Broken Promises

Several years ago I met a fellow believer in the airport while returning from my daughter’s wedding in Florida. We engaged in great conversation, discovering many mutual interests. He was a decorated war veteran who'd worked in the Pentagon. As our conversation continued, he disclosed that he was in Florida on a business trip, and proceeded to pull out a book with pictures and descriptions of the properties his company owned, easily $5 - $10 million in real estate.

Cecil said he was looking for someone with my skills and background, that he would contact me upon returning home, and retain my services. After deplaning, his wife met Cozette, and we continued in great fellowship. We prayed and agreed as touching those things spoken. Then he said, "The Lord says for you to find a home for sale below market value, and my company will purchase it - for you." I did exactly as instructed - nothing happened. I contacted him regularly for months - no response. To this day he emails pithy anecdotes and inspirational stories, yet no mention of his promise. I wanted to ask him “Why?" Instead I took the matter to God, who gave me Philippians 4 peace surpassing my understanding, and I let it go.

What do you do when others fail to keep their word? Keep marching. I prayed the prayer of Stephen. "Lay not this sin to his (their) charge.” Though I don’t understand Cecil's behavior, I am only responsible for my actions and reactions to this and every situation which comes across my path. It no longer mattered what Cecil's motives were - it only mattered that my spirit remained pure and clear. I could not allow this to infect my heart and affect my future hope and faith in God.

I spoke with Robert the other day, a young man who tragically lost his mother at an early age. Hurt beyond description, he couldn’t understand why people said they would be there for him and haven’t. He was hurting deeply. I attempted to console him but don’t think I did a very good job. I asked forgiveness on behalf of everyone who made - and broke - promises to him, and encouraged him to let it go. He thanked me.

For every promise made and not kept, let's ask forgiveness. One positive that comes from these experiences is whenever asked to pray for someone, I don't promise to - I do it on the spot. Tomorrow's a mystery – life happens.

I don’t know that I’ll ever know why, but I do know that Cecil and Robert taught me the value of careful self-examination, scrutiny of and responsibility for my words, to under promise and over deliver, and to remember the old adage that if something sounds too good to be true, it more than likely is.

The ultimate act of self-mutilation is the violation of one's own word. © ® 2009 Promise Communications.

The Ministry Of Hearing

Children are such marvelous gifts from God. When we look at and study them carefully, we can glean profound truths and insights about ourselves. One thing I’ve noticed about the three year old my wife cares for is the fact that each time she is asked a question, or given a direct instruction, her immediate reply is “huh?” This response requires Cozette to repeat herself. Well, after noticing the pattern, and the fact that compliance was contingent upon having to repeat herself, Cozette brought to the child’s attention the need to listen. Children are focused on getting their needs, desires, wants and issues tended to. If their focus is their agenda, they seldom hear anything else the first time. Also, the non-responsive “huh?” gives them a little more time to think, especially in areas where they’ve been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, so to speak.

Does the fact that I listen to God in one area mean that He has my complete attention in every area? No. Is my love for God measured by my receptivity and responsiveness to His Voice? Yes. Is my agenda screaming so loudly in my ears until I can’t hear God? Often. When He speaks, how many times have I said, “huh?” Many more than I count. And yet God, like a patient caregiver, does not count it against me – He just keeps on loving me. John the Disciple was so blown away by this love until he wrote, and I paraphrase, “What kind of love is this that God has poured upon us, that we should even be considered, much less called, the sons of God?"

My personal goal is to walk so close to Jesus Christ until I am attuned to His Voice. I call it The Ministry of Hearing. What keeps me from hearing Him is the roar of my personal agenda, life stuff that’s under His control anyway. When I get caught up in the entanglement of life stuff, I forget that I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. This is where the roar of my agenda drowns out the still, small voice of God’s Holy Spirit. I shudder to think of the number of times I have failed Him in this area - too many to count, but not enough to leave me helpless or hopeless. And so this becomes my goal, the mastery of the ministry of hearing God, in every trial, test, storm or tempest. The ability to know that He is there to calm the winds of my life with just one word, “Peace.” And as well, to know that He is there to still the crashing waves of the water of my dilemmas with two words, “Be still.”

Peace. Be Still. Know that I am God, whether you hear me or not. My consistency is not determined by your attention span. My love is not triggered by the fact that you heed my call. My Love is a choice that was made once, and is unchangeable forever.

The Place Of The Press

In the bible, Gethsemane was called the place of the olive press. It was there that Jesus faced one of the greatest tests of His 33 and ½ years on earth. Here He was introduced to the place we all have experienced, or will experience – the breaking point. It was here that He felt the pressure of His impending sacrificial crucifixion, as the cross cast its shadow across His life. It was here the disciples, coming to accompany Jesus as He neared His final hours, failed Him. Having fallen asleep, even awake they could not ease the burden of His call or the weight of sin’s burden. It was here that His humanity cried out to God, saying “Father, if there is a way out, back-door, parachute, failsafe, ripcord, reset button, or cancellation clause, please let this cup pass from me.” It was in this moment that I believe Jesus got it all out. We don’t need to hold in our fears, worries, uncertainties, or negative anticipations – we need to get it all out. Release it. Find a way to let others know when they betray a trust, disappoint, take you for granted or abuse relationships. Don’t be religious and pious, believing that “God’s gonna work it out.” While I strongly advocate the biblical principle of long-suffering, we all must sense within our spirit when enough is enough – and afterward submit ourselves to the will of God concerning us.

Between these two phrases we see the stark contrast between Jesus’ humanity and divinity. Jesus was no different from you and I. He struggled with the flesh, and was only able to subdue it by the spirit. By the spirit He was able to transcend the present moment of agonizing in prayer to see that God had not changed His mind, and therefore neither would Jesus. Divinity spoke. “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” At the point this phrase was uttered, the struggle was over.

You can’t afford to quit now. This is the most important moment in your life. You are considering giving up when God is thinking nothing but great thoughts about you. If you knew that your breakthrough was just on the other side of faith combined with works, what great exploits would you be preparing to accomplish - right now?

God has placed a demand upon your life. Your destiny demands that you press through the discouragement, push past the pain, persevere beyond the circumstance, and stand in the face of the ridicule. You’ll never know how much strength, faith, hope, courage and discipline you have until you are tested to the full extent and measure of your spiritual character. This is your Gethsemane. Could it be that God knows the path that you’re on, where you should be on life’s path, and prepares to meet you based upon where you should be, not where you are, and is on a path of interception designed to cross your path at a designated point and place in time?

Do not allow yourself to be measured by the size of the test, but by your ability to conquer every fleshly challenge by the spiritual strength God has invested in you.

Who Are You?

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Exodus 3:14

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.” Karen Rayn

So who are you? Not your profession, others’ opinion of you, what you have accumulated or accomplished. Who are you? What are your top ten characteristics? Twenty? God was so fully invested in His own Person and Divinity until when Moses asked him who He was, God had no problem with self-identification – so why do we? We languish at the trough of false humility, serving only to dull the edge of our accumulated consciousness. We live off of past accomplishments far too long, sitting on our laurels while the engine of life races ahead of our tortoise-like pace. So as to clarify the discussion, we are not ignorant of self-indulgent selfishness promoting avarice, greed, usury and lust. Arrogance, self-possession and conceit are false positives. But we are talking about recognizing the best in us as just that.

I spent the first half of my life identifying myself by my accomplishments. I will spend the last half identifying myself by those characteristics making me the best human being I can possibly be.

There seems to be a coordinated conspiracy aimed at denying humanity of its self-awareness (not to be confused with selfishness), the conscious, purposeful investment in being the best person one can possibly be, not for monetary gain, but because in order to best utilize the circadian rhythm of life we must keep time with its beat. We all want it, but how often do we talk about it? Most often we do so in derivative and non-specific terms, such as professional aspirations. Why do you want to be a lawyer, accountant, physicist, laborer, technician, truck driver? How does that aspiration tie to who you are intrinsically? The pulse of life is driven by the heartbeat of our soul.

So what is your I am statement? Here’s mine:

I am born again. I am repentant. I am creative. I am intelligent. I am insightful. I am sensitive. I am loving. I am caring. I am compassionate. I am giving. I am empathetic. I am supportive. I am nurturing. I am loving. I am a friend. I am a confidant. I am truthful. I am transparent. I am self-aware. I am humble. I am grateful. I am appreciative. I am fully functional spirit, soul and body. I am made in the image of God.

It is highly likely my statement will evolve, as will yours, and as well they should. In order for my tomorrow to not be a repeat of my yesterday, I must do something meaningful today. My self-awareness then gives purpose to my days, meaning to my thoughts, direction to my choices and discipline to my actions. Here then is where I bring forth fruit which will remain. I then use whatever utilities are available to me - my career, profession, vocation, hobby, interest, calling or pursuit – as fuel to fulfill whatever needs present themselves, in myself and others.