The Power of the Written Word and The 100th Post

Heaven and earth shall pass away: 

but my words shall not pass away.

~Matthew 13:31

When Christ bids a man leave the ship and come to him over dark troubled waters, 

he stretches out His hand to hold him.

~Flame in the Wind (movie)

There must be a divorce between you and sin, or there can be no marriage between you and Christ. 

~Charles Spurgeon

It is in the unknown that fellowship with my Lord is sweetest. 

It is in the unknown that God's mercy is most beautifully manifested. 

It is in the unknown that our faith is refined and comes forth shining more brightly.

~Unknown

It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. Lighthouses do not ring bells and fire cannons to call attention to their shining--they just shine.

~Dwight L. Moody 

The hope is not that you're going to get what you want when you want it. The hope is that you belong to the God of the universe, and He is going to be glorified. And your greatest desire is for Him to be glorified. And because He's sovereign in the affairs of men, your greatest desire is going to come to pass - whether you see it or not.

~Voddie Baucham

God always gives his very best to those who leave the choice with Him.

~J. Hudson Taylor

When the devil throws our sins up at us and declares, 'You deserve death and hell.'
We ought to speak thus:
'I admit I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means! For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ the Son of God. Where He is there I shall be also.'"
~Martin Luther

‎Everything that God is doing to you and permitting to be done to you is serving to conform you ultimately to Jesus. 

~John Piper

...faith must be tested and tried before it becomes real in your life. 

~Oswald Chambers

Ah, the love of God knows no change—it faintest not, neither is weary. Darkness makes no difference and serves not to conceal its object from it. Unfailing love watches over the believer during the hours when he is insensible to its presence. ‘Having loved His own which were in the world He loved them unto the end’—unto the end of all their wanderings and unworthiness.

~A.W. Pink (in his book Elijah)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

~John 1:1

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This is the 100th post on Facing the Waves, my friends! It's taken a couple years to get here, but I am grateful for all those who have read, commented, and encouraged me on in my writing. It is truly a blessing to be able to share some of my thoughts with you all, and I pray that each of the posts here would encourage you to draw closer to the King of kings and Lord of lords. May you seek to serve Him all your days, so that when you reach the Celestial Gates, you will hear Him say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things...enter thou into the joy of thy lord." 

To God be the glory, 

Kaleigh 

His Intercession!

Wherefore he is able also 

to save them to the uttermost 

that come unto God by him,

seeing he ever liveth 

to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25

Do you ever think about the fact that Jesus prays for you? We often think about prayer as our talking to God--and rightly so--but Jesus also pleads before the throne of grace for us. He lives to make intercession for His chosen ones. He can save us because He died for us, and is now able to represent us perfectly and completely before a holy and just God. He died to bury our sins, but He lives to intercede for our lives. 

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27) An all-knowing Savior not only knows exactly how to pray for us, but He also knows the mind, Spirit, and will of God. He prays with that knowledge. Knowing that God's purposes are sovereign, and that everything He does or says will be accomplished regardless of man's desires. Yet, the One who searches the human heart still stands before that Throne and begs for mercy and grace on our behalf. 

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

The blood of the One who bought us--the sacrifice Who paid for our sinful lives--takes the likeness of a man on Himself, but His holiness is what permits Him entrance into the holy place. For God cannot turn away a perfect Ransom. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1b-2)

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry.
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry.
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

He is the remover of the Father's righteous wrath. He is the One and only atonement for sin. He is our High Priest--the One who dares to freely enter the Holy of Holies and look upon the face of God. He is the presence of the sinner but the flawless Christ. He is the Son of Man, yet the Son of God.

And He prays for us. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34) Yes, our sins condemn us, but it is the risen Christ who intercedes for us. He not only sits in glory and majesty at the right hand of the Father in equality with Him, but He also took on the form of a servant and the fashion of mankind in order that He might pray for us.

So when your spiritual life appears to be fading, when your prayers don't seem to be reaching the heavens, when your questions outnumber your answers, and when your faith simply collapses--remember. Remember that Christ is already praying for you. Remember that He constantly stands before the Father, pleading for mercy for you. Remember Who He is and what He has done and is doing for you. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of  the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. (Hebrews 9:24) Our imperfect prayers reach the King of Kings as perfect, because of our Intercessor. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Therefore, the Holy of Holies, the sacred dwelling place of God, is open to us. He invites us to enter with our imperfection, because the Ransom who stands in our place has made us perfect in His sight. For all of time and eternity.

Jesus says, I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. and all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, ever as we are one: I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that teh world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:9-10, 17, 22-23)

So then, Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have no an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And "Father, Abba, Father," cry. *

*Hymn lyrics by Charles Wesley.

Coaching Defined

Christian coaching is the art and practice 

of enabling individuals and groups to 

move from where they are 

to where God wants them to be.

~Gary R. Collins

August 18th marked the beginning of my first online college course through Liberty University. As my passion for coaching, counseling, mentoring, and discipling other believers increased during the past three years, I traded out a few of my free elective credit tests for coaching and counseling courses. This course is entitled "Introduction to Life Coaching". It is eight weeks long, and during the course, I will be sharing four of my assignments here, Lord willing. These assignments (500 words maximum) are based on the textbook and lectures that I listen to, as well as answering the given questions for the assignment. 

The conversations that have resulted with friends or with my CP coach have been wonderful. This is a topic that daily catches my interest (whether or not I'm studying it), and I believe it's a ministry that the Lord has called me to in the near future. What that will look like, I'm not sure, yet, but gaining this knowledge and wisdom from my studies and others around me will be invaluable for whatever He has in store later. 

I'd love to hear thoughts or comments about the assignments I share here. I'm always seeking to learn a bit more. ;) Because of the specific word count, I'm not able to detail many terms in each assignment, as it is assumed the student is pulling from the text and lectures. Feel free to ask questions, as I would be happy to clarify, if needed. :) 

Week One's assignment prompt was this: Describe the difference between coaching and counseling, mentoring, and discipleship? What makes Christian Life Coaching distinctive from secular life coaching? 

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Coaching is a fairly new term used to describe a method of ministering to people. It differs from counseling in that it is proactive--looking ahead to the future, setting goals, determining outcomes, and walking a person through the needed steps to fulfill specific goals. It is referred to as positive psychology because it focuses on the present and future, in order to turn ideals into tangible outcomes. (Collins, 2009)

Counseling typically refers to helping a person heal and move on from difficult life situations that have affected their everyday living. Counseling deals with emotional trauma, addictions, or mental instability. It’s known as negative psychology because it focuses on the past, and works through it, in order to bring healing to the present and future. (Collins, 2009)

Mentoring is defined as dealing “mostly with succession training and seeks to help someone do what the mentor does”. (Collins, 2009, p. 20) Mentoring is focused on supervising a person, in order to each him something the mentor already knows. Often the older will teach the younger. Titus 2 mentions the older women teaching the younger women how to care for a home and love her husband and children. Mentoring doesn’t work on healing past experiences like counseling, nor does it focus on having a person “draw from his or her own resources and experiences” (Collins, 2009) like coaching does. Mentoring is teaching people to learn.

Discipleship is a spiritual endeavor; one that Jesus specifically demonstrated and used on His own disciples. Making disciples was also one of the commands He left to His followers in the Great Commission. (Collins, 2009, p. 25) It differs from coaching, in that it is spiritual by Divine design, but coaching can definitely demonstrate discipleship aspects, such as giving “instruction and guidance that will enable individuals to grow in Christlikeness and in the knowledge and favor of Jesus Christ”. (Collins, 2009, p. 21)

Secular coaching often directs its mission toward helping people achieve their own personal goals and get from where they are now to where they want to be in the future. (Collins, 2009) Christian coaching takes this basis and raises the standard even higher. Christian coaching is distinctive from secular coaching, in that its focus is directed toward Christ. Secular coaching may include spirituality such as New Age or Eastern spiritual themes, but Christian coaching has an eternal purpose, vision, mission, and reward. (Collins, 2009) A Christian coach will direct others to pursue God’s vision and fulfill His unique calling for their lives. A Christian coach will create an awareness of God’s work in a person’s life, and strive to help him set goals and accomplish missions that will further that person’s spiritual growth and lead to the advancement of God’s kingdom. (Collins, 2009)

References:

Collins, G. R. (2009). Christian Coaching: Helping Others Turn Potential into Reality. Colorado Springs: NavPress.

*****

You don't need lots of techniques or years of experience to be an effective life coach. What contriubtes to people most is your level of commitment to them. That commitment doesn't come from technique or experience. It comes from the depths of your being.

~Dave Ellis

His Life Purpose!

A man's heart deviseth his way: 

but the Lord directeth his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

     Any former student, current student, or alumni through CollegePlus will recognize the "Life Purpose Statement" as one of the first life skills to earning his degree. But life purpose planning isn't just for CP students. Most people plan their life, create goals, define missions, and state values in some shape or form.

     A life purpose statement, as defined by CP, describes who you are or what you desire to be, who you are called to serve, and what you believe is needed by those who you feel called to serve. I actually wrote my LPS three times to date. I rewrote it the second time because I decided that my first attempt didn't include enough details, and then the third time I rewrote it, I wanted something that would encompass my whole life, rather than just specific aspects of it. And I'm satisfied with my last draft of it, now. ;)

     While there is much in my future that I do not know, my LPS is one that directs me back to my ultimate goal and passion: to serve the Lord with my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to encourage others to do the same with their life. Our Master will call each of us to different places, give us different passions, bless us with different gifts, and direct our steps in different directions. But I believe this should be the fundamental goal of each Christian is the same: to serve the One who called you, realizing that He gives you the strength to follow and obey His leading.

     My Life Purpose Statement:

As one who is called to bear the cross of Christ, I purpose to use my time, talents, and resources to impact others for His kingdom. (Luke 9:23) By serving, discipling, and challenging others to live boldly on the authority of Scripture, I will endeavor to counsel, mentor, and encourage other believers, so that they will be equipped to defend the truth to future generations. (1 Peter 3:15) 

"It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis."

~Oswald Chambers

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

~Mark 12:28-34 (KJV; emphasis mine)