Helen Keller was born without sight. She once said, “What is worse than being born without sight? Being born without vision!” Seeing and vision are not the same things. The prophet Elisha had vision but his servant did not. His servant could see only the Syrian king’s army that surrounded Elisha at Dothan, ready to attack. It looked like Elisha and his servants were about to be destroyed. So Elisha prayed that his servant would “see” what God was doing. In God’s hands they were completely safe.

We need vision to see what God is doing. Sometimes we are disappointed and discouraged. People let us down. Things don’t turn out as we hoped. Resources appear slim. From our vantage point, there is little hope to cling to. But when God is at work, there is no reason to fear. Those with us are more than those that are with them.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. Roman’s 12:2

It’s easy to get distracted by what we see and hear in culture about how we should live our lives, how to make money, how to lose weight, how to gain weight, what to buy, and the list goes on. None of these things are inherently bad to consider, but in the verse above, the apostle Paul is concerned about the ways of culture dominating every thought we have and controlling us.
Transformation requires a move of God not only in our heart but also in our mind. Renewal is needed within our thought life so we can suppress the cultural distractions and instead focus on God. What kind of mind shift needs to happen for us to see God more clearly today? How can we begin (or continue) to think about our life in a God honoring way? God, help us to give not just our heart and soul to you, but also our mind as well. Continue to renew our thoughts.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

The Christian life isn’t a self-help program. We aren’t given a set of exercises to perform in order to achieve results. Instead, God works in our hearts and changes us from the inside out, transforming our desires and motives so that our new choices in behavior will be genuine and not contrived.

Our role in this transformation, though, isn’t completely passive. Paul reminds us that the first step in this transformation process is a fresh perspective on death and life. He considered himself to be “crucified with Christ,” which means that he applied Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to his own selfish desires as dead. In place of Paul’s selfish desires in residence, Christ Himself lived in his heart, transforming him little by little, day after day.
Even though Christ transforms our hearts, we take responsibility to recognize selfish motives and actions, consider them to be dead, and replace them with God-honoring thoughts and behaviors. The Christian life, then, is lived at the moment of choice when we pick life over death and Christ over our selfish demands.

We may be confused from time to time, and we may be disappointed that we aren’t changing as fast as we’d like, but we can take heart that Christ Himself has taken up residence inside us. As we pay closer attention to His instructions and trust Him to use us, we’ll gradually take on more of His character. We’ll love people with His love, serve with His humility, and stand strong in hope of the future because we remember the promise of the Resurrection.

A.W. Tozer said it like this: “People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks: (1) They are facing only one direction, (2) they can never turn back and (3) they no longer have plans of their own.

You may think you've had a bad day, but it's nothing compared to the heartache David felt in Psalm 38. In this Psalm, David describes one of the darkest points of his life. With blunt transparency, he admits that some of his pain and confusion comes from his own sins and foolish decisions. In addition, his cup of heartache is filled up with the accusations and attacks of his enemies; even worse, his family and friends have turned their backs on him when he needed them most.

Where could he turn now? In a desperate cry for help, David turned to God. "You won't forsake me, too will You?" he seems to plead. Everything in his life had gone wrong, and everyone had turned against him. In this moment of hopelessness, David asked for help and found hope in God.

Our troubles may come from a wide variety of sources, but we don't want to experience them all at once the way David did! Whenever we feel hopeless, abandoned, misunderstood, betrayed, or incompetent, we can always turn to the One who is faithful to listen, to care, and to restore hope. This time of desperation wasn't the end of the road for David, and times of desperation aren't the end of us either - if we'll turn our attention to God and express our trust that He will come through.

Psalm 38:21-22 Do not forsake me O Lord, my God, be not far from me. Make Haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

Psalm 126:2-3 "Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."

When was the last time you laughed at the ridiculous, scandalous, and radical love of God expressed in Jesus Christ? Consider for a few moments the impact of your experience. Laughter and joy are a witness to the work of God in our lives. The Psalmist makes this point with incredible, exaggerating language. The very nations will declare the goodness of God when they see your expressed joy.

Imagine the impact we could make on our community if we began to discover the power of laughter and joy. If nations can be impacted by the joyful return of God's people the Jerusalem, surely our emotional energy can impact our city. Maybe if we can tap into joy and begin to laugh again - if we can open our mouths and express ourselves in worship - just maybe our neighbors might declare, "The Lord has done great things of them."

May the Lord remind us of His incredible saving work in our lives, May the power of His love overflow and overwhelm us. May He fill our hearts with Joy and our mouths with Praise and help us to display Joy in our world.

Seek Mentorship:
"Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 1:13
You can only lead as far as you are being led! The task of leadership is not for the faint of heart. To properly take hold of the biblical mandate to shine forth the character of Christ you must be undergirded by the guidance of a biblically saturated individual who engages the blind spots of life. It is no small feat or fancy cliche that the biblical imagery consists of "iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17.
Find solid men to surround yourself with. Growth occurs by being with people who will challenge you. Scripture says, "whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm" Proverbs 13:20
Let's all look for those who will point us closer towards Christ.

"Iron sharpeners iron, so a man sharpeners the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17
This verse from Proverbs produces such strong mental imagery. We can almost see the blacksmith's hammer positioned above his head before it descends with a vibrant ringing on the glinting side of a dull sword. Or perhaps the scene shifts to the midst of a heated battle with the vision of the blacksmith or the soldier, there is a seemingly violent and almost destructive nature to this process of iron sharpening iron. What an interesting presentation the author of this Proverb is giving to represent friendship.
Do you have an iron in your life? That person who either attacks or defends in any given situation? Or maybe they just constantly bang against you, flattening you more and more with each blow. While we may prefer to be with people who are easygoing and always agree with us, it is these seemingly more contentious relationships that sharpen our character. As we counter with them back and forth our arguments are honed and convictions solidified. If nothing else, they give us many opportunities to practice patience, forgiveness, and grace. But let us not forget, that we give others those same opportunities as we are the iron in their lives as well.
God, we help us to love the people that you have placed into our lives even if it's uncomfortable. May we be willing to endure the hard work of developing our character, while helping others to do the same.

1 John 5:2 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments."
We are called to model a great affinity towards the community of saints (The Church). This is sustained not by the self-generated will, but by a proper perspective of the biblical scope inflamed by the Holy Spirit. Being infused into the local assembly of saints will grant you the capacity to see life in God's larger scale.
Service to the children of God will create a disposition that will align you with God's redemptive work in using the church to bring forth restoration through Jesus Christ. We all long to be a part of something that is greater than ourselves. It is through "the church {that} manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." Ephesians 3:10
Our prayer should be this: Grant us an affection for His people that we may faithfully serve them of His namesake. Teach us to pour out ourselves for the good of His people and the of our hearts.

"Don't be afraid," he said, "for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!" As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, "Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me." Daniel 10:19 (NLT)
God's words bring life. Whether they come through Scripture, through family or friends, or from some unexpected place, they have the power to invigorate us at our very core. When we actively search for what God is speaking to us, we will find a vitality we might otherwise miss.
We can also speak words to others to bring them life. We may be hesitant to intrude with Scripture when speaking to our family or friends, but we should be courageous enough to speak life to them as well. God has gifted us with the wonderful power of his words, and he encourages us to share them freely.
Today, I thank God for speaking life into me. His words ave the power to heal, direct, and strengthen. I ask Him to help me by sharing timely wisdom from him to help me pass it on to the lives around me.

President Theodore Roosevelt famously said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Sometimes we focus too much on the gentle and comforting shepherd image of God, forgetting that one of the primary jobs of a shepherd is defender, which he is prepared to do.
It is in the darkest and most terrifying places that we are keenly aware of any source of safety. As our fight-or-flight reaction kicks in, we pay attention to anything that offers protection. Perhaps this is the reason that God sometimes leads us through dark periods of life, so that we are reminded of the safety found in him. Your Heavenly Father has every intention of protecting you with his might, and that fact should bring you deep peace when you're scared.
Today let's thank God for protecting us. Let's take great comfort in knowing He is with us and He is Powerful. We thank Him for leading us through things that are intimidating, and promises to help us fight the enemy when the time comes.

PRIORITIES!!!
Philippians 4:20 NLT - All glory to God our Father forever and ever!
The temptation we struggle to overcome is the need for approval, affirmation, or adoration from those around us. We want love and respect from our family members, recognition from co-workers, fellow shurch members, and good standing within our community. We strive for these conditional social rewards. Something missing within us longs for acceptance, and so we shift our attention to the accolades this world teasingly offers.
Perhaps we didn't get the approval we needed from our own fathers. Or perhaps we know we are inwardly more fragile than the lofty expectations we have placed upon ourselves. Or perhaps we are tempted to place the spotlight on ourselves. For whatever reason, if we're not proactive, our priorities can become misguided. We can be tricked into thinking, If only others would lift me up. It has been said that the chief end of man is to bring glory to God. The honest question that every man needs to face is this one: In all sincerity, who do I want to see glorified in my life today?
Whenever we are swayed to seek our own stance upon His pedestal, Lord remind us of who you are and what our priorities should be.

COMMUNITY
Acts 2:42 - They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking bread and the prayers.
It seems that the early followers of Jesus found it imperative to form a community after his death, resurrection and ascension. They focused on just a few things that they devoted themselves to regularly. We eventually started calling this community "church," except that church has taken on many different forms over the last two thousand years or so.
Ultimately, community is essential for followers of Jesus. Are You plugged into a community? It doesn't matter the size or the building; what matters is togetherness and breaking bread and devoting yourselves to learning about God in the Scriptures.
May God help us to continue to be a part of a community that is enriching for our spiritual well-being. Even when it gets hard, help us to strive towards fellowship and unity.

STAY ALERT!!!
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
The word sober in this verse has nothing to do with alcohol or drunkenness; here it means to have a clear mind, to be alert. To be vigilant means to be looking both outward and inward for something, to be ready. But ready for what?
The adversary. Our enemy, the devil. Sometimes this adversary is out sneaking around, hiding in bushes or creeping 'behind the scenes' in on us, but also look at the imagery used here by the author of Hebrews is that of a roaring lion. we know he is coming. In fact, he is announcing himself. We hear him. The soberness and vigilance is not about looking for him to arrive, but about being prepared for his arrival. God works with us so we not only know the roar of this lion, but also know what to de when he arrives. He has shown us that we are best prepared when we are sober and vigilant.
STAY ALERT!!!!

VISION  
"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." Hebrews 11:13 (ESV)
When we live pursuing a vision, we sweep others into movement. But we need to understand that the vision is of secondary importance to the pursuit. Hebrews explains that the people of faith did not receive the things promised. They did not see their vision fulfilled. Did that make them failures? Did that void their noble living? Did that make their lives a waste? Of course not.
If the vision itself is of primary importance, an unfulfilled vision voids all that precedes. In other words, if your dreams are dashed, your pursuit was a waste of time and effort. But if the dream is secondary to the pursuit, a strange thing happens. When you lose, you will win. If you don't get the championship ring, your dignity remains. If you don't get the job, your life is still intact. If your dream doesn't materialize, you can still inspire others to pursue theirs. Living in pursuit of a vision will shape how we live. If the pursuit of our vision is of primary importance, we can still inspire others to pursue their dreams even if we only greet ours from afar.
Today, my prayer for us is this:
God, give us eyes to see that you surround us as we live in pursuit. May our pursuit inspire others to dream big and go after their vision. ~ Amen