If not now, when?

I've passed by our air purifier many times over the last couple of weeks, maybe even longer but I'm not going to admit it to anyone. There's a message displayed screaming at me to clean it. I'm not sure why I don't like cleaning that machine. It's really quite simple. Yet, I still don't clean it. I must have told myself a dozen times if I've said it once, just do it. And still I procrastinate.

Last night when we arrived back home from church service, I decide to clean the air purifier. I pulled all the parts out, washed them, soaked the piece that should be soaked, rinsed all the pieces off and set them on the counter to dry overnight. I got up today and put it all back together. Guess what? The lamp needs replacing. Of course, this got me to pondering................

There are so many things that I've put off in life; to another day, another hour, another what? Why? Some of these things are important, some of them are not, but they are things that should be done. Will it stop the world from spinning? No. Will it cause another person harm? No. But they are things that should be done; you know maintenance things. Things that run more smoothly once they are clean, oiled, swept or used.

Some things I've put off actually make life better. So why do I put these things off? Simply put, because they take discipline. Please don't judge me on this. I have talked to enough of my friends to know we are all the same. So I take a certain liberty with this knowledge. I actually excuse my procrastination because we all deserve a break today.

But the days are adding up. Now it's been weeks and even months in some cases. And just like the air purifier, it's harder now to clean because there's more dirt there than ever before. Some parts of that machine I had to take apart where I don't normally have to do that. And guess what? The lamp now has to be replaced. Oh, I know, that would have eventually needed to be replaced due to the hours of usage. However, I'll never really know if I could have gotten more use out of it if I'd simply performed the maintenance the first time I saw the warning message.

The big question becomes then, if not now, when? If today is not convenient, when is the right time?

In Matthew 8:19-22, Jesus met a man who made a statement "I'll go wherever you go." When Jesus asked him if he was ready to rough it, the man made a legitimate excuse, "I need to go bury my father." Jesus was really tough on this guy in his reply. I've often pondered why Jesus would minimize the impact of the father's death and funeral ritual. He basically told him, he's dead, move on.

Now Jesus wasn't setting an example telling us funerals weren't important or that ones parents death should not be mourned. I know that this is not true because you cannot take one scripture and make a sermon. Many times Jesus not only mourned the death of friends, but he interrupted things to bring them back to life. So that's not the point.

The point is that Jesus saw the man's statement for what it was. He was all show. I'll go wherever you go Jesus. But in his heart the commitment just wasn't there. He was making an excuse for those that were there listening to the exchange. He really didn't want to rough it with the Lord. How do I know that? Because Jesus let him know they weren't staying at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. They didn't even get pillows on their beds. When the man heard this he began making an excuse.

I like to think that the man would have gone home, made the funeral arrangements, attend it and then would have caught up with Jesus. But sadly, if I take my life as an example, more than likely it would not have happened. The impact of that moment where commitment was my intent, when sidetracked by an excuse, impact is lost and I never regain that sense of commitment I once had. At best I struggle and the end result of that labor is not what I thought it would be and some of the joy is gone because I have to work much harder at it.

Oh, before I forget to mention it, I want to talk about the light thing. I'm not sure what the light function is really about in the air purifier, but I know enough about design that it's got a purpose and the full benefits of the purifier will never be received until the lamp is replaced. With that being said, those things we're putting off, they are important too. We'll never be who we are truly meant to be or can be until we do them. Our inner light is never greater nor more brilliant than when we are clean and shining like we were designed to.

I don't know what your excuses have been. I don't know what it is that you've been procrastinating about. If you are truly honest with yourself, I'd say 80% of us know exactly what needs to be done. Whether it's physical or spiritual, you know. You've just been putting it off. Don't be like Felix with Paul when he said "That's enough for today. I'll call you back when it's more convenient." (Acts 24:25 Message)

So now the question remains. If not now, when?

More than Enough!

I'm driving Ryan to the train station today enjoying a moment of time talking about what's happening in his world. I drop him off and begin the return trip. I look at the odometer and there's a message that also displays the miles left before your tank is empty. The display shows "41 miles to E".

Perfect, I think! It's 32 miles one way so when I arrive in Belvidere, I'll get gas. I merge onto I90 and start listening to the morning talk show host sharing the latest world news.

The sun is reflecting brightly off the fresh snow and once again I am reminded of how beautiful Illinois is. The news fades into the background as I let the blessings of my life wash over me and gratefulness fills my heart. I feel so full of joy and it seems as though I'll never be able fit one more blessing inside.

Then my emotions make a tremendous heart wrenching dive as I glance at that odometer again. WHAT? they scream!!! Only 15 miles of gas left in the tank! That can't be. I am just now approaching the Marengo exit and I've passed the last exit possible to leave the interstate. No way! Something is wrong!!

Now there is choking fear! What to do? I know, my husband who is at home and getting ready to take Vanessa to school, he needs to know about this. Right. You know how that goes. It was something like this.

"Hi, I'm just passing through the Marengo exit and the car ways I have 15 miles of gas left in the gas tank."

"Ok. How fast are you going?"

"I'm only driving 70."

"Well, slow down to 60. You'll get more miles that way."

"Ok. We'll see how this goes. I love you."

"Bye."

At this point, my heart is beating so fast I hear it. I feel like I'm choking and I am breathing in short gasps, trying to think my way out of this. You can't think your way out of running out of gas on I90 in 11 degree weather. Facts are facts, you are going to run out of gas. It's just a matter of when. Make the best of it, Seibold!

So now I start praying. God, please, don't let me run out of gas. I've never run out of gas before Lord and today's not the day I wanted to have this experience. (breathe, gasp) Really Lord, please, I'm serious. I need you to help me out of this. I don't have blankets. I can't be stranded.

Ok, get your mind off of this situation. Turn up the radio loud. NO! Don't look at the odometer. You talked to God about. Either he'll deliver you or he won't. Turn up the radio louder. Not working.

I've never felt doubt, fear and a desire to believe in a miracle fight so hard to dominate one another. I truly am breathing in tiny gasps talking to myself in my head.

Then, I hear Bro. Jason's Sciscoe's message from last night. It's just the memory I need to remind me that I've GOT to have faith. It's time I start using what I have. Now's the time to believe. So now God's talking to me overtime.

Pharaohs army is pounding out a staccato that's equal to the fear in a mother's heart. Her escape from slavery was so short lived it's as though it was just a dream. This can't be happening to her and her family. The Red Sea is impassable! They'll never make it across before this army catches up to them.

The woman with the cruise of oil and a little flour is standing at the cabinet mixing well, getting ready to put the her last meal in the oven. The prophet interrupts her and requests that meal for himself. Fear engulfs her mind and she must make a life changing decision. Feed the prophet and trust his word that she'll never go without food or tell him to get lost.

Ok, so I'm over-reacting. My situation is not life-threatening but to me at that very moment it is my deepest fear. It is my doubt. It is my impossible situation. It it personal, folks! At that moment, I look at my odometer again. "4 miles to E." I am at Anthony Road. No way am I making it to Belvidere without running out of gas.

Right there and then I decided if I run out of gas, then I run out of gas, but I am not, NOT, going to get upset. If, on the other hand, God decides to answer my cry for help, then WOW what a story! So I decide to do what all good Christians everywhere do. Believe, right?

No! FIGHT!! Battle it out between my two ears!! Believe for the incredible? Accept the physical facts? Believe for the incredible? Accept the physical facts and make the best of a bad situation?

I chose to believe! I decide to start praising!! That's how to fight fear, doubt, worry, and physical facts. It starts in my mind. Thank you Lord for providing for our every need. Thank you Lord of caring about me just like I care about my children. (gasp, doubt,choke) Louder....in my mind......Lord you are the God of the Old Testament. Jesus, you are the Savior of the world! (glance at the odometer) YIKES!! Oh my Word!!! "1 mile to E" Car's running fine.

Ok, be reasonable! Get real! I start looking for the mile marker so I can tell the emergency road side service people where to find me. Then a total righteous rebellion of the mind occurs. I AM NOT RUNNING OUT OF GAS. I REFUSE TO RUN OUT OF GAS. IF GOD CAN DO ANYTHING, HE CAN DO THIS FOR ME. NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD!

Now I'm praising God out loud! I'm thanking him for everything in sight. The snow because there will be plenty of water this summer. The sun for shining and providing light and vitamin D. Yeah, vitamin D will help me lose weight and increase my wellness percentage.

And all of a sudden fear and doubt turns to excited belief that in my small world today, because I am a child of the most high God, I will not run out of gas. God is my provider and I will make it to the WalMart gas station and furthermore I will not putt, putt, choke, shake, putt, putt, NO! I am going to drive up like I have a full tank! I am claiming it and speaking it as though it has already come to pass.

I'm singing and praising at the top of my lungs driving 50 mph on I90. People are driving by and I'm smiling out my window at them. You know, one of those "I'm having a great day toothy smiles" so they wonder what in the world I am doing. I can hear them......Crazy lady! Hazardous driver! Take Highway 20 next time, jerk!

All the while, they're missing the greatest miracle of February fourth two-thousand and eleven. You got it. I arrived at WalMart just like my faith said I would. Like I had a full tank of gas. I even sat there with the car on while I put on my gloves and zipped up my coat, got my debit card out, popped open the trunk to get out the gas tank stuff for cold weather, put on my chap stick, and then I turned off the car, got out and put physical gas in my tank.

Now I'm still praising out loud. I didn't even realize it was still happening. I'm still talking to God. Tears of joy are coursing down my cheeks and I'm thanking God because he's more than enough! Next thing I know, I'm dancing a bit as I pump the gas. I think I may have done one of those tricky moon walking steps as I put things back together and get back in my car.

Don't try to tell me that God doesn't care about the little things in your life. Yes, I should have planned better and I should have never even let the gas tank get below 1/2 tank in this kind of weather. Yes, I should have put gas in the tank when I saw it said "41 miles to E." Yes, yes, yes!! BUT today God loved me so much he provided a miracle for dumb little me. He let me exercise that little bit of faith inside mixed with the offensive weapon of praise and proved that he cares about me. He loves ME!! He will supply ALL my needs.

Guess what I know? I am going to go through my next "crises" better than this one. I know there is going to be a day in the very near future, when the "crises" is going to be a little bigger and I'm going to say to myself.... "Lord, I remember when you cared enough to extend my gas mileage when my gas tank was empty. If you can do that, then I know you can be more than enough in this situation too."

Hey, you should try this thing out! It works!

Do it for the right reason!

Well, we're through the first month of the new year. Parties are over, that new year feeling is quickly fading away and life is taking on the normalcy of day-to-day living. I sit here this morning after devotions, drinking my coffee, pondering..........

A new year is like a challenge, a new opportunity. For some reason there's a feeling that whatever has happened in the past its behind us and we can begin all over. Some people start the new year by making a resolution to change. There's a lot of data on the information highway about this topic. Here is a list of the top ten most popular new years resolutions that I found:

1. Spend More time with Family & Friends
2. Fit in Fitness
3. Tame the Bulge
4. Quit Smoking
5. Enjoy Life More
6. Quit Drinking
7. Get Out of Debt
8. Learn Something New
9. Help Others
10. Get Organized
    

Based on some statistics I saw today, the following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:
- past the first week: 75%
- past 2 weeks: 71%
- after one month: 64%
- after 6 months: 46%

Using this information, it seems to indicate that approximately two-thrids of these folks have already given up on the challenge to change. If they are anything like me, there are several very good reasons why the change they planned on was either impractical to begin with or cannot be achieved because ________; you fill in the blank.

Me? I did not make any new years resolution, this year. I am smart and mature now and don't need to challenge myself with a resolve to change motivated by this tradition that doesn't work any way. I will not be a statistic!

Reviewing the top ten list, I find a couple interesting things to ponder on. 1) All these resolutions take a personal commitment of my time, and 2) In order to achieve these resolutions, one must be disciplined.

Now it's becoming more clear than ever before why approximately two-thirds of the people who made a new years resolution have already given up their resolve to change. Giving our time and being disciplined are not easy areas of our lives to change.

Why do we do this? Why do we complain about our weight or our lack of time to be more engaged with family or friends? Why do we give up after so few days pursuing dreams or desires that year after year we long to achieve? Why do we year after year resolve to meet the same goals?

I will answer for me. It's not a lack of time; I know we all have the same 24 hours a day. It's not a lack of money; these resolutions don't really have to impact my spending budget. It's really that I have not yet truly decided to change. Because when I do, I will achieve what I set out to do.

Those who truly want a better life must continually make time for the activities to achieve it. They must develop the disciplines and habits required to achieve their goals. Then, the most important of all, they must make this a lifestyle change. Too many times the goal is temporary and they revert back to the old way of life.

Bottom line is, if I want to achieve success in any of these ten areas, I must want it for the right reason. When I have the right motivation or reason, I will make the time, I will have the discipline, and I will achieve what I have resolved to do.

I've been putting things off. Just like I put off making any resolutions or goals for this year. How about you? Whatever you have chosen to do, do it for the right reason!

Ain’t No Such Thing As Plan B

Before you grammar buffs get your feathers all ruffled because the title has a double negative and uses the word ain’t, let me tell you that it is intentional. The intent is to create that same cringe in you as I feel when I hear a fingernail scratch against the chalkboard or the drill in the dentist’s office. Just writing these examples down makes my stomach tighten up with dread.

I believe that God has this same type of reaction when we begin drafting Plan B. Plan B is contrary to the nature of God. Plan B is a man made philosophy.

My work is in the world of Information Technology (IT). Our customers come to us with business problems they need solved. At times they may have an existing system that needs to be enhanced to solve their problem. Other times they have a need which necessitates building a new application solution.

Once the business has come to IT with a problem and ask for our help in providing a solution, the most important phase of the project begins; the gathering and documentation of business requirements. You may be wondering why this is the most important phase. The answer is clear, concise and accurate business requirements reduce the overall cost of the project and eventual maintenance of the solution. IT departments on average spend approximately 75% of their budget on rework and maintenance. Much of this cost can be attributed to insufficient business requirements at the beginning of a project.

Now it’s up to the IT department to take the business requirements and create the solution. On time, on budget are the buzzwords we IT professionals preach to our staff. Our credibility and marketability is tied to being able to bring development projects in “on time, on budget”. This means that the estimates we gave the business at the beginning of the project were accurate. We delivered the solution in the time frame and within the cost estimates we provided.

With that being said, many of us practice contingency planning. What will we do if we get to crunch time and we don’t have enough resources? What will we do if we have problems with infrastructure or hardware? Will we be able to recover and still deliver on time and on budget? In other words, we try to come up with Plan B in case Plan A is not possible.

The practice of creating Plan B options is not Biblical. God never has a Plan B. If He did then he wouldn’t be God. If He did, then the Word of God would not be true.

Let’s look at Romans 11:29 from various translations.

King James Version - “For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.”

New King James Version - “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

Contemporary English Version – “God doesn’t take back the gifts he has given or forget about the people he has chosen.”

Simply put, God doesn’t change his mind. God doesn’t do contingency planning. God doesn’t have Plan B. In the IT world, God would be on time and on budget 100% of the time! Who wouldn’t want to work for a company with a reputation like that!

I hear some of you right now saying, that’s only one scripture. You can’t build a theory out of one scripture. You’re absolutely right. Let’s look at a few more.

Romans 9:20 (KJV) “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?”

Romans 9:20 (NKJV) “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?

Psalm 139:13 (NKJV) “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.

Isaiah 44:21 (NJKV) “Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!”

Let me ask you, friend, when did you give up on God’s plan? What occurred that caused you to doubt God’s plan for your life? When did you begin creating Plan B? Are you beginning to doubt your abilities, your desires, and your dreams? Are you wondering when the promises of God are ever going to come true in your life or in your church? Are you thinking that you better start creating Plan B so that you can at least see part of these things that you are able to make happen yourself occur?

Let’s examine a couple of situations from the Bible where people tried Plan B.

Abraham created Plan B because he did not wait on God to deliver on this promise of a son to carry on his name. That one decision has led to an international crisis between the Israelis and the Palestinians which affects us even today.

Saul could not wait on the man of God to come and offer the sacrifice on the altar; performing a role that was not his. His plan resulted in the loss of the monarchy to another man who, even though he had many failings, was considered a man after God’s own heart.

If you buy into the concept of Plan B, then you are in effect telling God that his plan for your life is flawed. God is the same yesterday, today and forever! God never changes! If God said it, we can believe it. If God gave you a dream, then he is well able to bring that plan to pass in your life.

Do you really believe that God can’t work through you because you committed some sin in your past? If so, then you truly do not know the forgiveness of God and understand the freedom of true repentance.

Do you think that because you are not able to use flowery words and create great oratories that you’ll never see your church grow? Then you must not believe that God used Moses to bring approximately six million people out of Egypt.

Do you think that because you are a woman that God cannot use you? Then you do not know about Deborah, the prophetess, which led the people during the time of the judges to victory over the armies of Sisera.

Do you think that because you are a young person and don’t have a lot of experience that God cannot use you right now, today? Then you’ve never heard the story of the boy named David, who believed that with God’s help he could kill a 9-foot giant that had all the armies of Israel cowering in caves just by the sound of his voice.

Friend, God wants you to go back to Plan A; His plan for your life. He gave you those promises and dreams. The things that you have gone through are ordained of God to bring you to this place, this time, this very hour! They have happened to you in order to form you into the person that God can use.

God couldn’t use Moses when he was in the king’s house. But after the desert experience, Moses was ready to lead! God couldn’t use Peter’s enthusiasm in the Garden of Gethsemane when he tried to defend the Lord. But after his denial of Christ and his repentance, God took that enthusiasm and used it to convince 3,000 on the day of Pentecost that the Holy Ghost was genuine and it changed their lives.

You are right where God wants you. It is now time to awake and see the glory of God fulfilled in your life. Now is not the time to waver and believe that letting down, or backing up and reconsidering, or tweaking the plan will bring it to pass. Don’t fall for that worldly philosophy. It’s a lie! Quit trying to figure out the how or the why. Let God direct your paths.

We’ve got to return to the old paths; the paths of our forefathers. What did Peter and John do that caused them to be so confident that they could tell the man at the gate to “take up his bed and walk”? What was so powerful about Peter that when he walked by and his shadow passed over people that they were healed? What did they do that caused men like John Wesley to walk through a factory and men and women repented? What was the outreach plan or program being used during the times that we hear recounted to us by our forefathers when men and women walked in drunk off the street, ran to an altar, repented of their sins and were filled with the Holy Ghost and walked out completely sober? Times when they were walking by a house and they felt to knock on the door and tell the person that God loves them and found out that person was just about to commit suicide and cried out to God for a sign that he still loved them?

That’s just it. It’s not a program. It’s living in the realm of the supernatural. It’s living the Word of God out in our daily lives. It’s Plan A. God’s original design and plan for mankind. What does it require? The requirement is to have a relationship with God. We must be in his Word. We must be talking to Him. We must be listening to Him. We must be asking for direction. We must be sensitive to His voice. We cannot have this type of ministry without the relationship. Relationships take time. Getting to know someone and recognizing the sound of their voice takes time. If we are to hear from God, then we must spend time in his word. We must spend time around people that know him. We must spend time talking with God. We must spend time listening to God.

I heard that. You just said that this type of relationship takes time and you have very little of that to spare. Between working your job and keeping your family going and all your church responsibilities, you have very little time to just sit around reading and listening. Really? Then would I be correct to say that you haven’t planned any birthday parties, family vacations, get togethers with your friends or family, or that mini-vacation with your spouse? I’m pretty sure your answer is no. You did some or many of these things this year. My point is not to stop doing those things, but to get real. You have time to do the things that are important to you.

Our problem is that we really do not value the things of God so we don’t make time for them. The things that will bring revival to this world today require that we commit time and effort to our relationship with God. Revival will not come to us, to our people, or to our communities without making the time to get to know God. There is no program to follow. There is the Word of God. Perhaps we don’t have the 12 stones taken from the Jordon River such as the Israelite's did, but we have the examples of our forefathers who lived before us to give us direction. Yes, our world has changed. Yes, the challenges that face us today are different than those of our forefathers. And, yes, you can argue that the same methods of evangelism may need to be adapted to reach our world. I won’t argue with that.

What I can say though is that the preparation for ministry has not changed. You must read and study the Word of God. You must pray and fast and learn to hear the voice of God. You must sacrifice your own desires and thoughts to those of God. You must allow God to direct your paths. You must die daily to your selfish desires. You must resist the temptation to follow the other man’s plans because they are working for him. You must resist the temptation to let down a little because “times have changed”.

You cannot expect to be used in the supernatural without building a relationship with the supernatural God we serve. Plan A is still the only plan that will work in your life. Oh, Plan B may have some benefits and results. But Plan A is God’s plan.

Remember God’s gifts and plans are without repentance. He chose you. He gave to you the gifts you have. He expects you to use them.

Someone is saying, yeah, but……I sinned and therefore I can no longer be used in that gift. Really? Who said that, God? I hear the Word telling me that God restores all that Satan has taken from us. I remember the Word of God telling me that God gives His gifts without taking them back. He’s not like the child that gives you something so you’ll be his friend and then takes it back because he no longer likes you. That’s stinking human logic. God gives his gifts and calling without taking it back. His is Plan A. The original! The only plan that brings true satisfaction and fulfillment in your life.

Ain’t no such thing as Plan B in the world that God created!! Take back what the devil has stolen from you! Stand of the Word of God. God has given us the authority, the gifts, the calling to execute Plan A. Begin today to build that relationship with God and execute Plan A!

Proverbs 19:21 “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel – that will stand.” (NKJV)

Anybody Can Write A Sermon

There are two aspects of my life that I am passionate about. They are spiritual and political. I am passionate about them because they shape and impact my present and my future.

I am blessed to be the daughter, the wife, the niece and a sister-in-law of amazing men of God who write and preach some inspiring sermons. I attend a church where the senior pastor is a prolific writer and speaker; you're never bored listening to his sermons. I enjoy hearing people talk about these men in my life with gratitude for their inspiring words of faith and hope. I love the Christ of whom they preach. I've found the faith, hope and salvation they speak about and wouldn't ever think about living any other life. I have a blessed life.

Living in the home I'm blessed with, we pay attention to politics as well. We believe it is not only our right but it is our responsibility as a citizen of the United States of America to participate in the process that supports these freedoms. We have taught our children that if you don't participate in the process and vote, then you have no right to complain or criticize. The political shenanigans, speeches, debates and propaganda really get to me after awhile.

The interesting thing about these two very different and diverse areas of my life is how similar they really are. A politician and a minister have positions of influence in peoples lives. Their job is to convince, persuade and challenge people to support their cause, belief or party. Their oratory can be boring, fiery, animated, passionate or charismatic. They are recorded, quoted, and taped. They are talked about, lied about, idolized, misquoted, loved and hated. They live in glass fish bowls and their life as well as the lives of anyone who is connected to them are examined and judged. Depending on your persuasion, the same politician or minister can be seen as the hero or the villain.

At the end of the day, however, it's not the words of their sermon or speech that matter. Anybody can write a sermon. It's the life they live that's important. It all goes back to the age old adage 'Actions speak louder than words.'

I'm tired of hearing charismatic speeches and sermons. You don't impress me with your oratory ability and your winning personality. Your percentages in the polls do not impress me or convince me to vote for you. The number of people that attend your church does not persuade me that you or the God you say you serve is a place I want to be or the God I want to dedicate my life to.

No, I choose to vote for you because your values are reflected in your voting record or your work in the community. I attend your church not because of the prolific oratory of your sermons, but because you extend mercy and forgiveness when I fail or people do you wrong. You show kindness and love to every person in your life without favor. You help others when they are hungry, hurting, destitute and just want attention.

Anybody can write a sermon. The people I choose to vote for and allow in my life and the lives of my family will be those who live out the life they sermonize about.

Where are the David's?

I find it pretty difficult to read the books of the Bible that describe the life and works of all the kings. It's gory, filled with violence and fighting, and repetitive. I often wonder why God felt it so important to put some of those things into the Bible.

Today, however, my thoughts have been captured and held tenaciously. Every king is compared to David. Phrases like "he wasn't at all like his ancestor David" and "he did not walk in the ways of his father David." This is not the first time I've seen this and commented on it. However, today a new thought caught my pondering mind.

I really hate to be compared to others. Comparisons make me crazy. You get a new job and you hear, "That's not the way we did it when the other person was in charge." "The other person was so much more easy going than you are." Or let's take it one step further. Getting compared to a brother or a sister. Now that's down right dangerous territory.

Now I'm wanting to know, what's so very special about David. I've heard a lot of messages about David, so I think on this for a while. Here's what I see.

• David was not afraid to spend time alone and in the presence of God.
• David was passionate about defending God.
  
• David was unafraid to fight people bigger than he was because he was confident in who he was fighting for.
• David ministered to people in need. He took bread to his family and he played the harp when the king was troubled.
  
• David honored the anointed authority God placed over him, even when that person of authority was in the wrong.
• David led people who were discouraged.
• David recognized the service and sacrifice of others and its value. He would not even drink the water his men had risked so much to bring to him.
  
• David understood the power of praise. He was able to encourage himself in the Lord.
• David did not care who was around when he danced unto the Lord.
• David received counsel from the prophets and responded appropriately. Repented when he had done wrong and moved according to the word when given divine direction.
  
• David suffered great loss due to his sins, accepted the judgment of God and renewed his relationship with God.
• David had family problems and took them to God.
• David's accepted the partial fulfillment of his dream without hating God. His dream was realized through his son Solomon.
  

This list is not by any means comprehensive. However, these are the things that readily come to mind when thinking through the life of David. It's pretty impressive to review. What a man! What a resume! From shepherd boy to king he is an incredible example. No wonder the succeeding kings were compared to David. The bar was set pretty high.

What I remember most that pulls at my memory and I have not listed is that David was known as a man after God's own heart. This phrase was said about David when he was a young man. He was still a shepherd boy. He had not yet killed Goliath nor had he played his harp in the palace. He had not yet led the armies of Israel and the band of discouraged men. What he had was a real relationship with God. He knew God.

It was not who David knew, his network of great people, that made him the top candidate for king. It was not David's charisma or pedigree that made him God's choice. It was his relationship with God that set him apart from everyone else. Succeeding kings did not build the type of relationship David had with God and God was displeased with them. Some managed to have a relationship with God, but they "did not tear down the high places". Their leadership was weak in that they let people do what pleased them.

Now I feel challenged. Where are the David's? I look within and I wonder if I were the one they were writing about today in the book of Kings, what would that last sentence look like? Would it read, "and she did not walk in the ways of her father David?"

I feel lucky today. I am not at the end of my journey in this life. I have a chance to work on my relationship with God. So, I ask myself, and you my friend, these questions:

• When was the last time you spent more than a few minutes in the Word of God meditating on what you've read and applying it to your life?
• When was the last time you didn't care who was around you and you worshiped God with abandon?
• When was the last time you put your own self-will on the back burner and did what God told you to do?
• When was the last time you sang praises to God and basked in the glow of fellowship between you and God alone?
• When was the last time you enjoyed time with God so much that you never wanted to leave that place?

I sincerely pray that these thoughts will encourage you to grow in your relationship with God. As for me, I want more of God in my life. I want to know God! I want to be a woman after God's own heart! I've got some relationship building to do.

WYSIWYG (wi-zee-wig)

I love this acronym; WYSIWYG. It simply means what you see is what you get. I'm sure you've either used the phrase or heard the phrase used at one time or another. It's actually used in the information systems world by hackers or developers and it refers to software which they are unable to modify for specific purposes not designed for in the original software. Basically, you can't modify the software for anything other than what it was created for.

When I've used this phrase in the past, it was an attempt to communicate that I am transparent or natural. I'm not hiding behind a mask or fake. I'm not pretending to be something or have a hidden agenda. I've even said it feeling a bit self-righteous as I say it. It's got a little attitude.

The truth of the matter, however, is that we all have a "presentation" model of ourselves. When I was growing up you never went to church unless you were in the best clothes you owned. I had school shoes, church shoes, and play shoes. I heard phrases like "we don't act like that in public". Then there were all kinds of rules about when you go on a date, when you look for a job, and when you stay over at so-and-so's house don't talk about.......you fill in the blank.

Now don't get me wrong, I think there are protocols and expectations that we conduct ourselves differently in various situations. There are even occasions and places we go where we should be wearing the correct attire. Things such as weddings, funerals, church and work. There are things that you should not talk about or say depending on where you are and who you are with.

What I am talking about here is the core person you are. If you try to be one way at work to fit in there, then you try to be another way at church and then be someone else at home, you're going to drive yourself crazy! You cannot be happy and fulfilled.

James 3:10-18 from the Message version of the Bible puts it like this:

^10-12My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?

^13-16Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

^17-18Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

If you are true blue, authentic and consistent, you won't have to respond to anyone in any place "What you see is what you get!" No you won't. Because others will recognize that about you. It's part of the package. Your daily conduct will demonstrate your authenticity.

Sure you'll conduct yourself differently depending on whose company you are in or how comfortable you are in a situation. But you will never change your core values. You won't cuss when you're at work and not cuss when you are home. You won't treat men at work like dirt bags and then treat your husband nicely at home. Oh, you may manage for a while, but you'll blow up eventually.

WYSIWYG should be more than just a phrase you toss over your shoulder in an attitude of "in your face bubba". WYSIWYG should be a way of living, as the Scriptures above describe, "a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others." If you're having trouble with your life perhaps you need to stop trying to change who you are.

Stop trying to hack or modify the programming.

Be the unique and special person God created you to be!