Jeffrey Dean Blog

I promised all you Great Escape teens that I would post here on my blog the three points I gave you on the last day at camp. Here you go:

1. Time in the Word – Check out Psalm 119:9-11 and try it for yourself. God will prove Himself trustworthy if you apply the 1:1:1 Plan.

2. Time in Prayer -You want to know God like you know your best friend? Spend time talking to God like you do your best friend.

3. Time with friends who do the same - Proverbs 13:20 is a most amazing promise & warning from God.  Live be it.

Keep applying these 3 principles and you will always live life “over the fence!”

56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. Their conviction for freedom resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families.  Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died.  12 had their homes destroyed.  2 lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.  Another had 2 sons captured.  9 of the 56 fought and died.

Freedom is not easily won.  Jesus understood this.  He came to Earth to give us freedom.  He allowed Himself to be beaten and nailed to a cross for freedom.  Your freedom.  My freedom.

As I have been talking all summer about this freedom at our camps, 700+ teens have been set free from their sins.  Romans 6:18 talks about this and John 8:32 says the truth will set you free.  The truth is that Jesus came to set all prisoners free (and we are all prisoners to our own sins), as Psalm 146:7 says.

As our nation celebrates freedom today, take a moment to remember those men and women who selflessly gave their lives for freedom.  And for Jesus, who too gave His life for our eternal freedom.

A few years ago I recorded a podcast about the many noises in our lives.  I was reminded of that podcast (You can subscribe to my podcast at iTunes; entitled: Pause) this weekend as I floated in the pool at the hotel where I was staying. If you’ve ever spent any amount of time at a busy swimming pool, then you know how noisy it can be.  The sounds of water splashing, young kids yelling “marco polo, “a lifeguard’s whistle, someone doing cannon balls off the diving board, and music cranking through the speakers are just a few of the noises you will most likely hear on any given day poolside.

For a moment, imagine you are floating in the deep end, hearing all those noises, and then…you take a deep breath and submerge yourself into the deep below the surface.  What do you hear now?  Nothing.  And, in the silence you feel as though the weight of the world has been lifted don’t you, if only for a moment.  It’s tranquil.  Peaceful.  Quite.  If you could, you’d stay down there a long time wouldn’t you?

Life in the real world is a lot like those noisy moments at the pool.  You probably have more noises than you realize that consume your day– school, friends, sports, music, parents, sibling rivalries, the Internet, movies, your cell phone, and more. Do you ever have intent in carving out time to escape the noise?  You know, time to get away, unplug, refresh, listen to God, pray, and just disconnect from the life-pod?  Maybe you welcome the noise.  Maybe you enjoy the hustle and flow of a busy life.  Maybe without the noise, life for you would seem “less.”  Maybe, without the noise, you wouldn’t know what to do.  Maybe without the noise, life would be…lonely.

Time and again in the New Testament we read were Jesus committed moments to get away from the noise of life and be with God. Mark 1:35 (NIV) says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Luke 5:16 (NIV) tells us that, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” He talked to God.  He listened to God.  He knew the very heart of God because He took time to make God a priority in His life.  God too wants the same from you.  He wants to share intimate time with you that will prove far more important than any noisy moment this world can offer you.  But, you must first be willing to set aside the noises of your life so that you hear the voice of God as He speaks to you.

Why not take some time this week and get beneath the surface with Him? Commit now to make time and turn off the music, silence your phone, find a quite place and talk to God.  Tell Him about your fears, your frustrations and your celebrations.  Share your innermost feelings with Him.  Talk to Him as if you were staring eyeball to eyeball with your very best friend.  The cool thing is that you don’t have to worry about getting a sunburn when you swim into the deep with God.  And, you can drown out all the distracting noises and learn to hear as He speaks to you, without ever having to worry about how long you can hold your breathe.

Here are a few questions for you to consider at the beginning of the summer.  If you don’t take time now to develop a plan for getting into the deep with God, it probably won’t happen.

1. What is my plan of action to swim into the deep with God this summer?

2. How much time will I commit each week?

3. Where will I go?  How long will I be there?

4. What noises will I disconnect from so that I can better hear the voice of God?

Here is a prayer you can consider praying to get you started:

“God, I want to spend more time with you this summer unplugged from the many noises in my life.  I know that you want more time with me too.  I want to commit now that I will spend time with you each week getting to know you more.  Thank you for loving me so much that you desire to spend more time with me. I can’t wait to get to know you more this summer!”

One reason God created time was so there would be a place to bury the failures of the past. – James Long

Think about a regret you have from something you did today.  Think about a regret you have from something you did last week.  Think about a regret you have from something you did last year.  Think about a regret you have from something you did that no one else knows about, maybe online, on a date or at a party.  Now think about this – God knows about each of these regrets.  He knows everything about you.  That is kind of humbling isn’t it?

Moving past the past isn’t always an easy thing to do is it?  You may have tried to do so over and again, only to still harbor feelings of hurt and regret. The guilt from regrettable choices can be like a journey through the wilderness.  No matter how hard you try to escape, it seems you just keep wandering in an empty and barren place that feels desolate, lonely and overwhelming.   And, those same thoughts sneak up on you when you least expect them, whispering to you that you will never be good enough, never be used enough, never be forgiven enough, never be godly enough – never be enough.

If you find yourself wandering through such a place today, be reminded of what God says to you in Isaiah 43:18-18 (HCSB), “Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old.  Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming.  Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

God is a God of the new.  He isn’t as concerned about where you have been as He is about where He desires you go from here.  He is in the business of making all things new.  That includes you.  Today can be your day to walk – RUN – out of the wilderness and towards the future awaiting you in Him.  Take your regrets to Him.  Let Him silence the voices of yesterday.  The past is the past.  Today is a NEW DAY!

Can you believe another school year has just about come and gone?  You are probably thinking, “Not soon enough!”  Another year of “first week” jitters, Friday-night lights, Homecoming, cramming the night before, sleeping ’till noon Saturday’s, Spring Break, Prom, and finals is in the record books.  The end of another school year was always a mix of emotions for me – probably for you too.

As I think back on many of my high school summers, I am flooded with memories.  So not that summer is here.  what’s your plan?  I hope the next three months of your life will be about much more than just your tan line.  Sure, have some fun, a lot of fun!  But after you’ve taken a few weeks to veg out a little, think about making a few of these ideas your reality between now and the start of the ’10-11 year.

1. Commit to make a new friend.  Invite him/her to see a movie, grab a latte, or join you ar church, summer camp, or a mission trip.

2. Give mom and dad a date night once a week and take care of your younger siblings (for free.)

3. Surprise dad and plan a Saturday fishing trip for just the two of you.

4. Memorize a different Bible verse each week.  Remember the promise of Psalm 119:9-11.  (That’s a great passage to begin memorizing.)

5. Make it a priority to share Jesus personally with one person this summer.

6.  Many elderly are stuck inside all summer avoiding the heat. Visit one in your neighborhood and talk, read a book, or watch the NBA playoffs.

7. Read a JD book. Then, give a copy to a friend to read.  If you don’t have the $$$ to purchase one at Jeffreydean.com, write me & I’ll take care of you.

8. Be wise in every choice remembering it could only take one poor one to effect the rest of your life.

9. Write a book.  Write a song.

10. Enjoy every moment of summer.

Also, take some time over the next few weeks to talk with God about what He wants of you this summer.  His plans are far cooler than any you and I can ever dream up.  Let Him shape your summer in a new and fresh way.  Simply ask Him, “What do you want to do in my life this summer?”  And then listen as He talks.  This just might turn out to be the greatest summer of your life.

The great divide between those who believe in God and those who are committed to Him is one word: Choice.  Through the years I’ve talked a lot about this word  “choice” because as you know, your choices shape your future. The key to making the authentic choice to honor God in all areas of your life is commitment. Commitment = Choosing to live for what you believe.

In order to become the person God wants you to be, you have to not only believe in God, but also choose to live for Him.  You’ll never be who you should be until you become committed to living for God.

Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re not committed to God.  It’s impossible for you to live a perfect life.  But it’s not impossible to live a committed life. However, that won’t happen without your active involvement.  This means you have a role to play.  You, and only you, are responsible for your choices.

Choose responsibility by choosing:

-   to spend more time in God’s word.

-   to pray that God will shape you into a person of true integrity.

-   to avoid hanging out with people who live against God’s will.

-   to get back up and try again after failing.

Unfortunately, Satan knows this too.  After the lies have been sold, after your belief has been changed, and after the sin is committed, you’d think Satan would be satisfied with his successes.  But no.  He then gets ready to deliver the knock-out punch.  Once you’re down, Satan wants to keep you there.  So once again, the lies begin to fly as Satan invites you into the “neverland.”

“Look what you’ve done now.  God will never love you.”

“You’ll never get it right.  God will never use you.”

“God will never accept you.”
“God will never make you into the person He wants you to be.”

And all too often, we choose to buy the lies again.  We choose to believe that we’ll never be good enough, never be godly enough, and never become who God desires.

Is this where Satan has you right now?  Have you bought the lie that God’s way is the wrong way?  Or because of something you’ve done wrong in your past, do you believe that God could never really use you to do something great for Him?  If so, then you’re choosing to allow God’s work in you to be halted.  You’re choosing to let Satan use your past to hold you back and convince you that you can never experience a committed relationship with God.

You’ve got to understand why Satan works so hard to sell you lies.  Satan knows the truth about you. God sees the real you, but Satan sees who you are too.  He sees your potential and your abilities.  He knows God made you, and he knows God never makes a mistake.  He clearly understands that you’ve been created for an incredible plan.  And he’s scared.  More scared than Myley Cyrus is about the future of her singing career post-Disney.  He’s scared of the person you are, and more importantly, the person you’ll become.  He knows that if he can convince you to buy the lies, he can keep you from ever becoming who God created you to be. And that’ll keep you from influencing others to be followers of Christ too.

If you have heard me speak before, then you probably know that after trying unsuccessfully for almost four years to get Amy’s (my wife) attention, I could’ve chosen to give up.  Instead, I chose to go get that girl and make her mine.  And, what a blessing it is that she and I are now together – forever!  My point: I made the choice to pursue Amy. And pursue her. And pursue her. Of course, God’s the reason Amy and I are together now.  But the point is I didn’t give up.  I was active.  I chose to keep going.  Now, I’m not encouraging you to keep asking out someone who shows you little to no interest. That might be considered stalking.  But when it comes to your commitment to God, you’ve got to make the choice—and keep making it over and over again.  You can believe the lies Satan whispers in your ear and give up.  Or you can choose to continue on God’s path and take Him at His word that He has a plan in store for you that is far greater than anything you can ever plan on your own!