WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MERCIFUL - 07/31/19 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of His servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow, finite minds can comprehend." - Rev. Orson F. Whitney     "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." - (Matt 5:7) That means God will extend His grace, benefits and advantages to the person who is MERCIFUL - full of pity and compassion, who acts in accordance with God's covenant-love and loyalty. Mercy means we don't get the punishment we deserve. Grace and mercy combined replace penalties with undeserved favor. MERCY is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm; an event to be grateful for, especially because its occurrence prevents something unpleasant  or provides relief from suffering.     One compelling parable on mercy is the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. The son requests that his father give him his inheritance early. Then he foolishly and selfishly squanders his inheritance on a promiscuous and luxuriant lifestyle. He returns ashamed to his father, thinking he would be better off as a servant than to suffer the repercussions of his choices. To his surprise, his father welcomes him back, not as a servant, but as his son. He celebrates his return and restores his position and fortunes, canceling the consequences of his egocentric choices in a jaw dropping display of compassion and love. We've all experienced God's abundant leniency.     GOD's mercy is usually not in question...OURS is. We only have a demonstration opportunity when someone is at our mercy.  In Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus, ""LORD, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you not not until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.""(vs. 21-22) He goes on to tell the story of the unmerciful servant who owed his master 10,000 talents (10+ billion dollars). He was about to be sold, along with his wife and children, into slavery but was forgiven. Later, the same servant was owed one hundred denarii (100 days wages, or about $10,000) by a brother, but would not have patience with him and threw him into prison. Jesus told His disciples, "32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." Jesus commanded us, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - INSTITUTIONAL - 07/24/19 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"The times when black women have been successful in confronting and overcoming the structural and institutional sexism and racism that persists in our society have been when we are thoughtful and strategic about speaking up. It's when we've done what it takes to introduce and implement our ideas and our plans to make things better." - Marcia Fudge - U.S. Representative for Ohio's 11th Congressional District      On Sunday, I watched the fascinating yet disturbing HBO docu-drama, "Too Big To Fail." It's about the housing and banking economic crisis of 2008 and how it was 'solved' by the US Treasury Department, Banks, some   74th US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Fortune 50 Corporations and Investment Companies. Here's a Trailer  I believe every American should witness this. You will get a glimpse into the high-level greed, corruption and INSTITUTIONAL decision-making that happens behind closed doors, but affects us all.  INSTITUTIONAL means of, in, or like an INSTITUTION - an established official organization having an important role in the life of a country, such as a church, legislature, or in this case banks involved in financial trading. There are folks in rooms right now making decisions about which you are completely unaware that will positively or negatively affect your life, your family, your workplace, your City, State and Nation. They're not personal decisions; they're INSTITUTIONAL decisions that bring sweeping impact... like Flint's water.      The movie depicts a recent time where government and business leaders of the most influential companies and countries jockeyed and jostled for financial and political survival in a crisis that crippled many everyday Americans. Most of us never see or experience this kind of institutional power until it affects: gas prices like in the 70's, home mortgages in 2008-12, or our ever-looming doubt about Social Security and Medicare. When INSTITUTIONAL issues hit the pockets of middle class Caucasian Americans, they spur an uproar and groups like Occupy Wall Street rise up in protest.     As an African-American woman, I'm all too familiar with the affects of INSTITUTIONAL economic injustices, sexism, racism, and the like. There are laws in the US that still impede women's freedoms. Slavery was not just a racial issue, but an INSTITUTIONAL economic engine that upheld the wealth of the Southern States... no, of the entire Country for centuries. In the Netflix Documentaries "13th," 13th Trailer and "When They See Us," When They See Us Trailer, Director Ava DuVernay masterfully navigates the travesty of Mass Incarceration, a modern day slavery of economic terrorism and brutality. If you watch 13th, you'll see the INSTITUTIONAL decisions made by representatives, judges, and presidents from both Democratic and Republican parties that created and sustain preschool to prison pipelines and the money grab of prison privatization. Your jaw will drop when you see these documentaries. I hope you'll dare to watch them.          Into this INSTITUTIONAL landscape that primarily affects African-American young boys and men in Cincinnati strode local advocate Judge Tracie Hunter, a pastor whom I've known for 20+ years. Though marred by controversy, she is a strong woman of faith and a champion for black youth. We watched her fight voter suppression in 2010 to have discarded provisional ballots counted in order to prove that she indeed was the first African-American voted in to the Juvenile Court. She waited 2 years to assume that post. Judge Hunter introduced legislation that made it illegal to show minor's faces and names from Juvenile court in the news. She also introduced legislation to keep children from being handcuffed coming into the courtroom. She attempted to find alternatives for these children to escape the aforementioned prison pipeline. Judge Hunter challenged the status quo and has withstood scrutiny and pressure under which most of us would break. For 9 years she faced this opposition as 8 charges levied against her were dropped. The one that 'stuck' had jury members state not guilty was their verdict, but were denied their right to be polled openly in court. It's complicated and convoluted. I'm sure there is a lot we don't know - as there are always 3 sides to every story. She attempted to share her account of the facts, but it was withheld by the press.       I don't claim to have the answers, but I do know that African-Americans have seen INSTITUTIONAL and personal injustices in many forms in these 'United States.' There are good reasons why INSTITUTIONAL trust from our community is so low: Jim Crow, Redlining, Gentrification, Housing and Wage Discrimination, to name a few. We've endured as false accusers like Carolyn Bryant, the woman who lied and had Emmett Till brutally attacked and murdered, got away scott-free. We've watched Dylan Roof, who killed the Charleston 9 in cold blood at their church, live and be treated to hamburgers by local police. We've seen countless Caucasians who commit heinous crimes go free or have minimal sentences, while innocent Black boys with toy guns are shot dead, and grown men are choked out, or serve sentences for half their lives for crimes they didn't commit. So no matter what you believe about the current case, you can understand why we might be skeptical about our government's INSTITUTIONS. I hope Christ followers will take time to consider what might be layers of truth more deeply. Isaiah shared this about the times:      14 Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. 15Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The LORD looked and was displeased to find there was no justice.16He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him.17He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion. 18He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes. He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth.19In the west, people will respect the name of the LORD; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the LORD." (Isaiah 59:14-19, NLT)

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TRUSTEE- 07/10/19 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Every generation inherits a world it never made; and, as it does so, it automatically becomes the trustee of that world for those who come after. In due course, each generation makes its own accounting to its children." - Robert Kennedy    I've been teaching on what the Bible says about financial stability, freedom and stewardship - things I was not taught as a youth. The statistics are scary: 46% of Americans say they can't cover a $400 emergency. The richest 1% holds 40% of the Nation's wealth (Washington Post). 32% of Americans have only saved between $1 and $74,999 for retirement. 15% say they've saved nothing at all (MSN).  Only 41% of Americans say they live on a budget (US Bank). In Cincinnati where I live, the poverty level is 28.7%. One out of every 3.5 people lives in poverty. This is a dire situation! I don't know if many pastors address these things or find them relevant, but the Bible goes into a lot of detail on the importance of stewardship. God has entrusted us with this earth, with children, with work, with our time, with relationships, with His possessions, with finances, with gifts and callings, and with His mysteries.    TRUSTEES in a church are a group of folks, ostensibly business people with whom the direction of the financial and sometimes operational life of a church is entrusted. Trustees are also found outside of churches. A TRUSTEE is a person who is given control or powers of administration of property in trust with a legal obligation to administer it solely for the purposes specified. You and I are really trustees of what God owns. We are to steward these things as He specifies. In the Parable of the Minas in Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells of a master who calls together his servants, gives them each ten minas (about 3 months wages) and tells them to 'occupy til I come,' which means do business, put this money work until I return. (13) This nobleman wanted to receive a return on his investment (ROI). The servant's response to this command was not unlike ours when God taps on our shoulders with commands about stewardship, soul winning, obedience or accountability, "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' (14)     The servants who took their trusteeship seriously and gained a return were given levels of responsibility over cities. The one who did not, was called wicked and unprofitable. His minas were taken from him and given to the most profitable person. This seems unfair and not something God would do, but Jesus had already told His disciples, "10Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11If, then, you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own? (Luke16:10-12)  Fortune Magazine reported that Millennials are the first generation to believe that they will grow up to be financially worse off than their parents. But the trust we have received is not solely financial. We also have a spiritual trust. What kind of TRUSTEE have you been? Will the next generation be better because you've properly managed what's been entrusted to you?

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SELF CONTROL- 07/30/19 Sadell Bradley New Life Covenant

   

"God is waiting eagerly to respond with new strength to each little act of self-control, small disciplines of prayer, feeble searching after Him, And His children shall be filled if they will only hunger and thirst after what He offers." - Richard Holloway - Writer  

 

16So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions...

19When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

 

22But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:16-23, NLT) 

   

SELF-CONTROL is the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations.  The ability to control yourself, particularly in trials, is a fruit or manifestation of God's Spirit living within you. The inability to do so, reflects that your flesh and it's appetites are really what's ruling your behavior. You've made your body, your passions, or your emotions an idol...a god that steers your decisions and directions. This is not just a natural propensity that runs in your family, nor do you get a pass because you're going through something really hard right now. If your flesh is producing ungodly behaviors (gluttony, lies, pornography, greed/spending, excessive anger...) God might be pushing His maturity button on the area of self-control. You might need to repent.    

 

That was pretty direct, but that's just how we need to deal with our lack of self-control. If we view our propensity to allow the cravings of our flesh to rule as just a nuisance, we will not ask God's Spirit to grace us with the strength we need to please Him fully in holiness. Sometimes my body is running the show. Paul said, "...I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:27) As hard as it is, we have to make our flesh obey God's Spirit within. "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:15) When you look at what's going in and out of your life gates (your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your thoughts) who or what is ruling? Is it God's Spirit? If not, self-control is what you need.  

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TRANSITION - 06/26/19 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, re-think priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want." - Kristin Armstrong - Athlete    Baseball hall of famer Willie Stargell said, "Life is one big transition." As I get older, I see more clearly the truth of that statement. TRANSITION is the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.  The word is derived from the Latin transire, which means "to go across." In books or screenplays, a transition is a piece of writing that smoothly connects two topics or sections to each other. Transition in pregnancy is the final phase of the first stage of labor, where the woman progresses from seven to ten centimetres, often in less than an hour. Transition comes just before the pushing stage, and it's the hardest part of labor. The woman has a myriad of emotions. They can feel ill or vomit. This is the point at which they are ready to hurt their husbands. Are you figuratively in a birthing transition?   Life stages are our most obvious and inescapable transitions. It's hard to see ourselves going through them because the process seems gradual. Slowly but surely we change: infant, toddler, preschooler, kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high school, college, adulthood, career, marriage, parent, grandparent, great-grandparent. That's 14 transitions, and I haven't mentioned the  transitions within transitions, like moving from one job to another, changing cars or homes, or acquiring new friends. Transitions are a constant. I wonder why no one ever told us how to embrace them! Quincy Jones and Bebe Winans penned these beautiful, well known lyrics, "Everything must change, nothing stays the same. Everyone must change, no one stays the same. The young become the old, and mysteries do unfold. Cause that's the way of time. Nothing, and no one goes unchanged."    One of most notable transitions in Scripture is the saga of the Children of Israel. They are delivered into Egypt because of a famine under Joseph, then eventually are enslaved in the same place of their deliverance. After 400 years, God brings them out from their captors with great wealth. The promise of entering into Canaan and defeating the enemies there is reiterated by  Moses. "It is the LORD that goes before you. He will not leave you or forsake you Do not fear or be dismayed."  Israel transitions out of Egypt into the wilderness, but it takes generations for them to enter into the promised land. Once there, they still have to fight by faith and action for what He's promised, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Transitions are scary. They reveal what's in us. Will we trust God through shifting and unpredictable changes? Are we emboldened by change or do we resist it?     We would not have the Apostles if the disciples were not willing to transition from being fishermen, doctors, and tax collectors to followers of Jesus. If things stay the same in our lives, we will not learn or grow, and our faith will not be strengthened. Throughout the book of Acts, you'll observe directional shifts and movements of the Holy Spirit as He guides the Apostles to establish the New Testament Church around the world. A walk of faith requires agility and flexibility. Refusal to embrace transition leaves us stuck. Where would we be if Jesus had never transitioned from His throne on high to become a man? What if He'd refused to suffer on the cross and transition into death, burial and resurrection? Transitions, even painful ones can birth tremendous blessings, so embrace the transition you're in!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - NEW - Sadell Bradley - 06/19/19 - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"Move out of your comfort zone, You can only grow if you're willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." - Brian Tracy  - Author & Speaker 

 

NEW is word that has been marginalized to purchasing and acquisitions, "I just got a 'new' house or car." We rarely consider the full scope of this word. NEW means not existing before; made, introduced or recently discovered for the first time; not previously used or owned. NEW can also imply that something already exists, but is seen, or experienced for the first time; it's unfamiliar or strange. NEW could be an addition/or qualitative innovation to something that exists. NEW might denote that something has been reinvigorated or restored and is now regarded as better than what went before. These definitions bring illumination to the breadth of possibility in the LORD's self-descriptive statement, "Behold, I make all things new." (Rev. 21:5)

 

The Apostle Peter described the Day of the LORD's return in 2 Peter 3:10-13. "But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness 12as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with God's promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells." Artists have tried to depict this, but it's important to understand that sometimes, what is new only comes after what is old has been thoroughly destroyed. Why? 

 

Because what is old and what is new are at times incompatible.  Jesus' Messianic rule brought upheaval to both the religious systems of the day and to the lives of individuals, "16 No one sews a patch of unshrunk (new) cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Matt. 9:16-17) Referencing our salvation from sin, we are told that, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become NEW." (2 Cor. 5:17) We struggle when we try to mix old mindsets, perspectives, ways, values or habits in with the NEW thing God is bringing to our lives. Are you engaging a new season or opportunity in old and negative ways?  Changing to something new can be difficult. Former Navy Seal and ultra-triathlete David Goggins said, "You have to be willing to go to war with yourself to create a new identity."  Making the adjustments to be ready for a new thing can be very rewarding. 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - UNVEIL -06/12/19 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"I stay true because whatever the project is, I'm still looking for inside of that character. It's the thing that connects him to me and to everybody else. So, the search is the same. It's to unveil the truth, and that's how I stay true, because my purpose isn't altered." - Forest Whitaker - American Actor 

 

The Bible talks about God's mysteries, not as things He wants to withhold from us, but things He chooses to UNVEIL at the proper time. . . There's an old proverb, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." It amazes me how long it takes for me to be ready for an unveiling of a new truth. To UNVEIL means to remove a veil or covering from, to uncover as part of a public ceremony; to show or announce publicly for the first time. The word VEIL has many meanings: a piece of material worn by women to protect or conceal the face (above); or in Jewish antiquity it was the precious cloth that separated the sanctuary from the body of the Temple or the Tabernacle.  Figuratively a VEIL is a thing that conceals, disguises, or obscures something. To unveil means to remove what conceals, disguises, or obscures.

 

The best modern example of unveiling that I've seen is found in the movie The Matrix. The prophetic mentor Morpheus initiates his protege Neo into his new life path as the chosen one. For Neo to assume this role, he has to know the truth of the systems of the Matrix, where what you see isn't really all there is, and sometimes what you see isn't even what you're looking at. Morpheus offers Neo the choice to stay in bliss of ignorance or allow what's behind the curtain to be unveiled. "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." Neo takes the red pill and is shown all kinds of unbelievable and previously hidden things about the world he lives. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul describes a similar unveiling, to see the glorious Truth of God's original intent when a person comes to the new way of faith in Christ, and is no longer bound to following the precepts of the law of Moses:

 

12Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 16But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.     

Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32) You can't be freed by a truth you don't know. It might be glorious, or daunting, but at one point or another, we all chose a pill. Which one will it be?

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - DOUBLE - 06/05/19 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double. And that's what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people in need, God has helped me more." - Cristiano Ronaldo - Footballer/Soccer Player   

 

I recently attended a meeting at which leaders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cincinnati were gathered for a lunch and learn with officials from the State of Ohio. I've heard people say, "There's no free lunch," but on this occasion, lunch was included   ; ), so we picked up our boxed lunches. Why do we experience this like kids opening presents on Christmas? You know exactly what's in there: a sandwich, some chips, a cookie, a pickle, condiments and a napkin, Lol! Anyway...to my great surprise, I opened my sandwich and it was really thick. I thought, wow, is Panera is making Dagwood-style double-decker sandwiches now? So I found a knife to cut this huge sandwich I couldn't get my mouth around. I initially thought it was a layered sandwich with three slices of bread. Then I realized it was actually TWO sandwiches. I had been given a real life DOUBLE portion! Of course I got really spiritual, "That'll PREACH!"   

 

DOUBLE - means consisting of two identical, or similar parts or things; having twice the usual size, quantity, strength, amount, or extent. To receive a double portion is not an everyday thing, it is an unusual occurrence of favor. In 2 Kings 2:9-11, as the prophet Elijah is ready to pass over into glory, he says to his protege Elisha, "Ask what I may do for you, before I am taken away from you?" Elisha says, "Please let a double portion of  your spirit be upon me." (indicating succession and a mantle of leadership and anointing)  Elijah replies, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha, his dedicated servant and apprentice saw him...and it was so. He received the double.

 

In Hebrew tradition, the first born son receives a double portion of their father's inheritance (Deut. 21:7) Because of the love and favor that was on his life Joseph, who was not the eldest son, received a double portion. (Exek 47:13; Gen 48:5) Hannah's husband Elkanah, loved her so much that he gave her a double portion of all he had despite the fact that she was childless. (1 Sam 1:3)  Double portions like these and the one promised to Israel in Isaiah 61, connote abundant blessing, and can be conferred to the LORD as a Divine exchange for trial and difficulty. "Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs." (Isaiah 61:7)  Double portions are given by Divine intervention and interruption. Sometimes, like me, you don't even know that or when your double portion is coming. I pray that sandwich is a prophetic indication of the doubling of greater things in this season!   

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - PIVOT - 5/29/19- Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"Every day is different; you never know what to expect, and you have to be ready to pivot on a dime" - Kris Jenner  

 

It's NBA finals season, and any true basketball fan knows what a pivot is in the game. A dribbling player who stops, or a player that is stationary with the ball, can move it in any direction in order to pass to another player, or shoot themselves if one of their feet is still in contact with the floor. As they're pivoting, they are looking for the best opportunity/option that will make the team successful in scoring. To PIVOT means to turn as if on a pivot-the central point on which a mechanism oscillates.

If you're a fan of the TV show "Friends" you probably remember this scene when Ross, Rachel, and Chandler attempt to move Ross' new couch up the stairs into his apartment. He yells Pivot! Pivaaat! Pivaaat! to no avail. Sometimes it's clear that what you're doing is not working. You need to change something, go a different direction, or try something new. Ross wanted that couch so badly that he decided to saw it in half to get it up the stairs, then later tried to return it to the store, LOL! It's a hilarious scene, but his failure to pivot caused him to lose his dignity, his couch and his money. Do you need to pivot or are you being stubborn?

 

I taught a class of entrepreneurs the concept of the PIVOT in business, (video) a term coined by Eric Reis, author of "The Lean Start Up."  He defines a PIVOT as a change in strategy without a change in vision. "The vision is the end you have in mind. When you're driving, GPS guides you to the destination. If you run into an obstacle, you don't just drive your car into the obstacle over and over again in the hopes that it will be fine. You, with the help of your GPS, find a way around. Startups that succeed do that really well. They start up with an idea that sounds good, but ends up being really terrible." Did you know that Youtube started as a dating site? Or that Groupon was at first a site that helped people do protest petitions? Click on the video above and you'll be amazed. Upon reflection, you might find that you don't need to give up on your ultimate vision, just change the way you get there.  

 

In this great article, Glenn Bleakney explains 3 ways God works to move us in another direction: The Disruption of Plans, The Dissipation of Resources, and the Dissolution of Relationships. In Acts 16:6-7, Paul describes the disruption of plans, "They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they came near Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not allow them." During Israel's famine, Elijah is provided for supernaturally by the Ravens near a brook. Eventually, the brook dries up, his resources are dissipated, and he is directed by the LORD to go to a widow in Zarephath who will provide for him. (1 Kings 17:8-9) Sometimes God will put you in a transitional situation like Joseph in Potiphar's house (Genesis 39). At first everything is great, but eventually something goes awry that drastically changes or even dissolves the relationship. This ultimately pushes you forward in direction. A push that seemed negative at first, led Joseph to his calling and destiny. God orchestrates pivots!

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - INTERCESSION - 05/22/19

   

"Prayer must be broad in its scope - it must plead for others. Intercession for others is the hallmark of all true prayer. When prayer is confined to self and to the sphere of one's personal needs, it dies by reason of its littleness, narrowness and selfishness." - Edward McKendree Bounds - American Author 

 

This weekend was our 30th class reunion at the University of Pennsylvania. (I know...) On Sunday there was a memorial gathering and a mini reunion concert by our iteration of the PENN Gospel Choir. We sang old songs from our college days. Our former Director, Carl Bright, also taught us a song he'd written entitled, 'Pray for Me,' and asked me to sing one of the leads. The chorus' lyrics say , "Pray for me, Pray for me, Pray that as I go on, I'll be all God wants me to be. And when I do wrong, just remember this song. I need you to pray. I want you to pray. I need you to pray for me." It was simple yet powerful. My verse was, "Don't give up on me. Don't give up on me. No matter what you see, don't give up on me. In the midst of my mistakes, all I want to say is, I need you to pray. I want you to pray. I need you to pray for me." The song's admonition is when you experience bad or uncharacteristic behavior from someone, your first response ought not be criticism, but prayer.

 

We never know what others are going through.That's why Paul instructed Timothy, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men." (1 Timothy 2:1) Supplication is the act of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly. Prayers are solemn requests for help, earnest hopes and wishes. INTERCESSION is the act of intervening on behalf of another AND the action of saying a prayer on their behalf. Thanksgivings are expressions of gratitude to God. I love that action is associated with intercession. So often, we'll post a prayer emoji or just type the words, 'praying' without even doing that much. Intervening is part of intercession. To intervene means to come between so as to prevent or alter the course of events.  You're not just asking God to do something, you're deciding to be a part of seeing a more positive outcome. You will stand in the gap between what is and what God says should be, until you see it.  

 

In Ezekiel 22, the LORD declares judgment on sinful Israel for her idolatry, abuse of power, slander and other wicked practices. God through His prophet laments, "I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one."  God is looking for intercessors. Sometimes we fail to intercede because we're too busy 'discerning,' criticizing, or judging a person or their situation. We all have something in our lives that others could condemn, but that's not the best use of our time and energy. Corrie Ten Boom shared, "Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to faultfinding." There is power in intercession. "Intercession is the truly universal work for the Christian. No place is closed to intercessory prayer: no continent, no nation, no city, no organization, no office. No power on earth can keep intercession out." Richard Halverson