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A Crisis of Faith
Author: Pastor Dee
29
Sep
I haven’t written for some time now because of a crisis of faith I went through. Rather than give all the sordid details of what caused the crisis, let me just tell you what the crisis was.
It wasn’t so much as not believing that God could come to my rescue or answer my prayer. Rather it was a question of whether God’s strength and wisdom could still grasp me enough to make me effective in my minsitry.
I liken it to falling into deep, murky water. Unable to see anything I struggle to reach the surface where there’s air and sunshine.
However, upon surfacing where I embrace the sun and am able to take deep breaths, I notice other people who are struggling to stay afloat.
The crisis: Do I have divine strength to save them or just enough of human strength to save myself?
I chose to save others; meaning, I chose to continue to minister. Yet, in doing so, it was then that I realized God’s strength and wisdom were with me all along.
Oftentimes it needs a step of faith to get faith going. We’ll never know the power of faith if we just sit on the fence waiting for it.
This is because God desires our availability in spite of what we may be going through. We must have the attitude of Isaiah when he cried out to God, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8).
When we go through a trial, hardship or crisis, we can immobilize ourselves with negative thoughts and self-pity. Fear and doubt then begin to make us spiritually myopic and the situation turns into a Goliath that will seem to devour us.
Yet, all it takes is a step of faith. All it took for David was one stone and one swing of the sling. All it took for Isaiah was one statement.
Just one step to get you out of a crisis. Find it within yourself and take it.
God will then do the rest. And his name shall be called "Wonderful!"
Do comment and let me know if you’ve gone through a crisis and what you did about it.
Technorati Tags: crisis of faith
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Filed under: Kingdom Living
How to Overcome Low Self-esteem
Author: Pastor Dee
13
Jul
“My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” -Gideon
Talk about low self-esteem! But that’s how Gideon described himself when the angel of the Lord appeared to him (Judges 6:15).
It was understandable. During that particular time Israel was in hiding. They harvested during the night under cover of darkness and in silence. They feared being over-run by their enemies who would steal their harvest and enslave some of them.
In more free circumstances, harvest was carried out in the day time with singing. So it was a shame for Israel to be playing a cat and mouse game with its enemies, Israel being the mouse.
Low self-esteem. What causes it? If we take a look at Gideon’s story, we can glean a few and know how to overcome them.
1. Fear. It’s one of the first of mankind’s emotions. However, be aware that fear can be both debilitating and energizing. For Gideon and his people it was debilitating. If we were to follow Gideon’s frame of mind, we could say they had the lowest of low self-esteem.
How can fear be energizing instead? You let it motivate you and not make you cower. The angel made Gideon realize they could face fear head on and defeat it; or let fear relegate them to a life of hiding. Former US President Franklin Roosevelt once said: “The only thing we need to fear is fear itself.”
Know the cause of your fear and your more than half-way in conquering it. More often than not, when we discover what’s behind our fears, we discover they’re not reason enough to
cause fear.
2. They didn’t know their strength. The angel told Gideon, “Go in the strength you have…” (Judges 6:14). The angel could have added, “Not in the weaknesses YOU THINK you have” (capitalization mine).
Many times we dwell in our weaknesses even though many of our weaknesses are mere thoughts. Dwell instead and build on your strengths. The Apostle Peter had this to say:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-9).
Peter certainly built on his strengths. From a fisherman he became one of the authors of the best-selling book of all time.
3. They weren’t at peace. I’m not just talking about the conflict Gideon’s people had with their enemies, but the conflict within themselves. Gideon’s questions to the angel reveal an inner conflict. He was not at peace with himself. He, along with his countrymen, was not at peace with other people.
The very core of these outer and inner conflicts was that they weren’t at peace with God. Thus, when Gideon knew God had a purpose for him, the Bible tells us he “built
an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace” (Judges 6:24).
Much of our inner turmoil can be traced to a turmoil with God in the form of guilt, unforgiveness, bitterness and the like. Inner turmoil causes low self-esteem.
Thus, forgive yourself, first of all. Don’t torture yourself with past failures or mistakes. Know that failures and mistakes are there to make you a better and stronger person. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “Out of life’s school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.”
Forgive yourself; then forgive those who’ve hurt you and ask forgiveness from those who’ve offended you. Then ask forgiveness from God. Being at peace with God, others and
yourself gives you a fresh start to building up self-esteem.
Technorati Tags: self-esteem, fear, forgiveness, peace, turmoil, conflict
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Filed under: Kingdom Living
No More Manic Mondays
Author: Pastor Dee
2
Jul
“It’s just another Manic Monday.” -The Bangles
I used to sing that single line everytime I ventured out of the home and into the thick of whizzing, discombobulating Monday traffic. More often than not, what I sang was what I got.
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he,” the Bible tells us (Prov 23:7 NKJV). In other words, we become what our thoughts are. Thus, if I sing that line from The Bangles, I’ll most probably get a manic Monday.
Yet, it doesn’t have to be. Although we enter each day into the axe and grind of work, we can have an inner peace that keeps us fresh, calm and composed. It’s all about mind set. Read the words of Paul, who most certainly had those days that can be deemed as “manic:”
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. -Phil 4:8 (NIV)
When we do, our day becomes a day that we can deem as having been made for us. For, indeed, it has!
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Ps 118:24 (NIV)
Manic Mondays? No longer for me. Mondays are a beginning of a new day and a new week accompanied with new blessings and new opportunities.
I think. So I am.
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Filed under: Kingdom Living
Fools, Rush In!
Author: Pastor Dee
19
Jun
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. -Ps 63:5 (NIV)
The Hebrew translation for the word, “praise,” in the verse above, is “halal,” which means to be clamorously foolish.
It’s an apt description of how a child should be with a parent. Once I drove a fellow pastor to fetch his daughter from day care. When we arrived at the center, the daughter, all of 5 years and3 feet, was waiting patiently at the gate. Yet, when she saw her dad, she squealed, “Daddy!,” ran to the car, jumped on his lap, kissed him all over his face and began talking animatedly about her day in school, stopping only a few moments to greet me.
How clamorously foolish!
Yet, this is the way we should be with our heavenly father; not stiff, not uncomfortable, not fearful. He loves us with an everlasting love. He delights in hearing how our day went. He delights in our kissing him. The New Testament word for worship (John 4:23-24) comes from the Greek, “proskuneo,” which means “to kiss”.
Praise, therefore, is an expression of gladness, trust and anticipation of being in the presence of God. If it causes you to be foolish before him, never mind. It’s the kind of foolishness you need not ask forgiveness for.
Technorati Tags: praise, worship, trust in God
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Filed under: Kingdom Living
Faith Provoker
Author: Pastor Dee
9
Apr
Here’s a short video to provoke your thought … and faith.
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Filed under: End Times
This is the Day…
Author: Pastor Dee
30
Mar
There’s a popular phrase that goes, “Thank God It’s Friday!”
Perhaps this is the reason why we can become so stressed out during the week. We only give thanks to God on Fridays. Look, however, at what the Bible says: This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it -Psalm 118:24.
Loook at another verse: Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name -Hebrews 13:15.
It’s all about cultivating an attitude of gratitude. When we are always thankful to God, no matter what day it is, we enjoy the day more. When we enjoy the day, less stress comes into our lives. When we are less stressed, we are able to forget about our needs and wants and be of service to others.
This is the best way to evangelize. It’s also the best way to live abundantly.
Technorati Tags: attitude of gratitude, live abundantly, stress-free living, service
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Filed under: Kingdom Living
A Cure for Insomnia
Author: Pastor Dee
17
Mar
By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me–a prayer to the God of my life. -Ps 42:8 (NIV)
How do you go to sleep at nights?
Do you bring the problems of the day to your sleep? Do your worries wake you in the middle of the night? Do you go to sleep in dread of the following day?
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can sing a lullaby to ourselves by worshiping God before we lay our heads on the pillow.
God is the God of our lives. We are safe in his hands. When we begin the day knowing and embracing God’s love, we can be assured that the day will progress according to his direction.
When God is in control, his peace — the peace that passes all understanding — will follow us. As evening comes we can affirm that peace through worship and thanksgiving.
Then peaceful sleep comes.
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Filed under: Kingdom Living
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