The Power In Rejoicing

November 13, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! … Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:4, 6).

Paul isn’t playing around here—when he says to rejoice, it’s not a suggestion or a good idea. He says REJOICE with the force of a commandment!

Even the Greek word for rejoice isn’t a mild “yea!” It carries with is the idea of big joy! It’s the kind of rejoicing that is…

  • exceedingly great!
  • overflowing!
  • bubbling up!
  • never ending!
  • continuously gushing!

Why would Paul make this kind of rejoicing a command? Because God is serious about pointing us to the only path that will guard our hearts and minds. When we are rejoicing, praying, and thanksgiving, then the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

Do you realize how much of our worrying is pointless? My friend Scott pointed out the following research:

  • 40% of the things we worry about will never even happen
  • 30% of the things we worry about happened in the past and cannot be changed
  • 12% of our worries are regarding health issues we don’t even have
  • 10% of our worries are about our friends and loved ones which are based on rumors

That means … only 8% of the things we worry about have any basis in reality!

Think about that—9 out of 10 things that consume our minds with worry aren’t even worth our time!

That’s why Paul commands rejoicing as a means to freedom and peace.

  • What should we worry about? Nothing! 
  • What should we pray about? Everything!
  • What should rejoice about? All things!  

This is the one and only path to transcendent peace! 

This is part two in our series The Antidote For Anxiety. Be sure to check out the video below, and also check out the first part of this series—Honk! Honk! Honk!

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Honk! Honk! Honk!

November 6, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

First of all, I encourage you to watch the first few minutes of the video below for an amazing story about honking horns. Trust me on this one—it’s a memorable story that will go along way toward helping you defeat anxiety when it rears its ugly head in your life.

What kills joy and happiness and gratitude? Anxiety is the killer.

What makes people so full of joy-killing anxiety? In a word: fear. Fear of missing out … Fear of falling short … Fear of not measuring up … Fear of bad things that might happen.

If anxiety kills joy, what kills anxiety? Anxiety—the joy-killer—is itself killed when joy is expressed.

Being grateful for what you have kills the anxiety of what you don’t have.

Being thankful for what you have kills the fear of what you may be missing.

Being grateful for what you have kills the anxiety of the bad stuff that may never even happen.

If joy kills anxiety, how can we develop more of it? Most people would say, “If you’re happy, give thanks” or “If you’re happy, honk.” But really it’s the other way around: “If you want to be happy, honk!”

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Honking your thanks is not only good for you, but it’s good for everyone around you who hears your “honk! honk!” of gratitude. David experienced this in Psalm 34:1-3. Even when he was at a low point, when he started praising God other anxious people began to experience joy as well.

Can I challenge you to join me in doing two things for at least the rest of this month:

  1. Keep a gratitude journal in a notebook, on your computer, or in your phone or tablet. Regularly write down those things for which you are grateful.
  2. Don’t keep your gratitude to yourself, but share it with the world. Use hashtag #honk to let people know you are using joy to kill anxiety in your heart.

Honk! Honk! Honk! It’s good for you; it’s good for others; and it brings glory to God.

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Saturday In The Psalms—In Over My Head!

October 28, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck! (Psalm 69)

Not just up to David’s neck, but he felt like he was in over his head! Ever been there? You feel like…

  • …there’s no solid ground to stand on
  • …you’re stuck in deep muck
  • …the floodwaters are rising fast

David cried himself dry and hoarse because of the troubles ganging up on him!

One of David’s motivations in asking God for help was not just to alleviate his own suffering, but to not be a burden to other God-followers—“Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.”

So David made his prayer to God, believing that God would completely vindicate and rescue him. And as he prayed, he praised—“Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”

When you’re in over your head, there’s nowhere else to look but up! 

Our prayer: Holy Spirit, when I feel like I’m in over my head, may You remind me to lift up my prayer and my praise to my Savior. Don’t let other God-followers be ashamed because of me, but let my deliverance be the reason they continue to look expectantly to You!

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Saturday In The Psalms—My Praise Is Beautiful

September 23, 2017 — Craig T. Owens

…praise from the upright is beautiful (Psalm 33:1).

God thinks praise from upright people is a beautiful thing! That’s great … for the person who is upright.

Whose life does God think is “upright”?

Well, God helps me with that too! “The Lord looks from heaven” and He sees me (v. 13), and “He considers all [my] works.” But before looking at my works, He develops the inside part of me from which my works flow—“He fashions [my] heart individually” (v. 15). I am not an assembly-line, mass-produced product. I am a unique, one-of-a-kind creation!

So how do I get God to spend this individualized attention on me? “Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him” (v. 18). Just standing in awe of His greatness—worshiping Him—asking for His kingdom to come and His will to be done—is the kind of invitation God delights in.

When I fear God it gets His attention and invites His individualized heart work on me. That makes me beautifully upright in His sight, and makes my praise pleasing to His ears. My praise glorifies God and increases my reverential awe of Him, which develops an even deeper fear of God … [and the cycle repeats!].

God delights in making my praise of Him delightful. I am a beautiful thing in His sight!



But none honors God like the thirst of desire,


Nor possesses the heart so completely with Him;


For it burns the world out with the swift ease of fire,


And fills life with good works till it runs o’er the brim. … 




Oh then wish more for God, burn more with desire,


Covet more the dear sight of His marvelous Face;


Pray louder, pray longer, for the sweet gift of fire


To come down on thy heart with its whirlwinds of grace. … 




God loves to be longed for, He loves to be sought,


For He sought us Himself with such longing and love:


He died for desire of us, marvelous thought!


And He yearns for us now to be with Him above. —Frederick William Faber, Desire Of God






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Saturday In The Psalms—The Glory Due God’s Name

September 16, 2017 — Craig T. Owens 




Give unto the Lord the glory due His name…. (Psalm 29)


 


How in the world can I do that?! How can a mere mortal possibly give the All-Glorious, All-Powerful God glory that is equal to His majesty?


Verses 3-9 try to capture God’s power—


    

  • His voice thunders in the powerful crash of ocean waves
    • 

  • His voice cracks like the lightning that snaps the mighty cedar trees as though they are mere twigs
    • 

  • His voice splits the earth like a volcano rips through rock
    • 

  • His voice rumbles and shakes the tectonic plates of the earth like an earthquake
    • 



How do I give this God the glory due His name? How can my voice of praise even be heard above the voice of His majestic voice?


How? By simply worshiping the Lord in the beauty of holiness.


That means I come into His presence in the holiness of Christ—I remain clothed in His righteousness—then I can stand in God’s presence and join my voice with the voices of the mighty ones (v.1), with all His people (v. 11).


I can stand unafraid and unashamed in the presence of the King of the Universe and declare, “How beautiful and powerful and majestic and magnificent and loving You are!”


And He hears me.


And the glory due His name that comes from my lips causes all the creatures in His temple to exclaim, “Glory!” (v. 9)


I can give God all the glory due His majestic name by simply realizing that I am only in His presence because He wants me there, and has made the way possible for me to be there through His Son Jesus.






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Poetry Saturday—Ready To Blaze

June 3, 2017 — Craig T. Owens 








If we with earnest effort could succeed


   To make our life one long connected Prayer,


As lives of some perhaps have been and are:—


If—never leaving Thee—we had no need


Our wandering spirits back again to lead


   Into Thy presence, but continued there,


   Like angels standing on the highest stair


Of the sapphire throne―this were to pray indeed!


   But if distractions manifold prevail,


   And if in this we must confess we fail,


Grant us to keep at least a prompt desire,


   Continual readiness for Prayer and Praise—


An altar heaped and waiting to take fire


   With the least spark, and leap into a blaze! ―Richard Trench










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“Like” A Lion

March 20, 2017 — Craig T. Owens 




“The Bible says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. The keyword is like. He is a poser, and his bark is worse than his bite. Refuse to believe his lies or to cower to his intimidation. When he reminds you of your past, remind him of his future! Fight back with the words of faith. Fight back with songs of praise. …


“A lion’s roar is meant to communicate dominance—to assert its authority in a territory. And the only thing that will silence a lion’s roar is the roar of a more powerful lion. … satan may roar at you, but he cannot touch you. He is the one in a cage. You are the one that’s free.” —Mark Batterson, in Chase The Lion






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Poetry Saturday—The Praise Of God

February 18, 2017 — Craig T. Owens 








FullSizeRenderSpeak, lips of mine! 


And tell abroad 


The praises of my God. 


Speak, stammering tongue! 


In gladdest tone, 


Make His high praises known. 


Speak, sea and earth! 


Heaven’s utmost star, 


Speak from your realms afar! 


Take up the note, 


And send it round 


Creation’s farthest bound. 


Speak, heaven of heavens! 


Wherein our God 


Has made His bright abode. 


Speak, angels, speak! 


In songs proclaim 


His everlasting name. 


Speak, son of dust! 


Thy flesh He took 


And heaven for thee forsook. 


Speak, child of death! 


Thy death He died, 


Bless thou the Crucified. —Horatius Bonar










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The Delight Of Praise

October 3, 2016 — Craig T. Owens 




C.S. Lewis at his desk“Just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it. ‘Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?’ The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.


“My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value. I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. … This is so even when our expressions are inadequate, as of course they usually are. But how if one could really and fully praise even such things to perfection—utterly ‘get out’ in poetry or music or pain the upsurge of appreciation which almost bursts you? Then indeed the object would be fully appreciated and our delight would have attained perfect development. The worthier the object, the more intense this delight would be.” —C.S. Lewis, in Reflections On The Psalms






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Poetry Saturday—See God In Everything

October 1, 2016 — Craig T. Owens 








lake-michigan“Give me a new idea,” I said,
While musing on a sleepless bed;
“A new idea that’ll bring to earth
A balm for souls of priceless worth;
That’ll give men thoughts of things above,
And teach them how to serve and love,
That’ll banish every selfish thought,
And rid men of the sins they’ve fought.” 



The new thought came, just how, I’ll tell:
‘Twas when on bended knee I fell,
And sought from Him who knows full well
The way our sorrow to expel.
See God in all things, great and small,
And give Him praise whate’er befall,
In life or death, in pain or woe,
See God, and overcome thy foe.




I saw Him in the morning light,
He made the day shine clear and bright;
I saw Him in the noontide hour,
And gained from Him refreshing shower.
At eventide, when worn and sad,
He gave me help, and made me glad.
At midnight, when on tossing bed
My weary soul to sleep He led.



I saw Him when great losses came,
And found He loved me just the same.
When heavy loads I had to bear,
I found He lightened every care.
By sickness, sorrow, sore distress,
He calmed my mind and gave me rest.
He’s filled my heart with gladsome praise
Since I gave Him the upward gaze.




‘Twas new to me, yet old to some,
This thought that to me has become
A revelation of the way
We all should live throughout the day;
For as each day unfolds its light,
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
Life will, indeed, a blessing bring,
If we SEE GOD IN EVERYTHING.” —A.E. Finn










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