Chapter 7: Offspring, Oddities & Obstacles

I was on a trip to Portland and someone else was teaching this particular chapter. I almost skipped it for the moment, thinking I was too busy. Had I done so, I would have missed hearing from God. By that I mean I would have missed the arrow God shot directly through my muddled brain and into my spirit. This is good, yall. Get the book!

Jakes uses unwanted fetuses as a metaphor for the unwanted “spiritual embryos left behind from our previous associations with dead things.” (86) He is careful to say that he is not advocating abortion so please, as you read this do not allow yourselves to get sidetracked on that particular issue.

In the last chapter Jakes taught that we need to stop associating with dead things, people and relationships!  We are called to newness in Christ. Many of us don’t act new because the stench of death is still all around us and in those places that we have not allowed God to clean out.  Jakes teaches that we must seek out AND DESTROY the progeny born in us from our past relationships.  These are “offsprings of another time when we were less spiritually mature” and we cannot allow them to exist in us. (86)  These feed on our fears and insecurities. They suck the life out of moments that should be precious. “If not destroyed, the residue of early traumas will attach itself to your successes and abort your missions and goals.” (87)

This is the critical point; You and I are the source from which these unwanted babies draw nourishment. We are the ones who feed it and we are the only ones who can starve it.  They exist in our minds and feed us wrong thoughts. We’ve already learned many times that wrong thoughts lead to wrong words and wrong words lead to wrong actions. Our thoughts feed our greatness or our insecurities. We have the ability to choose what we think.

Now this was the line that hit me between the eyes; “Every remaining embryo that ties us to a DEAD ISSUE can be and must be aborted.” (92) There are some issues in my life that I KNOW are dead yet, in unguarded moments, I still find myself ruminating about them. I still allow the memories precious time that could be and should be spent in better pursuits. Instead of starving these embryos I feed them and allow them to grow stronger! I appreciated Jakes’ reminder to “Put Christ on the throne and [my] past on the cross!” (93)  You and I can offer all of our dead issues to a living Christ.  We won’t ever forget the hurt that people have caused us. The memories will still exist. However, WE choose HOW to remember what we’ve been through. This is critical and I hope it helps you as much as it helps me. If our hearts are so clouded by unresolved issues, if the mind is so clogged with unwanted memories, if the spirit is not free, how can we truly see God?   If we want a fresh move of God, if we want to see God more clearly we have got to clean out the systems. When we do, we will get a fresh vision and experience a new move of God.

College Music Society: Juba ‘dis and Juba ‘dat

CMS presentation.ppt

Chapter 5: …In My Father’s Name

We live in a day when people name children some of the strangest things. There doesn’t seem to be any understanding that names are more than ways to differentiate one person from the next. Names define a person. Many people have been on a lifelong search for the answer to the question ‘who am I?’ They don’t know who they are because people have, so often, called them out of their name. Jacob, whose Mother named him “supplanter” or “trickster,”constantly lived down to that name until one day he wrestled with “the only One who can give lasting answers to hard-hitting questions… God!” (56) Some of us need to spend some time wrestling with God until we can walk away with a new name and a new identity. Jacob walked away from his wrestling match named, Israel or Prince. Throughout the Bible are examples of people who understood their names and whose lives are evidence: Jesus – salvation, Isaac – laughter, Moses-drawn out, Benjamin-son of my right hand etc.

Jakes teaches that we must break the spell of every name that others have attached to us that doesn’t match who God says we are! And, if you’ve been guilty of cultivating a name that doesn’t match, you can appeal to the one who is still in the name-changing business. “A name is an expression of character; it means no more than the character behind it.’ (64) As long as you have breath in your body, you can change your character. You may not have always acted like who you really are but God has always known! And you can know, too.

Remember, that your words have creative power. What you say about yourself, what you say about situations in your life are very important. Seek to line your words up with God! Jakes says “The word of the Lord often stands alone. It has no attorney and it needs no witnesses. It can stand on its own merit. Whatever He says, you are! If you are to fight the challenges of this age, then shake the enemy’s names and insults off your shoulder.” (65)

Chapter 4: Refiners Fire

Like the three previous chapters, this one is filled with truths that are life-changing when put into action. I will focus on a couple in this summary.

God uses fire to purify and correct those He loves and nurtures. That sounds like an oxymoron, I’m sure but it’s true, none-the-less. Jakes teaches that whenever God gets ready to polish His gold (that would be you and me) God uses fiery trials.  God does this because “God is serious about producing the change in our lives that will glorify Him.” (45)  And at times, God has had to fan the flames of the fire to make sure that anything that is keeping us from our destiny and purpose are burned off.  Being in a fire is never comfortable. No one wants to be put into situations where the heat is blasting. Yet, because of the love God has for us, sometimes it’s necessary. The beauty is that God is also the one who controls the thermostat! God knows just how much heat you need for God’s purposes to be accomplished.

God is the master potter. If you’ve ever worked with clay you understand this better than most. Every potter knows that different clays and different glazes require different temperatures and often different kilns. The potter would never put a project she’s working on in a fire that is too hot because she knows it would destroy the work. Likewise, she knows that putting the project in a fire that’s not hot enough will not accomplish the goal. You can rest assured that every trial you go through, every fire you find yourself navigating has been specially designed by the one who knows you better than you know yourself. Even though you might look dull, after you emerge from the refiner’s fire, you will shine bright!

Now, not every fire that God allows you to experience have been ones designed by God. Some have been designed by the enemy who wants to take you out. Satan’s desire is to burn you UP but God will never let that happen. God is always Lord over the fire. With God, you can “walk in what other men burn in.” (49)

The last point I’d like to make this week is this: “We spend most of our time talking about what we want from God. The real issue is what He wants from us!” (47) Between the two of us, God has the greatest investment. God gave all when the only begotten son, Jesus, was sacrificed for our sins! And when God invests, God expects a return on the investment. You are good soil!  But even good soil needs to be weeded, mulched and watered. Sometimes good soil has manure added to it. So, just think of all the crap you have to go through as nutrients that will make the gifts God deposited into you grow strong and brilliant.

Chapter 3: Delayed But Not Denied

There were some really great points in this chapter, ones that spoke to me on a number of levels.  Jakes reminds us that it seasons of struggle are necessary.  We learn in Ecclesiastes that there is a season for everything. Likewise, in our lives, there are seasons when things go well, ones where it seems like most areas in our lives are lying fallow and there are inevitable seasons of struggles. The trick is to learn to trust God in every season.  God uses seasons of struggle to purify us, to show us what we need to work on.  Those things that we think are so bad, Paul calls “light afflictions” (2 Cor. 4:17)  Seasons of struggle don’t last always. And with each temporary setback comes “opportunities for fresh commitment and renewal.” (32)

Jakes reminds us that we should not make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances. This is such good advice. I’ve been personally guilty of rushing into action when times get rough. I see it in marriages all the time. Things get rough and people bail. That’s a permanent decision based on a temporary situation! We see it in our children when they learn that life isn’t always about having a good time so they want to drop out of college instead of staying committed.  God created each of us with a destiny in mind.  And in those seasons of delay it is critical that you remember this. No matter what you are facing, God has already determined the time of your deliverance from the situation IF YOU JUST STAY THE COURSE.  No matter what the enemy throws at you, there is nothing he can do to abort God’s plan for your life. (33)  At the same time, there is nothing you can do to rush God’s timing.  Trust in God’s perfect timing for you. That timing is not the same timing as your friends. God knows you so intimately that he has numbered the hairs on your head – not counted. “He knows which hair is in your comb!” (41)

Sometimes God puts you in a holding pattern in   much the same ways that air traffic controllers periodically do planes. When God has you circling, it might feel as if you are suspended in mid-air with nothing to hold on to. You may feel as if there is no place for you to get a toehold. It may be scary. It can make you anxious if you refuse to acknowledge that God is an ever-present help in the time of trouble. God upholds you with His right hand! God promises never to leave you nor forsake you. God would never send you into a wilderness experience without provision. So, if you’re in a holding pattern, remember that this is just a delay. It’s not denial. There is something that God needs to work out IN you, FOR you and THROUGH you.  Don’t let people who don’t understand your God or that you have an appointment for destiny make you act rashly. Don’t let your own fears get in the way. God always keeps His appointments.  God never forgets you! God would never just leave you hanging!!

While you’re in that holding pattern, pray. Seek God. Double check your GPS system to make sure you haven’t somehow wandered into unmarked territory. And rest in the comfort of the one who is holding you.

Chapter 2: Don’t Count Me Out

Our next study in Insights To Help You Survive Peaks and Valleys leads us to ask ourselves some difficult but critical questions:

1. Are you intentionally getting up when you fall/fail or are you throwing a pity party and inviting everyone you know – including God?  If you choose to stay down when you fall, don’t expect God to show up. Jakes teaches “The Lord doesn’t like pity parties… [and] He seldom attends.” (21)  Failing is never fatal IF you choose to learn what you are being taught and make up in your mind to get back up and PRESS forward.

In the book, Jakes likens falling down or adversity to yeast in dough. When dough is put into a warm environment, the yeast is activated and it causes the dough to rise. Likewise, when you are in a situation that makes you feel as if you are being pressed on every side, the yeast (the power of God in you) is activated and you CAN rise. If you’ve ever made rolls with bad yeast (or forgot to put the yeast in) you know that what you end up with is not decent for eating.  These hard rolls started out with of the necessary ingredients to taste good. However, because there was no catalyst for growth, they never reached their full potential /purpose. If you’re trying to face tough times without the power of God working inside you, forget it. You’ll end up hard, dry and about as effective as a paperweight.

2. Are you pursuing a goal; are you totally committed to the pursuit of excellence; are you relentless in this pursuit OR do you dabble in a little of this and a little of that, never really knowing what it is that you were created to be and do?

According to Jakes, most people have things out of order. We spend many hours “trying to convince God that He should bless what we are trying to accomplish (ideas often born out of the womb of our minds and not God’s” Instead, we need to “spend hours in prayer for God to reveal His purpose.” (27) When we do what God created us to do, blessing is a natural by-product.   Jakes makes a distinction between talents and purpose.  God has given each of you gifts that you are supposed to use. However, the way those gifts are used should be directly related to your purpose.

Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”  Before you were born God established a purpose for your gifts and talents. It is your job to seek God and then pursue your purpose. Stop today and check your location. Are you in the will of God? Are you on the road to fulfilling your purpose? This is crucial because God protects where God directs!

Think of this as using a GPS system. When you put in your destination (your purpose), the GPS tells you where you are right now. The GPS system doesn’t start you at the destination. It locates where you currently sit and then instructs you on ways to get to the destination.

Some people will find that they are already on the road to their purpose. Others will discover that they are on an unmarked road. The system will warn you about the potential danger of being in unmarked territory.  And it will tell you to move to a place where you are out of danger of being lost!  No matter where you find yourself, the important thing to remember is that God IS THERE. God IS your GPS system. And as long as you listen to the directions of the GPS system you WILL end up moving towards your purpose.

Pursue your purpose with excellence!

New Study: TD Jakes – Insights To Help You Survive Peaks & Valleys

Hello friends,

Grab a copy of Insights to Help You Survive Peaks & Valleys by TD Jakes and join me on a journey to being blessed!

Each week I will post a brief summary (or summaries as necessary) of the lessons. I invite you to COMMENT or QUESTION. Let’s get a dialogue going.

You are also invited to join me on Sunday mornings at Omega Church at 10:00 for the study.

Be blessed!

Lesson One : The Transformers

God created the first transformer when, out of the dust of the ground, He created Adam. From this one man, God transformed “the man into a marriage. Then He transformed the marriage into a family, the family into a society, etc.” (10)  The power to transform was intrinsically placed into the man from the beginning. Likewise, when you were born, God placed into you bountiful potential to become what God created you to be.

As an illustration let me draw your attention to the caterpillar and the butterfly. God created each of you to be beautiful butterflies, able to soar above the problems that weigh you down. And though some caterpillars are attractive creatures (if you like this kind of thing) they still should not remain in this state!  This was not how they were intended to live.

God did not create you to crawl around like a caterpillar!  You were created to SOAR Just as the beautiful form & all of the characteristics of the butterfly are hidden within the caterpillar, so is it with you!  “Life has chiseled many of us into mere fragments of who we were meant to be.” (11)  Just remember that the one who works in you is greater than any of your trials, any of your situations and any of the things that have weighed you down in the past. You have the POWER to TRANSFORM and with God’s help it is TOTALLY POSSIBLE.

Change, Bishop Jakes reminds us, is a gift of God. No matter what has occurred in the past, if you are willing, God is able to help you make the necessary changes. But, just as the caterpillar does not change into a butterfly overnight, just as there is struggle in the metamorphosis, change in your life will require struggle and prayer. Becoming a butterfly means casting off some of the wrong labels people have put on you. It might mean throwing away some that you’ve put on yourself!

I used to love the theme song from the original transformer cartoon series. Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye.  That describes me. And it describes you! When people look at you, they cannot see all that God has created you to be. They see your outer shell. They see your actions (which admittedly might not always line up with the transformation that’s taking place inside). They see what they want to see. BUT, you are more than meets the eye. Scripture teaches that eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the imagination of onlookers all that God has already ordained you to be, the seeds of which were deposited into you before the foundation of the world. And God, through your repentance and struggles, will PRESS it out of you!

Come on, transformers! Begin the metamorphosis today!

Fireproof: The Movie & Small Group Discussion

Omega Baptist Church (Salem/Emerson) will be showing FIREPROOF on Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 3:00. This is a free event and open to the community. A lite meal will be served between the morning worship service and the start of the movie. Childcare will be provided and teens are encouraged to view the movie.

Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

The Story behind Fireproof

Fireproof begins with a married couple in deep trouble. On the verge of divorce, they are fighting and barely able to speak to one another in a kind manner. The young wife is struggling with an attraction to a man she works with who gives her the kind of attention she feels she is lacking from her husband, while her husband struggles with a pornography addiction which has helped lead to this sad state of affairs.

Caleb Holt, portrayed by Kirk Cameron, is the Captain of the local fire department and the movie involves some very moving and action packed scenes of the firemen doing their daily work in a heroic manner. His wife is working at a local hospital as a public relations representative for the medical work of the facility.

Caleb seeks out the guidance of his father who talks to him in depth about how his mother and he almost split up. Caleb is frustrated and angry, he feels there is no hope. They are planning to file for divorce. His father asks him to give him 40 days to try to save his marriage.

This is when Caleb’s father sends him his own special handwritten copy of The Love Dare, a book which begins a 40-day journey to changing the course of your marriage.

Fireproofflyer

For six weeks following the movie, I will hosting a small group discussion about the movie in our home. This will take place on Thursday nights from 6:30 – 8:00 beginning on September 3.

This movie is having a major positive impact on marriages across the country. The group discussions are designed to help couples discuss issues that are contributing to the negative marital statistics in our communities.  Please join me for frank, open discussions about marriage. The health of our marriages is critical to the health of our nation. I encourage you to give your family the gift of these few weeks.  Let me know if you are able to participate.

Cox small group flier

Is It Dead… Or Just Asleep?

What follows is an interesting, tongue-in-cheek expose on the state of human relationships and endeavors. Stated as an obituary, the unknown writer builds a solid case that this friend, Common Sense, is dead. The evidence seems to be everywhere. And, after you read it, maybe you will concur. At first read, I did. Then I began to question whether or not this is another case of people who should know better simply letting things go to the point that, if Common Sense is not dead, then certainly it is in a coma. And if Common Sense is in a coma, perhaps it can be resurrected and restored to full health. If our God is great and mighty, powerful, and a series of omnis (-present, -niscient, -nimpotent) then why can’t we restore Common Sense to vitality? Why do we have to give up and let craziness rule our minds, families, schools, communities, governments?

Holy Scripture teaches that the one who lives in us is GREATER than the one in the world (1John 4:4). It says we have power to tread on serpents (Ps 91:13). We have power to speak to a mountain and have it cast into the sea (Mark 11:23). Christ raised people from the dead, fed thousands with sardines and crackers and walked on water. Scripture says that we should be able to do even greater works! (John 14:12)

Let’s rewrite this obituary!

An Obituary Printed In The London Times

author unknown

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn’t always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place, and then were interpreted to have the original meaning taken well beyond the extreme Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student, but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense started to lose the will to live as the churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a devastating beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home, and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled some in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge monetary settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his sons, Reason and Integrity.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers:

I Know My Rights,

I Want It Now,

Someone Else Is To Blame, and

I’m A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Happy Father’s Day!

This is the day we set aside to honor the Fathers in our lives. In a Godly world, we would honor the people in our lives who love us and care for us on a daily basis and I believe this is what God calls us to do.  But, as it would be, today is that one day a year that we make a special effort to bless fathers. [I recommend that you read the origin of Father’s Day at this website: http://www.ideafinder.com/guest/calendar/fathersday.htm

Today, I want to pay homage to special men in my life:

To ‘Daddy,’ my uncle Robert Gray West, who allowed me to stay in his home after my birth mother died and my Grandmother decided that she would raise me. Daddy allowed his home to be an open door for Mama and me as we moved in and out from the time as far back as I can remember to when we moved to Richmond before my 8th grade year.

To Daddy-Uncle Sandy, the hero of my young life. In my eyes he was bigger than the stars and could do no wrong. He is still my hero because he stayed! My brothers, Danny, Sam & Christopher, grew up with Dad in the home because he stayed when so many others walked away from their responsibilities! He modeled a life of service to the kingdom!

To Dad Cox, my father of nearly 28 years. Dad is a model example of a Father that prays daily for his children. Every father would do good to emulate him. Dad has the gift of encouragement and uses it without reservation! He has never been a Father-in-law to me and for that I am grateful.

To my brothers Danny, Sam, Deione, Derrick, Phillip, and Walter, Jr., brothers who love their children and are not afraid to show it. These are Godly men who understand that loving their families start with loving God. Things have not been easy for all of them and some have struggled more than others. Yet they continue to stay the course, to seek the best for their families. Their children will know what a Godly man looks like!

and of course,

To Gerald, my husband of nearly 28 years. I have a storehouse of memories of him with our children, pouring into them: reading with them, bathing them, taking them to the park, wresting on the living room floor, tossing them high in the air and catching them with a flourish, correcting them when they fell and skinned their knees while doing something goofy (Mom did the kissing). I see him kneeling beside our daughter’s bed, praying, while she lay in pain waiting for our grandson to be born. I see him standing in the driveway crying as we watched Jonathan drive the car to Hampton for the first time. I see him holding little hands as we walked down the street, holding someone steady while they learned to ride a bike, dressing as Santa and holding excited children on his lap. These and so many memories from the past 25+ years are treasured memories. Even today, with adult children I see Gerald praying for them, worrying about them, and encouraging them to be all that God created them to be. He does the same for our grandson. Our children know what a real Dad looks like. They know what it means to have a full-time, Godly father.  You’re a prince of a Dad, Gerald and I wish I had had a Dad just like you!