The "g"od complex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaA god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. A person with a god complex may refuse to admit the possibility of their error or failure, even in the face of complex or intractable problems or difficult or impossible tasks, or may regard their personal opinions as unquestionably correct.[1][2] The individual may disregard the rules of society and require special consideration or privileges.[1]

God complex is not a clinical term or diagnosable disorder, and does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

The first person to use the term god-complex was Ernest Jones (1913-51).[3] His description, at least in the contents page of Essays in Applied Psycho-Analysis, describes the god complex as belief that one is a god.[4]

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When Jesus referred to Satan, he called him a liar and the Father of all lies.  Satan, the Devil, in his heart was proud and sinned because of it and thought in his heart to set his throne above God's throne (Read here:  Isaiah 14).  Knowing that the devil (Satan) prowls around like a lion seeking to destroy God's disciples, we need to be on guard and to be in the word daily to protect ourselves against his evil arrows.  We need to be rooted in the word.  The problem with this "g"od complex is set at the beginning of our lives when we reach cognitive thought, in that, we desire to seek our own kingdoms and sometimes at the expense of God's Kingdom.  Meaning:  We often find our motives and heart in place of God's will for our life.

When God spoke to Cain:  Genesis 4:7 (ESV) 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted?[a] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for[b] you, but you must rule over it.”.  He gave man a clear path on what Sin can do to our lives.  Cain murdered his brother out of jealousy and anger.  Jesus took the 10 commandments in his teaching and expounded the definition even further with us in saying that if we hate our brother(S) then we have already committed murder in our hearts.  In the 10 Commandments, if you are guilty of one, you are guilty of them all.

So where is the hope?  How can we sustain?  How can we overcome?

Constantly the world bombards us with media, advertisement and daily jaunts of how they know what is best for us (pleasing ourselves) instead of pleasing the one who creates us.  This type of rationalization does not please God, it please the god of this world, that great liar and deceiver, the devil.  He is a bitter and evil creature that turned from his Creator.  He was the first in Scripture to turn to self and please himself and to try and overcome his way instead of God's way.  Often we find when sin tempts us we are given a choice.  Sometimes this sin materializes out of our own desires and greed.  Other times, it is clear that there is likely spiritual warfare and the evil one and his minions tempt (or put situations) in front of us to stumble us.  However, God gives us hope in His Son Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Imagine for just a moment a throne room in each one of our lives.  Imagine the great royal chamber and what that looks like.  For me, when I think of Jesus and God in all their glory, I see a magnificent throne room with all types of gems and diamonds and brilliant light and rainbows and clouds and thunder.  I imagine what it would be like to try and look upon this throne room and to see the Angels and saints all around praising their names:  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and how awesome and how wonderful and even how terrifying that would be.

Now imagine when sin creeps in each of our lives and for a moment we see a flash and we no longer see God (in three) on that throne, instead we see ourselves for what we are:  A sinner in need of a savior and who is weak and feeble and full of our own pride, insecurity and greed and selfishness.  We need to put ourselves to death daily (our old selves) and too seek God's will for our life each day.  As one of our readers said recently to me, when I say the phrase "let go and let God" it grate him because he believes that true discipleship is just more than letting go, it is required daily surrender of self and obedience to God's will for each one of our lives.

It is taking the small "g" out of our lives (for some g = greed,  g = gluttony, g = god complex) and putting God back on that throne and realizing he is in all, through all and above all.

Let go of self, let God in control and trust and obey and surrender to Him each day.

Blessings,

Dante

Mini Church: Faith, Family and Friends

For the past four years I have had a small group that to me, was family, and we used this as a place of prayer, friendship, trust and encouragement.  This group was family.  It was a place to let my proverbial hair down and to be fed instead of pouring into.  Two of the couples felt called to lead in other areas.  This was a group of leaders, not followers and it was really nice to lean on each other during these past few years.This group helped me through the death of my mother.  They prayed for my wife and me when we needed it most.  And most importantly we didn’t feel judged in this group.  That is not to say that they didn’t hold me accountable, because when they did, I knew it was out of love (and truth).

The beautiful thing about these changes are that they will bless other people (other marriages and individuals) as much as they have blessed my wife and me.  They will comfort and encourage and urge others to live a life worthy of God.

So what about the others that I left with us?  What about the new members in our group?  The more the merrier.  Seriously, these others are still part of our family.  They love me and we will continue to grow and challenge each other, to pray for each other, and to be there for one another.  We just had another family start coming and we have been truly blessed by them.

So as I am leading this group, I was praying on what best to talk about:  Marriage?  Stewardship?  Missional? Discipleship?  Of course, I decided on a topic after serious prayer:  Parenting!  We all have kids and we all are our own experts on this subject (not).  The one thing, among many, that we have in common is at times we begrudgingly admit that we do not like bedtime when it is difficult – don’t get me wrong, there are many nights were tickles, snuggles, bedtime pillow fights and songs from the heart ring true to my ears, but then there are those nights (well, you know those nights).

This topic was clearly an answer to my prayers because we have had some honest discussion and really good prayer time with each other.  The thing that I realize is that there are a ton of books about parenting that try to give you cookie cutter solutions on how to raise your kids, but the honest to God conclusion is that not all kids are the same.  Not every child responds to the desires of our hearts that we would like.  Not every child can be disciplined the same.  Not every child, so the list goes on and on and on.

In my opinion, God gives us the privilege of parenting so we can see exactly how much he loves us.  He gives us this blessing to help us understand his mercies are new every day.  He shows us how to love even when we want to scream in frustration and he shows us no matter the good or the bad (the child – each one of us are His) He still loves us.

The Bible has a lot to say about parenting, but there is no clear cut way for each parent to follow.  I will say this, Lance was spot on in his last post, Parents:   You can’t Rush God’s Plan.  Because we cannot.  He is in control even when life seems out of control for us.  He has plans for us, not to harm us, but to give us the abundant life for those who fear and love Him.

God tells us clearly in Scripture to train a child in the way that they should go and that they will never depart from that.  There are a few caveats that we have to apply for this to be the case:

• Our faith has to be real
• We have to trust the Lord with all our heart
• We have to not lean on our own understanding
• We have to acknowledge God in all our ways
• And we have to believe that He will make our paths straight
• We have to stay grounded in the Word (because that word is our lifeline to God)
• We have to show love, faith and hope to our children

This all sounds like it would be an easy formula to follow, but the problem with this theory is that we are married and there is one man and one woman in this marriage.  The potential problem with this is that we continue to try and fall back to our old selves (the old sin nature) instead of putting on our new self (in Christ Jesus) for those of us who profess the Lord Jesus as Savior.

When we get in the way of ourselves:  To our spouse, to our children, to our church and to our work and community – a whole slew of problems begin to unravel themselves.  So what to do:

Turn ourselves back to God (confess this to him:  our doubts, our fears, our troubles)

Lean on Him (all the time – He is faithful even when we are not)

Let Go and Let God.

As Lance, said, “It’s the difference between living your faith versus knowing about faith.”  Your kids can smell a fake a mile away – so be real, make mistakes, get angry, be sad, cry, love, laugh, and live true faith.  Let your kids know that God is a God of second, third and infinite chances as long as we continue to pursue him, trust him and love him.

What say you?

Blessings,

D

Prayer and God's will

2 Kings 20:1-6English Standard Version (ESV)

Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery

20 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” ² Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, ³ “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. ⁴ And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: ⁵ “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, ⁶ and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.”

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When I read this, and many other various passages in Scripture, I find hope and anticipation.  The awesomeness of this Scripture, as believers, is that God does hear our prayers!  He knows our hearts and cares for our well-being.  Many academics may argues as to God being Omniscient and Omnipresence, however, I am choosing not to engage in mortal discussion. I am, however, going to literally take the word of God at its merit.  Does God know our every thoughts?  Of course!  Does God know the outcome of our lives and the actions we take?  Of course He does!  Does God want us to pray to Him?  Yes He does:

• "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7:7)
• "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
• "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)
• "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark 11:24)
• "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13)
• "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:13-14)
• "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." (John 16:23)
• "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." (Romans 10:12)
• "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (Ephesians 2:18)

This past Saturday, in our men's small group, we challenged each other to read through the Book of James this week (Monday - James 1 through Friday - James -5).  It has never become more clearer to me that God wants us to not only worship Him (as he so deserves) but He wants community with us.  He wants more than just fanfare, he wants a relationship with each and every one of us.

Prayers that benefit us and not His will is not what He is asking for.  True Disciples of Jesus spend their time (and devotion) on the things that matter:  God's will (not ours).

Share our fears, anger, sadness and needs with Him, but in all we do seek His Kingdom first.

Blessings,

D

Awesome weekend: Joy and Excitement

Dear Legacy Dads,It has been a while since I posted, not because I do not want to, rather, life has been somewhat busy.  This past weekend was pure excitement and joy for me.  First of all, my son, decided to finally make a profession of Faith and now is a new member at our church.  He really has been saved since about 3 (he truly gets his salvation), but I didn't want to pressure him, instead I wanted him to own his faith.  So he went through our Church Class to become a member and this weekend he brought me joy.

I am not sure about your goals and dreams, but my wife and I have a top priority and that is leading the type of life where our faith is real and our kids really want to own it.  Our prayers have been that they will all come to know the Lord as Savior.  So far, we are two out of three and I couldn't be happier.  The youngest is very smart, and may even be able to comprehend her love toward Jesus, but I am waiting on her (not what I want).

The coolest part of this weekend is just how much he internalized the moment.  I was so excited that he was called to be called a son of God and now to have a community of believers walk around him as he grows in wisdom and discernment.  This was a very humble moment for me and I am still so thankful that the first of three has made a profession of Faith.

My in-laws made the trip out to attend this service and I was just so excited by the Legacy of Faith that was present.  My mother-in-law and father-in-law raised girls that love the Lord, love their husbands and teach their children scripture and purity - it is an amazing thing to watch and I am so thankful that God keeps all of his promises (even when we don't).

He is a God of second and third and so many chances because He loves us so much that He gave us His only Son.  With all this joy in my life that came from this event and the weekend of worship and praise, I didn't think I could get any more excitement until she walked into my room and I paused and took a picture.

I am not sure about you (who have daughters) but I can tell you that I would sacrifice my life and for any one of my kids and that I want them to enjoy their lives and to love their spouses and to love the Lord with all their mind, body, soul and strength.  My middle child walked into my room and showed me a glimpse of my future (Excitement) and to be perfectly honest (as a father) some concerns:

• Am I being the dad/father that I need to be?
• Am I teaching my girls what to look for in a man?
• Am I treating them like I should be (the way that I want their husbands to treat them)?
• How can I be more intentional in my parenting and influence?
• What else do I need to be doing?
• Am I giving them enough of my time (hugs, kisses and quantity of time)?
• Are my wife and I parenting as well as we should be?
• I only have just under 10 years left to truly parent with 100% influence? What's next?How can I get others to help me along this process?

When it is all said and done, I would like to achieve a few things in my life:

1. To lead a humble and content life
2. To leave a legacy for my wife and kids and men that follow
3. To leave a love that can never be replaced (except by my kids spouses and their new lives together)
4. To have my tombstone say that I did it right
5. and most important to hear the words from our Lord, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

What about you?Blessings,

D

Top 10 things in order to be an effective leader

Top 10 things in order to be an effective leader:

1. You must have a vision (where are we, where are we going and how do we get there)
2. You must be able to communicate this vision and convey it to your leaders (if you turnaround and not everyone is following refocus your efforts on communication)
3. You must encourage those around you
4. You must listen to those who you empower to carryout your vision
5. You must often refer to #1 (have a vision) and #2 (communicate this vision)
6. You must be relational (this means that you should comfort, encourage and urge others around you
7. You must be open to those who you are empowering (give them a voice, because if they believe that they have value then your vision becomes even more invaluable)
8. You must continually go through this list in order to make sure that you didn't stray into your own circle of non-communication to your team
9. You must be a humble leader
10. You must be an accountable leader

All of this is only possible when your vision is aligned with God's truth.  This is not about a man, instead it is about God who became man to save you and me!

Blessings,

Dante

Discipleship: Chronicles through Job (Part 2 of 5)

The more that I read through the Bible the more the more I realize that it is reading me instead of me reading it.  There is a wealth of information in this great book and the Holy Spirit truly inspired the writing of this great manual.  Application from stewardship to living to contentment and so much more is find within these pages.  One thing to note, each time you read the Bible, pray that God will continue to reveal His truth for you and what He wants you to glean form this reading.  Pray for wisdom and understanding and take notes on what you read and what thoughts come to you.  When you feel conviction (journal) and when you learn something new, make a note in the margin.  Often, when you journal and re-read it is amazing how the Spirit works in each one of us to build His Kingdom.  Remember:  Less of me, more of God.In Chronicles we learn to:

Be thankful, Sing Praises to God and Tell of His Good Name (share the Gospel) - 1 Chronicles 16:8-10

Be Strong and fight bravely using the word  of God

Devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord - 1 Chronicles 22-19

Serve God with whole-hearted devotion - 1 Chronicles 28:9

God is good and His love endures forever

Humble yourself before Him - 2 Chronicles 7:14

God will strengthen you when you are fully committed to Him - 2 Chronicles 16:9

Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

Stand for Truth, Integrity and Justice - The Book of Nehemiah

God is in control, so don't be afraid to step out in faith for Him - The Book of Esther

God sees it all - Job 7:17-19

Jesus is there for us (from the beginning to the end):  Job 9:33-35, Job 16:19-21, Job 19:25

How to live each day - The Book of Job

How to gain wisdom understanding:  Job 28:28

How to avoid lust - Job 31:1

More to follow on the pathway of being God's disciple.What are some of your thoughts?

D

Discipleship: Genesis through Chronicles (Part 1 of 5)

Do you find yourself often wondering what God's will is for your life?  Questions like is what I do relevant to God's Kingdom?  Is what I am doing now where God wants me to be?  Am I the father that God wants me to be?  Am I the husband that God wants me to be (my wife wants me to be)?  Am I the dad that my children and God need me to be?  Do I love the Lord with all my heart mind, body and strength (does my checkbook and actions prove that)?

So many things matter to men and we are very deep minded creatures.

In Proverbs 20 verse 5 states, "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out." (NIV)

As I was reading through the first fourteen books of the Bible, I was very keen to what discipleship would look like through the "OLD" testament.

I found these things to be true, accurate and confirming by the Holy Spirit:  As disciples of Christ we are to:

1. Master Sin (even in anger):  Genesis 4:6-7; Leviticus 19:18
2. Master Finances (Give God a tenth of our time, talent and treasure):  Genesis 20:20-22
3. Obey God Completely:  Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 15:22
4. Bless Others:  Numbers 6:24-27
5. Keep His Word:  Numbers 30:2
6. Do not fear any man, instead fear God (which is the beginning of wisdom):  Dueteronomy 1:17
7. Love the Lord (with all of your heart, soul, strength) Deuteronomy 6:5-9
8. Study and meditate on God's word:  Joshua 1:8
9. Serve wholeheartedly:  Joshua 24:15; Joshua 14:14
10. Know your charge (what are my marching orders):  1 Kings 2:2-3
11. Sing & Praise God Always:  1 Chronicles 16:8-10

God isn't asking his disciples to just be fans - he want followers.  He wants men who want to know His Son as more than the God Man, instead He wants us to know him as friend.  Life is hard enough with its daily jaunts and stresses and questions in life.  Instead of pursuing what we think is best, why not pursue the maker of the world and to build community with Him.

Thoughts?

D

How to live a pure and peaceful life (a post from my 10 year old son)

My son has been fanatical about cars and not just any cars, but serious sports cars.  That is all he talks about and that is what he likes to think about.  Don' t get me wrong, he loves God, loves his Mom and his sisters most of the time, but he constantly has cars in the commentary.    Which leads me to this post, because one day I had finally said to him that I was getting seriously concerned about his focus on materialism and the ways of this world.  I asked him, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"  His response was right on, he said, "Dad, there is nothing that is worthy losing your soul for."We then started talking about Abraham and Gideon and David and the Saints of the Bible and why there stories are so important.  I, then, talked about discipleship and what that looks like in our lives (weekly, daily, hourly and so on).  We talked about stewardship and responsibility and what God requires of us.

I love my boy!  He wrote this on a sheet of paper:

How to live a pure and peaceful life

• Show self-control in every action
• Do no fear what isn't to be feared
• Admit your emotions.  Do not be afraid to share them but be on guard with whom you share them with.
• Wrath, anger, hatred sloth, fear are not to be shown but to be admitted to if absolute
• Praise God day and night for faith in Him shall NEVER be feared
• Obey Him always.

James says to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to be angry.  Paul says that if God is for us then who can be against us.  Paul also says not to become angry.  David was a warrior and a man with emotion and a man after God's own heart.  The sinful nature is to be put to death daily.  The Psalms tell us to let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Jesus, God, the Bible and its Apostles tells us to obey and submit.

I am not sure about you, but I am pretty sure that this boy is on the right track.

Dear Lord, give me the wisdom and discernment to guide this boy into a full-fledged relationship with you.  Teach me to teach him to Trust in you with all his heart, mind, body and soul.  Teach me to teach him not to lean on his own understanding.   Teach me to teach him to acknowledge you in everything.

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness (even when I am not faithful!)

Blessings,

D