Separate Light from Darkness

I was led by the Lord to begin a 40-day journey of prayer, scripture and fasting specifically for Lake Point Church.  This would start on January 1, 2013 and would take me right up to the day of the official launch on February 10.  But God wanted me to invite others to join.  So, I did.

We are launching 40 Days of Prayer on January 1.  We invite others to join us as we seek the Lord to show his power, his provision, and his plan for Lake Point Church.  Prayer is one of our five core values, so we take this challenge very serious.  You can find the prayer guide on our website at www.LakePointOnline.com.  You can also submit a prayer request on our prayer wall located under the "Connect" tab on our website.

These are my thoughts on the first day of our prayer guide.

Our assigned reading for January 1 is Genesis chapter 1.  The word, "light" was mentioned about a dozen times in this chapter.  I imagine huge explosions of light bursting onto the scene, all from the words of God.  There is great emphasis on light being separated from darkness.  This was God's first action, to separate and to cause a distinction between light and darkness.

This should challenge us to do the same this year.  It's no mystery that we live a dark world.  Darkness surrounds us.  By God' power, we need to separate the light from darkness.  How can we do this?  What are some practical ways to make this happen in our lives?

Personally
First, we must look to the darkness that's inside us.  There are dark rooms in certain areas of our hearts. These have to be exposed by God's light.  Some of these dark rooms include gossip, arrogance, un-forgiveness, anger, greed and lust.  (Colossians 3:1-9) We must expose these rooms to the light of God's word.  (Colossians 3:12-17)  Sometimes we need to enlist others to help us shine the light in these areas by asking a trusted friend to pray and watch for these areas creeping around.

Family
We have a large family with six kids (and a big dog).  We are convinced that the more people who live in the home, then the more chances of darkness entering the home.  Our family is constantly trying to separate the light for darkness.  We can't have enough spiritual flashlights.  We are still learning, but here are some practical steps we've taken that deal mostly with defending our home from invasions of darkness.

• Be very selective about what kids come into your home on a regular basis.  The kids who regularly hang out in your home will have the most influence on your own kids.  Our home is open to a variety of people, but we are intentional about allowing kids hang around more often who exhibit values we are trying to teach.
• Slay the dragon that's in the room.  You've heard the phrase, "There's an elephant in the room".  But in most homes today, there's also a dragon.  That dragon makes his way into our homes through the media corridors we've allowed.  If you lock up your castle, this dragon will fly away.  You can do this by cleaning and canceling.  Clean what comes into your home through internet filters such as www.k9webprotection.com or www.opendns.com.  Clean what comes into your TV.  I know services like Hulu and Netflix are great, but they also offer a lot of trash that's very easily acceptable.  I'm not only talking about these being acceptable to your children.  I'm also talking about adults being able to access them with very little to no accountability.  Clean your your video game console.  The games your kids play will affect them down the road.  If cleaning does not work for any of these areas, then cancel.  Try canceling that cable or Hulu account.  You might be surprised at how little it will be missed and how much you can save.
• Set up values for your family.  This can have the most effect in separating the light from darkness.  Right them down and post them.  A great place to start is Colossians 3:18-21.

Socially
As Christians, we should be a light in a dark world (Matthew 5:14-16).  If our actions and speech take on different shades depending on who we are around, then our light is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).  I often wear a Lake Point Church T-shirt or sport shirt.  It's sad to admit, but I've noticed that I'm more cautious about what I say and where I look when I wear the shirt.  Let me remind you of something.  You wear the shirt of Christ everyday.  More people know who you represent than you think.  And if they don't know, then you might want to check if your relationship with Jesus is legit.   

It's interesting to note, as illustrated in this first chapter of God's word, that his creation could not grow until light was separated from darkness (Genesis 1:11-12).  You want to grow?  Then expose the darkness with God's light.  Start this new year with a commitment to separate the light from the darkness. 

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The Calling

My grandfather, Robert Hale, was a church planter.  He even built a church building with his bare hands.  I prayed a sinner's prayer in that same church building.  My PaPaw was instrumental in discipling John Osteen and helping him plant Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, the largest church in America.  So when the call came for me to plant a church and transition to become a pastor, I couldn't help but think of PaPaw and the call God placed on his life.  He is with the Lord now, but I feel close to him, close to the same calling to reach people with the Gospel.  The methods are different now, but the message is forever the same.

A couple of years ago, I evaluated where I stood in ministry.  I began to ask God where could I be to make the most impact for His kingdom.  I was very happy with what I was doing.  I love leading worship and working with the team we have in place at Cartersville First Baptist.  It's my sweet spot.  I am comfortable.  But is being comfortable God's will?

Over the past several years, God had been allowing me to develop skills outside of worship.  I began to enjoy building leadership and watching it unfold in the lives of others.  I enjoyed communicating the Gospel in creative ways.  I was developing a passion for the kingdom of God and His entire Church.  After much prayer and searching, God made it clear to me that I was to surrender the music stand for the pulpit.  (Although, I like communicating the Gospel with a music stand.)

Suzanne and I began praying and seeking the Lord about where we should serve.  During that time, the Holy Spirit communicated to us that we should plant a new church.  Wow.  This new calling needed some other people to pray and give us advice.  So I shared this vision with my pastor, Randall Williams, and David Franklin, the minister for the Bartow Baptist Association.  Both of these men agreed to pray with us and seek God's will and direction.

During this time of prayer, the calling did not diminish.  It kept growing and being confirmed in God's word and through circumstances.  We formed an advisory team of five pastors for the purpose of praying and sharing wisdom.  This team of men has walked with me, and will continue until the church officially launches.  We felt led to pray specifically about three areas to plant a new church.  Those areas included: Magnolia/Tomball, TX (north of Houston), Covington, LA (north of New Orleans) and right here in Bartow County, GA.

Our family committed to go through the study, Experiencing God.  We were reminded to watch where God was working and join Him.  So, we waited and watched to see His hand at work.  He showed us where He was working and where we were to join Him.  His clarity about the calling and timing was incredible.  God's favor was upon us.  He was walking right to us.  We felt like we were living one of those stories found in Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God study.

God made it clear that it was time to walk through this new door of church planting.  And we get to do this in our own backyard.  The circumstances surrounding God's voice was amazing to watch.  I can't wait to share them with you.

(Come back for "God Loves Baseball")

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Send Worries Back From Where They Came

Do you worry? Do you constantly think about things in which you can't control? I don't know about you, but I like to control things. Like a GPS, I like to see where things are going at all times. I like to see the roadblocks and traffic ahead to give me time for optional routes.

Sometimes God gives us a GPS-like view of our situations. He shows this to allow us to maneuver toward our destinations. God is showing that he trusts us with the given information. But sometimes God allows our GPS signal to become weak. We are unable to see where we are, where we are going, and what roadblocks are ahead. It's there that God asks us to trust in him.

Matthew 6:33-34 reminds us to "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." God does not live within our concept of time. He is outside of time. So that means he is in our tomorrow, today. He controls tomorrow. That alone gives me comfort.

Just last week our seven-year old son, Logan, went to check the mail. (It's one of his chores) He came back in the house empty-handed. Suzanne asked, "Where's the mail little postman?" Logan explained that he did not like any of the mail, so he left it in the mailbox. Come to find out, the mailbox held nothing but bills. I like Logan's way of dealing with those bills. Those bills only bring worry.

Like a mailbox, we sometimes receive deliveries of worry. We don't like these packages because we can't control them. It's then that we should raise the flag of surrender and send them back from where they came.

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Who is After You

Isaiah 14 is typically seen as prophetic and speaking to the king of Babylon, which represents Satan.
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.
12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

Ezekiel 28 is also seen as a similar passage, against the king of Tyre, who also represents Satan.
12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.[b] Your settings and mountings[c] were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

In Luke 10:18 Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

It’s clear here that Satan was created to be the worship leader in Heaven. One day, he kept some of that glory for himself and was kicked out of heaven. He lost his job.

Who took his job? You and I did. He is after the worship leaders to try to stop worship to God.

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The Touch of Faith

Have you ever lost something of value? If so, then you probably searched for that item with great intent on finding it. In Luke chapter 8 we see two people who have lost something of value; one was his daughter, the other was her health.

Jairus was an important man in the community, a synagogue leader. We find him bowing down at the feet of Jesus asking for a life-saving miracle. Even after hearing that his daughter was dead he did not give up his faith.

We will never know the name of the other person in this story. She was an outcast because of her continuous bleeding. Yet her faith will always be remembered. She revealed the power of Christ like no other person.

Both of these stories involved faith that had the end result solved before Jesus even spoke a word. Jairus believed his twelve-year old daughter would be healed and raised from the dead before Jesus took a step toward his house. The woman believed her twelve-year old illness would be healed without Jesus touching her or looking at her.

There were many people touching Jesus that day. But these two people touched the heart and the garment of Jesus with an intent of finding something they had lost. They were desperate. In return, Jesus revealed God’s power in their lives.

If we want to see God’s power revealed we must ask, touch, worship and seek with the expectation of the end result.

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Time | Talent | Treasure

In our Reveal series we have discussed that God reveals himself to our church through us a worship team. God also reveals himself directly to our church while His people lift up His name. And last, God reveals himself as we walk with him daily.

Today I want to bring our attention to God’s revelation of His will. We often get caught up in seeking God’s will for our lives. When actually our focus should be to just seek God’s will. Once we see His will then we line up our lives in accordance to His will.

The looming question is how does God reveal His will. He is always revealing His will. We’re just not always looking for it. So we need to place ourselves in an environment where we can see God revealing His will and where He is working. Once we see that we join Him.

There are three environments in which if we settle we can see God working. Those areas involve serving God with our time, talent and treasure.

Have you ever heard the phrase? “Time is more important than money.” There have been many situations in which I believed this statement. Because of the value placed on time I believe God chooses to reveal his ways while we spend our precious time serving Him. If you want to see God revealing His will then spend some time serving Him.

God has created each of us with gifts and abilities in which to bring Him glory and to serve and grow the body of Christ. Some of us wait on God to show us how to use our talents when God is actually waiting on us to use their talent. As we use our talents God shows where He is working. God has a vision for the use of our talents. We can’t bury them and wait for God. He wants us to experience God working while we are using our talents.

God’s word states, “Where your treasure is there your heart also will be.” (Matt. 6:21) If we have a heart to know God’s will and where His is working then we need to put our money where are heart is. If we don’t serve God with our treasure then we truly don’t care to know where God is working. The more we understand that our money belongs to Him the more God will choose to reveal His will.

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The Image of Christ

Robert Hale was my grandfather. He was a Christian extremist. He walked with God. I know I serve the Kingdom this day due to his prayers on my life. I loved being around him because it was the closest to being with Jesus.

I have an old picture of me sitting on my grandfather’s lap. It resembles another picture that was taken in 2005 of Logan sitting on the same knee. The little boys in both pictures were the same age. They look like sets of twins yet are several years apart. These pictures are proof that Logan has been made in my image. My face is revealed in his face.

If we want to see where God has revealed Himself just look in your life mirror. In Matthew 10:22-23 Jesus says, “All men will hate you because of me.” He continues to say, “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.” Not IF but WHEN. We think that if we become like Jesus the world will love us. The opposite is true. The more we become like Jesus the more the world will hate us.

Are you hated or persecuted by the world? Then you have the face or image of Christ. In his book, Radical, David Platt states, “To everyone wanting a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, stay away from Jesus. The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ.”

You want God to be revealed in your life? Then pray that the image of Christ be a reflection in your life mirror as you walk the straight and narrow. But watch out because the straight and narrow is a highway to the danger zone.

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