Endurance

Words of Endurance:An Awakening From Brokenness-Remember

admin1 — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:49:51 +0000

AN AWAKENING

FROM BROKENNESS

REMEMBER …

Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
    a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
    when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

PSALM 51:16-17 (THE MESSAGE)

Each time I have hit bottom – I am left feeling broken and weak. What is even more painful for me is that I have no one to blame but myself for my present condition so I feel nothing but shame and guilt. But I have learned that whenever I find myself in this place of brokenness what I need to do is to remember. Remember how in times before – when my pride was shattered – none of it was unnoticed by God. I need to remember …

Since God assured us,

“I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,”

we can boldly quote,

God is there, ready to help;
I’m fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?

HEBREWS 13:5-6 (THE MESSAGE)

I also need recall that it has been my past experience that …

“Often breakdowns lead to breakthroughs.” MICHAEL O’SHANNESEY

And then I can reassure myself that …

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting,

God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along.

If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter.

He does our praying in and for us,

making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves,

He knows our pregnant condition,

and keeps us present before God.

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives

of love for God is worked into something good. ROMANS 8:26-28 (THE MESSAGE)

When I remember this promise from God – this Eternal Truth gives me the courage to not lose heart –to not give up – to keep on enduring the journey. May His Word provide you the endurance for your journey when you remember …

So we’re not giving up. How could we!

Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us,

on the inside, where God is making new life,

not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.

These hard times are small potatoes

compared to the coming good times,

the lavish celebration prepared for us.

There’s far more here than meets the eye.

The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.

But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18 (THE MESSAGE)

On the Journey with You,

Jan Dravecky

Words of Endurance:My Dilemma and The Answer

admin1 — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:28:00 +0000

My Dilemma

And

The Only Answer

I can anticipate the response that is coming:

“I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not.

Isn’t this also your experience?”

Yes. I’m full of myself—after all,

I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison.

What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way,

but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.

So if I can’t be trusted to figure out

what is best for myself and then do it,

it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

But I need something more!

For if I know the law but still can’t keep it,

and if the power of sin within me

keeps sabotaging my best intentions,

I obviously need help!

I realize that I don’t have what it takes.

I can will it, but I can’t do it.

I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it;

I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.

My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions.

Something has gone wrong deep within me

and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable.

The moment I decide to do good,

sin is there to trip me up.

I truly delight in God’s commands,

but it’s pretty obvious that

not all of me joins in that delight.

Parts of me covertly rebel,

and just when I least expect it,

they take charge.

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps.

I’m at the end of my rope.

Is there no one who can do anything for me?

Isn’t that the real question?

The answer, thank God, is that

Jesus Christ can and does.

He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions

where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind,

but am pulled by the influence of sin

to do something totally different.

ROMANS 7:15-25 (THE MESSAGE)

Sorry for the long Scripture text but I just had to share it all because it is every bit of my experience in my walk with God. “Isn’t this also your experience?”

I don’t know about you but this has been a constant struggle on my journey – what is that struggle? That struggle has been a constant repeat of the history of my sin and weaknesses! I can’t tell you the countless times that I have hit bottom after once again relying on my own strengths – trusting in my own abilities to get things done – my inability to say no – resulting in major burnout and depression. What is so humbling about each time I fall into that pit is that I have no one to blame but myself! And what is even more upsetting is that I know better and I know The Answer but like Paul I find myself crying out “I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me?”

Each time I hit bottom my initial reaction is to run from God not to Him. Guilt and shame keep me wanting to hide just like Adam and Eve. But because I know that the only One who can do anything for me is Jesus Christ I return to Him – broken and limping I surrender myself to Him – confessing my sin and accepting my inability to fix myself. I return to Him because He promises …

“… Return to me so I can return to you,”

says God-of-the-Angel-Armies …

MALACHI 3:7 (THE MESSAGE)

“… No one who hopes in me ever regrets it.”

ISAIAH 49:23 (THE MESSAGE)

And I thank God that every time I return to Him and place my hope in Him – He guides me up out of that pit of sin and death – growing me up on the journey. Through the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within me my dilemma is resolved!

I don’t mean to leave you hanging here though. Over the next several weeks I will be sharing honestly how I have journeyed back to Him time and time again. It is so good for me and for all of us to remember …

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah,

that fateful dilemma is resolved.

Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us

no longer have to live

under a continuous, low-lying black cloud.

A new power is in operation.

The Spirit of life in Christ,

like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air,

freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny

at the hands of sin and death.

ROMANS 8:1-2 (THE MESSAGE)

On the Journey with You,

Jan Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Discovering Who I Am-I Am Loved

admin1 — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:09:57 +0000

Discovering

Who I Am

I Am Loved

First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

1 JOHN 4:19 (THE MESSAGE)

You have been journeying with me on my “Discovery Tour” for quite a while now and today’s writing will be the final one on this tour. I have shared a lot of momentous life changing moments along the journey. But the most profound moment – the most life changing for me took place thirty years after I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and it was when I finally understood the Original Good News – the Gift of Grace.

This was my ultimate “Aha Moment!” Once I understood the Original Good News – God’s Grace for me just as I am – it was then that I was able to fully receive His love. What a gift – and all I had to do was receive it! Accepting His Grace removed my burden of continually trying to earn His Love. The burden was so heavy and frustrating for me in my walk because in my own estimation I always missed the mark and I never felt worthy of His Love but then I accepted Jesus’ invitation to learn the unforced rhythms of grace …

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.

I’ll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me

and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

MATTHEW 11:28-30 (THE MESSAGE)

I am still learning the unforced rhythms of Grace but now that I feel so fulfilled with the Lord’s love I want nothing more than to extend that same grace to others. I have discovered that as I extend that grace it is so easy for me to love others – warts and all! And I have also discovered that my love and grace for others is born out of His Love and Grace for me – warts and all. I will be forever thankful that He loved us first!

So this is my prayer:

that your love will flourish and

that you will not only love much but well.

PHILIPPIANS 1:9 (THE MESSAGE)

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Discovering Who I Am-Seeking Positive Influencers

admin1 — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:08:22 +0000

Discovering

Who I Am

Seeking

Positive Influencers

Become wise by walking with the wise;

hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

PROVERBS 13:20 (THE MESSAGE)

With all the “aha moments” that I have experienced over the past several years – one that has caused me to do a one-eighty in my thinking was learning to reflect and discern the friends who are the positive influencers in my life. See I always thought that the positive influencers in my life – the “wise” – were those who spurned me on in my walk to be more Christ-like – who I believed to be wiser than I because they knew how to “fix” me and would lead me in the right direction.

But I have learned the truth is that no one is capable of fixing me – except for God. It is not my friend’s responsibility to fix me nor is it my responsibility to fix my friends. Thank you God! But it is our responsibility to love one another and be positive influencers in one another lives. This I can do!

There are two very distinctly different kinds of

friends formed by two very distinctly different

rooms.

It would be great, at this point, to reflect on those who’ve had or are attempting to have influence in

your life.

Negative influencers will demand your trust of

them, as a condition of their support. But it is a

trust for their benefit not yours.

Positive influencers ask permission to earn trust. They will wait for permission to be let in. They put

the onus on themselves, not you.

Negative influencers will see you as a sinner who needs help becoming a saint. Their goal will be

fixing your issues.

Positive influencers will see you as a saint who still fails. Their goal will be to foster an environment where nothing stays hidden.

Negative influencers will measure your righteousness by how little you sin.

Positive influencers are convinced you are righteous, so they’re interested in how you’re receiving and giving love. They know that striving to sin less

will not mean you love more, but that living in love

will mean you are sinning less.

In the Room of Good Intentions I make you accountable to me so I can control your behavior.

The result is that you end up hiding, resenting and mistrusting me. Unresolved issues remain unresolved.

In the Room of Grace I want to earn your trust so I can love you and be loved by you. The result is that you might want to give me permission to protect you, so you end up hiding nothing in the safety of my commitment. Unresolved issues are brought into the light for healing.

THE CURE (JOHN LYNCH, BRUCE MCNICOL, BILL THRALL

I no longer desire to fix my friends or journey with those who want to fix me but I do desire to do life with friends with whom I can trust who I truly am. I desire doing life with a few good friends – those positive influencers – who will love me and will walk alongside me through the good times and the bad.

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another.

In the same way I loved you, you love one another.

This is how everyone will recognize

that you are my disciples—

when they see the love you have for each other.”

JOHN 13:34-35 (THE MESSAGE)

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Step Two-Aggressive Forgiveness-Grace

admin1 — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:52:55 +0000

Step Two

Aggressive Forgiveness –

Grace

… with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace …

ROMANS 5:20 (THE MESSAGE)

Step one for me was to make a vertical transaction with God – asking God for His forgiveness for my sin and forgiving he who had sinned against me and hurt me deeply. I brought this before God because I knew that only through God’s power I would be able to forgive and then ultimately be healed.

This step did bring healing to my heart and allowed me to see my offender’s sin against me through the eyes of God with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. Only through the eyes of grace could I truly forgive him with no desire for revenge or justice. It was only then that I could move forward horizontally to meet with my Christian brother – ask him to forgive me for my part and move on with grace for him whether he repented and asked for forgiveness or not.

The truth is that he never repented or asked for forgiveness but I walked away from meeting with him set free – set free from the hook that had hold of my heart for way too long. I had forgiven him with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace.

I actually feel sad for him that he has not been able to receive the same healing that I did. I had attempted for reconciliation and have continued to do so but to no avail and I am at peace with that – I carry no bitterness. I truly do love him but it is only because of God’s love and grace for me. I am grateful I learned that …

Grace always invites rather than demands reconciliation. An apology may push the issue away for the moment but it won’t heal a relationship, and it rarely solves any issue.

The courage to refuse quick fixes and to engage long and vulnerably enough to woo honest, humble reconciliation from the depths of our new hearts … this is the work of human beings loving with the love of Jesus.

THE CURE (JOHN LYNCH, BRUCE MCNICOL, BILL THRALL)

Maybe you, too, have been hurt deeply and have been carrying that hook in your heart for way too long. May I encourage you to take the vertical Step One bringing your pain and unforgiveness before God – He knows and understands. Only He is able to give you the power to forgive and then take the horizontal Step Two of the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. Through God’s Grace there is life …

Grace, because God is putting

everything together again through the Messiah,

invites us into life—

a life that goes on and on and on,

world without end.

ROMANS 5:21 (THE MESSAGE)

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Discovering Who I Am-Learning to Forgive

admin1 — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:22:55 +0000

Discovering

Who I Am

LEARNING TO

Forgive – Step One

At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask,

“Master, how many times do I forgive

a brother or sister who hurts me?

Seven?”

Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly.

Try seventy times seven.

MATTHEW 18:21 (THE MESSAGE)

I can honestly tell you that it has only been over the past five years that I have had to learn to forgive and it was someone who had hurt me deeply. And what made it even more painful was that it was a Christian brother. I know that this is unusual being that I am 57 years old but it is the truth and I can tell you that I experienced such deep pain that I thought I would never be able to forgive that person.

What made it so difficult was that I also needed forgiveness for my part. But I remembered that the Apostle Paul declared …

Make allowance for each other’s faults,

and forgive anyone who offends you.

Remember, the Lord forgave you,

so you must forgive others.

COLOSSIANS 3:13 (NLT)

But regardless of how much I knew that I needed to forgive him – I simply did not know how! Ever been there? Well I was fortunate enough to get some wise counsel from the book, The Cure, and I want to share that wisdom with you.

Forgiveness has an order. We must initiate the vertical transaction with God before we can move into the horizontal transaction with another. First, before God, I forgive the offender (s) for what they’ve done and the consequences they’ve borne in my life. This is before God and me and it does not excuse any action. It does not restore relational forgiveness to the other. This is the vertical transaction. It is a choice to free myself, to begin healing.

Trusting God’s character, strength. love and protection, I place the entire list of consequences and loss into His hands. This is a big decision. It’s a scary beautiful, overwhelming moment of trust.

I actually imagine removing every effect of that sin and placing it onto God. I hand over everything. I trust God will not mock me or ignore this or forget my pain. I trust He will protect me and defend my heart, bring beauty out of hurt. I trust He will cleanse me as He promised.

I am giving up my rights to decide what is best for that person or myself. I’m handing the case over to the only Judge who can see the entire story and who loves both the offender and the victim perfectly.

This is a unique moment when faith becomes a risked action. I’m putting everything on the line because after all this is my life my pain my reputation. Never is the proof of new life more evident than when I cede control because of my trust in His character, love and power.

Then the whole incident moves out of my sphere into God’s.

Only then will I be freed to go to my offender and forgive him. If I don’t get this right – if I attempt to forgive, unclean before God – I move toward my offender in veiled bitterness, judgment and a spirit of retribution. I bring the residue of unresolved sin into the equation and everyone can smell it.

If I say, “I’m not going to forgive until he repents,” I end up in resentment. In my unwillingness to forgive before God, I become the issue.

The question then is how do I know I’ve actually forgiven someone who’s sinned against me? Answer: The moment I can offer that person my love again. When forgiveness stays only in my mind, as a formula or technique, it doesn’t sink deep into my heart.

When I choose to let go, to forgive vertically before God, it’s like huge cement bags have been lifted off my shoulders. It’s like coming out of a moldy basement with a a cement floor and suddenly breathing ocean air on the sand at Big Sur. It feels like being home.

And now, I’m ready to move on.

THE CURE (JOHN LYNCH, BRUCE MCNICHOL, BILL THRALL)

And so my first step was a vertical move to bring it before God because I knew I was unable to force this in my own strength. It was the first step in the right direction.

It is not by force nor by strength,

but by my Spirit,

says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

ZECHARIAH 4:6 (NLT)

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Discovering Who I Am-Learning to Love Others Well

admin1 — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:09:42 +0000

Discovering

Who I Am

LEARNING TO

LOVE OTHERS WELL

This is my command:

Love one another the way I loved you.

This is the very best way to love.

Put your life on the line for your friends.

You are my friends

when you do the things I command you.

JOHN 15:12-13 (THE MESSAGE)

We have heard it said before that the best way to have a friend is to be a friend. So how do we “be a friend?” Jesus gives us the answer when He commands us to love one another the way He loves us – with grace and unconditional love.

The greatest gift we can give to others is to love them well. But you may ask – as I once did – “How do I love others well?” Well once again we can go to the Scripture and learn and see what true love in action looks like …

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7 (THE MESSAGE)

That is a pretty tall order if you ask me! I don’t know about you but there are a number of actions on this list – if I am going to be honest – at which I have failed miserably – like “me first” – ”flying off the handle” and “putting up with anything.” Just ask my wife, Jan.

But I can honestly tell you (and Jan will confirm) that as I have been discovering who I am and learning about the Grace and Love that God has for me – loving others well has become much easier and more natural. Loving others is easier when it is the natural overflow from the heart that starts with the love that our Heavenly Father has for us.

Love from the center of who you are;

Be good friends who love deeply;

ROMANS 12:10 (THE MESSAGE)

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Discovering Who I Am-Giving Others Permission

admin1 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:52:57 +0000

Discovering

Who I Am

Giving a Friend Permission

The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.

PROVERBS 27:9 (THE MESSAGE)

We all long for strong healthy friendships because deep down inside we know how much we need them to journey with through this life. We desire to trust our friends with who we truly are knowing that – no matter what – we will still be loved and accepted. And we also desire to have friends that we can trust to give us heartfelt counsel and are willing to be honest with us.

An honest answer
is like a warm hug.

PROVERBS 24:26 (THE MESSAGE)

The defining moment in a friendship is when you give your friend permission to speak into your life. But whenever we take this step there is always an element of risk – a risk that we may be hurt. But the Scripture reminds us that …

Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an enemy.

PROVERBS 27:6 (NLT)

I have found this to be so true in my own friendships – I can trust the heartfelt counsel of a sincere friend even when it hurts because their only motive is to see me mature into who I truly am. I can trust that their heart is not to harm me but to encourage me on the journey.

The right word at the right time

is like a custom-made piece of jewelry,

And a wise friend’s timely reprimand

is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.

PROVERBS 25:11-12

I have learned though that this kind of trust does not happen over night but that it develops over time. I can honestly tell you that I have only just over the last couple of years realized that I have this type of trusted relationship with only a handful of friends for which I am forever grateful.

A closing thought – friendship is a two way street – it is when you give permission and are given permission that a healthy friendship can begin to grow.

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Discovering Who I Am-Trusting Others With Who I Am

admin1 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:06:07 +0000

Discovering

Who I Am

Trusting Others

With Who We Are

A friend loves you all the time

PROVERBS 17:17 (NCV)

I love the book of Proverbs. It truly is the Book of Wisdom. Last week we learned from Proverbs how important it is to journey through life with wise, safe and trustworthy friends. There is nothing like a true friend who loves us through the good times and the bad times.

The next step is learning to trust those friends – removing the masks that we think they will like and accept – and allowing those friends to see who we truly are underneath those masks. That is a scary step for most of us – I know it was for me – especially within the Christian community. Because …

We gain admiration and respect from behind a mask. We can even intimidate. But as long as we’re behind a mask, any mask, we will not be able to receive love. Then, in our desperation to be loved, we’ll rush to fashion more masks, hoping the next will give us what we’re longing for: To be known, accepted, trusted and loved

THE CURE (JOHN LYNCH, BRUCE MCNICHOL, BILL THRALL)

And the truth is that mask wearing stunts our growth – our maturing process. We will never mature into who we truly are until we learn to remove our masks and reveal our struggles and weaknesses with trustworthy friends. The purpose of friendships is to help one another grow and mature – sharpening us into who we never dreamed we could be.

As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.

PROVERBS 27:17 (NLT)

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky

Words of Endurance:Discovering Who I Am-Journeying With Others

admin1 — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:14:58 +0000

Discovering

Who I Am

Journeying

With Others

God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone;

I’ll make him a helper, a companion.”

GENESIS 2:18 (THE MESSAGE)

It is true that we cannot do this life alone – God never meant for us to do it alone. We need our relationship with God but we also need real relationships with others as we journey through this life together. We need one another in order to mature into who we truly are.

Because not all people are “safe people” the Scripture does instruct us that we do need to be careful about WHO we choose to journey through life with …

Godly people are careful about the friends they choose.

PROVERBS 12:26 (NIRV)

And the type of friends we can trust and walk with …

Become wise by walking with the wise;
hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

PROVERBS 13:20 (THE MESSAGE)

I know for me I am so grateful for my true, wise, trusted, and safe friends and family who have skipped along the mountaintops with me and celebrated each triumph and yet they didn’t dessert me when I trudged through the valleys of life with all my personal struggles. I thank God that …

Friends love through all kinds of weather,

and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

PROVERBS 17:17 (THE MESSAGE)

My prayer for all of you on this journey is that you are not journeying this life alone. I pray that you have true and trustworthy friends and family to journey with through life. And if you do not – because you do not know if you can trust anyone – then I pray that God will heal your broken heart and give you the courage to open your heart and learn to trust others again. Because remember and know …

Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family.

PROVERBS 18:24 (THE MESSAGE)

On the Journey with You,

Dave Dravecky