This Rant series might be a little bit different. But, as always, I'm not going to shy away from something that God puts on my heart. Ok. This is what I notice more and more as I interact with people: We're all just doing our best to survive. In fact, for a long while my motto was, "Just get from the start of the day to the end of the day." And sometimes that was all I could do. Sometimes that's still all I can do. Even though I know there's so much more available than just survival... more than just "life" there's abundant life. I know that. And yet... knowing is different that KNOWING. Head knowledge is different than heart knowledge. Sometimes, instead of standing on the Rock of the Truth... I face facts. And I know there are a lot of people in that same boat. I see it every day. People who aren't happy. People who are struggling, but are sick and tired of the struggle. People who want more but don't really BELIEVE in more. People held back by weakness. And listen, I'm not writing this to pick on anybody. I have weakness too. Everybody does. That's a big part of what it means to be "human." We mess up, and we're messy. We make mistakes, even when we're trying to fix things. But even worse that having weakness is thinking, or pretending, that you don't. John the Revelator said it like this, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Now let me spend a couple of minutes here because I think this is important. I don't believe John was addressing the church in this passage. I believe he was addressing unbelievers. Because that's what sin is. Sin is unbelief. Sin is believing that the lie that says we have to do in order to be. Sin is believing in anything other than Jesus (God in the flesh, love in a body). So if we say we have no unbelief... then of course the TRUTH isn't in us. See, unless you know you need a Savior, you'll never accept that on the cross Jesus saved you. If you don't believe you need a savior, then you don't believe that you have weakness. You think you can "be a good person," or live life all on your own. In your own strength. You think you can, "be an overcomer," instead of receiving the truth that Jesus already overcame! You'll keep struggling because you don't know (or believe) that the work is finished. There's nothing left to overcome. The "facts," along with everything else, is already under our feet... because Jesus came down to where we were and lifted us up to where He is! Let me say it like this, and this is where I think I'm going to be for the next couple of days: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9). Not ignoring our weakness, or trying to hide it. Not pretending it doesn't exist, but embracing it. Embracing who we are so that we can BE who we are in Him! Making peace with ourselves, because Jesus--who is our peace--already made peace by destroying all of our enemies on the cross!

A lot of stuff happened on the mount of transfiguration. And I'm not going to get into all of it here in this Rant. But I do want to look at Matthew 17:2 from the Message Bible, because I think it really encapsulates what this Rant series has been all about. "His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light." What was inside revealed itself--or manifested itself--on the outside. Sunlight--or Sonlight--poured from His face. The light of the world shined brightly. Shined in and through and out of Jesus. Just as it shines in and through and out of us! And the key is faith. Simply knowing and believing that the light is in there. Not trying to turn the light on, through works and labor, but resting in the truth that Jesus--the light of the world--lives in us! Look at Revelation 21:23, "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." Now who is the city of New Jerusalem? WE ARE! And if we don't need the light of the sun or the moon that says to me that outside circumstances are not dictating our reality to us. We don't need natural light--or artifical light because, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). The Lamb is the light thereof. The Lamb IS the Word of God. Jesus, or God in the flesh (OUR flesh), or love in a body, IS the Word of God. That's what lights our path. Love! That's what shines so brightly when we stop trying so hard to be somebody we're not. When we start resting in the love of the Father--that's already inside us--it comes out of us! And then the outside matches the inside. Our behavior always matches our beliefs, because our behavior flows from our beliefs. Mark 1:8 in the Message Bible says it like this, "I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism--a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit--will change you from the inside out." The Holy Spirit. Our love receptor. Not God finally loving us--because He always has and always will--but us finally being able to receive His love. Something too good to be true that seemed far away and needed to be earned... has been revealed to be inside of us all along! Not too good to be true, but so good that it MUST be true! The shining of the light of the world has brought the inner man--the hidden man of the heart--to the surface. So that we are changed from the inside out. The hidden man of the heart is no longer hidden under the appearance of natural circumstances. The Word lights our path and shows us the Way to go. Shows us the Way that Jesus went both for us and as us on the cross! Shows us the change that took place, and brings that change to life as we mature in the knoweldge of who He is in us and who we are in Him! That's what it means to be changed from inside out. What's in... comes out. Love manifests!

What's inside comes out. And it comes out naturally. But, to a certain degree, it's really what you BELIEVE is inside that comes out. Because there's a truth that always has been and always will be true: God is love, and you are the focus of His love. But unless you know and believe the love of Christ then what's true isn't necessarily true for you. That's where faith comes in. Faith is what activates the truth, if I can say it that way. Because, again, what you believe is what manifests. So let me build this for a second. Jesus said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). Here's the key--whoever DRINKS the water that Jesus gives. Whoever RECEIVES the gift of God that was given to us when Jesus gave His life for us and as us on the cross. It's not just being given the water. It's drinking it. Not just being given the gift, but receiving it (and releasing it). So how do we do this? In a practical, rubber meets the road sort of way... "Therefore with joy shall ye draw out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted" (Isaiah 12:3-4). We ARE the well that the living water of eternal life springs up out of. But we don't have to force it out. We don't have to "fake it 'til we make it." See, our faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God. We have faith in God because He has proven Himself faithful. We don't declare His doings in the hopes that He'll do something. We declare His doings because of what He HAS done. The work is finished. And that's where our joy comes from. Not from what we hope God will do, but from what He has already done! We draw out of the well (that we are) with joy. If we weren't full of living water we couldn't draw it out. You can't give what you don't have. And the glorious truth that we DO have it... that's what produces the righteousness, peace, and joy that is found in the Holy Ghost that IS the Kingdom! The Kingdom is within you. And when you stop trying to get it and simply start enjoying it, that's when it manifests all around you. That's when what is inside comes out. And when you stop trying to MAKE it come out... that's when it comes out naturally. When you stop trying and start resting, that's when you can enjoy the fruit of JESUS' labor. That's when outside circumstances stop dictating reality to us, and that's when the true reality of the Kingdom manifests in our lives! For so long we've just accepted what the world throws at us, or struggled against it trying to change it into our idea of "how things should be." But when what's inside comes out, that's when things are revealed to be as they truly are. When we know and believe there's love inside--that we are loved--love comes out and we understand that we are LOVE!

"What matters is not your outer appearance--the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes--but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in" (1 Peter 3:3-4 MSG). Isn't it funny, the things that we give so much importance to? Outward stuff. Appearance realm stuff. Stuff that fades. But this is the stuff that we let dictate the inward stuff. The real stuff. As the King James Version puts it: the hidden man of the heart. And I think that word, "hidden" is important. Because sometimes you have to look a little bit deeper to find what really matters. The deep calls out to the deep. What's inside (Jesus, love) connects with itself. What I mean is, the Jesus in me connects to the Jesus in you. We are all one body. HIS body. But we'll seemingly let anything--the smallest, most insignificant things--come between us. That's outside in. Jesus said it like this, "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). And righteous judgment doesn't mean getting up on your high horse and getting religious on people. It means EXECUTING the righteous judgment that God the Father handed down to Jesus the Son on the cross. NOT a judgment that said, "I'm mad at you and I have to kill you so that I can stop being mad." Nobody--not even God the Father--killed Jesus. Jesus laid His life down so that He could take it back up. The judgment wasn't a death sentence. It was a life sentence. The judgment of God was, "You ARE dead in your trespasses and sins, but I have come to bring you out of death and into life!" And He did that by showing us the Father. By filling us--on the INSIDE--with the Holy Spirit. By giving us the love receptor we needed in order to know and believe that love of God that was always there! And when that love is inside--when we KNOW that love is inside--then it can come out. Then the hidden man of the heart is revealed in the actions of the body of Christ! In our verse in the Message Bible it doesn't say "get inner beauty." It says, "cultivate inner beauty." You can't cultivate something you don't already have. When we look in the mirror with an unveiled face--with the stone of the Law taken out of the way--we can see the glory of God. And we are changed into that same image from GLORY to GLORY. We become what we behold. Our true identity--Jesus--inside of us comes out as we learn more and more who we really are. But we don't change into something we're not. We mature into what--into WHO--we really are. Who we've always been before the world hissed in our ears and lied to us and told us we're anything but the image and likeness of God. Buried underneath all of that outward stuff is the real you. It's inside. And, believe it or not, you're full of it. Filled to overflowing with it. What's inside comes out naturally. And tomorrow we're going to look at how we tap into that source. How we enjoy the gift that we've been given. How we manifest the truth of God's love for us and in us and through us!

"But John intervened: 'I'm baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He's going to clean house--make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned'" (Luke 3:16-17 MSG). I know I just used this verse in the "Ignition" Rant series, but I'm kind of stuck on it. And my pastor once told me, "If you get stuck on something, preach it until your heart is empty on it." I just feel like if we could really get this truth... that it is the finished work of Jesus that changed EVERYTHING... we would be able to stop trying to change anything. We would be able to rest instead of struggling with works and labor. See, when Jesus drew us out of the power of darkness and into His Kingdom... when He ignited the Kingdom life inside us... it was a fire that consumed everything except itself. The Holy Spirit filled us so completely that it squeezed everything else out. There's no room for anything else. Or let me say it like this: "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Which makes it even more glorious when we understand that WE are the light of the world! As He is, so are we in this world! That means in US there is no darkness at all. And listen, I know sometimes it LOOKS dark. But that's why we walk by faith and not by sight. We have moved out of the appearance realm--the senses realm where outside circumstances dictate reality to us--and we have moved into the most holy place where we know the truth, and the truth has set us free and (more importantly) MADE us free! When the light shines it doesn't change things. Jesus' work on the cross already changed everything. When the light shines it reveals the change that took place 2,000 years ago! When the light shines it reveals things to be in divine order. Again--it doesn't PUT things in divine order, because that would mean things aren't already IN divine order, and they are--it simply reveals thing as they truly are. If we're trying to change things there are two problems: 1. We don't believe that things have already changed. 2. We believe WE--through the flesh, or human effort--can change things. We're trying to work from the outside in. And that will never work. Because it's not by might, not by power, but ONLY by the Spirit of God! His Spirit IS the Kingdom. So we can't experience the Kingdom without it. The Kingdom is within us because His Spirit lives within us. And that's where the "change" comes from. Not from outside in, but from inside out. It's not really a "change" at all. It's a manifestation of what is already true. It's what's already inside simply coming out!

The economy of the Kingdom of God works on an, "inside out," basis. Which is to say, what's in you comes out of you. That's why I always say you can't give what you don't have. That's why you have to receive before you can release. That's why what you believe is so important--because you become what you believe. As a man thinks in his heart... so is he. And that's why the armor of God is so important. It protects us from the world's economy, which is outside in. Let me explain: the world, or circumstances, or what it looks and feels like, will always try to dictate reality to us. And we've even accepted this to the point where we say things like, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Well I say, "If life gives you lemons stop taking what life gives you and start receiving the gift of God!" We've settled for life... when ABUNDANT life is available to us. And that's why there's so much suffering and sadness in the world today. Because we let the outside define the inside. Remember the famous story about Jesus walking on the water? And then Peter joining him? We're going to look at a verse of that story in the Message Bible in a second, but first I want to say: I believe that Jesus walked on the water on purpose. There's great truth we can draw from that picture. But I also believe that in a sense Jesus didn't even notice that He WAS walking on water. I think He was walking to the disciples, and they happened to be on a boat in the middle of the water. But the circumstances didn't make much difference to Jesus, because they were (literally in this case) beneath His feet. I think it was a situation where He was walking to them, period. And the fact that He had to walk on water in order to do it was of little consequence. But then look at Peter's experience: "He (Jesus) said, "Come ahead." Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what go into you?"" (Matthew 14:29-31) A couple of things here. I know Peter was walking on the water, but I believe he was really walking ont the Word of God. When Jesus said, "Come ahead," it empowered him to do so. And it wasn't until Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and put them on the circumstances--when he let what was outside dictate his reality--that he started to sink. Then Jesus blew away this idea that we have to have perfect faith. Because He didn't punish Peter for falling. He didn't say, "You should have believed in me, now you're on your own." He didn't leave him or forsake him. He didn't hesitate. He reached down and picked him up. And then He asked Peter the only question that mattered: "What got into you?" The Word was already in there, and then Peter mixed it with faith and it came alive. Inside out. But then he let something else get into him--outside in--and that's where the trouble came from. And that's what this Rant series is going to focus on: Holding fast to what's inside us so that it can come out of us, and not letting what's out there get in!

Sometimes the greatest thing you can do feels like a small thing. A cup of cold water for someone who is thirsty. A ear to listen. A shoulder to cry on. I remember when I worked at a law firm one of my coworkers mentioned that she was hungry. And before I knew it I had given her my cookie. I don't know if I'll ever forget the surprise of gratitude in her eyes. I remember thinking, "It's just a cookie. No big deal." But to her it WAS a big deal. Because when you're hungry... it's hard to focus on anything else until that need is met. And that's where I think we miss it so many times when we're more interested in shoving Jesus down people's throats rather than meeting them where they're at and connecting with them. See, we ARE connected. We are all the (one, singular) body of Christ. But when we understand our ROLE in the body, that's when things begin to manifest. In our lives, and in the lives of others. Ephesians 4:16 says it like this, "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." We are joints of supply. Not simply to get what we need for ourselves, but to share what we got. Remember blessed to be a blessing? We are increasing and edifying the whole body... IN LOVE! It's all about love. And look at how we do this: "the effectual working in the measure of every part." I do my part and you do your part. I don't have to--and in fact, I can't--do it all. I can't reach everybody. I'm not for everybody. The things I think, and preach, and write... to some people I'm a kook. I know that. And I accept that. That's why I don't argue about my beliefs. If you ask me, I'll tell you. But I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I can present my interpretation of the Bible, I can listen to Daddy and tell you what I think He's saying... but that's all I'm called to do. I feel absolutely no compuction to get you to believe the same way I do. If you do, great. If you don't... I'm gonna love you anyway. That's what matters. Not theology... but the Word (Jesus, love) made flesh. Charity is love in action. And I find that really, practically, I do most of my loving when I'm NOT preaching or writing. I do it when I spend time with people. I've heard it said--I don't agree, but I've heard it said--that the devil is in the details. Well I say, "Love is in the small stuff." I opened this Rant series by quoting a sign I saw in my sister's bedroom, and I think that's how I'm going to close it too. "Do small things with great love." Because when you do small things with great love... they aren't small things anymore. They're great things. Joints of supply take what they have and share it. That's our responsibility: to receive and release the love of God. To love one another as Jesus loves us. To meet the needs of those that we come into contact with... to meet the needs that we can meet. To do small things... with great love.

Great and small. Love. The greatest thing there is. But sometimes it manifests as something as small as a cup of cold water. Being there for someone. Meeting a need. NOT telling them, "God will take care of you... good luck," but actually taking care of them! And that's the thing about love. It's great and small. It's vast and simple. It's the biggest, most powerful thing there is. It's the ultimate truth of the universe: The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. That's the foundation. That's where it all begins (and ends). Love is the alpha and omega. The beginning and the end. But like I said, as simple as it is... it's vast. It's never ending. I truly believe that love is the answer to every problem. Because love can manifest in many different ways. Sometimes it's a hug. Sometimes it's a sympathetic ear. Sometimes it's a shoulder to cry on. And while these things can FEEL small... insignificant even... to the person receiving them they can make a whole world of difference. And that's the point. We don't have to change THE world--and in fact Jesus already changed the world on the cross when He remade it in His image--but by simply extending a hand in love we can change SOMEONE'S world. We can make a difference to one person... and that can make all the difference. Here's what I think I'm trying to say: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Eternal life is about the RELATIONSHIP between the Father and His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. In much the same way, this is how we are now equipped and empowered to connect with each other. The idea that we are all members of the same body SHOULD allow us to be on the same team, so to speak. EVERYBODY. ONE body. Jesus said whatever we do to the least of them we do unto Him. And on this side of the cross we understand that whatever we do to each other we do to ourselves. We are connected, and unified, by the blood of Christ that runs through our veins. The heart of God that beats with love in our chests. I've said this many times before: There are only two important things in the whole entire universe--God and people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. That's our purpose, our calling. That's our EPIC destiny. Our Eternal Purpose In Christ. That's why we're here. That's the New Commandment: Love one another as Jesus loves us. Receive and release the love of the Father. Enjoy that realationship by sharing it one with another. We experience the love when we give it away. That's when it becomes real. Then the love within us bubbles up out of us and gets all over everyone else. And that's when something small truly becomes something great!

I keep thinking about that cup of water. You know, "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matthew 10:39). The example of love that Jesus gave us. Someone's thirsty and you give meet their need. Not making sure they've said, "the sinner's prayer," or that they attend YOUR specific kind of church. Not putting a yoke on them or putting them under the Law of Moses. Not judging them or condemning them. No. Loving them in a practical way. Letting the rubber meet the road and letting love be more important than "theology." I really think we miss the point a lot of the time. It seems like it's more important to be "right" than to be kind. More important to be religious than to have relationship. And that's backwards. James 2:15-16 says it like this, "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" See... words are important but it wasn't until the Word was made flesh that things really got exciting. And what does it mean for the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) to be made flesh? To me it's the difference between "love" and "charity." The Apostle Paul uses that word charity in his letters. And I always wondered why. Why not just use love? Then God told me that charity is love IN ACTION. It's not an idea... it's the carrying out of that idea. It's, again, the rubber meeting the road. It's when we put what we believe into action. Faith without works is dead. Because if you REALLY believe it, then you act on it. That's what faith is. It's not just something you talk about, or thinkn about. It's something you DO. It's not head knowledge... it's heart knoweldge. It's not knowing ABOUT God... it's KNOWING God. In the context of relationship. In the context of a Father who unconditionally loves His Son. That's why (and how) we can unconditionally love each other. Because we have that connection. That relationship. And having that relationship with each other IS loving each other. Not putting out hoops for people to jump through, and if they make it up to our standard then we'll accept them... but seeing a need in someone and filling it. "And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise" (Luke 3:10-11). It may seem small--clothing the naked, feeding the hungry--but, really, it's the greatest thing you can do. Meeting a need. On a personal level. Being there for someone who feels like they don't have anybody. Small stuff. Great stuff. You may not be "changing the world," but if you help ONE person... you can change THEIR world.

When Moses was getting ready to go up against Pharoah--the supreme ruler of the land of Egypt in which the people of Israel were slaves--this conversation took place, "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod" (Exodus 4:1-2). God was giving Moses this HUGE job. And in order to prepare Moses for it He asked him what he had in his hand. Because Moses already had everything he needed. This is the same message that both John the Baptist and Jesus preached when they told the people to repent because the Kingdom was at hand. This is the same message we need to be preaching. Not, "If you act holy for long enough you'll earn the right to blah blah blah whatever." I think we keep people out of the Kingdom (if I can say it that way) by making the Kingdom something that has to be earned, rather than something we have already been given and simply need to receive. We all have something in our hand. In Moses' case it was a rod. In my case it's the keys of my computer. We all have something that we are uniquely suited to do. We all have people that we can reach in a special way. But sometimes we miss out on what we CAN do because we're focused on what we CAN'T do. We get so overwhelmed with what we're not doing--especially if we think we're supposed to be doing something BIG--that we end up not doing anything at all. There's a song I like that says, "Time is love." And someone sent me a picture the other day that said, "To a child, 'love' is spelled T-I-M-E." But I think we miss out on this simple truth about relationship... about just spending TIME with people... just being there for people... because we're too busy try to "save" them, or "help" them, or "fix" them. One of the most important things God ever revealed to me when I entered the ministry is this: What other people do is NOT my responsibility. I can't MAKE anyone do anything. And that was so freeing to me. I can counsel, and I can give advice. I can preach, and I can write. But that's my whole part. I'm not responsible for what anybody else does. All I'm responsible for is loving people. And that can seem like a small thing--just being there for someone--but I know that when you feel like you're all alone... someone being there for you isn't small at all. It's great. It's probably the greatest thing there is. So here's what I'm saying: Use what's in your hand. Do what you can do for the people you come into contact with. A lighthouse doesn't go looking for darkness. It just shines wherever it is. You're uniquely positioned, and equipped, to make a difference right here and right now! Just by being yourself and loving those people in your path!