A New LOL

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A New LOL

The Changed Through Faith steps, book, and platform are all about activating your faith in your daily life. As those “activations” add up, you will experience increased closeness with God and transformation of your thoughts, beliefs, and actions to be more consistent with God’s. The result: a changed life through increased faith in God, in His promises, in His ways, and in His timing.

In its simplest form, activating your faith means thinking about God and focusing on things of God much more often in your daily life. It is as simple as to “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2 ESV).

One easy way to shift our focus to God more often each day is to borrow the popular acronym “LOL.” Normally, people use “LOL” in texting and messaging of various kinds. In its usual context and usage, it means “Laugh Out Loud,” or some variation of that phrase.

A New LOL

I believe when we see, or use, “LOL,” that we can get it to remind us of God.

How?

I am suggesting that when we type or read “LOL,” we bring to mind a new acronym that helps us remember God more often and seek His ways for us.

The new LOL I am suggesting is this:

Listen Obey Love

Listen

Listen to God.

When we pray, it is natural to be praying for God to do something for us. We may be praying for God to help us or a loved one be healed from a disease, or to deliver us from a tough situation. However, we need to take time regularly in our prayer life to be still, to be silent, and to ask God what He is saying to us. Take time to listen.

In Changed Through Faith, we refer to this as “Listening Prayer.” I will often start my listening prayer with these simple words from the book of Samuel: “Speak [Lord], your servant is listening“ (1 Samuel 3:10 NIV).

A Simple Example from my Own Life

Here is an example of “listening” that happened to me recently. I was reading a passage in the Old Testament in Joshua 9, 10, and 11. It involved a lot of conquering and killing of enemies by Joshua and his army. I was thinking to myself, “this is a difficult passage with all of the battles and war.” After I finished the reading, I put my Bible down and simply asked God, “What do you want me to learn from that?” My immediate next thoughts were as if God was saying to me:

I can do mighty things through someone who is obedient [like Joshua]. And I can do seemingly impossible things through obedient people: physical things, emotional things, mental things, spiritual things…things that seem impossible. But impossible is [spelled] “I” – “M” – “possible.”

I AM possible.

I AM the impossible for the impossible,

Hope where there is no hope,

Light where there is darkness,

Relief where there is pain.

*****

After spending 20 or 30 minutes reading, praying, and listening, I now have something I have learned about “impossible” things that can help me the rest of my life. I find that to be encouraging!

When I encounter something that seems “impossible” in my life or I hear the word “impossible,” I will think of how God looks at the impossible and He says “I AM Possible,” and that through Him all things are possible (see Matthew 19:26 and Luke 1:37).

I hope this example encourages you to spend your own time with God. If you make time and space and intentionally seek to learn from God and hear from Him, it is more likely that you will.

You can have your own “wow” moments with God: things you see new in the Bible in a different way, or something God puts on your heart as a new thought, perspective, guidance, or an assignment to do.

If we want guidance from God, we have to be quiet (sometimes for many times over many days) and listen to what God is telling us, as best we can discern. Be patient. This takes time to develop. If you need more help with this, the Changed Through Faith 30-Day Action Plan can be a good guide in learning how to do this.

You may have certain ideas or feelings about “hearing from God,” prophecy, and so forth. That is not the point of this example. The point is that one way you can activate your faith and have a closer relationship with God is to make intentional time to listen to Him (and it is a good idea to have a pen and journal nearby). God can teach you and reveal things to you, if you intentionally activate that by seeking Him and letting Him.

I believe that learning new ways of thinking that are more consistent with God closely relates to being listening and being transformed by the renewal of your mind and putting on the armor of God:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2 ESV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil
(Ephesians 6:10-11 ESV)

Obey

Obey God.

Most of us know about the Ten Commandments given by God for His people through Moses, as listed in Exodus chapter 10 in the Bible. Most of us know right from wrong. Most of us obey the “obvious stuff.”

But what I am talking about here is to obey the promptings of actions God is giving you, personally, to do. Also, to obey God’s direction in your life.

As you listen to God more often through reading the Bible and through prayer, He might prompt you to do certain things. For example, God may put on your mind to call a relative you have held a grudge with for years and forgive them. He may ask you to walk up to a stranger in a Dunkin Donuts and strike up a conversation with them (that actually happened to me and resulted in a great friendship and a great time of ministry). He may ask you to take a lunch break away from the office and read your Bible at the park or spend time praying to Him, listening to Him, or singing to a worship song on your car radio to reset your day.

These are examples of simple obedience. But the list is endless, and it can be personally yours.

As you obey the Lord in these things, you will grow in your relationship with God and your fulfillment in life because you are setting your mind on the things above more frequently (see Colossians 3:2).

Love

Love God. Love others.

Praise God with love for all that He has done for you. You might be in a tough season of life right now, but you can still thank God and give Him praise, even if you don’t feel like it. We can’t base our consistency of love and gratitude to God on how we feel. God deserves more than that.

Did you just take another breath? That is something to be thankful for!

Were you able to eat today, get water today? (…you get the idea)

A grateful heart not only improves our perspective and our mood, but it is also pleasing to God.

Jesus died and rose again so that, through Him, we can have a right relationship and personal relationship with God, the Creator of the universe, and live eternally with Him, instead of being separated from Him. That is certainly something to be thankful for!

Jesus expects us to love one another as we can see here in His words in the Bible in the Gospel of John:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:
just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
(John 13: 34-35 ESV)

Loving others can look many different ways. It starts with our relationships in our home.

Are we considering their needs over our own needs?

Are we saying we are sorry for our mistakes and being sincere?

Are we forgiving genuinely with our words AND in our hearts?

Do we do activities others want to do or mostly the ones we want to do?

Loving others then stretches to those outside of our homes, into our places of work, recreation, and community. And we can ask the same questions in those places and in those relationships. When many of us think of loving, we also think of serving. Jesus told a story to His disciples and explained serving to them this way:

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
(Matthew 25:37-40 ESV)

So, the next time you type or read “LOL,” perhaps you will ACTIVATE your faith more by focusing on God in that moment, and the acronym Listen, Obey, Love, and ask yourself:

Am I LISTENING to God?

Am I OBEYING God?

Am I actively LOVING God and others?

As you think of God more often and activate your faith more often, that shifting of your focus will result in positive changes in your faith, thoughts, beliefs, and actions. And that is nothing to “LOL” about!