SUBTLE SHIFT

It happens all the time in sports. A player thinks the touchdown is a foregone conclusion and the showboating begins... Oops! A track athlete thinks the race sewn-up only to get beaten by a nose.

When the focus shifts from the race to personal glory - catastrophe rapidly ensues. Along that vein, the Apostle Paul wrote, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ… For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

Masquerading. Satan is no fool. He's crafty. He doesn't walk around 10 feet tall with firey breath, a pointy tail, and pitchfork. No. He masquerades as an angel of light. He operates like the "Spot the Difference" pictures...  He makes a facsimile that's close, but not quite true or real. By the time we've figured it out - if we figure it out - the hooks are already in too deep.

False-apostles, deceitful workers, and angels of light shift the focus every so subtly from where it needs to be - then BOOM! Disaster.

We are easily misled into thinking the greatest evils of the world are the Bin Ladens, Charles Mansons, and Hannibal Lectors. The greatest evils are the simple subtle shifts in perspective – the ones Paul said would lead us "astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." They cause us to focus on legalism, freedoms, religious duty, foods, ceremonies, even doctrines, rather than on Christ.

In Eden the serpent didn’t flat out tell Eve to reject God. It was subtle. Cause her to question… instill some doubt… suggest an "alternative" reality… promise undying support… point out the alluring advantages... market... sell it!

Satan masqueraded as the lone voice of reason. “Evie-baby, let’s have some fun! God is antiquated and stuffy. Adam is a dimwit and boring. Just look at that GLORIOUS fruit! What God really meant was 'Just Do It!' Just 'Believe in Something!' He knew it would take a self-starting, independent, courageous gal like you to push the boundaries and figure it out! Besides, why else would God have put it RIGHT HERE in the middle of the garden if he didn’t REALLY want you to eat it?”

Oswald Chambers notes, “Satan does not tempt us to do wrong things… he does not come on the line of tempting us to sin, but on the line of shifting the point of view, and only the Spirit of God can detect this as a temptation of the devil.” What Oswald is saying is that unless your ear if firmly and perpetually planted in the middle of your Father’s chest – there is no way you can hear his heartbeat.

Like Esau, we readily sell our inheritance for a lousy bowl of soup, a promotion, some recognition, or the supposed "opportunity of a lifetime." We are easily and frequently led astray in simple subtle shifts - unless, like Jesus - our treasure, our heart, and our mind is always exclusively identified with the will of the Father.

If you find yourself thinking about what you deserve, what you need, what would be fair, equitable, or just, or how it would benefit you... that’s the crafty enemy weaving and whispering. He’ll provide you with friends and family who will listen to your complaints and concerns. He'll steer you into those who'll support and endorse you. Everything will seem right - except for a faint, quiet, nearly imperceivable zephyr… Then, as you lean in against your Father’s chest, you'll hear His heartbeat finding solace in the struggle and prosperity the only place it truly exists: in His Presence and promises.

When the enemy weaves and whispers, you, like Jesus, can spot the difference. Knowing Jesus will allow you to confidently rebuke, “Away from me, Satan!” He will flee, and just then His angels will come and attend to you with all the glorious power of heaven for God's eternal glory!

Blessings,
-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

REST IN GOD

Truly my soul finds rest in God;
   my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
   he is my fortress, I will never be shaken…
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
   my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
   he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
-Psalm 62:1-2;5-6

Christian ministry can be brutal. It’s also beautiful. This fact is not reserved for “professionals” in ministry. It is true for every follower of Christ.

I was sharing a meal with a friend recently. As I listened to the exhausting plot twists and roller coaster ride of recent events, I thought to myself, “There’s no way I could do what he’s doing.” As he described the brutal details of life - it hit me like a load of bricks… the language he used wasn’t dissimilar from my own.

As Christians, many of us are guilty of convenience, compartmentalizing, and complacency. The problem? Our memory. We often forget (myself included) Scripture makes it clear that we are not to be OF the world despite being IN the world.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God remains forever.
-1 John 2:15-17 (BSB)

We frequently allow our fallen nature to cling to us without struggle or thought because expectations are rooted in the patterns and desires of the world. Contrastingly, Scripture tells us we, as members of the Body of Christ, must be intentional about clinging, i.e. uniting ourselves, to Him in the Spirit:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in the Spirit.
-1 Corinthians 6:15-17

Whether in banking or real estate, whether teacher or soldier, whether attorney or pastor- whatever you do as an occupation is secondary to our primary vocation as ambassadors of Christ.

We invite and allow the world to dictate to us through advertising, marketing, and the various patterns of the flesh. Shockingly, we’re then surprised when the brutality of Christian ministry crashes to the forefront and overwhelms us!

But when we, like the psalmist, allow God to be our rest, our salvation, our hope, and our stronghold - only then are the storms of circumstance calmed and the tempests of tribulation vanquished!

See today for what it is: a vanishing vapor ushering in Immanuel's eternal reign. Then, together, we can truly cling to, and find our rest in, Jesus Christ our Lord - God over the storm!

Blessings,
Kevin M. Kelley
aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

APPROPRIATE TIME

“There is an occasion/season for everything, and a time for every desire under heaven.”
-Ecclesiastes 3:1

I spoke recently with a group of kids about the decisions we make in life and how some can be a dead end. I showed individual street signs and asked what each meant. The kids were doing great - until we got to the ominous Yield sign. I quickly comforted them by saying, “We live in Texas. Nobody really knows what that means.”

There’s been a lingering heated buzz about a former NFL player and his protest during the National Anthem to highlight social injustice and police brutality in the United States of America.

People in the “support” camp point to a certain military veteran as “proof” it’s undoubtedly the right thing to do. Some have gone so far as to say, “If you’re not kneeling, or behind those who do, you’re advocating police brutality and denying freedom of expression/speech.”

People in the “anti” camp point to our culture’s tradition of standing during the Anthem as “proof” there’s something inherently wrong with sitting or kneeling. Some have gone so far as to say, “Kick ‘em off the team,” “Go live somewhere else if you don’t like it here,” and much more “colorful” statements...

While both camps champion their freedom of expression/speech - with the zeal of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death!” - it’s quickly omitted when opposing views fail to resonate with personal beliefs.

As a republic, our great country provides for and ardently defends freedom of expression/speech. Therefore, intrinsically, we all know that’s not the real issue. In this case, it’s not really “what” the “support” campers are doing (freely expressing themselves) or “why” they’re doing it (advocating social justice and reform). The real issue is “how” they do it… more specifically “when.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “There is an occasion/season for everything, and a time for every desire under heaven.”

Is there a time for people to stand up for social justice and reform? Undoubtedly.

Is there a time for people to stand up for what Old Glory represents? Absolutely.

When the two collide, like a Texan and a Yield sign, what gives?

There’s an old saying, “There’s a time and a place for everything.” In our contemporary culture, we've lost virtually all sensitivity to this fact.

In the South, it’s typically not okay to wear a hat in church. But what do you do when the new visitor does? Throw a fit? Have a deacon toss them out? Or do members of the church family lovingly tolerate the behavior in order to establish common ground and make long-term investments in relational equity?

The problem in America has nothing to do with agreeing on freedom of expression or the need for social justice and reform. The problem is we’ve lost virtually all sensitivity regarding appropriate timing.

If a player wants to protest peacefully - great. There’s a time and a place for that. Host a press conference. Set up a GoFundMe campaign. Partner with an apparel company for a greater collaborative impact. Speak at schools. Get involved with and serve local law enforcement and emergency responders. But kneel during the Anthem?

We're the UNITED States of America, but what exactly are we UNITED on?

Maybe we could start with agreeing there’s an appropriate occasion for everything. Maybe during special moments set apart as a collective “Thank you!” to the men and women who serve(d) and died to make freedom possible - maybe we could simply agree that’s not the most appropriate time to kneel in protest?

Maybe finding common ground on appropriate timing could translate into our becoming actual advocates of the freedoms and social justice we’re currently divided over - and fighting for?

The Bible is right. There really is an occasion/season for everything, and truly a time for every desire under heaven.

Maybe the appropriate time for us to figure it out together is here at the Yield sign and not waiting 'til the Dead End.

Blessings,
-Kevin M. Kelley
aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com