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God doesn’t simply reveal truth to you so that you can study it; He reveals Himself to be encountered and experienced. When He shows you another facet of Himself (in this book or anywhere else!), He's inviting you to receive it. And, I guarantee, God is better experienced than merely explained. Moreover, He invites you to receive it— in full— right then, in that moment. There’s no waiting, and He doesn’t give Himself in pieces (see John 3:34). He gives Himself— and His gifts— completely.’ We often think (because we’ve been taught) that we must “step it up” and “believe harder” in order for the Lord to do a great thing in us. I’ve heard some pastors at a well-known church say, “Dig in deeper” and “go after God.” But, the Bible tells us clearly that faith isn’t something we generate— it’s something that comes to us (see Romans 10:17). The gifts we receive by faith come from a faith that is also a gift in and of itself! Galatians tells us we actually live the life we live now by the “faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Look at the King James Version. Most other translations miss this one and suggest that it is faith in the Son of God. The KJV rightly denotes that God Himself places the faith there. It is His faith working in us! The gifts we receive by faith come from a faith that is also a gift in and of itself! If the Lord places within you a desire for freedom, it is His invitation for you to receive it. And it is His faith alive in you which makes it happen! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Listen at https://www.jenkins.tv/blog/invitation or your fav podcast provider

In the final talk in our Life Planning series we discuss time management— and the reality of tradeoffs. 🎳🎳🎳🎳🎳 We’ve got to be honest with ourselves; we can’t do everything. And, a yes to one thing is most often a no to something else (and vice versa— a no now empowers us to say yes later). We shouldn’t see this as restrictive, but as freeing… … so freeing that we actually place things on our calendar. You see, our calendar reflects our stewardship of our most valuable currency, time. In the same way our bank statements reveal what we value, so also do our day planners. 🗓 So, if it’s important, protect it… budget it… steward it… Just like money. Although, here’s reality, time might be an even MORE valuable asset that cold card 💰, because you can always make more money— yet no one has found a way to develop, save, find, or create time… This talk will help you define— and then focus on— the things which matter most, so that you can build a life that truly matters. 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Listen at https://www.jenkins.tv/blog/bigsmall or your fav podcast provider.

Wherever we focus our time + energy will grow— for good or bad. So, it’s important that we focus on the things we want to grow. In talk #3 we dive deep into the law of the harvest, that is, sowing and reaping. And, we see that it works in every area of life. 🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎 Sowing and reaping is a principle implemented on the 3rd day when the power of seed bearing plants were spoken forth by God (Genesis 1:11). You know the principle: like begets like based on something already inside the first of the “likes.” Somehow, we've just assumed that “seed” only works in biology. However, “seed” is a principle of creation which works in every area of life. This is what Moses meant when he taught “Whatever you put your hand to prospers” (Deuteronomy 15:10). Here’s how it works… ✅ You reap WHAT you sow… So plant the right thing. ✅ You reap it WHERE you sow it… So plant it where you want the seed to grow… ✅ You reap MORE than you sow… So, rest assured— for good or bad— your efforts will be multiplied!. ✅ You reap AFTER you sow… So don’t delay. Start now. The sooner you sow, the sooner you the harvest comes. Plus… 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 Though we cannot control the harvest (like a farmer), we can manage the cultivation process. We can faithfully do the work set before us, even the unglamorous and simple… Small actions doing regularly, over time, have incredible results. So, we should never underestimate the power of simply showing up with our best selves and faithful tending to our field. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Listen at https://www.jenkins.tv/blog/harvest or your fav podcast provider.

In talk #2 of the Life Planning series we discuss the soundtrack which plays in our heads. Who’s got a bad one, sometimes? ✋ And, who needs to change the story they tell themselves? ✋ Yeah— all of us at one point or another… Here’s why… 👉 We’ll live from the story that’s playing there moreso than any other thing. Whereas many of us are quick to “shut up” someone who speaks against us, we need to learn to manage our own negative self-talk as well. Read that again. Slowly. Manage. Your. Own. Negative. Self. Talk. 😬 This doesn’t mean we deny reality or cease being honest with ourselves. Rather, it acknowledges that our thoughts— and our mindset— are important factors in how we live. Many times, we react negatively to our circumstances because they seem mundane. We compare our “normal” with other people’s “highs.” But, when we look at reality, we see that the supernatural most often happens amidst the ordinary. Understanding this frees us to embrace the small blessings of everyday life— and even plan for them.   🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Listen at www.Jenkins.tv/blog/soundtrack or your fav podcast provider.

Many of us hate goal setting, but we know we should do it. That is, living with intentionality is better than “doing random” or just “going with the flow.” 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ But maybe there’s something about how we’re often taught to set goals that unsettles us moreso than the idea of goal setting itself. In this 4-part series, we break it down and offer another way to look at things, empowering you to move from where you are to where you’re designed to be. Here’s where we begin… In talk #1 we learn that there’s a certain rhythm to Creation— a way things just “work.” Specifically, the universe runs on rest, on intentional bursts of on and then “off.” But two things knock us off balance— 👉 Anxiety 👉 Identity issues This tag-team duo keeps us from taking that much-needed reset (we need it daily, weekly, and even annually). The result is that our bodies don’t rebuild physically, we don’t reset mentally, and we don’t regulate very well emotionally. That knocks us out of whack. Big time. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ When we step into the intentional rhythm of Creation, we live from a a different center. Furthermore, we begin to see a blur between what is truly sacred and what is secular. That is, we discover that any activity can be holy and set apart for supernatural use. This frees us to stewards the gifts and time and calling that we’ve been given… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ And once we understand that, we’re ready to truly begin living the life we’re designed to live. 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Listen at www.Jenkins.tv/blog/start or your favorite podcast provider…  

The final “F” of #Oola is Fun…. (I know, some of you are “all in” on this— and some of you are wondering, “What in the world?”) Either way, hear me out…. 👌 First, the definition… Fun = An intentional pause from our inherent drive towards “productivity” in order to rest + restore the body, soul, and spirit, as well as enjoy the good gifts God grants for our enjoyment. 👌 Here’s why I think it’s important… ✅ First, look at how the universe is wired!! There’s a certain way things work, a way of “off” and “on” that’s built into the fabric of the universe. Look at the Creation story, for instance… Evening and morning…  And look at when Adam & Eve are created, at the end of the 6th day…  And then what they step into… A rhythm of on and off.  In other words, we’re NOT made to always be on… We’re made to live a beat of 6 and 1, 6 and 1, 6 and 1…. 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰 A rabbit trail… 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 Take the drums as an example. No musician hustles on stage more than the drummer. They keep the rhythm, they physically push the limits, and they create MUSIC… But the music happens because of the moments of rest… No rest = all noise. Yep. Rhythm only happens because of the beat of times ON and cadence of times OFF. 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 Maybe we can learn a lot from the drummer… Maybe we can learn about this thing called hustle and bring some balance in… Why don’t we? Well… ✅ Second, think about WHY we step out of that rhythm- the cadence for which we were created. Why don’t we pause, day-dream, take days off, rest… sleep longer…? Why we don’t just “check out” of producing and lean into fun…. 👉 Because we strive.  And why do we strive?  👉 Because our identity is often so wrapped in what we do. ✅ Bottom line… No rest = no rhythm = all noise. Yep. Rhythm only happens because of the beat of times ON and cadence of times OFF. Maybe we can learn a lot from the drummer… Maybe we can learn about this thing called hustle and bring some balance in… 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌   Want to learn more? Want to claim your #oolaLife? Register for the free 21 day challenge (emailed to your inbox once a day for 3 weeks) at— www.Jenkins.tv/21 The challenge takes about 5-10 minutes a day, you can start any day you’d like, and the results… … are stellar. 🤷‍♂️ Why settle for ordinary when you’re designed for extraordinary? 👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21

Our working definition for #OolaFriends is this: 🚌🚌🚌 People close enough to see your blind spots, relationally connected enough to call them out, and interdependent enough to “do all of life” with you. 🚌🚌🚌 Here’s the PROBLEM with it: We tend to change the definition of what true friends are. Resist the urge. Don’t re-write your own dictionary. Don’t change the definition 👌👌👌 Solomon, the wisest guy who ever lived (you know, the guy who saw two women arguing about who the baby belonged to, so he suggested, “Cut the baby in half!” in 1 King 3:16-28?) described friends in the following manner >>> ✅ Friends stick with you when things get tough-  “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” (Proverbs 17:17 NIV). ✅ Because we need others and because tough times DO inevitably come, fair weather friends aren’t helpful to have-  “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV). ✅We’re reminded NOT to be fair weathered friends; others rely on us in the same way we rely on them-  “Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend… Better is a friend who is near than a brother far away” (Proverbs 27:10 edited). ✅Much of the “tough stuff” we face in life is actually our own fault. We reap what we sow.  Also, we cause some of the tough stuff others face. So, Solomon reminds us to have friends that can tell us what we NEED to hear, not just what we WANT to hear- “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6). ✅ And, of course, because conflict is part of any relationship (read: tension), we want people who can weather it… and endure with grace. So, Solomon is clear- “Don’t make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. You might learn their habits and not be able to change” (Proverbs 22:24-25). 👆 Those are just a few ways in which Solomon describes friends. In reality, you can’t have too many people like that in your life. It simply requires too much of a commitment and energy- if you’re going to be a good friend AND have some good friends.  👌👌👌 My guess is that after reading a few of the verses above from Solomon- which, really, just brush the surface of what true friendship is like…  … you *might think something like this: “Geez… if that’s what true friends are like, IT REALLY IS difficult to actually maintain too many of them… a lot is required.” You’re right. Friendship is a lot of "give."  A lot of it…  (The flip-side is that it's also a lot of "take," a massive amount of benefit.) I think we inherently know this, though. And we know that our “friends” on Facebook, for the most part, aren’t really friends. This doesn’t mean Facebook is bad- it's an amazing tool for connection, right?!- or that most of those people don’t contribute to our wellbeing in some sense. It just means that surface-level connections of any kind don’t match the description of friendship Solomon starts sketching in Proverbs.  🍺 Because of this, we actually change people’s titles- even though their roles haven’t changed at all. We refer to acquaintances and even “pseudo-acquaintances” as friends, right? I mean, how many times have you met someone in real life and then had that awkward exchange that goes something like, “Hey, I think we’re friends online… aren’t we?!” You see, we’re “friends” online but we don’t even know how to interact in person. That’s clearly NOT friendship. That’s acquaintance-ship. So, we come up with a new name for REAL friends- the kind that match the actual description we see outlined in the Bible. The term “friend” doesn’t do the relationship justice, because we’ve diluted the word so much, so we refer to these people as FAMILY.  Yet they’re not really family. Family is a group of people related by blood or marriage or legal contract (i.e., adoption). Family isn’t friend AND friend isn’t acquaintance.  You see how confusingly weird this can all get? The language has become blurred, such that we don’t really know how to categorize people anymore.  We lean, now, towards having many and shallow relationships rather than  having fewer & deeper interactions. 🍺 
This week, let’s don’t do that… Even if we’re “low” in the friends category, no worries… We can rebuild— or build for the first time— that part of life, too…   🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌   Want to learn more? Want to claim your #oolaLife? Register for the free 21 day challenge (emailed to your inbox once a day for 3 weeks) at— www.Jenkins.tv/21 The challenge takes about 5-10 minutes a day, you can start any day you’d like, and the results… … are stellar. 🤷‍♂️ Why settle for ordinary when you’re designed for extraordinary? 👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21

Faith is a humble confidence that everything is going to be OK… … it doesn’t mean everything IS OK, that everything is good… some things are outright ugly… … but faith is the hope that all things, in the end, work out for our God…. ++++ Here’s our definition: 👉 A humble confidence that God is always working all things together for my good— the good & the bad, the things done to me & the things I do. +++++ A few years ago I walked through the toughest, most gruesome season I’d ever endured… I found myself asking this question— 🎯 Can I trust God’s character MORE than I tremble at the circumstance I’m facing? 🎯 Sometimes, people say that faith just erases reality- or changes it altogether. That you see, sense, feel fear or trepidation… then you’ve missed it… Maybe not. Think back to some of the stories you know with me… 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego (i.e., Rack, Shack, & Benny- for former Veggie Tales watchers) wouldn’t bow to King Nebechadezzar’s golden statue. As they faced the fiery furnace, they confessed… “God can deliver us. But EVEN IF HE DOESN’T, we will stand fast” (Daniel 3:18). Faith didn’t erase reality. It just meant that maybe there’s something more, something beyond the tough tension we see… 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 Job lost EVERYTHING. His friends thought God took it because of some secret sin. Turns out, Satan took it. And it wasn’t because of his sin. It was because that’s what the enemy does- looks for ways to shred and shame… “Even if God slayed me,” Job said, “I would trust” (Job 13:15). . Say what? Yes. Sometimes there’s a tension- one that doesn’t make sense, but one that just resolves… And decides… 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 👉 Perhaps, this too falls under that category of things that He promises to make beautiful in His timing (Ecclesiastes 3:11). And maybe this is one of those things that He promises- even if it makes no sense at all- to work together for the good (Romans 8:28). . And even, this momentary “light” (even if it doesn’t seen so light) affliction will produce some heaviness / weight of glory that will later be revealed (2 Corinthians 4:17). Yes, there’s a tension between the TOUGH and the TRUST… 🎯 🎯 🎯 A few weeks years I read Brennan Manning's book Abba’s Child. He quotes Saint Augustine as stating that in the economy of God, all things work together for our good. All things. Even our past sins. That’s part of the faith equation, too— God can take EVEN that…. I’ve seen it firsthand. He takes every crooked path and makes the way straight. He takes every piece of grit and forms it into gold. He takes the broken pieces of our lives and morphs them into His best. Such is the nature of grace. Have faith… 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Want to learn more? Want to claim your #oolaLife? Register for the free 21 day challenge (emailed to your inbox once a day for 3 weeks) at— www.Jenkins.tv/21 The challenge takes about 5-10 minutes a day, you can start any day you’d like, and the results… … are stellar. 🤷‍♂️ Why settle for ordinary when you’re designed for extraordinary? 👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21

Let’s talk about FIELD for a bit... 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 We were created in God’s Image. He’s a Creator, a worker… one who adds value. That means this— 👉 Work isn’t a curse. 👉 Despite all of the jokes about dreading “manic” Mondays, work is actually a gift. In the Garden of Eden, Adam worked before sin, before the Fall, before the curse. 👉 We were designed to create, steward, and add value to the world around us. Note how things unfolded way back in the beginning: 1️⃣ First, we were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Redemption restores the fractured image of God that has always been present. Jesus takes the pieces and puts them back together such that we clearly resemble who He is. 2️⃣ Second, God is a worker- when He walked on the earth 2,000 years ago Jesus testified that the Father had been working since the beginning (John 5:17). Jesus verified, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” God has always worked. He has always enhanced the places He’s present. He has always “added value” and made things better through His activity. 3️⃣ Third, since we are created in His image, it makes sense that we are fulfilled when, like Him, we work. He created people to work just as He works (Genesis 1:28f.). In the same way that God is a Creator, we- being formed in His image- are creative. 🛠🛠🛠🛠🛠🛠🛠🛠🛠🛠 The problem is not work. Rather, the problem is toil- when there is not an ease and a fulfillment to the work. When the work doesn’t “add value.” When the work seems mundane instead of creative. When the work seems a drudge rather than life-giving. This negative association with work was birthed in Genesis 3:17-19, as a curse of the Fall (emphasis added): Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “ Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it, all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Man had been working before the Fall (since Genesis 1:28f.). And, it is only after the Fall that creation moves from completely “good” to its “thorn-infested” state. In the same way in which the old pattern of sin distorted the full glory of humanity, the glory of creation which we see now is a limited glory from its original display. Creation anticipates the day we will walk in our full glory, our total freedom (read: redemption). Romans 8:19-22 says that creation itself currently groans with birth pangs, waiting to be released from its bondage, awaiting for the full revelation of the sons and daughters of God (us!). Here, we see that Creation itself if part of the redemptive work of Jesus. Our full glory is connected in some way to creation’s; creation’s full glory is intertwined with ours. 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Your field is… The sacred space where I steward my gifts + my calling to serve others by living my purpose. My field may be a full-time job, an educational pursuit, a stay-at-home opportunity— and it may change over time.   🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Want to learn more? Want to claim your #oolaLife? Register for the free 21 day challenge (emailed to your inbox once a day for 3 weeks) at— www.Jenkins.tv/21 The challenge takes about 5-10 minutes a day, you can start any day you’d like, and the results… … are stellar. 🤷‍♂️ Why settle for ordinary when you’re designed for extraordinary? 👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21

This can be a tough area for a lot of people… And it can be a GREAT one. And it can be both. Even at the same time. ❌ Long post warning ❌ 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙 This is an area where I’ve felt like a failure and had to do some deep soul-searching. (Maybe you can relate.) A few years ago, overnight, my ex-wife stopped talking to me, froze me out, and began openly ignoring me in front of our kids… even while we lived in the same house. It was gut-wrenching. In fact, I told someone that the best way to describe how it felt was simply this… If you’ve ever gutted a fish, when this happens… you are that fish. As you can imagine… 👉 This was hard of me. 👉 This created a no-win situation for the kids, who still deal with this today… 👉 This rattled my faith… 👉 This created a heap of shame + embarrassment + all kinds of other clutter… 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙 The upside is that the Lord redeems + restores all things— even if it doesn’t look like, on the back end, what we thought it might look like… … and, I’ve seen that grace always takes us to a greater place…. (The downside is that the road to get there is often long, hard, and lonely….) 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙 Why do I tell you this? Because, sometimes, I think it’s easy to see where people ARE in the moment, grab hold of that snapshot, and think that’s the entire story. It never is. For every high moment, there are a string of lows that often lead you there… … and for every low moment, there is a mountaintop that is coming. I’ve talked the trench in this area…. A lot of people have. 👉 When we get married, we never think that “the for worse” part of the vows will come into play… and that it might not work out. 👉 When we have cute little babies and post their pics everywhere, we never think that— one day— they might not want to speak with us… 👉 When we grow up hanging out with siblings, vacationing and laughing and playing at the pool, etc., we never think that there may be a time when we stop communicating…. But those things happen… So, let’s navigate this one together, and pray + work to make this “family” area just a little bit better this week than it was last week, OK? Incremental change… Small steps… Even if they seem insignificant in the moment MULTIPLY and add up over time to make MONUMENTAL shifts… 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙 Here’s my working definition of family… 🚌 People related by blood or covenant. Ideally, these are our closest human relationships, the place where the most grace + empowerment is displayed. 🚌 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙   🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Want to learn more? Want to claim your #oolaLife? Register for the free 21 day challenge (emailed to your inbox once a day for 3 weeks) at— www.Jenkins.tv/21 The challenge takes about 5-10 minutes a day, you can start any day you’d like, and the results… … are stellar. 🤷‍♂️ Why settle for ordinary when you’re designed for extraordinary? 👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21

Here’s our definition for Finance… 📚 📚 📚 📚 📚 Stewarding my resources in such a way that they serve me + my calling rather than enslaving me to serve anything else. Don’t serve payments; do serve your purpose. 📚 📚 📚 📚 📚 +++++++ Some background on it— Think about your financial life… 👉 Are you so strapped for cash before each paycheck that you live on credit cards the rest of the month or take money out of your savings or investments? 👉 Have you ever been unable to pay basic expenses at home because of an expensive and pointless impulse purchase you made? 🤷‍♂️ When we ask, “Who out there writes a monthly budget?” fewer than 5 percent of people raise their hands. Now… We get that there’s nothing sexy about sitting over a spreadsheet crunching numbers, but this is not cool. Trying to manage your financial life—not to mention creating an abundant financial future for yourself—is impossible if you’re NOT tracking your spending and sticking with a pre-determined plan. It’s why so many people have virtually nothing left to invest or save for emergencies—they never budgeted to set aside that money in the first place. Money comes in, money goes out, but nothing sticks. What’s even more crazy is out-of-control spending—a problem we see everywhere. We want it and we want it now! And credit makes it so easy to buy stuff we don’t need—usually with high interest rates and hidden fees (and usually overpriced). Of course, retailers can overprice things because they know we aren’t worried about the price. We’re so excited to buy that we’re only concerned with the payment. They even tell you it’s “smart” to buy on credit in order to build your credit; what they don’t tell you is that this can keep you in debt indefinitely if you’re not careful. Since everyone else seems to be doing it, most people never consider paying cash or curbing their consumption altogether. It’s so socially prevalent that debt now seems normal. The reality is, however, if you spend your life serving payments, you can’t live your purpose.   🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 Want to learn more? Want to claim your #oolaLife? Register for the free 21 day challenge (emailed to your inbox once a day for 3 weeks) at— www.Jenkins.tv/21 The challenge takes about 5-10 minutes a day, you can start any day you’d like, and the results… … are stellar. 🤷‍♂️ Why settle for ordinary when you’re designed for extraordinary? 👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21

Fitness— one of the easiest areas to see progress (and, yeah, one of the easiest areas to “let go.”). Let’s define it like this…. 👉 Fitness is a measure of your health in each area of your life— physical (body), mind & emotions (soul), and spirit. I like that definition because it does a few things… 💥 It acknowledges that it’s TOTAL… fitness includes body, soul, and spirit (think about how effective it would be if you’re body was in shape but your emotions or mind was out of whack) 💥It focuses on HEALTH— not lifting a certain amount of weights, running a certain speed, or hitting a specific number on the scale…. Let’s get this one right, because there’s greatness inside of you waiting to be shared with this world, but…. … it’s hard to do if you’re sick + tired + sluggish… Here we go…. … let’s all get 1% better in this area and that will, I promise you, be exponential. 🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌 +++++++ Want to learn more? Want to claim your #oolaLife? Register for the free 21 day challenge (emailed to your inbox once a day for 3 weeks) at— www.Jenkins.tv/21 The challenge takes about 5-10 minutes a day, you can start any day you’d like, and the results… … are stellar. 🤷‍♂️ Why settle for ordinary when you’re designed for extraordinary? 👉 www.Jenkins.tv/21

If any one thing is characteristic of ALL of us, it’s likely that inner struggle we feel… “I want to do this, but I know I should do that…” Or- “I don’t know WHY I did that thing right there— I’d already decided I wasn’t going to…” We do this with “big” things and “small” things, with actions we would classify as sins and everyday occurrences as simple as sleeping in too late, fudging on the diet, loosing our temper, letting something fluster us, or even allowing something to get under our skin… Paul wrote about it in Romans 7:14f— “the good the I want to do, I don’t do… and the evil I don’t want to do… I find myself doing that!” Who can relate? 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️ Yeah— all of us, in some way, if we’re honest… ❌ That’s the bad news. ✅ The good news is that Jesus was tempted in every way we’re tempted (Hebrews 4:15). That means, yes, He faced— and beat— the same struggle… And, then He actually DEFEATED it on our behalf. Theologians use the term “bondage of the will” to refer to this tension… … and it goes ALL THE WAY BACK to the Garden of Eden. 🌳🌳🌳 Whereas Adam gave away his freedom- and ours- in the garden, Jesus regained it. And Jesus has returned it to you. Here’s what happened: Matthew says that Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but as You will... (see 26:39f.).” Notably, this is written in the context of Jesus wishing there was another way to secure our redemption- another way besides facing the Cross. (In other words, even then He faced that same internal tango between this/that + that/this.) 👉👉👉 Before praying, Jesus tells us disciples that they should “watch and pray” with Him. He says that the spirit is willing- but that the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Yes, Jesus sensed the internal tug-of-war that we all experience. The “good” in you (God’s Spirit) wants to walk the perfect path God has ordained- no matter how difficult it may be. The flesh, though, often wants another route. (Don’t emphasize the weakness of the flesh— Jesus didn’t. Lean into the strength of the Spirit!) When Jesus laid down His will in a DIFFERENT Garden, His obedience became ours— because His life is now our very life…. Want to be free of the inner struggle? That’s the subject of this week’s talk— listen in at jenkins.tv/blog/innerstruggle or your fav podcast provider.

It’s easy to spiritualize the promises of God (detaching them from real life) or even futurize them (punt them to the after-life). The early church looked at it other way, though— they were so certain that the promises of God were for the present that they even relegated to after life to unnecessary. Paul corrected their theological error (1 Corinthians 15) and, in doing so, showed us something remarkable. We don’t have to pick and choose. The gifts of God are for later… and they’re for now. Our hope is eternal. It transcends the present to work in the future, it redeems (and restores) our past… and it’s good for right now, wherever we are.

Without faith— and obedience— it’s impossible to “please God” (Hebrews 11, John 15). But, both of these actions are the results, the natural overflow, of encountering His radical grace + unconditional love. That is, they don’t create dynamic spirituality, they’re the results of an authentic encounter. 

Too many times we view ourselves based on our past. We do this with all kinds of sins, shortcomings, failures, and missteps…. this labeling ourselves on the past rather than our potential. We do this because we understand that those things were actually once part of our identity. In fact, in the case of sin, the sins emerged from who we were. Sin is personal— it doesn’t exist apart from people. Here’s the good news, though. Cleanness is stronger that uncleanness. Grace is stronger than grit and grime. You might understand it better like this… 💡light overpowers darkness 💡And, it doesn’t struggle to do it, either. 💡Whenever and wherever light is near, darkness simply disappears. 💡Moreover, when it does, that darkness is actually transformed into something completely different. Stop looking at your past. God sees your potential. And that’s good news for all of us… Listen in: www.Jenkins.tv/blog/not or your fav podcast provider.

The word “convict” can mean “to cast judgment as to guilt” or it can mean “to convince” (i.e., people in prison are called convicts, but beliefs we hold dear to use are often called CONVICTION). Which one does God do to us— because we read the the Holy Spirit convicts us…? Does He do the kind that is punitive? Or does He do the convincing kind…? My thoughts = You’re not being punished… When things are going quite as you planned, it’s easy to think there’s some cosmic judge behind the scenes, seeking to “mess up” stuff on your behalf and “give you what you deserve.” (Especially in the area of RELATIONSHIPS & MONEY!) Maybe you’ve even done the negative self-talk about that kinda thing… “I’m so ________________________ [insert the negative phrase of your choice here].” Been there, done it, have the t-shirt. Let me offer you this perspective… The voice inside of you (some people call it the Holy Spirit) isn’t here to convince you that you are bad, evil, janked-up, etc… In fact, there’s one who IS called the accuser… On the other hand, the Spirit convinces- ahh, let’s just say it, convicts- you that you are righteous. Not wrong. But righteous. Here's where I get that: 👉 Jesus took all judgment on Himself (John 12:32), 2,000. Years ago. 👉 The Holy Spirit takes what is His and gives it to you, constantly reminding you (read: convincing / convicting you) that sin has been handled and you are righteous (see John 16:12). That’s right, the Holy Spirit persuades you about righteousness. He doesn’t do this by giving you a pile of bad things you've done or a checklist of good deeds which you need to do. Rather, the Holy Spirit does this by convincing you- by convicting you- that you are free to be who you were created to be. 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 I tackle it in this week’s talk— on your fav podcast provider or here: www.Jenkins.tv/blog/nojudgment

“Christ became for each of us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). +++++ A few years ago I read Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning. In that book he reminds us of some of the perplexing truths in Scripture— * “All things work together for the good” (Romans 8:28). * “All things are made beautiful in His time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Notice— Paul (who wrote Romans) does say that all things are good. Rather, he contends that all things— even the worst of all things— work together in our favor. Manning suggests this includes the horrible things other people (i.e., government officials rolling over and asking for payoffs in order to follow the laws they’re elected to actually adhere to, people turning against us), as well as the sins we commit. Even then, at our own worst moments, God works on our behalf. Though waiting is often involved— and thew “new” doesn’t appear overnight— God often uses these times to impart something to us that can’t be acquired ay other way.

The best way to live forward is to look back and remind ourselves of who the Father says we are, to evaluate our place in His story, and to stay in close proximity to the Author and Finisher of our faith. . . . More at https://www.Jenkins.tv/blog/finish  or your fav podcast provider. . Learn more about the project at www.LifeLift.online . . Grab the paperback at https://amzn.to/2Zyvz6F 

Jesus called both rebels and rule-keepers to abandon their lesser identities and embrace their roles as sons & daughters of the king. When they experience the lavish love of their Father, the natural response is to overflow that connection to others. . . . More at https://www.Jenkins.tv/blog/prodigals  or your fav podcast provider. . Learn more about the project at www.LifeLift.online . . Grab the paperback at https://amzn.to/2Zyvz6F