God Dares You

Dear Friend:

I just typed dear like this “dare.” Then I remembered the challenge I gave the young teen girls I taught recently. I said “I dare you to let God get more involved in your life. I dare you to ask him to love those that are hard to love; especially those friends you think are weird. I dare you to ask God to help you with a difficult teacher. I dare you to ask God to help you with your parents, I dare you to run to Jesus and understand Him this Christmas season.”

In my last Heart 2 Heart I wrote about people not understanding you. And the solution was run to Jesus and let him show you how he understands and cares for you. He will give you hope forever and ever. So when I wrote “dare” the message God has for you today unfolds live here right now in this room. Those young teens listened and were challenged. Did you ever play the dare game with your friends. Could you hardly just stand it waiting to play and hear the crazy challenges your friends would put before you to do? One time I was dared to drink a mixture of gross stuff put together in my kitchen. It was not alcohol just mixing up stuff in the refrigerator. Yuck! We take the challenge and run with it, don’t we? I guess I thought I would look cool to them. At camp one of the girls was dared to put a Goldfish in her mouth and spit it out! I asked her “if you were asked to put a cricket in your mouth and spit it out would you? “ She said “if put on the spot, she would.” The things we will do for attention.

But in the privacy of your home when you are all alone with God and He says “I dare you to give me your misunderstandings, your relationships, your list of things to do, your questions, your work, your finances, your future plans, decisions , your worries and anxious thoughts.” What is your response?

1 John 4:4-6 you, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and spirit of falsehood.

The teachings in the word is a big “I dare you” to live holy, blameless and good. You get a dare and try and figure out a way to accomplish that dare. But God did not leave you alone to accomplish things in life on our own. If you know Jesus as your savior you can overcome those “dares” in your life by listening to what the authors of the word have spoken to you. Trusting God and realizing he wants you to have success in life. Lately I have been hearing people say “I read this book or took this persons advice.” The next thing I ask them is where did they get their advice and where is that persons heart? You see you are admiring people today and reading their books about their spiritual journey and yet they are not living a Godly life. If it came right down to it and a “dare” arises, where are you going to get your advice from? Watch out and be careful to pray and ask God to intervene. I see people rushing for quick solutions and end up in a bigger mess. There are authors coming on talk shows and steering people to admire their life and spiritual journey and then I see people imagining their life like that and getting totally off the path. Watch the books you are reading and the people you are admiring. Especially if it influences you and causes you to go off and think about divorce or think about going to check out some guru. The last part of the above verse says you should be able to recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. If God says “honor God with your bodies” then we should think about what we do with our bodies and honor God. Line up your dare with God’s word and pray for God’s guidance.

Let’s pray: Father in heaven I love you and want to take all of those dares in my life and give them to you. Help me to take your word serious. Help me to discern what is from the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. Thank you Father that when I pray and listen I can hear from you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

A young girl that is close to me said “what is the big deal about this book that is out today that talks about one women’s spiritual journey, she was even on the big talk shows recently.” Do we need to go around sleeping with men and going to some guru to find answers to life? I said “you have a discerning heart and I am proud of you. The book out is written with humor, but when it comes down to the real things of life would you go to her for advice?” That was all she said, because she knows the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Taking God’s “dare” serious,

Elaine