It has been so good to be home for Christmas and now for
these final days of 2015.
Deuteronomy 9:7
From the day you left Egypt until now, you have been rebellious against me ….
Yet it seems that in many churches globally today … lights seem to be dimming, flickering or are being turned off. These beacons of light- ones of truth, justice, mercy, and unconditional love have been clouded or snuffed out by arguments, scandal, and apathy. It’s a core alignment issue of leadership and churches. We dig own cisterns- draw our vision, our purpose, our identity, our path from things other than God. We often “do church” without inviting God in or to lead.
Now, you might be agreeing with me. You might say, yes- churches have issues. But remember,
The New Year challenge I have for myself and for you is ….
He is ready to take you back and align you with Him!
Prayer Requests
As I traveled from Ethiopia to Ohio last week, I began to
reflect on lessons learned over this past year and I continued to think about
that since being home.
What were my biggest struggles in 2015? Where had been my greatest joy? Life has many highs,
lows, mountains, and valleys …. what had God taught me?
How could I improve in the New Year, 2016?
What God has kept bringing to my heart and mind as I have
reflected is the importance of what I’m calling “core alignment.”
What do I mean by “core alignment?”
The core is
the central and most important part of something… which if you’re a follower of
Jesus- the core of who you are should
be a relationship with God
made possible through Jesus Christ.
Alignment
is proper positioning of something.
So I understand core
alignment to be the proper place of my relationship with God in my life.
Is God my source,
am I aligned with His heart, His will, His purpose? And can people see that
connection in me, through me?
What is the source that I draw my identity and confidence
from? Is God still the One who gives me
ultimate security, confidence, leadership and the love that I desire and long for?
Or am I looking to myself or to other things, people, to fill that in my life?
I have to watch out for misalignment!
I don’t know about anyone else but I’m well aware that
time is passing and I so much want to be at my best in all areas for God. As I get older, I want to get better with age
… to represent God the best I can where He has me. I want to be better in this
coming year, than this past year. I want to be better today than I was
yesterday. I don’t want to keep falling in the same holes or running down the
same wrong paths. I want to look and sound more like Jesus as I run toward Him
and toward home.
A huge core misalignment, actually a CORE BREAK- happened
long ago in the Garden of Eden. Disobedience – sin- completely broke our
ability to connect our core to the only source of true joy, peace, healing,
security, love- God Himself.
And ever since that break, people have felt that
disconnect and have sought security, confidence, healing, and love in other
things rather than God. Religions have stepped in and said do this or do that
to have your core realigned with God and to feel good about yourself again.
But NOTHING you do or buy can remedy your connection-core
problem. But thankfully, God didn’t leave that as the end to our story.
A core realignment with God was not possible until Jesus
was born and gave us His connection. Thanks so much Jesus for coming!!! That’s why many just celebrated Christmas,
that a Savior and Redeemer came and gave His life for ours, He paid for our
connection back to God! Amazing!
John 3:16
God so loved the
world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have eternal life.
Romans 3:23-24
All have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God- but can be justified freely by God’s grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 7:24
Jesus has become
the guarantee of a better covenant…. Jesus is able to save completely those who
come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them
Now throughout the history of the people of God, there
seems to have been alignment issues. And I believe one reason their story was
written was to remind us to be careful of the same problem happening to us…
Malachi 3:7
Ever since the time
of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them…
Jeremiah 3:32
My people have
forgotten me …Deuteronomy 9:7
From the day you left Egypt until now, you have been rebellious against me ….
Those with proper alignment with God have something that
is noticeable. It’s not the latest clothes or biggest car or flashiest smile.
It’s a an inner glow- a shine- that radiates from a connection with God … a
joy, a peace, a confidence that reflects God Himself. It’s good salt. It’s flavoring. It looks
different, sounds different, acts different.
On Christmas Eve at church, one of our pastors talked
about this kind of “shine.” And how our light should stand out in the
crowd. And it’s not a flash of light
that is sometimes on or sometimes off, but it should be constant source of
light that can guide others to the source of salvation, Jesus.
Yet it seems that in many churches globally today … lights seem to be dimming, flickering or are being turned off. These beacons of light- ones of truth, justice, mercy, and unconditional love have been clouded or snuffed out by arguments, scandal, and apathy. It’s a core alignment issue of leadership and churches. We dig own cisterns- draw our vision, our purpose, our identity, our path from things other than God. We often “do church” without inviting God in or to lead.
Now, you might be agreeing with me. You might say, yes- churches have issues. But remember,
WE
are the church. Each of us have to keep a check on our core alignment. If
there’s unhealth or misalignment in one of us, it affects us all of us. We are
one.
1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Now the body is not
made up of one part but of many… now you are the body of Christ… there should
be no division in the body, but all parts should have equal concern for each
other. If one part suffers, every part suffers ….
You might say, Holly- I agree. There’s misalignment in
churches and individuals. But as for me, I’m okay.
Well, let’s check….
How
do you know if your core is misaligned? Here are some questions or things to
think through…
Are you insecure in some area of your life that drives
you to some source that isn’t God?
Maybe it’s your job. Maybe you feel inferior or misunderstood.
So you often change your appearance to gain more respect or to feel more
secure.
Maybe it’s your appearance. Maybe you struggle with some
pounds/kilos that you can’t seem to get off. So that drives you to unhealthy
eating choices- maybe fasting, or fad diets, or an eating disorder, or too much
time at the gym- to try to feel better about yourself.
Maybe you feel lonely. So you look to friends or other
people in your life to be there for you. When you reach for them and they don’t
do or say what you need them too- you feel deep disappointment and depression sets
in.
Maybe you don’t know your life purpose or you’re mad
about where your life is at right now. So you often try to escape. You always watch movies or spend time on
facebook to enter other peoples’ lives and stories to escape from the reality
of your own.
Those are all alignment issues. We all have them.
If your alignment is off, you’ll feel it. And those
around you will often pick up on it.
Your words and actions can also reveal a misalignment.
What do others hear from your words or understand by your actions?
You reflect what you look at or listen to. If your source
of comfort or peace is money or power, your words and actions will reflect
that. If it’s yourself, that will show.
Is your speech salted with holiness, truth, love, and the
mercy of God? Or are there bouts of profanity, rage, condemnation, negativity and
judgment? That shows an alignment issue.
A core source problem.
You can ask your friends and family to tell you what they
hear from your words.
What do your actions say to others about your life?
Are those actions spurned from a deep connection and
reliance on God? Or does it show a connection or unhealthy dependence on
something else? This is where “the
church” has run into big problems as far as witness. Words might sound good and
holy, but actions do not. There is not a solid message on all channels that
people are seeing and hearing when they observe our lives.
James 3:9-12
With the tongue, we
praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s
likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this
should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water from the same spring?
I think some key sources we tend to go to other than God
is:
1.
Ourself
2.
Our culture’s definition of success (money,
power, position)
3.
Other people (maybe a husband, wife,
boyfriend/girlfriend, children)
4.
Idols (anything or anyone you give worth too
more than God)
5.
Sin (darkness can be a dangerous draw/attraction-
living on the edge, dabbling in danger…etc)
If we are misaligned, I think there are some common ways
that people tend to respond. I’ve done some of these myself or have seen these
happen in others’ lives…
1.
We ignore it. We just never deal with the misalignment we
feel.
2.
We make ourselves busy- give ourselves
distractions from the unhealthiness.
3.
We try to fix it ourselves. We self-medicate, go
to doctors or psychiatrists, search google or self- help books for cures.
4.
Or we just accept the insecurity, the doubt, the
unhealthy habit as life. Something we have to always live with. We recognize it’s
there, but make excuses to leave it there.
I believe misalignment is what Satan wants. Our power
connection is disrupted. This misalignment can eventually make all of our lives
unhealthy and insecure. Satan knows if
we’re disconnected- misaligned- that our purpose is disrupted. He knows if we’re connected to God and to
each other, we’re unstoppable.
I think some things God wants us to remember is that …
1.
Prayer is where realignment starts- and is kept
straight
2.
We need each other to keep aligned, God made us
for relationship with Him, and others.
3.
Others need to see God reflected in our lives,
it’s part of why He made us, to reflect His glory and His love to the world.
1.
Check for Misalignment
2.
Repent for any Misalignment
3.
Return to God
Isaiah 44:22
I have swept away
your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for
I have redeemed you.
Malachi 3:7
Return to me and I
will return to you
Acts 3:19
Repent then and
turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out and times of refreshing come
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people who
are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn
from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their
sins and heal their land.
May we be His People, His Light in the World in the
Coming Year!
A song I’ve been so encouraged by is a song by Danny
Gokey called Tell Your Heart to Beat Again…
God is able to align any misalignment, no matter how big
it is …
Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget the former
things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs
up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert, streams in the
wasteland.
Philippians 1:6
…He who began a
good work in you will carry it on to completion …
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord
with all your heart and lean not to your understanding, In all your ways submit
to Him and He will make your path straight
BLESSINGS to YOU for 2016! May it be our greatest year
yet for our God!
I’m so grateful for Each of You!
Prayer Requests
-I go back to Ethiopia the first week in January- pray
for me as I return to teaching- that my connection will remain aligned in the
new year and that it will be my best year yet for God!
These are some of my students....
-A new business visa and a work permit needs processed on
this side and that one in the coming days, please pray for that as the process
has changed.
-Keep my family in prayer in the new year- my parents and
sister- they’re wonderful!
Happy New Year!
2016!
