Five Enemies to Your Dream Being Fulfilled

Bruce Chant —  May 15, 2013 — Leave a comment

dreams

Dare to Dream God Sized Dreams

This is a follow on post from Dreaming God Dreams. If you haven’t already, go and read that one first.

Five Enemies to your Dream in God being Realised

You and I have dreams for our life. But having and holding a dream and seeing it realised are not one and the same thing. Many things can actually get in the way of our dreams and stop us from seeing the idea of God birthed in our heart, become reality.

Here’s five enemies to your dream in God:

1. Distractions

Matthew 23:13

13″Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

The Pharisees were the religious people of the day who opposed the radical ways of Jesus. Their man made laws and rules were more important to them than the truth that Jesus taught. The result was the Pharisees “stopped people entering in”.

What did they stop people entering in to? The kingdom of God, the fullness of relationship with Jesus, and their unique calling and purpose in God.
Continue Reading…

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Dreaming God Dreams (Joel 2)

Bruce Chant —  May 3, 2013 — Leave a comment

Dreaming God's Dreams

Are you a dreamer?

Dreams are strange things aren’t they? They can be so real, so vivid, so tangible and then in a second they are gone! Have you ever tried to explain a dream you’ve woken from to someone else? To you, what you experienced was absolutely real and alive, but to someone else they often seem like nonsense!

It’s true also of dreams we have for our lives, our futures or for the world around us. To us they seem so real, but to others it is hard to adequately communicate the importance and substance of what we are dreaming for.

Dreaming God Dreams

Joel Chapter 2 says:

28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

There will be a time, the Bible says, when the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all people. Everyone, everywhere will have access to the Holy Spirit being poured out. That time is now. The dispensation we live in, the season of time, is the time between now and when the Lord Jesus returns. The Holy Spirit is being poured out.

The result of this outpouring of God’s Spirit, Joel says, is clear. That people will dream dreams and see visions.

Dreams make the impossible possible

Dreams result in the impossible becoming possible. Nothing historic, nothing notable, nothing exceptional is accomplished without someone first having a dream.

There is power in being able to dream and project your thoughts into the future and think “what if”.

“What if?” is a powerful question to ask. There have been many people in history who have dared to dream and ask the “what if” question – and from there it is the great people who do something about it and act upon their dreams. Particularly when your dreams come from God.

Great Godly Dreamers

Men like Martin Luther; a hero of the faith. He was a Catholic priest who stood up to the corruption of the Catholic church of that day and led a might revolution – the reformation – to see the church be what God intended it to be. His legacy is still felt today as the church continues to be reformed, more and more, in the image of Jesus. All this was based on a dream that all people would truly know God.

William Wilberforce was another man with a great dream. His dream was to abolish slavery. We look back and see that as something we obviously should do. Not so then. He was considered a radical, and dangerous, to advocate such a view. But out of his conviction that people carry the image of God and therefore matter to God, he saw slavery as being incompatible with that world view. He laboured over this dream for most of his life, but he saw his dream fulfilled.

There are many other great men and women of God who dared to dream of a world in which heaven was represented more fully, and more faithfully, here on earth. Dreams are often the starting point by which new breakthroughs are made, increases are aimed for, new ideas / methods / solutions are realised.

Dreams are often the starting point by which we are able to do what Jesus promised we would do, “greater works”.

Greater Works

John 14:12 says

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus says we will do greater things than what He Himself did. That is a huge statement! It is so easy to rationalise this away and come up with caveats for why it doesn’t mean what we read it to mean. But Jesus said it. And if He said it He meant it! In other words, it applies to you and me.

With the Holy Spirit at work in you, the dreams you can dream today can result in previously far off, improbable and impossible things, being realised in and through your life.

That is the outcome of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Everything that needed to be done, was done for us. All that is left is for us to join ourselves to Him, and by faith, live out the dreams of God in our lives.

Be encouraged and dare to dream for God.

YOUR TURN: Do you have a dream? Do you have a burning passion within you? Why not share it below and allow us to pray with you for it to begin to take shape.

 

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The Biggest Loser and Four Keys to Increased Fruitfulness

Bruce Chant —  April 26, 2013 — Leave a comment

mental shift

I have written a guest post over at my friend Daniel Vogler’s blog “Revival Lifestyle”, called “Four Mind-Shifts for Living in the Fullness”. It touches on:

  • My love for “The Biggest Loser” TV show
  • The moment in that show that we are believers need to become more fruitful in our lives and ministry
  • My God-encounter will a bunch of heavily tattooed, heavy drinking petrol-heads
  • The four mental shifts I believe we all need to make to walk in the fullness Christ bought for us

Here’s an excerpt:

Here’s another interesting observation. Peter wrestles with what God is telling him to do. Can you relate to that? I can!

Often we wrestle with God because we take our eyes and trust off of God and begin to search inwardly for the resources, wisdom and strength to carry out the vision of God.

The bad news is, we won’t find what we need looking within! Countless hours, dollars, training has been spent on therapies, counseling and techniques to try and fix humanity’s brokenness on the inside, when the answer comes to us from above; His name is Jesus!

Check it out, I pray it is a blessing to you.

PS – Are you are interested in writing a guest post here at eDevotional? If you are, I’d love to hear from you! Check out our guest post invitation page for how you can share your devotional insights with the many fine people how read this blog. God bless!

 

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When God is Silent

Bruce Chant —  April 24, 2013 — 5 Comments

when God is silent

The Silent Treatment

Have you ever got the silent treatment?
You know the icy-est of cold shoulders?
The rapid construction of that invisible but oh so noticeable wall where nothing seemingly gets in and nothing gets out?
It is the emotional state where “I am so seething mad with you right now, I refuse to even waste my breathe in your direction!”.

Yes, the silent treatment.

It’s never nice.

It causes the mind to race, the heart to accelerate and your mood to slump as you try to locate the absent-minded / foolish / thought-less cause you are somehow responsible for.

The silent treatment is a war-zone conducted by emotional and psychological guerrilla warfare; and you don’t know how to fit it!

Help Me Hear from God!

We all hate the silent treatment and the sense of rejection it brings. No one would suggest it is great way of resolving conflict, but it happens. We are familiar with it. And, for some of us, we fear it.

In my years of ministry, one of the common issues people have asked for ministry and prayer on is help in hearing from God. Although they have prayed, sometimes fasted, and all desperately sought the Lord, it seems He is not speaking. He is silent.

Can you relate to this?

What is often not said, but inferred, in these conversations is “Is God giving me the silent treatment?”

I’ve been there, I know.

You desperately want any answer from God. You are waiting on Him. You want to hear His voice. You want to do what’s right. You want to be lead by His Spirit. And yet, nothing.

It can be frustrating, even painful. But it needn’t be. It is certainly NOT God giving you the silent treatment.

So What Happens When God is Silent?

The mistake we often make is the assumption that God’s silence is a sign of his disapproval. But that is not the case.

One of the most profound verses I know of is found in Psalm 46:10a. It says:

“Be still, and know that I am God…

To me this cuts right through our busy, noisy, hyper-active way of life.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

In your busy-ness you expect microwave results. You expect things to happen according to your timeline and schedule. But the exhortation we have here is to stop, be still, and be quiet.

Now we are ready to KNOW the ways and wonder of our God.

How do you know you really know someone? When you can sit in times of silence with them, without any need to talk. Relationships that are strong and deep and intimate, don’t find that silence awkward and needing to be pierced by talk. Just sitting and being with them is enough.

And so it is with us and God.

Author and Speaker Graham Cooke has a great insight on this, that challenges how we see times of silence with God. He says:

“God is often silent. This silence doesn’t mean disapproval; in fact, when God is quiet it is generally an indication that He is happy with us. He doesn’t need to constantly reassure His mature sons and daughters when they are doing well; He just lets us be until we look like we’re heading off track.”

What to do when God is silent?

There are many unknowns in our walk with God. But that’s ok. Relationship with Him is about discovery. Discovering who He is and knowing Him, even in the silence.

Changing how we see times of silence with God is one thing. But there are times we still need to act, to decide, to make a call. What do we do then?

Here is a list of things you can do when God is silent. It’s not exhaustive, or prescriptive, but I pray it would be helpful:

  • What has God last said to you? Go with that
  • Maybe God is leaving the decision with you — He trusts you
  • What is God teaching you out of this silence? That is what He wants you to know
  • Take it as a “green light”. He wil let you know if you are in the wrong.
  • See as God saying you don’t need any more confirmation. Step out in faith.
  • There is no testimony without a test. This is going to turn out as a blessing to you
  • Stop. Let go. Give it to Him. Enjoy His presence.

WHAT Do you do when you can’t hear God’s voice? LEAVE a comment and share your experience.

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Illusion of Time: Waiting on God by Brandice Payne

Brandice Payne —  April 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

When Water Drops Collide

A Guest Post by Brandice Payne of MixxLife.

The Illusion of Time: Waiting on God

When God gives us words of direction, sometimes we feel invigorated to take on the world to see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives. Often, our biggest downfall (and what threatens our Godly perspective) is time. Time heals all, right? Actually, time is the reason some of us fail. Living a life for Christ demands patience. Time gives the enemy an abundant amount of opportunity to get us off God’s path and out of God’s calling. Time is the one thing we all wish we had more of, yet in God’s economy, time is where we are tested and strengthened. Time is the place where God grooms us. Our focus should be, how can we grow while we wait?

As we sit down to pray, we sometimes have a moment of thinking, “I wonder if God will answer this prayer right now? That would be great!” In that moment we begin to pray for favor, blessing, direction and a manifestation of God’s promise. Simultaneously, God is often saying, “Wait.” Continue Reading…

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How to Make Wise Decisions (1 Corinthians 10)

Bruce Chant —  April 12, 2013 — 2 Comments

Wisdom

Decisions Matter to Your Future in God

Eating Out

I love eating out. Visiting new restaurants, checking out new places, enjoying the atmosphere are all things that make me happy.

One of the best parts of eating out is undoubtedly the moment the menus arrive. We get to fully survey the range of wonder that comes from the kitchen. Now this is the point where decisions are needing to be made.

  • Are you a quick decision-making on what you’ll have to eat?
  • Maybe you someone who takes their time before deciding?
  • Or are you the flip-flopper, who decides, then un-decides, then decides again and keeps doing that until the wait staff are standing at your shoulder??

For me, it’s all part of the fun of eating out, but it does spotlight how decision making is a part of everyday life. Whether it is deciding what shirt wear out or something more significant like whether to move cities or not, decision making matters!

What is God’s Plan for My Life?

In my time in pastoral ministry people would offer ask me questions like how do I know God’s will for my life? What they were really asking was how do I make wise decisions that will take me forward with God?

I think every believer wants to move forward with God, as opposed to working against Him. Be that in marriage, in your career choices, in your major life decisions, in your ministry. God has good plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11), how do I discover them? I believe the ability to make wise, godly decisions is where it begins.

We Have Freedom to Decide

Decision-making can be very complex. For weightier decisions there are often so many factors involved. But the Apostle Paul here gives what I believe is three very helpful, very useful principles that can guide through a range of different, important decisions we will have to make.

1 Corinthians Chapter 10:23-24,31-33 says:

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

…31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

In Christ we have freedom (Galatians 5:1). There are certain matters that are prohibited for the believer in His Word. There will be times that God very clearly gives us direction on what we should do, in accordance with His will. But beyond that, the Father gives us freedom to decide.

That is why the Apostle Paul poses these questions to us. What you decide might be lawful, but is it profitable? It might be allowable, but will your decision result in your life being built up? I believe, what He is pointing to here is there is a major difference between an allowable decision and a WISE decision.

A wise decision will pay off for you, your loved ones and your future for years to come. A poor decision will cost you, both now and into the future.

We have freedom in Christ on how we spend our time, how we use our finances, who we spend time with, what media we consume, what goals we pursue, who we vote for and a million other things. We are allowed to choose, but will be choose wisely?

Three Questions to Ask In Making a Decision

So back to our text. How do I make wise decisions? How do I know if I my decision is wise or not?

When it comes to making a wise decision, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Does it Seek the Good of Others?

1 Corinthians 10:24: “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”

The world we live in has an unstated value and that is ‘do whatever is good for you’. This is the guiding principles for countless millions who rationalise their decision-making on this basis. Unfortunately, it is contrary to the values of the kingdom of God.

Jesus taught us that our first concern should be for others rather than ourselves (Matthew 7:12). That is why we are told here, in making our decisions, to first consider the well-being and benefit of others over ourselves.

We would live in a far better world if this was the value we lived by. If you want to be wise, begin by preferring others.

2. Does it Bring Glory to God?

1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

In Christ we have freedom in so many areas of life. Thank God we live under a covenant that says our righteousness is found in what Christ has done, rather than what you and I can do. However, in spite of that we need to be aware that this truth does not absolve us from the responsibility or the consequences of our actions.

With this in mind, we need to ask ourselves is my attitude about exalting God or exalting myself? Does this action reflect well on me or well on my Lord? Will people say ‘So that is what a Christian looks like’ or will they say ‘and S/he calls her/himself a Christian’.

3. Does it Lead to People Coming to Know God?

1 Corinthians 10:33: “I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”

Ultimately, God cares that people come to know Him above all else. We have freedom to live as we see fit according to the revealed will of God, but this is an important consideration in a wise life.

Is the message my life preaching the truth of God’s love and redemption? Am I declaring by my life the supremacy of Christ and His saving power, that others too might see the gospel as good news?

QUESTION: What Decisions do You Find Hard to Make? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Reaping the Positive Consequences of the Ways of God (Psalm 34)

Bruce Chant —  April 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

sowing and reaping

Sowing and Reaping with God

As parents, my wife and I are conscious of teaching our children things that will hold them in good stead throughout their lives. Our role is to shape their character and one of the ways we do this is to teach them about consequences.

We see the result of consequences all around us. There are countless opportunities to demonstrate that God has put in place laws such as sowing and reaping that are common to all those in His creation. We see it watching the nightly news, we hear about it in the school yard dramas, we witness during their sporting activities.

There is a consequence to each of your actions, for good or for bad. You choose your consequence by choosing your actions.

In Psalm 34 King David acts as our teacher, teaching us the ways of the Lord. As we sow according to the ways of God, He shows us there is also something good we will reap!

Psalm 34:1-2 says

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.”

Continue Reading…

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Everyone Loves a Winner (1 Corinthians 15)

Bruce Chant —  March 28, 2013 — Leave a comment

Victory

No one likes to be a loser

I remember growing up being told by well meaning teachers that when you play sport it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that counts. Do you remember that?

Unfortunately, the more I played sport the less I found that line to be true! I played to win and it seemed most others did too!

Of course, there is more to life than winning and recent sporting scandals should tell us loud and clear winning has limits. But there remains within each of us a desire to win. We love to win. We want to go one better than the other person.

To be a winner though, there needs to be a battle.

A desire to win is not necessarily a bad thing. The problem for most of us, is that in order for us to be a winner, we choose the WRONG battles.

Wrong battles are the battles that don’t matter.

  • Being better than your neighbour
  • Beating the traffic
  • Racing the supermarket lines
  • Playing politics at work
  • Climbing the social ladder

Really, none of it matters. But in God’s economy, He reveals to us what truly matters.

Winning at What Matters

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

Continue Reading…

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The Key to Staying Strong in God (1 Samuel 12)

Bruce Chant —  March 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

staying strong until the end

Keeping Strong in Your Faith

I have recently started a regular exercise regime again. If you’ve ever lapsed in your exercise, you know that to re-start is really not a lot of fun. What you used to find comfortable, is now painful. What used to leave you feeling good, now makes you feel like being sick!

Of course, as far as you can, it’s much better to maintain your regime and keep persevering with your exercise.

People have made careers out of motivating reluctant exercisers (like me) to exercise and keep fit. There are doubtless a hundred different tricks and tips that we could employ to encourage ourselves to not quit. Do they work? I don’t know!

But I do know there are times when we need to encourage ourselves in our walk with God, to keep on persevering and not give up. So how do we do that? Here is one way we Stay Strong in the Lord:

1 Samuel 12:24 says:

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.

How Do you Stay Strong in God?

One of the most effective ways to stay strong in your faith is Continue Reading…

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The Call to Being Uniquely You (1 Samuel 8)

Bruce Chant —  March 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

crowd

God Wants You to Be You

For most of us we have in our past a hidden pain. That pain is the pain of not fitting in. It probably was at some point in childhood. When it came, it probably caught you off-guard like an unseen sucker punch to the jaw. And it probably was enough to make you say, “I never want to be caught in that situation ever again”.

Having been in that situation once we tend to build up a reflex against doing the wrong thing, drawing the wrong sort of attention, or being caught on the wrong side of popular opinion. What that does is put us in the safety of the crowd, hiding us amongst everyone else.

Israel was like that. Israel didn’t want to stand out anymore. They were tired of being a “special” people. They just wanted to be like everyone else.

A King Like Everyone Else

1 Samuel 8:19-20 says:

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

Israel wants a king. They want things to change. They want what seems to be working for everyone else.

Samuel patiently details what having an earthly king would actually look like. The cost involved. The bondages that would be incurred by Israel. But in spite of that, Israel was still emphatic; we want a king like everyone else.

A Unique Calling and Purpose

Taking an earthly king was not God’s best for Israel. God intended that He, and He alone, be the ruling and reigning King over Israel, His chosen people. Israel had a unique identity as the people God put aside for Himself. But rather than embrace that calling and live in that unique purpose, Israel spurned God in order to be just “like everyone else”.

I will take a wild guess and say that you haven’t prayed and asked God for a earthly king to rule over you lately. I know I haven’t.

But that’s not the main point of this passage. Rather, the key point here is just like Israel chose the identity of everyone else over their own unique created identity in God, so can you and I.

What does it mean to “have a king like everyone else”? It means to reject the unique calling and created purpose of God for your life, in order to be “just like everyone else”.

Three Pitfalls of “Having a King Like Everyone Else”

Whilst imitating the crowd might save you from the fear of ridicule or rejection, it doesn’t help you in your journey to become all God would have you be.

It didn’t work out for Israel and it won’t work out for you or I. Here are three pitfalls of choosing the way of “everyone else” over the way God has for us:

1. The Pitfall of Comparison

“…that we also may be like all the nations…”

When you decide to be like everyone else, you have taken you eyes of the main thing and put it on the wrong thing. If we are more concerned with what everyone else is doing, we stop being concerned with what God is doing. And that is what happens with our lives that are focused on remaining anonymous in the crowd.

Have you heard of the saying “keeping up with the Jones’”? It is a silly game we play to try and out-do our neighbours with better cars, better jobs, better gardens, better vacations. But guess what, you will always find someone with more, someone with something better, someone who is further advanced than you. Wouldn’t it make more sense to simply enjoy what you have?

Living a life of comparison does the same thing. Rather than enjoying and embracing the call God has given you we become pre-occupied with what everyone else is doing, because we’ve got to keep up. If you’re living like this, you are measuring your life by the wrong standard and that is a dangerous place to be.

2. The Pitfall of Judgment

“that our king may judge us…”

When you tie yourself to the crowd, you also tie yourself to their judgments.

What makes the cool kids cool and uncool kids uncool? The cool kids say so, that’s what!

When you submit your life to the crowd instead of to the Lordship and purposes of Christ, you also submit to the judgments of the crowd in your life. You then live under the standards of what the crowd says you should have, what the crowd says you should look like, what the crowd says you should value and be.

It’s not a place you want to be! The crowd’s judgments are not righteous — they are a bondage. Break them off and look to Christ and His abundant grace for you!

3. The Pitfall of Wrong Battles

“and go out before us and fight our battles”

Israel would rather accept the battles chosen by an earthly king than face the circumstances given to them by God.

None of us like the prospect of facing a battle in our lives. But they are a reality of the world in which we live. The key is to see God’s redemptive purpose in them. When we face our own battles, God uses them for our growth, to increase us, and for us to take ground for our destiny.

Allowing someone else to pick your battles for you is folly. God has another way.

Be YOU!

We need to remind ourselves that each day, God wants and needs US to be the best US He created us to be. God needs you to be you!

I remember being taught the truth of Colossians 1:27b:

… Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The Word tells us that it is Christ IN you that is the hope of glory, not Christ INSTEAD of you. God chooses to reveal His glory to other in and through you. This is His plan, His purpose and His choice. When we choose to embrace and pursue the unique call and purpose of God for our lives, then Christ in us, the Hope of Glory begins to come into view of others around us.

Let’s pursue that call today.

How have you come to understand your unique call and purpose? Leave a comment and encourage someone!

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