That's (a)pathetic

Apathy is a lack of interest, enthusiasm, emotion, or concern.

Apathy is when you simply don’t care anymore.

You don’t care about hurting people.

You don’t care about people dying and going to Hell every day.

One of the scariest things that can happen to a Christian is that they become apathetic.


It can be your downfall.. it can turn into something that consumes you and controls you..

When you become apathetic, you lose the sensitivity….you become cold and hard hearted..

Apathy is a terrifying thing.

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The thing about apathy is that it won’t just go away unless you’re intentional about it…

And once you’re intentional about overcoming it, you more than likely will not see immediate results.


But there is good news...

There are a few things that can potentially help remedy your apathy.

1. Prayer times- Longer prayer times; more consistent prayer times; changing up the way you pray.

2. More praise and worship- This is one way you can change the way you pray. Prayer isn’t meant to be a list of requests to God, and prayer isn’t meant to be us complaining to God about all of our issues; trust me, He already knows about them. Instead, thank God for what He has done for you. Also, be less “Me” centered with your prayer times.

3. Fasting- Fasting can be one of the greatest cures because it makes you completely vulnerable. It makes you more sensitive physically and emotionally, and therefore, many times if you have a hard heart, fasting may be just what you need to soften it.

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With that being said, if these don’t work, the issue may be deeper rooted.

If so, do not delay; do not put it off; do not take it lightly.

The first step towards overcoming apathy happens when you realize that one of the worst things you can do is think too lightly of the power of apathy.

It is unhealthy to underestimate apathy.

When you underestimate the influence apathy can have, it may often lead to things like:

Backsliding; losing your morals; turning away from God; doubting your faith; and many other terrible things.

Do not take apathy lightly.


Another very common mistake people make is that they allow themselves to be in denial about their apathy.
It is unhealthy to be naive about apathy.


The fact of the matter is that we all go through dry seasons; but we need to be careful not to confuse them with apathy. God WANTS to make Himself known in our lives. He wants to speak to us, He wants to speak through us, and He wants to empower us in mighty ways.

If you feel like when you pray:

Everything is dry.

God never talks to you.

Nothing good ever comes out of your prayer times.

And you haven't noticed changes in the negative areas of your life over the past few weeks, months or years..

Let me tell you this; THAT IS NOT AS GOOD AS IT GETS!

Things can change!

God DESIRES for YOU to know HIM better.

If you feel apathetic, there is hope.


You can shift the focus of that apathy.

It is healthy to be apathetic about fitting society’s norms.

It is healthy to be apathetic about what people think about you.

It is healthy to be apathetic about the way people look at you when you live for Jesus.


Mark 4:1-20 (for this blog, specifically verses 1-8; 13-20) is a very good passage of scripture to read in relation to the topic of apathy. It may not appear to connect directly, but there is a lot of great truth in this parable.

1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”


13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”



I would like to share just a few quick thoughts from this passage.

If you have become apathetic, the step to redemption and recovery may be the process of you finding a new foundation. If you are not deeply rooted in Christ, eventually, everything will wither.

Many of the things we root ourselves in will give us a false sense of security, comfortability, and well-being; but in time, if we are not rooted in the one TRUE, CONSTANT, REAL thing; then we will suffer for it.

Make sure you’re sense of joy isn’t in other people. Make sure you don’t become dependent on materials. Instead, live a Christ-centered life.

When you renew your foundation, and renew your relationship with Him, you will develop a burden for the things you were once apathetic towards.








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resource:  a great article on apathy!  http://www.churchleaders.com/outreach-missions/outreach-missions-blogs/156989-jd_greear_apathy_as_the_enemy_of_the_gospel.html

Rock the World (Part 1)

The world is a crazy place.  There is no doubt about it.  Everybody knows about the issues that are consuming our culture.  Everybody tells us about the divorce rate and the teenage pregnancies; the drug addictions and the homelessness. 

I don’t know how many times I have heard somebody say, “I want to change the world”; and to be honest, many times I find it hard to believe the people that say these things. 

Why?

Well there are two types of World Changers.  The emotional World Changers, and the Passionate World 

Changers.

1.      

     Emotional World Changers. 

·         These are the ones that watch the PETA commercials, and their heart breaks for the animals. 

·         These are the ones who come back from conferences and they really want to change the world.  They REALLY do… but once the emotions start to wear off, they lose that desire.   

·         These are the ones who go to a concert and come back with dreams of become a rock star.

·         These are the ones who come home every Sunday morning after church feeling great and feeling changed; only to lose those feelings by the time Tuesday rolls around.

The problem with emotions is that they are TEMPORARY. 

The problem with emotions is that although you may sincerely desire to change the world one day, once the emotions wear off that desire is GONE.

It is great to have faith that you can change the world, and it is great to think of a bunch of revolutionary and radical ways to do so, but until you actually put it into action, it means absolutely nothing.

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:14-17)

Faith without actions is dead…there you have it.

2.          Passionate World Changers.

·         The thing about passion is that it is SINCERE.

·         The thing about passion is that it doesn’t pass on.  (get it, passion..pass on)

·         The thing about passion is that even as emotions come and go, passion still remains embedded deep inside of your very makeup. 

Passionate world changers put faith into ACTION. 

²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:21-22)

The interesting thing about this verse is this:  Abraham wasn't passionate about sacrificing his son.  Abraham was PASSIONATE about obeying and serving God.  If he was not passionate, then there is absolutely no way that he would be willing to offer his son as a sacrifice.  I try to consider myself passionate about God, and to be honest, I would have an extremely difficult time sacrificing my (hypothetical, made up) son. 

If somebody is TRULY passionate, then their actions should speak volumes.

If somebody is TRULY passionate, then their results should speak volumes.

If somebody is TRULY passionate, then even after failing 199 times, they still try with all of their heart to succeed on the 200^th attempt. 

As you can see, there is a reason behind my skeptical views on these so-called World Changers. 

Good ideas DON’T change the world.

Good intentions CAN’T change the world.

Faith alone WON’T change the world.

Good actions on the other hand, CAN make a difference. 

Jesus Had A Big Butt

Jesus had a lot of junk up in his trunk. 

How do I know this? 

Personal Revelation, that’s how.J

Ok, that isn’t entirely true…

But there is plenty of evidence supporting this theory, so hear me out for a bit.

How do I know that Jesus had a big butt?

It’s really quite simple..

When I was younger, I remember hearing the expression, “make sure you leave room for Jesus”.

When it comes to relationships, we need to make sure that we leave plenty of room for Jesus.

Dating is something that is often frowned upon, particularly when it comes to the younger generation.  The fact of the matter is that most people these days simply do not date in a healthy manner.

People are starting to date at a very young age nowadays. 

From the time you hit middle school (and sometimes even earlier), you can expect to be surrounded by the influence of dating.

People start dating at a young age.

 Lots of parents are unaware of this, but I actually prefer the term naïve.

I think that one of the most unhealthy aspects of dating is the physical aspect.

Physical affection often leads to emotion based relationships…

Well... that and hormones..  but honestly, I would rather not go there at this time.

When you are young and in love (I prefer the term confused and immature), it is easy to let your emotions take control.

This is why I believe that, as much of a buzz kill as this may make me, I believe that parents should be very aware of their children’s lives.

Many people will tell you that this is especially true when it comes to parents and their daughters. 

I don’t know if I completely agree with that statement…

I would even go as far as saying that boys and girls are equally driven these days, when it comes to their.. emotions (AKA hormones).

There are some precautions that can be taken to ensure healthier relationships.

1)      Leave room for Jesus..  He has a big butt, and he needs a lot of room! 

-relationships that focus on the physical and emotional aspects are extremely dangerous.

2)      Take it SLOW!  As I mentioned before, when we let our EMOTIONS lead us, we often move into dangerous territory very fast.  We have a fast food mindset, and we are spoiled with the “I want it now” society that we live in.  As silly as this may sound, we don’t need to say EVERYTHING that we feel the second that we feel it; why?  Because emotions often hit you before logic does.  One day you feel like you are on top of the world and “this just has to be love”.  The next day, you realize that you just let your emotions take control.  Seriously, this happens a lot..  A LOT.    

3)      Put JESUS FIRST!  Don’t fit Jesus time into your schedule; fit your schedule around your Jesus time.  The sad thing is, even many Christians today are more in love with their boyfriend/girlfriend that they are with Jesus.  Take a pause and think about it.  If you love your significant other more than you love Jesus, then honestly, something is very wrong.  Also, don’t be unequally yoked.  We hear this all the time, but if you begin dating someone expecting them to change because of you, and you expect them to all of the sudden fall in love with Jesus…  95 times out of 100 you are going to be let down.

Now I am FAR from the dating expert (you can call me Dr. Zack if you’d like), but when you see people do things the wrong way enough times, you eventually catch on.

If you are questioning how strong and true your feelings are for that other person that you are dating, why not try to take a break from the physical aspects for a while. 

That means:

No kissing.

No cuddling.

No holding hands. 

Try it for a week..

A month..

A year..

Or if really want to be blessed beyond imagination, wait until marriage. J

Thank you for reading Dating 101.

Notice the healthy distance between the two children.  :)

Storms (pt.1)

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. (Matthew 14:22-23)

•          Jesus and the disciples just got finished with the feeding of the 5,000+ people with 5 loaves of bread, and 2 fish.
•    Jesus immediately tells them to hop on a boat and go to the other side, while he goes to the mountainside to pray.

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.

•          The disciples started to ride across the lake, and after they were a few miles away from the land, a storm started to form on the lake.

⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified. (Mark 6:48-50)

•          The disciples were struggling to cross the lake because of the heavy winds.
•    Jesus went walking on the water across the lake.
•    The disciples saw Jesus and were terrified because they thought he was a ghost… They didn’t recognize Jesus.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed.. (mark 6:50-51)

Why is it so easy to recognize Jesus when life is going great, but so hard to recognize him when are in the storm?

When a sudden storm falls upon us we find it difficult to see Jesus anywhere near.

Our greatest fear should be not being able to see Jesus in our times of trouble.

The sad part of the story is that it wasn’t just one of them that didn’t recognize Jesus…  It was all 12 of them.  As crazy as it sounds, even when you are with a group of people who know Jesus, we can still go through storms in life.

God took them away from the miracles, shut them up in a tiny boat, and let them go through the storm.  He allowed them to be shaken but not sunken!

Jesus wants to be trusted as Lord in every storm of life.

In fact, many times in life, we think we know Jesus; but just like the disciples, when life gets rough, he is the last one we turn to.   We need to be able to recognize Jesus in every situation in life. 

The disciples got to witness an awesome miracle by the feeding of the 5,000; and immediately, they forgot about all of the awesome things that happened literally hours before this storm. They forget the GOOD and focused on the BAD.

This story is interesting because in this situation, I think we would all react this way.  In fact, we DO react this way all the time. 

Storms are guaranteed to come our way.. but it is up to us to recognize Jesus when they do come.

Cliffhangers

You know you have a healthy relationship with God if he leaves you on cliffhangers..

A good tv show ends the episode in a way that leaves you wanting more… they try to give you a reason to tune in next week..

Just like that, you know you have a healthy relationship when after you spend time with God, you want more..

When after you’re done praying… done reading the Bible… done with the church service.. you look forward to your next encounter with Him.

With that being said, this is a very difficult attitude to maintain..

We all go through seasons.. that is simply a part of life

But these seasons aren’t supposed to be spiritual highs and lows…

God never called us to be Big Event Christians.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever… and we were made in his image..

God wants our commitment… and a truly committed relationship is an every-day process.

The key word is process.

Just like other relationships, it takes time to build and strengthen a relationship with God.

When it comes to dating, typically, if there is a connection, the more time you spend getting to know that person, the harder you fall for them.  It’s the same way with God…

If you put in 1 hour a week on a Sunday morning, then you won’t see the same results as someone who puts in 20.

God wants us to PURSUE Him.

Many times we pray, “Jesus, take my life, I don’t want it anymore… Lord, just take it and use me.. do your will on my life”… but when we say that, we have the wrong attitude…

John 10:18 says, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord…”. 

Another version reads, “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily….”.

Instead of asking Jesus to take over our lives, we need to lay our lives down!

It is our choice.  It is our free will.  God isn’t going to make us pray more; God isn’t going to make us give more at offering;  God isn’t even going to make us want to know him more.

God wants us to lay our life down and follow him..

John 3:16 is one of the most well known verses in the whole Bible…

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Because God loved, he gave.

God Loved… God Gave…

According to Jesus, the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’’.

Well if God loved, and God gave..

And we say that we Love God…

What are we giving to him?

God gave us the most precious thing he had to offer.. His Son.

Yet many times, we are hesitant to give up even some of the most trivial aspects of our lives, and PURSUE Him.

If we want to know God.. to TRULY know God..

We need to lay our lives down..

And we need to give up our hearts;

Our time;

And our lives….

…And we wonder why He doesn’t leave us on cliffhangers…