Here is a cool Prayer from The Book of Philippians, Chapter 1 (The Message)
...it is my Prayer for my family and the community in which I live....It is my Prayer for you reading this blog....Pray it for your family, your community and your self today, that you all would live a life Jesus will be proud of!
9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God (Emphasis Added).
Frome 18-21 Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course.
From 27-30 Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Freedom vs Prosperity
Are you Prosperous? If so, are you free?
There is a lot of the "Prosperity Gospel" going around these days, but here's the important thing to know:
God's goal is not necessarily to make you prosperous, but rather to make you free!
You can have many things and acquire a lot of stuff, but that stuff and prosperity can actually make you a slave, keeping you in bondage and wanting to acquire more stuff.....
There is nothing wrong to being prosperous, God wants the best for you. Just make sure you are free.....
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
There is a lot of the "Prosperity Gospel" going around these days, but here's the important thing to know:
God's goal is not necessarily to make you prosperous, but rather to make you free!
You can have many things and acquire a lot of stuff, but that stuff and prosperity can actually make you a slave, keeping you in bondage and wanting to acquire more stuff.....
There is nothing wrong to being prosperous, God wants the best for you. Just make sure you are free.....
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
God's Compass
Is smoking a sin? Is drinking alcohol a sin?
How far is too far when determining "how far to go" with your boyfriend/girlfriend?
What other morality issues do you have questions about??
Here's the thing, we make all this kind of stuff way too hard. Instead of step-by-step directions, God wants us to use the brains He has Blessed us with. He therefore has given us a compass.
God's compass can be found in 1 Corinthians...
1 Corinthians 10.31 says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
God wants you to use the compass He has given you. Just ask your self one simple question in all situations of life: Is this bringing Glory and Honor to God?
1 Corinthians 6.19-20 says, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Honor God with your body. Use God's compass. Is smoking and damaging your lungs honoring God with your body? Is drinking alcohol and destroying your liver honoring God with your body?
Sometimes we make everything out to be "Is it a sin?" instead of just asking ourselves, "Is this honoring God?" or "Is this bringing Glory to God?" You see, take sin out of the equation for a second. Some of these questions should really be rephrased as "Is this stupid?" Why do you want to smoke in the first place. Why would you intentionally damage your lungs and your health, reduce your capacity to breath and increase your possibilities of having debilitating diseases?
Same goes for alcohol. Why set yourself up for having to rely on smoking or drinking because you are stressed out? Why drink just to make yourself fit in? When it comes down to it, regardless of whether or not it is sin, just take a step back and look how stupid it is....Why set yourself up for a dependency on such things??
How about your relationships? Doesn't seem stupid to ask yourself "how far is too far?" Do you really think God has set up guidelines and margins for something like this. We always search for margins in life, saying things like, "we can go this far but not too far." We think that we must "go all the way" in order to be cool. Society tells us that we must have sex to fit in, yet if a teenage girl becomes pregnant, then society treats her like scum. Why test the margins?? Sin or stupidity?....just use God's compass and ask yourself if you are honoring God or bringing Glory to God?
Sin or stupidity?...pretty much the same thing, the question that is more important is whether or not you are Honoring God with what He has given you and entrusted you with...God's compass, you always have it with you, use it :)
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
How far is too far when determining "how far to go" with your boyfriend/girlfriend?
What other morality issues do you have questions about??
Here's the thing, we make all this kind of stuff way too hard. Instead of step-by-step directions, God wants us to use the brains He has Blessed us with. He therefore has given us a compass.
God's compass can be found in 1 Corinthians...
1 Corinthians 10.31 says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
God wants you to use the compass He has given you. Just ask your self one simple question in all situations of life: Is this bringing Glory and Honor to God?
1 Corinthians 6.19-20 says, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Honor God with your body. Use God's compass. Is smoking and damaging your lungs honoring God with your body? Is drinking alcohol and destroying your liver honoring God with your body?
Sometimes we make everything out to be "Is it a sin?" instead of just asking ourselves, "Is this honoring God?" or "Is this bringing Glory to God?" You see, take sin out of the equation for a second. Some of these questions should really be rephrased as "Is this stupid?" Why do you want to smoke in the first place. Why would you intentionally damage your lungs and your health, reduce your capacity to breath and increase your possibilities of having debilitating diseases?
Same goes for alcohol. Why set yourself up for having to rely on smoking or drinking because you are stressed out? Why drink just to make yourself fit in? When it comes down to it, regardless of whether or not it is sin, just take a step back and look how stupid it is....Why set yourself up for a dependency on such things??
How about your relationships? Doesn't seem stupid to ask yourself "how far is too far?" Do you really think God has set up guidelines and margins for something like this. We always search for margins in life, saying things like, "we can go this far but not too far." We think that we must "go all the way" in order to be cool. Society tells us that we must have sex to fit in, yet if a teenage girl becomes pregnant, then society treats her like scum. Why test the margins?? Sin or stupidity?....just use God's compass and ask yourself if you are honoring God or bringing Glory to God?
Sin or stupidity?...pretty much the same thing, the question that is more important is whether or not you are Honoring God with what He has given you and entrusted you with...God's compass, you always have it with you, use it :)
(inspired by Erwin McManus, Vital Signs, Restoring Your Health)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Sounds and Silence
Matthew 8:26
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Praise be to God The Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because over the past 6 days, Jesus said "Silence!" in the context of our lives and The sea became smooth as glass.
Over the past 6 days our family and many others battled through and are still battling through two ridiculous storms: Tornado's and sickness. Along with the high flying winds of the tornado's, our family was also struck with a low life virus. God was faithful as always and got us through both of these storms and so I would like to share with you some of the sounds I experienced through it all.
From The Tornado
Praying To God
Speaking of Family
Warning Siren
Whistling of wind
Rustling of leaves
Bending of Trees
Buzzing of Chainsaws
Ringing of Phones
Reporting of News
From the virus
Family members puking (sorry)....I want to be truthful to everything we experienced
The voice of the nurse who called my family member back into the ER. (We only had a 5 minute wait)
"Hey Dude" - the welcome from my other family member who had to go into the ER - when I heard "Hey Dude" I knew he was on his way to recovery
"Im at Starbucks" - when my Dad said this, I knew he was fully recovered!
"Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Yogurt"- when my Mom said this, I knew she was fully recovered!
"Hey Bro" - this is the welcome from my Twin Bro...He is full of life when he says it!
Laughter - I always know my sis-in-law is great when I hear her laugh :)
"Bing" - the sound of a new text message that reads all is well from my other sis-in-law
Soundwaves over the phone and in person when everyone told me they were better
One of the sweetest sounds was the singing of my niece. She is 8 months old. I was Blessed to stay healthy through the storm and the virus (only by The Grace and Mercy of God) and so I had the blessing of dancing her to sleep on two occasions. I would hold her close to me as she would lay her head on my shoulder. We danced in the dark and the only sound I heard was her singing herself to sleep...no music will ever compare :)
There were many sounds I could list, but through it all, one of the best things experienced was the absence of sound....silence.
Wikipedia.org defines Silence as a relative or total lack of audible sound. An environment with sound below 20 decibels is considered quiet or silent. When the storm settled, there was silence. But better yet, when my family members defeated the virus, there was silence. When they were sleeping and resting, I walked through the house and the sound level was below 20 decibels. No puking, no buzzing, no whistling or rustling. No warning sirens. Silence. All is well.
Thanks to God for bringing us through these storms. I see things more clearly now. Colors are brighter, tastes are sweeter, sounds are richer. Attitudes are changed and Motivations enriched. I appreciate silence like never before.
Live life to your fullest today and soak up The Blessings of God; Then, ring them out on to the lives you are able to influence. Be The Sound of God in their lives!
I will close with a quote from John Wooden, famous championship coach from UCLA:
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the ways things turn out."
Glory To God The Healer, Protector, and Sustainer!
Matthew 8:26
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Praise be to God The Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because over the past 6 days, Jesus said "Silence!" in the context of our lives and The sea became smooth as glass.
Over the past 6 days our family and many others battled through and are still battling through two ridiculous storms: Tornado's and sickness. Along with the high flying winds of the tornado's, our family was also struck with a low life virus. God was faithful as always and got us through both of these storms and so I would like to share with you some of the sounds I experienced through it all.
From The Tornado
Praying To God
Speaking of Family
Warning Siren
Whistling of wind
Rustling of leaves
Bending of Trees
Buzzing of Chainsaws
Ringing of Phones
Reporting of News
From the virus
Family members puking (sorry)....I want to be truthful to everything we experienced
The voice of the nurse who called my family member back into the ER. (We only had a 5 minute wait)
"Hey Dude" - the welcome from my other family member who had to go into the ER - when I heard "Hey Dude" I knew he was on his way to recovery
"Im at Starbucks" - when my Dad said this, I knew he was fully recovered!
"Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Yogurt"- when my Mom said this, I knew she was fully recovered!
"Hey Bro" - this is the welcome from my Twin Bro...He is full of life when he says it!
Laughter - I always know my sis-in-law is great when I hear her laugh :)
"Bing" - the sound of a new text message that reads all is well from my other sis-in-law
Soundwaves over the phone and in person when everyone told me they were better
One of the sweetest sounds was the singing of my niece. She is 8 months old. I was Blessed to stay healthy through the storm and the virus (only by The Grace and Mercy of God) and so I had the blessing of dancing her to sleep on two occasions. I would hold her close to me as she would lay her head on my shoulder. We danced in the dark and the only sound I heard was her singing herself to sleep...no music will ever compare :)
There were many sounds I could list, but through it all, one of the best things experienced was the absence of sound....silence.
Wikipedia.org defines Silence as a relative or total lack of audible sound. An environment with sound below 20 decibels is considered quiet or silent. When the storm settled, there was silence. But better yet, when my family members defeated the virus, there was silence. When they were sleeping and resting, I walked through the house and the sound level was below 20 decibels. No puking, no buzzing, no whistling or rustling. No warning sirens. Silence. All is well.
Thanks to God for bringing us through these storms. I see things more clearly now. Colors are brighter, tastes are sweeter, sounds are richer. Attitudes are changed and Motivations enriched. I appreciate silence like never before.
Live life to your fullest today and soak up The Blessings of God; Then, ring them out on to the lives you are able to influence. Be The Sound of God in their lives!
I will close with a quote from John Wooden, famous championship coach from UCLA:
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the ways things turn out."
Glory To God The Healer, Protector, and Sustainer!
Matthew 8:26
Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: "Silence!" The sea became smooth as glass. (emphasis added)
Friday, April 4, 2008
As Christ
10 marks to living as Christ lived. Pray God will grant you these 10 gifts, for you and your family and your church. Ask yourself and others for accountability:
(1) Are you crucified with Christ? (Galatians 2:20)
(2) Are you Holy as God is Holy--in heart and in conversation?
(3) Do you Love God with all your heart and serve God with all your strength?
(4) Do you Love your neighbor as yourself; love others as Christ loves us?
(5) Do you Love your enemies; even those who may persecute you?
(6) Is your soul all self-giving love?
(7) Are you filled with mercy, kindness, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering?
(8) Are you living the full work of faith, the patience of hope, the labor of love?
(9) Are you doing everything in the Name, the Power, and the Love of Jesus Christ?
(10)Are you doing the will of God on earth as it is in Heaven?
In other words, are there any thoughts, words, or deeds that are separated from the Vine Himself, Jesus Christ?
(1) Are you crucified with Christ? (Galatians 2:20)
(2) Are you Holy as God is Holy--in heart and in conversation?
(3) Do you Love God with all your heart and serve God with all your strength?
(4) Do you Love your neighbor as yourself; love others as Christ loves us?
(5) Do you Love your enemies; even those who may persecute you?
(6) Is your soul all self-giving love?
(7) Are you filled with mercy, kindness, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering?
(8) Are you living the full work of faith, the patience of hope, the labor of love?
(9) Are you doing everything in the Name, the Power, and the Love of Jesus Christ?
(10)Are you doing the will of God on earth as it is in Heaven?
In other words, are there any thoughts, words, or deeds that are separated from the Vine Himself, Jesus Christ?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Apply It!
How do you glorify God? Answer His call in your life and complete down to the last detail what He has assigned you to do....
John 17.4 (MSG) - The Words of Jesus before His Crucifixion
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do (emphasis added)
Will it be easy to answer God's Call in your life?.......nope, you must persevere and stand the test, but if you do, God has something for you!
James 1:12 (New International Version)
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (emphasis added)
Do you answer His call and persevere on your own? nope, you must Trust in God and your confidence for life must be rooted in The Carpenter of Creation.....
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New International Version)
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him. (emphasis added)
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
Do what He has called you to do, persevere and stand, Trust and root your confidence in God.....now, go apply this to your life, your specific circumstances, if you don't know where to start, ask God, don't ask the world. God created you, the world does not define you...God wants you to know His will for your life more than you want to know it!
To see how Jesus Prayed a "Dangerous Prayer" and applied these principles to His life, read the blog entry Blessed Is The Man
John 17.4 (MSG) - The Words of Jesus before His Crucifixion
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do (emphasis added)
Will it be easy to answer God's Call in your life?.......nope, you must persevere and stand the test, but if you do, God has something for you!
James 1:12 (New International Version)
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (emphasis added)
Do you answer His call and persevere on your own? nope, you must Trust in God and your confidence for life must be rooted in The Carpenter of Creation.....
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New International Version)
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him. (emphasis added)
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
Do what He has called you to do, persevere and stand, Trust and root your confidence in God.....now, go apply this to your life, your specific circumstances, if you don't know where to start, ask God, don't ask the world. God created you, the world does not define you...God wants you to know His will for your life more than you want to know it!
To see how Jesus Prayed a "Dangerous Prayer" and applied these principles to His life, read the blog entry Blessed Is The Man
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Blessed Is The Man
Blessed...we all want to be Blessed. Jesus Christ is the best example of being blessed and He wants to bless you. He wants to bless you to be a blessing to others. As we celebrate Easter today, I think of how blessed we are to have a warrior go to battle for us, this warrior being none other than Jesus Christ. How does the Cross of Christ and Easter Sunday teach us how to be blessed. Many ways of course, but take a look at these next two verses.....
Persevering and Standing The Test
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”- James 1:12 (Emphasis Added)
Jesus persevered for us and Blessed is Jesus for standing the test, He has certainly received the crown of life that God promised Him and because He has stood the test, we are Blessed! Listen, through the Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ, you can persevere through any trial you are facing right now. What challenge are you facing, what hurdle must you overcome? Jesus is saying to you right now and has given His life to you in one of the most brutal ways of dying, so that you would stand the test and receive your crown! Friend, stand the test of your trials, you will be Blessed beyond measure and God will give you the crown through your love for Him!
Trust and Confidence
Perseverance and standing the test. You have probably heard that before. The thing is you may not have known how to persevere nor to stand. Here is your outline....
I. How To Persevere and Stand The Test
A. Trust In The Lord
B. Have Confidence In The Lord
C. Blessed is the man who follows letter A and letter B above
Take a look at this word from God Almighty through the prophet Jeremiah...
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him. (Emphasis Added)
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New International Version)
How awesome is that! We are blessed through our trust and confidence in The Lord. We then are like trees sending out roots by the stream, we can over come fear, our leaves are always green, we can defeat worry, and we will always bear fruit because our foundation is through Trust and Confidence in The Lord!
Jesus, He Trusted, He Had Confidence
Jesus persevered and stood the test, but He did not do so without intense Prayer and conversation with The Father. The night before The Crucifixion, Jesus prayed that the 'cup' that He was about to drink from would pass, that if possible, He would avoid having to go through the excruciating events that were to come the next day. When Jesus Prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42 NIV), He was praying with trusts and confidence in the Lord. Maybe we don't pray as we should because deep down inside, we don't trust God. We think we are in control or we think God does not exist...or if He does exist, then He is not listening because He does not care. Friends, that thinking is way off base and it is exactly the lie that satan wants for you to believe.
Jesus believed in The Father, He trusted Him, He had confidence in Him, that is why Jesus was able to Pray the "dangerous" Prayer, "Father...... not my will, but yours be done."
Do you really want to be a Blessed Man? Do you have the courage to Pray "Father...... not my will, but yours be done?
Do you have the courage to apply this Prayer to your family, to your career, to your school, to your decision making? I am willing to give you a guarantee. If you have trust and confidence in The Lord God Almighty, The One who gave you a mind to think, a heart that beats, and lungs that breathe, then you will get to the point where you will Pray that Prayer.
Jesus had the courage to Pray a "Dangerous Prayer"...it allowed Him to persevere and stand the test. It allowed Him to receive the crown of life that God promised Him through His love for The Father. It allowed him to be a Blessed Man. We have received the fruits of His labor because He Trusted God and because of His Confidence in God. We are Blessed because He gave His life for us! Now, what are you going to do with being a Blessed Man/Woman?
He wants you to LIVE here and now on earth as well as in Heaven for Eternity. Live the life that He has called you to live. Persevere. Stand The Test. Trust The Lord and Become a Blessed Man.
Happy Easter!
Persevering and Standing The Test
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”- James 1:12 (Emphasis Added)
Jesus persevered for us and Blessed is Jesus for standing the test, He has certainly received the crown of life that God promised Him and because He has stood the test, we are Blessed! Listen, through the Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ, you can persevere through any trial you are facing right now. What challenge are you facing, what hurdle must you overcome? Jesus is saying to you right now and has given His life to you in one of the most brutal ways of dying, so that you would stand the test and receive your crown! Friend, stand the test of your trials, you will be Blessed beyond measure and God will give you the crown through your love for Him!
Trust and Confidence
Perseverance and standing the test. You have probably heard that before. The thing is you may not have known how to persevere nor to stand. Here is your outline....
I. How To Persevere and Stand The Test
A. Trust In The Lord
B. Have Confidence In The Lord
C. Blessed is the man who follows letter A and letter B above
Take a look at this word from God Almighty through the prophet Jeremiah...
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him. (Emphasis Added)
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8 (New International Version)
How awesome is that! We are blessed through our trust and confidence in The Lord. We then are like trees sending out roots by the stream, we can over come fear, our leaves are always green, we can defeat worry, and we will always bear fruit because our foundation is through Trust and Confidence in The Lord!
Jesus, He Trusted, He Had Confidence
Jesus persevered and stood the test, but He did not do so without intense Prayer and conversation with The Father. The night before The Crucifixion, Jesus prayed that the 'cup' that He was about to drink from would pass, that if possible, He would avoid having to go through the excruciating events that were to come the next day. When Jesus Prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42 NIV), He was praying with trusts and confidence in the Lord. Maybe we don't pray as we should because deep down inside, we don't trust God. We think we are in control or we think God does not exist...or if He does exist, then He is not listening because He does not care. Friends, that thinking is way off base and it is exactly the lie that satan wants for you to believe.
Jesus believed in The Father, He trusted Him, He had confidence in Him, that is why Jesus was able to Pray the "dangerous" Prayer, "Father...... not my will, but yours be done."
Do you really want to be a Blessed Man? Do you have the courage to Pray "Father...... not my will, but yours be done?
Do you have the courage to apply this Prayer to your family, to your career, to your school, to your decision making? I am willing to give you a guarantee. If you have trust and confidence in The Lord God Almighty, The One who gave you a mind to think, a heart that beats, and lungs that breathe, then you will get to the point where you will Pray that Prayer.
Jesus had the courage to Pray a "Dangerous Prayer"...it allowed Him to persevere and stand the test. It allowed Him to receive the crown of life that God promised Him through His love for The Father. It allowed him to be a Blessed Man. We have received the fruits of His labor because He Trusted God and because of His Confidence in God. We are Blessed because He gave His life for us! Now, what are you going to do with being a Blessed Man/Woman?
He wants you to LIVE here and now on earth as well as in Heaven for Eternity. Live the life that He has called you to live. Persevere. Stand The Test. Trust The Lord and Become a Blessed Man.
Happy Easter!
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