GAINING PEACE in TROUBLED TIMES

(Excerpt taking from sermon in series Adventures of Everyman: a study in the Minor Prophets. Message on Book of Habakkuk- listen here)

What do we do in troubled, difficult times of suffering and hardship?

Habakkuk teaches us to PRAY BY FAITH!

In order to PRAY BY FAITH,

WE DISCOVER PEACE IN GOD’S GOODNESS

Habakkuk DISCOVERED peace in God’s GOODNESS through PRAYER.

Not just praying, but HOW he prayed. He spent time ALONE with GOD in PRAYER,

Habakkuk 1:2 (NIV), How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?

Habakkuk 2:1 (NLT), I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint.

How prays like that? What sounds audacious to you, God hears as authenticity.

Each time Habakkuk prayed like this, those prayers are followed by a response,

Habakkuk 2:2 (NLT), Then the LORD said to me…

The timeless principles revealed in the conversation between Habakkuk and God.

Habakkuk TRUSTS in GOD'S GOODNESS:

Habakkuk 3:1, 2 (NIV), A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet… 2 LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day…

The METHOD of Discovering PEACE IN GOD’S GOODNESS THROUGH PRAYER that Habakkuk modeled is explained by Paul,

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV), Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s not instructing that feeling anxious is wrong. BUT that we can overcome those anxieties and deep moments of anguish through prayer.

Not just casual prayer, but a powerful, PEACE-producing prayer. How?

What did Habakkuk do and Paul instruct?

Step 1: PRAY- express request or concern to God. Tell God what you want him to do.

Step 2: THEN BEAR or PETITION. Tell God why you want him to do it. Petitioning is a desperate cry of explaining they why behind the what.

Lay open the fears, weights, burdens of life. God is not afraid of our anguish or despair. Lay it open before Him.

Not only pray to ask God for what you need, but explain to Him your worries and fears that lay under those requests.

When we SHARE our fears and anxieties with God, we will SURRENDER those to Him.

Habakkuk submitted His troubles and sorrow to God.

Step 3: PEACE- Then, in surrender and vulnerable SHARING, God gives us a gift of PEACE, 

Habakkuk 3:18-19 (NIV), …yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 2 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. 

In surrender, we discover the PEACE IN GOD that Paul said is beyond all understanding. 

Incomprehensible to have inner rest under such weights, troubles, or overwhelming circumstances. SUPERNATURAL!

Step 4: GUARDED- This PEACE will “will GUARD your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“GUARD” means to “referee” In surrender, peace “governs” our heart and minds, like a referee calling fouls and keeping our thoughts, attitudes, and anxious heart from running out-of-bounds. He keeps us from getting derailed. Peace protects us IN GOD through trouble.

My early morning prayer

Sometimes it best for me to use psalms or songs as my personal prayer. Here was my prayer this morning, "Surrender" by Lincoln Brewster:

I'm giving You my heart/ All that is within
I lay it all down/ For the sake of You my King
I'm giving You my dreams/ Laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride/ For the promise of new life

And I Surrender/ All to You, all to You

I'm singing You this song/ I'm waiting at the Cross
All the world holds dear/ I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You/ For the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy/ Even sharing in Your pain

The purpose of lonely

We don't avoid loneliness, betrayal, and depression. BUT we can come THROUGH them.

At Lifehouse, we're going through a sermon series called "Scars".

We don’t avoid isolation, loneliness, or moments, even seasons, of depression. We go THROUGH it.

What for? What is the lonely for? Psalmist gives us the answer...

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God… Psalms 42:5.

God takes tragedy, desperate situations and turns them into triumph!

We are not shielded from the lonely, when the odds are against you, but God, in the worst of all situations, through Jesus, His Son, died and overcame to offer us HOPE.

There is no true hope, help, deep connection outside of faith in Jesus Christ.

Hope in God through these times. HOW?

To Hope in God, Depend on His Will

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. Psalm 43:3-4, NIV.

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.” Matthew 26: 39

To Hope in God, Be Refreshed by His Presence

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5, NIV.

These lyrics say it best:

Some room is empty/ If I feel hollow that's just my proof that there's more/ For me to follow - that's what the lonely is for

From the deep of your dreams, the height of your wishes/ The length of your vision to see, the hope of your heart/ Is much bigger than this/ For it's made out of what might be  That's What The Lonely Is For Lyrics - David Wilcox.

Are you finding hope in God THROUGH your lonely?

Share YOUR Story

Just kicked off a sermon series called Scars (read more here, listen here), and as we go through the Book of Psalms, we've been invited people at Lifehouse Church East to share their Scar Stories.

And that's what we're inviting you to share. Go to scar-stories.com, and browse others' stories and share yours.

We all have scars. And we all have scar stories. A fall. A fight. An accident. A surgery. They tell of antics and heroics, tragedies and near-misses, adventure, stupidity. These stories become more dramatic as time distances us from the pain of the moment; we almost relish retelling a good scar story by enhancing it with sound effects, emotion and animation.

There are, however, other scar stories. These are the stories we avoid telling and revealing, stories of deep, internal scars that still evoke pain, fear, worry, regret, shame or guilt. Unlike most physical scars, these scars never quite heal. Their sting remains and the wound re-opens unexpectedly. Just when we think we are over it, something can trigger the event. And “WHAM!” We are back in that dark moment of depression, grief, devastation, or doubt.

These stories leave us feeling alone and isolated, and we tell ourselves that no one could ever understand what we’ve been through. We tell ourselves, “I’ll never recover. God isn’t here for me, and even if he is, He doesn’t care about me.” But Isaiah 53:5 declares, “By his wounds we were healed.” Yes, past tense. God’s story intersected with our story, and Jesus’ scars healed our scars. He offered healing before we even experienced the wound.

However, in the church, many of us prefer to act like we have it all together, like there aren’t festering wounds and haunting fears deep in our heart. Like the waiting room of the ER, the church is a triage center for spiritual and emotional brokenness. The members act like doctors so others won’t see their need for the Great Physician. But let me expose the brutal reality- we ALL have our scar stories. We ALL need Jesus!

In 2010, the members of Lifehouse Church East began to publicly share their scar stories with each other, and found healing, hope, and comfort. People began to realize they were not alone. They realized that many people have walked through a similar scar story, and for those still struggling with doubt, fear, depression, or darkness, they could find encouragement from those who walked the path before them.

We pray this website will be a place where you can find encouragement and healing as you walk through your own scar story. Browse other people’s stories or perhaps consider sharing your own. Allow yourself to be honest. Admit that you’ve struggled, doubted, and suffered. Be transparent, be vulnerable, and believe that Jesus’ scars can, have, and will heal your scars.

So what’s your scar story?

Pray for the People of Japan - links to news coverage

The images are staggering and devastation unimaginable. As the Church, let's pray for God's comfort and healing for the people of Japan. We have many missionaries and friends there.

Pray that recovery efforts are fruitful and lives are saved.

Text TSUNAMI to 50555 to donate $10 to @ConvoyofHope Disaster Response efforts gearing up to help in Japan.

Links to watch footage and coverage of the tsunami that has hit and devastated so much of the nation:

houses burn as tsunami devastates Japan

• Sky News in Japan video shots
• Photos of the tsunami and destruction by ABC News
• Watch huge whirlpool formed by tsunami videoed by BBC News.

Faith VS Fear

It would make great reality TV, but no one would sign up to have their faith tested. Would you be a contestant on Faith versus Fear? Here are some indicators of how you'd be tested.

You might be controlled by fear if you think:

• Ambition: The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly.
• Despair: It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black.
• Limitations: Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.
  
• Mistakes: It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.
• Wishes: When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor.
• Potential: Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up.
  

The above were taken from www.despair.com. Now, you know I have a dry sense of humor.

HOWEVER:

• Faith knows that darkness, pain, hurt, and hardship are the pathway to greater revelation of who God is and how He works in and through our lives.
• Faith sees those moments, not as an end BUT as the front end of a miracle.
• Faith sees risk through the eyes of God's power and Spirit, which is limitless and all powerful.
• Faith chooses to believe rather than plunge into fear, worry, and doubt. 
• Faith wrestles with deep emotions of anguish, fear, doubt, frustration, and despair BUT is not overtaken by them. How? Not through self-inspiration, but through TRUST in God. Faith allows God to overcome through us.
• While fear worries, faith prays!
• Faith does not look to God to avoid suffering BUT to discover my joy in Christ goes deeper than suffering, lack, or hurt.
• Faith does not ask for comfort BUT learns that Jesus-followers have a peace that surpasses all discomfort in this lifetime.

Okay, not preaching, just explaining from personal experience. Maybe we've all been entered into the reality show of life called "Faith versus Fear".

What are your faith vs. fear stories?

Lesson #9 from 2010 WARNING: CONTROVERSIAL

Most people HATE conflict, in fact, they have conflict with conflict.

Lesson learned: conflict isn't bad. How we handle conflict is either good or bad, but conflict itself is an opportunity for growth or reveals an area where we need to grow.

I've taught this since we launched Lifehouse, and often challenge our leaders to NOT avoid conflict but to handle it biblically. 2010 was a year when my conviction to hold to this biblical stance was seriously tested.

Here are my personal reasons why I didn't want to deal with conflict, (then I'll share how I overcame them):

• dealing with conflict felt scary and uncomfortable,
• was afraid a person wouldn't like me if I address a reason for tension,
• didn't want to lose a friend, and thought, "if I address this issue, they won't want to be my friend anymore". I know, it sounds like I'm a kindergartner, does it? But it's how you think, too.
• it takes too much time and energy. Time better spent elsewhere,
• it'll go away on it's own, and if I bring it up, it will get worse,
• what if I'm not "right"?
• what if dealing with conflict reveals a weakness in me?

How I've grown and overcome some of these challenges:

• deal with conflict quickly, before it becomes "cancerous" and destructive, both to relationship and the church,
• give people the benefit of the doubt,
• don't believe second-hand info, but let people share their thoughts first-hand,
• avoid my personal insecurities and fears from debilitating me by trusting God and getting over myself,
• recognize that I still have a lot to learn and that God will use conflict to grow me (this one is hard to learn and hurts the most),
• unresolved tension grows destructive, so deal with it headed on and often until it's resolved,
• allow people time to think and grow. Don't demand immediate resolution.
• conflict might take a lot of time, but it takes less time on the front end than if left unresolved. Eventually, it will become all-consuming and a massive drain on your time.
• Even when we disagree, people are still precious to God and should be loved and treated with value.
• I LOVE those with whom I've had conflict. Even when things don't turn out like I wanted, they may not even know it but I regularly PRAY for them and think of them often. I wouldn't address issues of conflict if I didn't care. 
• God heals and brings the ultimate reconciliation in relationships. If things can't be resolved, we must turn it over to God.
• When we receive forgiveness from God, we MUST give forgiveness to and ASK forgiveness of others.

This was a very raw and personal approach to conflict. Listen to a sermon I preached on this topic in BIG part 4.

Big take away, "Conflict inevitable, combat optional". Watch this video for a laugh:

St Patrick season 2 videos and sermons available

Get them while they're available. St Patrick season 2 videos and sermons are now available at youtube and at our website, but they're only available to a limited number of people for viewing and download. So, if you want to see or hear, go NOW!

Ok, that's not true. Anybody can watch, listen, and download. And we hope you do! Pass them around, email the links to your friends, family, and neighbors who you're inviting to Lifehouse, or to those who would benefit from this sermon series. OR to those who need a good laugh at MY expense.

Here's the links for part 6:

Sermon audio here.

Hope you're laughing and being deeply challenged to truly become a Jesus-follower.

BTW, how many of you are interested in an out-takes/ bloopers video for this series?

Stand Firm: concluding 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Our focus in prayer today is for fruitfulness and faithfulness. Read John 15:1-11 as a reference point, and let's pray for "much fruit" through pruning, so that we are able to see increased impact in our community, many transformed lives, changed hearts, saved souls- all to the Father's Glory!!

When we are fruitful and faithful, the enemy will attack to discourage us, frustrate us, and lead us to believe that we should quite. But that is no time to quite. Instead,

"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9.

Here's a very encouraging letter written by an anonymous pastor from the jungles of New Guinea explaining His situation to the preacher John Yates:

"Man, it's great to be in the thick of the fight, to draw the old Devil's heaviest guns, to have him at you with depression and discouragement, slander, disease! He doesn't waste time. He hits good and hard when a fellow is hitting him.

You can always measure the effectiveness of your work, by how hard Satan hits back. When you're on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up and some don't bother to answer your letters, is that the time to bail out?

"No Sir! That's the time to pull out the stops and shout hallelujah! Satan’s really getting it and he’s launching an all out attack. And all of heaven is watching and asking: 'Will he stick it out?'

And they see who is with us…and they see around us the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, and they see the impossibility of failure with God on our side…how sad the angels must be when we run away from hard times. Glory to God! We're not going to run away. We're going to stand."

So, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, BE ENCOURAGED, STAND FIRM, NEVER GIVE UP to the GLORY of GOD!

Personal Thoughts on Haiti

We've all seen the unbelievable devastation and heartache in photos and news feed out of Haiti. Like me, your heart breaks and you wonder what you can do. On that later this week! For a moment, allow me to pour out my heart and reflections from Scripture as I've processed this great tragedy in Haiti.

First, our American perspective is so limited. There are 10's of millions of people all over the world deeply suffering, without clean water, bathrooms, food, shelter from cold or heat, no medical help, and on and on. We have it SO good, yet we complain to God over our "suffering" when we do without the most lavish of luxuries. This season of fasting reminds of how much I DON'T need!

Second, the biblical perspective on gratitude and provision. I modified my prayers with my daughters over the last few days. I always emphasize our need for GRATITUDE and GENEROSITY! We take time to thank Jesus for our food, home, stuff, and his faithful provision. However, recently, I started leading them in a prayer that went more like this,

"Jesus, thank you for your lavish blessings of food. You amaze us with your daily provisions of food to eat, water to drink, and a home to live in. Together, we are not only grateful, but also want to say that we are thankful, not because you always give us what we want or even need, but we are thankful for YOU, for salvation, and for the promise of heaven. Even if we had nothing, we would still love you and be thankful."

I'm reminded that Christians throughout history, and currently throughout the world suffer immeasurable persecution, devastation, and tragedy. While we are spared from so much of that in America, we must be mindful that we are not promised to be spared, but just the opposite,

Paul wrote to the Philippian Church, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him..." Philippians 1:29
Paul reminded other believers, "To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly." 1 Corinthians 4:11-13
And a thorough summation of many Jesus-followers pain, suffering, and willingness to endure hardship laid out in Hebrews 11: 32-40. Here's the highlight reel,

"Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground."

These verses (and hundreds that I didn't include for sake of brevity) make it so clear that suffering, hardship, and even tragedy are not marks of a lack of faith but of true Jesus-followers.

This isn't an exhaustive statement of my thoughts as I reflect personally, and I'll try to continue to blog those for you.

Our hearts, prayers, and soon (our generosity) are with those in Haiti.

What lessons are you learning as you observe the news of the devastation in Haiti?