LORD, I AM NOT...

Then Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."
-Exodus 4:10-12

It is interesting to me to see how Moses responded to God's calling on his life. God had big plans to use Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Yet, when the Lord revealed Himself and His purpose for Moses' life, Moses responded with, "O my Lord, I am not..." as if to say, "Lord, I think you have made a mistake. If you haven't noticed, I don't speak very well." Worldly wisdom would tell us Moses lacked self-confidence or had low self-esteem because he had a speech impediment, but what does the Lord say to this? "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." (Exodus 4:11-12) God knew Moses wasn't eloquent; He knew Moses was slow of speech and slow of tongue, yet Moses was the one God chose to speak to Pharaoh and lead His people out of Egypt. This reminds me of 2 Corinthians 12:9 when the Lord responded to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." God often calls us to do things that are bigger than anything we could ever imagine doing; bigger than anything we are even capable of doing in and of ourselves because of our weaknesses. Yet that is exactly why God wants to use us, because in that weakness God's strength is made perfect.

While I truly desire to respond like Isaiah when the Lord called him, "Here am I! Send me.", I find I often respond instead like Moses, "O my Lord, I am not..." My natural instinct is to look to myself; to my own abilities and doubt that I can do what the Lord has called me to. Instead of looking to the Lord and trusting that He will be with me and teach me what to say or do, I look to self and I doubt. The issue here is, not only do I doubt myself and my own abilities, but ultimately I doubt God and His ability to accomplish His purpose through me. When did I forget that God is the God of the universe? When did I forget that He parted the Red Sea? When did I forget that He created the heavens and the earth? Without realizing it, I have placed God in a box that only allows Him to work within the parameters that I can conceive. But God is so much bigger than that, He cannot be contained by any box I can conceive and while He doesn't need me to accomplish His purpose, He does use me for His purpose that His strength would be made perfect in my weakness and that He would be glorified.

God is calling you too and He wants to use you to accomplish His purpose. How will you respond?
COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What is the big thing the Lord is calling you to?
• Where have you put God in a box?
• How would things change if you stopped looking to self and started looking to God?
  

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

HE WILL DELIVER YOU

“And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.” So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”’

-Daniel 6:14-16

King Darius was tormented with finding a way to save Daniel from being thrown into the lions den. He struggled with this burden until time had run out and he had to follow through with the commitment he had made by signing the decree. Only after his own efforts had been exhausted did King Darius surrender Daniel’s fate to the Lord, knowing only God could save Daniel now.

So often, when I am in a tough place, usually by my own doing, I find myself struggling to find a solution. This struggle creates stress and anxiety in my life; and as long as I struggle with this burden, the stress and anxiety grows, sleep evades me, food becomes my comfort and my family avoids me as I become more and more difficult to be around. When we try to carry our burdens alone, we fail miserably. We cannot deliver ourselves or others, only God can deliver us. Our only true option is to turn to the Lord for help, but we must first come to the end of ourselves and surrender it all to God. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Our first instinct is to “solve” our own problems; to come up with our own “solutions” and it is only when we have exhausted all other options that we finally take it to the Lord and surrender it to Him. We know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13) and we can do nothing without Christ (John 15:5), yet we turn to our flesh for answers rather than taking it to the Lord immediately. We rely on our own wisdom and knowledge to “logically” find a solution, but if we were truly looking at things logically we would know that we cannot find the answer in and of ourselves. We willingly choose to struggle under our burdens until the weight becomes too much to bear and then we offer it up to the Lord. Wow, think of the stress, the anxiety, the sleepless nights that could be avoided if we took everything to the Lord in prayer first; if we surrendered all our burdens (big and small) immediately to the Lord how much more peace we would have and how much lighter our burden. I challenge you to take everything to the Lord in prayer today and notice the rewards.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What is the burden are you carrying?
• How long are you willing to struggle under the weight of that burden?
• When will you seek the Lord and cast your burdens at His feet?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

IT IS NOT IN ME

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.” So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
-Genesis 41:14-16

I love Joseph’s response to Pharaoh when he is called to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Joseph knew his place, he knew that he was only a vessel for the Lord’s work and that his gift to interpret dreams was not of his flesh, but came directly from the Lord. Joseph is a great example of how we as the body of Christ are to humble ourselves and give the glory to God for the work He is doing through us and the gifts He gives us.

As you may know, God recently gave me “Transcend Your Weight: Building on the Rock” (a 12-week Biblical weight loss program that helps individuals overcome their struggles with weight loss by building on the Rock of Jesus Christ, that they would be set free from the bondage they are in). I know that some people look at me strangely or think I am off my rocker when I tell them that this program was not of me, but it was totally God. But I knew that the completed work sitting before me was bigger and better than anything I could ever do in and of myself. It was beyond my capabilities; it was not in me, but it had come from God. Yet even knowing this, there were times when I found myself doubting this program was good enough. I started to notice fear creeping in; I was afraid of what others would think about “my” program, afraid of being rejected by the church and my friends, afraid no one would want what I had to offer, etc. Then I would get that ever so subtle reminder from God; that little tap on the shoulder or the whisper in my ear, “But this isn’t yours, it is Mine. It did not come from you, but from Me.” At some point, without even realizing it, I had taken ownership of the gift God had given me; I had made it “my program”. All my fears and doubts came down to the fact that I had outwardly given God the glory for this program when I would tell others about it, but I had not truly given God the glory in my heart. In my heart, I still saw it as “mine” and all my doubts and fears came from the doubts I rightly had in my own abilities. However, once I gave to God what was His all along and really gave Him the glory for what He had created, my doubts and fears disappeared because I knew that there was nothing to doubt, nothing of this world to fear. God was on the throne, He was in control and this program was and is His; if I were to continue to doubt or fear, I would be doubting the power of God and doubting His perfection…how dare I.

The world tells us we need more self-confidence, more self-esteem, more self…the reality is we need to stop looking to self at all! We are called to die to self and live for Christ. Our confidence doesn’t come from ourselves and our abilities, but from God! We don’t need self-confidence and self-esteem, we can be confident in God; in His abilities, in His perfection, in His plan and purpose for our lives. Isn’t it great when we can say with confidence, “It is not in me, God…”?

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• Complete this statement, “If only I had more…”?
  
• What would it look like to die to self and live for Christ?
  
• Complete the following statement, “It is not in me, God…”
  

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

ABLE TO ENDURE

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

-1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Oh how I wish I had read this scripture this morning! You see, this morning I stopped into one of the local health food stores to pick up a few essentials for the week. My intention when entering the store was just to pick up those much needed items as quickly as possible and get on with the rest of my day. In a matter of 2-3 minutes I had entered the store and had everything I came for in my basket. Then, as I headed down the snack isle toward the check-out, it happened…the cookies were calling to me! As I contemplated buying a package of cookies, I heard the Holy Spirit reminding me that I really should not be buying them as I would most definitely be sick from it, as I have on many occasions gotten ill from just one cookie in the past. But I did not listen and instead I tuned the Holy Spirit out, I didn’t want to hear what He was telling me right now…I wanted cookies! Long story short, not only did I leave the store with that package of cookies, but I finished 2/3 of that package of cookies while driving home from the store and the other 1/3 as soon as I got in the door! Oh, what shame I felt, not to mention the digestive issues I was having. The funny thing is, I honesty thought I was over this struggle in my life, I thought I had moved on and now stood on solid ground…nothing to worry about anymore. Obviously, I was wrong. I was caught off guard by temptation and I chose not to take the way of escape provided; when I was weak, I did not turn to the Lord but instead turned from Him and ultimately failed, being unable to bear it and endure on my own.

It is so easy to be deceived into believing that we are strong in our flesh; that we are standing on solid ground. But if we are not paying attention, we can easily be overcome by temptation and fall. I am sure many of you are saying, “It was only cookies; it’s not like it was illegal drugs or something.” This is exactly the lie my flesh tried to tell me so that I would not see my sin. The reality is I gave in to temptation; I gave in to the desires of my flesh and chose those desires over the Lord. God wants what is best for us and He also knows that we are going to be tempted in our life. But, He promises that the temptations we face will not be any different than those experienced by others and while we will be tempted, God is faithful and He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to handle as He will provide the way of escape so that we may endure. As I write this, I am reminded of Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

We are weak in the flesh and when temptation strikes, and it will strike, we will most definitely fall if we are not prepared. Yet, we can bear it and endure if we look to the Lord for strength. So I encourage you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, not to become complacent, but to keep watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What are the “cookies” in your life, the temptations you often face?
  
• When do you find you are least resistant to temptation?
  
• How will you keep watch and be prepared when temptation strikes again?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

WAITING PATIENTLY ON THE LORD

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, ‘See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.”

-Genesis 16:1-2

God had given Sarai and Abram the promise of a son. However, when Sarai was unable to bear a child for Abram, she became impatient, she grew tired of waiting for the Lord and decided to “help things along” by giving her maidservant Hagar to her husband. But the son that Hagar conceived with Abram, Ishmael, was not the son God had promised. Sarai had taken matters into her own hands and decided to create her own destiny, her own picture from the single puzzle piece God had revealed to her and Abram. The problem was God’s picture, God’s plan looked much different than Sarai’s when all the pieces had been revealed and put into their proper place. Sarai had allowed her flesh, her impatience to take priority over God’s plan, His perfect will and Abram had heeded the voice of his wife over the voice of the Lord.

Do you ever become impatient waiting for God? I know I do. God often gives me a vision of what He has in store for me, but the vision is incomplete, it is just a single puzzle piece in a 1000 piece puzzle. Yet, when I receive this solitary piece of the puzzle, I find it difficult to sit back and wait…I want to “help things along,” I want to finish the puzzle. So, without knowing what the ultimate picture looks like, I blindly start creating my own picture around that single puzzle piece. The only problem is, no matter how much I convince myself that I am “helping things along,” I find I am only making a mess of things in the end. You see, as God reveals more of His plan for me, one puzzle piece at a time, I find the picture I had created from that single puzzle piece has no place for the new one the Lord has revealed. So I am faced with the decision to scrap the picture I created and wait for what the Lord will reveal or stick to what I have created and be certain to fail as the Lord is not in it. I have wasted so much time, effort, and money creating my own picture only to discover what the Lord has in mind is very different than my interpretation. While God works it all out in the end, how much better would it have been if I had waited patiently on God’s perfect will in His perfect timing from the start?

While waiting patiently on the Lord is never easy, we can rest assured that we will be blessed when every piece of the puzzle is revealed and put into its proper place. God’s plan for our lives is much bigger and more beautiful than anything we could ever imagine on our own and His timing is perfect.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What are the puzzle pieces the Lord has revealed to you?


• Where in your life have you created your own picture rather than waiting on the Lord?


• What would it look like to scrap that picture and wait on the Lord and His plan for you?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

WHY DO YOU SEEK THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD?

“Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” (Luke 24:3-7)

In a few days, many households in the United States will be celebrating Easter. The coming of the “Easter Bunny” with his goodies to share will be anticipated by children almost as much as “Santa Claus”. Children will be hunting for painted eggs and Easter baskets filled with candy. Easter has become an anticipated tradition for Christians and non-Christians alike. But, have you ever wondered what bunnies, painted eggs and candy have to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The reality is…NOTHING! The traditions surrounding the “Easter holiday” are nothing more than dead religious practices founded in paganism. Yet, we as Christians (myself included) have allowed these traditions, these dead religious practices to overshadow the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Only because of Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection do we have life and yet we perpetuate these dead religious practices because we see them as harmless fun traditions. It seems to me, we are seeking the living among the dead…He is not there! Isn’t it time we stopped looking for Christ in dead traditions and instead celebrate, worship and praise Him for who He is…the living Christ, our Savior!

Wishing you a joyous Resurrection Sunday!

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What are the dead traditions and religious practices in your life that detract from the magnificence of Jesus Christ?
  
• When will you lay to rest these dead traditions and religious practices?
  
• When all those distractions have been taken away, what remains?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

WALKING IN THE LIGHT

“Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.’” (John 11:9-10)

Have you ever gone camping? During the daylight you can traverse the rugged terrain of the woods fairly easily since you can see the path and the obstacles in front of you. However, at night without a lantern or flashlight, you trip, stumble and fall finding the way difficult and treacherous. There are stones, vines, branches and holes to trip you up or knock you down and when you cannot see the path before you, your chances of getting to your destination unscathed is unlikely.

As I meditated on John 11:9-10, Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” and John 8:12, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” came to mind. We see here that Jesus is the light of the world, the light of life and the word of God is a lamp that lights our path.

If we follow Christ, we walk in the light and can navigate through the treacherous terrain for we can see clearly. However, if we fail to walk in Christ, when we take our eyes off of Him, we walk then in darkness because the light is not in us. The absence of light makes it hard to see, hard to navigate through life’s challenges and struggles. We are flying blind without the light of the Lord.

We all have moments in our lives when we are flying blind, wandering aimlessly in the dark…times when we have lost sight of the Lord. These are dark times. During these times of darkness, what do we do, how do we find the light of the Lord so as not to keep stumbling in the darkness? We find the light of the Lord through the word of God, for the word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Therefore, by reading, hearing and meditating on scripture daily, our path is always lit which makes it easier to follow and not loose sight of the Lord even in the most treacherous of terrain.

Coach's Call to Action

• Where are you stumbling in the darkness right now?
• If you were to pick up the lamp before you, what path is revealed?
• What will you do to keep your paths well lit and follow Jesus? (Today, This Week, This Month)

Copyright © 2008-2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.