Even though I knew this wasn’t likely, I would always stir up that emotion of fear.  I remember the feeling of the hair on the back of my neck standing up as I would peek around the corner of the house, wondering if I was actually alone.  Every time I would freak myself out.

Most of us would like to think that fear is something that we only deal with as kids.

The boogie monster.
The noise down the hall.
The shadow that moves across our wall when we are trying to fall asleep.

I’ve come to learn that fear isn’t just a kid thing.  It’s a human thing.  People at all ages, in all stages of life deal with and wrestle through all different kinds of fear.  What about you?

In Luke 4:17-21 we see that Jesus came to set captives free.  He came to help us Break Out of areas that would try to hold us captive.  This includes fear.

The challenge for many of us is that we do things that help to fuel our fear.  The things we choose to think, say and even believe help to feed and fuel fear, instead of casting it aside.

Here is something to consider…

Whatever I feed will grow.
Whatever I starve will die.

Everyday we can make the choice to either feed our faith or our fears.

Here are two questions to consider:

What is getting my focus?
Whatever gets the greatest attention in our lives often ends up being the thing that we feed.  I can focus on my problems, or I can focus on God’s faithfulness.  I can focus on all the areas that I don’t measure up in, or I can focus on the fact that the cross says I am now qualified and loved.  What is getting your focus?

What does God’s Word say about it?
Sometimes feelings will lie to you.  That is why it is vital that we learn to see what God’s Word declares about it.  His Word will build faith, not fear.  His Word will direct us to truth.  What does God’s Word say about whatever it is that you are facing?

Each of us has the ability to make the daily decision to either feed our faith or our fears.  Jesus came to set captives free.  Fear binds and faith brings freedom.  Break Out of Fear.

Here are some verses to reflect on if you are battling fear:
2 Timothy 1:7
Isaiah 41:10
Mark 5:21-24, 35-36
Hebrews 10:35-11:1
James 1:6
Psalm 94:19

Frustrating.

In the moment it would have been easy to be upset about what it would cost, how it “messed up” our schedule, how we were not prepared to spend an extra night away from home…
It would have been really easy to see things through that perspective. But something helped to influence my perspective…my wife.

As we were processing what we were going to do she reminded me that at least it didn’t happen on top of Snoqualmie Pass, or happen where it could have caused our family danger.

That is perspective.

I’ve learned in life, it is not always WHAT we see, but HOW we choose to see it.

Our perspective has a lot of influence on us. It helps to influences the choices and decisions that we make as individuals. So my question is WHAT is influencing your perspective? What is shaping not just WHAT you see, but HOW you see things in life?

If our perspective influences the choices that we make, and the choices that we make determines where we end up in life, then it really is important for us to consider what is shaping HOW we view things.

We can make the choice to allow our perspective to be shaped by things like hurt, pain, bitterness, rejection, doubt, fear or anxiety. All of those things will influence WHAT we see because they shape HOW we see life’s circumstances.

We can also make the choice to consider what God’s Word declares about us and our situations and allow that to influence not only WHAT we see, but also HOW we see it.

Isaiah 55:9 (NLT)
“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

I watched in wonder and in pain as peoples lives were documented with their inability to let things go.  Decades of collecting.  Years of stacking, packing and trashing their homes and lives.  It was hard to watch people who were held so tightly by the things they had collected in life.

They were trapped by things that need to GO.

Having time and margin in our lives to think is vital.  When we neglect it, we can quickly settle in to our routines and rhythms in life without even realizing that things may need to change and adjust.

Each one of us have potential to GROW in life.  But most often what keeps us from the ability to GROW is that we are unwilling to let other things GO.

We all have things that we like…things that we hold onto.

They bring comfort.

They bring a sense of safety.

If we are not careful though, the very things that we hold so tightly to may be the very things that are keeping us from the growth that we desire in our lives.  We may have a passion and desire to develop the areas that still need to grow, but we must be willing to weed out the areas that need to go.

Want to grow in confidence?  Fear of people has to go.

Want to grow in your relationship?  Apathy and complacency has to go.

Want to grow in wisdom?  Pride and being unteachable has to go.

Get a picture of what needs to GROW in your life and be willing to let the things that will hold that back GO.

Even though the tint on the windows is beginning to turn purple and the gas mileage isn’t great, it’s all mine!  It has been a faithful car.

A while back it wasn’t running well.  It began to overheat…often.  I tried adding a little water to the cooling system and it would work great for a few days.  Then, before too long, it would begin to overheat again.

The issue was that there had been a slow leak in the cooling system.  Slowly, over time it had lost coolant and the result was my beloved Jeep wouldn’t function like it was intended to.  It would shut down without notice.  It would rattle and shake.  It wasn’t being everything I thought it should be.

The problem was simple: there was a leak.

You and I have a similar issue in life.  We are always leaking.  Stressful day – we leak.  Frustrated about a circumstance – we leak.  Things don’t go as we envisioned – we leak.  Live life for any amount of time, and you will leak.

If we allow life to go on like that too long we hit issues.  Life doesn’t function like we want it to.  Our faith doesn’t seem to fire on all cylinders.  Something is wrong…something is missing.

The solution is really simple.  Top it off…fill up!

I heard someone say once, “I know you are filled with the Spirit, but you are leaking out everyday.”

What they meant was this: We need to go back to the Word, prayer and time with God often, because we need to be filled.

Life has a way of draining things out of us.  We leak.  But God has given us the solution to live a life that is consistently filled up!

Take some time today to top it off and fill up your life.

Maybe you feel dry, discouraged or defeated.  It’s time to fill up!

Things feel great and better than ever?  Life leaks…fill it up!

As we were doing the walk through with the landlord, I noticed the condition of the front window.  The seal had been broken and their was moisture between the glass which made it nearly impossible to see clearly through the window.

Frustrating.

When I asked if that was something that he would be fixing before we moved in his response caught me off guard.  “Nope.  It’s too expensive.”  I thought to myself, “If that is what people are going to first see when they drive up to my house, I would be fixing it.”  But the challenge was there was no money in the budget to fix the window.

Many of us, when we hit a road block like that, give up.  We stop.  The answer has been given and their is nothing more we can do about it.

But then I had an idea.  Since the house was built in 2005, the windows might still be under warranty.  So I called the company.  I asked the question.  Turns out that not only was the window under warranty, but the labor to replace the window was to.

So as I sit and write this, I am looking out a perfectly clear, new window.  All that needed to be done was to ask.

I wonder how many things we miss just because we don’t ask.

I wonder how many solutions God has, but we never find them because we have not taken the time to seek.

I wonder if doors could have opened up…if we simply would have knocked.

Here is the lesson I learned from my front window: ASK.

If there is a need in your life, take it to God and ask.  You need wisdom?  Seek it from Him.  You need some doors to open up?  Start knocking on the door in prayer and watch what God can do!

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)

Perspective changes everything.

Throughout the bible we see glimpses of people who encountered challenges, struggles, obstacles and fights. Many times people were gripped with fear, overwhelmed with the “impossibility” of their situation.

Fast forward to today. People are still facing challenges. Even as Christians we come up against obstacles. We try to fight through the valleys of fear and see over the walls of impossibility that stand in front of us. Too many times I have not been able to see past the valleys or the walls.

What is getting your FOCUS?
What is shaping your PERSPECTIVE?

It’s natural for our first response to focus on the challenge, the obstacle, the struggle and the fight in front of us. But throughout the bible, God calls His people to not focus on those things. Instead, He consistently reminded His people to focus on Him.

Instead of focusing on what he lacked, God told Gideon who he really was.
Instead of focusing on how big the walls of Jericho were, they trusted God as they marched.
Instead of focusing on what could happen to her if the king was upset, Esther had a perspective that God was able.

What is the “impossible” situation in your life today? What has you overwhelmed?

Two questions I would ask each of us:

1) What does God say about it?
Maybe His perspective is different than ours.

2) How can I focus on Him instead of focusing on _______________?
When we get our eyes on the right thing it has a way of changing everything.

Jesus said in John 20:21,

“…As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.”

Jesus was sent with a purpose.  He delivered something to the world.  He brought hope.  He brought the solution to mankind’s sin.  He brought peace, strength, comfort, truth, joy and grace.

His message to His disciples: “…As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.”  As His disciples we are sent with a purpose.

We are His chosen delivery system to bring Him to the world around us.  His hope.  His peace.  His strength.  His comfort.  His truth.  His joy.  His grace.  We are the delivery system to point people to the fact that He is the solution.

Living with an awareness that we are sent with a purpose is vital.  Who is waiting for that delivery from you today?  Who needs that hope that only you can deliver as you point them to Jesus?

You and I are the delivery system.  Let’s take what we have to our world!

I think we have all been there at one point or another.  We hear something that maybe has a bit of truth to it and we believe it.  It sounds real enough, so we accept it.  The only way to break out from the control of a lie is when we see it for what it really is when compared to the truth.

Here are 5 lies I believe each of us need to reject…

I can’t change
No matter how entrenched you may feel where you are at in life, you can change.  By God’s grace, each of us can be transformed (2 Cor. 5:17-21, Rom. 12:1-2).

The Truth: God’s Grace and Power gives me access to what I need to change.

My best days are behind me
Way too many people are victims of the “rear view mirror” syndrome.  They are always looking over their shoulders to the glory days.  When they think about what is ahead they believe that the future is bleak.  Uncle Rico had an issue with living back in ’82.  God has a plan for each of us, and it isn’t just some distant memory.

The Truth: God has a plan for my life.  I’m going to embrace what is ahead!

There is no potential in me

If you are breathing there is potential.  Don’t allow your potential to be determined by what you see around you.  Allow it to be determined by what God’s Word says about you.

The Truth: Because of Christ in me, I have incredible potential.

I’m not valuable
God is in the business of taking things that are “useless” and making them “useful”.  Value is always determined by what someone is willing to pay for the object.  A great price was paid for you.  You are valuable!

The Truth: God sees me as valuable.

No one cares/I’m all alone
Loneliness can be a very real feeling.  At times we can feel like people, family or friends don’t care.  Even when you look around and feel completely alone, you aren’t!

The Truth: God will never leave me or forsake me.  He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

I remember climbing the steps to the Lincoln memorial and being amazed.  It was incredible to see the effort that was put in to build something to honor a man who had profound influence on who we are as a nation and a people.  As I stood at that monument, it spoke something to me.

Isn’t that what monuments do?  They remind us.  They point us back.  The reason a monument is built is to declare something.

My life is a monument.  It declares something. 
Your life is a monument.  It declares something.

In Jeremiah 18:16 God gives this word:

“Therefore their land will become desolate, a monument to their stupidity.“

The people had gone their own way.  They turned their back on God and His goodness.  They decided to build life THEIR way, and in doing so they were building a “monument to their stupidity”.

The inheritance that God had promised and provided would become desolate – becoming a monument.

There are two monuments we can allow our lives to build:

My life can either be a monument to His glory or my life can be a monument to mine.  One declares His goodness, His abilities, His power to save and transform and change.  The other declares what I can do.  And when compared to what He can do, all I see is a monument to stupidity when I build it all around me.

Life takes a different approach when we understand that our only hope is in Him.  Our value is found through what Jesus has already done for us and declares about us.  When we are reminded that His ways are higher and His thoughts are higher, there really is no better way to live life than to live it in such a way that builds a monument to His glory.

Before I got up on the roof I wanted to make sure the connection was good.  I didn’t want to go through the process of putting it up and then realizing its position wasn’t in the right place for it to be as functional as it should.  I realized I should do this AFTER I had already tried to bolt it to the side of our house…which didn’t work.

Long story short…I got it all bolted in on the roof after we had tested it and realized we were not getting all the channels we should have been…

The connection wasn’t right.
There was something missing.
The position was messing with the effectiveness of the antenna.

The solution was simple, but frustrating.  I needed to move the antenna so we could get the connection that was supposed to be there.  It was frustrating because I had already gone through the work of bolting it in, adjusting it to how I thought it would work best.  But when we turned it on, it didn’t accomplish everything it was supposed to.  The connection was affected by the position.

In John 15, Jesus tells His disciples:

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:4-5 (NLT)

Jesus reminds them (and us), that our fruitfulness is a byproduct of our connection.  We can’t do anything without Him.

The challenge that most of us face is that we try to be the VINE vs. being the BRANCH.  We want to be in control.  We want to call the shots.  We want to be fruitful, and we want to make it happen.

I’ve never seen a branch sweating or grunting to bear fruit.  It is simply what they do because of the connection that they have to their source.  I live near apple orchards.  I never hear trees straining to push fruit out.  It doesn’t happen that way.  I wish I could say the same about myself and other Christians that I have met.

We want to bear fruit.  We strain, we grunt, we push to make it happen.  That is the problem.  We try to be the source of our fruitfulness instead of allowing our connection to Jesus be the source of fruitfulness in our lives.

How’s your connection?