Discernment. This is a powerful word. It changes the way a Chrisitan see life and deals with things. All sorts of things. It is one thing to be able to observe what is on the surface, and it is quite another to be able to see things as they truly are under the surface. True discernment is not anything mystical. It is Spiritual Insight that is born from Wisdom and comes with an understanding of God's Word and a living relationship with our Savior. Discernment, Spiritual Insight is available to all Christians, not just a select few. It must be sought out, desired and heeded. It is a tactical advantage in spiritual warfare, and it is a key to working through relationship difficulties. The great news is that God desires us to have it and to walk in it.

The is nothing like being used powerfully by God. Nothing! Ministering in the Anointing (the empowering) of the Holy Spirit is one of the great joys of being a Christian.The anointing is never to be taken for granted. There are many who desire to walk in the fulness of all that God has for their lives. One of the things that is not often discussed is the cost of the anointing. It is not cheap. Ask anyone that is being used powerfully by God, and they will tell you that there is a price that they have paid personally, in order to be of use in the Kingdom of God. There will be people that want to reject this truth and argue with this idea. Go ahead. Anyone who walks with God understands the necessity of taking up their cross and following Him. The dying to self that must happen daily. The value that we bring to others only comes as we surrender all that we are to the will of God. Not for personal gain, but for the privilege of selfless service that enables the power of God the freedom to work through a vessel desiring to see others transformed for His Glory.

Today's podcast is going to help clarify some things for some people and bring relief. For some this is going to mess with you a little bit. All too often we hear that doubt is the opposite of faith. That just is not true. Doubt is the opposite of certainty unbelief is the opposite of faith. Now doubt can get us to unbelief, but doubt is something that is common to everyone. Even Christians. Doubt is part of the journey. It is what gets us asking questions. Satan loves to try and exploit our doubts to turn us against Jesus and all that we believe. Jesus takes our doubts and questions and allows them to reveal His character. When Jesus takes our doubts and questions and turns them into certainty we wind up with a faith and trust in God that becomes unshakable. We soon realize that Jesus doesn't just make a way where there seems to be no way, HE is the Way, the Truth and the Life. If you are one of those people that are super religious that cause people to turn themselves in knots shaming them for struggling with doubt, telling them that if they "confess" their struggles they are not doing things correctly, then this podcast will make you made. I hope it does. If you are dealing with a confusing situation and need relief this podcast will make you glad. I am counting on the fact it will.

Better. That's a powerful word. Better is a healing word. It is an encouraging word. BETTER! I have kissed my children and grandchildren when they were younger and hurt themselves and said... "there, all better". What they needed was love, tenderness and assurance. It is amazing how quickly some hurts heal with just a little compassion. As we get older, we realize that some things don't get better in the way we would like. Things heal but they take time and leave lasting scars that we have to contend with. Some marriages don't succeed. Sometimes cancer wins the day. Sometimes betrayal happens and the wounds cut deep. Sometimes we have financial setbacks that we never really recover from. There are times that the emotional toll of life leaves us spent and exhausted. Better. I love that the Bible never dodges the reality of these things. Many Christians try to come up with easy answers that leave us feeling like the problem. There are times that there are no simple solutions there is only simple, Childlike faith. Jeremy Camp wrote a song called better - here are the Lyrics to the Chorus.

There is something diabolical going on in the Church and society as a whole. It is a movement to separate the old and the young. There is a desire among some that is becoming fashionable. The desire to move the older generations out of the way and to replace them with younger people. When King Solomon died that was the prevailing desire. Instead of heading the wisdom of the older men. Solomons son did just the opposite. We know how well that worked out. God identifies Himself as the God of "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." He is a generational God. The Generations are to work together. We are not in competition with one another. Each brings something to the table that the other needs. We hear discussion about the selfishness of the Boomers who don't know when to retire, The Millennials that not only desire a seat at the table but want people to get out of the way. In-between, are the Gen Xer's who feel caught in the middle, holding things together feeling passed over and thinking everybody is crazy because they were the latch key kids who have been getting things done on their own most of their lives. It is the devil who does the work of division. And we see this fleshly work of ageism at work in the body of Christ. I have witnessed this wrestling in families and in denominational meetings. It should have no place among those who are a part of the family of God. Grandparents, Parents, Children and Grandchildren are all vital parts of every family including the church. Each generation has something to offer all of the others. Each must be humble, teachable and able to listen. The older should be confident in their wisdom and gained experience and willing to invest that in the generations behind them. The younger have energy, strength and talents that are being refined and they would be wise to observe and receive what the older have to offer with respect. For the older please hear me the words - "Because I said so" will not suffice for a younger generation that longs for connection. For the Young people - demanding your own way will cause the older to shut down and tell you to go figure it out for yourself. Let's honor one another, care for one another, include each other and open doors so that people can thrive, learn and grow.

Vulnerability. For some the word holds a valuable place in their life. For others this word is difficult to read and even more difficult to put into practice. Thank God for the examples that we are able to glean from the people in the word of God. People like Elijah. We read His story and we see this mighty man of God who does incredible things for the Kingdom. Yet in the Book of James, we are told that he was a person just like we are. Great in faith but deeply human. Powerful in works but wrestled with exhaustion and depression. This was a man of God who walked in victory but was deeply vulnerable. Victory and Vulnerability are not incompatible as a matter of fact; they often go hand in hand. While we often think of the people in the Bible like superhero's we discover that they are actually super- normal. Like them, we need God's super to supersede our natural. I think this is an encouraging thing. It is important to know that many times our victories actually come from our willingness to be vulnerable to God and others. In the Spiritual, vulnerable does not mean unprotected. It is humbly submitting our everything to God and putting everything on the line. Knowing that as we trust Him, we will see God's mighty hand working through our lives.