Taking Baby Steps

Second Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Walking by faith might mean stepping into unfamiliar territory, doing something that you’ve never done before. To break out of your comfort zone, you must take a step of faith through the fear barrier that keeps you from moving forward.

In the comedy movie What About Bob?, Bill Murray plays a man who is afraid of everything. He works up the courage to go to a psychiatrist, who tells him that the answer to his problem is to take baby steps. Bill asks, “What are a baby steps?”

The psychiatrist explains, “It means setting small reasonable goals for yourself, one tiny step at a time. For instance, when you leave this office, don’t think about everything you have to do to get out of the building, just think about what you must do to get out of the room. And when you get to the hall, deal with the hall, and so on. Do you see?”

Bill Murray says, “Baby steps!” As he leaves, he takes six-inch steps as he’s repeating to himself, “Baby steps . . . baby steps through the office . . . baby steps out the door . . .”

What is keeping your inside your comfort zone? To walk by faith, you must first take a step of faith. It doesn’t have to be a huge step. It can be a baby step—but just do it by faith, trusting God to lead you down the right path.(Slaying Your Giants, Hendrickson Publishers, 2013, p. 89)

You can purchase my new book Slaying Your Giants from Christian Book Distributors or your local Christian bookstore.  To read sample chapters, go to www.kentcrockett.com  (The book includes a free 20-Lesson Discussion Guide for Small Group Studies)

A Way to Cure Your Anger Problem

When we moved from Kansas to Georgia, my new job required me to start work before I could get my family moved. My wife stayed behind and cleaned out the house, getting rid of many things so we wouldn't have to move them.
      After we got settled in Georgia, I couldn’t find several items I had been looking for. One of those things was a carved wooden elephant that my mother had given to me. I said, “Honey, have you seen my wooden elephant? I can’t find it anywhere.”
      She said, “Well, uh, I sold it in the garage sale. I didn’t think you wanted it.”
      “You what?” I said in disbelief. “You sold my elephant in a garage sale? I loved that elephant! Why did you do that?” It really upset me that she had sold my prized possession for a few bucks.
      Sometimes God can speak unexpectedly, and in this case He did. As I was thinking about my loss, He said, “Why don’t you give the elephant to me?”
      “Because I don’t have it anymore,” I answered. “How can I give it to you if I don’t have it?”
      The Lord said, “It’s still in your heart. You can offer it to me as a gift.”
      I had never thought of that before. And so I did. I prayed, “Lord, I want to give you the wooden elephant as an offering. Even though I don’t own it anymore, it’s still in my heart, and I give it to you. It’s yours and I won’t ask for it back. Amen.”
      Suddenly I wasn’t angry anymore! How could I be mad about something that I had placed in God’s hands as a gift? I realized that I had discovered a truth that I could share with others. Since then, I’ve shared this experience with others who were upset over things they couldn’t recover. Just offer it to God as an offering.
      Later I was in a store and spotted a miniature elephant about the same size as my wooden one (see the above picture). I felt as though God wanted to replace the one I had given up, and since it was only $15, I bought it.
      Sometimes, if you’ll react in the right way and do what God says, He will find a way to make it up to you. (Slaying Your Giants, Hendrickson Publishers, 2013, p. 136.)
Read sample chapters of Slaying Your Giants at www.kentcrockett.com

What's Stopping You?

When Mordecai Brown was a child he always dreamed of becoming a professional baseball pitcher.  His dream was dashed when his hand was mangled in a farm accident that severed his index finger, part of another finger, and broke his other fingers.  The bones were not set properly so they healed in a deformed position. Even so, he tried rehabilitating by throwing rocks at knotholes on the barn wall. Over time he not only learned to throw again, but was able to throw an unusual curve ball because of the odd position of his fingers.

Amazingly, Mordecai, also known as “Three Finger,” became a pro baseball pitcher, winning 239 games in the major leagues and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame!  Brown’s handicap enabled him to throw pitches with an unconventional movement that left batters bewildered—the curve ball that Ty Cobb once called “the most devastating” he had ever faced.

What handicap is stopping you from reaching your destiny?  Your perceived weaknesses can make you more dependent upon God so that only He can do it through you.  God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).  Paul responded, “Most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. . . for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Surrender your weaknesses, handicaps, and setbacks into God’s hands, and then allow His power to work through you.  And once He does it, don’t forget to give Him the credit.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Slaying Your Giants in bookstores on April 30!  Read sample chapters at www.kentcrockett.com

The Way Out of Confusion

When a scuba diver is deep underwater, it's difficult to tell which way is up because the water diffuses the light and he can't feel the pull of gravity. He can easily become disoriented and lose his sense of direction. His mind will start playing tricks on him, telling him that up is down and down is up. If the diver panics, he will place his life in danger if he swims in the wrong direction.

The diver can get out of his predicament if he'll remember one simple rule--to follow his air bubbles. Scuba divers are taught that no matter which way he thinks is the right direction, the bubbles are always correct. They never go sideways. They never go down. They always go up. The diver must ignore his own sense of direction and trust his air bubbles to guide him.

It’s easy to get confused in today's world when so many voices are shouting at us that right is wrong—and wrong is right. Don’t be fooled by the pressure to conform. When you aren't sure what to believe, remember one simple rule--follow what the Lord says. Just as the air bubbles are never wrong, the Bible is always correct and will point you in the right direction, even when people may say otherwise. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Prov. 3:5-6).

So don't follow the way that seems right, which is wrong. Trust your air bubbles, God's Word, and you will always go up.

http://www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Coming April 30, 2013: Slaying Your Giants by Kent Crockett (Hendrickson Publishers) 

If Chimps Could Talk

Chimpanzees have actually been taught how to use sign language, and what they have to say is revealing. Stephen Pinker, in his book The Language Instinct, talks about chimps expressing their thoughts through sign language. A chimp named Nim gave this message: "Nim eat Nim eat. Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you."

Examining the chimp's messages, two things stand out. First, Nim tends to say the same things over and over. Second, nearly every sentence Nim utters is a personal request. (Marv Hinten, Light & Life, March/April 2004)

Now suppose that chimps were taught to pray to God. What would their prayers sound like? Reflecting on Nim's examples, we can assume chimp prayers would be repetitive and self-centered. "Me banana You banana me You give banana me eat." That sounds a lot like human prayers!

I'll admit that I sometimes sound like Nim when I pray.  I've prayed monkey prayers, repeatedly telling God what I want.  Jesus instructed us to not get caught in that trap. "And when you are praying do not use meaningless repetitions as the Gentiles do" (Matt. 6:7).

Perhaps we need to learn to pray in a new way.  Instead of repeatedly telling God what we want (you give banana me eat), maybe we need to intercede for someone we've never prayed for before. Can you think of someone on this planet who needs your prayers? Anyone? Maybe if we'll spend more time interceding for others, God will also give us what we want, even if we don't ask for it.

http://www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Coming April 30, 2013: Slaying Your Giants by Kent Crockett (Hendrickson Publishers) 

The Cross-Examination

My friend who is color blind told me, “I have no idea what the color green looks like.”  I pointed at some grass and asked, “What color is that to you?”  He said, “It looks yellow to me.”  It dawned me that the world I had seen all my life was not the same world that he had seen.  Some people are also “color blind” when it comes to what they see on the cross.  They don't really see what happened there.  If you will do a cross-examination…

1) …You will see a King dying for you.  One of the thieves crucified next to Jesus said to Him, “Remember me in your kingdom."  He saw Jesus was King reigning over a Kingdom, and it was in the next life, not on earth.  Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)  When you examine the cross, do you see a King dying there?  

2) …You will see your sins placed on Jesus.   1 Pet. 2:24 says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.”  Who is “our”?  Yours and mine.  Something happened on the cross that couldn’t be seen with your physical eyes.  All the sins of the world were placed inside Jesus in a moment of time.  

3) …You will see the blood of Jesus cleansing you from all your sins.  1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  All of your sins were placed upon Him, and you cannot get into heaven unless all your sins are forgiven. If you get an ink stain on your shirt, the way to get it clean is by putting a chemical on it that’s stronger than the ink. The blood of Jesus is the only thing that’s stronger than your sin, and is the only thing that can cleanse you spiritually. 

4) …You will see a gift that needs to be received.  Eph. 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves. It is God’s gift.”  Even though Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, it does not mean everyone will go to heaven. Salvation is available to everyone, but it must be received.

If I buy you a $10,000 gift and hold it out to give it to you, only one thing is left before it becomes yours.  You must receive the gift.  Even though it’s paid for, it’s not yours until you reach out and take it. John 1:12 says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”  Do you see what happened on the cross?

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Coming April 30, 2013: Slaying Your Giants by Kent Crockett (Hendrickson Publishers) 

The Glasses You Wear

Why do people look at the same situation and see something different? It’s because of the glasses they wear. Suppose three people wearing different colored sunglasses all look at the same white piece of paper lying on a table. The one wearing pink glasses sees the paper as pink, the person with yellow glasses views yellow, and the one wearing blue glasses sees blue. When asked to explain what they see, they argue about the true color of the paper.

They each view the paper as a different color because they look through different glasses. Because they are looking through colored lenses, it filters the way they perceive the paper so they can’t see it as white. The same principle applies to the way we view life. The sinful attitudes in our hearts turn into the “colored lenses” that distort our perspectives.

Unfortunately, not all glasses are rose-colored. Negative people view their world through pessimist glasses. Restless people constantly search for greener grass because they look through discontentment glasses. People who imagine that others avoid them wear rejection glasses. Inferiority glasses make people see themselves in a self-destructive way. Envy glasses will make you upset when others appear to have more, while jealousy glasses make you suspicious and controlling.

 

A warped outlook on life creates conflict with others, causes us to sink into depression, views others suspiciously, and even makes us hate ourselves. Self insists on seeing everything through its own dogmatic point of view. “All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives” (Proverbs 16:2). The only way to remove your tinted glasses is by correcting the sinful attitude in your heart. You can take off your glasses by praying:

“Lord, I realize that I have (name the wrong attitude) in my heart. I realize that this sin is distorting my perspective and is (destroying my marriage, creating tension, etc.). I repent of this sin and will not let it ruin my life anymore. I choose to see my situation from your perspective, not mine. Amen.”

(Note: This is an excerpt from my book, I Once Was Blind but Now I Squint. It is out of print, but many of the chapters are including in my book Slaying Your Giants, which will be released April 30, 2013.)

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com