What Time Is It?
We cannot remain silent in the face of adversity. We must speak out. We must demand change.
Movie Message - The Dark Knight Rises
“Peace Has Cost You Your Strength, Victory Has Defeated You. ”
How many times are we defeated by our victory?
This is a powerful question that struck me after hearing what has become one of my favorite quotes from the Dark Knight Rises. Often times after our struggle of wining spiritual battle has come to a close, we relax and let our guard down.
In those moments, when you win spiritual battles, when you flee from your temptations, when the enemy hasn't hit you with anything crazy in a while, when life offers you a moment of respite and victory embraces you with arms open wide- DON'T. GET. TOO. COMFORTABLE. In whatever situation continue to grind, stay focused, stay motivated, stay hungry and remain consistent because when the next challenge comes along you never want to be caught off guard.
Bane says quote this as he is dispensing a "grade A" beat down on Batman. Like this is no average cinematic fight. Batman, yes (dun-nun-nun-nuh-duh-nuh-nuh-nuh Batman!) that Batman, is getting absolutely annihilated by Bane. He's taken 8 years off from fighting crime and it shows. His passion is still there and Bane's comment shows it, he says, "You fight like a younger man, with nothing held back. Admirable, but mistaken." All of Batman's usual defenses, the use of "theatricality and deception" are no longer effective against someone who knows his tactics all too well. He is outwitted, out strategized, overpowered and left a broken shell of who he used to be, large in part because he did not prepare for the coming battle, during times of peace.
Many of us make the same mistake as Batman, dusting off our Bible's to do intense battle with an enemy thats studied our every move. He's seen us relish our downtime after victory and eat our fill. He's seen us coast on the laurels of yesterday, not preparing for the coming storm that soon approaches. He's seen us not prepare, and is prepared to attack our blind spots, weak spots with challenges and fiery darts that are polished and sharpened, yet we haven't taken the time to polish our sword or dust off our shield for practice. As a result we rely on muscle memory to kick in, when God had new strategies to teach us. Unfortunately too often we expect to win new victories with old strategies and God is calling us to learn and grow, not coast and stay cozy.
In our downtime, we often make the mistake of taking our helmet off as if we are constantly not at war. When we let our guard down because we feel we have won, that is when the enemy decides to strike. Often it's not the hardest of blows but it's something, a thought perhaps, or a feeling that you can't shake. After watching us eat our fill of the spoils from our victory our adversary decides to strike. It starts with a subtle nudge of the Flesh, "Just text her back its nothing major, just friendly conversation." "Just watch a little bit, you can always turn it off when you're done", "Seriously you think anybody cares about that, this is just between you and ____ no one else needs to know?" "You're going to fall later anyway, you can't resist forever may as well partake now." Because we were willing to submit in these subtle ways the enemy comes for us even harder with every foothold we give him. Give him and inch he'll take a mile and take you on a journey you never thought you'd go on.
Thats why its so important that we stay sharp, stay fresh, stay ever ready. If Jesus is our blueprint who shows us the way then as our example we see that he stayed current and was connected to the Father on a regular basis. From miracle to miracle, from temptation to temptation he was constantly prepared for each situation with fresh insight, and deep connection to God. Yet in our lives we are thinking that last weeks victory is going to keep us through this weeks trial? Not so! We need fresh pursuit of new perspective from God. There are so many battles to fight, hills to mountains to climb and valleys to traverse. We must stay Current and HUMBLE so that our victory does not become the thing that ends up defeating us.
Supporting Scriptures:
- Ephesians 6:10-20 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
- Galatians 3:9 - And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
- 1 Peter 5:8-11 - Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
- Mark 1:35 - And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
- Luke 4:1-2a & 13 - And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. ; 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
My 600lb Lie
My 600lb Life is a television show that documents the lives of people who are morbidly obese. They are moving closer to death with every unhealthy meal they eat. However they can't stop consuming food because it is literally an addiction which has taken control of their lives. As a result, they become a danger to themselves and burden often times a burden to their families.
While you may not have a food addiction that spirals out of control and causes you to be 600lbs, many of us of us have believed unhealthy lies. Lies that started off small enough, but now are close to 600lbs. The lie that we believed grew beyond our control and threatens our very ability to thrive throughout life. We stay stagnant and can't move out of our complacency because the lie has grown that large. "You're too ugly", "You'll never succeed", "you're doomed to repeat the mistakes of your father". Sometimes these lies start small enough but over time grow and begin to weigh us down. Sometimes those that cause us to believe lies do so with with well meaning intentions. (i.e. Your parents trying to motivate you - "why can't you be more like your sibling" leading you to believe that you yourself aren't good enough. A teacher demeaning you in front of the class causing you to think you're not smart) Lies like these can cripple us and make us immobile for the work that God has for us to do.
One of my 600lb Lies is that I was too stupid, that I wasn't smart enough. Smart enough for what you ask? I don't know, anything really, just to succeed. I don't know how it started or what seed was planted. I don't think there was any traumatic event that took place. I think I was striving for A's in school and came to the conclusion that I was a solid B student as a result I never saw myself as A material. That resulted in me not speaking up and being as vocal at times. It caused me to question my ability to lead because I in my mind I didn't have what it took. At the time leader See how that can be a problem??
The funny thing about lies is they are often the direct antithesis of your purpose in God. To lead others, you have to be knowledgable. To preach you have to be able to research and dispense information in a way that brings clarity to the listener. Feeling intellectually inadequate directly influences both of those areas. On another note my thinking I was stupid and didn't have what it took would have surely caused me to either walk away from pastoring, or pastor with a facade of confidence that I never had. Which would have been lying. So you see believing a lie, often causes us to live a lie. Lies beget lies and the pounds continue to pack on.
I know it seems like a dark, dank spiral of defeat but believe me, there is hope. Through prayer, counseling, receiving the compliments of others, and taking a good look at myself I realized that I was smart and capable. I didn't have to let that lie define me. I first had to realize the lie, identify it and one day at a time, deny myself the comfort of walking in that lie.
See the other thing about lies is sometimes lies are COMFORTABLE. Often it takes more effort to walk in the truth. Maybe its because we've believed the lie a little longer. In the 600lb Life show the person thats eating themselves to death, loves eating food. They love whats killing them and continue to feed it because eating healthy and working out takes WORK. I'd have to embrace truth. I am smart. I'd have to remind myself of that truth every. single. day. That isn't easy especially when the lie continues to rear its ugly head.
Another observation I saw is that in the show the majority of the time everyone has a family member or loved one that gets food for them. Since they can't physically get up and go to the fast-food restaurant of their choice their loved ones often get them the food that is destroying them. The same applies to our lies. We have some people in our lives that love us, that maybe mean well, but are enabling us to walk in our lies. We need to stop this habit so that we can live healthy lives and lose our 600 lb Lie one day at a time.
What about you?
What lies are you facing? What truth do you need to be exposed to? How many pounds is your lie and what are you feeding it to help it grow?
These are challenging questions but ones that we must address if we are to lose the weight that lies cause us to carry.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:31-32
These posts are meant to encourage, challenge, equip and inspire us to realize our regality in Christ.
-Roderick Caesar III
Stop Running. Start Listening. (How Did I Get here?)
I graduated last month from Alliance Theological Seminary with my Masters of Divinity. My 28th birthday is tomorrow, and on Sunday I will be installed as an Associate Pastor at Bethel Gospel Tabernacle. Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement as I’ve been on this journey. It has not been easy and I could not have gotten where I am today without the help of others. A lot has happened but I am grateful that God has been faithful in this time.
So I was talking with a friend last week and she asked the question “How did I get here?” She meant it not in a “my life is unraveling and I'm at the end of my rope, how did I get here” kind of way. But the exact opposite. For the most part things are going well. Im crushing my goals, loving life, sure I've had some setbacks and disappointments but overall I'm doing what I've got to do and couldn't be happier, How did I get here? Very important question and I think the answer lies in reflection.
Its crazy how time flies. I remember about ten years ago three different people in the same church service said the same thing to me. They told me to stop running. Running from my calling. Running from my purpose. Running from Responsibility. Running from God. Wanting God to chose someone else, to pastor Bethel. Anyone else. Now I know I would have been heartbroken watching someone walk into this season, knowing that it's where I should have been. So thankful that I stopped running and started listening.
The thing about listening that we have trouble with is it often requires sacrifice. It often requires following plans that are not our own, going places we wouldn't necessarily choose to go and losing relationships we thought we’d have forever. Listening can be painful. The thing about running that attracts us is we get to hold on to what we think its best for us. We get to follow our plans, go where we want, and keep that relationship, but at what cost? We run away from God's voice clutching our plans close. Thinking that we escaped from his vision with our prized possession still in tact not realizing thatwe are on our way to shattered dreams and wasted years and pain that could have been avoided if we had only listened.
Jonah knows a little something about running. God told him to go to Nineveh and call the people there to repent (Jonah 1:2). Only one problem. These people weren't really what we would call friendly. They were cruel and brutal to Jonah's people and here God is telling Jonah to offer them the opportunity to repent. Jonah, instead of doing Gods will, decides to act on his own desires and run. He ends up not only in a storm, but has to be thrown overboard because its revealed that his disobedience is the cause of the storm (Jonah 1:4). Not only is he thrown overboard but he eventually finds himself in the belly of a whale. No doubt he too asked, How did I get here. Those moments aren't ideal but they're necessary. The moments that cause us to reflect back and retrace our steps. Jonah's story doesn't end there but thats where we'll end for now, at the consequence of his disobedience.
So ask yourself. "How did I get here?" Is your "here" negative or positive. Wherever you're at reflect on the moments where you ran and the moments where you listened. Guarantee those will help you see the answer to your question. Everyones situation is different, and at various points in our lives we all run for different reasons. I'm just glad God doesn't stop speaking. He doesn't stop giving us the opportunity to stop running, and start listening.
God is Not Worried, He is Worthy (and Working).
There are moments in our lives when things happen that cause us to wonder whether or not God was caught off guard. God, did you see that from afar or did it sneak past you? God, where were you when this happened? If God didn't see the event coming that means He must be worried.
I think that for this nation the race for the presidency was one of those moments. It polarized the nation and was a cause for great concern amongst many people. The results of the election and the inauguration of our new President seemed to even further divide the nation and cause much angst and anger within our country. I’m not saying I know everything but if there is one thing I do know it’s this - God is not worried. He’s not stressing about His children, He’s not wondering whether or not we are going to make it through the next four years or crash and burn into a hopeless oblivion. He’s not surprised that America has chosen a man who has made some very detrimental, malicious, sexist and racist comments while running, to lead us. He is not blindsided that America was tired of the skeptical decisions and opaque statements of politicians and chose a businessman. He is not shocked that the White House will not see the first female President this year. He is not nervous, taken aback, anxious, or worried.
God is not worried, He is worthy. Wait, worthy? Why is He worthy?
In all honesty I believe that God is worthy because he’s Worthy. Yes, you read that correctly. His divine nature and in essence who He is demands our reverence, respect, and our worship. In light of those facts, we shouldn't be worried. Another reason this should bring us comfort instead of concern is because God is also, you guessed it - working. Now, what working means to you could vary depending on what view of Scripture you hold. One view is that God appoints all the leaders whether they be good or evil and pretty much controls their hearts to do His will. Another perspective is thatpeople chose the leaders whether they be good or bad, and decisions are made by the leader which God permits, but God can intervene and sway the hearts of those in power because He is God after all, “no one man should have all that power,” (thanks Kanye). There are other views but we will stick with those two. Whichever view you hold isn't the point of this post. The point is to let you know that God is not worried but worthy and working. That fact should alleviate your stress,right?
God didn't get up from his throne and take a coffee break. He didn't doze off at the wheel or take his eye off of America for a second only to come back to Trump in the White House. Neither did He leave when Obama was president and decide to come back now that Trump is in office to guide his pen as he signs a bill (both scenarios are actual thoughts by the way, people actually posted these images on their social media accounts). On the contrary God is God. That means He knows things we don’t, does things we often misunderstand and is always, always, always in control.
I believe our job as Christians in our local churches is to partner with what God is doing, to “work, work, work, work, work” (thanks Rihanna),to be salt and light in our neighborhoods and ultimately the nation. God is at work in our world, our nation, our communities and in our homes. No presidency is going to change that. The question is, are we willing to seek His face and labor with Him to get the work done, regardless of whether we agree or not? I believe that laboring includes, but is not limited to, “these four major keys”( thanks DJ Khaled).
We should Intercede
To intercede means to intervene on behalf of another. This isn't an unfamiliar concept especially for the Believer, Jesus does this for us regularly. As believers we are called to pray for our leaders. We must take it a step further and pray for our nation, our communities our churches and our families. Prayer changes things. I know that is a cliche statement but it's true, and if we want to see change in our communities and our country, we must cry out to the LORD in prayer.
We should be Informed
So you know the books of the Bible, thats great! You get a gold star on your Sunday school chart and a massive bookmark to keep your place as you read through Obadiah. Unfortunately, Biblical information, though extremely important and necessary in the life of the Believer, is not what I am speaking about here. In the Bible (irony alert, thanks Alanis Morissette) there is a group of men who “were aware of the times and knew how to act.” We should know the times. It is a detriment to your faith if you remain inside the walls of your church, comfortable in your Christian bubble and ill informed about what is happening in your community and in the world. Being proficient in pop culture and all the current posts on social media will only get you but so far. The Church must be aware of decisions and changes in our society. If we are ill informed then how can we fulfill our obligation to pray strategic, specific prayers? Let us make a decision today to become a more informed people.
We should be Involved
In order for the Church to be the Church and not just a place to be on Sunday morning it must be a light in the community and be active in the life of the state and government. Remember those men in the Bible, they not only knew the times but knew how to act as well. Having a passion to take action is great but having a clear sense of direction before taking that step always helps. We must be prayerful, vigilant and use wisdom when being involved. Involvement may look different for different churches but the people that occupy the church must do their very best to make an impact or a difference however they can. From volunteering, to partnering with community leaders, to galvanizing people that desire to make their concerns known, the Church must not only shine inside it’s doors but outside it’s walls as well. Being involved is a major part of Jesus’ call to being salt and light and helping to facilitate healthy change within our spheres of influence is a great place to start.
We should be Intimate
No, not that type of intimate, crazy. Im speaking on intimacy with God. Which includes but is not limited to, praise and worship which will be the focus of this section. It is important to understand that worship is more then just good vocals and talented musicians, and praise is more then just an occasional hand clap or a shout of Hallelujah. Both of these should be an expression of the heart, a deep resolve to thank God for His blessings and honor Him for who He is, even if we see and hear something that seems contradictory. I believe that when this happens, we are showing a healthy fear of the LORD and this also shows the world that our hope is not dependent upon our circumstances.
So thats it, thank you for reading. My prayer is that this entry would help to dissipate any fears or worries anyone reading this may have about the current situation of our nation. Now that you’re done, do us all a favor - stop worrying realize He is worthy and get to work. God Bless you, and God Bless America.
Game Of Thrones
Game of thrones was first a book that became a highly successful show. Its about various royal families fighting for the Iron Throne. Basically, for the right to rule all of the kingdoms and all of the lands. The only issue with this is that all of the families or, houses, believe it is their right to rule. As you can probably tell this is cause for much bloodshed, deceit, treachery, backstabbing and other horrible things in the lives of these houses fighting for the throne.
I found a bit of a parallel between the show and our lives as followers of Jesus. Once we give our lives over to Christ and He is on the throne of our hearts an all out war ensues and doesn't stop until our last breath is taken. Yes, He is in full control and has all authority but powers that have been on the thrones of our lives for years; Depression, Lust, Pride, Rage, Fear, Envy just to name a few, are still at large. The Enemy comes up with strategies for those vices to reclaim their position on the throne in our lives.
The show has a phrase that is a warning to stay vigilant and on guard for bloodshed is inevitable: Winter is Coming. The thing about the life of the Believer though, is that we can count on Winter to come each and every day. In various ways when our Flesh rises up a battle will ensue, and the Throne of our hearts must be protected. The Bible says “Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life, Proverbs 4:23. The throne of your heart must be guarded and protected for out it comes our very life and substance.
Too often we play games with the sins of our flesh, we swap Jesus for Lust and walk out in the thoughts, feelings and desires deep within us. We dethrone Jesus for Fear and instead or walking out in Boldness and Love we let our insecurities or the thoughts of others silence us. Too often we give in to our thoughts of Depression and let it rule on the throne of our hearts. A harsh reality that we all must face is found in the book of James says we are tempted by desires within. So this “Game of thrones” sadly enough, comes from within us. Lets take a quick look at the different houses that want the throne in our lives
House of Bitterness
House of Shame
House of Lust
House of Fear
House of Depression
House of Uncontrolled Anger
House of Envy
House of Pride
Of course there are many other “houses” but these are just what came to mind. The crazy thing to think about is somewhere deep within our souls some of these houses still stand strong. Christ can be on the throne of our lives and come to reside within us but we can still continue to wrestle with the truth that we are loved, that we are accepted, that He is enough. We can sometimes jump back and forth from the victory we have in Christ, to the defeat that we see lurking within ourselves. Jesus may have said it is finished, but until our final breath is taken, the battle rages on.
I believe that in order to stop entertaining the Houses at war with our soul we must begin to deal with sin severely. In Matthew 18:8-9 Jesus speaks clearly on dealing radically with sin. If something causes you to stumble, get rid of it, no matter how close it is to you, or how necessary it seems, it is not worth your soul. We must also rely heavily on the Holy Spirit and trust that as Paul states, if we walk in the desires of the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the Flesh Galatians 5:16. Sure, the bad news is that the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking for someone to devour and we are tempted by the desires at work within us. All that pales in comparison to the good news which is that Christ is more powerful then our greatest struggle, and is the true Lion of Judah, exposing all frauds. He is present and active to fortify us where we are weak. So stay focused, deal with sin severely, be thankful but also alert because remember, Winter is Coming.
These posts are meant to encourage, challenge, equip, inspire and help us to realize our regality in Christ.
-Roderick Caesar III, Regality Realized.
Desperation
I took a good look in the mirror of my soul the other day and didn't like what I saw. I realized that I had become comfortable. Worse then that, I had become accustomed to my idea of God to the point of apathy. I guess I was hungry for God, maybe I was thirsty, but it was a hunger and a thirst I knew I was allowed to have. It didn't consume me, it didn't seriously affect the way I thought or lived. I was just wanting God because thats what Christians are "supposed" to do. I could still desire God and not cry out to Him on a daily basis, I could still want God and not have an active prayer life, I could still be chasing after God and not be reading my Bible. Right? No matter how hard I tried there was no way to justify my apathy. I needed a change. I used to tell myself I hated coasting but yet here I was- kick, push, coast - like clockwork. Something had to change.
I realized that what I was searching for was a sense of desperation. I needed to be desperate. I took a look at my life, I'm not in any obvious danger, I don't have a life threatening illness, I'm employed and my finances could use some help, but whose couldn’t? It seemed that I was rationalizing my desperation for God based upon the circumstances in my life. If things weren't going up inflames around me and I wasn't on the verge of death then that desire that I know I needed to have ended up fading away. The red flags went up and I came to the conclusion that I was thinking too highly of myself. I was reminded of what Paul says in Romans 3:23,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
Coming back to this fundamental truth reminded me that we are all sinners and no matter how things look on the outside at our core we are constantly in need of a savior. I felt at a crossroads like the rich young ruler in Matthew 19, I could either stay in my comfort, stick to just doing what I’m accustomed and to doing and coast my way into the kingdom, or be desperate and do something daring. I chose the latter and decided to follow the example of desperate people all throughout Scripture.
I thought about what desperation looks like in the Gospels. The Paralyzed mans friends lowering him through the roof so that Jesus would heal him, the woman with the issue of blood, pressing throughout the crowd just to get a touch of the hem of Jesus’ garment, a Roman official racing to ask Jesus to heal his sick child, the blind man screaming at the top of his lungs begging Jesus to come his way, a Father sending His only Son, perfect and blameless, into the world to die so that he could be in relationship with us. Those examples are filled with desperation and desire. Yes, those individuals needed a change which helped fuel the desperation, but why couldn't I cultivate that desire on a daily basis? I desire to be desperate for Jesus just as He is desperate for us. I don't want to need Him when I need something but I want to constantly be aware of my need for Him on a daily basis. I don't want to just coast. I want to desire Christ daily. I want my life to reflect that.
I've realized that desperate people are willing to sacrifice something. Before posting this I fasted. Not saying this to brag or say look at me, but to encourage you to be desperate for God again. If you find that is a need for you, you may have to kick it into high gear by sacrificing something. If this post resonated with you at all, if you feel the need to abandon complacency and mediocracy in your Walk with God, if you want to be desperate, I challenge you to take the first step, any step, do something daring, do something different, dare to be desperate.
These posts are meant to encourage, challenge, equip and inspire and help us to realize our regality in Christ.
Roderick III, Regality Realized