What Is Happening Is God Is Happening

August 28, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

The Apostle Paul is in prison and on trial for his life, and yet he pens these words: 

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. (Philippians 1:12) 

Huh?! How can being in prison be a good thing?

First of all, the word know here means experiential knowledge; the kind of insight you only get from personal, intimate, hands-on experience. No one can teach you this, you just have to know it through experience. In essence, Paul is saying, “It might look like a setback from where you’re seated, but I know personally that this is a good thing!” 

Then notice the phrase has happened (I also like this in the King James Version: has fallen out). This isn’t the best translation of this phrase from Greek to English. It’s what is called the middle voice, so that means it’s in the present and imperfect tense. My translation:

It’s happening right now AND it’s not done yet!

  • IF I mean it when I pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…”
  • IF I truly understand that God is working all things together for His glory…
  • IF I really believe that God is directing my steps…
  • THEN I can know that what IS happening IS a God-thing! 

God is up to something that will glorify His name!

And I’m a part of what IS happening to fulfill God’s plan!

So if things aren’t looking too good (even if you’re in prison or on trial for your life!), take note—GOD IS STILL UP TO SOMETHING AND IT’S A GOOD GOD-THING!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

10 Quotes From The “Necessity Of An Enemy”

July 31, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I was intrigued by the title of the book: The Necessity Of An Enemy. But I was even more intrigued by what I read in Ron Carpenter’s thought-provoking book. You can read my full review by clicking here.

Here are 10 quotes that caught my eye from this book:

“You will never be an exceptional person if you only fight ordinary battles.”

“Because you have a God-given purpose, this means the devil’s painted a bull’s-eye on your back. …It’s good to have enemies and the trouble they bring—it means you’re in the game.”

“When Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians that ‘we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory’ (Ephesians 1:12), he didn’t tell them to just give God praise. He urged them to be a praise. … In New Testament terminology, glory actually means ‘likeness’ or ‘to resemble.’ In other words, for you to bring glory to God means that God is hard at work making you become something that resembles Him, something that more clearly bears His image. It comes as no surprise that this reality makes someone very upset: The devil isn’t concerned with fighting something that you’re doing; he fights who you’re becoming.”

“God’s definition of winning is fulfilled when you fight the battle and, after it’s over, you are even more established in the identity He designed for you.”

“God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). … So the fact that He started the area of your life where you’re now facing a challenge from an enemy is the very evidence that He’ll bring you through the battle to complete the thing.”

“A good teacher does not use a test to teach you something…a test measures what you already know.”

“Negative people, allowed to speak into your life, will become agents of destruction of your purpose. An enemy will always try to weaken your passion for your dream.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to super-spiritualize something and blame the devil than to understand a need or personal flaw and take ownership for it.”

“An enemy is someone who increases, strengthens, encourages, or enables an area of weakness in you that God wants to remove from your life.”

“In your progress toward God’s purpose for you, anything you hang onto that God wants you to drop is an enemy.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , . 3 Comments »

God Wants Deeper Growth

February 29, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

“After a soul has been converted by God, that soul is nurtured and caressed by the Spirit. Like a loving mother, God cares for and comforts the infant soul by feeding it spiritual milk. Such souls will find great delight in this stage. They will begin praying with great urgency and perseverance; they will engage in all kinds of religious activities because of the joy they experience in them. But there will come a time when God will bid them to grow deeper. He will remove the previous consolation from the soul in order to teach it virtue and prevent it from developing vice.” —John of the Cross

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Not Playing It Safe

February 29, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Sometimes I like to think about counterfactual history. That means thinking about the “What ifs” of historical events. What if George Washington had been killed in battle? What if a congressman had voted a different way? And so on.

Here’s one I was thinking about as I read the Book of Acts: What if Paul had prayed, “God, keep me safe”?

Over the last few chapters of Acts, Paul has the opportunity to share the gospel with…

  • the Jewish Sanhedrin
  • Claudius Lysias, a Roman garrison commander
  • two Roman governors (Felix and Festus)
  • Ananias, the high priest in Israel
  • Tertullus, a noted attorney
  • King Agrippa and his wife Bernice
  • a Roman centurion named Julius
  • Publius, the chief Roman official on Malta
  • the leading Jews in Rome
  • and the Roman Caesar

That’s quite an impressive list! But here’s the deal: Paul only got to speak to these high-ranking and influential people because he was a prisoner.

Paul could have prayed for a “safe life.” He could have run away. He could have disobeyed. Instead, he was willing to let God use him anytime, anyplace, anyway.

Isn’t that really the opening line of the Lord’s Prayer? Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.

Is that what I really want?

Or do I want to play it safe?

Phillips Brooks had another thought about how we should pray:

“Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle; but you shall be a miracle.”

I don’t want to play it safe. I want to be strong enough, obedient enough, and willing enough to let God use me anytime, anyplace, anyway. I hope you will join me in that prayer.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

God Made You You

September 20, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

God doesn’t make mistakes.

Ever!

That means you are not a mistake. You might make a mistake (or, if you’re like me, maybe lots of mistakes), but you are not a mistake.

God had you in mind before He created this universe. He knew the perfect time to send you to Earth. And He knew just what you needed to be.

You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

STOP comparing yourself to others.

STOP beating yourself up.

STOP doubting how special you are.

Even the fun and entertaining Dr. Seuss got it:

Today you are you! That is truer than true!
There is no one alive who you-er than you!

“You are most attractive when you are yourself, simply because real is attractive.” —Howard Hendricks

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Beautiful Grapes

September 8, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Beautiful Grapes

     If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us—and we cannot measure that at all.

From My Utmost For His Highest

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

The Holy Spirit wants to bring to maturity ALL of these fruit in my life. Not so that I can pat myself on my back and say, “Look at how fruitful I am!” But so that God may squeeze me out where He needs me.

So I’m pondering…

  • Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to develop this fruit in me?
  • When I am fruitful, am I allowing God to squeeze me? Or do I run from it?
  • What good is to be a Christian without bearing fruit?
  • What good is it to have the fruit but not let God squeeze it?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Have A Cookie

February 28, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Do you like cookies? I do! In fact one of the main reasons I workout is so I can eat more of the sweet treats my wife makes.

I’d like you to consider some of the ingredients in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe:

  • Butter
  • Chocolate chips
  • White flour
  • Wheat flour
  • Oatmeal
  • Sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Vanilla

On their own, some of these ingredients are sweet, some are rather bitter, and some don’t have much flavor at all. Now keep this list of ingredients in mind as you read this:

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.

Really, “all things”?!?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some pretty bitter things happen in my life. But the Bible says that God is using all things—the sweet, the bitter, and the bland—to make something good.

I’d never eat a big spoonful of baking powder or salt or vanilla extract as a treat, but my favorite chocolate chip cookie would be terribly lacking without those key ingredients.

You may not like the bitter things in your past, but God is using even those—part of the all things—to make something good out of your life.

So the next time you are questioning how the bitter fits into your life, ask the Holy Spirit to show you. And while you’re waiting on the answer, have a cookie and think about the bitter and sweet ingredients that went into making something so good.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , . 2 Comments »

What Gift Are You?

February 21, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

In our Living In The Zone series yesterday, we looked at the gifts God gives to us. These gifts are to help us find the “sweet spot” where God wants us to operate. They are specifically given so that God can use us.

I love this thought from Craig Groeschel: “God’s gifts in you equip you for your gift to the world.”

You are gifted to be a gift to the world.

Check out this video we showed yesterday morning…

Did you catch this exchange near the end?

“Do you think you’re a role model?”

“I hope so! I wanna be an encourager. To encourage people to do something with their lives, instead of doing nothing. Because so many people in the world in this day and time have no gumption, have no purpose, and they don’t want to get off the couch. They wanna sit there and say, ‘Woe is me! My back hurts, my this, my that,’ and wallow in themselves, when they could get out. The more you do for someone else, the more God’s going to bless you. Even if means giving someone a cup of coffee, or a hug, or something like that. That’s what it’s all about.”

What gift(s) has God given you? What gift are you being to the world?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Be Yourself

February 17, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Be Yourself

       God’s main concern is that we are more interested in Him than in work for Him. Once you are rooted and grounded in Christ the greatest thing you can do is to be. Don’t try to be useful; be yourself and God will use you to further His ends.

From Facing Reality

God doesn’t need you to try to be anything else than the you He created you to be.

You are a one-of-a-kind … unique … perfect just as He made you.

The greatest joy you will ever know is being yourself. But you can only be fully you when you find yourself in Christ. His life in you makes you you.

(And, by the way, we are exploring this idea further over the next couple of weeks in a series of messages called “Living In The Zone.” If you are in the Cedar Springs area, I’d love to have you join us!)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

It Just So Happened That…

August 9, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

I love the incredible love story in the Bible about Ruth and Boaz. I’m not sure why this hasn’t been made into a movie yet, because it would be a blockbuster!

Ruth is a picture of a God-fearing woman who turns her back on all she’s known to follow God’s leading. Boaz is a real man: strong, successful, respectful of women, honoring of tradition, hard-working, God-loving. You would expect in a story about two people who love God, and who fall in love with each other, and who have a son who becomes the grandfather of King David, that there would be at least one “divine moment.” You know, one of those unmistakable God-ordained moments when everything falls into place.

Here it is. In chapter 2 when Ruth first meets Boaz—when they have their first divine encounter—the Bible says:

As it turned out, Ruth found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz.

As it turned out?!? That’s not very romantic. Or powerful. Or even God-honoring. Other translations are equally as bland:

The Message: Eventually she ended up in the field owned by Boaz.

ESV: She happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz.

KJV: And her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging to Boaz.

You see, we know the end of the story. We know God was in control of their lives. We know God set it up for Ruth and Boaz to cross paths. And yet even Samuel (or whoever wrote down this story) or Ruth (or whoever told this story to the author) could hardly believe it. “I just happened to end up in the right field at the right time!”

At the end of the story of my life, I think I will look back and see so many as-it-turned-out moments. So many things that just-so-happened. But that would mean I’m living in an as-it-turned-out moment right now. If I believe God is directing my paths, then…

…every moment is divinely orchestrated.

…every moment is strategic.

…every moment is God-directed.

If you knew that this moment was a divine moment, how would you live differently? If you knew this was an as-it-turned-out, God-directed moment, how would you respond? Well, you are living in that moment right now so be on the lookout for what God is doing.

P.S. I shared both a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day message using this story. The series was called Ruth + Boaz.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments »
« Older posts
Newer posts »