For Believers Only: Taking The Plunge Into The Land of No Want (pt. 3)

Some who might read this post have already experienced the thrill of sky diving.  That is the artistic expression that we use for people who jump out of flying airplanes and parachute to the ground. I say it in that fashion because, until you have experienced the thrill of such an experience, it is likely that you continue to see the mere thought as jumping out of a flying airplane.  If your sense of anxiety for this type of experience makes it hard to even imagine it, this post could feel similar.  Lets, take the plunge anyway.

A lot of us want certain things in life and many things  like our passion for life, or fear of failure, have helped us to achieve some of it.  In the Land of No Want, to seize hold of these things that slip through the grip we have to let them go.  Take a moment and imagine your top 3 greatest desires.  I'll give you mine:

1.  For my family to be healthy and happy.
2. For a cure for Lupus and it's life robbing affect.
3.  For all of our children to see hope in the future.

If you have your top three in mind its our time to jump.  Close your eyes and say in quiet prayer or loud exclamation if you dare: "Lord I don't want for my family to be healthy and happy. (I can feel the wind now). I don't want a cure for Lupus . (Get ready to pull the cord)  I don't want hope in the future for our children.

 Michael Duever

If you are like most, the mere notion of speaking these words feels like flying in the wind.  You see, we have been holding so firmly to our desires that we can't let go and let God do his thing.  Even if we pray in a fashion that we think represents letting go, we often then speak contradictions and obstacles into the spirit realm when we continue to declare the want of anything.  If you have to use this word, practice, literally, saying I don't want (fill in the blank as I did above) and then shake off that feeling of fear you will instantly get from letting go of wantonness.  Now that we are back on the ground, take some time to just listen to yourself and see how often you speak the word 'want' into the wind. Until you recognize your challenge, it will be hard to climb the mountain.

One thing I know for sure is that somehow, all you who have the life to read, have overcome many things in life.  Some of us develop rational explanations for a few things we've experienced, but other things you simply can not explain (without giving God the glory).  This universal human experience crosses over our religious ideologies.  This says to me that God cares for the lily of the field and his eye is on the sparrow so we know that he watches each of us, whether we recognize him or not.  In other words, the Lord is OUR shepherd.......if the sheep have a want, it is because the shepherd did not provide for them, or that the sheep have wandered outside the realm of promise.  God is not limited by anything except his own promises.

The closer you get to the shepherd, the more you begin to reap the benefits of his provisions and promises. Conversely, the further away you get from God, the more necessary it becomes to speak your way through the jungle.


(Next Post) Speaking Your Way Out Of The Jungle (pt. 4)

(Previous Post) The Lord Is My Shepherd.......I Shall Not Want (pt. 2)
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For Believers Only: The Lord Is My Sheperd.....I Shall Not Want (pt.2)

The Land of No Want Is Closer Than You Think

So we concluded the last post (What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?) talking about the characteristics of faith.  "What does faith look like"?  Action is a simplistic explanation of specific behaviors. Step out on faith is a common refrain because every little step we take came from every little thought we made.  However, the real action begins win we begin to speak our dreams into existence.

I am certain that every person who has heard of Tony Robbins or Zig Ziglar understands the basic concept of speaking your life into existence, but what you want and what you say could be directly at war with one another.

When I first met Michael Duever (the author of "I Shall Not Want") he was unlike any Christian evangelist that I had ever met.  He was unafraid of sharing his love of God, but he was sensitive to the reality that many people don't care to hear it.  My receptiveness to the mere presence of a believer allowed him to open up to me about the concept of this book, though he proceeded with caution.

I share it with you in a similar fashion.  By the time Mr. Duever departed my presence when we first met, he assured me that what he had shared might take months or longer to adopt as a way of speaking and even longer to become a way of living.

When the bible speaks of the command that we "Shall Not Want", it is more than just a good road map for life, the spirit of want is a contradiction to the provision and promises of God.  For man to declare himself in a state of want speaks to a desperation of spirit that dishonors God's ever moving hand.  Faith teaches us that God will meet your needs in his time.  Often times, simply declaring the word want says that you doubt and have not truly taken grasp of the things that you are praying for.  Have you ever  noticed how people who are in great relationships talk about how they had wanted someone so bad but couldn't find anyone to love, but the moment that they did "not want" it anymore is when it happened?  That is not just an odd  coincidence, it is a by-product of the change of spirit that occurred.  When we don't want (or remove the wanton spirit), we open ourselves to the provisions and promises of God (he still answers prayer) because our spirits and our words align with God's.

The challenge that I had when I discovered this revelation was trying to remove from my language a word that has become fully integrated into how I speak.  What I did not know was that our thoughts are not open for exploration.  Only God has the power to discern the desires of our heart and mind.  Satan can put together some context clues driven by your behavior, but mostly he simply sits on the sideline and listens to every word that you say and uses them to put you on trial.  Every utterance of the word 'want' creates the very ammunition that Satan will use to delay what God already sent your way. He can't stop you, but if he can slow you down enough to the point of frustration he is hoping that you will stop yourself on his behalf.

It can be hard to digest life changing ideas in one feeding so I won't try.  Stay tuned for more in the journey to the Land of 'No Want'.

    Next Post ( Taking The Plunge Into The Land of No Want) (pt. 3)

    Last  Post (What Would You Do If Knew You Couldn't Fail?) (pt. 1)

Who Needs Von Miller When You Have Paris Lenon

Paris Lenon was brought in to provide depth in the absence of Von Miller at the start of the season.  

The Denver Broncos are one the teams favored to win the Superbowl this year.  They have had laser focus on this goal after Baltimore did their best to ease our pain from the Jaguar loss in the 90's.  It worked. This team has overcome more obstacles than we can count at this point because they have made every hurdle look like a bump in the road.

Trust me when I tell you that I was concerned about the locker room division that was being reported as a result of Paris Lenon beating out Wesley Woodyard after Woodyard suffered an injury.  Tape don't lie, and coaches could not justify putting Woodyard in front of Lenon, especially as a run stopper.  The Woodyard loyalist must have struggled to stay silent about it as word of this controversy has been gaining speed every day.

Until Sunday.  Von Miller went down, and Derrick Wolfe, who could replace him, is also not cleared to play yet.  Lenon is a banger who loves to be in the middle of the scrap.  He should do exactly what they brought him in to do.  If this gets Woodyard, who thrives in the role of defensive quarterback, back on the field full time, it will be better for the team in the long run.

Besides.  That fat guy who ate Von Miller was not too impressive anyway.

President Limbaugh Declares Attacking Capitalism Wins Love From Left

You might have helped to elect that Monarch Obama, but I'm still the running this thang........ Oprah!

In an amazing declaration from the towers of EIB,  Rush Limbaugh encouraged Phil Robertson to blame capitalism and he could have endeared himself to his critics and removed some of the heat from this flame.
According to Rush, the easiest way to deal with this mess is to avoid apologies.  Rush added,

"........and it's probably even too late to do a tirade against unfettered capitalism.  I was thinking if he maybe did that, he could turn around some of this hate that the left has for him and turn it into love."

                                 -Rush Limbaugh (12/19/13 transcript)

The President continued.  "It's a popular thing to do today. If you want love and appreciation from the left, you attack capitalism in America.  But I think even that might be too late.  It may even be too late for my help. "

Now how in the world could it ever be too late for President Limbaugh to come to the rescue?

President Limbaugh knows what we all know.  Unfettered capitalism, not the forces of integrity, moved to suspend Phil Robertson.  Unfettered capitalism also chose not to fire him outright or cancel the 36 hour Duck-a-thon that remained on the A&E schedule, an it will certainly play a role in determining his return to television as well.

We will see if the integrity of the Robertson family will have something to say in the end.

Nugget's Playing With 'Here We Go Again' Syndrome

(From an older post of mine:  If the Nuggets don't win, and win with smarts, OKC, Phoenix and the Clippers will ride our errors into a slide.  If we can start and end well, we might get the confidence to get back on a streak.  I don't really see us having a give and take on these games.  They will be boom or bust).

Bust it is.

The Nuggets have become the victim of their own success as teams are not taking them lightly.  Fortunately for our opponents, the Nuggets aren't taking themselves too seriously.  It's hard to imagine that a muscle strain would shut down Ty Lawson and his confidence, but they are both clearly strained still.  We knew he was valuable to the Nuggets, but with no one else who has the confidence to take late game shots, his absence has been painful.

This team has Coach Brian Shaw constantly switching bait and recasting his line into the waters for a bite.  He is a patient man (as most fisherman are), but his patience with some players is not paying off.  Okay, I'm talking about that darn Randy Foye again.

Here is the Rany (he's got no 'd') Foye problem.  If you sit him now you signal to every team that might need a shooter to forget about this one.  If he doesn't play we can't trade him, at least not for value and he is not exactly a cheap player to begin with.  All of the new players need a chance to prove themselves before we give up on a new investment.

J.J. Hickson is a keeper even though he never faced the basket one time when he received the ball in the paint last game.  A few games prior, he started to shoot and hit that mid-range shot.  Right now we need somebody, anybody, to take that shot as teams are forcing the Nuggets into a jump shooting team.

So the formula for the last few games is to turn the game into a jump shooting contest because the Nuggets are not confident enough in themselves that they can match any team shot for shot. They actually have the talent to do it now, but until they know it, it matters little.  Team's are now playing the Nuggets into the 'here we go again' syndrome. When the game starts to turn late, you can see it in the way they take the ball out of bounds, and the lack of urgency of their
assault on the rim.

The nature of a young team is the propensity for boom or bust scenarios.  Maturity teaches us to give a consistent effort throughout the game and let the chips fall where they may.  These moments of the season require a collective fight or kind scheduling.  Tonight we get the Golden State (jump shooting) Warriors.

The schedule is not kind.

Real Talk For People Who Need It: Is The New Peyton Manning The Old Lebron James?

Real Talk For People Who Need It: Is The New Peyton Manning The Old Lebron James?:          

So you are telling me that he has to beat Tom Brady every game for ever to get his respect.....really?

Von Miller Out Again, This Time For Good

Maybe its just me, but that fat guy who ate Von Miller was not terribly impressive t.  We have  survived without Von and Champ.  Some would say that we looked better when they were out.  We expect PFM to rise to the demand of his legacy. Now the only real question about the Bronco's is this defense.  
     
If you are the incoming offense against Peyton, you are praying the night before for all of your cocky defenders, realizing that if your prayers don't work, you may have to match 50 in order to win. 

Peyton has not only turned this team into a championship contender.  He has made the Denver Broncos into the most hunted team in the league and every team prepares like they are going in against Goliath.  

Who is this attack being waged against?

I contend that the rock that David keeps throwing at this Goliath is being aimed at our defense. Has our defense prepared themselves for this reality.  I think so, because they adjust and they  get key stops and turnovers.  We keep wanting  to see their best over the course of a game just to help us know that they have it in them, but the truth is that we only need this defense to rise to the challenge of one big game.

     When Peyton is great, as he often is, the defense only has to be good, maybe even okay.  On that rare occasion that Peyton is not great, the defense will need to be good, maybe great for the Broncos to win it all.  We've seen signs of really really good from this defense, but only time will tell if they can be great when it matters, or if they will even need to be.