Life rarely works out like that last one! But circumstantially, we seem to see anything else as a setback; a sign to stay, slow, or stop altogether.
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But according to the Word, struggle is often the very proof we’re on the right path as the enemy tries to derail our confidence in Christ and contends to keep people in darkness; we live in a counter-culture, fallen world; and our flesh fights the things of the Spirit (Jn. 16:33; Heb. 12:4; Rom. 12:2; Jas. 1; Gal. 5:13-26). It’s a wonder why we’d think it’d be easy!
​

Can you relate? Do you lack the wherewithal to do what God’s called you to, the way he’s called you to it, during the week?

• Do you feel exhausted all the time?
• Do you feel like a slave to your schedule? Worn down by work? Crushed by tasks? Oppressed despite your success?
• Have work and/or life begun to feel ruthless and demanding?
• Do you feel apathetic about things you once enjoyed? Find yourself putting off things you used to love doing?
• Do you constantly feel overwhelmed, even by little things?
• Do you dread going to work? Maybe even church?
• Do you secretly wish for some catastrophe to occur or look for any excuse to free you from your responsibilities?
• Do you have a sense that something just isn’t right?

​
My brothers and sisters, these are actually signs of burnout! Collaboratively, these indicators are a “check engine” light; your body’s way of screaming that it needs immediate attention. And if you’ve said yes to several, or maybe even all of them, you’re not alone.
​
There’s an epidemic in the body of Christ. We feel overworked. Overloaded. And overwhelmed. Struggling to keep up. Hurdling towards burn-out, that is if you’re not already there or been there before! Burnout is huge among helping professionals, including those in ministry! 
​

NEXT LEVEL
Prayerfully consider the following:

1. How is your mental and physical wherewithal overall on a scale from 1 -10, with one being a terrible representation for the life God wants me to live and ten being a great representation of the life God wants me to live? What is God revealing to you here?
2. How has not resting been benefitting you? What is it costing you? What do you sense the Lord revealing about your real drive behind not resting?
3. How is your everyday wherewithal impacting your quality of life when you’re exhausted all the time? Is this in alignment with how God has called you to walk?
4. What kind of employee, friend, spouse, neighbor, etc. are you when you’re well rested verses when you’re exhausted or overwhelmed?
5. What sort of legacy is this leaving (even passing on!) for those around you?
6. What does real rest even look like for you? How do you feel when you’re mentally and physically rested up? What mindset shift do you come back with after resting? What’s your motivation like as you start your week? How’s your energy level?

STEP-UP CHALLENGE
Look at your schedule for the remainder of the month. Consider the things you have down.

• Where are your times and activities of rest and refreshment? Prayerfully ponder if these times and activities truly refresh you. If not, what would?
• If there are none or the time is not sufficient for this season, what can you move around or eliminate to make room for weekly rest starting this week? How could you build this rest in for the remainder of the year?

 

STILL THIRSTY?
Over the past few years, it’s evident that God has been speaking to his people in the area of rest. This seems to have amped up during the pandemic! Here are a few fantastic resources!

1. Robert Morris, Gateway Church: Take the Day Off  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2fSDgzz6ZU and updated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZi1Ikf6dXc (You can thank me later 😉)
2. Mike Todd, Take a Day Off: Sunday Funday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNi5vK3pTzs
3.  “Burnout is Coming. Here’s How to Prevent It.” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-prevent-burnout/
4. Stay at Home Moms face unique challenges: Avoiding Toddler Care Burnout: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/avoiding-toddler-care-burnout/
   • Get some support mama! Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) 1-800-691-8061
5. The Way Out of Burnout https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-way-out-of-burnout

 

Love Note:
Oh brother and sister, hear my heart. I mean no offense to anyone nor do I take lightly the horrific nature of slavery or our history of it, the wounds of which I know still haunt. This is what God has put on heart to share with his people who are struggling as if they were under the oppression of slavery. He wants them free, fully functioning, and fully alive!

As a Christian God’s placed within me a deep love for His principles of peace, unity, freedom and diversity. I loathe oppression and injustice. Bigger than that, God loathes it. Especially when people use his name to perpetrate ungodly, uncharacteristic acts, truly spawned by selfish ambition and pride. God cares about oppression in all aspects of our lives! He is our great liberator on all fronts!

Brothers and sisters, we are certainly living in challenging times where conflict is mainstream. People have short fuses. And love is growing cold. Even we as believers fight the temptation to solve things the world’s way in this atmosphere of chronic tension; often we are wrongly focused on fighting each-other and our neighbor.

We must not fall for the clever attempts of our enemy to distract, divide and conquer through chaos and conflict. When we take our eyes off the main thing, the Main One, we cannot effectively walk out our faith. We cannot be salt and light to a world in desperate need. We cannot love like Jesus with jealousy, selfish ambition and hate brewing in our heart.

For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. James 3:16
​
These things sow into the kingdom of evil and become a blinding veil over our eyes, stunting us. And in our blindness, us as a tool to stunt our brother, sister and our neighbor. The irony here is that often the same people we dislike or are jealous of, are the same we’ve been called to partner with and serve alongside in a common call. And the same people we hate outside the body of Christ are often the same people God has put in our path to reach out to, serve, and show His overwhelming love and goodness to! Satan knows that's impossible with hate in the way; it is a great manipulating force.

Remember, Jesus died for us while we were His enemies. When we were trapped in our sin and mess, with no way out and without any hope. There was nothing we had to offer Him and there was nothing we could do to appeal to His decision. He died for us, knowing everything about us before we even lived a single moment of it, whether we’d accept it or not.

If you’ve hung around here long enough, you know I spent about the first decade of my faith volleying back and forth between God and the world… To think there was something the dark had that could fill a need better than God, that it had anything it could offer me, is absurd now. But that’s the blindness of sin and self-deception.

Jesus continually pursued me, into the muck and mire, where Purity and Perfection should not go. Under belittling scrutiny, chronic doubt and convenient rejections, He’d tell me I didn’t have to live this way-always going back to these empty things; there was Better. The Way, The Truth, and The Life waited while I sought my own ways, truths and life apart from Him. And each time He’d gently take my hand and lead me out knowing full well I’d return later, no matter how remorseful I seemed or what I promised Him. He knew my faithfulness was fair-weathered. But that never stopped His search and rescue missions.

If anyone was a lost cause, if anyone deserved it less, it’d certainly have been me. I say all this to tell you, you are not too far gone, and neither is your neighbor. We’re all in progress and our good God is so patient and loving with us. Shouldn’t we have this same heart of love and pursuit for others?

When we get a revelation of His love and the lengths He went and still goes for us (and for our fellow man, believer and unbeliever!), the natural response becomes a submitted, sold-out heart of indebted gratitude! And where hearts are right before God, there is an intrinsic reverence of Him, and an innate respect of who and what He has created! And the desire to reciprocally extend what we ourselves received, knowing it was totally undeserved and impossible to earn. This rightful understanding keeps us humble before God and man.
​
When we unite as one body, striving towards our ultimate mission, the church functions beautifully as God designed and can most effectively do its life-saving, life-transforming work. It can be a blessing to those within it’s walls and within it’s reach. Oh that we would let the fire of God ignite our hearts, and compel us to do just that…
​

“Don't criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do this, you will be fighting against God's law of loving one another, declaring it wrong. But your job is not to decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it.” James 4:11

Let’s be real here. If we complain and contend against our fellow believer, who is doing the work God has called them to, think about which kingdom we’re really sowing in, what’s really at the center of our heart, and who we are really fighting – GOD! Some notable examples of this very thing are found in Exodus 12 & 14, and Acts 5:33-49. Scary!
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If we feel led to address something, we always submit it in prayer, check our heart and motives, ensure it is aligned with the Word and always do it God’s way!

FREEING TRUTH
God so loved the people He created that he sent Christ, who died for everyone. We are Christians first and foremost. Our brothers and sisters are our partners in this journey, not our opponents. We are pieces of one body, the body of Christ; our differences are for His glory and purposes, to unite and equip us to accomplish our joint mission! We reap God’s results by doing things God’s ways, as exemplified by Jesus! The most transformational thing in tough situations is overcoming evil with good and allowing God to use us as a conduit of love, peace, and reconciliation, to both Him and others!

NEXT LEVEL LIVING
In relation to today’s topic, prayerfully consider:

• What scriptures shape how you personally view and respond to conflict? What’s your decision-making process for handling difficult people and tense situations?
• What does the Bible say is the source of conflict/corruption? (2 Pet. 1:4; Jas. 1:14, 15; Gal. 5:16-24)
• In what areas do you need to be honest about having jealousy and self-ambition in your heart? What do you sense the Lord telling you is truly behind these feelings? What specific steps do you need to take to come into alignment with God in these areas?
• How is God’s peace different from the peace offered by the world? Where do you most need this peace right now? As Christ’s ambassador, what can you do to bring this same peace to those around you?

 
STILL THIRSTY?

• Plug some key words into your bible app search or at openbible.info, such as “peace,” “conflict,” “love,” etc.
• Read through 1 Peter this week. This book is full of help regarding our correct response to challenging circumstances, difficult people, and injustice.
• 700 Club Interview of Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 6/20/2020: https://youtu.be/SEieYnIXGjQ

We all do it. We seek life from things that ultimately do not satisfy and cannot sustain. We allow our problems, desires, feelings and unmet needs to ruse and redirect us; shifting our reliance to the created instead of the Creator. 

In a “quick fix” effort to find joy, peace, comfort, wholeness, happiness, etc., we literally put people and things in control of our emotional support and stability. But these things are not meant to meet the needs we’ve been tasking them with; and especially to the extent we’ve been tasking them. And although dysfunctional by God’s standards, it’s working for us in some aspects; so we maintain the status quo.

Here’s how it might play out in the everyday: 

• When I feel overwhelmed or exhausted, I just sort of ‘check out’ while watching TV and/or surfing the web.
• When I’m down, shopping lifts my spirits. 
• When I’m lonely or bored, social media takes my mind off things.
• After a bad day, meeting up with a friend makes the rest of the week feel more manageable.
• When I have a crisis or a challenging decision to make, my first response is to reach out to my friend, spouse, mentor, etc.  

These “real world” responses may seem totally normal and appropriate to the situation. But remember, we’re not “world” people; we’re “Cross” people. In turning to people or things first, more than, or instead of God, they’ve become our functional god.

Functional faith is a concept well demonstrated throughout the bible. Contrary to popular belief, faith is not just what we believe or say. What we actually live out, regardless of circumstances, is both exposure and evidence of what we truly believe about God (Heb. 11; 2 Cor. 5:7; 1 Cor. 2:5; Jam. 2:14, 17, 24).

By default, stepping out of alignment with God always leaves us imbalanced and vulnerable. And naturally opens us up to all kinds of deception, disorder and disease. Throughout scripture it’s evident that there are tangible reasons for God’s ways of operating-even if we don’t readily see, know, agree with or understand them! 

In Galatians 5, we see what life looks like when we live (and don’t live) Spirit directed lives: …the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
 
If we are not fully experiencing these qualities in any area, we can conclude that we have not completely submitted it to God. He cannot abundantly provide in areas we half commit, much less areas that are totally uncommitted, to him; evidenced by us running to other things first, more than or instead of him. And while he may press us through our experiences, he will not force us.
 
True transformation requires us to proactively submit to him in 3 key ways: perspective, process and provision:

1. ​Perspective. We proactively seek and submit to his perspective of our struggle, situation, ourselves and others, first and foremost.(Jn. 1:1-18; Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Rom. 12:1-3; 2 Cor. 3:16-18; Rom. 8:26; 1 Sam. 16:7; Pro. 16:2, 25; Jam. 1:16-18; Jer. 17:9-10; Is. 5:21 & 55:8;  Matt. 6:33)                                                                                                                                                                                      His “lenses” (bible study, prayer, conviction of the Holy Spirit, and bible-based counsel or accountability) correct our very limited and grossly distorted “vision;” even when we think it’s at its best! Since he is Light – Goodness, Perfection, Justice and Truth – he is the only true source and standard for these things. We measure our view of everything to his and drop any belief, thought or action that doesn’t align. He is our first line of defense not our last ditch effort.                                                                                                                    
2. Process. We approach the struggle with joy (*Yes, joy!!) and welcome the opportunity it provides for refinement. Jam. 1; *1 Pet. 4:12-19 & 5:10-11; Rom. 8:28; 1 Pet. 1:6-7; Pro. 27:21; Jn. 16:33; Job 36:15 & 23:10; Deut. 8; Matt. 7:24-27; 1 Cor. 10:12-13; **Phil. 1:29-30; Heb. 4:14-16; 2 Cor. 1:8-10; 2 Cor. 4:16-18; Phil. 4:11-13; 2 Cor. 12:9-10)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                He uses everything we encounter-our tests, trials, tragedies, triumphs, temptations and adversities-to display his power, mold us into Christ likeness in every way and area; and to help us love him and others his way. We cooperate with these greater purposes when things come our way and aim to see suffering for Christ as a **privilege. Through Christ, our greatest struggle has the potential to become our greatest strength and most powerful platform.                                                                                                                                 
3. Provision. True sustenance and heart-level change results from continual refocus on his perspective and active submission to his refinement process. We become a conduit through which Christ can impact others. (Gal. 5:16-25; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:12-5:20; Ps. 23; Jam. 2:14-26; Jn. 10:10 & 15:5; 2 Cor. 1:3-7; Jn. 13:34; Phil. 4:19; 1 Pet. 2:7-9; 2 Cor. 9:10-15; Phil. 1:6 & 2:1-5; Jn. 3:30)                                                                                                                                                              As we use the tools he’s given us to “course correct,” we’re able to tap into the ever-flowing, wellspring of the Holy Spirit’s transformational power and provisions. And as we grow in God, he works through us, compelling us to reach out to others in love. Helping as we’ve been helped; comforting as we’ve been comforted; teaching as we’ve been taught. It’s a ripple effect. Changed people, change people!

 
In all things we are witnesses for Christ. We have the choice to treat everything we go through as a purposeful opportunity to draw closer to God, live out his principles, and impact others.  And the extent to which we yield to his perspective, process and provision is the extent to which he can transform us. The more we decrease, the more he can shine through.
 
A powerful dynamic of this truly functional faith in Christ is that our emotional control becomes more and more spirit led and internally based (Gal. 5:16, 22-25; Phil 2:13), established on who Jesus is, what he says, and what he lived out for us. So we’re less and less flesh driven and externally based-constantly controlled by our circumstances, emotions, people and things (Gal. 5:17-21).
 
So in our everyday life we’re less and less imprisoned by our feelings and desires to flee to other things, freeze, fight, or fall apart. Our responses stop being reactive-propelled by and held captive to every whim of our emotions, things going well, the motive to blame and change others, or  people treating us right (what a rollercoaster?!). Instead the Spirit dictates our responses, so no matter what we’re up against we can respond like Jesus!
 
Imagine the overwhelming, abundant freedom here! And how this would revolutionize us, all our interactions, relationships and roles! And even transform the lives of those around us as a result of us just living out Christ centered, Christ constructed lives.
 
THE FREEING TRUTH
Whatever you need, whatever you are searching for in other things is found in him, first and foremost. You won’t find it in anyone or anything else because nothing else has the power to support, stabilize and sustain life like he does. Everything else is supplemental and secondary. He truly is our “life support.”
 
THE TAKEAWAY
As “Cross” people, we have the power to respond differently, as modeled throughout the life of Jesus. BUT here’s the caveat: we have to humble ourselves, come to him in every situation and submit to his ways-especially when our flesh fights us and justifies things. We must push through! Whatever the circumstance, it can be a catalyst for Christ-like change, not only for us but others as well!
 
NEXT LEVEL LIVING!
After prayerful consideration:

• What areas do you feel God calling you to rise to the next level in? What is he specifically asking you to do?
• In what key situations has he revealed that you’re relying on things and people first, more than or instead of Him? What keeps you “tethered” to them?
• According to scripture (Topical Bible Search), what would total victory in this area look like?  What does this look like lived out in your personal situation(s)?
• What steps can you take to make going to Christ in these situations your new normal, default response? What safeguards can you put in place to make your old way of doing things as uncomfortable and inconvenient as possible (a VIP key to change!)?
• What possible obstacles do you need to consider in making these changes and what can you do to address each in advance? Who in your life can you partner with for Godly accountability and support with this next level change?

 
THIRSTY FOR MORE?
Check out Tony Evan’s “The Risk of Faith 1 & 2.”  All the messages in his Seeing is Believing and Heroes of Faith series are really powerful!
 
Find them here:
https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/the-alternative/listen/  or http://tonyevans.org/tony-evans-sermons/page/5/ 
 
Remember, we’re all about “next level living” here. So if this post seemed a bit tough, then good! It’s working to challenge you (and me too, as always)! And you should expect to be further challenged-now that you have this knowledge God wants you to use it. He knows you can handle it with his help!

*This is a repost of a formerly existing tab, which one day may make a comeback!  

Authenticity is a concept found throughout the bible. Most remarkable is when Jesus refers to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were considered the “religious” leaders of the day, the “official interpreters of the Law of Moses” Matthew 23:2 says. Later in Philippians 3:5, Paul, having been a Pharisee, tells us that the Pharisees demanded the strictest obedience to Jewish law. So they knew and taught the law. And people deeply respected and epitomized them as the standard, the example which others should seek to follow. 

But Jesus, seeing the heart, mind and motives, saw a very different picture of the Pharisees. When he’d refer to them, he wouldn’t talk about how righteous they were or how they were such great people; instead he’d usually start with, “Woe to you! Hypocrites!” and talk about the truth as he saw it: they weren’t who they appeared to be, that what people saw on the outside wasn’t what was really on the inside.

Matter of fact, in Matthew 15:8 & 9, Jesus refers to a scripture in Isaiah 29:13 that was a prophecy about the Pharisees: “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote” (i.e. rote meaning routine, repetitive or habitual in nature; without thought of the meaning behind an action; in a mechanical way). Later in Matthew 23, Jesus reveals the extent of the issue: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!  You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Jesus uses the word “hypocrite” nearly every time he talks about the Pharisees. So it is important to note that the Greek word Jesus used, Hypokrites, was originally a reference to an actor on stage in a Greek play who would wear various masks and costumes throughout the play depending on what role he was playing. By using the word Hypokrites, it is as though each time Jesus addresses the Pharisees by yelling, “moral counterfeit!” or “religious counterfeit!”

So they looked like the real deal to everyone around them but they were just really good at acting the part. Their emphasis was on the external, the mere ‘doing;’ maintaining routines, keeping up a certain appearance and reputation with the people. However, inside there was no genuine substance. No heart or thought behind what they said or did. No true desire or motive to please God. As Jesus pointed out, the internal and external were so disconnected that it’s as though they were like two separate people.

So where might inauthenticity show up in our lives today? Unfortunately, everywhere; in our relationships, our jobs, our social media presence, our commitments, our service to others and even to God. What does it look like in action? Here are some common examples:

• Saying or doing things because you know that’s what people want to hear or what they would expect in a certain situation
• Volunteering in the community or serving at church out of mere habit or obligation (remember our word rote?)
• Intentionally creating or maintaining an inaccurate representation of who you are publicly, including on social media
• Staying in something that violates your values, who you are at your core, or Christian morals, be it a position, place, lifestyle or relationship
  

So often we go through the motions, just keeping up appearances so people will assume certain things about us. But looking inside, it’s not who we are at our core, even if it’s who we want to be. Out of habit or obligation, we take on new commitments or maintain certain responsibilities, hoping no one will find out what we really think or feel so we can just push through it; we just keep telling ourselves that our heart and mind will eventually catch up… but they never do.

Here’s the thing, all these small pieces of inauthenticity add up to create the totality of our lives and then before we know it, we’re wondering whose life we’re living and why we feel so off, tired or out of control. What kind of life is that? Is Christ’s intention for us merely to act out his principles without them truly changing who we are on the inside? Many of the above things might not seem like a big deal, they may even seem normal; but that’s the difference between our thoughts and standards and those of Christ’s. Jesus is more concerned about having our heart and mind, and the intention behind what we say and do than the actual doing.

In our scriptures above, Jesus says address the inside first and the rest will follow. No more faking. No more pushing through. No more expending so much time, so much energy and so much effort on keeping up appearances. You can finally breathe, finally be real. What would that sort of freedom mean to you? In what specific ways would that change your life for the better?

So I’ll end this with a challenge for youJ. First, realize you can’t do this alone. If the point is to be accountable to God (over man), strive to be like him and glorify him, then we need to involve him in the process! So start with prayer! Ask him to reveal to you the areas where the inner and outer don’t align – where you essentially have a double life and then ask that he would not only change your heart to be truly tender and compassionate towards others (yes, even those people who you don’t like or consider your enemies) but that he’d also give you the desire, willingness and ability to make and stick with genuine, heart level changes in these areas.

Second, ask yourself:

•  In what ways does who others think I am align not align who God knows I am?
• What key areas of life do I feel God revealing an immediate need for authenticity in?
• In what ways has being inauthentic in these areas impacted me and others - what has stolen from me and others in my life? How have I been using it as a crutch?
• If you were able to flip a switch that allowed you to suddenly be truly authentic in these specific areas, what would that look like? How about 1 year from now, how does life look different?
•  What is one thing I can do this week in 1 – 3 of these areas to move closer to an authentic life? What is my specific plan to keep moving closer to authenticity each day and/or week in these areas? What challenges to authenticity do I foresee and how will I tackle them?
•  Who around me can I enlist for support and/or accountability? In what specific ways an they help me?
  

Being authentic is a challenge and it’s a continuous, life-long process because you have to be intentional about it and regularly work towards it. But it gets easier and more natural the more you pursue God and practice it. And imagine having the freedom, peace and joy that would come with living life authentically in the areas the Holy Spirit brought to mind above. Envision that what you say and do is merely a natural outpouring of a Christ centered, people loving, Galatians 5:13-26 heart.

Next Level Living! There’s a great video out there by Francis Chan called “The Biggest Lie of Your Life,” where he talks about authenticity lived out and the scripture in Revelation about the Church of Sardis. I’d encourage you to watch it and heed the convictions of the Holy Spirit. Allow the Truth to set you free!!!!

King David was a courageous, mighty warrior. But he didn't start out that way. From the looks of him, there were far better men to be king; men who actually looked 'kingly' with their might and stature. Men who other men actually saw as leaders. 

When Samuel first saw Eliab, he was sure he was the one God had chosen. But God told Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). After evaluating all seven sons, all of which they thought could be God's chosen one, God tells Samuel, "The Lord has not chosen any of these."  And so Samuel asks Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse replies, “There is still the youngest. But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”  Samuel tells Jesse,"Send for him at once...We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 

Jesse's "But" said it all. Oh, yeah, uh, I have another son, my youngest, BUT he's out watching the animals. David wasn't even a contender in the 'race.' Matter of fact, he wasn't even in the race! But David was never last draft-pick or king by default, no, he was always first round pick by God's standard, even though he was eighth by man's. What a testament to how much our 'vision' can be off!

In Isaiah 55:8-9, God tells us, "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

What are you thinking or seeing from a humanly perspective? Who or what are you resigning to the 'pasture' instead of putting up for the 'kingdom?' Perhaps you're the one who has been put out in the 'field' while others are put up for promotion. Find comfort in the truth that promotion comes from God alone (Psalms 75:6-7) and that he will promote you in due time. 

How incredible that God took a boy, a mere 'Shepard,' who man didn't even consider in the ring for king, and elevated him to be leader of an entire nation, God's choice nation! God saw David as he would be, not as he was. What is God possibly calling you to based on who you will be, not who you currently are?