Dress For Success

Last Friday night, I had the pleasure of hosting "What Not to Wear" Women's event at our church. This message has been simmering in me since August of 2005. Four years in the making. I was so pleased at the outcome. It was based around the TLC program "What Not to Wear." The following entry is a compilation of my thoughts and what I shared. I warn you, this is a long entry.

The television program "What Not to Wear" is not as much about what not to wear as it is about what to wear. The format of the program is to take an unsuspecting candidate, show up unexpectedly, reveal their lack of fashion sense, lure them in by giving them a $5,000 debit card to buy a whole new wardrobe, toss out ALL of their old clothes, explain why their old clothes don't work, teach them how to shop for their body type and at the end of the hour, reveal them to the friends and family who nominated them. It starts out with the candidate feeling humiliated. Throughout the process they struggle with the change, but buy the time they get their haircut and makeup, they begin to see the "real" woman they were meant to be.

As a follower of Jesus, we have been given a "spiritual fashion guide." In Galatians 3:27, Paul tells us to put on Christ. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, it says that we are being transformed into Christ's likeness with ever increasing Glory. I asked myself, what does that Glory look like and why don't I see that Glory on me or other Believer's for that matter. As I began this journey studying what "spiritual fashion" looks like, I realized that the apostle Paul must have been a fashion savvy guy. He talks about clothing ourselves more than anyone else in scripture. Todays well known brand of clothing we see people wearing is Aeropostale, but I bet in Paul's day his designer line was Apostle.

The first step in attaining a new spiritual wardrobe is to get rid of the old and outdated clothing. On the TLC program, the hosts put a large garbage can in the middle of the room and they pull out each piece of clothing of the rack, discuss why it isn't appropriate and then in the trash it goes. Then the participant puts on three of their favorite outfits and stands in front of a 360 degree mirror. Most of the time they don't see anything wrong with what they are wearing, until the hosts explain why it doesn't work for them. Most of the time it hides who they really are, whether they are wearing clothes that are too big or too small. Then they are given rules to follow and sent out on their own to see if they can follow the rules. Most of the time, by the end of the first day, the participant is discouraged and is ready to give up. One of the participants said this. Her name is Courtney, "I'm hoping to find some happy medium between reflecting my personality and the clothes Stacey and Clinton are choosing for me. I don't want to project something that I'm not. I'm nervous that I'm going to go through all of this and not like what I've been transformed into." Isn't that the biggest issue for most of us? That if we make any changes in our lives that we will project something that we're not. I have news for you, when you are becoming more like Jesus, you are becoming exactly who you are supposed to be.

Colossians 3:1-11 says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."

Most of our "spiritual fashion" mistakes are because of our insecurities. We hide in our fears. One fear being that if we change people won't like us, or even respect us. In verse 3, the scripture says that our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. This was interesting to me as the word used here was "hidden." What did Adam and Eve do after they sinned in the Garden? They hid. What did they hide behind? Clothes made from fig leaves. No longer do we have to hide in our "old" nature. The nature of the flesh. But because of what Jesus did for us, he is now our covering and he gives us a "new" wardrobe. So our perception is incorrect.

Shortly after I had my son, I was faced with change. Not only was I now a new mom with a new figure, but I went from working full time in an office with other people to being alone at home with a baby that I couldn't even have a conversation with. I was lost in my new life. One day I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to pull everything out of my closet. Then He told me I needed to get rid of everything that wasn't me anymore. I can't tell you how difficult that was. I had clothing from my single days when I was thin. Clothes that I bought after I moved back to the south that weren't so "Californian". Maternity clothes that I bought and maternity clothes that were given to me. Clothes that were for work and clothes that were for hanging around the house in. I can't tell you how difficult it was to let go of each piece. Every shirt, pant, blouse and skirt had some memory or meaning attached. But those pieces of clothing were no longer who I was. I was now a mom, a woman with a figure because of my new body, and now my career was raising my child.

At this moment, I would ask you to take some time to write down the following words. I want to assume that you do not have any trouble with any of these "old" clothes. But if you are like me and have some out dated clothing hanging in your clothes closet, then it is likely you have some out dated clothing in your "heart's closet."

So often we read these words, but really don't know what they mean. We will take a closer look at each one. As we do write them down, look at it closely and ask yourself if this is reflecting the Glory of Jesus?

Let's begin with sexual immorality. Yes, thats a big one and the first one mentioned. If you are a Believer, you may not struggle with this one. But then again, maybe in your past you allowed yourself to wear this and to this day the enemy uses it against you to keep you from dressing in your "new" clothes.

Then there is impurity. The dictionary definition is a state or quality of being impure. The synonym is contamination. We contaminate and dilute our faith when we live impure lives.

Lust is an intense, uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite. This means we lack the fruit of the Spirit of self-control.

Evil desires. Romans 6:12 says, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Evil desires is sin and if we obey those desires then we are living in rebellion against God.

Greed is idolatry. A greedy person worships the things of this world. Do you have things that are exalted above Christ?

Anger is a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong.

Rage is a fit of violent anger; a violent desire or passion.

Malice is a desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness.

Slander is defamation; a malicious, false and defamatory statement of report.

Filthy language in the English Standard Version translation is obscene talk.

Last, but not least, lies. Bottom line, this is one of the Ten Commandments.

Do these characteristics resemble Jesus in any way? No, and yet so often we wear these old clothes because we find these clothes comfortable. Now that you have written these words down, say a quick prayer of forgiveness and tear the paper up and throw it in the trash.

Now let's go shopping.

The first rule of fashion is to know your body type. As a follower of Jesus, our body type isthat we all make up the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, "All of us together make up the Body of Christ." The main reason we need to wear the right "spiritual clothing" is because Ephesians 4:12 says it is "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." I see Christians tear each other down all of the time. Just knit picky things that keep us in conflict against one another all of the time.

Colossians 3:10-13 give us the basic and classic pieces we need to make up our "spiritual wardrobe." It says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

In basic fashion, each piece of clothing should complement each other. Spiritual fashion is the same. Each characteristic found in these two verses is complimentary of the other.

Tailoring is important for clothes to fit properly. Of course God is going to tailor the perfect clothing for the Body of Christ. God is the master designer. If you look back in Leviticus, you will see his attention to detail when giving the instructions to Moses for the priestly garments. As a Believer you are now a priest. (Revelation 1:6)

One of the participants on "What Not to Wear" did not ever wear a bra. Stacey and Clinton were telling her how unflattering it was and because of it, she looked heavy. Their suggestion of the proper undergarments would make her outerwear fit better as well as lifting in the right places. Proper fitting undergarments support and distribute weight evenly. Putting on the garment of praise for the the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3) works in much the same way. If we choose to live our lives in praise it lifts us to heights spiritually, that are untainable otherwise and it makes all the other pieces of clothing look better.

Every career woman needs a suit. In the business world these are called power suits. If our career is to be a Christian then we too have to have a power suit. That power suit is found in Ephesians 6. Verses 10 and 11 tell us "to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so we can take our stand against the devil's schemes."

Most of us prefer elastic waist bands rather than solid or belted waist bands. We always want what is more comfortable, but a solid or belted waist band helps to keep our weight in check. Just as a belt keeps us physically in check, so does the belt of Truth (Ephesians 6:14). The truth of God's Word keeps us in line to His will for our lives.

Now let's take a quick look at compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. Sounds like Jesus to me.

Kindness is the state or quality of being kind; friendly feeling.

In 1 Peter 5:5, the scripture tells us "to clothe ourselves with humility because 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" If we truly are to become a reflection of Jesus, then humility should be a high priority.

Gentleness is kindly, not severe, rough or violent.

Last but not least, patience. Patience is an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay. Sounds like a girdle to me.

Whenever we dress in the physical sense, we always check ourselves in the mirror to make sure we are not untucked somewhere, unbuttoned, unzipped and the list goes on. The Bible is like a mirror that we can check ourselves against.

I have this hand mirror that has a normal side and a magnified side. Most days the normal side is fine, but there are days when I have to use the magnified side to see a little more closely. Reading God's Word is similar. There are days when reading you feel good about what you read. Then there are days when it seems the words written on the page magnify the things going on in your heart and you feel it go deep into the core of your being.

Finally, accessorizing is an important part of our spiritual wardrobe. Colossians 3:14-17 says, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I love shopping for shoes. One of the suggestions for shoes is that shoes should be neutral enough to wear with more than one outfit. Shoes complete an outfit. I would say love is like a pair of shoes or sandals. We can't leave the house without shoes. Yes, I know we can't leave the house without wearing a top or blouse, skirt or pants, but shoes are the final touch. Remeber the signs that hung outside of restaurants? "No shirt, no shoes, no service?" If it were translated to spiritual fashion it would say, "no compassion, no love, no service."

A haircut and highlighting along with makeup that is a shimmering powder with highlights can make you look ten years younger. It brightens up the face. To some extent, forgiveness acts in the same way. People who live with unforgiveness in their hearts tend to look aged and there is a darkness in their look. Forgiveness brings a light to their life, that takes away the darkness.

I want to conclude with a few thoughts. The magazine racks are filled with magazines that tell us how to dress. In fact, many magazines have celebrities as models we should follow. There is only one source we should be reading and that is the Bible and only one "supermodel" we should look up to and that is Jesus.

I have this plaque in my bathroom that says, "One shoe can change a life.- Cinderella" If shoes are the clothing of love, then Jesus showed us great love by putting on and walking in our shoes. 1 John 3:16 says "We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us." Jesus paid the price for our "old" wardrobe so we could receive the "new" wardrobe from God's "Spritual Boutique."

Remember how I mentioned earlier the women on "What Not to Wear" was given a $5,000 debit card and how difficult it was for them to spend all the money on themselves? We do that with our salvation. We recieve the gift of salvation, but we don't feel that we are worth all of the other gifts that go along with it. Those gifts being freedom from what has kept us bound, healing, and receiving the blessings that come along with a good attitude.

On the other hand, maybe you have not said yes to taking the "challenge" meaning you still have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Jesus has prepaid your debt and came to redeem your life from death and to give you eternal life. All you have to do is just say yes.

Remember the young lady, Courtney that I mentioned earlier? This is what she said about her complete makeover at the end of the program. "This is a radical transformation for me and it was a rough road, but knowing I look and feel different, people react different to me now. I do feel more confident. What I learned is, if PART of you wants to change, then do it!"
Don't be afraid to get rid of the "old" clothes in your heart's closet and don't be afraid to put on the "new" clothes that have been given to you. Allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in your life and allow the transformation to take place. You have to believe that you can be transformed into the likeness of Christ. The first step is to put on the clothes God has given you. I promise you this, we can be confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6)

Good Friday Thoughts From Jordanne

The following blog entry was written by my 10 year old daughter Jordanne.

Hello everyone! You may think this is a chain mail or la-di-da how's it going email. But it is not. (This is a long email) As some of you may know, Easter is this Sunday. No, it is not about a little bunny that comes in the night to give you candy. It is about the death of Jesus Christ. (I may add somethings you would not expect a 10 year old girl to say because some things may sound violent but it is the truth.) I will start from the beginning. Yesterday was the beginning of a Jewish tradition called Passover. At that time Jesus knew he was going to die. He was only about thirty years old at this time. After his death they started calling it the last supper.
So Jesus sat down with his twelve disciples and three of them were Peter, John, and Judas. "When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. ²¹And while they were eating, he said, 'I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.' Matthew 26:20-21 "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, 'Take this and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" Matthew 26:26-28.
Now yes one of his disciples did betray him. It was Judas. In the late night/early morning Judas went to the chief priests and greed took a hold of him. He told the chief priests where Jesus was. And in reward he got 30 pieces of silver.
Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'⁴⁰Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?' he asked Peter. ⁴¹'Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak'

⁴²He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.'

⁴³When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing." Matthew 26:32-44.

When Jesus was done praying the chief priests' soldiers had come to take Jesus away and as they were fighting John went and ran to Mary Magdaline and Mary (Jesus' earth mother). John told them what was happening to Jesus.

While John was away, as I told you the soldiers and the two left of Jesus' disciples were fighting for Jesus. (He only took three disciples with him.) Now Peter had a sword and Jesus said "drop it". So Peter did as told. Now the soldiers accidentally sliced off one of their partner's ears. The soldiers was so in shock when Jesus came he was like whoa it is impossible to put my ear back on. But Jesus picked up his ear and placed on the bloody spot where it had sliced off and he had been healed by the power of God.

So the soldiers had Jesus tied up and started beating him with fists as he was taken away.

Judas felt so bad about betraying Jesus he tried to return the pieces of silver to let Jesus go but the would not take it back so Judas left the pieces there. Judas left town and the guilt killed him. I mean actually killed him. He hung himself up on a tree and died. See greed and guilt can kill a man.

They took Jesus to the chief priests and asked him questions but Jesus would not answer but they all started beating him because he would not answer. People around him started saying he brought the dead back to life, healed the paralyzed, and healed the sick with the help of demons. He did but not with demons but with God. But then the chief priest said let him speak. But Jesus would not speak.

They all took him to Pilate the Roman governor. Pilate questioned Jesus in secret. He could not find anything wrong with him. So Pilate took him back out and said there is nothing wrong with him. But he is a Galilean so he is under Harod's control..

Now they took him to Harod and same thing happened but Harod didn't want to deal with him so they took him back to Pilate.

"So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, 'Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?'" Matthew 27:17 They all chose Barabbas to set free even though Barabbas was a horrible criminal. Pilate didn't want to kill Jesus. But they all said to crucify him. So he did as they wish so they would not start a riot.
They beat Jesus so badly he couldn't very much stand up. Then they made him a crown of thorns and started mocking him because people say he calls himself "The King of the Jews." They pushed the crown so hard into his head.
The next day Jesus had to carry his cross to the Crucifixion ground which was a long way to walk. A man either offered or was forced to help carry Jesus' cross because Jesus was so weak.
Once they got there, the Romans nailed Jesus' hands and feet to the cross. Then they stood him up. "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰and saying, 'You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!'"
"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'—which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Matthew 27:46. Usually crucified people stay on the cross for weeks but Jesus only stayed up for a few hours alive.
Then a storm approached and a big earthquake happened to show he was dead but the Romans didn't know it. They knew Jesus was dead but stabbed him to make sure.
They put him in a tomb with soldiers guarding it but three days later "angels" (they were invisible) pushed away the rock and Jesus arose from the dead. Jesus gave one last teaching to his disciples and went to heaven.

Jesus died for all of our sins for example cussing, lying, stealing, witchcraft, etc. He died for the sins of the past, present, and future. He died for you and me. Pass this on to share the true story of Easter with friends if you would like.
P.S. Today is Good Friday. It is the day Jesus got hung on the cross and died.


-Jordanne Hamilton
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son,
that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

"Do"teronomy or "Do Not"eronomy

I love the book of Deuteronomy. It is the final book that Moses wrote that sums up Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. It is a shortened version of the "do's" and "don'ts" of the three other books. I noticed as I read, how often the words do and do not appear.

Towards the end of the book, Moses concludes with the blessings if you fully obey the law that has been given and it is so encouraging. It is found in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. It reads, "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ² All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: ³ You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. ⁴ The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. ⁵ Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. ⁶ You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. ⁷ The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. ⁸ The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. ⁹ The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them."

It doesn't get more encouraging that that. If anything, this passage should ignite the enthusiasm to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

On the flip side, Moses then writes the consequences of what will happen. It only took 14 verses to explain blessing, but it takes 53 verses to explain the curse to come if any of the law is broken. Here is a sample of verses 15-19. "However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: ¹⁶ You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.¹⁷ Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. ¹⁸ The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. ¹⁹ You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out."

I want to encourage you to read the rest of chapter 28. It will open your eyes to as to why some of us Believers just can't seem to move into the blessings that God has promised. Little compromises here and there begin to sneak in. When we compromise we "curse our promise". God is pretty clear on His expectations of us on the obedience issue. Deuteronomy 22:9 says, "Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crop you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled." How many followers of Jesus tithe and then spend the rest of their money on things that are unpleasing to the Lord. Galatians 5:19-21 tells us not to be given to sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. As New Testament children of God, it is about inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven rather than the Promised Land.

I am as guilty as anyone on compromise. Those times when I told God that I couldn't tithe because my car payment was due or because I just bought a new outfit and if I tithed it would put my checking account in the red. Or allowing certain music and movies to feed my spirit.

The good news is that I can ask for forgiveness and my compromise will no longer bring curses into my life. But there is a consequence to my action and sometimes I have to live out the consequence before the promise can take effect.

I challenge you today to take an inventory of your life. Especially as we wrap up this Holy Week. Jesus died to break the curse of this world so we might walk in blessing. Ephesians 1 is the new Covenant version of Deuteronomy 28. It's about the spiritual blessings we have recieved. Take some time to read Ephesians 1and "do" be blessed!

Property Virgins

In real estate, it is all about getting more for your money, whether it is land or houses. Living in Orange County, that is difficult to do. Most of the homes are so over priced and yet people will buy way over their head just to keep up with the inhabitants of the land. That is why we are in the foreclosure situation we are in today.

As I have been studying the Israelites in the book of Numbers, it occurred to me that like the television show "Property Virgins," these people were first time land owners. All they knew was "renting." Having owned a home once and now as a renter, there is a freedom in that comes with owning something that you can make yours.

The book of Numbers is about God allotting land to the twelve tribes. The map looks very much like the U.S. today. Boundaries are given to Moses by God for each tribe to settle in. But in doing so, like a contract that is written up for the potential homeowner, it comes with rules and regulations. The difference for the Israelites is that their property was an inheritance. Nothing they had to pay for, but like an association that many subdivisions have today, there were rules to be followed. The rules in associations are to keep the neighborhood peaceful, but many people break the rules and there is a consequence. Usually a fine to be paid and unhappy neighbors.

I discovered many things over the past few weeks in studying the book of Numbers and now that I am into Deuteronomy that God is requiring of His people and that is obedience. This all began to unfold for me when I came across Deuteronomy 4 verses 1 and 2. It says, "Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. ² Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you."

Prior to this "association policy" in the book of Numbers two sentences caught my attention in regards to the property these people were about to receive. It is sandwiched in a passage as Moses is assigning property (boundary lines) to the tribes. It says "... 'This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.' " ¹³ Moses commanded the Israelites: "Assign this land by lot as an inheritance..." (Numbers 34:12&13) Boundaries bring inheritance. Inheritance isn't only about prosperity, it's about safety, health and well-being. God was very specific on the boundaries He was giving to His people. The reason being was that their enemies were surrounding them in the countries outside of the Promised Land.

Something interesting about this prompted me to go back a few chapters to Numbers 26 verse 52-54. It says, "The LORD said to Moses, ⁵³ "The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. ⁵⁴ To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed." Now normally when one would read this, the reader understands the fact that a larger group of people require more land and the smaller group, not so much. But going back to the land and inheritance I realized that it is possible the smaller tribes lost out on some of their inheritance due to their disobedience. A consequence to a previous action. Let me recap on what happened earlier in the book of Numbers.

Shortly after the twelve spies returned from the Promised Land, ten of them brought back a negative report and their negativity spread throughout their tribes. God was very angry at them for this and because of this, the scripture says that these people were struck down by a plague before the Lord. (Numbers 14:36&37) They died! The subtraction begins. In Numbers 16, Korah and some others took it upon themselves to rise up against Moses. They decided that Moses wasn't the right leader for them and wanted to take him out. Um, I don't think that was so smart of them to think they knew better than the Lord. God is the ultimate authority and whom He chooses is the last word. It's kind of like people wanting to fire their pastor. There is no blessing in that because God opened up the ground and swallowed up their whole families. (Numbers 16:31) Another subtraction. Then in Numbers 21, the people started complaining again about not having what their "flesh" desired and fearful of the unknown. So God sent poisonous snakes to kill off the grumbling. (Numbers 21:4) The third subtraction of people.

So now you see where I am going with this. People were lost along the way due to rebellion and complaining. I'm sure this is the reason some of the tribes became smaller and therefore, lost out on some of the land that was promised to them.

This all came together for me about the boundaries God has set up for us. God has given us guidelines and rules, like a Property Management company, for our good. That living inside the boundaries we will receive the inheritance promised to us. That trusting in the Lord with all of our heart, doing the things He asks us to will bring prosperity and success. It is when we complain and distrust, and rebel against Him that we step outside of our safe zone and put ourselves out there for the enemy to attack.

The reason it took so long for these people to inherit the property the Lord wanted to give them was because He truly wanted to make them virgins. One of the definitions of the word virgin is pure and undefiled. God truly was wanting "Property Virgins" to inherit the land He was giving them. It wasn't about the land being pure, but the people. He cares way more about people than property. Psalm 16:6 says, "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;surely I have a delightful inheritance."

So today I ask this question, what boundary lines have you crossed that God has not laid out for you? Could God call you a "property virgin"? Where is your Promised Land and what is taking you so long to cross over and receive your inheritance? Maybe you are in your Promised Land, but you are still fighting off the former inhabitants (previous habits of the sin nature). What is God telling you to do to overcome these idols of the world? I want to encourage you today to examine your heart and ask the Lord for forgiveness. I believe before long, you will see the blessings of the Lord chase you down. The sooner we get it together, the sooner we'll be on the other side.

Consquences of Doubt and Negativity

As I have been reading through the book of Numbers, I have been taking a personal inventory. Wow, if I would have been one of the Israelites, I would have been called a grumbler by God and probably would have been swallowed up in the ground or bitten by a snake or even worse, stuck in the desert to die. God is truly displeased with us when we complain, disobey and are negative. Thank goodness we don't have the same consequences for our actions as the Israelites. Or do we?

In the bigger picture, our attitudes and obedience to God are the keys to entering the "Promised Land." Numbers 23:19 is a powerful verse. It says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" What are the promises that the Father has spoken to you? God promised His people that He would give them the land of Canaan. But for the first generation of Israelites, they were doubtful even though God had delivered them from Egypt, provided food and protected them from their enemies.

Oh how I wish I could say that I would not have been like them, but the truth is, I am like them. Because of Jesus, my life has been spared the consequence of being swallowed up by the earth and no snakes are around to bite me, but if I let them, my circumstances can swallow me up and my negative tongue can bite me in the end and curse my life.

I want to encourage you to go back and take an inventory of your life. What are the promises God has made to you? More importantly what has He protected you from, how has He provided for you and what does His Word say He promises to those who diligently seek Him?

In conclusion, I want to speak "truth" to you. Number 23:20 says, "I have received a command to bless; he has blessed and I cannot change it." So may your life be blessed today and forever more!

The Curse of Fruitlessness

Last night, one of the last things I said to Jeff before we went to sleep was what I read yesterday in my devotions. It resonated so much in my spirit that it was the first thing on my mind this morning. It was about the fig tree in Mark chapter 11: 12-14.

It reads, "The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reach it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And his disciples hear him say it."

Why did that have such an impact on me? I think it is because five verses later which according to the scripture was the next day, that fig tree was mentioned again. Very rarely do you see something picked back up again in the scripture if at all. Mark 11:20 and 21 says, "In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said Jesus, 'Rabbi, look! the fig tree you cursed has withered!'"

There is a very important message here, that I think we often skip over. Sometimes we interpret the cursed fig as the power of Jesus words or even the power of the tongue. But there is more here than just what we say. Let's take a look at it from another angle.

According to my study reference in my NIV Study Bible, it says that fig trees were common and inexpensive. It takes them three years to mature and produce fruit. Then when they do produce fruit, it is only in late spring and early autumn. If one would read this, it would make you wonder then why Jesus was frustrated with it. Did Jesus show some impatience here because he was hungry? No, maybe Jesus was giving his disciples an illustration of why it is important to bear fruit in and out of season. You never know who might be walking by and running on empty and needing some "fruit of the spirit."

Let's just say in this scenario, we are the fig tree. After three years into our "transformation" process of becoming like Jesus, we still aren't bearing the fruit of the spirit. In Galatians 5:16-25, Paul talks about living by the Spirit and what it looks like. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

What I find interesting about this particular idea of the fig tree that Jesus cursed, is that the first time the word "fig" and "cursed" were mentioned in the Bible, was back in the third chapter of Genesis. Maybe Jesus used this illustration to remind them that fruitlessness began with the fall of man. That it has always been an issue since God cursed the soil. After Adam and Eve had sinned and had eaten "the fruit" from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they clothed themselves with fig leaves sewn together. (Genesis 3:7) Just a thought, it never says what the fruit was on the tree, but what if it was figs and they used the leaves hoping it would "cover" their mistake? Then God shows up questioning them as to who told them they were naked. (Genesis 3:11) Then God cursed the serpent. (Genesis 3:14) But more importantly God said to Adam, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

I wonder if the reason this "cursing of the fig tree" was mentioned the next day was because maybe God wanted to highlight the importance of bearing fruit. Why as followers of Jesus we need to be bearing the fruit of the Spirit all the time. As I mentioned before, you never know who will need it. Think of yourself like a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. Always available for whoever is hungry.

When we were in Israel, I was amazed at the many crops of fruit trees throughout the region. There were all kinds of crops. Unlike the U.S. where we can only grow citrus in Florida and Southern California, grapes in Northern California, apples in Washington, etc. The fruit crops were everywhere. Even in the desert regions they grew dates. Fruit is served at every meal, which is why I believe Paul paralleled the characteristics of the Spirit to fruit. We need to serve them up all the time. There are so many things stirring in my spirit about this that I could go on and on. But I'll stop and leave you with this final thought. Above is a picture of a fig leaf that I brought home from a tree in the Old City of Jerusalem. When Jeff pulled it from the tree, it was as large as his hand. When we got back to the hotel and I pulled it out of my bag, it had shrunk considerably. As you can see it is half the size of my hand. When I got home from Israel, I laminated it to keep as a reminder of what a cursed life is like. A cursed life is limited. The only thing that can bring a life of abundance and fruitfulness is abiding with Jesus (John 15:5) and living by the Spirit which will produce a life that will be Christ-like.

Weathering the Storm

Hurricane Hugo, hurricane Andrew, the Northridge earthquake, the San Francisco earthquake, tornado alley, USA and one of the most unforgetable storms in recent history, hurricane Katrina to name some disasters of nature. I remember in 1995 I experienced my first tornado in Tennessee. Growing up in California, earthquakes are not that scary to me. Tornadoes on the other hand scare me. I remember standing in my office on a dark and rainy day. The wind picked up and began to blow extremely strong. The Weather Service had issued a tornado warning. I learned quickly that "watches" and "warnings" mean two different things. A "watch" means it's possible and "warning" means it's been seen.

As I stood there looking out of the window of my office, the black clouds over head darkened the street outside. The rain poured like small buckets of water being dropped from Heaven. But when the wind began to blow that is when the fear began to set in. What was happening? Suddenly, without notice, the power went out. At that time I was working at a local television station so we were the first to get the weather report. As we stood looking out the window, probably not the safest place to be, but wondering if the tornado they had been warning us about was going to touch down near us. All of the sudden the sound above was the sound of a large freight train rushing by. It was so loud, I had never heard anything like this before. The trees were being blown so hard they were literally laying sideways, as was the rain now falling. It looked like something you might read about in a scene in Alice and Wonderland. We at that point moved inside the building to a safe location until it had passed by.

Soon the power returned and the emergency weather announce that a tornado touched down right there in Hendersonville where I was. It ripped the roof off of one of the department stores at the mall. Thankfully there were no severe injuries, deaths or damage.

In 1998, another tornado touched down right in the middle of downtown Nashville. We had been out driving around that day and had been listening to tapes so we had not heard there was a tornado warning. When we got home we had decided it was time for a nap and didn't turn on the tv. We had been sleeping about an hour when our phone rang as family members in California called to see if we were okay. We didn't even know there was a tornado. Later that week we drove downtown to see the damage. Steel roofs had been twisted like aluminum foil. It was crazy.

I bring up my experience with these tornados to describe the passage in Mark 4 when Jesus calmed the storm. The disciples had been with Jesus all day and when evening came, Jesus told them to go over to the other side of the lake. Jesus had been teaching all day and was tired so he went down into the boat to sleep. In verse 37 it says that a furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Now I've been in Galilee when one of these squall's happens and it's amazing how strong the wind gets. As I stood looking out of our hotel room during one of these winds, the mosaic tiles on the side of our balcony were missing. Probably from the frequent wind storms they get.

Now the disciples were experienced fishermen and had probably experienced these before. Unless this time it was different. And they even had Jesus on board. Maybe this squall was stronger because God wanted to expose the fear in these men and to help them realize who they had been with was truly the Son of God. The men woke Jesus up, and asked him if he even cared that they were going to drown. Now my take is, Jesus was either really tired from speaking all day that he didn't notice the boat rocking or maybe he knew the storm was coming and he knew it was not his time to die so he dismissed it. But the disciples didn't know what to think except they were going to die out there.

Jesus got up and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still! (verse 39). The the verse goes on to say that the winds died down and it was completely calm. In verse 40 Jesus responded to them "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Then in verse 41 the disciples were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" A side note, why is it the wind and waves can obey him, but it's hard for us to?

Having lived in North Carolina and Tennessee spring thunderstorms are likely to bring tornadoes and hurricanes. They are more frequent than earthquakes in California. Two years ago we were in Cozumel 3 weeks after a hurricane had hit and it was amazing the damage it had done. But what was interesting, life went on. Roads may have been washed out, but it didn't stop the people from driving. Life resumed.

Aren't the circumstances of our lives similar to the weather? As I watched the President address the country on our economic hurricane tonight that we are currently in the midst of, he encouraged the citizens that there would be hope and that we would soon resume life as we knew it. The only problem with man making these statements is that he can not predict the future. Like weathermen who watch the jetstreams, they can never be sure when the weather pattern will change. All they do is watch.

For the past several years we've had bleeps, like the weather service issues during a storm, that we were headed for an economic downfall. Like most people who live in places that experience frequent storms, they ignore the "watches". It's not until you hear the word "warning" that you actually pay attention. Isn't that what happened during Katrina? They never believed that a hurricane would break their man-made levies and flood the city of New Oleans like it did. Is that what happened to the U.S. economy? Did we ignore the signs? Did we not believe that some of our financial decisions would actually not work for us? They were simple signs like no money down on a $800,000.00 home or leasing a $30,000.00 car for 3 years and then finding out you have to make another 5 to 6 years worth of payments to own it. By then the car has been rebuilt and one has ended up paying twice the price due to of all the repairs.

I believe Jesus had to make a point to his disciples that night on the lake. Obviously, Jesus must have known a squall was coming because he is God. But he told the disciples that they needed to go over to the other side. I think in a spiritual sense crossing over to the other side is the key in this passage. I'm sure after that night, even though they had seen Jesus heal the sick and cast out demons, there was something that changed them. It changed them so much that they crossed over from the "shore of fear to the sea of faith." They had now experienced their own miracle of the power that Jesus had.

Maybe right now, you are one of those who experienced the loss of a home, a car, retirement, savings, a business, and even employment. The list goes on. You might even feel like Jesus is not concerned with your "storm." But I want to encourage you that Jesus knows and knew exactly what was going to happen. Maybe the home you bought five years ago you believe God gave you and now it's been foreclosed on, so then why would He allow you to have to go through that storm? Like Jesus telling the disciples to go over to the other side, maybe the Lord is telling you it's time to "go over to the other side." The other side being, no longer do I live by my own understanding, but to trust in Him completely, even if it doesn't make sense. God doesn't have to make sense to us, He can do the impossible. You ask why did He even give you that house if He was going to take it away? Maybe to help you realize that a house doesn't define your success, but your faith in Him. You may have looked successful to others, but did the house become more important than Him. Did you spend more time taking care of the house than you did spending time with Him? One thing I do know, God wants to be first in our lives. He loves us so much. If you are spending time with him, then the question is "Why are you so afraid?"

I don't know what your circumstance is right now, but in the times of severe "life" weather alerts like we are in right now, God's promises are what we have to hang on to. Like a life preserver that keeps the victim who is waiting for the Coast Guard to show up and rescue them, is how the Word of God keeps us afloat during difficult times. Psalm 119:49 & 50 says, "Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. 50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." In the storms of life, God's promises are our life preservers. If you are in that place today, I highly recommend you get into the Word of God and hang on for your life. I promise He'll pull you through. And that's a promise I can guarantee.