Affirmation and Life Application from Scripture-The Right Place at the Right Time

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9 (NIV) from BibleGateway

Affirmation-These words were spoken as part of God’s “pep talk” to Joshua shortly after Moses had passed away.  Joshua was stepping into a new role, being commissioned as the new leader of the Israelites.  The Lord was clearly seeking to give Joshua a basis for courage, promising His presence everywhere Joshua went, just as He now does for believers.  As I studied this part of the Bible, I was struck with a point that John Maxwell made in his leadership bible.  God has this funny way of putting the right person in the right spot at the right time.  Moses had been well suited for the Israelites’ journey through the desert.  He obviously wasn’t much of a navigator wandering around for 40 years, but he was a patient leader who dealt with a LOT of complaining.  Now on the cusp of the Promised Land, it was time for action, and Joshua was an accomplished, in-your-face military leader.  He probably wouldn’t have had the patience to lead Israel in earlier days, and Moses was not a military leader.  They both wound up leading during the time that maximized the gifts the Lord gave them.  So it can be with you, as the Lord leads you into the right position at the right time to utilize the gifts He gave you to help others and glorify Him.

Application-Seek to understand your gifts, your skill set that God equipped you with, and ask Him, if He hasn’t already, to lead you toward a situation where you can apply them to their full use, not for your glory but for His.

Affirmation and Life Application From Scripture-Draw Strength From Humility

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV) from BibleGateway

Affirmation-Sometimes we forget just how mighty God’s might hand really is.  It was the “might hand of God” that deliver the Jews from Egypt and gave them safe passage to the Promised Land.  It was the mighty hand of God working through Jesus that raised Lazarus from the dead.  Despite that evidence, however, we still get bogged down with our problems and let anxiety settle in.

Internationally renowned priest and author Henri Nouwen wrote "Our lives are not problems to be solved but journeys to be taken with Jesus as our friend and guide.  Giving in to anxiety actually shows a lack of trust in God, and is even a form of pride, acting as if we’re the only ones who can resolve our concerns.  We are most richly blessed by the Lord only after we humble ourselves by casting our cares upon Him, putting them in His mighty hand.  What is really more powerful, our circumstances or our God?

By approaching God with humility, acknowledging He is the source of all answers in our life, we become strong because we look beyond our individual strength and draw it from Him.  We then become confident because God, a much greater power than we are, is in charge of directing our path out of whatever mess we’re in and toward the peace and joy, even through difficult circumstances, that He has planned for us.

Application-What are you worried about right now?  Ask yourself why you have not succeeded to resolve the situation, then turn to the Lord and ask Him for answers and direction.  It might not be immediate, but the answers will come.

Affirmation and Life Application From Scripture-Cool your pipes

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. Psalm 37:8-9 (NIV) from BibleGateway

Affirmation-I really liked the way The Message bible translation put today’s text:

 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath, cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.   Before long the crooks will be bankrupt; God-investors will soon own the store.

I’ve seen and been directly involved in situations far too often when fire is met with return fire and all that leads to is a bigger flame that becomes much more difficult to extinguish.  Leadership expert and former pastor John Maxwell addressed that in The Maxwell Leadership Bible.

Maxwell is the author of “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” one of them being the Law of Intuition.  He uses this text to support two of his key points.  First, don’t get angry at opponents because it won’t bring the best results.  Boy, this is so true—how well do you think when you’re angry?  My IQ at that point is somewhere below moron.  Walking away and gathering perspective avoids making emotionally driven decisions and absolutely brings more constructive results.

Maxwell’s second point is even more important; trust the Lord to guide and use your decisions.  We remember that first part more often than the second.  What we do goes beyond the immediate and impacts other people and events—it’s a tiny piece of the overall mosaic God is weaving in our world.  When we aren’t acting out of anger, God can reap more positive benefit from our lives instead of having to do damage control of the consequences of emotional, knee-jerk reactions.

Application-Whenever possible, remove yourself from a person or situation that has pushed your buttons until you can reset and consider a constructive, not a destructive, response.

Affirmation & Life Application From Scripture-It takes courage to be meek

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Matthew 5:5 (NIV) from BibleGateway

Affirmation-I believe the word meek has a bad reputation, especially in regards to its use by Jesus in “The Sermon on the Mount.”  The English Standard Version of the Bible defines meek as gentle, not asserting oneself over others to further one’s own agenda in their own strength.  They will inherit the earth because they will trust God to direct the outcome of events.  Friends, in today’s polarized American society, it takes courage to be meek in that way!  As the intensity of rhetoric in public forums, be they television, radio, or the Internet, increases, rigidity and intransigence are rewarded, even admired.  Claiming your views as the moral high ground, especially when you can tie God into it, and condemning anyone who disagrees with you, earns you book deals, television shows, and a wider public forum from which to pontificate and claim to have the answers to society’s ills.  

This is not God’s way!  We don’t have the answers, He does!  As Lee Strobel writes in “The Case for Christ” Bible, Jesus points to those with humility in their soul, who derive their confidence & strength from God alone, as those who will inherit the Earth.  When it becomes about us, ultimately we lose, and today’s pundits who invariably slip into that are dragging people down with them.

Application-Make God’s word your primary source of guidance, be it in business, politics, or any area of your life.  If someone promotes an idea contrary to biblical teaching, don’t fall into the trap of putting their words ahead of God’s.

Affirmation & Life Application from Scripture-You Are Gifted

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) from Bible Gateway

Affirmation-It is very easy for us to watch someone like Sandi Patty sing or Billy Graham preach and wish we had their gifts.  Well, we don’t and we never will, but that’s okay because Peter reminds us that we have our own gifts to use.  Well, they’re not exactly our gifts, they still belong to the Lord, He’s just letting us use them.  The more we use them for His glory to benefit others, the more we will be blessed and the more blessings we will be passing along to others.  

While others may try to diminish your gifts, God won’t do that.  Peter writes that we use “whatever gift you have received” which tells us (1) we have received a gift from God and (2) we are expected to be a faithful steward of it.  If we have a good voice, we aren’t a failure if we don’t sell a million CDs.  If we use that gift to bless others, even if it’s only a handful of people at a small church, we will be considered faithful, and therefore successful by God, even if our culture doesn’t recognize it that way.

Application-What are you good at?  What gift do you think God gave you?  If you aren’t using it in a way that touches other people’s lives, ask the Lord for the opportunity to do so.  He loves answering that type of prayer.

Affirmation and Life Application from Scripture-God Helps You Want It

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.  Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV) from Bible Gateway

Affirmation-Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to do something that you don’t really want to be doing?  Many of you started diets a few days ago, and some have already fallen away from it because you didn’t want it bad enough.  When successful athletes are interviewed, they often point to their desire to win as what pushed them into the discipline to work hard enough to develop into champions.  Helping us to develop that type of desire, but focused on pleasing God and doing His will, is what I believe Paul is referring to when he talks about God working in us.  Also, the fear and trembling point to showing reverence toward the Lord and working to develop a closer relationship with Him.  God not only gives us the desire, but as we develop that He also makes sure we have His power, manifest in gifts/skills/personality, to accomplish His will.  Even if we aren’t connected to a church and have the mentoring of a pastor or church elder, we can still reach out toward God Himself to activate the power He has already placed in us!

Application-Don’t approach God’s will for our lives as a burden, obligation, or drudgery.  Look toward it as an opportunity, and one we don’t have to walk out alone or worry about condemnation if we stumble.

Affirmation and Application From Scrpiture-The Best Love Isn't Easy

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV) from Bible Gateway

Affirmation-This scripture is from the great "love chapter." I want to focus on the phrase "not self-seeking." At Christmastime we hear that "it is more blessed to give than to receive," and there is no gift that applies to more than love. John Wesley once said “We should chiefly exercise our love toward those who most shock our way of thinking.” That takes the idea of giving to a new level; we should give the gift of love to people who unsettle us, who we don’t agree with, who we perhaps even quarrel (or worse) with. After all, didn’t Jesus ultimately show love to those who sought to execute Him? Didn’t He give everyone, even those who hated Him, the chance for redemption and salvation through the cross? That’s the kind of love Paul is writing about and that Jesus wants us to attach His name to. The more we embrace the gift of the Holy Spirit, the more we become like Christ and the more we exercise those gifts to others. Sure, we need to be loved, but we also need to love as Jesus loved and continues to love us.

Application-Chose someone who you’ve had cross words with recently and show them some love in an unexpected way, either a kind word, a helping hand, or something that is given with no expectation of a response. Even if it not received well, if your heart is in the right place you will feel blessed by reaching out to them.

Affirmation and Life Application from Scripture-God is our comforter

Scripture: But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  Matthew 14:27 (NIV) from Bible Gateway

Affirmation: You don’t have to live in fear of incurring the wrath of the Lord to be a Christian. In fact, if you are, you’re missing something. Martin Luther said “A sorrowful, timid, frightened heart doesn’t come from Christ.” God does see the need to reassure us at times though. Let’s face it, some of the things He does can startle or even frighten us. The verse from Matthew came while Jesus was walking on water, a feat that shook up the disciples who were safely in a boat watching Him.

God understands that it is hard for us to grasp the extent of His power and the things He can do. That’s why, as Luther put it, “the Lord speaks to us with friendly and comforting words and actions.” Jesus Himself called the Holy Spirit ‘the Comforter.” Unfortunately, some Christians hold on to the notion of the vengeful, angry God who harshly reprimands and chastens us. That framing of God puts a lot of seekers off, and I don’t blame them—I wouldn’t want to worship that God myself. Fortunately, none of us have to.

Application: Attend church and pray with the knowledge that you can seek refuge in the Lord and not feel like you’re being called into the principal’s office.

Affirmation and Life Application From Scripture-One Step at a Time

The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.  Psalm 37:23-34 (NIV) from Bible Gateway

Affirmation:  Have you ever had a plan for your life that didn’t quite work out like you expected?  Here’s a better question; Who hasn’t?  I’ve had plenty of course corrections to make in my life, either because of mistakes I made or the occurrence of events I could not have possibly anticipated happening.  The good news is that God has a better plan and wants to lead us toward it.  There is a catch, however, as bible teacher Joyce Meyer writes; “A walk with God develops by taking one step at a time.  Some people want the entire blueprint for their lives before they will make one decision.  God does not usually operate that way; He leads us one step at a time.”  

In our human nature, it’s difficult yielding the perception of control we have in our lives, even more so when much of that path appears to be, uncharted.  It’s like that trust exercise where you are blindfolded and fall backwards, having to count on your partner to catch you.  In this case, it’s God with His arms extended and waiting to catch us, and He’ll do it over and over again.  We just have to trust His plan and His timing-step out but don’t run ahead of Him.

Application:  What do you feel God calling you to do that you have been reluctant or afraid to do?  Start the new year by doing it.  He is waiting to bless you with the next step after you take that one in faith.