New Mercies I See

I awoke at 5:00 AM this morning. Usually, when I wake up early it is due to bad dreams, hard thoughts, or me being worried about someone. This morning, as I sit here, I do not feel any of those negative fears or tumultuousness. There is a peace in my life right now. A peace that has nothing to do with circumstances and yet everything to do with circumstances. Let me explain. My wife and I have been on an amazing journey this last two years. Throughout this journey excesses in our lives have been stripped of us. This has not been an easy road to travel, however, the Lord has walked every step with us. We are now in the part of the journey where we begin to rebuild. As I look at relationships, finances, living quarters, forms of transportation, a place to serve the Lord and teach others about Christ, and a church family for my kids and marriage to grow with, it seems the Lord has put everything we need in place. There are many days that we are tempted to look back into the past and allow what I call spiritual vertigo to set in. (When the whole world starts spinning and you feel like getting into the fetal position.) Yet, those days seem to be farther and farther away and what is in place today is beginning to speak louder than the difficult steps of the past.

As we begin to rebuild our lives the most important thing that I have learned is to simply surrender to the Lord and allow Him to piece it together in His time. You see-- it is not my job to build anything or to hold it together. That job description belongs to the Lord and He knows exactly what He is doing. So, on this fine morning I sit and watch my darling wife sleep, I ponder on my meetings of the day and wonder who I might meet or encourage, and I smile knowing that I am not in control.

Lamentations 3:22-26
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

Dear Lord,

I thank you for touching my heart and teaching me to trust you. Thank you for each blessing in my life. Please use me today and allow what you have done and who you are in my life shine through me. Thank you that your mercies are new every morning.

Your son,

Kristopher

Overflowing Thankfulness

The traditional time of Thanksgiving has arrived. Families will be gathering and giving an extra little smile, bellies will be full from eating too much food, and hopefully there will be a pause in the rat race of life and joy can be found in what blessings we do have instead of things we do not. For this weeks devotional entry I took a few of the main points out of a recent teaching the Lord prompted me to give to our new church family at Hillside. I hope you are encouraged and challenged in your reading. My prayer is that God blesses you and that your heart will overflow with thankfulness during this holiday.

Before we come to our scripture it is important that we all arrive on the same page and discuss what the word thanksgiving means.

Main Entry: thanks·giv·ing
Function: noun
1 : the act of giving thanks
2 : a prayer expressing gratitude
3 a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness

The meaning of this word falls apart if we leave it as a noun and do not make it a verb in our lives.

Today, we are going to begin in Colossians 2 and then focus on tangible goals that we can set in acting out thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-8
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

For a moment let’s talk about what it means to overflow...

To be thankful gives the connotation that we simply fill a glass to the top and if someone happens to bump into it then maybe they will get wet and experience what is inside, but then scripture takes it a step further- we must be overflowing with thankfulness.

What does this mean?

How does this work in our society?

How do we do this in a world that seems to be pointing the other direction?

Let’s take our scripture and turn it upside down

• If you want to overflow with thankfulness…
• Be strengthened in your faith as you were taught…
• Continue to live in him…
• Be rooted and built up in him…
• Receive Christ Jesus as Lord!

Being thankful is that warmness and the overflowing is that warmness touching others if they are around you!

Different ways that this can be played out…
1. Using my actions
• How we react
• Who we help
• Who we don’t help
• What we give to
• What we don’t

2. Using my words
• What we say
• What we don’t say

3. Using my attitudes
• How we say it
• How we allow our feelings to affect our demeanor

4. Using my decisions
• Every day we have decisions to turn left or right that can potentially shift our lives forever
Marriage
Jobs
Kids
Relationships

5. Using my time
• People fill their day with all types of things
• Christmas Outreach
• Doing the dishes
• Giving a back massage
• Listening instead of talking



Max Lucado devotional - Saying “Thank You”

Thank the Lord because He is good. His love continues forever. Psalm 106:1

Worship is when you’re aware that what you have been given is far greater than what you can give. Worship is the awareness that were it not for his touch, you’d still be hobbling and hurting, bitter and broken. Worship is the half-glazed expression on the parched face of a desert pilgrim as he discovers that the oasis is not a mirage.

Worship is the “thank you” that refuses to be silenced. We have tried to make a science out of worship. We can’t do that. We can’t do that any more than we can sell “love” or “negotiate peace.” Worship is a voluntary act of gratitude offered by the saved to the Savior, by the healed to the Healer, and by the delivered to the Deliverer.

Looking Into the Eyes of Your Blessing

Why is it so easy to rejoice one day about the situation that is unfolding before you and then find that the next day the joy is not as easy to find and has been replaced by anxiety and fear? Maybe I am the only one who walks in this schizophrenia, but I have a feeling that if we were each evaluated for this diagnoses that there would not be enough white rooms available to hold us. I must say that at this moment we have seen more love and care then we have ever expected from those who have linked arms with in Reno, NV. The feelings that flow through me of fear and anxiety stream directly from my inability to keep focused and to trust in the Lord and His plans. I hope that as we look at God’s word together and find some answers for our humanity that not only I can refocus, but also that it will help you the next time you feel that blood pressure raising and your mind start wandering.

I entitled this devotional “Looking into the Eyes of Your Blessing”, because the feeling in my stomach reminds me of a feeling that I had when I was younger and was talked into walking a tight rope that was about 50 feet high. I was in high school and when I first looked at the challenge I was not worried at all. That was until I actually was standing up on the rope. They had me strapped in and there was no way that I could get hurt, however, that did not change all of the imaginary ways that I was about to die. I walked about half way out and then made the biggest mistake and looked down. All of a sudden many parts of my physical body began to shut down (some of them should not be written down). The person on the other side of the tight rope kept yelling at me to not look down, but that I should look them in the eye and they would help me make it to the end. It seemed to take a lifetime for me to convince myself to take my eyes off of the ground below. As I changed my focus from the ground to the person standing at the end of the obstacle, I was able to put one foot in front of the other and complete what seemed to be impossible. We have the option today to look at the difficulties before us and allow them to freeze our faith or we can look at the Lord and the many blessings that He has provided and allow them to give us hope to make to the end.

Here are some thoughts from some of Bible heroes when they faced their own tight ropes and needed to find creative ways to stay focused.

Joseph
Genesis 39:2
The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

Joseph had every reason to become bitter and focus on fear instead of His God. The Bible tells us that wherever Joseph found himself that the Lord was with him and gave him favor. For a good portion of his life he played the role of a slave and a prisoner. This is strange to focus on God’s favor while we look at a man who has been stripped of so much, but it was through those years that the Lord prepared him for a much larger task. Joseph focused on the blessing of God being by his side instead of the fear of his surroundings.

David
Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

David is our classic schizophrenic. He goes from trusting the Lord with everything he is to asking the Lord why He has left him. In the end of his songs and conversations with the Lord he always runs back to the Lord and resubmits to believing and following in his God. This particular scripture is placed between some of David’s own life difficulties.

Verse 3 speaks of an army attacking him and war coming against him and verse 5 speaks about when the day of trouble coming. David focused on God’s beauty instead of the circumstances surrounding him.
Apostle Paul
Philippians 3:13-15
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.

Each time I read about Paul and his focus on the Lord and the task and purpose that the Lord has given him, I find myself inspired to follow in his shoes. One of the most difficult tight ropes that we face is not our future but our past. Paul chose to focus on God and the prize of eternal salvation instead of being frozen with fear over his past.


Dear Lord,

Help my life be a testimony of a man who was able to keep his gaze on you during each season of life that unfolds before him. I would ask that you cure me of my schizophrenia, but I am learning that it is this very problem that keeps me running to you. So I accept the condition as a part of my personal war and as the reminder of how badly I must run to you on a daily basis to surrender. Thank you for walking with me each step of my tight rope and I commit to keeping my eyes focused on you.

Amen

Masks

Today is Halloween! Children are getting excited about candy and what costume they will wear and parents are getting ready to brave the cold as they walk their children around to go trick-or-treating, or maybe the family is going to a harvest party. There are also those who will shut themselves away because a belief that Halloween is not a place for those who love Jesus.

Just a quick side note before we dive into our weekly devotional. This night that some avoid and others embrace will be full of your neighbors coming to your door giving you an opportunity to show a love and compassion that they may not see anywhere else. If we shut our doors and turn off our lights to boycott this evening are we missing an opportunity to show our world a truth that will change their forever?

Whether you choose to participate or not, this evening you will see people walking around with all kinds of masks. I was walking through Savers looking for a costume for my children and my son walks up to me with the craziest mask on. I remember asking myself, “Why in the world would anyone choose to wear a mask like that?” That is when the Lord began asking me questions about my own masks that I wear at times even on days when it is not a Holiday or costume party. There are times that I take my true self and feelings and hide it behind this false wall so people won’t be disappointed in me and in order to fulfill what it seems they are expecting. As I have gotten older, the Lord has challenged me to peel away these masks and for the most part I have learned how to be real in each situation that He has placed me in. Yet, even still there are times I am tempted to hide my feelings and thoughts instead of being honest with those around me. Why do we do this? What is in us that is so scared of being ourselves? Here are a few thoughts that might go through your mind that has kept you fearful of taking of the masks.

• If they only new who I really was!

• Nobody really cares to know the truth anyway!

• It won’t hurt anyone!

• Why disappoint?

• I don’t even like myself- How will they like me?

I am sure there are more thoughts that you can think of as to why you wear the masks that you do or are tempted to. Part of maturity in Christ is being able to take of the masks and stand in a crowded room simply being you. Here are some beginning steps that will help you peel away the false self and introduce to everyone who you really are. It might be scary to take these steps. Be brave and courageous! God did not create you to be hidden away.

1. Start by being honest with God.
This may be the hardest step of the journey, but it is the most important. The Lord already Loves you and has accepted you for who you are. As you wear these masks it breaks His heart because He has created you to be so much more brilliant and amazing than that mask you are wearing. I find that it is through worship that the Lord is able to strengthen and encourage who Kristopher is and who God has made me to be.

2. Then be honest with yourself
Look at what you are doing and how you are acting. Is this really you? Is this who God made you to be? It is always nice to think everyone in church really are as happy as they look on Sunday, but some of the loneliest people are sitting next to you on a Sunday morning. Take some time to dream and ask the Lord to show you how to be real. There maybe some that are reading this that have worn their mask for so long that they would not recognize themselves if the mask was taken off. Trust me! You can only begin growing in your walk with the Lord when you face the real you. Taking off the mask is step #1 in maturity.

3. Find one person that you love and trust and be honest with them
Choose wisely who this might be. If you do not have that type of friend then go to your pastor or a counselor. However, being honest in front of other people will allow you to feel better about yourself. Having integrity always will have a better result than lying. It may be difficult at first, but it will get easier. When I am struggling I go to my wife. She helps remind me that all I have to be is what God has made me to be.

4. Begin living this daily in front of others
There may be some of you who try to say that this is not a problem or it isn’t a temptation for those in the church. Even Peter, who was to be the rock that the church was built upon, dealt with this issue. As Jesus was being beaten, the Bible tells us that Peter was watching from the courtyard and three different people came and asked him if he was a follower of Jesus. Peter at that point pulled his mask on tighter and tighter and emphatically denied Christ. There is a cost to walking in this type of integrity, and yet I believe the cost of keeping our masks on is far greater and much more damaging.

Psalm 139
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

If this scripture is true and I believe it is! There is no reason to hide. Make a decision today to take off the mask and be who God created you to be. Whether you choose to take part in this Holiday or not, today is the day that the Lord has made and I encourage you to rejoice in it.

Joyful Attitudes?!?!?

“So how am I supposed to respond when you tell me something that I do not like? Do you want me to act like I am happy?” Noah Dahir

This was a conversation that spawned over some very important decisions that were made in the life of an 11 year old. It was late and we were coming home from football practice and I told him the week before that if he did good at his football game that I would buy him a large slurpy. (Yes, we do bribe our kids sometimes.) Like I said, it was late and I didn’t want him to get sick off of too much sugar. I told him that he could have a slurpy now, but it would have to be a medium or he can wait and we will get him a large one. All of a sudden he went from being my happy go lucky child and began turning into an 11 year old who did not get what he wanted. I told him that I did not like his attitude and then he asked me the profound question that began our devotional for the week.

You may ask, “What does this story have to do with you and I?” Think for a moment to the last time that you did not get what you wanted. Maybe it was a situation at home, at work, with a friend, or even a decision that it seems the God of this universe has made. The large slurpy represents how you think things should be or what you feel you deserve. It is crucial that we do understand that it does not mean that the large slurpy image is actually better. It simply represents what we think would make sense. The medium slurpy represents the door b and what could be the Lord’s plan from the beginning of time.

Here was my advice to my son and what I am trying to learn for my own life.
1. Don’t let an unwelcome answer or unmet expectation poison the possibilities that are available.

2. It is important to express your disappointment, but make sure it is the right time, right place, and to the right person

3. If you find yourself getting a bad attitude, fight it and be in control of your actions. You can never control what someone else says or does, but you can control yourself; or at least you should control yourself.

4. Trust that somehow, someway the Lord will fulfill all of His promises. Usually the worst will come out of us when we begin to think that we cannot trust the Lord with our personal needs and dreams.


In conclusion:

You can either look at your life and focus on all of the things you did not get, that have hurt you, or areas that were unfair, and let that set the tone for the day or situation you are about to face or you can learn from those things and decide to enjoy the good that is placed in front of you. I personally believe that even the simplest things can be turned to gold when touched with a heart that is joyful and knows how to trust in the Lord.

Romans 12:11-13
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

This devotional was used with permission of my son Noah. Thank you Noah for allowing us all to learn along side you. You are a wonderful young man and I love you very much. He did want you all to know that this story has been copy written and can not be used again without Noah Kristopher Dahir’s personal written permission.

Pleasing the Lord

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”- Psalm 19:14

This is my goal. To simply speak good wholesome and encouraging words, that the things that I ponder upon, put my brain juice and personal emotions towards, would please my Lord. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today? Did someone who affects your world wake up on the wrong side of the bed? This morning I was helping babysit my nephew and niece and watched how one of them wanted nothing more but to hang out and enjoy a day of toys. He had no regard for what happened yesterday, definitely was not thinking about tomorrow, and was just enjoying the moment he was in. That is until my niece decided to share some of her little grumpiness with her brother. It was funny because I sat here and watched her decide that if she was going to be a grump then for sure others should join her. I would like to say that this is a child-like behavior and that we grow out of these actions and habits; but we don’t. I might even be brave enough to say that our children learn some of these behaviors from us.

Whichever position you find yourself in today, our application to this weeks devotion is very simple- refocus on things that are pleasing to the Lord. He has taken care of the details of our day that bring life. All of the other sources we run to for hope will ultimately bring confusion.

Take the time to stop and write down the top ten things that bring joy to your heart and then thank the Lord for them.

Here are mine…

1. A secure place to find hope. Running to the Lord has always brought me back to my feet and gave me the strength longer than I thought possible.

2. My Melissa, I love waking up and having her in my arms.

3. Watching my oldest son take each step of life and becoming such a wonderful young man.

4. Standing with my son Noah as he dreams about his future with sports, friends, and life.

5. Being able to see and be with my family here in Reno. The kids are loud at times but we sure do love being around to see them grow.

6. Knowing that I have friends who pray for, believe in, and want the best for me and my family.

7. Being a part of helping other learn how to take steps towards the Lord and find the same hope and peace that I get to walk in.

8. I get to take my wife out tonight. Yay for dates!

9. Taking classes in school and doing well. It makes me feel like my life is moving forward to accomplish something that is bigger than myself.

10. Having a Guinness!

Walking Miracles

Isaiah 11:1-5

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

It is now time to step into a world that most people avoid. It is the world of Godly judgment and righteousness. Most of society love to hear about how God loves them no matter what and that God’s arms are open so wide, how He has closed His eyes to their short comings, and how He doesn’t even smell the stench that has entangled their lives. All of these things bring a great smile to my face and they are even fun to preach about. However, we must remember that the God of this universe, as laid out in scripture, is also a just God and is full of righteousness and truth. God has not closed His eyes to your sin and yes, his olfactory (the smelling part of a nose) is not broken. He sees it all and smells it all, but has chosen to not make you pay the consequences by allowing Jesus Christ to die for our short comings and take on the punishment for our depravity. Sin is not to be looked at lightly and the fact that we are human does not give us a get out of jail free card whenever we choose to jump into the deep end of the world and its muck and mire. God has made a way to continue relationship and yet, we will always suffer the consequences for our sin.

I saw this article that made me laugh, as the person writing it was a bit extreme and possibly is the type of person who has painted his car and his house with messages of God’s destruction. But this title was so true and it brings into the light the balance of how the Lord’s forgiveness and love is applied.

What Happens In Vegas
… Is RECORDED In Heaven!

Being from Vegas myself and watching the gaming business exploit people and find ways to tempt its visitors and residence with destruction has been very sad and heart breaking. While I was a pastor in Las Vegas, there were many prayers sent out asking the Lord for direction of how to make a difference in a place that is trying to drag everyone to the pit. I do believe that God is doing wonderful things in Las Vegas and some of the most wonderful people I have ever met have been placed there to help keep the Lord’s name shining bright.

The point of this man’s article is based out of the book of Revelations.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” -Revelation 20:12

I cannot even begin to explain to you what this will look like or mean to each of us. However, I do know that there will be a time to give an account for every word that has been spoken, attitude formed and action agreed to. This scripture is not one that has a lot of popularity today and I would be shocked to see it placed in a church growth book of messages to get more people in your church. And yet, the fact that the God of scripture is loving and righteous at the same time must be up held for all to see. He does care about the sin in your life. He does want you to be a good husband, wife, father, mother, child, friend, neighbor, employee, boss, and stranger. Choosing to follow the Lord in these areas does not earn your way into heaven. He has already taken care of that part of the equation.

Ultimately, the goal is not based upon anything we have or experience here on this earth. It is based upon that future time in heaven with our maker. There are many horrible decisions that I have made in my past and will have to stand before my God and face those head on. But starting today, right now, right here, I can make decisions to be able to stand in front of the creator of the universe and hear the words spoken in Matthew 25:21.

“Well done, good and faithful servant!”

And so can you!

God does love you and has a great plan for you. Even if yesterday was full of great shame and self-disappointment. Today is a new day; full of new opportunities to honor the Lord and be an example for others to see what kind of miracles our God is capable of. Your life is that walking miracle!