Lionheart

So I graduated from Clemson University on Friday.  WOW!  It still hasn’t totally set in yet.  I’m done–no more classes, no more homework, no more tests–it is a great sense of completion.  It was a lot of work–lots of long hours, late nights, and time well spent but it is over. I believe the final tally was somewhere around 167 credit hours for my degrees–that’s absolutely ridiculous.  There were times when I did not think I was going to finish, but the Lord saw me through every step of the way.

Leading up to graduation, Jesus really began to change my focus in how I saw this ceremony.  Friday was different–I wasn’t really focused on the piece of paper in the diploma cover, nor the applause from the parents, faculty, and staff–rather I saw it as a testimony to God’s greatness.  Like I said, there were many times when I didn’t think I was going to finish.  At times, I felt that it was pointless and that I wanted to walk away–then there was the major change last Spring–absolutely ridiculous–but the Lord saw me through every step of the way.

His faithfulness showed forth on all fronts.  From the very beginning to the very end, He continually opened doors and provided His confirmation.  During my senior year in high school, I didn’t even apply for Clemson–I was focused on places like Auburn, University of Tennessee, the Naval Academy, NC State, etc.  My dad actually filled out the application on the last day of submission.  I attended an alumni dinner in Augusta, GA not long after that, and from then on the Lord opened doors and guided me in the direction of Clemson.

I went for engineering but did not finish there.  I studied Mechanical Engineering for a while then Industrial until my senior year, but in December of 2008, Jesus called me to full time ministry.  I knew from that moment forward that His plan for me was not to be an engineer but a minister and teacher of His Gospel.  It was a wrestle with what to do with my Clemson education at that point.  However, the Lord opened the door with Religious Studies in the Philosophy department at Clemson.  While studying Industrial Engineering, Religion had been my minor, thus almost all of those classes were done.  My near complete list of engineering classes counted as a cluster minor, then I knocked out some philosophy and foreign language classes during my fifth year.  This past year was a beast–I busted my butt the whole time–I took 25 hours during the fall semester and 12 during the spring along with an internship at NewSpring Church.  The fall course load was, once again, ridiculous, but the Lord provided and saw me through every step of the way.

Throughout my entire education, Jesus showed up and showed out on my behalf.  He used education via Clemson to get me into a place where I could focus on His ministry and His plan for my life–that is so encouraging.  He specializes at putting us in the right place at the right time. He is ever so faithful–even when we are not.  I went to Clemson with an engineering focus, but He used that to bring me to a catalyst in 2008 when he stopped me dead in my tracks and told me to pursue His calling.  After the fact, it is so encouraging to see how he used each and ever aspect of the last five years to mold me and make me into who He wants me to be.

I give Him glory for it all–it is all for Him.  I lay the diploma, the credits, the hours, the applause, the recognition all at His feet.  It was only through Him that I was able to be in that position, and it was only through Him that I finished.  I know that He has great things in store for the future.  Though I may not know exactly what that is, I can rest in what He has done as confirmation that He will see me through in the future.  He that began a good work will be faithful to complete it.

Being a young person, I hear people who I come in contact with always ask about ‘hearing from God’.  ”How do I hear from God”, “What is hearing from God?”, “How do you know God is speaking?”, “Is God speaking?”, etc–it varies.

This is huge in the college/young professional time of life but it is relevant to all.  People always want to hear a message or hear a talk about ‘How to hear from God’. These same individuals really get desperate about hearing from Him when it comes time to make a big decision, career choice, etc.

We always want the magic formula or the audible voice to just tell us something.  We are so quick to put the ‘hearing from God’ problem back on God with the excuse that He doesn’t speak anymore.  We have all heard the excuse, “Oh yea, God used to speak to people in the Bible, but He doesn’t do that anymore”.

WRONG!!  God still speaks.  God is constantly speaking for that matter.  The problem isn’t on His end, but rather it’s on ours.  We have dropped the ball.  We can’t hear God for the noise.  There are so many things that are going on–so many thing that demand our attention that we can barely even think straight.  We run through our day, crossing out things on our to-do list, consume a bit of food, pay our dues in our relationships, go to bed, and start it all over again the next day.  All the while–God is speaking the whole time.

It’s left up to us.  We have got to cut out the noise.  Get in His Word.  Spend a few minutes on our knees in prayer–and how bout this, don’t ask for stuff the whole time–just sit in silence.  You would be amazed at what God can do in our silence.  Let’s get our focus off of us and on Him and what He is saying.  The Word says that we know His voice.  It’s just left up to us being quiet enough to listen.

I have to give credit where credit is due–both to a great example and a great leader.  Mark Batterson’s post on Leadership Lessons from Brett Favre is absolutely awesome.  On point!!

Today, I had the tremendous privilege to hear Mark Batterson speak at Anderson Univeristy.  Mark is the author of the books, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day”, “Wild Goose Chase”, and the recently released, “Primal”.  Mark is an awesome man of God, and it was definitely a blessing to sit in on his talk today.  Below are some notes from the talk:

Lion Chaser Manifesto

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Criticize by creating. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

II Samuel 23:20—Story of Benaiah and his exploits

• sometimes I wish we could forget the Bible—we are subject to what psychologists call hindsight bias.  We know what is going to happen and it restricts us from learning something new
• drama is taken out of the drama and we just read over the verses—a lot of times, we miss what God is trying to tell us
• Benaiah chases the lion into the pit on a snowy day—killed the Egyptian with a club—killed Moabites
• Benaiah becomes the commander in chief of Israel’s army under Solomon—this success traces back to a decision he had to make.  Was he going to chase the lion into the pit or run away?

DON’T LET FEAR DICTATE YOUR DECISIONS

• all other fears are learned—if we can learn them, then we can unlearn them

PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR

• the end result of a fear of God means that we don’t have to fear anything else
• if we want to make God laugh, tell him your plans

DON’T ACCUMULATE POSSESSIONS, ACCUMULATE EXPERIENCES

• you come to life as you begin to experience new things—the greatest experiences are those in which we have to step out in faith in order to watch God work

NO ONE CAN WORSHIP GOD LIKE YOU—UNIQUNESS IS A GIFT TO GOD

• he made you special—no one can live or exist like I can

WHEN WE DON’T HAVE THE GUTS TO LIVE BY FAITH, WE ROB GOD OF THE GLORY

• identify the lions in your life—its between you and God
• accumulate lion skins as a testimony to Him of the great things he has done
• God didn’t call us to play defense—we are fixated on sins of commission
• you can do nothing wrong but still do nothing right
• live life today as if it’s the first and last day of your life

This past year has been quite a ride, especially in the area of finances.  Times have been tough, yet the Lord has always brought me through with His provision.  I have done stupid with money too many times, and I have learned some hard lessons.  Thank the Lord that when we are unwise, we are able to learn from our decisions.  There have been some good things–I paid off a credit card to BestBuy for a tv that I almost paid double for by the time it was paid off.  I also sold a motorcycle that I had incurred a debt on.  Man, I miss that bike, but the financial freedom is that much better.  I have learned so much.  Yet, there are still some student loans that I am in the process of cleaning up. On a similar note, I am truly thankful for Dave Ramsey and his ministry.  Through his principles. most of which are based on Biblical sources, I have learned the importance of saving, budgeting, and not borrowing.

Money is really tricky.  The key is to learn how to use it as a tool; if not, it will end up controlling an individual.  In an effort to be totally and completely devoted to Christ, one has to surrender their finances.  This is something the Lord has really been dealing with me about lately.  Of course, the tithe is a given according to Malachi 3.  However, the Lord has really impressed responsible stewardship upon me.  Our goal, as Followers of Christ, should be to bring glory and honor to God in all areas of life.  This applies across the board in all areas–our relationships, our thoughts, our actions, and our money.  God has entrusted so many things to us–it is all His, yet He has given us stewardship over it.  It is our responsibility to steward and manage wisely in order to bring glory to God.  With this new focus on things, responsible stewardship is worship.  When we desire to bring glory to God through the use of our resources, a new avenue of worship is opened.  The focus is taken of what I can do with money for myself but rather how I can use what has been entrusted to me for God’s glory.

One very useful tool for handling money responsibly is a budget.  I read about creating and maintaining a budget in Dave’s teachings; however, I have yet to put it into practice.  The Lord has really been working on me and has shown me that maintaining a budget is an act of worship unto him.  Keeping an account of what he has entrusted to me is very responsible and brings glory to Him.  I have started the budget, and I would challenge others to do the same.

Wow!  It really has been a long time since I last posted.  Life has been absolutely slamming as of late; however, God is so good.  Even though things have been very busy and very tough, Jesus has continued to blow my mind.  He has constantly shown His guidance and direction.  His perfect provision has been with me every step of the way as well.  I look forward to highlighting some of the awesome things God has been doing in my life within the next few weeks.

One thing Jesus has been impressing upon me lately deals with how I go about my everyday life. I think that too many times, it is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine and forget about our true purpose. When things like work, class, bills, and responsibilities come at us, it is easy to take our focus off of Jesus and what He has for us. It is so easy to look at today as just another day to punch the time clock and go through the to do list; however, we are meant for so much more. Jesus has challenged me to look at each day as another opportunity to get after it for Him. To push through and take care of each piece of the day not because of a requirement or a deadline but rather for Him. Work, class, responsibilities–its all an opportunity to rock it out for Him. When viewed this way, lots of things change. Responsibilities are done to excellence because they are a witness and a testimony for Him. Furthermore, the day is filled with joy–joy that can only come from Him. It’s tough to do at first because it calls for a change in your mindset; however, when we can focus on HIM, we see everything differently.

So this is my first post on joshheyward.com. This site is truly a blessing. It is my hope and prayer to say consistent with posts about what’s going on in my life as well as what God is hitting me with each day. He is ALWAYS speaking, and He is absolutely amazing.

Someone told me several years ago that performance follows passion.  I have to say that I absolutely agree.  No matter what area of life, I have seen this saying prove true.  When someone is passionate about something, they usually perform better than they would had the passion not been there.  This applies across the board whether it be in school, at work, in sports, or in matters of faith.

The most important aspect where this applies has to do with our relationship with Christ.  When we are passionate about Jesus, our relationship with Him gets better.  When we are passionate about Him, we do whatever it takes to get to know him in a more intimate way.  When we are passionate about Jesus, we will stop at nothing to get more of Him.  Furthermore, when we are passionate about Jesus, we serve Him with all that we are.   Jesus has put giftings and callings on the inside of each and every one of us.  When we, in turn, use our gifts and passions for Jesus, it is an act of ultimate worship.  When our God-given passions and gifts align with our passion for Jesus, we are able to have a huge impact for His kingdom, and when we unleash these passions on the world, people can’t help but see Jesus through us.  Our passions become worship unto the Father, and we are able to point people towards Jesus.

I was reading in Matthew yesterday, and Jesus decided to drop a bomb on me.  It was welcomed, and I was amazed at what he revealed.  Matthew 8:5-13 discusses Jesus’ encounter with the Roman centurion.  The centurion points out the fact that he has a sick and paralyzed servant.  The passage goes on to explain that Jesus agrees to go and heal the servant, however, the centurion refuses and claims that he is unworthy to have Jesus at his house.  He then goes on to say that Jesus is a man of authority like himself.  The centurion literally blows Jesus’ mind with his statement.  The centurion states, “But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”  This was absolutely phenomenal–of course, nothing takes Jesus by surprise; however, he was amazed at the great faith of the centurion.  As a matter of fact, he stated that he had not seen such great faith even in Israel.

I honestly think that the centurion got it.  For a Roman to impress Jesus so much with his faith was phenomenal.  The centurion understood the power and validity of the words of Jesus.  He knew that when Jesus spoke, things would happen.  He didn’t need Jesus to repeat himself, hold his hand, or give him a religious experience–he only needed the Word.  Too many times in our life, Jesus gives or has given us a Word, but we have refused to act.  We have refused to step out in faith.  His word and direction was not enough–we wanted more, more assurance.  Too many times we reply, “Jesus, is that what you really want me to do?” If He has given the word, then He definitely wants us to do what He said.  One of the great things about Jesus is that he speaks through His Word, the Bible.  It provides direction and guidance that are relevant to all aspects of our lives.  It is ultimate authority for us as Followers of Christ.  The time is now for us to heed His Word for our lives.  What is it that Jesus has told you to do?  What is it that He has challenged you with?  He has definitely challenged me with some things, and He has encouraged me to take Him at His Word–to hold onto it and only it.  It is a firm foundation that will not fail!