WFC Daily Devotional Blog

Week Theme: The Church Has Left the Building
Today’s Title: “Accountability”

Key Verses
Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.

Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Meditation
To have a transforming 2009, we need to clarify our core values or controlling beliefs (see Monday’s devotional), and we need to sharpen our focus on knowing Christ (see Tuesday’s devotional). We will make faster and better progress if we add the element of accountability.

Few things in the Christian life are meant to be a solo act. We are to live life together. We are to connect, grow, serve, reach, and worship (the WFC ministry model) together. Under the second part of our model (grow) we include accountability.

Consider Solomon’s words in the above verses. We need wise, sincere, unselfish counsel to grow spiritually.

As an executive coach, I have seen a lot of people transform their leadership style because they had candid, confidential conversations with someone they trust and who asked tough questions and gave them straight answers. That’s what we need for spiritual growth. A man needs another man for an accountability partner and a woman needs a woman for the same.

If you want to grow significantly this year, find a spiritual accountability partner with whom you can meet on a regular basis. It may be someone in a LifeGroup (if you’re not in one, I encourage you to also be in a LifeGroup). It might be someone else at church or even at another church. The most important thing is to get into an accountability relationship where you can have candid, confidential conversations and where tough questions are welcomed and answered honestly.

Make 2009 a great year by clarifying your controlling beliefs, focusing on knowing Christ and having an accountability partner.

Question to Consider
Who might I ask to be my accountability partner? I am committed to spiritual growth enough to have an accountability partner?

====

Today’s devotional author is Ted Davis. He can contacted at tedavis@grace4success.com.

Week Theme: The Church Has Left the Building
Today’s Title: “Focus”

Key Verses:
Philippians 3:12-16 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Meditation
I doubt that the Apostle Paul wasted time with a lot of meaningless resolutions; he made just one.

Take a few minutes and read all of Philippians chapter 3. As you can see, Paul did not need a lot of resolutions because his life had a singular focus “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

Paul clarified all of his beliefs. He shed all of the self-righteous nonsense that he thought made him righteous with God. He realized that his accolades, birthright, and strict obedience to the Law were not enough; in fact, they were worthless. Paul dropped the wrong beliefs and embraced the gift of salvation by grace and through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

He also let go of his past. That, I suggest, is another key to having meaningful change that leads to holiness; we have to let go of burdens. Paul specifically wrote that he had to let go of his self-righteousness – the thing in which he had previously found glory and pride. While he does not write about it, I suggest that Paul also had to let go of the horror he heaped on the early church when he persecuted Christ-followers. It appears by Paul’s vibrant ministry and steadfast obedience to God under the cover of grace, that he got past any guilt and pain he may have had.

Paul let the guilt and shame fall by the wayside and seized God’s forgiveness and love. Paul embraced grace and mercy and dedicated his life to knowing Christ. Everything Paul did, whether preaching or tent making, was directed at glorifying God and knowing Him in each endeavor.

Did this mean that Paul’s memory was wiped clear? Of course not. He took the spiritual lessons learned forward and left doubt, shame, and guilt behind. He pressed forward like a sprinter stretching for the finish line. He accepted Christ’s forgiveness and moved forward. Christ-followers are not supposed to be stuck in the tragedy or disappointments of their past.

If we want 2009 to be better than 2008, make only one resolution: focus on and press toward knowing Christ in all you do.

Question to Consider
Do I have the kind of focus Paul described? What controlling belief prevents me from having that kind of focus and pursuit?

====

Today’s devotional author is Ted Davis. He can contacted at tedavis@grace4success.com.

Week Theme: The Church Has Left the Building
Today’s Title: “Resolve Not to Make Resolutions”

Key Verses:
Proverbs 23:7a For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

1 Chronicles 22:19a Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God.

Meditation
Many people are making New Year’s resolutions this week. Chances are most will be broken by this time next week. As a Christ –follower, don’t waste your time. If you want meaningful change in your life in the coming year, read this week’s devotionals to learn how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to change your life.

I suggest that the first step in making meaningful change is to conduct an inventory of your beliefs. Sort them into two categories – controlling beliefs and nominal beliefs.

Core values or, what I like to call controlling beliefs, are the authentic, deep, and meaningfully beliefs of our heart. These are the beliefs that Solomon and Paul wrote about in the above verses. They often reveal themselves when we are under great challenge, stress, or difficulty. They are the real, I-control-your-behavior beliefs. Sometimes that might be the opposite of our nominal beliefs.

Nominal beliefs are what we say we believe and what we can abide by when it is convenient, easy, and painless. They are for public consumption because, when we talk about them, they make us sound noble, kind, and even godly. However, nominal beliefs fail to control our speech and our behavior ‘when the cameras are not rolling.’

Beliefs are amazing and critically important to controlling behavior.

Authors Carrie and Gary Oliver write, “Most people aren’t aware of and haven’t identified the core beliefs that have an unbelievably powerful impact on virtually every area of their life. In addition to being powerful and complex, your core beliefs, including your level of emotional intelligence, influence virtually every aspect of your life, including social, mental, physical, and spiritual dimensions. They impact your loves, hates, worries, fears, values, priorities, goals, what you enjoy, who you can trust, the friends that you choose, what you will achieve, what you live for, and what you would be willing to die for. In fact, there is virtually nothing in your life that does not have your core beliefs, including your emotional makeup, as its mainspring.”

The goal is to reinforce the controlling beliefs and to either delete nominal belief or work to make them controlling beliefs. You must be honest with yourself.

So, how do you conduct a belief audit? Take a piece of paper and answer these questions to get started.

“Who really is in control of my life? Me or the Lord?

What about 2008 clearly showed that the Lord was in control and not me?

What about 2008 showed that I was in control?

When I was under great stress or difficulty during 2008, did I ‘do my own thing’ or did I listen to the Holy Spirit and obey what I knew was God’s truth?

Do I talk about spiritual disciplines or do I follow them?

As Christ is watching over my shoulder while I answer these questions, what else is a nominal belief rather than being a controlling belief?”

The first step in meaningful change is to stop pretending and to be self-aware and self-controlling. Get real with yourself and answer these questions. And, listen to the Holy Spirit while you do.

Forget meaningless resolutions and get real with your beliefs. We’ll share more throughout the week.

====

Today’s devotional author is Ted Davis. He can contacted at tedavis@grace4success.com.