He went on to explain that in the beginning, God created the heavens, earth, land masses, vegetation, creatures and mankind by simply speaking them into existence.  Talk about authority!  God is the ultimate and final authority on everything, everywhere, at any time; it’s what the Bible says.  Once the earth and everything in it was created, what was God’s next move?  He said “fill the earth, and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:28)  Take this incredible piece of real estate (and everything in it), and be responsible for it.  Own it.  Study the biology, meteorology, geology and astronomy of it forever.  Have authority over it.  God said, “Look what I made for you!  I want you to have this.”  He took His ultimate authority and gave it to man. (This is where you ask “but why?” and we discuss the simple fact that God loves you).

We know what happened next: “You will not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4)  Eve believed the serpent, and ate.  Adam stood by, then took a piece too.  In that moment, may I submit that perhaps it was not sin that entered the world so much as it was man who took his God-given authority over the earth, and handed it over to the father of lies.  You wonder why the world can be a bitter and terrible place?  You want to know why bad things happen to good people?  Consider what is being done with the authority God gave.

When we take the authority given to us by God and put it in the hands of Satan, he will rule in our lives.  I’ve seen it ring true in my own life.  When we take the authority given to us by God and put it back in God’s hands, he will rule in our lives.  I have also seen this to be true in my own life.  Admitting that the best place for this authority is in the place it was created requires submission to the ultimate authority; willingly.  Ultimately, we will all submit to God’s authority, willingly or not.  He is the ultimate authority, whether or not we believe it, and whether or not we submit to it.  God loves us so much that even though this is true, he still gives us a choice.  He literally leaves the authority over his gift to us in our hands, and it’s up to us what we do with it.  Salvation comes by willingly submitting to the authority of God.  “Not my will, but yours be done.”  “Your kingdom come, your will be done.”

Consider it.  Authority.  Submission.  For me, the Gospel has never made more sense.

1. Laughing

2. Inward laughing

3. Almost standing on his own (sort of) (even though he hasn’t rolled over yet)

4. Focusing on something farther than 18 inches away.

5. His superior command of the canine species.Meyer commanding moe smaller

Since the birth of our son, Meyer, each consecutive day has (on average) proven to deliver an equal or greater amount of stress accompanied only by an equal or lesser amount of sleep.  This trend, if multiplied and projected a month ahead, shows a dangerously high amount of stress with only 30 minutes of sleep per night.  Needless to say, making that type of calculation adds stress to the current load, and amplifies the effect exponentially.

This, I have determined (with the third party perspective and input of Pastor Hector and others) is a wilderness experience.  Each day seems to demand a little more strength, endurance, tenacity and perseverance, but allows for less restoration, preparation and motivation.  When you are in the desert, for example, each day feels hotter and dryer, especially when you are not eating, drinking, or sleeping.  The body is weakened.  The mind is confused.

The realization this led to is amazing in many ways, two of which I will divulge here:

1. When in the desert, God provides manna.

2. When the flesh is weakened, battling it is less of a chore.

By considering what life might look like a month ahead (in terms of stress and exhaustion), I am only heaping more weight on to the day at hand.  The beautiful thing is that God provides enough strength for today.  He equips me to endure the trials of today.  He empowers me to tackle my duties and responsibilities tenaciously today.  His manna is sufficient for today.  If I try to store some of it for the next day, it goes bad, and if I try to eat what I have tried to save, it will make me sick.  God’s provision is the perfect amount for today.  Beyond that, I don’t need to worry about it, except to (the next morning) invite God’s provision once again.

“The Spirit wars against the flesh.”  -Galatians 5:17

“The flesh profits nothing.” – John 6:36

With my flesh in a weakened state, I can work more closely with the Holy Spirit to overcome my fleshly desires.  Why spend 21 days trying to make my flesh a little better?  Why work to strengthen my flesh?  “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Eph 2:9  Even if I have a shred of success in making my flesh a little better, that is an accomplishment I have made of my own accord, for which I could strut around with my chest out.  If I even begin to believe that my flesh is worth something profitable, it makes the spiritual battle that much more painful.  After all, “the flesh profits nothing.”  By “beating my flesh into submission,” or simply camping out in the wilderness, the opportunity to rely on God today is immediately available.

Having vision and values is a different situation, but it must not trump my daily need for God’s provision.  I am blessed that each day puts me deeper and deeper into circumstances that demand my reliance on God’s provision for my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  Praise be to the Almighty God who can provide everything I need and leave me overflowing at the end of each day.

For me, I hope it works.  So many times in the past I have told myself “Self, from this day forth, you shall not drink milk from the carton again.”  Inevitably, I find my lips pressed madly against the jug sucking the liquid down in the hopes that nobody will see me as I rush to wipe the drizzle from my chin and slam the refrigerator door shut before they stroll into the kitchen.  Sheesh.

Forever is intimidating, and that means change. Who wants to change who they are?  I like to think that I’m OK just the way I am.  By forming a habit, you’re simply adding to who you are.  21 days is less intimidating.  If I can do this for 21 days, there is hope for a sliver of discipline in me (by the grace of God, naturally), and that if I allow, God can accomplish something in me.  Even if it is small.

As a human, and of the male orientation, and arguably ADD at that, I find that I only have about 512 MB of RAM with which to store my habits.  My hope is that by cultivating a new habit once in a while, I’ll have less room for the old ones.  This is my logic at it’s finest.

Using man’s wisdom to implement a Godly habit: also debatable, but this is my starting point.  Thoughts on the matter are welcome.