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The Spreading Cancer of a Bad Report

Negative Conversations Are Even Worse Than Negative Thoughts

We have been told that chronic patterns of negative thinking will corrode our being—body, mind and spirit. If that weren’t bad enough, even more destructive is when negative thinking turns to words of complaint that end up in conversations of criticism. Not only is it corrosive to the speaker’s soul, it taints the listener and ultimately breaks shalom in the family of God. That is why, throughout the Bible, divine judgment befell those who trafficked in spreading a bad report. Never forget, your words can heal, or they can harm—yourself and others. So choose your words wisely!

Enduring Truth // Focus: Numbers 14:1-3

Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voice rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle?”

As the children of Israel neared their Promised Land, their leader Moses sent out twelve spies on a reconnaissance mission. They were to probe enemy territory for weakness in order to reveal to the Israelite army the best place to invade the land and the best strategy to conquer the inhabitants that held “their” land. Of course, it was expected that these twelve spies, having seen the mighty hand of God extended time and again on Israel’s behalf, would come back full of faith for the challenge ahead.

But when the twelve spies returned from their mission with a first hand report of the land, ten of them were of a pessimistic perspective, and they turned the whole community into complainers. Their field reports started off well—it was indeed an incredible land their God was giving them—but it quickly turned from the promise of fruit to the problems they would face, namely giants and warriors. And it quickly threw cold water on the faith of the Israelite community.

That is so true of negativity—it can spread at the speed of a wildfire.

In spite of all that God had miraculously done up to this point, the people focused on how difficult things were in front of them rather than on how awesome the Power was behind them. The people got down, then they got mad, then they complained about their leader. Then, unbelievably, they complained about God. Then, incredibly, they actually whined that they wanted to go back to a more secure and predictable life of slavery in Egypt.

In essence, they were saying, “God, we don’t trust your sovereign plan, nor in your power to pull off the Promised Land for us. We don’t think you know what you’re doing and we don’t like one bit this mess you’ve gotten us into.” Though they didn’t say it quite that directly, that was the underlying spirit of their complaint.

The underlying spirit in all complaint is that we don’t trust God’s sovereign plan that has allowed us to be in the undesirable state about which we are complaining. Likewise, our complaining indicates that we don’t trust his power to see us through it and accomplish his purposes by it. That is why complaint, even if it is directed at another person or a situation, is really a complaint against the Sovereign Lord; it is a sin. Worse yet, complaining spreads like wildfire, leaving the ashes of doubt and distrust throughout our spiritual community. At all times and in every circumstance, we must reject spiritual temper-tantrums for tempered trust in the One who does all things well.

There is no greater gift that we offer to God than our trust—even when, or more accurately, especially when circumstances are difficult, enemies are great, and resources are few. In contrast, nothing disappoints God more than when his children complain, since it is in essence the worst form of distrust in the Lord’s goodness, wisdom, power and love. And this is precisely why God judges so harshly the deep and persistent complaints of the ones who should deeply and persistently lean into him.

As a friend of mine says, you are either a lean in-er or a lean out-er. I hope you are the former!

Thrive: Are you a lean inner or a lean outer? Do you trust or do you complain? Do you worship or do you whine? Re-read Numbers 13 and 14, then determine to offer yourself to God in complete, unshakeable trust.

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God, Help Me To Get A Grip When I Start To Gripe

52 Simple Prayers for 2018

The underlying spirit in all complaints is that we don’t trust the sovereign plan of God that has allowed us to be in the undesirable state about which we are complaining. Likewise, our complaint indicates that we don’t trust that his power will see us through it and accomplish his purposes by it. That is why all complaints, even if they are directed at another person or a situation, is really a complaint, a sin, against the Sovereign Lord. And what makes it worse, complaining spreads like a wildfire, leaving the ashes of doubt and distrust in its aftermath. We must reject our spiritual temper-tantrums for tempered trust in the One who does all things well.

A Simple Prayer To Not Be A Whiner:

God, keep me from grumbling, complaining and whining—about people, circumstances, and even you. Give me more grace to trust that you are working all things—irritating people, unfair circumstances, unmet expectations—for your glory and my good. Give me the good sense to get a grip when I start to gripe, the discipline to turn my protest into praise, and the driving conviction that positive faith not only pleases you, it makes me bright light in a culture that is so quickly offended.
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Hung By The Tongue

A Gossip Injures the Unity Jesus Died to Preserve

God hates the gossiper. No, really! Just read Proverbs 26:20. That’s how he feels about those who traffic in rumor, half-truths and conversations that are meant to tear down and break up. No wonder being the object of gossip hurts just about as bad as anything—if God himself hates malicious gossip and chronic gossipers, it’s got to be an activity which is birthed in the pit of hell.

Enduring Truth // Focus: Proverbs 26:20

Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

Have you ever been the object of malicious gossip? Stinks, doesn’t it? When you are in a position of visibility like I am, the gossip factor seems to go way up. My favorite tidbit of gossip was in a previous ministry where a lady who didn’t like me (imagine that) much pulled one of my church members aside and whispered in her ear,

“Hey, I heard the pastor traded his BMW in for a Lamborghini!”

Sheesh! I wish. I would have just been happy to have the BMW instead of the Toyota my family said looked like an old man’s car.

Gossip stinks. It hurts. It is meant to divide, demean, and destroy a person’s character in the eyes of others while in some sick way building up the esteem of the purveyor of the gossip. The only game the gossiper knows how to play is a zero-sum game: They can win only if the object of their gossip loses.

Gossip destroys reputations, it ruins friendships, it wrecks homes, it hurts businesses and it even messes up what Jesus loves so dearly—the church. And something else about gossip we need to realize: God hates gossip…and God hates gossipers!

Ouch! You think I am being too hard-nosed about that? Okay, decide for yourself:

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Yeah, that’s what God thinks about those who traffic in gossip, half-truths and conversations that are meant to tear down and break up. No wonder being the object of gossip hurts just about as bad as anything—if God himself hates malicious gossip and chronic gossipers, it’s got to be an activity which is birthed in the pit of hell.

Now here’s the thing: If you’ve had that horrible experience of being gossiped about, you’ve probably been the source of some gossip yourself, or if not the source, the conduit. But without a source, and without a pipeline, gossip dies—which is the only fitting outcome for gossip.

He that gossips and he that listens should both be hung
One by the ear and the other by the tongue!

So the next time you’re tempted to pass on a juicy tidbit about someone else, or listen to someone who can’t wait to tell you something about someone else who isn’t there, just remember what God feels about gossip—and don’t!

Thrive: Go on a “gossip fast” this week (okay, a permanent gossip fast is preferable, but let’s just start eating this elephant one bite at a time). Refuse to either say anything or listen to anything that wouldn’t be said if the object of the conversation were standing right there. And if you are in a relationship with a chronic gossiper, the next time they start to do their thing, stop them and ask, “would you mind if I brought [the subject matter] here so they can hear this?” or “do you mind if I quote you on that?” Believe me, do that a few times and you’ll put a stop to the gossiper.

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Reach For The Sky

True Worship Requires All of Me—Spirit, Mind and Body

The Eleventh Commandment is not, “Thou shalt lift thy hands when thou singest.” God wants worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), which means that it must come from the heart, not the hands. Yet it requires all of us—our spirit, our intellect, and yes, our body—perhaps even raising our hands. If you came to Christ in a tradition that expressed worship without physical demonstration, I would encourage you to challenge that assumption. The next time you are offering praise, go ahead, reach for the sky.

Enduring Truth // Focus: Psalm 134:2

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.

Raising your hands in worship is not a pre-requisite for God-pleasing praise—not necessarily! There is no rule that says, “Thou shalt lift thy hands when thou singest.” The Father wants worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) In other words, God-pleasing worship must come from the heart, not the hands, and in a way that is congruent with Scripture, that is, it is authentic.

Yet true worship requires all of us—spirit, mind and body. Obviously, our hearts must reach out to God when we worship him, otherwise our worship would be nothing more than heartless ritual (and there is already far too much of that among his people today). God wants not just formulaic expressions of worship; he wants it to come from the overflow of a loving and grateful heart.

Our mind should be engaged in worship as well. If we park our brains in neutral when we praise, our worship is incomplete—and open to all kinds of weird and wild expressions that sometimes occur among certain groups of believers. To worship in truth means to worship with theological knowledge of the One being worshipped, and that is most pleasing to him.

Yet can we truly worship in spirit and in truth if we don’t engage our entire being? Authentic “spirit and truth” praise must even include engaging physically as well. Balanced worship honors God with heart, mind and body. (Rom. 12:1; 1 Cor. 6:20) That is why you will find various physical expressions of praise throughout Scripture: singing, shouting, clapping, kneeling, prostrating oneself, dancing, and, quite frequently, the raising of hands.

Perhaps you came to Christ in a tradition that expressed worship without physical demonstration. I would encourage you to challenge that assumption. The next time you gather with the body of Christ and the singing starts, try lifting your hands to the Lord. I think you will find it quite freeing. In fact, you may want to practice it first in your own private worship time just to get used to the action.

When my children were small, they would often come to me and lift their hands, hoping I would pick them up. Of course, I would. In that moment, they would have yet another indication that I accepted them and cherish them. And of course, I was delighted to know they loved me, too—with all of their being.

Don’t you think that is true of your Heavenly Father as well? Of course it is! What is true of earthy parents is infinitely more true of the Father.

Thrive: The assignment for today is pretty simple: Lift your hands to God and offer him yourself—and of course, your praise.

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God, I Want to Love Like Jesus Loved

52 Simple Prayers for 2018

Jesus summed up God’s requirements in two straightforward commands: first, I am to love God with my entire being—my spirit, of course, but also my intellect, my emotions, and my body, then second, I am to love my fellow man just as I would love myself. Now it’s not the first command that you and I struggle with—at least not in principle. It’s the second—love for God is one thing, but loving others is what gives us fits. Yet scripture is clear that we cannot truly love God without fully loving people who were made in God’s image. Likewise, when we are loving people selflessly and sacrificially, then we are authenticating our love for God. This is our calling as Christ-followers: to fully love God by fiercely loving people!

A Simple Prayer To Love Like Jesus Loved:

God, I have declared my love for you countless times, but I have not equally demonstrated the authenticity of that love by sensitively, compassionately and selflessly loving those around me in ways that they would recognize as true love. Forgive my neglect, and help me to allow the kind of love you have for me to be demonstrated toward others. May I be real life proof of your love throughout this day.
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Living Just To Avoid Hell Is Shortchanging Your Christianity

There Is So Much More God Has Planned For You

Don’t get me wrong, forgiveness is a wonderful thing. What a gift of mercy and grace to be cleansed from sin and pardoned from guilt. But that is just the beginning! God wants to do so much more in us and through our lives than just forgive us and remove our guilt. A life of kingdom abundance and eternal impact is what he has in mind.

Enduring Truth // Focus: Matthew 3:11

I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Some people get stuck at pardon and never move beyond it. God wants us to move forward in power and join him in the great reclamation project of redeeming mankind and restoring creation to his rule.

Now don’t get me wrong, forgiveness is a wonderful thing. What a gift of mercy and grace to be cleansed from sin and pardoned from guilt, but that is just the beginning! God wants to do so much more in us and through our lives than just forgive us and remove our guilt.

Unfortunately, some Christians don’t get that and are content to live just righteously enough to stay out of hell. In a sense, they live on the edge of the promised land of power in the holding pen of pardon. What low expectations!

John the Baptist’s work in preparation for the arrival of Jesus was simply to call people to repentance of sins. To prove their willingness and demonstrate their obedience, John baptized them in water. That was a very significant marker in the life of the believer; a public statement to the initial commitment they had made in response to God’s invitation to salvation. So important was this act that Jesus himself submitted to it (Matthew 3:15, NLT), and then told his disciples that their commission was to lead other people into it (Matthew 28:19, NLT).

But John didn’t stop with baptism unto repentance. He preached that Jesus would take people to the next step; Jesus would take them way beyond by baptizing them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. In other words, Jesus would baptize his followers with the very same power that enabled him to be the Agent of creation, the Lord of life, the Savior of the world, the Master over sin, sickness, death, all the powers of the unseen realm and all of the physical elements of the seen world, and the King of Kings for all eternity. Yes, Jesus would impart to all who would follow him that very same power in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

It would be through the person of the Holy Spirit, fully dwelling in the believer that Jesus would empower his followers to do the same works he performed and proclaim the same words he preached, calling the rest of un-redeemed mankind to repentance and restoration as God’s very own children. Furthermore, through the same empowering of the Spirit, Jesus would baptize with fire. Fire represented cleansing, purity and judgment in the Bible. The baptism of fire that Jesus would bring would purify God’s people to be his very own family, and would bring those who refused under the righteous judgment of God at the proper time.

Now isn’t that so much more than just forgiveness? Isn’t that far better than simply living in the holding pen of pardon? Jesus has a life of purpose for you far beyond what your university degree or your current career or your bank account or anything else can give you. Through the Holy Spirit, he will empower you to do God’s work on Planet Earth!

That sounds so much more exciting to me than merely living my life just so I avoid hell. I don’t know about you, but I want Jesus to baptize me again today in the Holy Spirit’s power and fire. I want to be emboldened and purified to do God’s work for him today on this planet.

How about you?

Thrive: Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.” Have you asked lately for a fresh infilling? If not, ask!

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God, Help Me To Constantly Cast My Cares To You

52 Simple Prayers for 2018

It has been said that the only person whose problems are truly all behind him is a school bus driver. The truth is, everybody “gots” problems—lots of them! There are more than enough worries, anxieties and challenges to go around in this day and age. But that doesn’t mean you have to live life paralyzed by your problems. As Martin Luther said, just because the birds fly over your head doesn’t mean you have to let them build a nest in your hair. Nor do you have allow your problems to constantly weigh you down. God didn’t create you to live that way. So rather than holding onto them, cast them onto God. That’s what the Apostle Peter said. Cast all your cares on him. All of them! Big ones, for sure. And even the little ones. He will take them all, because he cares that much for you!

A Simple Prayer To Leave Worries Behind:

God, here they are—all of my problems. They are too big for me. I refuse to stay up late worrying over them one more night. Since you’re up anyway, why don’t you worry about them for me. (Of course, you don’t worry, since you are greater, wiser and stronger than anything that challenges me!) So I give them to you, and in exchange, by faith, I will rest in your care and receive your peace.