Faith Filled Friday – Excuses Reveal A Sick Faith!

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 

“As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords.” (Genesis 19:15–18, ESV)

But he lingered. Have you ever noticed how urgency is the first victim in a sick faith? Delay is the mother of disaster. And nowhere does that hamper our forward progress more than when it comes to our faith. God calls us to trust Him. Excuses reveal our doubt.

Despite Lot’s rescue by the two angels from the deviant crowd at the door of his home the night before, and the failure to convince his future sons-in-law to come with him, he lingers. With the urgency of an imminent attack from the Master of the Universe who never misses, the angelic bodyguard grows tense. Pressing Lot to leave, he lingers.

This is the classic symptom of a sick faith. God speaks. We delay. Doubt masks itself as concern or compassion. The bottom line is that we are just filled with unbelief. God has done so much for us and yet … we linger, “choosing rather to … enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” (Hebrews 11:25, ESV)

Lot continues to dawdle like some rebellious three-year-old. Dragging his feet as the heavenly heroes literally pull him out of the town to save his life, they point him in the direction of life saying, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” But again Lot’s lack of trust in God rears it’s ugly head when he’s only minutes away from total annihilation: “Oh, no, my lords,” he protests!

The mountains are too far for this man of the earth, this manual laborer? What ridiculousness! He’s not unable. His faith simply has rewritten his sense. Urgency has been replaced by comfort, the ultimate symptom of soul sickness.

Are you limping through life with a sick soul, a feeble faith? Isn’t it time to get back in the Word and on your knees in trust of God?

 

Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.

 

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Train Them Thursday – We Have Something Good to Share!

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” (Luke 2:16–20, NASB95)

 

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. When we have something good to share, we share it! This has been a rule in our house since I can remember.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t like to share! Like you, I don’t want someone else dipping their fingers into my buttery popcorn. I mean, consider the sanitary issues alone! (OK, you got me. I’m busted. My aversion to sharing has nothing to do with health and everything to do with my selfishness. I just don’t want to share!)

However, I know that I should share when God gives me something wonderful. And so, I discovered the 12-pound bag of popcorn kernels. Yes, I still pop popcorn the old school way – it tastes better! So, with my electric popper, I can make bowls and bowls of popcorn and still have enough for my hungry self.

The shepherds understood what I so often forget. You can’t out give God! They came and told Joseph and Mary all they had seen. They shared what they knew. And, after they left the baby Jesus, they went and told all they had seen, again!

The nature of a God-fearing person is to share. We don’t have to be taught or told. We just share. It’s our nature to tell all we have seen and heard.

We have so much to share, don’t we? God has been so good to slather us with His grace – giving us what we don’t deserve out of His abundance and compassion. He also has chosen to shower us with His mercy – withholding those things that we do deserve that would bring about our demise. Today would be a great day to share both of these!

 

Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.

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Willing Worker Wednesdays – Staying Tuned Into the Spirit!

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God, and said: Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace, as You promised. For my eyes have seen Your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples— a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:27–32, HCSB)

 

Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. With so much to do, every leader of Jesus knows that priorities are essential. However, how do we know what to prioritize? I mean, isn’t all of it important in some way?

Of course, with delegation, the leader of Jesus can remove a lot of things from their daily plate. However, knowing which things to do first and what God is doing now can be a problem unless we are connected with the Spirit and listening attentively for His leading.

Following the leading of the Spirit is essential to servant leadership because only God knows what’s happening inside the hearts and souls of the people around us.

Much of what we do as leaders is about timing. God knows how to maximize our effectiveness for the Kingdom of God by sending to the right person at the right place at the right time.

Notice that Simeon was guided as to when and where. The Holy Spirit, when allowed freedom to lead us, will prompt us with a sense of urgency. It is important at those moments not to hesitate or delay.

The Spirit of God will also show us where to go to intercept those whom God is sending us to and be where we need to be at the moment we need to be there. Notice the timing of the Spirit: “When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms.”

God will put us where we need to be when we need to be there if we will choose to listen and follow His voice through both His Word and through the promptings of His Spirit. Our challenge is to remain tuned in despite the loud noises of life all around us each day!

 

Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realities of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader. He welcomes your comments below.

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Turn-Around Tuesday – Self-Inflicted Troubles!

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”” (Genesis 11:1–4, ESV)

 

Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. Rebellion can sound so good, even grandiose, can’t it? Often it even sounds sensible. We frequently find ourselves working against the very commands of God simply because our ideas and plans make us feel better and suit our desires more. However, as we will see time and again both in the Bible and in our lives, that path leads to our destruction and sometimes our death.

At first read, we could find little in the plans of those in Shinar that would smack of defiance. In some ways, on the surface, their plans sound perfectly harmless. Yet we all know that still, water runs deep. And in the depths of the human heart we discover that the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV) So, we realize after a closer look that the words we read move counter to God’s express command to Noah after the flood. God has a decree, a global plan to repopulate the planet.

God’s command to Noah was as simple as it was clear: “And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”” (Genesis 9:7, ESV) The problem with the people of Shinar was that they didn’t want to disperse. They wanted to stay local and not go global. In their heart of hearts, they were actually working at cross-purposes with God’s expressed will and desires.

In your life, you may have some plans that are near and dear to your heart. You’ve thought about it and you are pretty set in those ways. The trouble is God has other plans – expressed within the pages of His Word, the Bible or whispered through His Spirit to your spirit. And that is all that matters. God’s will done God’s way always yields God’s blessing. Rebellion to those plans always leads to disaster!

 

Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.

 

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Magnificent Marriage Monday – Advanced Warning From Danger!

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the ark because of the floodwaters … just as God had commanded him. Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth.” (Genesis 7:7, 9-10, CSB)

 

Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth. Magnificent marriages simply know and are prepared for the coming catastrophe much better than those marriages filled with strife and tension, distance and distractions that cause them to drift away from the Lord. They enjoy God’s advanced warning system.

Who wouldn’t appreciate a bodyguard in the midst of a scary situation? Inside information is always helpful, especially when one needs to navigate through unfamiliar territory in life. Having an experienced guide on an adventure holiday is always wise. And choosing to do life with an All-Powerful God simply makes a lot of sense. In the above scenarios, we see a common thread. Danger lurks about us and it’s helpful to have help, the earlier the better.

Marriages that last know that God wants to be a part of the discussion, a part of the planning, a part of the travels, a part of the life He is giving the couple. How we do that is a matter of walking together as individuals first and as a two-some second.

While our styles will be different, when we have a thriving personal relationship with the Master of the Universe by bowing to His will and accepting His gifts of mercy and grace, we are so far ahead of the rest of humanity. When two people are in such a position with God, and then unite themselves for His honor, the third person in that journey (God) finds it a personal joy to protect, inform, guide, and do the supernatural whenever necessary to make life abundant.

One hundred years before the flood God warned Noah. One week before the flood God moved the family of Noah into the safety of His floating security ship. Talk about advanced warning! Talk about a magnificent marriage! Talk about life and that more abundant!

This week, take the time necessary to regroup and refocus on the God who wants to be so much a part of your personal and your married lives. Confess sin. Realign purpose. Recount the cost. Focus your hearts. Unite yourselves in His presence. Act on His warnings!

 

Magnificent Marriage Mondays are helpful hints, clues, ideas, and solutions for the child of God who is looking for a spouse, in a relationship with someone, or are already married. Each post seeks to bring help, hope, and honesty to your life and make the rest of your life, the best of your life. They are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his 38 years, 5 months and 2 days experience with his wife, Melodee, who was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. He is currently seeking God’s will for his new life partner. He welcomes your comments below.

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Hope For Today – Jesus, the Joy in Our Souls!

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about having joy deep down in our souls when everyone else is mean!

 

Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

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Faith Filled Friday – When Our Faith Influences No One!

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 

“Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.” (Genesis 19:12–14, ESV)

But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. One of the key tenants of faith is that we are supposed to transfer it to our family. In fact, the Bible tells us in the New Testament that such men are qualified to lead the local Church.

Before a man could be an “overseer,” a New Testament term for pastor, we are told, “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:4–5, ESV) Don’t you love that closing question?

Respect for those who were older in Biblical times was a huge part of the culture. Honoring parents and those who were more mature was part of the life-blood of a community. So, when we look into Lot’s life, we see he had been in Sodom long enough to allow his two daughters to be engaged and build a relationship with those men. Yet, when he comes with the all-important warning from God Himself, the reaction of these “sons-in-law” was shocking, to say the least.

In other words, Lot was good enough to give away his daughters as wives but not good enough to listen to about serious matters. Faith has a gravitas to it when it is possessed and when it possesses us. We all know though that there is a huge difference between a talkie-faith and a faith that is walked each day.

Day by day we have to be looking around, evaluating to what extent we are influencing those closest to us with our relationship to Jesus Christ. Do our loved ones take us seriously because we live what we say we believe? Or, does our influence fail to make an impact in their lives? Lot’s failure reminds us there is so much more to our days than making money. We are called to transfer our faith to our family.

 

Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.

 

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Train Them Thursday – Render to Caesar!

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.” (Luke 2:3–5, NASB95)

 

And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee. Jesus would say in the early days of His ministry,“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17, NASB95)

Yet so many today think that obeying the government is an option and only then, when it pleases them. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Every Christmas reminds us that obedience to even a tyrannical government is not an option for those who fear God!

As Joseph makes the 90-mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem by foot, nine-month and nearly ready to deliver Mary rides a donkey behind him. It is an arduous trip for the healthy person. For Mary, the agony must have been virtually unbearable. But Scripture records no complaint or cursing against the Emperor, who was going crazy due to sexually transmitted diseases from his frequent immoralities.

True disciples of Jesus, “honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:17, NASB95) Even when he’s antagonistic to our faith or our beliefs, God calls us to understand that “every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:1–2, NASB95)

And so we rejoin Joseph, who with his new bride Mary, render to Caesar the 90-mile journey to register in David’s town because God wills it and ordained it. How many times have we had to interrupt our lives for some regulation, some infraction that needed to be paid?

God knows every detour and every obstacle. Like the equipment in the gymnasium, each trouble and trial set before us by the “powers that be” are actually placed there to strengthen our faith and mature our trust in God. Today we choose to obey Caesar and trust God!

 

Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.

 

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Willing Worker Wednesday – Insider Information!

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.” (Luke 2:25–26, HCSB)

 

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. How many times has it been true in your life? God speaks and lets you in on what He’s going to do before He does it.

You can’t exactly explain how you know what you know, you just know it and you know it’s true. And then, as time passes, it comes true! Maybe you’ve told someone. Perhaps you haven’t told anyone. I mean, who’d believe you if you did, right?

But, there it is. You know. And you know you know because the Holy Spirit has revealed it to you. That feeling – that confident feeling – overtakes all other concerns and cares, doesn’t it? God has let you inside the workings of the natural by sharing with you the supernatural insight that only He possesses.

Being a willing worker of Jesus is the key. Did you see the words that describe Simeon? He had four character traits that the leaders of Jesus share. These are the leaders God gives insider information to.

Servant leaders – those who follow Jesus and lead for Him – do what’s right. Period. They don’t make excuses. They. Do. What’s. Right. And when they fail, and we all fail from time to time, they are quick to confess it publicly and privately because that is the right thing to do.

They also are devout. You don’t have to push or prod them the get alone with God and listen for His voice through His Word, the Bible. They are the first ones to step up and into His presence in confession, adoration and to follow His directions.

They long for Jesus to return. They hunger for His presence – His physical presence. And they pray to that end. It is their deep desire not to taste death before He comes. And they know the Holy Spirit intimately and passionately. They listen to His voice and, thus, have the insider information they need to accomplish God’s will and whim!

 

Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realities of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader. He welcomes your comments below.

 

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Turn-Around Tuesday – Bad Choices, Worse Choices!

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”” (Genesis 9: 20–22, 24–25, ESV)

 

Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. Did you ever wake up the next morning and wish you could have a “do-over” for the day before? If you just said “no,” you probably have only been alive for a few minutes.

Sin is as natural to us as breathing. Pharisees who condemn those of us who sin still exist in today’s climate. And you know that life is filled with times when we know we shouldn’t but we do it anyway. Too many trips to the buffet bar or plates of food during the week is my issue. You see, I am a recovering glutton. I like to eat. I don’t have to be hungry I just like food!

And, when I eat too much, my clothes get too tight, my stomach aches, and, if I’ve eaten spicy, I have heartburn. What about you? What’s your “go to” sin of choice? How do you deal with “the morning after?”

Noah’s choice of drinking to drunkenness set up a scenario for generations of heartache. While we don’t know exactly what his son, Ham or his grandson, Canaan, did to him while he was sleeping, we do know that it made Noah so mad that he cursed his grandson forever. That’s serious anger unleashed on his own flesh and blood.

Many times we choose a path that has unforeseen consequences. We don’t intend for anything bad to happen, but our indulgence leads to disaster. When that happens we overreact on others because of our guilt and shame. Many of you reading this right now are shaking your heads in silent agreement and, perhaps a few of you are weeping because of the brokenness of relationships severed by harsh words.

While prevention would have been the solution, reconciliation is the strategy at this point. Humility can repair much if we but try!

 

 

Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.

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