Knowing is half the battle

Here’s the question, “do we really know what we have?”  I mean, do we understand the fact that we have within our reach the very Words of God?  Here it is plain and simple. I mean, this is truly where the rubber meets the road.  We know God by His Word. John puts it this way, he says that “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.”  See, God and His Word are the same.  If we could grasp the fact that God and His Word are synonymous, we would move far ahead from where we currently stand in relation to the possibilities that exist for us.  We know God by interacting with Him, or as John puts it, interacting with His Word.  This is no different than the relational bond between friends, husband and wife, or any other relationship.  The only difference is that we interact via the written Word as opposed to a person to person interaction.  Trust grows in a relationship when each party involved in the relationship “knows” the other person.  This “knowing” of another individual doesn’t just happen, it is accomplished by work over time.  The more time we spend with an individual, the closer we become, and, the more knowledge about them we acquire.  Just the other day, when I enrolled my kids in school, I listed someone other than a family member for an emergency contact.  This was the first time that I had ever done this.  But, because of the time that I had spent with this individual, I knew that I could trust them with the safety of my children.  That is saying a lot!  I knew that this person would drop whatever they were doing and help if my kids were in danger.  My “faith” in this person was a direct result of “knowing” this person.  I had “faith” in this person based on what I had found out about them through a consistant interaction with them, and I knew that they would keep their WORD and help me if I ever needed it.  Wow, this is exactly how our trust grows as it relates to God’s love for us.  When we know God, we know what He wants for us and we don’t have to wonder if He cares, is concerned, or will come through for us.  Here it is as plain as I can put it…We can’t trust God if we don’t know Him. Better get to reading!

God’s Country

This is a shot from one of my trips to Colorado…pretty cool trip.  This shot was taken at about 11,500 ft. where our base camp was located.  Basically we hike from about 8,500 ft to 11,500 ft over about seven miles, set up camp, and summit some 14,ooo ft peaks.  It goes without saying that for an Oklahoma boy it was physically challenging.  I was way out of my element.  The environment was foreign and the terrain was way above my skill level.  Let me make it a little more clear…it kicked my butt!  Here’s the thing though.  When I finally reached based camp, and could barely stand up, I saw right away something that I could apply to my life back home.  In the mountains, the beauty that surrounds  you is indiscribable.  It is impossible for one to understand what it is to be surrounded by the enormity of the Rockies, to feel so small in the eyes of those towering piles of granit.  The sky, the basin, the mountains, the clear lakes, everything seemed like a painting that had come to life.  Talk about feeling like a grasshopper!  It was truly breath-taking.  Here’s what I realized though.  Even though this beauty was available for everyone, only a few would ever experience it.  See, it wasn’t set aside for a select few, and there were no rules that said you had to make a certain amount of money or that you had to do anything out of the ordinary to partake.  No, there was only one thing that seperated me, or anyone else for that matter, from this awesomeness–it was the willingness to DO what it took to get there.  It took some serious effort for me to exit the comfort of the Oklahoma elevation and landscape where I could breath without effort and walk without strain and enter a place far above the “plain” upon which I was living.  What an amazing analogy of what it takes to experience God’s best.  I couldn’t help but think that if one wants to tred in “God’s country” one must be willing to “labor” and do what it takes.  After my first trip, and my realization of what it takes to enjoy this “other level”, I began to put in some serious training each year before I go.  The harder I train before that trip, the better the experience is when I get there.  It’s too late to start training at the trail-head.  Preperation must take place BEFORE.  God is not going to take us to a place that we are not prepared for.  Heading up into the mountains unprepared could be certain death, and our spiritual walk is no different.  We can only go where we are prepared to go.  Doing what we hate today will allow us to have what we love in the future.

break out the shears

Had an awesome opportunity this week to hear Andrew Wommack, the dude was amazing.  Look, I want something that will show me where I am.  Beating around the bush and patting me on the back with a little patronizing pat isn’t much help.  Andrew couldn’t be further from that approach.  He lowered the boom.  I’ve listened to Andrew for a long time, and every single time he speaks he jerks some serious slack out.  Speaking the truth in love is what we need.  If the word is like a mirror, don’t pervert the reflection.  Let me see where I am relative to where God sees me so I can change and make the necessary adjustments.  Otherwise, I will stay in the same place my whole life.  Sure there is some pain involved when you get some branches pruned back, but I would rather have them cut when they are tiny as oppossed to when they have had some time to grow.  The bigger the branch the more pain with the prune.

In the deep blue

Stepping out into the world of the blog. Baby steps at first, but looking forward to hitting my stride soon enough.

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