Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 53

Is It God or the Devil? How to Discern Who and What You’re Hearing

I’m struggling with a decision right now. It’s a biggy–one that, depending on what I do, will effect a lot of people.

It’s the kind of decision that I wake up thinking about. And I’ve noticed something about this decision–I have a ton of fear around it:

What if I make the wrong call?
What if it all goes south?
What if this ends up hurting people?
What if  . . . . ?

It’s the fear that gives it away for me. That’s how I know I’m being messed with by our archenemy, the deceiver of the nations, satan. Fear is one of his favorite weapons; and If I’m afraid, I can be sure that the devil is in the details.

So here are a few ways I’ve learned to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of the devil:

God won’t contradict the Bible. The devil will. God isn’t going to lead me to do anything that is unbiblical. So if I’m being led to divorce my wife and marry another woman, or to murder a doctor who performs abortions, I can be sure that the devil is the one doing the leading. God won’t compromise his Word. Satan will.

If I’m feeling shamed or beat up, it’s the devil. Satan kills, steals and destroys. That’s his end game. His voice to you is going to sound angry and defeating. You’ll feel less qualified, less loved and less significant. God’s voice has an upward pull to it. He may convict you of sin, but he’ll do so by telling you how much he loves you and longs for you to do better. One voice will bring hope, the other despair.

If what I’m feeling or hearing makes me care for someone less, it’s the devil. How many times have you gotten all amped up about an upcoming conversation with someone? As you think about the person and his or her motives, you get angrier and antsier. You become convinced that he or she is out to get you and you determine not to drop your guard with them. In fact, when the conversation actually takes place, you go in swinging. That’s the devil.

Satan can’t read people’s minds and he isn’t omniscient. God does know people’s thoughts and he is omniscient. But God will never reveal something to you about others that will cause you to love them less or to have less compassion for them. He’ll reveal things to you that lead you to serve them, pray for them and love them more.

Satan just makes stuff up and then whispers it in our ears. So when I’m hearing a bunch of junk about someone that makes me want to greet them with an uppercut, I can be sure that what I’m hearing isn’t true and isn’t from God.

Photo Credit: Derrick Jones

Satan deals in fear and hatred. God deals in love and peace. This is how I’m discerning truth in my current decision-making season. One side has fear and lots of little whispers all over it. The other side is calm, hopeful and peaceful. And once I discern which voice belongs to whom, I can easily rebuke the one and march decidedly in the direction of the other.

Don’t be led astray by the enemy. Don’t lose sleep over things that are fearful and not even true. Don’t attack others based on a bad feeling about them. Learn to discern the voice of God–the loving, uplifting, healing, unifying voice of God. And then run in his direction.

Don’t Look Back

Don’t Look Back

Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32

The call to follow Jesus is very one-dimensional. It’s a straightforward, take up your cross, and this world has nothing for me kind of call. That’s the point Jesus was trying to make when he called up the image of Lot’s wife.

Lot was Abraham’s cousin who made the poor choice of settling in one of the most carnal and godless cities on the planet. Things got so bad there that God decided it would be best to just remove the city from the face of the earth. And in his grace, God gave Lot advanced notice and the opportunity to escape before judgment came.

The angel who helped Lot and his family escape gave them a strict warning—don’t look back. Why? His point was that there was nothing in the city that had any attraction for them. They needed to move on without any regard for where they had been. That may seem harsh to us, but once God pronounces judgment, the time for begging and lamenting is passed.

As Lot and his family crested a hill outside the city, Lot’s wife turned to look back. She died instantly. God judged her for giving attention to what he had deemed no longer worthy of it.

That was Jesus’ point. The call to follow Jesus includes the call to abandon all ties to this world. The ways and whims of culture, the allure and short-term pleasure of sin, and the riches and comfort that choke out our spiritual fervor are no longer worthy of our attention. They distract us, lead us astray and pollute the take up your cross message that comes with following Jesus.

So Jesus says Don’t look back.

We all face the daily temptation to look over our shoulder to see how others are faring. We’re not above sometimes thinking that a life without God has some appeal. We want to stop and just take a peek—just to keep the memory of our former lives in our brains.

Jesus says we can have no part of our former lives or of the system that lives under the wrath of God. It’s neither worthy of us nor of the Christ in us.

So don’t look back. Set your face forward and your hand firmly to God’s Kingdom plow. Don’t dabble with sin. Don’t keep one foot in the world. Don’t look back.

This world has nothing for you.

 

 

 

The Honor of Belief

The Honor of Belief

So the honor is for you who believe . . . .1 Peter 2:7a ESV

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but there really is a great deal of honor that comes to those who follow Christ. Let me explain what I mean:

We are joint heirs with Christ
We are God’s adopted children
We are citizens of God’s Kingdom
We are Jesus’ friends
We are keepers of the Holy Spirit
We are given spiritual gifts
We have a place reserved for us in heaven
And in the language of 1 Peter 2, we are holy and royal priests.

What a great list of honors. For Jesus’ followers, there really is honor that accompanies belief.

But the reverse is true as well. There is no honor where there is no belief. Oh sure, there may be earthly honor, human honor and temporal honor, but there is no divine honor. Those who don’t believe in Jesus aren’t joint heirs with him. They are spiritual orphans. They have no access to God’s Kingdom, and they’re not Jesus’ friends.

Maybe that’s why Hebrews says it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb 11:6).

As a believer, you walk in great honor today. God gives high praise to those who believe. When you know that, it changes everything. You don’t have to chase after the accolades of men. Temporal honors will become meaningless to you.

You bear the high honor of believing in Jesus. No honor could be greater. Today, walk as the distinguished citizen of God’s Kingdom that you are.

 

 

What Happens When a Pastor and a Christian Counselor Pretend to be Atheists?

I do this occasionally. It may be a dirty trick, but it’s more fun than the law should allow.

I pretend to be an atheist. I’ll be at a restaurant or on a plane or at a coffee shop and I’ll see someone reading the Bible or wearing a cross or praying over a meal. And if I’m feeling particularly playful, I’ll offer up my favorite line: Please tell me you don’t really believe that stuff!

The responses and subsequent conversations are always classic . . . . and inspiring.

I did it again last Thursday, but this time I had a partner in crime. My close buddy Rick Reynolds and I are in the habit of going to local Austin watering holes for fellowship and accountability about twice a month. Rick is a world-class Christian counselor and affair recovery specialist. He’s also a complete goober, which makes us a perfect pair.

Last week we were hanging out at Pinthouse Pizza, enjoying dinner and a pitcher of a great Austin brew. Up walked a twenty-something waitress. She was wearing an Explore God wristband.

I just said spontaneously, “Hey, what’s that?” She replied that it was talking about an initiative in Austin that encouraged people to have conversations about God.

Rick instantly said, “God? Who’s that?” And I was only a beat behind him with “You don’t really believe that stuff, do you?”

Yes, I know we’re demented. We didn’t even plan or coordinate our separate shots at this girl. It just tells you a bit of how we think . . . . or don’t think.

Anyway our little twenty-something wasn’t intimidated and she wasn’t going to back down. All she saw was two very old reasons to talk about Jesus.

So we peppered her with the usual atheist talking points, like:

Sciences has proven that God’s a myth
Religion is the biggest source of pain in the world today
All of the world’s wars have been fought over religion
The Church is filled with hypocrites
Jesus wasn’t really born
The Bible is filled with lies and fables
Religion is for weak people who can’t face the reality of their own mortality and finiteness

And for every of our attacks, she had a calm, cool, collected and reasonable counter. Finally, after a few minutes I just stood up and hugged her and started laughing. I introduced myself and Rick, revealed our true occupations and told her that we two of her older (and obviously less mature) brothers in Jesus. I think she was waiting for us to tell her that she was being Punked.

As it turns out, this girl is a rock star. Her name is Joanna and she attends the University of Texas church plant of Hill Country Bible Church here in Austin. HCBC-UT is a bunch of young Jesus-followers (By young I mean in age only. They are quite seasoned in their faith.) who mean business of about witnesses to the glory of Jesus in and around the UT campus. Joanna told us that she and another friend had gotten jobs at Pinthouse in an effort to “be lights.”

I would say that their lights are shining quite brightly.

We need more Christians like Joanna and the fire-breathing band of believers that worship at HCBC-UT. We need more Christians who see their jobs as places to shine for Jesus. And, we need more Christians who don’t go all fetal when they get confronted by a couple of outspoken atheists.

I’m a better man and Christian for having met Joanna. I hope I can be as much as a light as she is.

 

 

 

Former Followers

Former Followers

 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. John 6:66

What a sad verse. What a sad concept—former followers. That should be an oxymoron. Former and follower should never be used in the same sentence. Because anything worth its salt, anything that’s not a fad, anything that’s worth following to begin with ought to be worth following to the end. Right?

Yet here we find Jesus with just a tiny group of followers. Gone are the crowds. Gone is the popularity. Gone is the desire to make him a king.

What happened? What turned the frenzied mass into an exiting group of spiritual de-pledges?

Jesus happened. He raised the bar. He got down to brass tacks. He told them the truth. He asked for commitment. He explained discipleship and he called his followers to find their life in him. And then they bolted.

When Jesus stripped away the bells and whistles, when he asked the crowd to carry their crosses with him, he and his original twelve suddenly found themselves with plenty of elbow-room.

No thanks. If these feedings are going to come at a cost, we’ll take our chances on our own.

Sad, right? But very relevant. I meet former followers every day. They once fell in love with Jesus, but then something happened. They met a girl or they took a job or they got mad at their pastor or they just become lazy and entitled, and suddenly Jesus wasn’t quite so attractive. They dropped out. They became former followers. Or worse, former disciples.

I wonder if you know any former followers. I wonder if you are one. Maybe you were turned off by something and left Jesus to fend for yourself. How’s that going for you? How’s life after Jesus? My guess is you’re just like the crowd above—hungry and aimless.

Here’s great news for all former followers: it’s amnesty week. You can return to Jesus any time you’re ready, but you have to do so on his terms. Meet him where he is, pick up your cross and start following.

There are no negotiated truces with Jesus. Only absolute surrender.

Are you ready?

 

 

 

What Does God Want You to Do?

What Does God Want You to Do?

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29

It’s a curious thing: We always want to know what God wants from us. We ask questions like:

What is God’s will for this specific thing?

Or, what does God want me to do now?

Or, are there five steps for knowing God better?

We want a plan. We want a formula.

But there are no steps for a better relationship with God. The entire endeavor begins and ends with faith.

In this verse, the crowd that Jesus had fed the day before wanted to know what they needed to do to basically guarantee future feedings. They were used to the finely tuned rules and regulations of the Pharisees, so they expected that Jesus would have his own To Do list as well.

It must have been shocking for them when Jesus produced no such list: Just believe in me, and everything else will take care of itself.

As you face the rest of your day, I hope you find that encouraging. God doesn’t have a list for you to accomplish today. The work God wants you to do today isn’t work at all. He only wants one thing: Believe in his Son. Because as you believe in Jesus, your worship, love, obedience and behavior will follow.

Go ahead and breathe a prayer of belief right now: Jesus, I believe in you today. I trust you today. I surrender you today. I worship you today. Rule and reign in me.

That’s the work of God. Amen.

Will’s Letter to ACF, October 24, 2014

 

The Loneliest Place on Earth

The Loneliest Place on Earth

Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. John 6:23

No place is as lonely as the place where Jesus used to be.

It was the day after the miracle.

Yesterday, the crowds had eaten their fill. Today, they are again hungry.

Yesterday, they had heard the words of life. Today, they hear only the dry, desert wind.

Yesterday, they were with Jesus. Today, they’re alone without him.

No place is as lonely as the place where Jesus used to be.

Jesus is not in the business of building cathedrals. He doesn’t plant monuments to his great works. He’s always on the move; always on the go. Those who want to hang out in the afterglow of a miracle are very likely to miss the next one. And yet some people spend their entire lives trying to maintain what Jesus used to be doing.

No place is as lonely as the place where Jesus used to be.

As you read this, maybe you’re like that desert plain. Maybe your life is the scene of something Jesus once did, but not of what he is doing. Maybe there once was a time when you were holy ground–you were the place where God turned your basic water into beautiful red wine. Or maybe you were the place where Jesus cast out a demon and set your once-captive life free.

But that was then, and Jesus has moved on; and for some reason you didn’t move with him. You feel like that place where Jesus used to be, but not where he is.

That can all change right now. Because the Jesus who healed you or fed you or set you free back then has a beautiful and brand new work to do in you today. His mercies are new every morning. He will meet you now, in a fresh way and with a new work. But he’s going to want you to travel with him. You don’t get to sit and just enjoy his blessing. He’s wants you to go with him and be part of the next healing or feeding or rescue.

Jesus doesn’t want monuments; he wants messengers. Be one, and you’ll never be without him again.

 

 

 

Nothing Short of a Miracle

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I am a fan of Windriver Ranch.

WR is a world-class Christian dude ranch in Estes Park, Colorado. The staff and amazing team at WR have significant impact on countless lives and families every year. I am quite proud to co-labor with them and to recommend them to you.

On September 12, 2013, during the worst flooding in Colorado history, WR was hit by two terrible mudslides. The second hit at 11:15 PM when 16 pastors and their spouses, and the WR were tucked away in their cabins. They heard what sounded like “a thousand machine guns going off at the same time.” What they heard was actually the sound of over 2000 mountain pines being shattered and ripped out of the ground by hundreds of tons of mud and rock that was barreling down the mountain–and straight for them.

What happened next is nothing short of miraculous. As the mudslide hit the camp property, it mysterious and inexplicably broke into three fingers. The result was that instead of the major wall of mud and rocks slamming into the cabins, the slide actually went right by the cabins that are scattered along the center of the camp.

In the photo below, you can see the slide and the fingers at the bottom. The large, wooded and unaffected section between the fingers is where most of the WR cabins and staff housing are located.

The damage caused by the slide is very severe, but NO ONE WAS HURT. And while there has been a devastating blow to the camp, WR is rebuilding and is going to come back better than ever.

Will you help rebuild WR? And while you’re at it, why not book a reservation for a week in 2014! I’d love to see you there!

Below is a video that shows more of the flood damage and talks about the vision for rebuilding WR. It will move and inspire you. If you’d like to donate to WR’s rebuilding effort (Susie and I already have and will again!), CLICK HERE.

Wind

Wind

A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough . . . . . they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. John 6:18-19

Years ago I was trying to win a young man to Jesus. He was a rough kid who had narrowly escaped death in a bar fight. He’d lost the use of his right hand in the fight and his injury only added to his anger.

I decided that this young man needed to go to youth camp with us and I began praying to that end. Every time I brought up the camp to my friend he just laughed at me. He had no interest in going.

On the day we were leaving for camp I stopped by his house for one final ask. He was out in his yard, so our conversation took place outside. A late spring cold front was blowing in that morning, and the wind was really picking up. I told my friend that every gust of wind was Jesus telling him how much he loved him and that he should go to camp.

The crazy thing is that the more we talked, the harder the wind blew. After just a few minutes we had to shout to hear each other over the wind. Finally, my friend plopped his heavy right hand on my shoulder and said, “Tell him to stop. I’ll go!”

It’s curious to me that the very storm the disciples feared is the one that brought Jesus to them. Sometimes Jesus is in the still small voice, and other times he’s in the rushing wind.

At some point today you’re probably going to feel the wind in your face. Don’t miss the point. The words for wind and spirit in the New Testament are one and the same. And how did the Spirit show up in the Upper Room in Acts 2? In a mighty rushing wind.

Lord, let your wind blow today.