Carry Your Monkey Well

We all have a monkey to carry. That monkey is the 10 core responsibilities that God has given each person. No one can carry your monkey for you. You can't carry someone elses monkey for them. Self esteem is the result of carrying your monkey. The world would be an awesome place if everyone would just carry their monkey. We wouldn't need many police. We wouldn't need half the courts we have. We wouldn't need half the jails we have. We wouldn't need half the politicians we have. And we would all prosper very well.

Here are the 10 Personal Responsibilities that Make Up Your Monkey.

1. Worship God in humility and with faith.  

You shall have no other gods before me.

                                                Exodus 20: 3

2. Don’t harm anybody.   

Love your neighbor as yourself.

                                                Matthew 22:39

3. Don’t harm yourself.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

                                                Matthew 22:39

4. Provide for your needs through work: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, health and education.

If a man will not will work, he shall not eat.

                                                II Thessalonians 3: 10

5. Fix what you break, clean what you dirty and make restitution for the harm that you cause.

When a man or woman wrongs another in any way…He must make full restitution…to the person he has wronged.

                                                Numbers 5: 5-7 

6. Avoid the sins of extreme behaviors in the areas of power & control, money & possessions, and comfort & pleasure.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world…  

                                                I John 2: 16 (NKJV)

7. Serve your family, church, community, country and world.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

                                                Ephesians 2:10

8. Do what you say you will do.

Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

                                                Matthew 5: 37

9. Don’t think, talk or act like a victim. This means don’t think, talk or act like your problems are caused by others (which ultimately means they are caused by God.)

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted with evil and does not tempt anyone…

                                                James 1: 13

10. Lead your children to become young adults who fulfill these responsibilities. 

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

                                                Ephesians 6:4

Take the Boundaries 101 Test

Individuation: You are You and Only You.

Biblical individuation is the process of seeing yourself as a separate and distinct person with your own value, responsibilities and purpose.

I.                    God created you with special and distinct value.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

                                                      Psalm 139: 13-16

II.                 God created you with a set of responsibilities for which He holds you, and only you, accountable.

God will give to each person according to what he has done.

                                          Psalm 62:12/ Romans 2:6

III.               God created you for a purpose that only you can fulfill.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

                                                      Ephesians 2:10

Test for Individuation

Answer:            Very Much              A Little                  Not So Much

                                3                          2                             1                  

1. How much does your personal sense of value come from belonging to a family or group where you want acceptance?                            

                                                               ________

2. How much do you measure your value through the successes and failures of your parents, spouse, children or friends?                       

                                                                ________

3. How much do you expect others to take care of your needs?

              ________

4. How much do you try to take care of the needs of others who should take care of themselves?

             ________

5. How much do you live through the goals and dreams of someone else?             

                                                            ________

6. Do you have strong personal goals? If not give yourself a 3. If you do but they are not written, give yourself a 2. If you have clear personal goals that are written down, give yourself a 1.

            ________

                        Total Score:                 ________

Results:

1.   15-18:        You have not individuated. Look out, boundary-less chaos ahead.

2.   10- 14:       You are individuating.  Keep on!

3.    6-9            You have individuated. Nice boundaries!

The Ten Principles for a Free, Just and Prosperous Society

As we work with Christian leaders in Haiti, Africa, India and other developing parts of the world, I know that we have to help them be influencers to shape their societies in the directions that we in the U.S. take for granted. They have to have and share a solid, integrated and biblically consistent view of how to create a good society. Christian leaders must have a strong and clear vision to present to these developing societies. Christian leaders can't leave a vacuum of thought in this area to secularists or other religious leaders. Christianity has historically been the best defender of these values that create great societies and we must continue that great heritage of blessing the world through a clear vision that serves everyone.

Toward that end, I have written a list of Ten Principles for a Free, Just and Prosperous Society to use as a template to train emerging Christian leaders around the world. They are also important for Christian leaders here in the West where our freedom, justice and prosperity is eroding.

Here they are. I hope you will pass it on.

The Ten Principles for a Free,

Just and Prosperous Society

1. Religious Freedom.

Each person is free to seek and worship God according to the dictates of his or her conscience.

2. Character.

Each person serves his or her neighbor by not abusing the extremes of power & control, money & possessions, and comfort & pleasure.

3. Creation.

Each person creates lasting prosperity by making wealth with his or her creative work instead of by taking wealth through aid, taxes, government programs, coercive groups or theft.

4. Ownership.

Each person is free to purchase and legally own land, houses, businesses, possessions and creative ideas without them being taken by government, excessive taxes and regulations, criminals or enemies.

5. Democracy.

Each person is free to have an equal voice in choosing the members of a government that is accountable and which has a balance of power.  

6. Free Speech.

Each person is free to say or publish what they think without falsely accusing or causing unjust harm to others.  

7. Free Association.

Each person is free to join and assemble in any civil, social, business, or religious association and each person is free from coercion to join any association.

8. Rule of Law.

Each person is held to the standard of obeying just laws and no person is above the law.

9. Just Courts.

Each person has access to a free and fair process of personal defense and grievance in the legal system.

10. Courage.

Each person is willing to die in a just cause to secure and keep freedom for themselves, their children and their succeeding generations.

How Christians Should Pray and Work for Egypt

     Christians should be praying that Egypt will have a revolution that allows its people to live in freedom, peace, and prosperity because if those conditions exist Christianity will grow there and bless many people.

     We should care about Egypt because God has called us to care about others beyond ourselves, families beyond our families, people beyond our churches and our faith, and nations beyond our nation. The Church the Body of Christ is made up of believers from every nation, tongue, and tribe of man. So our spiritual and eternal family is multi-national and multi-cultural and we need to embrace that with our care and concerns. 

     Egypt is one of the earliest places where the Gospel spread and Alexandria, Egypt became the center of a very strong early Christian community. Alexandria was the second largest city, next to Rome, in the Roman Empire and a place of evangelism in the early church. The Coptic Church in Egypt is one of the oldest Christian traditions. 

     We are told in I Timothy 2: 1-4 to pray for those in authority that we may live in peace. The purpose of this is so that all men may hear the gospel. God is the God of the whole world. God loves the world. We are called to reach the whole world. So our prayers extend beyond our concerns for our country to the needs of all people and Egypt needs our prayers now. 

     We should pray that this will become a freedom movement that spreads throughout the Middle East. All dictatorships are wrong because they have to oppress the people to maintain their hold. And that usually includes an oppressive stand toward Christianity because informed Christianity is the mother of political freedom. Hosni Mubarak has been a secular dictator in Egypt who has enriched himself on the $1.5 billion dollar annual aid he receives from the U.S.. He has played a shrewd game of accommodating U.S. interests in the region while raping his people of their political freedom and economic opportunities. In that way he has been similar to the last four dictators who have ruled and raped Haiti. What could take his place is the totalitarian dictatorial rule of an Islamic caliphate. That would be replacing one evil with another. In the past, one of our big concerns was the potential take over by Marxist dictators. That is still a potential threat. Oppression is oppression no matter who the oppressor is. 

     The freedom of speech that has been created by the cell phone, the internet, Facebook, and Twitter has allowed a new kind of revolution of the people in all places of the world where they are oppressed. There is a  freedom movement that is trying to happen across the Middle East in Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen, and other places. This could become a tipping point where the everyday people of the Middle East throw off their oppressors and replace them with emerging democracies. The Islamic Brotherhood has shouted Allahi Akbar  in the streets in Egypt and at times many in the streets have responded with "Muslim, Christian: We are all Egyptian!" This is the spirit of a true democracy. As Christians it is not our calling to establish "Christian nations". It is our calling to pray and work for freedom because when that happens the Gospel can be proclaimed and where it is proclaimed it can always compete against the other ideas in the market place and it does call people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Not only does it provide them with a faith that saves their souls but with a world view to create a free and virtuous society that is inclusive of all people. 

     Pray for true freedom and democracy in Egypt and pray that it spreads throughout the Middle East. If that happens the message of Christ will have a new impact there that could change the world. Work for freedom by communicating the benefits of a Christian vision of true freedom which are freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom to vote leaders in and out of office and economic freedom to pursue prosperity without the shackles of an oppressive government. 

     If you know anyone in the Middle East or who is connected with the Middle East, share this blog with them and join the revolution.