Mike Fisk & Built with Grace

Learn, Let Go, Move On

December 28, 2023 in grace | Tags: anxiety, Built with Grace, changed lives, Daily Devotional, Daily Encouragement, failure, forgiveness, God, God's love, God's promises, grace, healing, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Jesus Christ, love, Mike Fisk, New Year resolutions, relationship, Restoration, second chances, trust, Trusting God | 2 comments

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬

“What was I thinking?”

Has that thought ever gone through your head? Maybe you’ve even said it out loud to yourself or others listening. We all have those days, those times when we look at ourselves from the outside and, frankly, can’t believe the action we’ve taken, the words we’ve spoken or the thought/attitude that has crossed our mind.

Let’s face it. Our humanity fails us. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Romans 7, where Paul expresses his own personal frustration with himself. ‘The things I hate I find myself doing, the things I desperately want to do or be known for I fail to do…daily!” (My paraphrase)

So, how do we move on? What steps can we take to remedy the situation? After all, we know there will be some who will take our failings as an opportunity to judge us and to constantly hold our failure against us.

I love what Paul says in Philippians regarding failure. Basically, (again my paraphrase) he is telling us, ‘Stuff happens, we fail, sometimes miserably. People will judge us, condemn us and criticize us, but move on.’

It amazes me how many Bible people failed. They were dishonest. They lied to cover up their own mistakes. They were cowards. They ignored specific commands of God to try to further their own agenda, oftentimes at the expense of others.

Paul isn’t saying we don’t try to make things right. When we’ve wronged others, we need to try to make amends. When we’ve failed we need to put boundaries in place to keep us accountable and protect us from making the same mistakes. But then we need to move on.

The new year is a great time to look back over the previous year and evaluate the path you have taken. What things can you do better?

What things need to be corrected?

What relationships need to be mended?

What relationships need to be ended or at least put on hold?

Are you closer to Christ now than you were a year ago?

When Paul says, ‘forgetting the past and looking forward’ I don’t think he said that flippantly. I think he looked back at the past, made up a plan to make corrections and then he moved on. He didn’t dwell on his failures, he used them as stepping stones to a better tomorrow.

As the calendar flips to a new year, what things do you need to learn from? What things do you need to let go? How can the Holy Spirit help you? Who can you seek out as an accountability partner to walk through life with you?

New Paths Lead to New Adventures

December 27, 2023 in grace | Tags: Built with Grace, Christianity, Daily Devotional, Daily Encouragement, faith, fear, future, God, God's love, God's promises, grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Mike Fisk, new challenges, New Year, second chances, trust | 2 comments

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬

I’ve been accused from time to time of being unobservant and I have to admit I’m guilty as charged. Sometimes I miss trivial things. I’ve never been able to find Waldo. He’s MIA in my book. Those ‘magic eye’ pictures. Yeah, no. Sorry.

While not being able to see pictures in a puzzle is a trivial thing, with no real damage done except to my pride, sometimes we can miss things of importance if we aren’t careful. A hunter needs to keep a keen eye out for whatever he is hunting, especially if they are camouflaged against the background. When driving at night in my neck of the woods it’s wise to keep an eye on the ditches for wildlife that may wander onto the highway.

We can miss a lot in life if we don’t pay attention. Automobiles have a large windshield and a small rear-view mirror for a reason. It’s important to keep an eye on where you’ve been, but more important to see where you are going.

The prophet Isaiah paints a great word picture for us going into in the new year, or any other new situations we may face. He gives us a challenge and a promise to take with us as we move forward, which by the way, is what God intends for us. As one writer stated, in the Christian life there is no standing still. We move three steps forward, or we move two steps back.

Our ‘challenge’ as we move forward into the unknown is to look carefully for how (not if) God is working.

Our promise? The way is already started. He provides a path through the wilderness. Not an interstate, not even a back road. A path. I love to hike and while some trails are easy to follow and even paved, some are nothing more than game trails through the forest. But I’ve also noticed that in many cases, the more obscure the path, the more beautiful the scenery.

God offers us a path for a purpose, so we can see the wonder of what he is providing for us. He also will provide for us in the wilderness. He provides a stream, not a well. A stream can be followed and offers continual refreshment, a well is a one-time stop. A stream allows you to move on. A well requires you to stop or even camp out.

I’m a worrier. Not proud of it, but it’s a trait I constantly battle. The reality I can rest on, even when the enemy of worry attacks, is that the path God has for me is already complete. Mine isn’t to blaze new trails through the brush, mine is to look for his way in the wilderness and drink from the stream he provides for the journey.

As you move forward into whatever wilderness you may be in, look for the way God has for you and enjoy his provision along the way.

The Way We Were

December 26, 2023 in Uncategorized | Tags: Built with Grace, Daily Devotional, Daily Encouragement, faith, God, God's love, God's promises, grace, healing, Holy Bible, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Jesus Christ, memories, Mike Fisk, my past, New Year, second chances, trust | Leave a comment

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Isaiah 43:18

For many of us, the gifts under the tree are opened, the celebrations are over (although some may still happen this week) and we are left with left-overs in the fridge, some after party cleaning and one more thing that can’t be taken away, the memories of time spend together.

Those who know me well know that I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed sap. When our kids left yesterday there was a smile and a knot in the stomach. A smile because our ‘family’ was complete once again, if only for a few hours. A knot because things aren’t the way they used to be.

Oh, the love is still there and stronger. We are so proud of the adults we once carried in our arms. But time was never meant to stand still. Time moves on. A rushing stream has has life, a stagnant pool is lifeless.

Not all memories are good of course. Not all memories are even healthy! Isaiah writes to a people who were in horrible times, yet, he writes with a promise of brighter days ahead. It’s good to visit the past, but don’t live there.

It’s good to laugh at each other and tell those family stories, but don’t forget to form new memories, new stories that your grandchildren can pass on.

It’s even good to remember your mistakes, those things that took you down a road you never thought you’d be on; those roads where you ended up getting stuck in a rut that kept you trapped for days, or months or years. But don’t live there.

Our sovereign God of love allows us to take those side trips as opportunities to be reminded of his love and grace and mercy and forgiveness. Cherish the memories of this holiday season. Look deeper at the hidden blessings you may have received. Then move on. Move on with the promise that times will change, kids will grow, we’ll get old, but our God stays the same. His love never changes. His mercy is new every morning.

2023 may have been a challenge or a blessing. But 2024 is already planned for you by a God who loves you!

Expressive Joy

December 23, 2023 in Uncategorized | Tags: Advent, Built with Grace, Christmas, Daily Devotional, Daily Encouragement, God, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Joy, Mike Fisk | 4 comments

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20

What a night that must have been for this group of shepherds. They went from what was going to be an uneventful night in the fields to an encounter with angels; from looking over a bunch of sheep to gawking at an infant with divine implications; from being virtually unknown to being the talk of the town.

We don’t know how long they were gone. But from the story in Luke we can surmise at least three things. First of all, they hung around long enough for everyone to hear their story. We are told that everyone was amazed at what this group of men told them about the babe in the manger. Once you have an encounter with God you can’t keep quiet.

You may have experienced this. A friend, or family member finds Jesus and is delivered from a life of addiction, fear, worry or whatever. Then they find Jesus and all they ever talk about is Jesus. Every conversation is an opportunity to tell about what they are learning from Jesus. You may even be amazed at how they can turn every life experience into at God-experience. Once you have a true encounter with the Messiah you can’t keep quiet.

The second thing we can see is that they went back to what they were doing. To the best of our knowledge none of them wrote a book and went on a speaking circuit. None of them formed first church of the hillside to focus on the very spot where the angels appeared. They went back into the hills to do what they did best…shepherd sheep. Sometimes God calls us to move on from what we are doing to do something new, something exciting, something noteworthy. And sometimes he calls us to go back to the hills and shepherd sheep.

The third thing I see is that they went back changed. On the outside they were still a bunch of men guarding and guiding sheep. On the inside they were worshippers of the almighty God. On the outside they called out to the sheep to move on to a new field. On the inside they were praising God for Messiah.

I’d love to have sat around the campfires of those men in the future. I’m guessing the conversation no longer centered around the woes and evils of the Roman Empire. I’m guessing they spend more time in prayer and remembering the words of the prophets than they did gossiping about the latest news from town. When you meet the Messiah you live life changed.

May you have a fresh encounter with Messiah this Christmas. Whether you’ve been walking with him for years or are new to the family advent is a time to refresh our love for him.

Comforting Joy

December 22, 2023 in Uncategorized | Tags: Advent, Built with Grace, Christmas, God, God's love, grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah, Joy, messiah, Mike Fisk, peace | 2 comments

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

It’s interesting how many times God starts out his messages to mankind with ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ in some form or other. His first thoughts of us are comfort.

It was, no doubt, a dark, cold night on the hillsides outside Bethlehem. For the shepherds it was just another night of taking turns watching for predators, hearing the rustling and snoring of sheep and gathering around the fire to keep warm.

These men were at the bottom of the sociological food chain, so to speak. Nothing much happened in their lives that would elicit any kind of respect from the townspeople. They had nothing to offer and no real hope of doing anything significant in their lives.

Not only was the hillside they sat on dark, life was dark. The Roman oppression seemed to be growing. Taxes and other demands from the Caesar in Rome were causing more turmoil among the Jews, and some had died trying to free the land of the Romans.

Life was hard. Life was hopeless. So much so that it seemed God himself had abandoned them. It had been 400 years since a prophet came forward with ‘Thus saith the Lord’. Would they ever be free again? Would God ever speak again or had they rejected him for too long? Does he even exist?

And what about Messiah? Will he ever come to free his people as the prophets of old foretold? So many questions. So few answers. So little hope. Hope seemed to be like the slowly dying campfire they sat around that night.

Suddenly a bright light exploded in the sky above them. Ever had a bright light shine in your eyes when you sat in darkness? I’m guessing you can multiply that by 1000’s. Eyes squinting to make out a form. Fear over what was out there. Then wonder as their eyes adjusted to the light and they made out the form of an angel…not just one be many angels.

‘Don’t be afraid?’ Right, because this happens all the time. Then the message. Rather than fear over the darkness, celebrate joy of a new light. Messiah has come.

I wonder if the words of Isaiah and others came to mind when they heard the name ‘Messiah’. The one come to deliver. The one come to heal. The one come to free you. That is good news.

Proverbs 13:12 says, ”Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.“ It’s easy to lose hope when promises and dreams are delayed and out of our control. But when those hopes are realized they become for us a tree of life, a tree of refreshing, great joy for those who put their hope in God.

This Christmas, in whatever dark place you find yourself, rejoice in the hope of the babe in the manger.