2011: What Was Your Pivotal Point?

In 2011, what was your pivotal point in your walk with God?  What was your turning point where you allowed the Light of Jesus Christ to expose His truth on sin in your life, and you had a marked moment of change that was obvious even to others?  I'm talking about Jesus Christ Himself here; not your pastor, not Oswald Chambers, Max Lucado or Beth Moore; not Joel Osteen or Joyce Meyer.  The question is, what was your turning point in 2011 where you allowed Jesus Christ to expose sin in your life?  What did Jesus Christ show you in 2011, that you needed to change, whether intentional, deliberate, habitual sin ... or sin you were completely unaware of in your life?

If you've been reading this blog, you know what my pivotal point was this year.  It came to me after a period of time in 2010, where I simply felt uncomfortable "doing" church.  What I mean by that is, feeling uncomfortable just doing what everyone else was habitually and ritually doing ... but experiencing no real change; showing up exchanging pleasantries, being inspired by a sermon, maybe being emotionally stirred by a song, signing up for more Bible study, and yet, while I am one who detests being religious, I was finding myself ... being religious.  My pivotal point came early this year when I began reading the Bible with intention to hear Jesus Christ speak to me ... and He did.

The first and greatest commandment God gave us is to, "Have no other gods before Me," and Jesus came and magnified this Truth with His powerful Light by saying, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  It was this truth that stopped me in my tracks when I got to Deuteronomy 6 and realized I was unintentionally failing miserably; a.k.a. sinning against God.  Not only had I NOT "impressed them on my children, talked about them when we sat at home and when we walked along the road, when we laid down and when we got up," I was not impressing them on my grandkids now!

We are NOT getting it, Church!  We are NOT getting Deuteronomy 6!  And anyone who reads this passage of Scripture thinking it does not apply to his life because he has no children or grandchildren ... is dead wrong!  If we have time for our jobs, and our hobbies, and our appointments & commitments, and for all the good church stuff we do ... and we do not have time OR courage OR desire to share God's truths, we are sinning against God!

If we can talk about the mess our country is in and if we can talk about what needs to happen to turn it around ... and yet we cannot see and talk about the mess our church is in and ignore what needs to happen to turn it around ... we are sinning against God!  If we can quote the very popular Scripture repeatedly, "If my people will pray," but we refuse to see our need to turn away from all the things that are keeping us distracted from obeying God's Word, we are sinning against God!

As believers, we are either fruitful or unfruitful, and religiously going to church and "doing" church will not make us fruitful.  Giving money to help others "be fruitful," is NOT the same as YOU or ME bearing fruit.  Joining another Bible study after decades of doing Bible studies will not make me fruitful; it will only make me more knowledgeable of His Word.   It is only in sharing and teaching the truth of Jesus Christ that I will be fruitful.  AND, I can call this blog my way of sharing His truth, because I DO, but seriously?  Will He allow me to simply find something that "works" for me, "using MY gift of writing" instead of following Him and going where HE leads me?

Joel Osteen, pastor of the largest and fastest growing church in America, makes the claim that he is NOT qualified to teach Scripture (click here to read more); there are other people called and qualified to do that but that is NOT his gift; his gift is that of encouragement ... and he has a greater following than most other pastors in America.  Can any of us who believe in Jesus Christ make that claim?  Can any of us say our gift is anything OTHER than teaching Scripture ... unless we don't know Jesus Christ and therefore don't know any Scripture?

What I know for sure today is that I am anticipating and looking forward to the pruning and discipline (the hard truth) Jesus Christ has for me in 2012.  My pivotal point in 2010 as well as 2011 required me to turn away from a lot of good church stuff; to see myself through His eyes, and I expect it to be more of the same in 2012.  I have learned if I am going to follow Him, I cannot follow or be part of the religious crowd; I cannot be doing what the rest of the church is doing, and you know what?  I used to look at this pruning as being very painful and costly.  Well, there is pain and huge cost in following Him, but I have learned it is in being fruitful that I find freedom as I've never known before!

As I shared with my grandkids this week, people want Jesus for themselves when they see people who have Jesus in them, and people who have Jesus in them are not walking around in despair, depression and loneliness; nor are they walking around with a pretentious facade.  People who have Jesus in them have something in them other people want, and if we have Jesus in us, we don't have time or desire for all the other distractions in our lives.

So, what was your pivotal point; your turning point in 2011 where Jesus got your attention and you obeyed the truth He was showing you?  In my life, there have been years where I never experienced a pivotal point with Him; I know now that if I truly want His truth that will change me, it's impossible to go for a year without His discipline and pruning.  The key is in obeying that truth; committing to "working on it" won't cut it, only obedience will.  If I'm still "working on" applying Deuteronomy 6 in my life in 2012 instead of intentionally obeying it ... instead of giving me more, He will take away from me:  "Therefore consider carefully how you listen.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."  (His words, not mine.)