PURPOSED STEPS
“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
Proverbs 29:18
“Then the LORD replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.’”
Habakkuk 2:2

With the end of the year only days away, my children and I sat down together and drafted a list of goals that we want to see come about for 2012. I was quite amazed at some of the items they came up with, without any prompting from me. They shared how they wanted to read more as opposed to watching TV. They expressed how they wanted to do family exercises, take walks together, and balance that with eating more ice cream. And they shared how overall they wanted to be nicer to others, showing kindness and giving people money if in need. All these things were their idea, and all these things got written down on our list. When we ended our conversation, we ended it in prayer that God would help us to accomplish over the next year what we had written down, as well as a few extras I added, such as getting a three bedroom place and paying off a couple bills. But we walked away with a vision. We had a goal. And in so doing we had just taken the first major step to preventing perishing according to Proverbs 29:18.
Proverbs 29:18 tells us that, “…where there is no revelation (vision), the people cast off restraint (perish).” What exactly does this mean? Well it is no different than a blind person walking around. Without some type of assistance, whether a walking stick, seeing eye dog, or friend, he walks around aimless and with the potential for injury. So it is here. The Hebrew word in this portion of Proverbs for perish is PARA’, and means to fail to lead, to let loose, to ignore, or to neglect. To read this passage in context then, where there is no vision, the people ignore and fail to reach the end. I do not want this to be said of me, that I gave up walking toward the vision given to me.
So then I chose to follow the example laid out in Habakkuk 2:2, to write the vision down. In making the vision known and seen, I prevent myself from neglecting or forgetting. In writing the vision down I have it always before me as a landmark or memorial of where I am headed. I then run with this goal in every step I take, working to obtain the completion of the goal. When I traveled to Texas this past summer I didn’t do it aimlessly. In order to get to the specific location in mind, I mapquest-ed my journey so I would know exactly each turn and exit ramp. And so it is with where I am headed next in 2012. My goal is set before me, written down so that I may run with it.
And so now I challenge you. I challenge you to live in 2012 without the possibility of perishing. I challenge you to write out the vision you have, the vision you feel God leading you in for 2012. Let us not fail to reach our goal, or let go of the vision placed in our heart. Write it down, give it to God, bathe it in prayer, and step back 365 days from now to reflect from where you started today. I guarantee you that you will look back and see the result of purpose.

DIRTY
“’I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are my people,” and they will say, “The LORD is our God.”’”
Zechariah 13:9b

I have heard it said before that the more time you spend in God’s presence, the dirtier you feel. I think this is true. I have noticed in my own life that I can rationalize myself against someone else and feel like I am better than them. However, when I measure myself against God’s word, I see where I fall flat. And every time I read God’s word, I mean really read it, a new piece of my inferiority seems to be brought to my attention. While I might think of this as a frustrating circle, knowing that I will never attain perfection, I don’t. I see this instead as the fires of God’s word refining me, cleansing me, and making me closer to the man God has called me to be. The process is hard and painful, but I know that in the end it will all be worth it. For fear of ever being titled out of God’s will, I want to be refined.
I took some time this morning to research the details of how gold in refined in the fire. Gold comes with spots and blemishes, and only after being purified does it produce the end product that we wear on our bodies. This process is called cuppelation, mixing other metals to the gold to bring out the impurities. Gold is mixed with these other metals, one major one being lead, and then heated up till all the solid impure gold is made into a liquid form. In this form, all the materials are separated in a liquid. The lead, however, has the ability to absorb the gold, which it does as it in turn dissolves in the lead. The lead is then taken out of the solution and oxidized, taking with it the impure and crude gold. What is left is the pure, refined gold.
In Zechariah 13:9b, the prophet is speaking the words of God, stating, “’I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are my people,” and they will say, “The LORD is our God.”’” I read these words with great fear and anticipation. There is fear in knowing that this process of refining can and will hurt. The heat in which the impurities of my life will be burned off by scares me. What will be found? What will be shown as my impurities? This fire will burn off the pride, the selfishness, the lies, and the addictions if I let it. But then there is anticipation in knowing that what will remain after each session of refinement will be a closer replica of God in me. That is what I want, for as long as I see my reflection and not His, the refinement process must continue.
When it is all said and done, I want to be able to hear God say of me, “He is my child.” I in turn want to reply back, “The LORD is my God.” So then, I must allow myself to go through this fire, to be cleansed of the impurities I still have. I have been washed in His blood and therefore am His, but my flesh still creeps in to blemish who I am. This flesh must be done away with, and can only be done so through His fire. Oh God, despite how much it may hurt, I ask that you refine me and test me, burn away my impurities so that in your sight I may be of true, pure, undefiled gold.

THE VOICE IN THE DREAMS
“Yosef said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are the same: God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do.’” Genesis 41:25 CJB
“But after [Joseph] had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” Matthew 1:20 NIV

I am sure we have all had those dreams before where we aren’t sure whether we are being given a message or if we are just suffering from the affects of pizza. I know I have. It seems like some dreams are just so crazy that there is no way that they can be anything but bad food. Yet there do seem to be those dreams that just leave a feeling that they are not supposed to be ignored. Perhaps you know what I’m talking about. I have had dreams, even fairly recently, where I knew God was speaking something to me. There was a peace, an urgency, and a knowing all at the same time. Right away in those times, I flip on my light, grab for my journal, and write down whatever I can remember. I may not know all the details, but I know it is urgent.
I feel that is what Pharaoh may have felt in Genesis 41. He woke up from having not one, but two urgent dreams telling him the same meaning. The details were hidden from him, but God was just placing things in motion. You see if Pharaoh or the magicians had been able to tell the meaning, Joseph would not have been needed. But God kept the meaning hidden in order to promote Joseph. And that He did. Joseph, summoned by Pharaoh, made it clear that the interpretation to follow would be from Adonai. He also spoke to Pharaoh that the two dreams that had just been shared were the same. God was telling Pharaoh that seven years of abundance were coming, but would be followed by seven years of famine. This paved the way for Joseph to find the promotion that God had been saving for him. It was all in due time and under the right circumstances.
But another man named Joseph, years later, also was spoken to in a dream. For this Joseph, he was the recipient rather than the interpreter. Never the less, an urgent message was given. He was being told that he was to be the physical earthly father of the Messiah. I think we get caught up in reading that Mary was highly favored that we tend to skip over the detail written about Joseph. “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man…” God looked at Joseph maybe in the same way as He looked at Noah back in the day. The Christ child was being conceived but the father couldn’t just be any guy just as the mother couldn’t be just any gal. But the point I want to make here is in the dreams. God spoke His news in the dreams. These were not dreams based on spicy food or turned meat. These dreams were the voice of God, Himself, warning, encouraging, and confirming His will.
My advice to you is something I have learned myself. When God speaks, we must listen. He may not always speak the same way, or in an obvious way, but once we see it is Him speaking, we must heed Him. He may chose to speak through dreams, through a burning bush, or through an audible voice, but regardless the means we need to obey the message. Pharaoh had it right, to seek out the interpretation. Joseph had it right, to heed the details in the dream. It would do us well to also seek out what God is telling us, for as with the Egyptians and as with the father of the Messiah, our life may depend on it too.

JOB OPENING
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you…”
II Chronicles 20:17a

Recently I was looking over open positions within the company I currently work for. I have no intention of changing my position, but was curious as to if openings for my department were available to others. Sure enough I found a few new openings posting on the web site. So then, I decided to look at the qualifications for a new person coming into the company. For my position it read:
• Knowledge of Batch Health care Medical/Hospital/Dental claim EDI transactions.
• Switch and payer requirements as it relates to edits and mapping.
• Knowledge of Mainframe and UNIX based platforms.
• Knowledge of NSF and ANSI Formats.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• 3+ years experience in a call center or technical desk.
• Associates degree preferred
Having been at this company and in this position for almost eight years now, I find this list of requirements to be a true statement. If I was looking at this, though, as a newcomer, I would be overwhelmed by the lack of what I do not know. But it was this very thought that inspired the truth I want to share with you today.
Do you want to know the requirements and job qualifications of being a follower of God? I see it when I think of Moses. It can just as easily be seen in the account of Isaiah, in Isaiah 6. It is seen also in the account of King David, Esther, Daniel, Jeremiah, Abraham, and Paul. All these pillars in our faith worked for God, and they all met the single requirement and qualification needed for the job. Are you ready for it? They were surrendered. Think about it. They had no skills outside of God. David was a shepherd. Shepherds do not usually become kings. Paul was over zealous rabbi who wanted all Christ-followers dead, and yet he started working for God and wrote most of the New Testament. Isaiah had unclean lips, but once touched with the coal of God’s fire, he began speaking God’s Word. Moses stuttered, Esther feared death, Ruth almost returned home instead of going with Naomi, Daniel was set up, Jeremiah was kid, and Abraham was an old man. But what one thing did they all have in common? They all surrendered to God.
I have been thinking lately about this word, ‘surrender’. With all that is going on around me these days I sometimes question if I am fully surrendered to God, or just going through the motions. I also question if I am living in fear, therefore not allowing myself to apply with a whole heart for the job opening God has. My spirit knows that anything that comes my way, God in me is big enough to overcome. My mind, however, fears that if something too big comes my way, I in my own strength will not be able to overcome, therefore becoming a failure. The question I ask myself then, is what would I do if I knew I would not fail? I could write a list of things, honestly.
So perhaps I have been afraid to apply for this position in error. If the only qualification and requirement is simply that I surrender, not that I sit and brew over what may or will come, then perhaps I am more qualified than I thought. God only needs me. More accurately, God only asks for all of me. With a little He can do a lot. With a lot He can blow my mind. I was made for this job. I was made to work under His banner, His company, doing His will, and trusting that His results will come. But I’ll never know all that if I do apply for the position.

BACK TO SCHOOL
“Do all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth.”
II Timothy 2:15

It is right around this time every year that I begin to seek God’s direction for the year to come. I am not one who likes to walk around aimlessly, but rather with purpose. So I spent some time in prayer over the weekend to get a sense for where God is directing me. The answer came sooner than I expected, but the word fit with what I expected. Allow me to explain.
Back in October I felt God telling me to not just make an effort, but to purposefully read His Word. Specifically, I felt Him tell me to read the Torah in daily portions. Sure I have read Genesis thru Deuteronomy many times, but there has been something different in reading them this time. Swallowing a portion as opposed to swallowing the whole made the understanding easier while still allowing me to be fed. But it is in this same simplicity that God spoke the key word for my next year as ‘STUDY’. Right away my spirit jumped at the words of II Timothy 2:15. Depending on what version you read, some will say, “Do all you can,” while others will simply and bluntly state, “Study…”, the truth is all the same. It is time for me to study.
But what am I to study for? In a way I feel like I have been in school all my life. Didn’t I learn enough from the school of hard knocks during my marriage and the divorce that followed? One could say that. This study, however, is different. There is a piece in me that feels like God has me on the edge of something big. I am not saying that this is the final step, but I feel like daily I am getting closer to that launching point. Yet what good is the launch if I have no idea what to do after the launch? It is for this reason that God is saying to me to study. Study to show myself approved, according to the King James. Study to win the approval of God, according to the Complete Jewish Bible. Study because of the fact that God does not want His people doing more harm than good as they work to bring others into the kingdom. The remainder of the verse tells us that we are to study so that we can rightly divide the Word. It does no good if I mash scriptures together to make it say what I want it to say. If that worked then in a way we would all be our own god, doing what we want.
I don’t want to be a god, but I do want to be God’s. I want to be God’s student. I want to be teacher’s pet, called on because I know the answer and am getting straight A’s on my report card. Be it in a physical school or a spiritual school, it comes with study. If I do not study how will I know the answer come test time? If I do not study how will I know the answer when called upon in class? And if I do not study how will I be able to help tutor others? For once I don’t mind being the one others make fun of and call names, for I know that keeping my nose in the books will only help prepare me for what is to come.
I am not sure what God may be speaking to you concerning a focus for the upcoming year, but despite everything, we are all encouraged in this verse to know God’s word. Again, our lack of being able to divide the truth may be the piece that does more harm than good to those we are around. So I encourage you, study. Know God’s commands, know His love, and know what He expects from you. Do I expect you to never fail again? No, for even in college I did poorly on a few tests despite how much I studied. But let us make more than just the effort and be purposeful. His Word has so much power, and it can change our lives just as much as the lives of others. The school bell is ringing. It is time for me, and perhaps for you, to go back to school.

HOLEY REVELATION
“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”
Hebrews 12:10

I always try to spend a little time reading before bed each night. Some nights I wait too long and the minute I lay down I am out. Last night, however, I was able to get a few pages read before the book crashed onto my face. It was in my reading that I found a revelation. I guess it was something I had known all along, but the freshness in the way it was said made sense. The author spoke of a young boy who had found his daddy’s tool box. Inside he found all sorts of things. Seeing his daddy hammering nails before, he immediately grabbed the hammer and the box of nails and went to town. His father arrived home from work a few hours later to find the shed door peppered with nails driven through it and poking out the other end. After the dad’s frustration subsided, he called his son out and told him that as his punishment he would now have to take each nail out. Two hours later, with sore hands and wrists, the boy finished. As both he and his daddy examined the shed door the son began to cry. His father questioned what was wrong, thinking it was the pain from his pulling the nails out or such. The son responded, though, “I can still see the holes from the nails.”
I have been reading a book lately concerning the twelve sons of Jacob. The men who became the twelve tribes of Israel were first simply sons, like me. They quarreled, got into mischief, and most of the time came to one another’s defense. Of course there was that one brother Joseph, the dreamer, who they didn’t like, but I’m sure we’ll talk about him later. But as these brothers gathered around their father for a blessing in his final moments, they did not all hear the happy words they were expecting. It was Reuben, the eldest, who Jacob declared was as stable as water, and that history shows never produced a prophet, king, or anyone of significance. He did have the intention of saving Joseph, which was to his advantage in God’s eyes, but it was he who also slept with Bilhah, one of his step-mothers. In the good and bad, Reuben could not change his past, and it defined his future.
While not one of the sons of Jacob, I want to look at another man in the Bible. We all know of David, the giant slayer become king. Most people will remember that David had an affair with Bathsheba and then had Uriah, her husband, killed to save face. But think on this with me. Bathsheba gave birth to a child. What happened to him? He wasn’t Solomon. In fact he is not even given a name in the Bible. Hebrew tradition states the name was given on the eighth day. This un-named son died shortly after birth (II Sam 12:18-23), on the seventh day. For that one moment of sin, David lost his son.
So what do a holey shed door, Reuben’s future, and a dead baby all have in common? They are the effects of sin. God’s Word is clear that if we confess our sins He will forgive us. But it is the effects of sin that must still be carried out. The holes from the nails were still there even though the nails were removed. The lack of much good in Reuben’s future was still played out even though he had been forgiven for his sleeping with step-mother. And the child was still taken from David and Bathsheba even though David repented, and even fasted. These stories only prove to us that sin does carry a price. The encouragement of Hebrews 12:10 should then be for us to learn from our mistakes so that they are not repeated. In God’s mercy and grace for us we are forgiven. In God’s love for us we are disciplined.

THE LOVE TRIANGLE
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
I John 4:8

There were two subjects in school that I would venture to say I excelled in. Those two were history and math. As I have shared in my devotionals before, history has always been a passion of mine, and the core of it coming from the Middle Ages and the time in and around World War II. What has passed is the past. It cannot be changed, but it can be learned from. In regards to math, and in some ways life overall, I have always found that if it can remain constant it is easier to understand. For example, 1+1 will always equal 2. This truth cannot be changed or proven different. So in the aspects of math, God has been showing me a very vital truth over the past month that I feel I now need to share with you. With pencils ready, I now invite you into my classroom as we learn the math of the love triangle.
Do you remember from your school days what an equilateral triangle is? You probably do not recall the term, but I know you will remember this better. An equilateral triangle is one where the sides are all the same length therefore each angle is set at 60 degrees. Every side, every angle, every degree is all the same. There is no side longer, as it would throw off the balance of the triangle by causing the degrees to change. There is no degree different as it would affect the length of the sides. Everything remains even. So then, may I suggest that this is what Paul in essence is referring to in Ephesians 5 when he speaks about marriage? The wife is supposed to submit to the husband who in turn is to be submitted to God.
But allow me to go one step further. In my nine years of marriage and almost four years of divorce, I have thought about this idea. What I have come to realize is that I have no power to change anyone. When I was married I was in a position of suggesting change, but at no point could I force my spouse to change. The same was true with her. All the changes I made were not a result of her sticking a gun to my head, but of me giving in, either to keep peace or because they were valid. Ultimately, however, I could only work on myself.
Since being divorced I have worked on myself. And here is what I have come to realize in the realms of another spouse. Looking at the triangle above, let us imagine God as the angle on the top. Let us picture that we are the angle to the left on the bottom. If God is love, as I John 4:9 shares, then my number one focus should be getting my angle and side right with God. Remember, if my angle is off, or my side is not the right size, the whole triangle will be off balance. Just as much, if I point to the right bottom angle and say that it is my spouse or future spouse, then I can only hope that she too is balanced and equal with God. She needs to be at the right angle and be of the right length. If either my angle or her angle is not the 60 degrees needed to complete the triangle, then what do we have? Not an equilateral triangle.
But here is the end point. When my angle and side’s size are right with God, and her angle and side’s size are right with God, then there is no doubt that the angle and side shared between my spouse and I are also the right degree and size. Basically, my goal should not be to change her, but to keep myself in right unity with God. As I grow in His love, I then have love to share with my spouse. And it is not just my spouse, for a triangle is built for every relationship. I have a triangle with my children, with my parents and siblings, with my co-workers, and with strangers. It all comes down to my love with God and His love with me, though. God is love and I want to know Him.

PREPARING TO MEET ESAU
“The messengers returned to Jacob saying, ‘We went to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men.’”
Genesis 32:7

As Jacob prepared to meet his brother, Esau, once again, fear crept over him. It was at their last engagement that Esau had been tricked out of his firstborn privileges when Jacob posed as his brother in order to receive the blessing. In fear of his brother’s statement that he would have revenge, Jacob had fled. Now unsure if the years had been long enough to overcome the anger, Jacob proceeded with caution.
Sending out his messengers toward the land of Se’ir, the country of Edom, Jacob gave directions to his men of what to say so that favor may be gained. His men however, returned a different message than what Jacob had desired to hear. They replied, “We went to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men.” Right away panic overcame Jacob. Four hundred men were on their way. What would happen to the women and children, the animals, and him? He divided all his possessions into two camps, thinking that if one was attacked the other would be safe. Then, maybe in an effort to calm himself down, Jacob prayed. In his prayer he reminded God of the promise made to his grandfather, Abraham, that carried on through his father, Isaac, and that now rested on him. God had promised through him a great nation, so he pleaded with God for a rescue.
It is here that I am challenged in my own way of life. I, like Jacob, have been told by God of some of the blessings that He has for me. I, like Jacob, have worked to remind God of these blessings when they seemed to not be working out. And I, like Jacob, have allowed panic before prayer. So then, here is the question. Why do I, or we, not make prayer first priority? Why do we allow ourselves to go through the panic and worry and make our own plans instead of running straight to God? We treat Him as a backup plan when instead we should see Him as the first response.
Maybe today we should work to change this. Maybe today when we see our bleak situation, instead of allowing panic to run over us we can decide to go to God first. This thought seems to fit with not only this situation but all situations. Matthew 6:33 reminds us to seek God first. In making Him first we leave no room for panic and worry to reside. In seeking Him first we live and remain in His arms of safety.