Impetus

By Travis Lankford

If the Bible we’re reading is not actively changing our lives we’re missing it. If we are not learning practical, applicable, truth for today that transforms who we are on a heart level, we don’t really get “The Gospel.” If we only see it as a historical gift, something done for us in the past that will hopefully affect our future, we are at best infants in the faith. If we are to experience God we must come to see that the Gospel isn't, just, something done for us; it is something done in us. "The word of God is living and active piercing our hearts and revealing our thoughts." Is that our experience? For many Christians the freedom that God offers is allusive. Though they know about God they experience none of the power. Has our Christianity been powerless?
This book digs deep into those areas where we miss the truth of God's word and offers meat to the believer who is serious about personal spiritual growth, and knowing the power of God. If you are seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus, this book is for you. Freedom is not won in infancy but gained through many hard fought trials as we stand upon the truth. If you hold on to the words of Christ you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. In part, Impetus is my confession, my testimony, and my experience with the God of the universe, because "I have been set free!" I pray it will be an encouragement to you as you read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Travis Lankford
• Release date: Nov 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310474781

Travis Lankford

Travis lives in Nebraska, with his wife and four children. He writes at travislankford.com and is available for speaking engagements.

Book preview

Impetus

Published by Travis Lankford

at Smashwords

© 2014 Travis Lankford

Visit http://travislankford.com

for more by this author

Impetus: A driving force, stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity.

Introduction:

If the Bible we’re reading is not actively changing our lives we’re missing it. If we are not learning practical, applicable, truth for today that transforms who we are on a heart level, we don’t really get The Gospel. If we only see it as a historical gift, something done for us in the past that will hopefully affect our future, we are at best infants in the faith. If we are to experience God we must come to see that the Gospel isn’t, just, something done for us; it is something done in us. The word of God is living and active piercing our hearts and revealing our thoughts. Is that our experience? For many Christians the freedom that God offers is allusive. Though they know about God they experience none of the power. Has our Christianity been powerless?

This book digs deep into those areas where we miss the truth of God's word and offers meat to the believer who is serious about personal spiritual growth, and knowing the power of God. If you are seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus, this book is for you. Freedom is not won in infancy but gained through many hard fought trials as we stand upon the truth. If you hold on to the words of Christ you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. In part, Impetus is my confession, my testimony, and my experience with the God of the universe, because I have been set free! I pray it will be an encouragement to you as you read.

Table of Contents

Chapter I The Way things Appear

Perception

Transformation

Chinese Handcuffs

Can’t Get Right

I Used To Do A Little

Slaves?

OS 1.1 Fatal Error

OS 1.2 executable_file.exe

When I Die Hallelujah By and By

Heaven, the lesser of two evils

The Point of Life

Chapter II Expectancy

Expectation

Our Adversary The Devil

The biggest lie we don't know we believe

I can see I can see I'm going Blind

Another World

O Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz

Chapter III Our Purpose

One with God

It's not about Going to church it's about being the Church

Do I have to go to church to be a Christian?

Self Deception

Knowing God will change your life

If you don't have nothing nice to say

Chapter IV For the love of God

What's love got to do with it

Dependence

Who do you love

It's a miracle

Chapter V Worship

I have to praise you like I should

Choosing To Sing

Looking within

We know we should love Him

Chapter VI Gratitude

A Grateful Heart

Gratitude is born in the heart

There's an app for that

Take Out The Papers and the Trash

Looking Out For #1

Chapter VI Spiritual Warfare

Engage all targets

Target selection

Immediate Action

My Own Worst Enemy

We got this

Chapter VII Renewing Our Minds

Misplaced trust

Jesus came unglued

A Limit on Grace

Judgment Begins at Home

Standing in the Door

Chapter IIX A Call To Action

How the Fear of God Can Save the World

What Would They Look Like

In a Hundred Years

Give Me Fuel

Great Grace

Chapter I The Way Things Appear

PERCEPTION

Once I rose above the noise and confusion just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion.

-Kansas

Imagine for a moment that nothing is as it appears. Imagine that; the earth, the stars, all the planets, the things around you in the room where you sit, are all part of a more complex, and far more subtle creation. Imagine that it all is more than meets the eye. This is not to say that life is an illusion but rather, it’s more than what is seen on the surface. Hebrews 11:3 says, Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God’s command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen. The question before every follower of Jesus Christ is, have we seen the unseen? Are we seeing the unseen? Are we walking by faith rather than by sight? It is all a matter of perception.

In the 1900s Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity changed perceptions. The theory deals with measuring distance in time and space. His basic assumption is that the distance an object travels in time and space is relative to its point of observation. He explains it by imagining a ball bouncing on a table that is travelling in a train car. To an observer on the train it would only move a few inches. An observer watching the ball pass from outside the train would see it move several feet as the train sped by, plus the distance it bounced. Whose observation is correct? They both are in their own fame of reference. Frame of reference is the problem when it comes to mankind and God. Because of sin man’s relationship with God is severed, so his perception, his frame of reference for measuring truth, is broken. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Let’s play with this difference of perception for a moment and see if we can gain insight. Imagine a man who walks a linear mile on the surface of the earth. He has walked one mile. However, an observer sitting on the moon would see the man move his mile plus or minus the distance in which the earth rotated during that time. How far the man travelled depends on the space in which the measurement is taken. Let’s take it a step farther and imagine a creator outside the boundaries of the known universe. As immense as it seems to us, to him, it's only an odd shaped sphere with no more than a seven-inch radius; sitting at the edge of his desk. He can look through this universe and, at its centre, he sees the blue planet we call earth; which is spinning very rapidly. As he watches, he notices that the earth makes one thousand complete trips around its closest star in one day’s time. 2 Peter 3:8 says, Don’t forget that for the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years is the same as one day. In this case the mile the man walked is microscopic, insignificant, and meaningless. It echoes the words of Solomon, Vanities of Vanity, all is vanity. In such light we can ask the question first posed by the Psalmist, What is man that God is mindful of him. (Psa8:4)

I don’t know the size of God’s created universe from any perspective, not alone God’s. I am merely pointing out that perceived truth depends on our perception and knowledge of The Truth. To see life as it really is we have to know absolute truth. This is God’s truth, his revealed word, the word made flesh: Jesus Christ.

The reason God’s truth is absolute is because he is God and we are not. He will hold every person accountable to himself and judge them according to His Word. If God is the absolute authority in life, than his truth trumps all our presumptions and all of our perceptions about life. This is why 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to bring captive every thought that exalts itself against our knowledge of God. Every thought that we have that opposes the truth God has revealed in his word, we are to bing captive. The word of God possess the power to set us free from the darkness by replacing our flawed perception with truth. Jesus said if we will hold to his teaching, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. The darkness, lies we believe, hold us in bondage, but Jesus shines in the darkness as a brilliant light. Our job is the task of learning God’s word and holding on to it with everything that is in us, and relying on God to walk in it. If we do this we will see and know freedom. We will know God.

So we are left with this question: has knowing God changed the way I see the world, the way I see myself? Am I born again?

TRANSFORMATION

Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is -His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

-Romans 12:2

The call to be a Christian is the call to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. It is a call to walk through life by faith and not by sight. It's an all or nothing proposition. So here we begin to see that knowing God is experiential. It is hands on, it’s dirty, it’s difficult, and it's often painful. Those who know God have a testimony; they can give a witness or a proof. It begins by accepting Jesus Christ by faith as our personal Lord and Savior. That is the very first step in the journey of faith leading to eternal life. As long as we live in the flesh our lives will be marked with the struggles of denying self, taking up our cross, and following Him. Yet, in the midst of this arduous pain filled journey, there is abundant life, there is hidden manna, there are joys unspeakable, and there is exceedingly great and precious promises. God intends to exceed our wildest expectations. If we will trust Him and love Him with all our heart we will see wondrous things.

By faith we understand that the world we see around us is not made from the things we see but by God’s command. This faith is a life changing, mind altering, second sight; it’s rebirth. Imagine nothing is as it seems. Think of Peter that night when he sat in the boat with the other followers of Jesus. There, in the middle of a stormy sea, the darkness closed in around them. Then something appeared in the distance, something they thought they saw but weren’t sure of. Then they saw it again, this time they were sure of it. It's getting closer! Terror and