As promised, now we'll look at the seven camels that distract us by Floyd McClung.
Camel #1: Dabbling
Are you a spiritual dabbler? Do you borrow from other people's walks with God but have little or no intimacy with the Father yourself? Are you constantly shifting focus in your life, running after the newest, latest, "prevailing word of the Lord" as some people call it? Is it hard for you to put down roots emotionally in a community of people and build deep friendships of trust and accountability? If your answer to these questions is yes, you may have developed a pattern in your life of spiritual dabbling. To dabble literally means to have a casual or superficial interest in something, to paddle, play, or splash in the water. Spiritual dabbling may feel good, but God has much more for you.
Camel #2: Plateauing
We plateau when we stop growing. A plateau is a period or phase when there is little increase in our life. It is a season of life intended for our personal growth and development in which little headway is being made. God invites us to a lifetime of learning and spiritual growth. He is continually at work in us to form us to be like his Son, Jesus.
Spiritual growth cannot be separated from the testings of God. God tests those he loves. If we, or others around us, don't create the circumstances that test us, you can be sure that God will do it for us. He loves us too much to leave us on our own. If we fail the tests God takes us through, we plateau.
I have nothing against big churches, but then can be convenient places of hiding for those who have plateaued spiritually, including the pastor or others on the staff of the church. You can go to church and hide in the church. If this is you, you need to take time to do some serious spiritual homework if you are going to get off the plateau and move on to higher ground.
Camel # 3: Inner vows
An inner vow is a promise we make to ourselves, normally in response to pain or difficulty we experience in human relationships. Typically the vows we make use language like "I'll never do that again" or "I won't ever let anyone get that close to me again." Or, "Whatever it takes, I will make sure that never happens again."
The problem with making vows is that they imprison our heart. They set us on a course of action that locks us into a certain kind of behavior. Vows determine how we think and how we see. An ungodly inner vow gets us locked into idolatrous thinking patters that become an inner belief system. Ungodly inner vows rob us of true passion. Because they are based on fear, shame, unbelief, and a drive to prove ourselves to others, they rob us of our freedom to obey God. Or we strive to obey God for the wrong reasons. Inner vows can be discerned through the help of the Holy Spirit or a good counselor, and they can be broken through the power of the Cross.
Camel #4: Unclear vision
Nothing is more confusing to people than a leader or a person who frequently changes direction. I call this "blowing an unsteady trumpet." When the sound of a trumpet warbles or is off key, it does not inspire anyone, and it certainly doesn't make great music.
If God has spoken, then blow the trumpet and call the people to action. But don't call them to action in one direction and then blow it again and ask them to charge in another direction. If you are seeking direction, find out what God is saying and stick with it. Don't change because it gets tough, or because it is more exciting to move on to something new.
Godly passion grows as a response to a clear, steady, consistent vision of God's glory saturating the planet through movements of organic and obedient churches. Know what part God has given you in this worldwide movement of movements and stick with it. Don't waver and don't look for new direction when things get tough. Stick with what God says. It may take many years of consistent obedience to realize all God has planned to bring about through your life. Faithfulness is a long journey of obedience in the same direction, empowered by a sweet-tasting grace of God.
Camel #5: Financial Security
The most God-glorifying gathering I have attended on the subject of finances was called Generous Giving. The name says it all. Good stewardship is not about accumulating but giving, not about hoarding but sharing. God expects us to be wise stewards, and that includes investing and making a profit. But the treasures that will be enjoyed forever are those that are the result of investing in people's lives for eternity, not the ones stored up on Wall Street.
If you experience a loss of fervor for spreading the gospel, it may be in direct proportion to the amount of time you are occupied with your future security. If that is the case, it's time for some honest evaluation. Jesus said it very clearly:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
That was a pretty long 5 camels. Next time we'll do the rest. This time I just want to add something to camels 4 and 5. Camel 4 talks about unclear vision and the context is that of shifting from one vision to another. I agree this can be very unclear for a congregation. Anything handled in this fashion can make it unclear and leave people without a firm foundation, whether it is ministry (like having a great idea and hyping it up, getting everyone exciting and involved, then never doing it again), or a new way of preaching (whether the norm is topical or walking through an entire book of the Bible), it will be fresh and new when it changes but if it is not consistent to a degree, it can throw people off. Vision, as well, needs to be consistent. Seek God, cast the vision to the congregation, and put it before them often and in different ways so that every person attending knows where the church is headed and what they believe and stand for. Someone once said that they were church shopping and knew they found their church because the first day they attended they knew where that church was headed and what they believed. Other churches they attended for a few weeks never mentioned their vision or values. Be consistent.
Camel #5 talks about financial security in the context of investing on Wall Street. I think it is much more common that people invest in Wal-Mart. We are a nation of shoppers and the advertising companies who serve retailers know this. Americans have a reputation around the world as being materialistic and greedy. True, we have a lot, make good money, and live comforably compared to most nations. But I think it is important to evaluate what we really need compared to what we want. I think we often have additctions to shopping. We go into a store, not really needing anything, but just wanting to waste time or get the thrill of getting a good bargain. We come home with a treasure that moth and rust destroy and thieves can come in and steal. Junk. Stuff. Future garage sale items. Future trash can items. Why? Because there is something deep down inside us that we are trying to satisfy and we're looking in the wrong places. I would rather take that money and invest it in a college fund to enrich my children's lives than blow it on coffee, shoes, make-up, or clothes. I would rather give it back to God, generously and abundantly, because it is His to begin with. I have much satisfaction and peace giving back to God and God continually provides for all my needs. I can't outgive Him. I have faith in His faithfulness. He loves me so much. This is where true satisfaction lies when it comes to money. Investing in God's treasures . . .people. One way our church is showing practical love is that we are beginning to bring food to church and after church take it to the homes around us and give it away. Whether it is a bag of tangerines, a gallon of milk, or the cookies and muffins and coffee that don't get consumed during services, we are putting feet to our faith. It's all about where our focus lies.
Have a blessed cloudy Monday.
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