By Faith

What will you and I do "By Faith" in 2009?

In Hebrews 11, we see how the hero's of the Bible lived a life of purpose, a life of faith.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11.3. Emphasis Added.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family...Hebrews 11.7. Emphasis Added.

All in All, "By Faith..." is stated 24 times in the New International Version...

Faith is HUGE because it is more than just positive thinking or a belief factor, it is the ONLY way to please God...

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." ~ Hebrews 11.6 ~

So here is the homework...Take out a journal and write your "By Faith" statement...Use your name..."By Faith, John Doe......."

I Pray for each of you that you will live 2009 By Faith, pleasing God,coming to Him and believing that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11.1

Maintain A Natural Pace

If you are like me, you are always wondering if you are living the life God called you to live. Well I want to list a few ways that will hopefully shed some light on this great "mystery, especially as we approach a God-Ordained New Year!" It basically comes down to living a Natural Pace versus a Frantic Pace...

Living God's Plan: A Natural Pace
If we are living God's Plan then we will notice a few things in our lives.

1. A Natural Pace. During The Cold War, it has been said that the CIA developed a set of unwritten rules that the spies used while working in Moscow. These rules became known as The Moscow Rules. One of the rules for the spies was to, "Maintain a Natural Pace." Being too frantic and in a hurry or too deliberate and slow would set off warnings of suspicion. If we are living according to God's Plans instead of our plans, we will live in a natural rhythm, a Natural Pace.

For instance, The setting and rising of the sun, the flowing of streams, the flight of birds, all maintain a natural pace because they are operating as God intended...Check your pace to know whether or not You are living a God-Ordained life. The Lord tells us in Matthew 11:29-30 the following:

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

2. Trust and "Danger." Living a life God calls us to live may seem "dangerous" at first...it's because God is calling us to jump out of our comfort zone and into the trust zone. To have a real relationship with God and to live a God-Ordained life means we will have to trust Him like never before...God does not call us to the status quo. Mediocrity and God-Ordained do not go together. Trust and "Danger" do go together... In fact, there are two different definitions of trust in the Bible. In the Old Testament the two Hebrew words translated “trust” mean to lean on, and to take refuge in. In the New Testament the Greek word translated “trust” means to have confidence in.

Living a God-Ordained life means we Lean on God and we have Confidence in God.

3.You will Make people excited. Living a God-Ordained life excites people because you are fulfilling a need(s) in the world.

4. You will Make people mad: Living a God-Ordained life will make some people mad because as a Christ Follower and living with a purpose, you will certainly challenge the status quo and rock some boats!

Living Your Plan: A Frantic Pace
I was watching "Christmas At Saddleback" on Fox News during the Christmas Eve program. He said there are 3 things (I will add a Fourth) that show up in your life if you are trying to live a life planned by you instead of a life planned by God...

1. Fatigue. You will always feel tired and uninspired
2. Frustration. Frustration will occur more than Celebration because you are going against the Natural Pace
3. Fear. A lack of confidence will dominate your mind
4. Frantic. Living our way instead of God's Way will cause us to be frantic and in a rush, angry, upset...trying too hard.

Summary
Is living in God's Will always going to be easy without fatigue, frustration, or fear? No. But you will feel ALIVE despite any circumstances or set backs you experience. Any fear we feel will be a fear that motivates instead of one that incapacitates. And 99% of the time, you will be able to "Maintain A Natural Pace."

Living God's Plan will not be easy, but it will be Natural...

Live It

Emerson once said, "What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say."

Jesus preached a powerful message but He also Lived it...The disciples learned from not only what they heard, but what they saw...

The Medical profession is somewhat similar. Medical Resident's will go on rounds with the Attending Physician. They watch him/her...They study their every move...They listen as well...but they watch...The Attending has credibility because they are living what they teach...

I want to be a person who lives what they believe...and you know one thing that motivates me to live better...it is when someone tells me that I can not do something...this even pertains to my Christian life...

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

That stings...but there is truth to it...I don't want someone telling me that I am unlike The Christ I follow...So I must analyze myself...what would others say?

Gandhi's quote challenges me...does it challenge you?

If you and I want credibility, if we want to influence others, then our beliefs and our actions must be in sync...

1 Corinthians 13 says it best: What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Risk Of Faith

Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague." ~ Mark 5.34 ~ (emphasis added)

I love this Passage of Scripture from Mark 5.25-34 on so many different levels, one being The Healing of Jesus, how His touch can immediately take years of illness and change it into a renewed condition of perfect health. But another thing has been revealed to me as I meditated on this passage the other night...and that is on the topic of RISK...

The crowd was huge that day my friends, Jesus was walking through it...the woman was sick...she had to take ACTION...she had FAITH that "If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well."

Jesus knew someone had touched her... "The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story. "

Here is my point: Sometimes we know we need to do something to change our current condition. It could be an illness, it could be a career change, it could be a suffering economy, maybe a relationship problem...Like the woman, we need to:

1. Have Faith In Jesus and know that we are one touch away from His Blessings
2. Take Action - Jesus will heal, but we must do our part and Seek after Him
3. Bust through the crowd - there will always be a "crowd" and the timing may not seem perfect, but we must do whatever it takes to seek Christ
4. Risk of Faith - When we have our opportunity, we must seize it...The woman took a Risk of Faith...A Reach of Faith...
5. Step Up & Kneel - We need to take responsibility, Step Up & Kneel before Christ with respect and awe, give Him our whole story, our whole life

What Risk do you need to take today? You could be only one touch away from Victory!

Lord, I want to take a Risk of Faith in Your Name. You have the immediate power to heal. It's time for me to believe, bust through the crowd, and reach for you, Yes and Amen!

Bleed

Steve Prefontaine is the "Elvis" of the Track and Field world. The guy is a Legend is every respect of the word. One of the main things everyone loved about "Pre" is that he was a creative artist on the track, but even more so, he was a no-holds-barred-WARRIOR on the track!

"Pre's" WARRIOR status began In The 1970 NCAA Track & Field Championships where "Pre" competed as a freshman in the 3 mile. His performance was in doubt because he had cut his foot four days before the race. Six stitches were required to close the cut. "Pre" had to spend four days in bed.

When Race day arrived, Pre's foot was taped and everyone hoped the wound would not reopen. Listen to what Pre said even if it had reopened...

"I will keep going until I finish or until I run out of blood."

Well Pre's wound did reopen. In fact, He ran the majority of the race with a huge gash in his foot...the six stitches were no match for the 3 mile pounding on the pavement. The good thing is Pre did not run out of blood...but He did finish...not only did he finish, but Pre set the meet record in 13 minutes 22 seconds as a FRESHMAN. "Pre" wanted to run and to win so badly that he was willing to BLEED to do it!

One of "Pre's" greatest quotes explains his mindset when it came to Race Day:

"Somebody may beat me,
but they are going to have to bleed to do it."

Is there anything you are willing to BLEED for?

Jesus BLED for us. He was willing to do whatever it took. He sweat drops of blood. He had a crown of thorns that caused blood to drip down His face. He was flogged and beaten and it left a trail of blood when the guards pulled him away. He hung naked on a cross...bleeding. After He was crucified, the guards wanted to make sure he was dead...so they stuck a spear in His side...blood and water came rushing out...

I can imagine Jesus, on The Cross saying:

"I will keep going until I finish or until I run out of blood."

Here is the cool thing...Jesus finished before he ran out of blood! And because He finished, we get to begin...begin a life of ABUNDANCE!

Live As Jesus Died
I want to live my life the way Jesus died. I want to live my life the way "Pre" ran. The time is now. The passion is here....

...It's Time to BLEED...

Run so hard you come in with bloody feet and missing toenails"

-Rob Decestella

No Execuses

After landing his invasion forces on the shores of a particular country, the sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés would immediately burn his own boats. He was sending his army a message: "We can't turn back. Either we succeed here or we die here."

Burn the boats...throw off everything that hinders...

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
~ Hebrews 12.1 ~

So how do we do this...how do we allow for Excuses to not be an option?

Answer: We focus...we fix our eyes on Jesus. Christ focused. Even knowing His death was upon Him, He was able to stay on course for His mission because of His focus:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
~ Hebrews 12.2 ~

Let's go forward today, having no room for excuses. Let's burn our boats, focus, and fix our eyes on Jesus, just as He focused His life on His mission in order to make our lives super abundant...This will open up the ability for us to make the most of every opportunity that God has mercifully granted us!

...make the most of every opportunity.

~ From Colossians 4:2-6 ~

Attitude: The Desire To Be Great!

"How Well You Do Something is determined by your Attitude."
~ Lou Holtz ~

Winning Everyday
Lou Holtz, in his book, "Winning Everyday," tells a great story about one of his football players at Notre Dame. This player was Andy Heck. Andy was a very good starting tight end, but the coaches decided to move him to offensive tackle. Andy had to make difficult adjustments in order to get used to this new position...

One day Andy was complaining to his offensive line coach, Joe Moore, about receiving a negative grade on a particular play. As Holtz states, "Andy thought he had performed adequately." In response to Andy's complaint, Coach Moore said the following:

"Andy, that would be true for an average player, but I don't think you are an average player. Do you want me to grade you as an average player so your mark will be positive? Or should I grade Andy as a great player, in which case your performance on that play was a minus. Which do you choose?" (emphasis added)

Lou Holtz goes on to say, "Coach Moore didn't have to say another word. Andy chose to think of himself as a great player and the rest is history." Andy went on to elevate his personal standards, become team captain and then went on to become one of the best offensive tackles in the National Football League while playing for the Chicago Bears.

Andy was forced to make an attitude check...

As Lou says, "It takes just as much time and energy to think, 'I can,' as it does to think, 'I can't.' Think about winning before you go to sleep and the moment you wake. Remember: Every day, some ordinary person does something extraordinary. Today, it's your turn."

As Followers of Jesus Christ, do we see ourselves as average or great? Which do we choose? Like Andy, lets choose greatness and the rest will take care of itself!

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus...to the glory of God the Father.

~ Philippians 2:5-11 ~

Glorifying God In The Details

Glorifying God in The Details
God is a Detailed God...all you have to do is look at what He has created to notice that He cares about the smallest of details. And when it comes down to completing His assignment for our lives, we must stick to it and never quit...

Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You've heard, of course, of Job's staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That's because God cares, cares right down to the last detail. ~ James 5.10-11 ~ (emphasis added)

Jesus Cares About The Details
In John 17.1-5, Jesus Prays an Awesome Prayer to The Heavenly Father, I Pray that in my own way, I can Pray the same thing when it comes to fulfilling God's Purposes...take a look:

I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do. (emphasis added)

I Pray these words as well for all who read this, that you would complete down to the last detail what God assigns you to do...

Displaying God's Bright Splendor
It's very cool as well when you look a few verses prior to The detail Prayer of Christ...Jesus says, "Father, it's time. Display the bright splendor of your Son So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor." That's really what it is all about...our lives are to Glorify God. 1 Corinthians 10.31 says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Lord, Thank you that You care not only about the big and the general, but YOU also care about the small and the detailed! May we stay the course and live to display Your Bright Splendor today by focusing on the details! Yes and Amen!

God's Calling, satan's echo

Have you ever heard God Calling you to do something, and then once you decided to act on it, you began to second guess yourself? Did the negative voices creep up inside your head telling you that you are not good enough and do not have what it takes?

If so, then you have possibly heard the echo of satan. When God calls you and me to do something, especially something that is outside of our comfort zone, satan begins to tremble because satan does not want us to do anything for The Kingdom of God...

For us to live out God's Will for our lives, we must put the mute on satan's echo. Thankfully James tells us how to do so:

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper.
Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time.
~ From James 4.7-10 ~

Pray With Boldness

One of my favorite statements is, "Pray like everything depends on God, Work like everything depends on you." I love this because it shows how God wants our partnership with Him. Well, if any of you are like me, I have been living an altered form of this statement lately...

Instead of Working like everything depends on me, I have been worrying like everything depends on me...

Instead of going to God in Prayer with Boldness, I have been "worrying" my Prayers...but allow me to say this...GOD SPEAKS!!! Look what He revealed to me in The Book of James last night, I Pray it speaks to you as well:

Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. ~ James 1.6-8 MSG ~

And here it is in the CEV version:

But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you surely can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all. ~ James 1.6-8 CEV ~

Pleasing God
Asking Bodly, In Faith, and without doubt is HUGE! Look at Hebrews 11.6:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (emphasis added).

Mark 11.24 goes on to say, Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith.

Now this "Everything" (aka "Anything") is "Everything/Anything" in The Name of Jesus...

Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! ~ John 14.14 ~

This means, as The Message paraphrase puts it, Praying for anything along the lines of who Jesus is and what He is doing!

Prayers Answered
How is our Prayer life? Are we asking Boldly and In Faith, or are we doubting and filled with worry? Do we trust God...Is Prayer a relationship with God or a coping mechanism for worry? I want God to see me as a Rock, firm in my faith, not as an ocean wave tossed around in the storm.

Worry, Waiting, and Worship
One problem that may cause us to worry instead of worship is due to the fact that we are waiting. We say, "I'm just waiting on God."...Reality check: God does not need to catch up with us while we wait on Him....

I like how Perry Noble puts it, and I paraphrase: "God waits on us, we don't wait on Him...if we are waiting on God, then that must mean we are ahead of Him, and folks, we are not ahead of God!"

It's time I get back to Worshipping God instead of worrying about circumstances...

Lord, Forgive me for my lack of faith and trying to control through worry. I will focus on my boldness in Prayer because I Pray to you, The One and Only Bold God!

I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. ~ Job 42.2 ~

Foundation Of Prayer

"Prayer is always foundational to wisdom." ~ Eugene Peterson ~

Peterson goes on to say that According to church traditions, James (From The Book of James in The Bible) had the nickname of "Old Camel Knees" because of thick calluses built up on his knees from many years of determined prayer.

I love that. Can you imagine the cumulative effect of all those prayers! How would you like to have on your resume or in your portfolio that you wrote one of the books of The Bible! Prayer is definitely the foundation to wisdom...Prayer focuses our thoughts and guides our lives...Prayer puts us in the zone...

Mark Batterson talks about being in "Prayer Mode." When we constantly Pray, our thoughts and actions become shaped by those Prayers. The Holy Spirit speaks and we listen, giving us all the wisdom we need. Mark goes on to say how "Prayer Mode" is like our Reticular Activating System, the part of the brain that acts as our center for arousal and motivation. When we pray, we start seeing things or hearing things that otherwise we would have paid no attention to.

It's sort of like the phenomenon that occurs when we buy a certain shirt or hear a certain word. All of a sudden, we see that certain shirt everywhere or here that certain word over and over again. It's not that the shirt was non-existent before, it's just that we became more aware of it once we bought it...so it is with Prayer...Prayer focuses out thoughts and actions and we begin to see more clearly...we begin to gain wisdom on top of wisdom!

But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. ~ James 1.5 ~

Feel It!

With The New Year of 2009 around the corner, there is no doubt that resolutions will be made and goals set. But I want to change the mentality of setting goals and resolutions to defining a problem to solve.

Feel It
If you and I really want to create change, accomplish a goal, or live out a dream, we really need to become a problem solver. One great way to do this is by "Feeling It." We must become "uncomfortable" in order to do something GREAT.

I Don't Feel Like It
Now think to a time when you did not want to do something. My imagination tells me you may have said the following: "I don't feel like it." Many times we will use this excuse, and if we only went to work, or school, or excercised when we felt like it, then we would probably never do anything. So how do we "feel" like doing something? We must define a problem to solve and it must hit us deep in the gut until we do feel it...Spiritually, Physically, Mentally...it must hit us until we feel it....Ask yourself this question: "What's At Stake"...meaning, what will happen if you don't solve the problem?

Goal vs Problem
Now don't get me wrong, Goals are amazing...In fact, I am currenlty working on a list of around 200 goals that I want to accomplish...but as I am writing this post, I might actually change them to 200 problems to solve! Allow me to give some examples between goals and problems...

Example: A goal is to open a savings account. A problem is possible bankrupcy. Which do you think will allow you to "feel" like saving instead of spending?

Example: A goal is to lose 20 pounds. Problems if you don't exercise are possible clogged arteries and high cholesterol. Which do you think will make you "feel" like exercising at 5 a.m.?

Example: A goal is to read The Bible in a year. A problem is determing your God-Ordained purpose. Which do you think will make you "feel" like meditating on Scripture?

Ask For It
You may already know of a problem that needs solving. But if you don't, then You may need to ask for a problem to solve... Pray for a burden, a problem, something that will really motivate you to live a God-Anointed Life. Something that makes you happy, mad, scream, something that makes you bang your fist on the table or jump for joy in your room...go to God in Prayer and simply say, "Lord, what problem do you want to use me to solve?"

Keeping Promises: Responsibility vs Discipline
In order to solve problems through "feeling" the problem, we must be responsible in our problem solving. Responsibility is keeping a promise to someone else. Who do we need to be responsible to or for? Discipline is the promise that we keep to our selves. We need to develop a solution to our problem and promise our selves to solve it. What allows us to be responsible and disciplined? The Answer is Commitment...We must be committed to solving the problem.

God Felt It, Jesus Felt It
God saw a problem: The sin of the world. God felt it. His solution....Jesus...Jesus saved and redeemed the world because He felt it. Sweating drops of blood...flogging...spear at His side...hanging naked on The Cross...Jesus felt it on many levels...From Mark 14.34, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Jesus felt it so much that He even prayed not to have to go through with the excruciating death...but He always had the problem solving in mind, Praying the following from Mark 14.36:

Abba,[a] Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

What problem is God calling you to solve? Lord, what problem do you want me to solve?

Set Free From People Pleasing!

For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them! ~ Galatians 6:14 ~

Are We Pleasing God or people? Do we care more about what God thinks and less about what people think? Who or What is our standard?

Super+Natural

Perry Noble was talking about "The Supernatural" in one of his Sermons...I like how he dissected this word: "God does The Super, We need to do the Natural..."

God desires our partnership and we have a responsibility to create with what He empowers us with....

Galatians 6.4

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others.

Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

The Shema

Here's a fun prayer to do. Work on memorizing the first part of Hebrew shown here in what is known as the "Shema". The "Shema" is probably the most important prayer for those of Jewish Faith. Read more about it at hebrew4Christians.com here:

Deuteronomy 6:4

Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
*Source for this Scripture: http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer/shema.htm

Anima Christi

I am an active follower of Jesus Christ, a United Methodist. However, I enjoy studying prayers of the Jewish faith as well as the Catholic Tradition to simply understand prayer "language" (this is not to say that people of the Catholic tradition are not Christians; only that Protestant and Catholics have some different beliefs).

I have recently come across "The Anima Christi," a 14th Century Catholic Prayer said after Communion. This is a beautiful prayer to our Lord Jesus for our souls. "Anima Christ" means, "The Soul of Christ". (Idea...you could put "us" in place of "me" in order to escape our "individualistic" culture)...

THE ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

"I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally....My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath." - Saint John Vianney.

(source:http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/anima2.htm)
*emphasis mine

Solomon Survey: Obedience Part Two

Following up on Part one of Obedience, we see how Jesus obeyed God The Father and because of this obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever...Philippians 2.5-11

Immunity
I think we as Christians have become immune to this word obedience or perhaps even legalistic...we have lost the true meaning of it.

Here is how serious The Lord views our obedience:

Obey the Lord's teachings
and you will live--
disobey and you will die. ~ Proverbs 19:16 ~

Hello! ...Are we obeying God or do we have some other treasure that consumes us...Look at Proverbs 7.2:

Obey me, and you will live!
Let my instructions be
your greatest treasure

Here's the problem: Our greatest treasures are not The Lord's instructions. Our greatest treasures have become television, material goods, and horoscopes. We learn about life through the media instead of Scripture, we have to rent out storage facilities because we have so much "treasure," and we seek horoscopes/culture instead of God's instructions.

God of Grace & Truth
Listen, God is not out to "get us." To the contrary, He loves us so much that He sent His One and only Son for us. But He is The God of Grace and Truth...All throughout The Old Testament we see how the Israelites were kept from entering The Promise Land because of disobedience and whining...but then Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter because of their powerful Faith...And then ultimately we see in The New Testament, how Jesus, because of His obedience, was lifted high and honored far beyond anyone or anything by God His Father."

You and I have a choice today...obey or not...promoted or lost? What will we do?

Solomon Survey: Obedience Part One

Obedience
Being obedient is talked about all through out Scripture, but I can not think of one better than Philippians 2.5-11 which tells us that Jesus "lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death," and "Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything..."


Take Every Thought Captive
What do we need to have "die" off in our lives? Sin, selfishness, complaining, lack of faith, worry, insecurity, criticism, cussing, addictions? We need to crucify it and move forward in obeying God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10.5)

God's Promotion
1 Peter 5 tells us that God will promote us at the right time, but we must keep a cool head and stay alert, because the devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch us napping. We must keep our guard up, because once we let it down, disobedience will reign.

Check out part two of obedience in the next post!

The Cumulative Effect

What are you doing later today? What will you be doing tomorrow? How will you use your time and what will you invest it in?

Andy Stanley, author of "The Best Question Ever," talks about a great way for us to framework how we use our time. He talks about "The Cumulative Effect." In other words, we need to invest our time in things that will build upon themselves.

For instance, If you skip one meal, no big deal. But what if you skipped every meal for the past three weeks. Think about how the "Cumulative Effect" after these three weeks. Take another example....Exercise...One workout will not change your body, but working out consistently over a 12 month cycle can create huge results.

Skipping Prayer? Skipping Meditation on Scripture? Not spending time with your family? One day may not be the end of the world, but when one day turns into two, three, four, etc, it makes a huge difference. When you look back on your week, your month, your life, you must be able to identify what it is that you did with your life. When you invest in things that "snowball" and build on each other, you will then find yourself transformed in order to help others transform themselves for the best!

Don't be so busy trying to get things done, that you end up not getting anything done...

Solomon Survey:Righteousness & Perception

I want to close the Solomon Survey by focusing in on 4 stumbling blocks that could be causing our Prayers to go unanswered. These areas are important to look at because these are the verses no one wants to talk about, but if we are living a life of unanswered Prayers, it is imperative that we become like Sherlock Holmes and investigate what it is that God wants us to know during "dry" seasons of our lives...


So today I want to bring up two topics: Righteousness and Perception

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

~ James 5.16 ~ (emphasis added).

Righteousness & Perception, How Do I Know?

Being righteous simply means being right with God. We all know areas of unrighteousness like lying, stealing, being unethical etc. But I want to hit these 2 areas that are hardly ever discussed. So If our prayers are going unanswered, we must ask ourselves a few questions.

1. Are we confessing our sins?
Proverb 28.13-14 tells us we will be failures if we do not confess our sins.

2. Are we cruel and cutting people down that we see in public or on tv?
Proverb 28.13-14 also tells us that if we are cruel, then we will end up in trouble.

Now, here is The good news. This same passage, Proverb 28.13-14 , also shows us that God is merciful and will bless us IF we confess and are afraid to do evil...

3. Do We have a Perception Problem?
Perception is so important to answered Prayer...As Steven Furtick says,"We receive what we perceive." And what is it that we want from answered Prayers? We want to receive an answer! Wow, that's deep!

Anyway, I can not get out of my mind that we may not be receiving answered Prayers because of how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive others. Have you ever asked the following question, "God, why are you turning your back on me?"

Well, the problem could be that God is asking you and me, "Why are you speaking evil words to those I have created?"...You see if we perceive the worst in people and constantly criticize them while we are watching the tube or out in public, even if it is under our breath, than God will turn His back on us...don't take my word for it...read what God has to say about it:

Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here's what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you're worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he's asked; But he turns his back on those who do evil things. ~ 1 Peter 3.8-12 ~

God's Step-by-Step Manual
We say we always want God to speak to us, to answer our Prayers. 1 Peter 3.8-12 could not be any clearer. It's like a step-by-step instruction manual straight from The Mouth of God...

* "Whoever Wants"..."Here's what you do"...."say"...."snub"..."cultivate"...."run"...it tells us what God approves of, how He listens, how He REPSONDS TO WHAT HE IS ASKED...But because God is a God of both Grace and Truth, we see that yes, He will turn His back on those who do evil things...and He clearly tells us that saying "evil or hurtful" things are evil.

Warm and Fuzzy
Now don't get me wrong...this is not some warm and fuzzy post on accepting everybody and let's all get along so that no one is offended in our politcally correct society. NO! I despise politcal correctness with my heart and soul!!! But what I despise worse are Christians (myself included) who look at the The Carpenter of Creation's Craftmanship and say evil and hurtful things for no apparent reason other than to make themselves feel better about their own faults and weaknesses.

Practical Atheism
If we claim to be Christian but then do not live the Righteous life God calls us to, if we criticize instead of praise, if we say we believe in God but live as though He does not exist, then we are what Craig Groeschel calls, "Practical Atheist"...

Revelation 3.16 tells us we can not be lukewarm Christians...we are either in or we are out...

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—

I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Bottom Line
Look, we must perceive ourselves and others as God perceives us. If we perceive others in a hateful way, it is probably because we are uncomfortable in our own skin. It is time to grow up and get rid of our insecurities. Our insecurities are selfish because we are trying to gain our security-in-ourselves in stead of being Secure-In-God...

Unanswered Prayer...are we righteous? do we have a perception problem?

Let's stop blaming God and start investigating ourselves....

Does Jesus know you?

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father Who is in Heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name and in Your Name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!'"

~ Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

"I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!"

Is saying the sinners prayer and saying "Lord, Lord" enough for us to enter Heaven? I am not writing this blog claiming I know who will be in Heaven and who will not be. Who in the world am I to make that judgment? I am nobody; however, I am saying there will be surprises. The Bible tells us that much in regards to the "many" response in Matthew 7:21-23. They were shocked at Jesus' response...it is safe to mention that saying "Lord, Lord" is light years away from living, " Lord, Lord."

" I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!"

Our hearts are "sicker" than we think.

• I am a Christian. Great. Are you salty? Are you a light? Do you actually practice the Bible (Matthew 5:13-20)
• I am not a murderer. Great, but do you have hatred in your heart? (Matthew 5:21-26)
• I am not sleeping around on my spouse. Great; do you fantasize about somone else though? (Matthew 5:27-30)
• I am not divorced. Great, but do you cherish, honor, and encourage your spouse? (Matthew 5:31-32)
• I keep my promises. Great, but do you have to "promise" in order for someone to believe you. Are you not trustworthy without a promise? (Matthew 5:33-37)
• I do what's expected. Great, do you go above and beyond when not expected for those who don't deserve it? (Matthew 5:38-42)
• I love my friends and neighbors. Great. What about those who irritate you? Do you love them and pray for them? (Matthew 5:43-47)
• I am a pretty good person. Great. Are you perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect? (Matthew 5:48)

" I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!"

• I pray. Great. Is it for show or for submission? (Matthew 6:1-13)
• Do you forgive easily? Why not? Your Heavenly Father has forgiven you! (Matthew 6:14-15)
• Do you desire God more than food? (Matthew 6:16-18)
• Is your heart in Heaven or in your wallet? (Matthew 6:19-24)
• Are you consumed with keeping up with the "Jones'" or with God's Kingdom (Matthew 6:25-34)
• Does your eye hurt? Maybe you have a big 'ol plank in it? (Matthew 7:1-6)
• Do you believe God has your best interest in mind or that He is out to get you? (Matthew 7:7-11)
• Do you jump at the chance to do something for others that you want done to you? (Matthew 7:12)

" I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!"

• Are you one of the few? (Matthew 7:13-14)
• Fake fruit or the real deal? (Matthew 7:15-20)
• Flashy ministry or willing to go unnoticed by hanging out with the ignored? (Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 25:31-40)
• Serious about hearing and doing Jesus' words or do you let them go in one ear and out the other? (Matthew 7:24-27)
• Amazed by Jesus or following Jesus? (Matthew 7:28-29)

" I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!"

We...need...Jesus. We need Him to...(Matthew 5:1-12)

• Make us poor in spirit
• Make us mournful
• Make us meek
• Cause us to hunger and thirst for Him
• Make us merciful
• Make us peaceful
• Make us ready for persecution

These are the marks of Him conquering every part of our soul. Then and only then, with His life consuming ours, will we be capable of a Matthew 5-7 lifestyle mentioned in the above questions. It is the life of Heaven on earth. It is the life of Heaven in us. Without Heaven in us, Jesus claims to NOT know us. Without His perfect and holy life in us, we are nothing but "evildoers." "Nice guy Christianity" just...will not...cut it. Doing ministry to make us feel better about ourselves will not cut it! Jesus MUST conquer us, penetrate us, consume us, and breath His holy washing Spirit in us. That is the only way we can do the will of His Father and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!

"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!" ~Matthew 6:10 (NIV)

Perception Principle

Perception: –noun
1.the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.

Last week, Steven Furtick from Elevation Church spoke at NewSpring Church about the "Perception Principle"...Here is a paraphrase of his definition:

"We receive what we perceive."

How we view life, people, our careers, etc will produce results in line with our perception. If we perceive ourselves as losers, then we will be losers. But if we perceive ourselves as God perceives us, as His children created in His image, then we will realize and receive the victory we have in Christ.

How we perceive our family and friends is what we will receive. If we are always judging or criticizing them, always telling them they are stupid or lazy, then I can almost guarantee you that we will only receive stupid and lazy results from them. But imagine if you said to your wife or husband, "baby, you got what it takes today!"....or, "Son, you realize you are anointed by God Almighty to do amazing things for His Kingdom." They would walk out of the house ready to blaze for God's Glory!

If you see yourself as someone who God will use to do "mighty wonders" through, then imagine what you can do with His power...but if you perceive yourself as barely making it through the day, then you will probably barely make it through the day...

You and I need to take a look at what we are receiving and adjust our perceptions accordingly...

Praying Dangerously: Wherever, Whatever

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” ~ Michelangelo ~

Dangerous Prayer
Take a challenge with me...Pray a "Dangerous" Prayer...Pray to God and tell Him to send you wherever, whenever, to do whatever, however...all according to His Will and for His Glory!

You may not even know specifically what to Pray for yet, but as you Pray this Prayer, God will begin to reveal the who, what, when, where, why, and how...

Faith Not Fear
We may be somewhat nervous Praying this kind of Prayer...that's natural...but the great thing about it is that we show total faith and dependence on God when we do this, which is the most freeing and exciting adventure we can set out to do...we can have total Faith with out fear because The Almighty God who created us has only The BEST intentions for us...He will put us in situations that are so natural to us because He knows us better than we know ourselves...take a look...

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ~ Matthew 7:11 ~

Imagine
Imagine if you are a parent, and you may be, you would desire the best for your children. You know their strengths and would only send them to do something you knew what benefit all involved. If we, though we are evil know how to give good gifts to our children, I can only imagine how much more our Father in Heaven is waiting to give good gifts to those of who ask and ask Boldly!!! God is going to put us in the right place at the right time if we will pray "Dangerously" and with out hesitation!

The Lord Is With Us
God tells us to go wherever and to do whatever He commands...and we need not fear because He is with us and will rescue us!

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD ~ Jeremiah 1.7-8 ~

Christ Is Your Life
What do you want to accomplish with your life...for all of society? How do you want to leave your mark on this world...to leave a legacy? Pray "Dangerously" for God to reveal it all to you...do it all for His Glory and appreciate the honor to live the life of representing Him...for where Christ is, that is where the action is!

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. ~ Colossians 3:1 ~

Holiness: As Natural As Breathing

As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy." ~ From 1 Peter 1.13-16 MSG

God calls us to be Holy. We act like this is a difficult thing to do. It's not. We need a paradigm shift. If God, the Carpenter of Creation, The One who Breathed life into us, calls us to be holy, then this should be the most natural process in the world. And not obeying God and not allowing ourselves to be "pulled into a life shaped by God's life" could be a major, if not the major, stumbling block in our lives...a stumbling block that is keeping us from living the blessed life that God desires for us.

What difference does it make?
Why do we need to be holy as God is holy? Well, if you want to be in the presence of God and live the life He has called you to live, having His miracle wonders done in and through your life, then you must be set apart for His Glory. Just as oil and water do not mix, God and sin do not mix. If we are not holy, then it means we are living in sin...God will not be in the presence of sin...

Then Joshua told the people, "Make yourselves holy, because tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." ~ Joshua 3.5 NCV ~

Do we want The Lord to do amazing things among us for our "tomorrow's?" If so, we must become holy.

Grace and Truth
God loves us and is merciful (Grace) but because He loves us so much, He will not tolerate a life of sin...He will hold us accountable (Truth).

You call out to God for help and he helps—he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living. ~ Peter 1.17 MSG ~

What Do You Believe?
So what it comes to is this: Do you really believe in God and His Son Jesus? Wrestle with this question today...because if you do and it is my Prayer that you do and that God will tug on your soul...I Pray that you will come near to Him and that He will come near to you (James 4.8)... then the process of becoming Holy will be as natural as breathing.

The Price Has Been Paid
Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. ~ 1 Peter 1.18-21 MSG ~

What's keeping you and me from being Holy? Is it lying? Criticizing? Judging? Laziness? Addictions? Consumerism and the worship of stuff? Fear, doubt, or insecurity? Whatever it is,
today is the day to rid our selves of this "sloppy living." We need to become Holy so that "tomorrow" The Lord will do amazing things among us!

Brand New Life!

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!

God is keeping careful watch over us and the future.
The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.
1 Peter 1:3-5 (The Message) - emphasis added