With the price of food spiking, increased unemployment worldwide and almost every country being effected by challenges, uncertainty is widespread among many people.  Even through all of this perceived upheaval, the Lord has great plans.  These plans are backed up by the assurance that God can handle ANYTHING.  Nothing is more powerful or greater than God’s presence among us.  Change is inevitable and change is the nature of our existence.  Without change, we are dead.  On the other hand, change has a way of distracting us and thus completely throwing us off track.  Even though the end of this 2 Kings passage results in a child brought back to life, the message is far deeper.  This passage points more toward how a faithful woman responds to change when her blessing gets interrupted.  She trusted God no matter what and she knew what to do when her blessing gots interrupted.  Today’s sermon, by Pastor Dudley, provides us with 3 ways in which we, like the Shunammite woman, can trust God no matter what and how to take the correct steps when our blessing from God gets interrupted.

First, we must Put the Problem in Prophetic Prospective.  The birth of a son was a blessing to this Shunammite woman, a blessing due to her faithfulness.  Crisis struck her blessing.  When a crisis strikes our blessings from God, it affects us because life no longer appears to be smooth sailing.  Be sure to define what the problem means to you so you won’t get hung up on how things only appear.  Otherwise, you will miss what God is doing and you will remain in the role of the victim during the crisis.  The circumstances of the crisis aren’t important.  Before we make a move during a crisis, we must wait on God and not try to rush God to move.  We must connect what God has given to us to what we’ve given to God.  If we spend too much time focusing on what’s wrong, we will not be able to experience what’s good in our lives.   In this passage, once the woman accessed the situation, she gave the crisis, her nearly dead child, to God by placing the child on the bed in the room she built onto her house for the man of God, the prophet Elisha.  By the closing the door to the room where the child was, she was putting distance between the crisis she gave to God and herself.

Second, we must Revisit the Contract.  As you may know, not everyone is going to value the blessing God gave you.  Remember, what has for you is for you!  In reading this passage, her husband doesn’t take time to tend to their son even though the son came to him father first.  He tells one of their servants to take the boy to his mother.  If you notice, the passage did not state the woman took time to fuss or discuss with her husband his actions or his demeanor.  She just did what she needed to be do.  We must not get distracted by someone else’s reaction or lack of action during a crisis.  God gave the blessing to her.  We must be mindful of what God said and evaluate the circumstances of the crisis based upon that alone and not solely on what the situation appears to look like.  We need to fight for what God gave us!  We’ve got it written in blood!  Go back to God’s promises to us: peace, grace, love, lack of separation, etc.

Lastly, we must Let the Word work Without our Interference.   Once the Shunammite woman reaches Elisha and brings him back to her home, her son is dead.  She doesn’t fall apart and cave under the pressure of her crisis.  Elisha was capable of miracles and he was a very influential man of God.  He knew he didn’t need her help with this crisis but more importantly, she knew he didn’t need her help so she acted accordingly.  She stepped back.  Elisha was more able to close out the distractions that could keep him from doing God’s work.  As a result, he was able to bring her son, her blessing, back to life.  In our crisis moments, we need to take our hands off and make space for God to work.  In our lives, our own problems don’t always end with a happy, predictable, tidy outcome.  This story is about our ability to let God work in our crisis moments.  Let God be God!  If you gave your crisis to God, give God space to carry out God’s Will.  We should not get caught up in our problems and cry the blues, we should trust God in all circumstances.

 Do you seem to be catching flack and experiencing crisis’ in areas of your life God has blessed?  Do you sometimes get distracted by what things appear to look like?   Are you able to step back and truly give it to God? 

As always, your comments are appreciated and welcomed.

© Kevin Dudley

 As we dig deeper regarding the witnesses discussed in Revelation 11, we realize the 2 witnesses represent the Living Word, Jesus.  Some may even go as far as to say one witness represents the Old Testament while the other represents the New Testament.  A key point to remember is The Word these 2 witnesses represent is living, neither static nor stagnant, just as Jesus is Living.  The Bible is useful only to believers and those who have been awaken by the Holy Spirit.  It is not useful to those who are not in relationship with God.  Even with the importance of the Bible, the unfailing Word of God, we must not allow ourselves to be so protective and fixated on the physical book called the Bible.  If we do, we will miss what it testifies to, which is a life-giving resource and access to Jesus. 

 The signs and wonders outlined in verses 3-6 illustrate as days progress closer to Jesus’ return, God will give his people more and more access to power to magnify their witness.  Due to the constant bombardment of distractions in the world today, people are paying less and less attention to what God is saying and doing around them and more attention to things/events/people that are not of God or like God.  The sign itself is not as important as God’s presence and power behind the sign.  So as the world continues to intensify its rejection of God, the response to the rejection will intensive as well. 

 The olive trees mentioned in verse 4 signifies strength.  The olive tree is one of the strongest trees in history and it still lives today.  This strength represents the perseverance God has deposited into these 2 witnesses and into us as well.  To stand strong during less than ideal circumstances is not for their own glory or by their own power but for the importance of delivering the message of God’s power and glory during less than ideal circumstances.  The lamp stands mentioned in this verse signifies light.  The shine/glow of lamp is most visible and noticeable in the dark and much less visible if the area is already well lit.  Just as with the Bible, the lamp stand in this verse was needed for God’s people and not people who were not in relationship with God.

 In verse 5, the fire is a prime example of God’s intense response to people’s intense rejection of God.  Although fire consumes, it also purifies.  Though the power of the fire here seems to imply God giving the witnesses more power, it really shows how the witnesses were more and more available to what God was doing through them.  The intensity of this verse also points to the fact that our battles are always a battle for life.  A life defined as an eternal intimate relationship with God and not life according to the world’s standards or definition.  The role of the prophets here and the prophecy which we experience today is to try to remove the obstacle and distractions so God’s people could more clearly see and experience God

 The significance of the sky being shut, in verse 6, is both important and timely.  The sky represents rain.  As Pastor Dudley has mentioned various times throughout this study in Revelation, during time in which this book was drafted, the author lived within an agricultural society.  Here the sky means rain.  The rain waters the crops. The crops feed people so people can live.  Now, if the sky is shut, no rain equals no life.

 Have you ever wondered why God has you in the middle of what appears to be a dismal and dark circumstance?  Do you let your light shine for others to see the way or for your own recognition?

As always, your comments are appreciated and welcomed.

© Kevin Dudley

 You may be thinking: Gideon was a mighty warrior fighting an actual war, how does his battle pertain to the challenges and situations I face in my life in 2011?  Well, I’m glad you asked because Pastor Dudley provided 3 ways in which we can manage the stress in our life when we know it is a test.

 First, you must Live Victory with Less.  When God came to Gideon, God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 soldiers to 10,000 soldiers and then finally down to 300 soldiers.  We must realize God’s limitations on Gideon, and on us as well, are not meant to be liabilities.  God attempts to guard your pride and in doing so, the glory will be God’s and not your own.  We should not be afraid to lose something in the process.  What ever you are attempting to hold onto too tightly, something you think you need, that something or someone can derail you from what God has for you.  Pastor Dudley summed it up by saying, “it’s not about the limits but the leverage.” We can be greatly blessed by God but according to the world’s standards appear to have less.

 Secondly, you must Reassess Your Unchecked Assumptions.  Gideon assumed he was going into battle with 32,000 soldiers and that all 32,000 were at his disposal.  Well, his assumption was wrong.  Although, all 32,000 soldiers were fit for battle, in God’s plan for this particular battle only 300 were the right soldiers.  Trusting in God when facing a fight can allow God to show things to us we could not see when we were approaching the fight operating on the power we assumed we had.  This protects us against our hidden mess and weaknesses and thus brings to light what we are really working with.  When it comes to God, everything has to be on the table.  We should place our focus on what God leaves us to work with during the test and not on things or people or opportunities we perceive as lost or lacking.  If you notice, God doesn’t allow us to get too comfortable with things or people that weren’t meant for us in the first place. 

 Lastly, you must Make a Meaningful Move.  Within this passage in Judges, God’s advice to Gideon is contradictory to the natural eye in at least 3 instances.  First, God asks Gideon to go up so he could get down.  Next, God sends Gideon into battle with a very small amount of soldiers, which usually would spell defeat.  Then, God tells Gideon to go fight in the middle of the night, a time in which it is difficult to see.  Even though these 3 situations are in contradiction to the natural manner in which humankind thinks, they are in direct alignment spiritually to what God had in store for Gideon.  In those moments when things in our lives don’t make sense, God reveals God’s self in those moments.  These moments provide space, time and opportunity for God to move in our lives.  As children of God, we are blessed.  God has already given us the victory.  In reading the passage, Gideon didn’t try to argue or bargain with God, he just complied with what God instructed him to do.

 A companion verse to the passage in which this sermon is based upon is Philippians 4:13 which states, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (NIV)  The phrase, “I can do”, comes from a word which also means “endure”.  God has already deposited into us what we need to handle the tests life has in store for us during our journey.  So stand firm in life as it is because you have what you need to handle it.  Be mindful that God will allow us to face pressure and stress in order to see if we really trust in God or in our own power.   Everything in your life is designed to clear away the distractions so your focus will be upon God. 

 When your life gets hard, do you really trust God?  When your body gets sick or a friend or loved one dies, do you really and truly trust God?  It is easy to say we trust God but the only way to know for certain you really trust God is when you are being tested.

 As always, your comments are appreciated and welcomed.

 © Kevin Dudley

When we discussed the meaning of integrity, we agreed it meant your actions aligned with what you stated you believed; a life of consistency in both word and deed.  The word integrity stems from the Latin word for wholeness.   The definition also contains an element for the opportunity for correction when your actions didn’t align with what you stated you believed. This led Pastor Dudley to ask another question. He asked, “What would it look like if the church closed and we just went about our way and spread the Word of God?”  We stated each person would go on their way with their own interpretation of God’s Word and would follow their own individual path and direction.  Their path may or may not be the path in which God intended.  The major result of this would be the corruption of the Gospel.  The strength contained within communities would also be weakened.  The tradition, which is found within community, determines the norm and the standard.  The tradition we spoke of was not that of our parents’ church but the tradition which started over 2000 years ago with the early Christians.  The tradition contained within a communal setting provides the means and opportunity for correction, such as repentance, prayer and forgiveness of sin, so people are able to live a life of integrity.  Community draws people back to God’s standard, into a healthier relationship with God and a wholeness an individual cannot achieve without God.  Without a healthy relationship with God, it is impossible to maintain a healthy relationship with your fellow human beings.  These questions provided a great transition into Revelation 11:3-6.

The two witnesses described in verses 3 through 4 were prophets during the period of time when the Church had been removed from earth.  The prophets were wearing sack cloths as a sign of mourning due to the condition of the earth.  This references the Old Testament when prophets were usually not well received by their own people and the message was more important than the life of the prophet delivering it.  These two witnesses were individuals who had a covenant relationship with God.  Without this type of relationship with God, their witness would lack integrity and thus their word and deed would not convey an accurate representation of God’s Word.  Due to their covenant relationship, God gave them access to tremendous power, as outlined in verses 5 through 6.

Are you living a life of integrity?  Are you connected to a community of believers or are you going it alone?  The next time you feel powerless, check to see if you are plugged into God or some other power source.

Comment below or join the conversation and share how you are living a life of integrity.

In Luke 4:3, the devil said to Jesus “If you are the Son of God,…”  We go through periods of questioning who we are.  Jesus knew who He was.  He did not argue with the devil, but simply stated God’s word back to him.  We need to be secure in who we are in Christ and not doubt.  God calls for us to believe Him, not just believe in Him.  Where does our security lie?  In our finances, our things, our family and friends?  In ourselves?  Or does it lie firmly in God and God alone?

Secondly, we tend to make Christianity very complicated with man-made rules and regulations.  Man’s rules tend to go against the very things that God wants us to understand.  His spiritual ways are not like the natural ways of man.  When Jesus replied to the devil “It is written…” each time the devil tried to tempt Him, He was speaking God’s Word only.  If we learn, focus and follow the Word of God, speaking it to our situations, situations work themselves out.  We need to feed ourselves on the Word in order to do this.  In Luke 4:8, Jesus speaks of “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”   We must ask ourselves who or what we are worshiping.  Where are we spending time and energy?  When we spend time with God and learn His Word, we are able to bring His Word to remembrance when we face our mountains.  We can speak against them, just as Jesus did to the devil during this passage.  In Luke 4:12, Jesus speaks of not putting God to the test.    God will let us go as far as we choose with Him.  God will let us lead and fail, but wants us to be obedient and follow Him.  God’s power can move mountains.  It is important to not test God, but to follow Him in obedience and do what He has called you to do, utilizing His power wisely.

Finally, we must look at our thinking.  Wrong thinking can get us in bad situations.  If we choose to go in the direction that God has spoken, the struggles will be God-ordained and not of our own doing, meaning that God is working through our struggles to grow us, instead of us leading ourselves in more drama.  If we ask ourselves what God has said about whatever situation we are dealing with, many questions can be resolved.  It becomes a matter of waiting on God to speak.  People have struggles because they are not paying attention to the Word of God or they believe a corrupt interpretation of the Word.  We have to study the Word and pray in order to get the correct interpretation of His Word.  Spend time with God to hear what He is telling you.

What is God speaking to you?  Do you believe in God or do you believe God?

Will you Dare to Grow Deeper in Christ?

© Kevin Dudley

In order to be fully a part of the community of Christ, we have to deal with ourselves. God desires for us to grow into healthy, mature Christians.  Part of being healthy is learning that you cannot depend on anyone but Christ.  Those seasons when you find yourself alone, you find that the only one that you can count on is Christ.  When Jesus was in the garden, he was alone.  Although Jesus was praying to God, God was silent.  Sometimes, we only have the Word of God to hold us and keep us while we wait for God to respond.  Not responding to the enemy during these times is key to our growth.  The enemy’s plan is to deceive you.  If you haven’t given up yourself and let go of your ego, the struggle will be about protecting yourself instead of letting God develop you.  When the test is about God and not about you, God can reveal the fullness of what He has put in you and He will get the glory.  If it is about you, you will focus on what you believe you need and not receive all that God has for you.

We must continually empty ourselves so God can fill us.  We don’t want to get in the way of what God wants to do with us and through us.

Are you choosing to become a healthy Christian?  Are you emptying yourself so God can fill you?  Who are you depending on during your wilderness experiences?

Will you Dare to Grow Deeper with Christ?

© Kevin Dudley

How does this relate to our experience with God?  There are two points to discuss here.  Jesus gave it all up.  He emptied himself, only to be filled with God’s spirit.  In Jesus’ birth to the Virgin Mary, he was incarnated and became God’s beloved son.  We are all children of God, but before we can be filled with the Holy Spirit, we have to empty ourselves.  If there is so much of “us” inside, where is there room for God to enter in and help us work out our salvation and become who we are supposed to be?

Secondly, we have to engage our personal struggle.  When Jesus was in the garden, the enemy attempted to trap Jesus.  Just as we are tempted to do, act and be what is not of God, we have a choice.  We will have a struggle.  If we give ourselves completely to God, we are asking Him to prove us right or wrong – either we meant we were His or we didn’t.  In the garden, Jesus was wrestling.  Not with the enemy necessarily.  He was wrestling with himself.  When we find ourselves in the midst of a wilderness experience, we will find ourselves battling our spiritual and our natural selves.

Wilderness experiences are inevitable in our lives.  Christian lives are not easy and pain-free.  None of us want to go into the wilderness, knowing that it will be difficult. If we refuse to go in, it is us saying that we refuse to be tested in areas that God wants to purify in us.   Jesus went into the garden because he had to.  The Spirit of God guided Jesus while he was there, keeping him from falling into temptation.  The enemy was the instrument used, but the test was to see what was in Jesus, and in our situations, what is in us.

We are fully equipped for our wilderness experience, although we may not feel like it.  God allows only the experiences that we can handle.  It is not a question of our ability to handle them, but of our availability to God while we are going through it.  When we are born into the Spirit, we are given spiritual resources and affirmation from God.  We are equipped to handle what experiences we create or those that come our way.  The more available we are to God through the process, the more He is allowed to develop us into who we are meant to be.  The more we fight Him, the more difficult we make the process.  When we get to the place in our lives where we give ourselves fully to God, the fullness of what He has given us already is realized and acknowledged.

What wilderness experience are you facing or have you been through?  How did you handle it?  Were you available to God or resisting Him?

Will you Dare To Grow Deeper with Christ?

© Kevin Dudley

Last week in our series, Dare To Grow Deeper, we re-evaluated what was important in our lives.  This week, we’ll expand that exploration and delve into how we can be a blessing to others in our relationships and in our other efforts.

After you have determined what is of kingdom value in your life and what is of significant value to you, to respond appropriately is to respond to be a blessing to others.

As we stated last week, Jesus exuded grace and truth.  Always.  He was consistent in his purpose and in his value to the kingdom of God.  Jesus knew his walk and, although difficult, he was determined to follow God’s will, regardless of how much he would have to give.  Jesus emptied himself so he could be filled.  He became available to be filled with something for someone else.

There are specific kingdom principles that are always at work.  In the natural, they oftentimes make no sense.  But these are the laws of God.  Becoming nothing in a human sense, means that you can gain everything from a supernatural source.  Holding onto something in the natural means that you will never have enough; you will never be filled.  An example of a kingdom principle is that if you are content where you are and you are holding onto something that is not from God, you will never have enough.  This dissatisfaction will connect to everything concerning your life.

How does this connect in relationships?  If you are content with holding onto your side, your opinions, your way of doing things, you will never have “enough” in the relationship.  You have to be able to lay down your side and your own “stuff”  in order to gain a mature, healthy relationship.  If you continue to hold onto your expectations of someone, you will find that you will never be satisfied.  If you let go of any expectations, somehow, willingly, everything will be there that you need, in time.  If you release the person, God has room to work.  If we maintain what “control” we think we have, God has no space to move.

When we let go of what we think is owed to us because of how we believe others should act, we will continually be disappointed and frustrated.   When we let go, it puts us in a place to be open and see how God will move.  We have to let go of what we believe is “fair” or “ideal.”  We have to learn to be content and let God be God.  When we become healthy Christians, we can live in the midst of drama, confusion, and issues and not let the scenario overtake us.  We can remain grounded in Christ, trusting God and knowing that as long as we are operating within His will, He will move and our difficulties will be resolved in His time, in His way.

What areas do you need to let God move and let go of your own expectations?  How can you remove your frustration and allow God to change people the way He wants to change them, and allow yourself to be changed at the same time?  These are the blessings that continue to bless us over and over.  A relationship with God that allows our growth and the growth of those around us.

Will you Dare to Grow Deeper With Christ?

The last week in our series, Dare to Go Deeper, we asked you to challenge yourself by taking inventory.  Taking inventory of your life and of who you are; of how you see yourself and truly define yourself.  Prayerfully, it has been eye-opening, life-changing and moving you closer to Jesus and the authentic you that God created you to be.

This week we’re going to look at re-evaluating what is really important in our lives.  As stated before, we typically get forced to deal with who we are within relationships – spouses, children, close friends, co-workers, church folks.  These relationships as well as other events in our lives may cause us to define what our priorities are.

What defined Jesus was grace and truth.  Grace is the space God gives to each of us to walk in His blessings.  Even as we get off-track at times, God gives space to get back to what He has for each one of us.  Truth is the real reality of what is going on in our lives.  God desires for truth to be revealed and without it, our lives can become a false reality.  Our life is at stake – the life God designed for us to live.  We can continue to run from God’s desires for us or we can choose to walk the journey toward Him and His plan and purpose for our lives.

Jesus never strayed from His purpose.  He never veered from living out grace and truth.  Jesus knew the significance of the Law of Moses and lived in such a way to walk that out.  His life then became a benefit to all those around Him that believed and were followers of Him.

God call us to get beyond our own behavior and ourselves and believe Him.  Believing God and not just believing in Him.  He calls for us to become more than church member.  He calls for us to become mature followers of Christ that desire to live the life He has designed for us.

We spend time and energy and end up settling for many things that are just not that important: Jobs, friendships, careers, hobbies, material items.  The fact is, if you died tomorrow, your employer would replace you.  The committees will find someone else.  Friends will mourn, but will move on with their lives.  Material goods will come and go and we will always have less than or more than someone else. We cannot get “caught up” spending all of ourselves on those things that will pass away.  It leads to spinning our wheels and continuing that “emptiness” that can only be filled by chasing our desire for God.

We need to ask ourselves a few key questions to gain perspective.  What can I do that is going to add value to the Kingdom of God?  What is life or death for me?  What is non-negotiable?

Many have experienced a life-changing event, such as illness, divorce or job loss, that puts these  things in perspective.  God will sometimes move things out of the way so there is nothing for you to fall back on.  You must depend on Him in these times in order to gain a proper perspective.  We will get “wake-up calls” in life when we are not paying attention and are off track.  It is our choice to hear God before the “wake-up call” or to wait until it happens.

Ask yourself:  What am I really living for?  Who am I really? Am I listening to what God wants for me or am I caught up in my own desires?

Will you Dare to GROW Deeper in Christ?

In John 1:14 – 18, Jesus shows how he moved aside all of what He had, His glory, His reign, in order to become one of us.  In giving everything, Jesus gained everything and all that He was, was revealed for us.

We touched on how we keep searching for ourselves because we are caught up in the “stuff,” suffocating who we really are.  Most people wear make-up and either become the clown or the classy lady.  Classy ladies wear make up to accentuate their natural beauty.  The clowns wear layers upon layers of makeup to cover up their features and can forget what they actually look like.

We cannot escape the circumstances of our lives.  We can be conscientious and submit to God, laying down everything before Him.  It is a process, a difficult process, but as we see in Jesus’ example, by laying down His glory, all we see is Jesus’ glory.  By laying down our lives, we gain the ability to find ourselves.  We are free to be who God intended us to be.

This week’s challenge is to take inventory of your life.  Look carefully over your life and write a list of how you see yourself and how you define yourself.  Chart out the significant events and things that were said or done to you.  Look objectively at how you have been living and be real about who you have allowed yourself to become.  Relationships will typically challenge you to take a good look at who you are.  People act the way they do because of the things they have allowed.  For example, we are insecure or attention-seeking, or have a sense of unhealthy self-confidence for a reason.  We can’t blame everyone else for what is coming out of us.

It takes courage to actually look in the mirror.  It takes time and it takes processing.  In order to be healthy, we have to do the hard work internally.  It can be a difficult thing to see what you have allowed yourself to become.  The good news is, once you can acknowledge the things that you have allowed in, you can get free to become who you were meant to be.  God is working with us and needs our cooperation in order to help us grow into that person we were meant to be.

Do you Dare To Go Deeper with Christ?

© Kevin Dudley