Women of Noble Character

As I was seeking guidance from the Lord recently on direction and purpose for my life, He led me to read the book of Proverbs.  While I was reminded of some great wisdom like not making hasty decisions, the value of hard work, and the pursuit of "ill-gotten treasures," the last chapter is what God really intended for me to see:

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character (Proverbs 31:10-31)

   A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
   Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
   She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
   She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
   She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
   She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
   She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
  She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
   She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
   In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
   She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
   When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
   She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
   Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
   She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
   She is clothed with strength and dignity,
she can laugh at the days to come.
   She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
   She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
   Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
   "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
   Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
   Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
 
I have to admit that it broke from my view of the "traditional" role of women during Bible times, and it revealed to me that I don't have to bear the burden of making life decisions or providing for my family alone.  God intended for my marriage to be a partnership with a strong woman of "noble character," which I fortunately already have with an amazing wife who is doing everything Proverbs 31 describes!

My wife works full-time, waking up "while it is still night" to get everyone ready for work and school, before she heads off to work herself.  She is an incredibly hard worker who is always productive in everything she does, and helps guide me in making good decisions for our family.  And in my selfish focus on what "I" need to be doing with the next phase of my life, I had forgotten that with a wife of noble character, I don't have to do it alone. I need to take advantage of God's gift of a spouse and partner who has strengths I don't have, and I should be a better steward of the "earnings" she is bringing into the family, whether it's a job or the work she does at home.

As Proverbs so rightly says, having a woman of noble character brings honor to her husband, and he should be honoring her for what she is doing to prosper the family.  If you are stuck in your purpose or what's next for you, what women in your life can you be leaning on for guidance and support?  I'm thankful for the many women of noble character that God has blessed me with, including my mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers, cousins, aunts, co-workers, and friends who have given me wisdom and shown me the value of hard work, and in some cases doing all the work, to provide a good life for their families.

Are you honoring and seeking wisdom from your "women of noble character'?

-Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

Discounting Your Children

"When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands before the Lord.  But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  -1 Samuel 16:6-7

When my oldest son got into his preschool years, we started getting feedback from teachers that he was behind developmentally.  As a parent we typically see nothing but the amazing things our child is doing as he or she grows, and how "brilliant" they appear to be for their age.  But then reality can sink in when they are grouped with other kids, and teachers who have seen hundreds of kids come through their classes see their strengths and weaknesses, and paint a more realistic picture.

Year after year, we had somber meetings with teachers and staff, as they expressed concern over our son's development, both academically and socially.  He was held back in kindergarten, and even then his scores were lower than average.  I had always done well in school, so this whole experience was foreign to me.  I was just happy to see him get a passing grade on a test, much less an A or B.  Instead of eagerly anticipating reports from school on his academic and social achievements, I was relieved if we didn't hear anything for a period of time, because no news was good news.

One night a few years ago, as I was thinking about my kids' futures and resigning myself to my oldest son's mediocrity (at best), God said to me, "Don't discount your son.  I have special plans for him too!"

It was both an encouragement and admonition as I realized that I had discounted my son. It didn't mean I loved him any less or that I wasn't going to do everything I could to give him the best life possible.  But I had given up hope for a bright future based on how the world saw my son, and I had accepted it.

Thankfully, his Creator, the One who gave my son life and an exciting future filled with a powerful destiny and amazing adventures, never discounted him.  As much as a parent can (and should) have a positive influence on a child's life, and God wants us to steward our children well, He doesn't need us to fulfill His purpose for our children.  We can look at examples of people from all walks of life, with both good and bad parents, easy or hard situations, come into God's purpose for their lives because of the individual relationships they pursued with God, and more importantly, God's pursuit of them.

Since that message from God, I'm happy to report that my son is doing great in school, and socially with many friends, as he is developing into who God created him to be.  And last year he asked to be baptized and accepted Jesus as Lord!  I can't say that I'm doing much if anything to contribute to his current success, so I know that God is at work in my son in ways I'll never know.  And I'm comforted knowing that a Father who knows and loves my son even more than I do is in control of his destiny, and I'm just here to help steward him on the journey.

I hope this message serves two purposes - first, to make sure you don't discount your children. If you see your kids the way God sees them, you wouldn't ever have a need or desire to do so.  And secondly, if you grew up in a home where your parents discounted you, or favored another sibling over you, know that your future isn't determined by your earthly parents.  It's determined by God your Father, His Son Jesus who saw so much value in you that he chose to die for you, and the Holy Spirit that is excited to fill you with His presence and guide you into your destiny as a child of the King!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." - Romans 8:28-29

-Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com 

The Dangers of Significance

This article was originally posted as a guest blog for John W. Nichols, missionary and author of GOD is HERE: Finding God in the Pain of a Broken World.  Thanks to John for allowing me to contribute to his blog!

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23-24

Let's start this blog with a quiz.  Which of these four postures of relating to God is the right one:

A) Life Under God - God is happy or mad, depending on my performance.
B) Life Above God - My way is better than God's.
C) Life From God - I want God's benefits, but I'm not really interested in Him.
D) Life For God - I have a need to be significant and to do something great for God.

(Taken from the book, "With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God"  by Skye Jethani)

When I was first asked this question in a training session I attended at my church, I knew the obvious answer was D.  After being "activated" into more with God and experiencing incredible healing miracles, connections, and spiritual encounters, I was on fire for God. I was on a mission to tell everyone I knew about this amazing God, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that had transformed my life, and I couldn't wait to return the favor by doing important things for the Kingdom.  I was going to be a general in His army, sharing the gospel and making God proud of me.

The problem is none of these postures are correct, even the desire to live a life for God.  Because if I really searched my heart, I was motivated by what these significant accomplishments were going to do for ME, either in this earthly life or as a reward in heaven.

God's greatest desire is just to be WITH us.  And when you think about it from a parent's perspective, it makes sense. If one of my sons asked me what he needed to do for me to love him more, I would quickly say, "Nothing, I already love you unconditionally."  If my kids spent their life feeling a need to do something significant to achieve my love, I would tell them they have it all wrong  If a flawed, earthly father feels this way, how much more does our perfect heavenly Father, who gave his only Son to be with us for eternity?

Pastor Robert Morris from Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, put it another way in a recent sermon.  He talked about the four stages of spiritual maturity:

• Give Me
• Use Me
• Search Me 
• Make Me

Our earliest stage of faith involves prayers that look more like wish lists.  Our relationship may look like that of our young children, who from my own experience are constantly asking me to buy them things.  Even though the second stage, Use Me, may appear to come from the right place, this is the same stage mentioned above; we are asking God to use us so we can be significant, and have an impact that's motivated more by selfish ambitions and desires. It's only by moving to the stages of Search Me, and finally Make Me, that we learn to totally surrender to God's will and direction for our lives, and realize that freedom comes from releasing ourselves from the pressure and human desires for significance and importance.

It's also important to note that being at various stages of spiritual maturity is not an admonition that you are doing something wrong.  I don't criticize a two year old for what they do at that age; I just help guide them into maturity at their pace of development and do my part to accelerate their maturity where it's needed.  God's view of where you are in your walk is no different - He wants to see that you are making an effort to grow in maturity, and will step in to guide you when it appears you need help.

It's human nature to focus on ourselves, reinforced by the world's view of having to do something important or significant to achieve success, to be liked or admired by others, or to have a following.  Fortunately for us, we can be free of this pressure and released from the dangers of significance by surrendering to God, making Jesus the Lord of our lives, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us into spiritual maturity.  Chase after the heart of God, and you'll find the only thing of real significance - relationship with Him.

Make it count, leave a mark, build a name for yourself

Dream your dreams, chase your heart, above all else

Make a name the world remembers

But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams

I got lost in the light when it was up to me

To make a name the world remembers

But Jesus is the only name to remember

And I, I don't want to leave a legacy

I don't care if they remember me

Only Jesus

From the song "Only Jesus" by Casting Crowns

-Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

Saved Just For You

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

When I wrote my first book, "Activation," the title came to mind as the best way to describe what happened to me when God flipped the switch on my life and "activated" me for service in the Kingdom.  As a reminder, the definition of Activation is:

• The process whereby something is prepared or excited for a subsequent reaction
• To accelerate a reaction, as by heat
• To set in motion
• Making active or effective
• Putting an individual or unit on active (military) duty

I named my ministry the "Activation Movement" as I wanted to create a movement of others experiencing the fullness of relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. And since that time, I've seen others in ministry using the word "activation" to describe the jump start for more that we should all desire as we seek our Triune God.

Later in the journey as I was on a walk one day, I was thinking about my ministry and how it could be used, when I heard God say, "I saved that name for you!"  It blew me away that God knows each of us intimately and saves assignments, business or ministry names, our spouses and children, and more, just for us!

To confirm this message from God, I met Robby Dawkins, a well known pastor and author, who happened to move to my neighborhood in Texas.  When I told him about my own book, he was blown away, as he had told his publisher that he wanted to call his book, "Activation"!  His publisher recommended a book title that was better aligned to the titles of his other books, allowing me to have a book and ministry with a unique name in the Christian community.  God really had saved that name for me!

So my question for you is, what opportunities, businesses, ministries, relationships, and more does God have planned just for you?  We are all unique in God's eyes, with a special purpose in the grand unfolding of history.  God planned for our creation and existence in the world at the exact, pre-planned time that He intended.  Ask God what unique opportunities He has placed in His plan for your life, and take advantage of the blessings that God has saved JUST FOR YOU!

"My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be." 

- Psalm 139:15-16

15 

- Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com 

I Just Want You

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples made by human hands.  Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else." - Acts 17:34-25

I was sitting on the balcony of my mother-in-law's condo on the Florida coast, watching the sun rise over boats motoring across the causeway and birds sailing overhead.  I prayed in the spirit (in tongues) and invited God's presence.  I saw a vision of angels gathering around me in prayer, so I released them to their spiritual assignments in the heavenly realms.  Opening my hands to receive His presence, I felt a surge of energy and heat flowing through my hands.

In that perfect moment, feeling the amazing love in God's presence, I wanted so badly to do something for God, so I asked Him, "What do you want or need from me?"  He replied, "Son, I just want you."

What a freeing statement - to know that God wants nothing more than a relationship with us.  Even though this revelation should be obvious when you think about it, we all get caught in the trap of humanity, where our worth is measured by our performance and accomplishments.  For example, when Jesus was transfigured in front of Peter, James, and John, and Elijah and Moses appeared to talk with Jesus, Peter's reaction was to say, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.  Let us put up three shelters, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  Peter did this because "they were all so terrified that Peter did not know what else to say." (Mark 9:5-6)

This shows us that our natural human tendency is to do something instead of what God really wants, which is just to be with us.  When you think about your own children, wouldn't you react the same way? Aren't your favorite moments with your children the times when they just wanted to sit your lap and be held? And if one of them asked you, "What do you need or want from me?", wouldn't you also just want them to stay still and remain in your arms? Instead, we get up from God's presence and go about our tasks of doing to obtain favor from God, when all He wanted was to hold us a little longer.

The spirit of the Antichrist wants us to be caught up in doing versus being, and it causes us to be drawn to the false religions that exist today.  Reinhard Bonnke, a well-know evangelist, said this, "When I stand up to preach the Gospel, I often preach to people who have no idea who God is, because they worship idols, very terrible idols.  They spread the table for their gods.  And I tell them, the Christian God does it the other way around - He spreads the table for His children.  And in the other religions, the people always seek God, but in the Christian faith, God seeks man."

Christians can just as easily get trapped in a religion of doing versus being, as we think ritual or works gets us into right relationship with God.  But we'll never be good enough on our own to be in right standing with God - only Jesus, who became sin for us on the cross, can bridge the gap and bring us to the Father in good standing.

Jesus has already done everything needed to bring you into relationship with the Father.  So free yourself from the expectation that God needs or wants something from you - He just wants you!

"Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have opened.  Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.  Then I said, "Here I am, I have come - it it written about me in the scroll: I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart." - Psalm 40:6-7

- Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

The Living God - A Guest Blog by John W. Nichols

A guest blog from friend and author John W. Nichols:

Once again, I’ve come to the realization that I need Jesus. It’s times like these I’m comforted by the fact I worship the living God—He who speaks, sees, hears, smells, feels, and walks. But I have to confess I often act as if He isn’t present or interested. I lay down at night too many times having settled with rote prayers and not giving Him room in the conversation. If you too ever fall into this, would you pray with me?

“I’m sorry, God, for making You interrupt me instead of seeking You. When I call, I will remember You answer.”

Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
They have hands, but they cannot feel;
They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
Those who make them will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.

You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear the Lord,
The small together with the great.
May the Lord give you increase,
You and your children.
May you be blessed of the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth.

—Psalm 115:4-8, 11-15 NASB

I need Him right now and I know I’m not alone in this. I need His whisper of direction. I need to look in His eyes and see Him nod while listening to my prayer. I need to hear the woosh of His breath as He inhales my fragrant offering of worship. I need to lay on His chest, like the disciple Jesus loved, and know He feels my adoration. I need Him to run with me in excitement. I need the living God.

Some things that get in our way from experiencing God:

• We do all the talking. We don’t do this with our personal relationships, we shouldn’t do it to God either.
• We don’t listen because we know what we want Him to say or we think we wouldn’t like what He has to say. God’s plans are what’s best for us. Even when we don’t know it or feel it—we want what He desires for us.
• If we’re honest, we don’t make an effort to seek Him, wait on Him, and listen. It’s not enough to say a daily prayer at night or read a one year Bible plan or devotional. It takes a sacrifice of time to seek God with a genuine heart.

The living God wants to interact with us, and we desperately need Him to. For those who want more on this topic along with practical tips, I’ve recorded a 40-minute teaching on communing with Jesus, the ways He speaks, and walking in His plans for your life. It’s called "God is Trying to Tell You Something" and you can get it free here.

John W. Nichols

GodAndYouAndMe.com

Author of GOD is HERE: Finding God in the Pain of a Broken World. Get the FREE audiobook and ebook here.

He Is Not Your Friend - Dealing With Demonic Spirits

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Joel 2:32

The depression and negativity set in slowly.  Like anything that happens gradually,  I didn't realize I was trapped in it until the chains were too thick and strong to get out of them easily.  As I allowed myself to be convinced of the lies about my worth, my purpose, my relationship with God, the goodness of God, and any hope for the future, I woke up one day wondering how long it's been like this.  I couldn't point to the time when I was happy, or was I ever happy?  Maybe it's always been there.

And strangely, the depression provided comfort.  I could physically feel it blanketing me like a cloak.  And it's okay that it's there, because I'm not to blame for my circumstances - God did this, or my boss, or my spouse, or my parents.  Or if it was my fault, what could I do about it now?  I was winning at some point there, but life happened, and now any hope for getting out of this situation is circling the drain. Like Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, "Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless!"  At least I have heaven to look forward to, so I guess I'll just bide my time with the hand I've been dealt until I reach that place of bliss.

Despite the amazing things that I had been blessed with in my life, all the books I'd read, the freedom classes and programs I'd attended, the songs I heard on the radio every day, and the Word of God I read regularly, this is the place I'd found myself in.

But then I saw a video on YouTube titled, "How Demons Can Cause Negative Thinking" and decided to check it out.  Derek Prince, a pastor who specialized in deliverance ministry until his passing in 2003, had a similar period of depression that he couldn't shake, despite prayer and fasting, and reading the Word.  To become free, he found Isaiah 61:3's reference to putting on "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness," and learned that 80% of the battle is realizing that his depression came from a person (demon), not himself.  There are some areas of bondage that originate from our earthly flesh and sin nature, but many times a demon is responsible for the onslaught of negative emotions - depression, anger, loneliness, fear - that we allow into our thought life.  And if we permit those negative emotions to take root through agreement, it can take us down a dangerous path.

The other 20% of the way to deliverance comes from calling on the name of the Lord (Joel 2:32).  So as Derek led the audience in prayer, I prayed his prayer along with them:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you are the son of God and the only way to God.  That you died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead.  I now confess to you any sins for which  you have made me conscious, and for all sins committed by my ancestors.  (Confess any sins the Holy Spirit brings to your mind). Lord, I repent of all sins I have ever committed. I hate them and I turn from them.  I turn to you Lord Jesus for mercy and forgiveness.  

If I have been involved in the occult, I repent and I renounce it.  I severe myself from it through the blood of Jesus.  If I have occult objects in my possession, I commit myself to get rid of them.  

Lord, I forgive any person who has ever harmed or wronged me.  I forgive them, just as you forgive me.  (Name the persons you need to forgive.  The one that is hardest is the one you most need to say.).  

Lord, to the best of my ability, I have met your conditions and I now claim your promise: "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be delivered."  I am calling on you now.  In the name of the Lord Jesus, deliver me from all evil spirits.  I hate them.  They are not my friends.  They are my enemies and I command them to go from me now, in the name of Jesus."

Praying over the audience in commanding the demons present to leave, Derek said something I had never heard before: "He is not your friend.  You hate him.  He has to go.  Get out!"

What a strange thing to say! Of course he is not your friend.  But the following morning, while driving to work, I went into my place of depression as I prepared for another difficult day of work.  And I felt myself "putting on a cloak" as I mentally shifted into my now familiar state of depression.  But something interesting happened - it wasn't there! I could physically feel that it was gone, and from everything I had heard the night before in the video, it all suddenly made sense.  It was a spirit that I had allowed to become part of my identity, even if it was destructive.  And it was surprisingly difficult to let go - I even found myself "missing" the feeling when I realized it was gone, because it was an easy excuse to remain in my present situation.  This aligns to other accounts of demonic oppression I had read about, where the first step in casting out the spirit is that the person has to want it to leave.

Do you have any demonic spirits that have become part of your identity? Demons with names like Anger, Depression, Fear, Rebellion, Pride, Loneliness, or Rejection?  Or maybe they are "familiar" spirits that have been passed on to you from your family line with a history of addiction, mental illness, or dealing with the occult.  Pray the prayer I shared above, and tell it to go. He is not your friend.  You hate him.  And invite your true friend, the Holy Spirit, to come into that space in it's place, so you can experience the fullness of joy in Christ.

(For more resources and help with your freedom journey, visit Gateway Church's Freedom page here.You can also view Derek Prince's deliverance video in Part 1 and Part 2, or contact me for any other help you may need!)

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 

- 2 Corinthians 3:17

- Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com