When you feel like the world is ticked at you...

When you feel like the world is ticked at you...

by Rick Duncan
Cuyahoga Valley Church

"Am I really and truly a Beloved Child?" Most of us wonder about that. We struggle with shame and guilt. We struggle with feelings of worth and value. We are sure that God is ticked at us.

Why is that?

Some of us go to work everyday and we wonder if the people in charge really want us there. Others of us grew up in homes where our parents said, “You’ll never amount to anything.” And just this last week, someone heard, “I don’t know why I ever married you.”

You need – you really need – to know what God thinks.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

We are His Beloved Children. Jesus hasn’t just saved us. He’s actually delighting in us. Two words here: Rejoice (sus) means "exult" and gladness (simchah) means "mirth." It’s like God is at a party and He's dancing because of us.

Is that overstated? I don’t think so. "As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:5).
Does God delight in you because you are so lovable? No. The Bible says that we hated God and were His enemies. Does He delight in us because we are so “together”? No. We’re sinful through and through.

In spite of all that, Jesus brings us before the throne of grace and is proud of us. God delights in us because of Christ and what He’s made us to be. It’s with the blood of Jesus that we’ve been washed and made new.

"I will rejoice… and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more" (Isaiah 65:19, NLT).
Too many of us believe that God is a “ticked off” God. Yes, He’s just. Yes, He’s holy. And yes, He disciplines his children. And we should never presume upon His grace.

But at the end of the day, you’ve got to know that through Christ Jesus, God delights in His people. 

God not only loves you, He likes you. You are so loved that Jesus delights in you. And because He delights in you, you can delight in yourself... and someone else.

Question: How will you live new today because God rejoices over you?

How to pray for the people you love

Rick Duncan

I'm guessing you're like me when it comes to praying for others.

Sometimes, you feel led to pray for people but you just don't know how or what to pray.

I have found that it is helpful to pray the scriptures.

In Philippians 1:9-11, we learn how a great spiritual leader, Paul, prays for a church he planted. Why not try praying this prayer for someone in your circle of influence for the next week or so? Pray with expectancy. And watch what God does. Write down how God answers.

Here is the prayer put together from multiple versions. Simply pray one phrase as it's written and then, to keep this from becoming vain repetition, pray that phrase in your own words to God.

Here's a prayer we put together from several versions of the Bible. What if you prayed this for someone for the next 7 days?

***

Father in Heaven, I humbly come before You to pray for __________.

May his/her love flourish. May his/her love keep on growing more and more.

Give __________ an ability to love well with knowledge, understanding, discernment, and wisdom.

Help him/her make right choices, choose the best, and approve what is excellent.

I pray that __________ will grow in purity and blamelessness to be ready for the return of Christ.

Fill his/her life with good deeds – with the fruits of righteousness – that come through Jesus.

May __________ truly live a life that will bring much glory and praise to God.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

***

(A prayer based on Philippians 1:9-11 using phrases from the English Standard Version, the Message, the New Living Version, God’s Word Translation, Contemporary English Version, and the New Century Version.)

Question: How do you find the words to pray for someone when the words are hard to find?

5 ways for leaders to get out of a funk

5 ways for leaders to get out of a funk

Rick Duncan

How often do you get into a funk?

Recently, I met with a young church planter who said he was in a funk. He has a wonderful family. He's gathering people, watching God change lives, and living out a dream. Yet, in spite of all the great things God is doing in his life, his introverted, melancholic, perfectionist tendencies are being leveraged by the enemy to steal his joy and peace. He's in a funk.

A funk is a dejected, disgusted, disinterested mood. When I am in a funk I am grumpy, disengaged, lethargic, and de-motivated. I am not fun to be around. I throw pity-parties. Not only does the to-do list not get done, it doesn't even get made!

I think funks are inevitable. They are part of fallen humanity. So, we shouldn't be surprised or guilt-ridden when we end up in a funk. But I know that at the root of my funk is my sin. Scripture tells us to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). When my heart is not rejoicing, it's a telltale sign that I have placed someone or something other than Jesus on the throne of my life. Funks flow from idolatry. When I stay in a funk, I am telling a watching world that Jesus is not enough for me. Extended funks are not OK.

Remember that God still loves you when you are in a funk (Ephesians 3:18-19). But also remember that He loves you too much to let you stay there.

In the Bible, we see leaders who got into a funk. One was David. Leadership for David was often hard. "And David was greatly distressed... But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God" (I Samuel 30:6, ESV). The KJV says that he "encouraged himself" in the Lord. Evidently, David was able to de-funk-ify his life.

I want learn more and more how to encourage myself in the Lord - how to de-funk-ify my life. My wife, my family and my friends want me to learn that, too.

So, how do we encourage ourselves and get out of a funk? It helps me to think about a plan of attack in five ways - physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

1. Move physically. Go for a walk, a run, or a bike ride. Get outside if you can. Do 10 minutes of push-ups, jumping jacks, and squats. Get to the gym. When you exercise, your brain will release endorphins that will elevate your mood. Or you might want to try something as simple as taking a shower or a bath. Or take a nap. Organize your desk and/or your office. Just change something physically.

2. Stretch mentally. Learn something new. How? Memorize a Bible verse. Learn an inspirational quote. Read a few pages in a book on theology, history, science, nature, technology, or leadership. Share a few things you learn with some friends via a note, a card, Twitter, or Facebook.

3. Grow emotionally. Put on some upbeat, happy music. Make a play list of upbeat music and play it loud. Music has a powerful way to connect us to the good times we're already experienced in the past. Even if you have no reason or don't feel like it, laugh! For 7 seconds. Your emotions will often follow your body’s lead. Smile at the people you see. And watch them smile back. Hang around people that love you or who can make you laugh. Avoid the VDPs in your life (the Very Draining People!). Instead, talk with an encouraging friend who knows how to listen and lift your spirits.

4. Serve relationally. Who (besides you!) is having a hard time? Stop feeling sorry for yourself and lift someone else's spirits. Write a note; send a card; make a call; go out with them for coffee; buy a gift card; or give a generous gift. Just do something to make someone else's day. Or volunteer to do some work with your church or your local charity. If you are married, write a love note to your spouse and mail it.

5. Soar spiritually. Read some inspiring sections or stories in the Bible that have a track record of lifting your heart. Make a list of 3-5 things (or more) you are grateful for and then thank God for them. Pour out your heart to God. Ask Him to help you get out of your funk. Remember, apart from Christ you can do nothing (John 15:5). Trying to de-funk-ify your life without Jesus is just empty/vain/futile self-help. Jesus can fill you with positive, uplifting thoughts. He can help you give thanks for what you have rather than what you don’t have. If you have Jesus, you have what money can't buy and death can't take away (Ephesians 1:3, II Peter 1:3). He can help you be joyful about what you get to do rather than what you have to do. He is the ultimate attitude-adjuster. Stay connected to Christ.

So, how do you de-funk-ify your life?

9 Ways Leaders can Know if They are Filled with the Holy Spirit

How do leaders know when they are filled with the Spirit?

Rick Duncan

In Acts 1 and 2, there’s a special supernatural power for ministry (particularly in missions and evangelism) that is experienced. Leaders must long for that kind of evidence and pray for supernatural power in ministry.

But I believe that leaders could and should long for evidence of the Spirit’s filling that is much more mundane and routine. Fruitfulness and excellence in daily living is evidence of the Spirit’s fulness in your life. Your family will be much more impressed if you focus on the Spirit’s filling in your daily life than they will be if you focus on the Spirit’s filling in your ministry life. After all, your family is your primary ministry.

Pastor Joe Propri has been at our church to train some of our leaders. Here’s one thing Joe shared that’s been helpful to many of us.

Let’s say that a container – a jar – represents you and what’s in you. We pretty much can handle life well when things are going the way we want them to go. But life isn’t always like that. Life is a series of problems one after another. Things come at us. Things go wrong. There is stress. And pressure. The pressures might be financial. The stress might be a relational struggle with a child or a parent or a friend. The problems might be physical.

Now, the things that go “wrong” tip us over. And what’s in us comes out.

Let’s be honest here. What comes out when your child has a nasty attitude toward you? Or some ministry leader challenges your authority? Or a volunteer gets angry with a decision and confronts you? When things go wrong, what comes out? Often it’s anger. Anxiety. Bitterness. Addictions. Depression. Abuse. And more.

Strange, isn’t it, that those kinds of things come out of us when heaven’s Helper is living in us? Consider what the Bible says that He actually desires to produce within us. Here are the 9 characteristics that the Spirit seeks to produce in leaders’ lives - all day, every day.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23).

Are these the 9 things that are coming out of you? Whether or not we bear the fruit of the Spirit doesn’t depend on what is going on outside. “But you don’t know my kids, my spouse, my trouble.” Listen, things will go wrong… for everyone! What I must accept and remember is this: My peace and joy have nothing to do with what’s going on outside me! My peace and joy have everything thing to do with who’s filling me!

The Holy Spirit is in me. Pressure and stress and trouble come. I’m tipped over. What comes out when I’m filled with the Spirit? The fruit of the Spirit! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control come out! We simply have to begin taking responsibility for reactions and responses to the stresses of life.

We need supernatural power to live this Christian life. Try to live this Christian life in your own strength and you’ll fail – miserably. You’ll be miserable and so will everyone else around you. Every day, several times a day, ask for the filling of the Spirit in order to walk by and live according to that filling. Over the years, we’ve many times taught CVCers to develop a habit of praying three things:

Father, search me. (That's seeing our sin.)

Jesus, wash me. (That's forsaking our sin.)

Spirit, fill me. (That's seeking freedom from sin.)

Will you pray those prayers today? The people who are following you need you to be filled with the Spirit. They need to see the 9 proofs that you are filled with the Spirit. All day. Every day.

And by the way, when you focus on being filled in the routine of life, you will be surprised at when and how often the special supernatural power for ministry (particularly in missions and evangelism) will show up.