows the very essence of your life.

"Scholarship on Fire for God"

I was still young in my Christian experience when I read a remarkable quote that has helped to shape my life for these past 20 years. The quote was from the revivalist Leonard Ravenhill in his book entitled, "Sodom had no Bible". It goes like this, "Scholarship on fire for God, to my mind is the eighth wonder of the world." Over the years this quote has been a guidepost to me as I have endeavored to be both educated and zealous for the things of God. This saying has three distinct ideas in it that are worthy of any believer's attention. 

"Scholarship" or education is essential on so many levels. Knowledge, understanding, wisdom... the power to know and to do are the core tools for success in any arena of life. What kind of knowledge is best? The knowledge of God is for certain the highest goal of knowledge. The knowledge of God is rooted in two primary sources; The material creation which is all around us (natural revelation) and the Holy Scriptures which were recorded for our benefit (special revelation). I along with many others belong to the "Lifelong Learner Club", we love to learn. Learn what? Learn just about anything... Human nature, History, Geography, Science, Communications, Business, Philosophy, Biography, and yes Theology which in times past was called the "Queen of the Sciences". Learn all that you can and then learn some more! Never stop learning. My Grandmother Fay is 91 years old and she says that she is still learning about God and his creation! Scholarship or education is only one half of this powerful equation. Knowledge alone is not enough to get you where you are called to go.

"On fire for God"--zeal and passion unite with scholarship to form a powerful dynamic force in a person's life. Zest for life...passionate pursuit of what matters most to you. Singleness of purpose and intense desire for something good and an unwillingness to be turned away from that goal until you possess it! Fervency of heart, principled conviction, and relentless and insatiable craving for the presence and the power of God in our life is the work of the Spirit of the Living God which is in every true believer. You have probably heard the saying from Thomas Edison, "Life is 1% Inspiration and 99% perspiration!" Well those numbers may not be exact but one thing is for sure, it is not enough to just want something or someone-- you have to pursue and persevere until you have reached the prize.

Balance-- Like the tightrope walker suspended far above Niagra Falls... His knowledge and experience will mean nothing if he loses his balance. I had a friend who's brother had taken their Mother to town in his pickup truck. As they were driving along a dog ran out in front of him and his gut reaction was to swerve to miss the dog. In swerving he went off the road and then over-corrected to the other direction and flipped the truck. They both survived, but his own Mother was paralyzed from the accident. No one knows the sadness of that man's heart over his mother. For the sake of a dog his mother lost her ability to walk. Which is more important? Knowledge or Zeal? What is it that you need today-- more education or more intensity in your walk with God? In crossing the Niagra Falls of your life it is vital that you know the Author of all Knowledge, and to be successful that knowledge must be united with Fire! Know God, and let His Spirit light a fire in you that the world cannot put out. Become like Jesus-- Full of Grace and Truth. It takes both of these to get to heaven! May God give us the grace to live the truth in every aspect of our lives; at home, at work, at school, and in our hearts.

Is America Worth Saving?

In the midst of a country and a culture that is decaying I find myself asking a vital question; "Is America worth saving?" Like a person who is riddled with terminal cancer it is just easy to look at the state of things in our country and say, "We have reached the tipping point and it is too late." I used to believe that. I do not believe that any more. I believe that some things are worth saving. People are worth saving. Some businesses and institutions are worth saving. Some ideals and ways of living are worth saving. America is worth saving, not because it is a righteous nation, but because it has righteous people in it. When the God of Heaven looks down and sees our country He is very aware that our leaders are corrupt, and He knows all about the backroom deals and the greed of our leaders and our people. He knows that our enemies are now inside of our country and even occupy positions in it. We have sowed the wind, and NOW we are reaping the whirlwind. Charles Stanley says, "You always reap what you sow, more than you sow, longer than you sow." This is the case with a country that has lost its way. We planted a crop of immorality and rebellion against the things of God over 40 years ago, and now the children of that generation are our leaders today.

My heart breaks and is grieved over our country, and what we have become... I say "WE" because we all have a part in what has happened in our midst. It is the duty of every believer to take responsibility for their own part in how we have become desensitized to the influence of evil and decay in our own lives. This is the heart of revival. God does not send His Spirit to the world at large... They do not even know Him, but we do! If you call yourself by the name of Christ then You are who He is speaking to today. Today we need to turn away from our own forms of idolatry and return fully to the King of the Angel Armies and He will hear our prayers and heal our land. He is not looking to the lost to lead... He is looking to the one's who have His Spirit living inside of them to turn their face to Him...Yes, America is worth saving... Yes, it is not too late. God is in the mercy and grace business! He wants us to ask Him to have mercy and pour out his grace upon all of mankind. Mercy triumphs over judgment, grace is greater than our sins.

IF America is to be saved it will be because God's people have asked for Him to save it. "Father God of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come to you today and ask that You would pour out your mercy and grace upon America. We ask that You would forgive us of OUR sins, and give us the grace to fully repent and to pick up the mantle of holiness once again for Christ's sake, and for Your Glory. Come and move upon us to do Your will and restore us to the place of being a city that is set on a hill-- A country that is righteous. Just as you allowed Abraham to bargain with You over the fate of Sodom, we ask that You will spare our country for the sake of many righteous. Speak to us and show us each what to do so that we may represent You well in the midst of this decay. Make us both salt and light to those who do not yet know You." AMEN. Yes, things that have worth, are worth saving. God is hearing our prayers, and we can expect to see His hand working in the midst of today's events. He is Faithful.

God's Gifts and Calling are REAL!

The basis for my calling is rooted in the Scriptures. I was only 20 years old and in the first year of my Bible College when I heard God speak to me personally for the first time about my calling. I was kneeling by my bedside praying a typical prayer that went something like this: “God what am I going to do, where do you want me to go, how am I supposed to know.... (repeat often!) … in the midst of my prayer I heard a voice (not an audible voice), but deep in my mind I heard a voice which I know was not my own which said, “Luke 5:10”, I did not know this Scripture as one I had memorized. In my excitement and wonder I picked up my Bible and opened it up to the very page and I looked down immediately to see Luke 5:10 in front of me saying, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” I will never forget the experience. As a young man I was more struck with how I came to that Scripture which I consider to be the basis for my calling as a follower and minister of Jesus Christ. As an older man I am more struck with my own ongoing understanding of what that Scripture means, and how God in His wisdom has revealed to me over the years the depth of what following Him entails. Thinking about it now gives me comfort in knowing that He knows everything about me and He wants me to follow Him in service. Over the years this is not the only time that I have had this happen to me. My Bible is filled with God's promises and call to service. I will share one other passage that relates to my calling from Scripture and that is 1 Peter 5:1-2 the setting of Scripture where Peter appeals to the Elders as a fellow Elder to shepherd the flock of God. God spoke this Scripture to me in a similar fashion many years later. It is precious to me and in the midst of hard times and discouragement I have been able to revisit this “altar of remembrance” to be encouraged and find hope in God that He has not changed His mind about me or my calling. I am deeply grateful for the honoring of being an “under shepherd” that serves the “Great Shepherd” and someday I will stand before Him and he shall give me a crown for faithful service to His people. There is no greater calling, there is no greater purpose than to be God's tool for leading His people safely to the Master's Gate. Are you seeking out God's purposes and calling for your life? If you are not then I want to encourage you to do it! You are missing out on God's best for you! If you are I encourage you to keep on Asking, keep on Seeking, Keep on knocking... He will answer because HE is FAITHFUL!

I can do something!

Enough of this victim mentality that we are all capable of falling into! Enough of the "let somebody else deal with the tough issues. I was listening to an audiobook by my cousin Kris Vallotton which is called the "The Supernatural Ways of Royalty" and he was talking about having courage to face the battle... not just any battle... YOUR BATTLE. He was telling the amazing story of George Washington and how he fought with limited resources and men that were often afraid, and in the heat of battle or even before battles started would run away in fear. He told of a particular battle in which he even threatened his own men that if they deserted he would shoot them in the back as they ran! They deserted anyway! He was so angry and flabbergasted that he while sitting atop his horse stood in the face of the whole English army and just stared at them! They shot at him hundreds of times and not one bullet hit him. Afterward it is told that there were holes in multiple parts of his uniform... a hole on the front... and the back! But he was not harmed! He was not afraid to stand up in the face of death for what he believed in and was committed to. How about me and you? What battle is our Heavenly Father (The God of the angel armies) calling you into today? Don't be afraid, don't turn back, believe that God will not lead you to defeat. Stand up, do something, speak it, write it, pray it, know it, believe it, do it! He is with you, and you are not powerless or a victim when the King of Heaven is riding with you! Are there any bullet holes in your clothes? Maybe there should be! Special thanks to Kris Vallotton and to our Father in heaven for inspiring me to move forward in His service.