Sittin’ on the couch, it is often a matter of time before one of my kids (3 to 11 yr olds) plop down next to me and cuddle in. BUT if I’m laying on the floor, it’s typically a matter of seconds before one or more of kids start to pile on. As a daddy, if my little ones don’t naturally come over to hang out with me or crawl on me, there is one tried and true strategy – get a little lower. When daddy gets lower, the kids come around.

This is why Jesus came at Christmas. He longed to embrace His kids, and He was willing to go lower to do it! How amazing He is!?! “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9 NIV).

Here’s the truth – Jesus is still going lower for you today! Paul says it this way, “Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”. (Rom. 8:34 NIV) 

See Jesus on the floor, ready for you pile on and play. Take a moment with the God who is lower still for you right now.

If you missed the kickoff of the Lower Still series catch it today – you need this – https://www.facebook.com/124728734266058/videos/540097603505192/ or on youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-avf5zXcYU.

After a few days of “man retreat” with my dad and brothers, I was fueled up. I had greater perspective on my issues, less stress for them, and more joy in them. Some of the greatest people in the Scripture failed on one major count – passing on spiritual heritage. Moses and Elijah passed on spiritual heritage, Jesus multiplied spiritual heritage, as did His followers, but most of the others in Scripture lost the battle at this point.

Formerly, as a kids pastor I would have parents show up at church for the first time with their 6 year old, shocked that they had no clue who Noah and the Ark was! If you haven’t had them in church their whole life, this should not be surprising to you. It should also not be surprising when they have no moral compass, and make spiritually damning decisions, because they have never been led into a real encounter with the living God.

3 Essentials to Passing on Spiritual Heritage

1. Be in church (every time the doors are open). There is no substitute for this consistent ENCOUNTER with other believers and with God Himself!
2. Own Your Family Devotions – pray, read the Bible, worship. Doesn’t have to be long, just consistent – For more ideas on this – watch the Family Devo Challenge Videos – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5caEavLMjZ4&list=PLMyAgnKuNIqp5r9VCXUWV2EuM7hySnqWG
3. Model a growing relationship with God – your kids don’t need to know you’re perfect, but they do need to see you’re growing. They need to see you hungry for God, walk in on you praying sometimes, watch you worshipping.

This is the kind of effort it is worth a lifetime of getting back up, and getting after it again. No matter how many times you restart. Restart again! Even if your kids are grown!

2 Timothy 2:2 and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. (2 Tim. 2:2 NRS)

Just read the Psalm, let it wash over you. Then read it over and again, until your mind wanders to specifically what God has done for you, and who God is to you right now . . .

Psalm 100:1 A psalm. For giving grateful praise. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. ² Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am sooooo grateful for each of you, and give God thanks and praise for who He is to you, and what He’s done in you!

I rarely ever remember my dreams, but 2 nights ago I did. God spoke through it even! Here’s the secret as to why . . .

All of you are dreamers. You spend about 1/3 of your life sleeping, and have an average of 200 dreams per night – whether you like it or not, whether you remember them or not. You may not remember your dreams, but someone in your life does. And you have a voice in their life when you invite God to interpret.

Some dreams are from YOU – free falling, teeth dropping out, no pants at a speech, etc. Some dreams are from the ENEMY – nightmares, dead things, etc. But some dreams are definitively from GOD. God can redeem 1/3 of your time, when you allow Him to speak in and through your dreams.

So here’s the secret – 2 nights ago as I was falling asleep, I asked God to speak to me in my dreams. And sure enough, He did. It was the middle of the night, I didn’t even get up to write it down, but I asked God to help me remember in the morning – and He did! So I wrote it down and asked Him what it meant, and IT WAS AWESOME! So here’s the challenge – ask God to speak to you in your dreams tonight.

At least 40% of your daily decisions are made by your habits. That means that nearly half the time you are on autopilot. In fact, for some people that percentage is much higher. How about you? . . .

Habits are powerful. Theologian/philosopher Dallas Willard said, “Habits eat willpower for breakfast.” He couldn’t be more right. What habits are you forming right now during this brand new season? Habits of hitting the snooze more, helping your spouse less, watching a new streaming service, missing your devos, OR are you ready to start better habits?

Be intentional about your habits right now, this is the season, now is the THE time. Take a moment – write down some life-giving habits that God will celebrate in you. EXAMPLES: I will … read the Bible (with my family maybe) each night no matter how late it is (that’s the key). I will … start each morning with an apple (instead of a donut). I will … give everyone who comes through my door a hug every time. If your habits are God-honoring, your life will be more and more God honoring – it’s a mathematical certainty – or a psychological certainty, ahhhh, you know what I mean – it has to happen!

New school year, it’s time to motivate, schedule, kick-butt & take names! It’s time to DO SOMETHING! The problem is you and I’s body rhythm is in summer mode (ie. sleep later, sit more, do less). So how do you jump-start your body rhythm and start doing consistently and productively. Joshua can help us here . . .

1. Move – don’t worry about productivity at this point. This is just getting off your seat, moving your feet and getting after it. Joshua was actively leading the people when the story started, and there were points in the story where he gives leadership directives without specifically hearing from God about that thing, because he knew they needed to move.
2. Listen to God while you move. Snow White’s dwarves say, “whistle while you work,” and I say, “Listen while you move.” Listening does not stop the movement in any part of the book of Joshua. Instead, listening to God’s voice is constantly in the rhythm of life for Joshua.
3. Lead those you influence to move. Had Joshua not pressured, 2.5 tribes (Reuben, Gad, .5 Manasseh) would have stayed behind and not fought (Joshua 1). Without Joshua’s pressure, “Sun, stop! … you, don’t stop!” the Southern conquest would have taken years and not months (Joshua 10). Had he not pushed, 7 tribes would have devoured the land without inheriting the promise (“How long will you wait?” Joshua 18 – Josh’s adulting speech, haha). Without your pressure, your kids will not passionately engage with God in prayer, Bible reading, giving, serving, etc. Without your pressure, your extended family and friends won’t see that church is your priority. Here’s the payoff, with others moving around you (that you’ve influenced) you will get locked deeper into healthy habits with God!

Take a moment with God right now and ask for motivation … God, help me to be productive in this season. What can I do right now to reset my rhythm so that I and the people around me are able to move with You?

In the military a marching order is only good until there are new marching orders. What would happen if we received a Word from God in an area and then God wants to change His order because the time and season has changed and we’re still stuck on the other orders? We do this often. The point is to hear from God continually, so that we know when His marching orders change.

Unlike the written Word of God, the prophetic is specifically designed to give us temporary orders. God is allowed to change His mind on these things. He does not change His mind about what is written in the Bible – that is why He gave it to us that way. Therefore, if a prophetic Word from God is a re-articulation of a Biblical principle, then it is NOT a marching order. Otherwise, we need to think about the words, impressions and visions that God has given as marching orders. They absolutely are from God. They are binding. Obedience is required. However, they are NOT eternal. God will give us new marching orders, sometimes more often than others.

Take a moment to ask God right now – what are your marching orders for me today? Are there any marching orders that I’ve missed? Are there any I’m holding onto that You’ve moved on from?

“Pre-marital counseling works best BEFORE you’re married.” You know, you’d think some things were self-explanatory, but apparently not – haha. I’ll also say that it’s never too late, there are some tools that are helpful at any stage! God can redeem anything, but He’s also wired us for certain sequences. Like – get to know each other (families, etc.), pray, get married God’s way, THEN move in together, have sex and make babies. Another sequence – Hear God’s call, respond with saving faith in Jesus, get water baptized, get baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is a sequence in Scripture – the exception proves the rule that this way is best.

Here’s another sequence for you – Meditate on and talk about the impossible things God has done, THEN pray for the impossible things you need or want Him to do in your life. I’ve heard more complaining prayers from church people than I care to admit. A complaining prayer is telling God your problem without inviting His solution, it lacks expectation that the God who spoke the world into existence is interested in your situation. Here’s where the sequence is important – when you meditate on what God has done, it increases expectation in you; when you talk (out loud to real people) about what God’s done, it activates faith in you. Suddenly the impossible in your life looks probable and you can declare with authority into your situation. Simply look at the Psalms for proof of this sequence over and over, also Acts 4:24-33 and so many other places.

So take a moment, remember anything and everything that God has done remarkably (for you, for others, in the Scripture, all of it)! Meditate on one, feel the emotions, hear the sounds, see the sights. Next, talk about it – relive that story to someone else. THEN, write down your own situation, but this time view it through the eyes of what is possible through God. NOW you’re ready to pray. Don’t pray wimpy prayers. Don’t ever pray complaining prayers again. Take this sequence and let faith rise.

There are few things more irritating to me than leaving a half-gallon of ice cream sitting on the counter, while no one’s serving themselves. Why do I hate leaving ice cream on the counter so much? Because the longer you leave it, the less wonderful it is. 15 minutes go by and all you’ve got is vanilla snot with soggy cookie chunks in it. The disappointment of opening an ice cream that’s 2nd time frozen and freezer burned is hard to beat. In my house it’s called “the artist formerly known as ice cream” – you can eat it, if you dare, but it’s probably going to be wildly disappointing on the way in, and give you outrageous gas on the way out.

The laziness of it sitting out on the counter is scary to me – it’s not neutral, it’s scary. “I will rescue you, my precious,” is what goes through my head as I cradle it, to put it back in the freezer. Why is that important to me? Because I value the contents too much to allow them to be spoiled, or used for any purpose other than their best. Environment matters, moving quickly to the right place matters.

God looked at Moses’ generation and thought, “NO, you’re spoiling.” And they’re saying, “No, I like the counter” “But you’re spoiling there.” There is nothing loving about placating people who are sitting in a place where they can only spoil. Leaving them there is not caring, it’s brutal and heartless. The people of Israel lazily refusing to enter the promised land was scary to God, He knew it would cause them to spoil, so that they’d be useless to take God’s promise.

The laziness of putting your spiritual life in neutral is scary as well. God just wants to rescue you, but He’ll honor your choice, it’s part of His nature. God has put a fire in me to spur you to take bold steps of faith. Your time with God is just a moment away – take it. There’s someone you’ll see today that needs to know the Jesus in you – open your mouth. Let spiritual neutral be scary in your life too – it’s time to take new ground!