Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”

In live theater, a dress rehearsal is the final rehearsal in which everything is done as it would be in a real performance. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately… depending on your viewpoint…our lives are not a dress rehearsal for the real thing. We are living the real thing right now. Guess what? You’re not getting this day back. There are no “do-overs” in real life. It’s the live show for us. There won’t be another. That’s why God wants us to make every day count. Every conversation count. Every moment with our family. Every vacation. Every open door. I could go on and on.

Moses prays to the Lord in Psalm 90:12, “teach us to number our days”. That means to make the most out of every opportunity to add value to someone’s life or your own. Here’s a thought, if you knew that Jesus was coming back in one week (I’m not saying He is, so don’t start any rumors!), what would your week look like? Think about it, who would you meet with? What would you say to some people? Who would you share the gift of salvation with? This is not a dress rehearsal, it’s the real thing. Let’s make each moment of each day count.

Recalibrate

Jeremiah 10:23 “Oh Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man to direct his own steps”

The word “recalibrate” has become quite familiar to all of us GPS users out there. Where would we be without them…literally? When we take a wrong turn, we rely on the GPS to recalibrate. If I didn’t have the GPS I’d have gotten lost so many times! I still remember the days when my dad would pull over and dig out the map from the glove compartment of our station wagon. Those days are long gone. Now we just wait for our GPS to figure out a way to get us back on track.

Recalibrate means to calibrate again, to get back on course again. If you’ve gotten off course, no worries, you have the Guide inside. The Holy Spirit will recalibrate within you. He will prompt you to make a simple course correction. Jeremiah 10:23 says “it’s not in any of us to direct our own steps. In life, we need to recalibrate many, many times. God is okay with that. That’s why He gave us the Holy Spirit to recalibrate us as soon as we begin to make a wrong turn. He guides us to make a small course correction, that’s all we need. The sooner we yield to Him, the less recalibration we need on the path ahead. If you’ve gotten off course, listen to the Holy Spirit and just recalibrate. You’ll get to your destination. Trust your “God Positional System”.

Into the Ugh-Known

Hebrews 11:8 Amplified Bible “Urged on by faith Abraham when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go”

On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager, an Air Force pilot flew an experimental plane 40,000 feet over the Mohave desert, becoming the first man to break the sound barrier. As he tells it, his jet nicknamed “Glamorous Glennis“ named after his wife was ready to fly into the “Ugh-known”. Just days before, he had a “disagreement” with a horse and broke two ribs, and was flying in a lot of pain. As he got to the point of the sound barrier, which no one had ever gone before, the jet began to shake violently. At that moment Yeager had to make a key decision, to slow down and abort the mission or to throttle down and go. He throttled down and broke through the sound barrier and experienced what is called a sonic boom.

That’s what Abraham had to do. He had to make a key decision in a moment of time. He had to either go back or go “into the ugh-known” where he had never been before. He decided to throttle down and “boom” he received his inheritance. If we’re going to break through barriers in our lives in 2019 and beyond, we need to throttle down and go. We may be in a whole lot of pain. We may be shaking violently on the inside. We may feel like quitting. Perfect, you’re ready for your breakthrough. Press through and get ready for your boom!

Good Things Come to Those Who GO!

1 Samuel 16:1 – “Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go…for I have provided...”

You’ve heard the phrase good things come to those who wait. I agree, but sometimes good things come to those who GO! In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel was mourning for Saul who he had anointed to be king. But God had made a change. We have trouble sometimes with change.

The Lord said “How long are you going to mourn?” Perhaps God is asking you the same thing, or maybe, “How long are you going to live in regret?” Or, “How long are you going to try to relive the past?” Before you have a chance to answer, He declares “Fill your horn with oil and go”. There’s your answer. There’s your mandate.

In the same breath, He says, “For I have provided”. Two thirds of GOD is GO. Good things are waiting for you as you go. Have you ever tried to pick up spilled milk? You can’t. Stop trying.

I believe this message is for many people who are stuck in the past, or even stuck in the present. He’s saying to you today…”How long are you going to live in the past when I’ve moved on? I’m sending you. It’s time to make a change. Get going! I have provided!” Take a step forward. It’s your time for new beginnings.

Wounded Time, Is Wasted Time

by Natalie Fortunato

Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." 

"If you're going through hell, don't stop!".  Heard this line in a country song while I was waiting at the car dealership for my oil change.  Loved it!  Totally got my attention.  Such great advice, right?  

When we really mess up, totally miss God, sometimes the guilt and shame is paralyzing.  It's almost unbearable.  But the worse thing we can do is stay there. All wounded and condemned, kicking ourselves.  What a waste of time.  

The enemy loves to rehearse the incident over and over again in our minds.  How we failed.  But the Holy Spirit is the exact opposite.  When we miss it, He loves to remind us of who we are in Christ.  He reminds us that we are loved, accepted, forgiven and righteous.  He reminds us of our calling and our assignment.  

If you've messed up big time, change your mind and change your direction.  Admit where you got off track, take responsibility for your actions, take dominion and authority over the enemy, and allow the Holy Spirit to get you back on track…and move on!  

Blank Slate Baby by Natalie Fortunato

Colossians 2:14 (The Message) "Think of it!  All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross".  

In 2014, Taylor Swift wrote a song called Blank Space, poking fun at all her multiple failed romances and the casualties she's left behind.  Though her relationships were at a loss, her song won a Grammy for Song of the Year..crazy! 

I'd like to put a little twist to her song title, to help you remember this very helpful principle when dealing with your close relationships.  Here it is: Blank Slate!  If God has wiped the slate clean with all our sin, how about if we wipe the slate clean at the close of every day with other's sins against us?  

Ephesians 4:26-27 says to “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil."  In other words, wipe the slate clean every night and wake up the next day with a clean slate, totally empty, no records of wrongdoing against anyone.  Don't mess up today with your wife, or husband, or best friend, or boss, or neighbor's mess ups (intentional or unintentional) from yesterday.  

Paul said there is one thing that he does…forget those things that are behind and reach forward to those things ahead (Phil. 3:13). If you need to confront something, do it in a godly way, then regardless of the outcome, move on!  Forgive!  Let it go!  Start each day with a blank slate baby! 

Say Goodbye to Guilt

Gal 4:17 (The Message Bible)  "Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making themselves important." 

The biggest curse in the body of Christ today is the enormous amount of guilt, condemnation, shame, and fear.  These destructive behaviors are totally disarming and paralyzing the people of God. Sadly, statistics have shown that Pentecostals, Charismatic's and full gospel people suffer with guilt and guilt related disorders more than any other religious group in the world. 

The dictionary defines guilt as, the feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, or crime, whether real or imagined.  The reason why is we get hooked on what I call a toxic mixture of old testament law and new testament grace.  Once you mix the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life, it will poison every area of your Christian life. 

For the majority of believers in the church today, guilt is their drug of choice.  For many, if they don't feel guilty, they wonder how they be motivated to serve God!  Some actually think guilt is a Christian emotion. IT"S NOT! Paul calls this mixture "another gospel".  Any time a person tries to earn the love, acceptance, forgiveness and favor of God, it is going to result in guilt, condemnation, shame and fear. God's unmerited favor is the answer that will deliver God's people from this addiction.  God loves, accepts, and forgives every one of us unconditionally.  It's time to kick the habit!

Thank God for My Clogged Drain!

1 Thessalonians 5:17,18 - "Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" 

During this Thanksgiving season, K-Love Radio has been giving listeners an opportunity to share on the air what they are thankful for.  I heard a great story last week after I has just dropped my wife off at work.  You see, she missed a step coming down the stairs a couple of weeks ago and broke a bone in her "driving foot".  Hence, I have become her temporary designated driver. 

I was getting a bit annoyed at all the driving back and forth…until I heard the story from a woman that said, "I'm calling in today to give thanks for my clogged drain".  Huh?  It really got my attention!  She went on to say that for two years she was homeless.  During that time, she declared 2 Samuel 7:1-7, that "no longer will you move from place to place but the Lord will build you your own house".  And He sure did, she now had a home of her own.    

That's a godly perspective folks!  In everything she gave thanks.  When she was homeless, when she was standing on the Word of God, and when she had her own home, clogged drain and all! 

Home "Sick"

Indeed, nearly all people miss something about home when they are away, making homesickness a nearly universal experience.  However, an intense desire to go "back" to a familiar place and time can be very debilitating.  A longing for the "good ol' days" and what "used to be" makes it impossible to look with hope to the future.
 
According to Hebrews 11:15, you follow the direction of your most dominant thought.  You don't go anywhere in the natural that you haven't first gone in your imagination. This can be good or bad, depending on where your mind is taking you.  If you spend your time meditating on God's promises in His Word, by faith you'll move forward and fulfill God's plan and purpose for your life.  If you follow thoughts that want to take you backwards, you will find "constant opportunity to return to it".  You'll be home "sick", instead of enjoying and being content with and trusting in God's goodness and faithfulness in the place He has for you today and every day to come.