How are you?  How can such a simple question provoke such a complex response?  Perhaps the complexity of the answer is why we typically just say, “fine” even when that response clearly masks the truth.  A truthful answer would simply require more of an investment in time than you or your friend are willing to make.  After all, this common exchange is more of a courtesy than an honest inquiry into the well-being of the other individual, right?

This is probably true, but it’s still worthwhile to consider the reality behind the courtesy.  How are you really?  As I wrote last week, God created us with three fundamental states that can be described as emotional, physical and spiritual tanks.  Today, we are focusing on the physical tank.  It is the easiest tank for us to evaluate in others and in ourselves.  In some ways, it is the foundation for the other tanks.  If your physical tank is empty, it can be a real struggle to maintain your emotional and spiritual tanks.  I believe that is why Jesus frequently met his followers’ physical needs (feeding them and healing them) before he ministered to their spiritual and emotional needs.  I think you also see this same pattern as God ministered to Elijah in I Kings chapter 19.

After Elijah engaged in a spiritual showdown with 450 prophets of the false god Baal and defeated them through the power of God, Queen Jezebel passed a death sentence upon Elijah for killing the false prophets and she placed a bounty on Elijah’s head.  When Elijah heard about the death sentence, he turned and ran into the desert to escape the queen.  I Kings 19:3-4 recorded Elijah’s actions and his thoughts:

Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.  But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Why did the mighty Elijah turn tail and run even though God had already made him victorious over the 450 false prophets?  Because Elijah was human just like you and me and in the battle of the previous day, he had run his three tanks empty.  Notice how God ministered to Elijah, first concentrating on his physical condition.  Remember, Elijah had battled the false prophets all day without any recorded meals and then he won a foot race with King Ahab (who was in a chariot) from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel.  Read I Kings 19:5-8:

And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.”  And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.  And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”  And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

When Elijah got to Horeb, God ministered to Elijah spiritually and emotionally but first he helped Elijah refill his physical tank.  I believe Elijah needed to have a full physical tank before God could deal with him emotionally and spiritually.

I have found this to be true in my life as well.  Last year I found myself running consistently on a low physical tank.  I was able to get through an average day OK but if the day was challenging, I had a difficult time dealing with things emotionally and I found it more difficult to focus on my spiritual disciplines.  I also came down with several infections in the summer and fall.  It is rare for me to get sick more than once or twice per year.  One Sunday morning, I got up to preach a lesson to my church family and I became very light-headed on the way to the pulpit.  I was scared by that experience and so that week I went to the doctor to get a physical evaluation.  I found out my thyroid was underperforming and a little hormone pill taken once per day has refilled my physical tank.  Within a few weeks of starting the hormone regimen, I couldn’t believe the difference in my daily energy level and how much more stable I was emotionally.  I also found my spiritual life reinvigorated.  It was shortly after I began feeling better that I was motivated to begin Intersections.  I thank God for my diagnosis and a quick and easy fix.  I know many others struggle with physical tank problems without a quick or easy fix.

This experience helped me appreciate the lesson of Elijah first hand.  It is very difficult to maintain our emotional and spiritual tanks when our physical state is out-of-whack.  However, it is not impossible.  I have been impressed and humbled by the examples of so many who have struggled with chronic or even terminal health conditions, suffering through chemotherapy and radiation treatments that leave their physical tanks bone dry while they seem to have emotional and spiritual tanks that overflow with energy.  In the right circumstances, I believe God can overcome the drag of a failing physical tank, recharging the other two tanks with the power of his Spirit.  Ellis, one of my friends and a genuine hero of the faith to me is a perfect example of this effect.  By the grace of God, Ellis has lived with his cancer two years longer than any doctor predicted.  During this time, Ellis has taken his chemotherapy which saps his physical strength but he is extremely positive at all times and he is a spiritual rock.  I am energized every time I see him simply from being in his presence. 

I also think you see this effect in the example of Jesus as he entered the wilderness for 40 days of fasting after which he was called to a face-to-face spiritual battle with Satan himself.  Although his physical tank was surely on empty, Jesus was completely victorious over the temptations of Satan.  I believe we can tap into that same power through God’s Spirit even when our physical tank is running low.  Over the next two weeks, we will continue to look at the example of Elijah and see how God refilled his emotional and spiritual tanks.  I think there are great lessons for us in the conclusion of this Bible story.

In the meantime, do everything in your power to take care of your physical tank this week.  Eat right, get enough sleep, take your vitamins, exercise appropriately and get regular health check-ups.  Don’t underestimate the importance of maintaining your physical tank so you are prepared for physical, emotional or spiritual battle.  It pays to always be prepared, because we never know when the battle will be upon us.

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

How are you?  It’s a question that is asked millions of times per day in hundreds of languages.  Even my native Texas language’s traditional greeting, “Howdy” is just short for “How do you do?”  I know I ask that question many times each day as I pass by my friends and associates in the office corridors and church hallways.  And what is the traditional response?  “I’m fine.”   Have you ever had someone answer differently when you asked that question as you passed by them in the hall?  Perhaps someone answered truthfully, “not so great, thanks for asking.”   How many times have we answered, “fine” when the truth was a different story.  When someone responded truthfully to the question, did you back up and inquire further into what was wrong or did you move on down the road pretending not to have heard the unusual response?  I admit (not very proudly) I’ve responded both ways.  So why do we engage in this familiar exchange that so often veils the truth?  Perhaps because the simple question can lead to a very complex truthful response.  Many times it’s easier to respond, “fine” than attempt to describe what’s not right in my life.  Many times, I’m not quite sure what’s wrong just that something’s out of whack.

The problem is that we are by nature complex beings.  Our creator God created us with several different states of being that can each be “fine” or “not so fine.”  At a basic level we all have at least three fundamental states that can be described as emotional, physical and spiritual states.  You may want to think of these states as reservoirs or tanks that are relatively full or empty of energy.  When all three tanks are full, you will likely be in good shape and can honestly respond, “fine” to the hallway question.  When any one tank is approaching empty, you will likely feel “not so fine” and two or more tanks on empty indicate a serious crisis is brewing in your life.

God created you and He knows you have these tanks that require attention in order to be healthy and happy.  The best example I can find in the Bible of this human phenomenon and God’s response to us when we are running on empty is in I Kings chapters 18 and 19.  In chapter 18, the mighty prophet Elijah engages in a spiritual showdown with 450 prophets of the false god Baal and defeats them through the power of God.  The false prophets are put to death and the people of Israel are left with no doubts about who is the one true God and what is an inanimate object worshipped as a false god.  Chapter 18 concludes with the victorious Elijah in a foot race with King Ahab in his chariot from Mt. Carmel back to the town of Jezreel.  Elijah on foot beat the king in his horse-drawn chariot.  One would think that Elijah, energized by his victory with God, would be full of confidence and unshakable in any circumstance. 

However, chapter 19 opens up with Queen Jezebel passing a death sentence upon Elijah for killing the false prophets and placing a bounty on Elijah’s head.  The powerful prophet who had single-handedly with the power of God alone defeated 450 prophets of Baal turned and ran into the desert.  Why?  Because Elijah was human and in the battle of the previous day, he had run his three tanks empty.  When we are running on three empty tanks, we are in no position to go into any sort of battle.  We will certainly be defeated.  So, we have to stay on top of the status of our tanks and ensure they are constantly filled. 

I think you will all recognize in our topsy-turvy modern world, it is all too easy to run our physical, emotional and spiritual tanks dry without taking the time and making the effort to recharge.  Over the next three articles, we will study the example of Elijah in chapter 19 and notice how God personally ministers to Elijah and recharges each of his three tanks.  I know I benefit every time I consider the story of Elijah in I Kings 19.  I think there is a very practical Biblical therapy in this chapter that can completely revolutionize our lives and help us truly be able to answer, “fine” when our friends and associates ask us, “How are you?”  Come back next week to see how critical it is that we maintain our physical tank.  You will also see that your physical health is a priority for God and he is also very interested in the question, “How are you?”

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

Have you ever felt defeated by fear and anxiety, unable to find the strength to take the next step?  I think when you look at the disciples of Jesus who in Luke chapter 24 were gathered together after his crucifixion, you see a group of people who were paralyzed by their fear and doubt concerning their future.  Their individual and collective expectations of the coming Messianic Kingdom had been dashed on the cross and with the Messiah’s body lying in a tomb they simply did not know what to do next.  Even the reports of the empty tomb from Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James seemed only to compound their confusion and anxiety.  In response to their fear, Jesus gave them the gift of his physical presence, reminded them of the testimony of the scriptures and he demonstrated his power over death which is the ultimate display of strength and power.  I believe Jesus gives us these same gifts to confront fear and uncertainty as I’ve written in the last three installments of Do Not Fear. 

However, I’ve saved the best gift for last.  As Jesus was saying his earthly “good-byes” to his disciples, he repeated a promise he had made many times before.  There was a helper coming that would give them (and us) the strength needed to keep the faith in times of trial and persecution.

“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49

Jesus had been preparing his disciples for his death and his return to heaven for months prior to his crucifixion in order that they would know what to expect and so they would respond to the events of his death, resurrection and ascension with faith and not with fear.

“And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.”  John 14:29

It is in this same chapter in John where Jesus promises that God would send his Spirit fully to strengthen his disciples.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17

I know we gain strength from God’s Spirit because the apostle Peter encourages us to use our gifts with the strength that God supplies and the apostle Paul identifies the source of that strength.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 4:10-11

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11

As Christians, we enjoy the same promise of God’s Spirit as those disciples who were are gathered together in their fear and doubt.  Just as they were strengthened for their walk of faith by God’s Spirit, we are also given strength for our walk of faith.  The key to receiving his strength against fear comes from understanding how God empowers us through his Spirit to defeat fear and anxiety in our lives.

I believe most of the fear in our lives comes from apprehension about what the future holds.  I am not afraid of the past which is set in stone and cannot harm me in the present.  Most often my fear comes from not knowing what the future holds and further from obsessing over all the many possible negative things that could happen as my imagination runs wild thinking of all the various ways things could go wrong.  This pattern of thinking is very unhealthy and totally unproductive since we have no control over the events of the future.  God gives us the gift of perspective by assuring us of our eventual place with him in heaven, but while here on earth, we have no assurance that things will not go wrong in the future.  The way for us to defeat fear in our lives is by focusing on using the strength that God supplies to deal with the troubles of the present and wait upon the Lord to help us deal with whatever troubles the future may bring.  I believe God promises to give us the strength to deal with today’s troubles.  However, he does not promise to give us the strength to deal with all the various imagined challenges of the future.  We live in the present – only God lives in the future.  We can defeat fear through the Spirit by living in the present and dealing with the challenges of the present.

Jesus expresses this idea in Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

How can you defeat fear and uncertainty in your life?  Only through the strength that God supplies!  Rest in the assurance that God through his Spirit will supply you with the strength you need for this day. 

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
   his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
   and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
   and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
   they shall walk and not faint.
                                Isaiah 40:28-31

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!