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Are You Only Half In?

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I can always tell when I only do something half-heartedly. There is a marked difference in quality and outcome. It would seem that you truly do only get out of something what you put into it.

I think about Joseph when he invited his brothers to dine with him after he is made second-in-command over all Egypt. Scripture tells us that all of his brothers received food from his table, but his youngest brother, Benjamin, received 5 TIMES MORE than anyone else.

It occurred to me that all of Joseph’s brothers were only half-brothers (same dad/different mom). They were only half in Joseph’s bloodline. Benjamin, on the other hand, was the only full brother Joseph had. So, while all of his brothers received a blessing…Benjamin, who was “all in” with Joseph, received much, much more.

You can have a relationship with Jesus and still only be half in. He has part of your life…but not this part or that part or the part you keep hidden away for yourself. Sure, your life will be blessed because you have an inheritance in the Kingdom. But, it’s only when we are all in…only when we are completely surrendered, that we truly experience the fullness of God’s blessing. I don’t know about you, but that’s where I want to live!

So what do you think? Are you half in? or all in?



Written by on December 1, 2011 and categorized under Individuality

Are You Afraid to be Free?

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I remember the day I left home for college. It was a time of great excitement, of course…the turning of the page to a new chapter I’m my life. I was about to experience a freedom I had never known. But, there was also a cringe of apprehension…a nervousness about the uncertainty of stepping out in the unknown. For the first time, I would be completely responsible for myself. If I succeed, it’s because I worked for it. If I failed, I had no one I could blame but myself.

Have you ever felt like that? You knew you were stepping into a new arena of freedom…of purpose…of calling. You were excited about what lay ahead. But, at the same time, you were a little shaken by stepping out into the unknown.

God’s chosen people experienced a similar feeling. Having just been rescued from Egypt, there was a terrible fear that echoed through the crowd. They were free…but, they were afraid of their freedom. Time after time, you hear the people cry out to Moses to just let them go back to Egypt. They may have been slaves, but at least they knew what to expect.

It is so easy to allow our fear to keep us from enjoying the freedom that comes from following the voice of God as He leads us. We know we have victory because He goes before us…but, we’re too afraid of what it will cost us to take possession of that victory. So, what do we do? We fall back into the familiar…the safe.

The problem with playing it safe is that you never make it to the promise God has for you.



Written by on November 21, 2011 and categorized under Impact, Individuality

How Good Are Your Choices?

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Last year, I decided it was time to replace the TV in the living room. As I shopped around, in my mind, there were really only two options: plasma or LCD. My first flatscreen was a plasma, had lasted five years before I started having problems, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with that again. So, I opted for the LCD which has a longer lifespan. What I didn’t take into account is that the combination of the LCD’s softer, plastic screen and my then 2 & 3-year-old sons was not a good one. The result – a 2-week-old TV with scratches all over the front thanks to a plastic shovel and a little imagination.

Have you ever made a choice that you thought was right at the time but really didn’t end up the way you thought? All of us have. Don’t feel bad, though. You’re in good company. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, made an exceptionally bad choice. Wanting to give her husband a son and an heir, she gave him a servant girl as a substitute oven in which to place the bun. The result – a child that fathered a nation that is, to this day, the greatest enemy of the people of Israel.

Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “What you think is the right road may lead to death.” (GNB) So how can we know that we are making the right choices? We have to hear God’s voice. It is possible to make good decisions on our own. But, it is only possible to make God choices when we pay the price to hear from the Father.

How do you make sure you are making the right choice?



Written by on November 17, 2011 and categorized under Individuality

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