Jesse Birkey's Blog

I pawed at my pockets and threw a wild glance around the bunkroom.  My phone was gone. 

We’d just arrived back at the station after responding to a report of a vehicle on fire.  We hadn’t even made it to the scene before getting canceled by the first arriving unit.  It was only a disabled vehicle.  

But that didn’t change the fact that we’d hustled into our full gear, and it didn’t change the fact that in the rush I’d dropped my phone in my hat and set them both on the tailgate of my rescue. 

The bottom of my stomach dropped out as I realized my phone and hat were probably lying on the side of the road somewhere.  Most likely on the interstate. 

I hurried my partner into the truck and retraced our route.  About a half mile up the interstate I noticed my hat and cell phone case resting on the shoulder of the busy highway.  I hollered at my partner to stop the truck. 

I approached as a feeling of dread washed over me like dirty swamp water.  I scooped up my hat and turned it over.  It was fine.  I peered ahead a few more yards to where my case had landed.  It was empty.

I scanned the road a few seconds before locating my phone.  As you can see in the picture above, it didn’t survive. 

A handful of minutes later found me sitting on my bed in a less than stellar mood.  There were a few things upsetting me.  One was the money I was going to fork over to replace my phone.  But the biggest issue twisting my gut was everything I wasn’t gonna be able to do without it.  And that’s when I heard the Lord begin to speak.

He told me, “Don’t confuse the things you can live without with the one person you can’t.”

Five years ago the Lord asked my wife and I to give up cell phones.  We did for over a year and discovered (to our surprise) it wasn’t very hard to live without them.  God reminded me of that period of time as I slumped on my bed feeling sorry for myself, and worrying about getting through the next few days.

I raised my eyes at the memory and, after a few minutes going back and forth, acknowledged that I can live without my phone for as long as it takes to get a new one.  I muttered the words confirming the only thing I couldn’t live without is Jesus.

Peace began to rise up from my belly and I laughed out loud.  It was going to be okay. 

There are things that have been planted in our lives.  Some of them have grown roots deep enough to make us believe we could never live without them.  It doesn’t have to be a cell phone or an electronic device at all.  It can be anything.  But whatever it is, it’s founded on a lie.

The only thing we can’t live without is Jesus.  Our adversary will scream and shout and drive us into worry, stress, dread, and bad decisions if we don’t find our way back to the truth of this foundation. 

This is abundant life!  To know that our worth, value, security, significance, and more are not held together by the things we buy or gain by any means.  Rather they are held together, as all things are, by the hands of Jesus.

Things that we acquire in this world can fall away.  But Jesus never will.  He’s our constant.  It begins with an acknowledgement.  My name is Jesse and I can live without a cell phone. 

Your turn.

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey    

I’m not always out looking for people to minister to.  Most of the time I just happen to find myself in front of someone who needs a touch from the Lord at a place I needed to be anyway.

In other words, I don’t usually go somewhere with the intention of ministering to anyone.  So, there are times in which the Lord interrupts whatever I happen to be doing so that he can highlight a person in need. 

There’ve been times I’ve been totally cool with being interrupted and other times I’ve been annoyed.  But there’s a constant:  When I truly see the person God wants to touch, I’m filled with compassion.

And it’s a choice I must make in every situation.  Am I gonna harden my heart and refuse to take the steps God’s asking me to take, or allow his love fill and compel me to action? 

Compassion and the miraculous go hand in hand.  Without it we won’t ever be the hands and feet of Jesus to the world around us.  It’s what ignited the heart of Jesus to move on behalf of people in need.

Charles Spurgeon said this in a message he preached in 1914:

"He was moved with compassion."—Matthew 9:36.

This said of Christ Jesus several times in the New Testament. The original word is a very remarkable one. It is not found in classic Greek. It is not found in the Septuagint. The fact is, it was a word coined by the evangelists themselves. They did not find one in the whole Greek language that suited their purpose, and therefore they had to make one. It is expressive of the deepest emotion; a striving of the bowels—a yearning of the innermost nature with pity.

As the dictionaries tell us— Ex intimis visceribus misericordia commoveor. I suppose that when our Saviour looked upon certain sights, those who watched him closely perceived that his internal agitation was very great, his emotions were very deep, and then his face betrayed it, his eyes gushed like founts with tears, and you saw that his big heart was ready to burst with pity for the sorrow upon which his eyes were gazing. He was moved with compassion. His whole nature was agitated with commiseration for the sufferers before him.

This is an amazing picture of the overwhelming love and compassion of Jesus.  And I want to be like him. 

I must discern anything in my life that would hijack my ability to be filled with compassion for the people around me.  You must as well.  Ask the Lord and he’ll show you.

Compassion will lead us to action.  It won’t look the same for everyone, but compassion will open our hearts in ways we haven’t experienced before. 

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey

I had a lot of road time last week.  I was up and down the interstate helping out at work in a way I do every so often.  It gave me a lot of time to reflect and just sit in the presence of God. 

One particular morning my mind was just wandering through a few things when the Lord remarked, “You are more than a conqueror.”

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. –Romans 8:37

I almost missed it because I’ve heard it so many times.  But just before my brain shooed it away, little hooks dug in and I stiffened. 

More than a conqueror

I rubbed my eyes and turned the phrase over in my head.  What does it mean to be more than a conqueror?  I’d never really considered it.  My whole life spent hearing that popular passage and I hadn’t ever thought about what it means to be more than a conqueror.

As I thought about it I heard the Lord begin to explain.  “I’ve not only called you to conquer the strongholds of the enemy, but to establish my kingdom on the taken land.”

Jesus didn’t come only to destroy the works of the devil, but to establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth (1 John 3:8, Matt. 6:10).

And so is our assignment.  We are not only to destroy the lies of the devil, but to establish God’s kingdom in its place.

So, what does that look like?

I think it looks like asking God to show us how to deposit the seeds of his kingdom as we minister and live.  It’s approaching ministry with the knowledge that the ultimate goal isn’t physical healing, a prophetic word,  a word of knowledge, etc., but rather that the recipient is drawn into the arms of God in a deeper way than they were before. 

It’s not, “Okay, the person was healed and now I’m done.”  It’s “Okay, the person was healed.  Lord please show me how you want to establish your kingdom in this persons life.”

I don’t know what this looks like in every situation.  But I do feel like many have been left with the job only half done.  For whatever reason, street ministry keeps coming to mind as I write this. 

More than ever people are taking to the streets and ministering to strangers.  It’s a great thing and lives are being touched.  I love that more and more people are becoming willing to get uncomfortable.  But I think (and I’m guilty of this) there are times we minister, see something amazing happen (or nothing we can immediately notice), and then scurry away without another word.  The person is healed, and then what?  The person receives a word from the Lord, and then what?  The person gets delivered, and then what?

I’m not sure what the “and then what” will look like in each situation, or if the Lord will even lead us to stick around any longer.  But what I do know is that we might see even more amazing things happen if we take another minute to ask the Lord if there’s anything else he wants to do before we walk away.  If there’s any way he wants to establish his kingdom where the enemy has just been destroyed. 

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey

I didn’t want to be at the gym. 

I almost feel like I could just leave the post at that one sentence and it be more relatable to people than anything I’ve ever done.  But, just for funsies let’s continue.

Starbucks iced whatever was rolling through my brain making my mouth water, and causing a look of disdain to be cast on the weight bench.  I shook the frozen crystals from my head.  I was close to finishing my routine but not close enough to be in arms reach of that prize.

So, I grunted another set into the books before letting the dumbbells tumble to the floor.  I rose and blinked through sweat at a guy I hadn’t noticed before.  That didn’t strike me as particularly odd as I don’t always go to the gym at the same time.  There are many members I’ve never seen.  But the quickening in my spirit informed me this would be a unique situation.

He was seated on one of the benches with his back to me.  On the back of his shirt were the letters, E.M.T.  Immediately I heard the Lord speak the word, compassion.  The stranger was full of compassion, and as I let the word settle in my heart compassion began to fill me as well.

I took a couple of steps and got his attention with a hand on the shoulder.  “Hey, man.  How’s it going?”

He hesitated for a second but familiar kindness shown in his eyes.  “Good.”

I extended my hand.  “My name’s Jesse.  You love Jesus don’t you.”  It wasn’t a question as much as a statement.   I could feel the life of Jesus within the guy.

He smiled.  “I sure do.”

“Well, I feel like he shared something with me that’s for you.  Is it okay if I share it with you?”

He dabbed his forehead with a towel.  “Yeah, that’d be great.”

“I sense that the Lord is saying you’re filled with compassion.  That compassion has come from him with the purpose of being poured out into others.  Don’t become weary of doing good.”

He fell silent as his eyes rounded.  I could see the words working through him like the gears of a clock, each one turning the other until everything is made right.  I filled in the silence.  “Bless you, man.  God loves you.”

I finished my workout and left without speaking to him again.  The Lord had given me some insight into some things at work that was making it difficult for him to maintain the level of compassion God had deposited in him. But ultimately none of that matters.  What matters is that the love of God went forward and touched someone’s heart. 

I didn’t go to Starbucks that day.  I found myself already quite full.

Who is around you that needs a touch from God today? 

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey

For many years I considered all secular music to be ungodly and poison for the soul (insert passionate southern Baptist voice).  There’s just nothing good about it, I thought.  And I took every opportunity I could to make my conviction known.  If I thought it was bad, every Christian should as well.

To this day I consider the Kansas City Chiefs to be the greatest football team in the history of the world.  There was a time I would get all worked up trying to convince others to agree.  If they disagreed (which almost all did) I wasn’t the one with the problem.   They were.  And were probably going to hell anyway.  Just kidding.  I’m sure Chiefs fans aren’t the only ones in heaven…

As I reflect over these positions, three things come to mind.  The first is that I no longer consider all secular music to be ungodly.  In fact, I’ve been spiritually fed in greater ways by some secular songs than some Christian songs. 

The second is that I still consider the KC Chiefs to be the greatest football team in the history of the world. 

And the third is that my underlying attitude regarding both has changed significantly.  It’s not that I can’t take and stand upon a position.  It’s that I no longer have an insatiable need to convince anyone else that my conviction should be yours as well.

All of this was regurgitated into my mind as I listened to a woman explain why something was the way it was because of a lesson God taught her personally.  As a result, others faced the possibility of not being rewarded in a positive way. 

The problem was that those being deprived of much deserved recognition weren’t struggling in the same way this particular woman had.  It was almost as if the whole group was being punished because of a lesson God taught one individual for a personal reason.

Here’s the point:  Just because God taught you a lesson you needed personally doesn’t mean it’s something to be forced upon anyone else.  Or, in another way, just because you have formed a strong conviction about something doesn’t mean that anyone else should share that conviction.  A lesson meant for you shouldn’t be assumed to be a lesson for all. 

But that’s easier said than done.  I know what it’s like to feel like God’s given revelation into a particular area and then become like the energizer bunny on crack, trying to get everyone else to reach the same conclusion.

If we slow down enough to hear God’s wisdom we might just be able to pick up on the fact that everyone is at a different place in our shared desire to look like Jesus.  And that the things God teaches us are often meant just for us.  The possibility exists that if we try to force it on others we might cause great harm to them and us.

Then there’s always the chance the deep seated conviction we hold today will be nothing but a distant memory a year from now as we’ve matured enough to see we didn’t have it quite right.  Like the secular music thing. 

Crow tastes bitter.

But to bring some balance into this, there are times in which God shares something with us that is meant to be shared with a greater audience.  It happens all the time and thank goodness for it.  We all have so many great things to share with each other.  Things that can be valuable in moving us toward the image of Jesus. 

Perhaps a valuable question we should all be asking when revelation is received is, “Lord, is this just for me or is it for others as well?”  Mary pondered a great deal of things in her heart.  We should probably follow her example more often than we do.

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey

The following is an excerpt from my good friend, Praying Medic's, new book.  Make sure to pick it up here for just $4.99!!On June 30th, 2015, after years of financial trouble, Greece failed to make a required payment to the International Monetary Fund and entered into a default on its sovereign debt. In light of Greece’s default and due to the proliferation of books predicting catastrophic judgments upon America (and the rest of the world) it seemed good to share what I’ve learned about economic collapse and how the kingdom of God responds to crisis.

You don’t need to look very far to find dire warnings of disaster being spoken by secular experts and religious leaders. Many financial experts have written books citing the reasons why they believe an economic collapse is approaching. At the same time, many religious leaders have shared prophetic warnings that we’re entering a time a great difficulty; some are predicting that the end of the world is at hand.

While I believe that some financial experts have given us an accurate assessment of the problems we face, what they lack is a divine perspective on the problem. And while religious leaders have good intentions, what they lack is an understanding of how financial systems work. What is most concerning is that neither camp has put forth a clear plan to help us survive such a crisis, much less rebuild in its aftermath.

The approach financial advisers generally take is to sign you up for their investing programs. They warn that your retirement savings are about to be wiped out and that if you pay them a fee, they’ll tell you where to invest your money. The main reason why many church leaders don’t offer a plan to survive or rebuild after a global crisis is that they don’t expect to be here. The popularity of the belief that the church will be taken into heaven in the rapture before a global crisis hits has prompted many theologians to abandon all thought of what the church’s responsibility might be in a post-crisis world.

After becoming a believer, I sat in a church pew and read my Bible. I learned all the reasons why the Great Tribulation was approaching, why the Antichrist was ready to be revealed, why the world was teetering on the brink of catastrophe, and most importantly, why we believers wouldn’t be around for all of that. Although I was told that God’s wrath was about to be poured out upon the earth, I was also assured that my King was going to appear and rescue me from it. During this time, I never witnessed a creative miracle and never saw anyone healed or set free of a demon. And although I learned a lot about the institution we call the church, I learned virtually nothing about what Jesus called the kingdom of God.

Then one night I had a dream. In the dream, I met God, and He had a few things He wanted to share with me. He said He wanted me to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead and proclaim His kingdom.

The nerve of Him.

If He weren’t the Almighty, I might have given Him a piece of my mind. He spoke not a word about waiting for the rapture and nothing about witnessing to sinners or handing out tracts—things my pastor told me were top priorities. Since that day, I’ve had hundreds (perhaps thousands) more dreams and the subject hasn’t changed. Few, if any of them have portrayed the end of the world, the rise of a one-world government or world-ending disasters. Nearly all of them have to do with battling the kingdom of darkness, setting captives free, and using my time and energy to advance His kingdom.

I think we should ask a few questions of those who predict catastrophic events that are claimed to be judgment from an angry God:

What if the coming events are not actually the result of God’s wrath, but instead, the natural outworking of our own poor choices, or those of our elected leaders?

What if a global crisis strikes and the church is not removed from the earth beforehand?

Is your pastor teaching you what to do if the church survives a global catastrophe, or are all your hopes pinned on Jesus rescuing you from it?

It’s certainly more pleasant to think that we won’t be here when things get ugly, but we have no guarantee of that. And if we are destined to remain here, wouldn’t we be wise to spend a little time preparing, at least mentally, if not physically?

I don’t see any reason for us to fear the future. Whatever is coming, God can make us aware of it, and if He can make us aware of it, He can prepare us for it. I would encourage you to rest in the knowledge that God has a plan that He is working out in these events. If you’re positioned in Him, and prepared mentally for the challenges that lie ahead, you may find all of this to be a liberating experience, and not a terrifying one.

My intent with this book is to examine the topic of economic collapse from various perspectives. The book can be divided roughly into five sections: The first is a course on economics and finance. My goal with this section is to describe (in terms the average person can understand) how the financial systems of the world operate. In the second section, we’ll look at historic cases of economic collapse and the things that caused it. We’ll also identify which nations are at risk of experiencing economic collapse today. In the third section, we’ll look at the Greek debt crisis and I’ll offer a few observations on how we can avoid the same fate. In the fourth section I’ll share the dreams I’ve had that give a prophetic overview of the days ahead and I’ll discuss what I believe to be God’s purpose for these events. In the last section, we’ll look at how the  kingdom of God ought to respond to crisis.

The 4th of July.  What a happy occasion.  Especially when it involves a beach with pristine, white sand.  That’s what it was for me and my family.  That is until the group next to us started blastin’ the scene with profanity-laced gangsta rap.  

To be fair, they arrived before we did.  And it wasn’t at an unreasonable sound level.  Nevertheless, I could hear it and so could my kids.  It was really annoying, but like I said, they were there first and we could move on if we wanted to.  

The sun, however, discouraged that idea as it beat down relentlessly on any determination to move our load of junk any further than we already had.  So, I poured over my options.  Deal with it seemed to be the only one I could get too until the voice of the Holy Spirit lit my heart.

Command the music to stop.

I wrinkled my nose.  I’d done that sorta thing a few times in the past but not near enough to make it feel like something a sane person would do.  And at the moment, I couldn’t recall if the results had been good.

I cast a glance around my circle of family, which included my in-laws and other extended family.  Command the music to stop, the Lord urged.  “Okay,” I answered.  “Here goes nothing.  In the name of Jesus I command the music to stop and their stereo to be broken.”  I figured I’d take it a step further for good measure.

The words had hardly cleared my lips when the music quit.  I stared at my wife who looked back at me through wide eyes.  We both noticed the commotion coming from the group.  “Hey, my phone.  It just quit working.”

“No way,” my wife uttered.

I smirked.  “Thank you, Lord.” 

It was quiet until we came back from swimming awhile later.  The profane music was back.  I was more confident this time.  “Alright, in the name of Jesus I command this music to stop and switch to worship music.  I command all spirits of profanity and vulgarity to leave.”  Almost instantly the music changed to something much lighter with no profanity.  Interestingly enough, it was a secular song painting Father God in a positive light. 

An hour or so later the profanity tried to make one more come back.  This time it was my 11-year-old son who took control.  As soon as the words were out of his mouth the music was gone.

Many might think this situation calls for an altercation where a battle of wills takes place.  But I’ve questioned for a long time the things we’d see if we used the name of Jesus more than we typically do.  In this case God was the DJ.  What might he want to be in other sticky situations we find ourselves in?

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey

This won’t be a very long post at all.  It’s just that the following issue seems to be weighing heavily on my heart.  It has been for the last week or so.  I don’t have very much to say about it, but hopefully what is said is meaningful.

For much of my life self-righteousness was a struggle.  Partly because there were many things I believed in passionately, and partly because it can be very subtle.  It kinda reminds me of the Spanish dude from Mr. Deeds.  I think we underestimate the sneakiness of self-righteousness.

Webster defines self-righteous as:

“having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior.”

Some synonyms include smug, pious, preachy, superior, hypocritical, and so on.  I think we all can agree self-righteousness is ugly.  But I think we should also agree on just how blind we can be to its residence in us.

One reason it can be hard to detect is because it hides within issues we feel are unquestionably right or wrong.  When someone pushes us on either conviction, we feel the burn of what we’d describe as righteous anger and indignation.  And therein is the biggest gripe I have with self-righteousness:

It lashes out with impassioned justification of unloving behavior.

The ascribed worth and value Jesus gave us at the cross is swiped away as we do whatever we can to make the other side feel very small.  When we feel like we own the moral high ground the ability to understand the opposing perspective is virtually impossible. 

I remember a time in which my father had to remind me that I didn’t have exclusive rights to the moral high ground.  I kinda shot him a funny look because I didn’t even realize I was up there.  We hardly ever do.  But I was and I began to see how I was hurting those closest to me. 

Self-righteousness will always push people away, which is extremely counter-productive to our mandate to love one another. 

So, that’s it.  Be on the lookout for this nasty bug.  Inoculate yourself with the perfect love of God!

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey 

“Alright.  Just a few more steps…that’s it.  Now, have a seat on the stretcher and we’ll get going.”

The woman followed my instructions carefully, refusing to let go of the arm she injured when she slipped and fell in the shower.  “Just watch out for my arm,” she warned.

“We’ll do everything we can to make the ride as smooth as possible,” I assured.  “On a scale of one to ten, how bad does your arm hurt?”“Bah,” she exclaimed.  “It’s not that bad.  Maybe a two or three.”

I eyed her face as we loaded her into the rescue.  I’d already examined her arm and there didn’t appear to be any obvious injuries.  But that didn’t mean there weren’t, and she was guarding it as if the slightest movement would cause agony.  “If it gets any worse let me know and I’ll get you something to take the edge off.”

She nodded.  Ruth (so we’ll call her) was a tough old bird in her 60’s, and wasn’t a stranger.  I’d been to her house many times before.  Normally, it was her husband that needed help.  It was the first time I’d ever been there for her.

I finished up my required interventions (IV, monitor, etc.) and let my partner know we were ready to go.  As we rumbled down the street I finished up some preliminary paperwork, and redirected my attention on her arm.  “Ruth, it’s fine if you don’t want any medication for discomfort but I’d like to pray for your arm if that’s okay with you.”

She angled her body toward me and tossed me a look filled with hope.  “That would be great.  Please do.”

“Is it okay if I put my hand on your shoulder?”

“I won’t tell my husband.”

I chuckled.  “I appreciate that.”  I closed my eyes and invited the presence of the Holy Spirit to increase and flood the rescue.  Then I waited until I felt led to move into healing prayer.  At least, that’s what I thought I was going to be doing.  But things twisted in another direction. 

The Lord began to show me how her sense of worth and value had been damaged.  The oppression of self-hate had been weighing on her body so long she could hardly shuffle across the floor.  Ruth’s identity had been stolen, and her ability to receive love, destroyed.  Instead of praying for physical healing, the Lord was leading me to minister to her heart and restore some of what had been lost.

So, I began to share with Ruth just how special and important she was.  I told her just how much God loved her and how much he adored her.  I watched as her eyes reflected sincere hope that everything I was saying was true.  But there was doubt settling on top like oil.  I began to cancel the labels the Lord revealed had been attached to her.  Labels like, unlovable, worthless, insignificant, ugly, etc.  That’s when it got interesting.

Ruth suddenly began to wheeze.  I instantly began to pray and command the enemy to take his hands off of her.  I thought about putting together a breathing treatment for her, but less than a minute later all of the wheezing stopped and I found Ruth’s wary eyes.  “Well, that was unusual, huh?”

“What happened?” she asked.

“There’s a real enemy out there,” I explained.  “One that doesn’t want you to know how special and loved you are.”

She glanced down at a ring she absently spun on her finger, and I could see her turning the events over in her mind.

I came away from this encounter with two reminders.

1.     What we think the person needs isn’t necessarily what they need most.  I was ready to pray for physical healing when what Ruth needed most was spiritual/emotional healing.  We would always be wise to wait for leading before diving into any kind of ministry.

2.     There is an enemy out there that gets angry when we present truth aimed to destroy his stronghold of lies.  It’d been a long time since a demon manifested on me but I was reminded that the enemy is alive and active.  When we present the truth of God’s love there will be times the enemy lashes back.  Just remember that the name of Jesus is above all other names and that we have been given authority to trample on the heads of snakes and scorpions.   

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey

It was almost exactly one year ago that I received a prophetic word that was hard to swallow.  Not the whole thing as there were words in there that lifted my heart right away.  But the crux of the word was difficult.  Not because it didn’t resonate, but because I just couldn’t see it at the time.

The word was given by a complete stranger through Facebook.  And I’d heard the same language before through someone I know personally.  I knew it was on target.  The matter revolved around a specific calling/assignment/voice, God has developed in me and he was expressing his desire for me to operate in it.

I told God that I believed the word was true, but that I couldn’t understand it.  Now, as we get ready for a season that has the potential to shift our lives in many ways, the mystery is unraveling. 

But even as things became clear I still felt my stomach knot in resistance.  I still couldn’t grasp how I could become that which I was confident God wanted me to take hold of.  One afternoon I was lounging on my couch when the Lord suddenly revealed why. 

The reason it was hard for me might not be the same for you and that’s okay.  But I hope one of the following reasons why it’s hard to step into your calling will shed some light on your situation and help you to walk in all that God has marked out for you.

1.     I Don’t Feel It

Feelings are great.  There is nothing evil or ungodly about them.  Jesus reflected every single emotion during his life and ministry on earth.  In fact, one of the most destructive strongholds is that which wrecks our ability to feel. 

I will always remember the day God freed me to feel.  It was as if I was born again.  Recreated.  I remember getting sad at a local tragedy, and then rejoicing because I could actually feel sad.

So, I’ve tasted the pain the lack of feeling causes, and I’ve experienced the joy of freedom. 

However, just because something is good doesn’t mean it can’t be manipulated and used for evil.  I have been presented with this conundrum often while ministering to others.  It would come time to forgive those who had wounded them or even themselves, and we would stall because taking the necessary steps forward isn’t something they really wanted to do.

But if we wait until we feel like it to take kingdom steps, we probably never will.  We typically don’t have a strong desire to forgive others, to serve, to ask for forgiveness, to suspend what we want in favor of another, to step into the role God is nudging us toward, etc.  Things like anger, shame, guilt, fear, etc. stand in the way.  The narrow road is harder and it’s easier to just keep going as we have been.  We will feel like staying on the wide road more often than not. 

What we must strive to remember is that God is Love, and that means he won’t ever ask us to do something that leads us to destruction.  The steps he asks us to take are for our benefit and we will experience the rewards if we can find the courage to follow him in the midst of our desire to stay put.

The Jordan River didn’t dry up until the priests put their feet in the water.  They found the courage to act even though the waters were high and raging (flood season).  So it must be with us.  We must shift our hearts from what we feel like doing and focus on the door God has opened.  We must find the strength, motivated by his great love, to walk through it.  You’ll be glad you did.

2.     We Doubt Our Value/Worth/Significance

What do we bring to the table?  How do we measure up to others already speaking on the same topic or doing the same thing?  Aren’t I unqualified?

These are all questions asked by those having trouble remembering who they are.  The instant we begin comparing ourselves to others, we loose.  Comparative analysis is from the pit of hell and it stems from listening to the voice of the one who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy us. 

The key is to remember our worth/value/significance/qualifications has nothing to do with what God has called us to do and everything to do with who he says we already are.  How he thinks about us. 

We are worthy because he’s ascribed us worth.  We are valuable because he adores us, because he says we are.  We are significant because we are his delight, the apple of his eye.  He rejoices over us with singing.  And it’s all unattached to what we do.  We are his kids, his beloved kids.  And we are very, very special to him without having to earn it.  We are the twinkle in his eye. 

So, that’s the foundation of our truth.  Another truth is that we are qualified by the experiences we’ve had and how God’s brought us through each one.  He would not ask us to move in something we’re not prepared for.  If we don’t have anything of value to give in a certain area he wouldn’t move us into that particular area.

If God calls us to move in a certain way, we should choose to recognize and believe that we have something significant to offer.  Something that can bring the abundant life of Jesus to those gathered to hear.

3.     I’m Afraid

It can be a scary thing to venture out the front door and into a world we’re not certain will accept us.  The “What ifs…” build and build until they are a formidable tower we can’t see over. 

But…

The Perfect Love of God is the wrecking ball.  We trust that when we step out as he leads, he’ll be there to catch, restore, provide, and protect us.  That goes for all those we love as well.  And that doesn’t mean we won’t experience negative things, things that hurt.  But it does mean that God will be doing whatever he can to bring beauty out of whatever mess our adversary tries to pile up.

We overcome fear because of his great love for us.  We trust in that love, learn to rely on it.  There is no fear in it.  People might leave.  They might hurl darts.  It hurts when that happens.  Circumstances might change ie. Homes, careers, finances, etc.  But God’s love…that’s the answer to every question.  All of his promises are ‘yes’ in Jesus. 

God loves us.  He never takes his eyes off of us.  We’re that important to him, that precious.

I want to acknowledge one more point and that’s the possibility that we just don’t know what his calling for us is.  But we will.  We just need to be ready to act when we hear it and not let any of these reasons (or others) delay our response for years and possibly forever.

Let’s overcome the enemy and all his tired tactics and step into the arms and heart of our Father, take great courage, and pursue all he has for us.  The world needs to hear what YOU have to say.

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey