May 30, 2011 in
Faith, True Stories, Weakness with
Memorial Day weekend was a little different for me. Instead of spending time with my family, I spent time alone. Leah and the kids headed up to Michigan to stay with her parents for the weekend since I had responsibilities at the Summit. Being by myself is fun for a day or so, but it gets a little lonesome. I was glad to see them return home on Monday afternoon and we celebrated by heading out on a bike ride, which ended up with us spending a few minutes in our local park. The kids’ swings have a weight limit so I passed on load testing them but I did agree to push Lexi. Since a very young age, Lexi has always warned me not to push her too high and if she suspects that I’m pushing too hard, she tells me to stop. I’m her father and I know her limits. Although she may fearful in certain circumstances, I always have my eyes on her and know when enough is enough.
Our Heavenly Father also has His eyes on His children and knows exactly when enough is enough. If you think you are being pushed too fast or too high, remember that you are not alone. It is often when we feel weak or scared that God can show Himself strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).
October 25, 2010 in
Character, Determination, Sin, Temptation, Thoughts, Weakness with
Can you imagine going to work everyday where the boss’s wife begged you to sleep with her? As awkward as that may sound, the pages of Scripture reveal a young man named Joseph who faced this exact predicament (Genesis 39). Each day he clocked into work, his master’s wife attempted to seduce him by saying, “Sleep with me” (39:7). In my mind, this woman was probably very attractive especially considering that she was married to a powerful man in Egypt. Men of power most likely married the most attractive women while leaving the ugly ones for the lower class citizens. Although Joseph had numerous opportunities to sleep with this woman, he modeled excellent character by responding, “Look, my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God” (37:8-9).
Joseph’s response to this seductive woman is worthy of emulation in our own lives. If you are encountering a barrage of temptation, learn how to walk away. Although temptation seems irresistible, God promises an escape for those who desire to be obedient to Him. Pay close attention to Paul’s words to the church at Corinth: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Temptation promises satisfaction which, in reality, is only found through obedience.
October 5, 2010 in
Failure, Forgiveness, Guilt, Life, Personal Stuff, Sin, Thoughts, Video Blog, Weakness with
Yesterday, I wrote about dealing with your past. If you didn’t get a chance to read my post, you can get a little video preview here and if you would like to read the original post, you can read that here. Forgive my first attempt at a video blog, but I’m trying a few new things here. Enjoy your day!
Things You Should Know About My Past from Tom Hogsed on Vimeo.
October 4, 2010 in
Failure, Forgiveness, God, Guilt, Life, Personal Stuff, Relationship with God, Sin, Thoughts, Weakness with
Letting go of the past is, well, not so easy. Looking back over my life, I could list numerous regrets and sins which I would be ashamed to admit; in fact, some of those things have been hard to release from memory. Although I have sought God’s forgiveness from my past sins, I still find it complicated to forgive myself. How could I be so stupid? Why did I let that area slip? I knew better. This morning as I was sitting down to pray and study for my Sunday message at The Summit, something from my past popped into my head out of nowhere. At first I wondered, “Where did that come from?” In that moment, I began an honest prayer to God and claimed His forgiveness. I know God had already forgiven me, but all the memories flooded my mind again. Through the years, especially when regret plagues my soul, I have often reminded myself that the past changes for no one. The page has been turned. Yesterday is out of reach.
If your past cannot be altered, why have you been so consumed with it? Don’t get me wrong, I understand that sin brings consequences, but does God really desire for you to live in a continual state of regret for things you cannot change? I really do not think so. Once you have turned from sin (repented) and received God’s forgiveness, you must release the sin. Isaiah wrote concerning this very topic, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Listen, you have done some terribly stupid things in the past. So have I. God knew you would break His commandments and sometimes stray away from Him, so He took drastic measures 2,000 years ago when He treated His own Son, Jesus, as if He had committed those sins you actually committed. Those very sins which have consumed your life, have been shouldered by Jesus Christ. He shouldered that divorce. He shouldered that lie. He shouldered your perversion. He shouldered your secret sin. He shouldered your cheating. He shouldered your deception. He shouldered your failings as a parent. He shouldered that lust. He shouldered that bitterness.
There are a few things you should know about my past, but thankfully my past has been erased.
September 23, 2010 in
Marriage, Readiness, Relationships, Reputation, Sin, Temptation, Thoughts, Weakness with
There is a sexually explicit story written by Solomon in Proverbs 7 which stars a naive young man and a prostitute. I don’t remember this one being told in my Children’s Bible Story Book. The story goes something like this. There was a young man who lacked common sense (7:7), so he decided to walk down a street known to house a prostitute (7:8-9). Dressed in a seductive outfit (7:10), the woman came out to meet the young man and greeted him with an embrace and a kiss (7:13). I’m sure he liked it. The woman flattered the youth by saying that she had been trying to find him and that he was the ONE for whom she had been looking (7:15). She was lying. She begins to describe in detail the bed that was awaiting them, how they could “drink their fill of love until morning,” and enjoy each others’ caresses (7:16-18). The immoral woman even put the young man at ease by assuring him that her husband had gone away on a long trip and would not return until later in the month (7:19-20). He couldn’t resist her scintillating words, so he gave into her advances (7:21). Solomon writes, “He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life” (7:22-23). Although these words were written thousands of years ago, this same scenario plays itself out in lives everyday. The characters may be different and the story may vary, but the process of temptation is the same for all. Temptation leads to lust. Lust leads to sin. Sin eventually leads to death (James 1:14-15).
In my mind, this young man made an avoidable mistake, which ultimately led to his sin. His mistake is found in Proverbs 7:8, “He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house.” He knew she lived there. Everyone knew where she lived.
If you want to keep yourself from walking into sin, you might want to quit frequenting the road of temptation.
September 13, 2010 in
Thoughts, Trials, Weakness with
Have you ever experienced a time of silence before God because you could not find the words to pray? Oftentimes this silence is caused by the despair and agony set in motion by weakness, confusion, or trial. These feelings usually result in us depending on close friends and family to pray on our behalf that God would deliver us from our misery or provide clear direction for the future; however, it is important for us to remember that God the Holy Spirit also prays on our behalf. Paul writes in Romans 8:26 (NKJV), “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” The word intercession carries the idea of intervention. The Holy Spirit actually intervenes in the circumstance because we are too weak to handle it and He offers up groanings to God which cannot be expressed in words. In some supernatural way, we are provided with strength in our weakness through the prayers or groanings of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit’s prayer that we follow the will of God in the midst of our pain or confusion (Romans 8:27). The Holy Spirit’s prayers do not necessarily guarantee the removal of circumstances, they do remind us that God is at work through good and bad times.
Ultimately, strength is discovered in knowing that “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Having trouble finding words to express your anguish or turmoil? Take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit is praying for you and that God will cause all things, even bad things, to work out for good.
September 1, 2010 in
Tragedy, Trials, True Stories, Weakness with
Scripture has the unique ability to bring peace into a chaotic life. I love it when I come across one of those verses in the Bible that brings me strength when I’m feeling weary. Today, I just wanted to share these few verses with you from Isaiah 40. Make sure you take a couple minutes to meditate on these words and allow the Holy Spirit to make application in your own life.
28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Feeling weary or tired today? Are you worn out and ready to give up? Remember that God gives power to those who are weak when they put their trust in Him.
September 8, 2009 in
Character, Failure, Fear, Funny Stories, Guilt, Life, Perspective, Reputation, Transformation, True Stories, Truth, Weakness, Wisdom with
My eyes burst open and I quickly looked at the alarm clock on my nightstand; although I cannot remember the exact time, I’m certain the clock revealed that it was well after midnight. The sound of the front door opening had been enough to thrust me out of sleep and into ninja mode (whatever that is). Most people would have sprung out of bed, but not me. Still half asleep and lying in bed, I slapped both of my arms down on either side of me as if to brace myself for what was about to happen. Listening more intently to the sounds coming from downstairs, I heard the pitter-patter of my dog’s paws walking through the hallway. “Great,” I thought. “The thieves had broken into my house and were now taking my dog captive. They must have muzzled her, though, because I never heard her bark.” As all these thoughts were running through my mind, I glanced over in order to see if my wife was hearing what I was hearing; however, she was not there. I then became extremely alarmed because I would normally send her downstairs to check out any unfamiliar noises. Who was going to do it now? Gradually, I came to my senses and realized that the reason my wife was not in bed was due to the fact that she was letting the dog out to use the bathroom.
The mind has a tendency to play tricks on a person, especially those who are absorbed with guilt. The wisdom writer reminds his readers of this truth when he says, “the wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions” (Proverbs 28:1). Hidden sin and unresolved conflict can result in a person living their life in fear of getting caught, even when no one else may know what they have done. A guilty conscience tends to have a misconstrued view of reality, while the clear conscience can experience a life of freedom. I think I’d rather spend my days being bold as a lion instead of feeling as if I am being chased by them. How about you?
August 26, 2009 in
Attitude, Determination, Failure, Family, Funny Stories, Leadership, Perspective, Relationships, Transition, Trials, True Stories, Weakness with
Yesterday I took my two kids on a bike ride because, well, it is our new favorite thing to do and I believe they enjoying spending some time with me as much as I enjoy spending time with them. Now every day when I get home from work, both my son and daughter beg me to take another bike ride. So yesterday, instead of traveling the normal route around our neighborhood, I decided to take them on a new, exciting adventure in order to explore the unknown – the woods. Hoping there would be a decent bicycle path amongst the tall trees near our house, all three of us set out on an adventure; however, my children had no idea what I had planned. As we approached the deep, dark forest my seven and nine year old became a little concerned about entering a place where they had never been; in fact, they objected and made statements like, “I don’t want to go in there.” I assured them that there had been no recent snake attacks in our area, so we finally proceeded into the canopy of trees. After only traveling a short distance, the trail ended so we backtracked and took a side trail I had spotted several yards back, which ended up leading to another dead end. Determined to find a clear path, I led us along the edge of the trees until we had descended down a hill where we were met with yet another dead end. By this time, my kids were clearly frustrated with me and at one point, my daughter (who is always brutally honest) put her bike down on the ground and said, “I’m tired and I want to go home NOW!” I knew it was time to abandon my plan for discovery and exploration. Dejected and a little frustrated that my plan for exploring new paths had failed, we all pedaled home. Based on yesterday’s failure, I was certain that they would not want to embark on another bicycle journey; however, when I arrived home this evening, they asked if we were going on a bike ride.
Has the person who is your leader (a boss, teacher, parent, or pastor) led your business, classmates, family, or church to several dead ends? If so, maybe he or she needs you to ask to go on another bike ride.
August 21, 2009 in
Anger, Attitude, Funny Stories, Sin, True Stories, Weakness with
Traffic is never a factor in our city; sure, we may have occasional delays and minor traffic jams, but I’ve never been more than 10-15 minutes late because everyone was trying to get to the same place. Having grown up in a large city (shout out to Charlotte, NC), I know the difference between minor and major delays so it really perturbs me when people in my small town get ticked about slight hangups on the roadway. For instance, I was on my way to work the other day and, by chance, I glanced into my rear-view mirror when I noticed a gentleman who appeared a bit agitated at another driver causing an inconsequential hindrance to this man’s route. Next thing I know, the impatient man pulls up beside the other driver, rolls down his window, and gives him the ol’ “one finger wave.” The fast-fingered driver then sped up and pulled over behind me, which is the wrong place to be because I cannot go fast for fear of another speeding ticket. I awaited my own close up of this man’s middle finger; however, after a brief episode of tailgating, he finally put his turn signal on and pulled into the parking lot…of a behavioral physician. I thought to myself, “That makes sense.” A guy who obviously cannot manage his behavior on his own needs help from someone outside himself.I have a lot in common with that guy.”Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” – the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 7:24-25
