Core Values

2 Corinthians 5
Verse 7 "For we live by believing and not by seeing." the life of the spirit is a life of faith. We live not by what we see, but by what we believe, our belief system controls our life. When the rubber meets the road our core values come to the top and manifest the true belief system of our lives. Anyone can tell the truth when there is no reason to lie, but what do you do when your job is on the line, or when a little lie could save you a thousand dollars. It is at those moments that the core values of your life are revealed, and we are confronted with who we really are.

So what are the core values of your life and what is your belief system? Do your values and beliefs line up with Gods word or are they based upon the philosophy of the world? Can you trace your core values to a scripture or principle taught in Gods word because if you can not then you need to look at why you believe what you believe and find the root of that value or belief. Your core values are not defined by what you say in church on Sunday, they are defined by how you live everyday. The only way to get a true measure of your values and beliefs is to take an honest evaluation of how you live your life on a daily basis.

I challenge you to begin the journey of writing down what you say you believe about God, others and yourself and then identify the root of that belief, does it come from the Bible or some other source? Any belief based on anything other than the word, nature or character of God is a belief system that will one day fail you and leave you holding the pieces of a messed up world.

Look Up

2 Corinthians 4
Verse 18 "So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."

Whatever controls your gaze, controls your heart and sets the course of your life. Paul said we don't look at our troubles, we fix our gaze on the eternal not the temporal. When the promises of God become the focus of your life, you will find yourself being renewed in the spirit, day by day. David said it this way in Psalm 121 "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills... my help comes from the Lord" the challenge we face everyday is to look up. Our flesh wants to look down and around but the key to staying encouraged and refreshed is to look up and fix our gaze on the promises of God not the problems of man. It is the upward gaze our hearts and minds that give us the strength and wisdom to reach down and pull people up into the life and grace of God. In essence we look up so that we are equipped to reach down and pull others into the purposes of God for their lives

Shout

Psalm 40:16 "But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!” 

David said if you love God then you should praise God, let them repeatedly shout "the Lord is Great". He is a great God and one of the best ways to remember the greatness of God is to daily declare it, but not just with words of praise but shouts of praise. Let's take today and everyday to "shout unto God with a voice of triumph" declaring his greatness and our victory because we serve a Great God.

The Thousand Little Things

Job 12:5 "People who are at ease mock those in trouble. They give a push to people who are stumbling." there is something in our nature as humans that causes us to some how think that our success is the result of our efforts and it is easy to mock those in trouble, when we ourselves are at ease. But Job is a good reminder that every good gift comes from God and yes we are co-labors with him and we have a part to play in our success and prosperity, but our obedience and good decisions are only a part of the whole. Without God's favor and grace our best efforts would end in failure and our good decisions would only take us so far. Pride causes us to boast in ourselves and forget about the thousand little things that fell into place in order for us to achieve the success that we have. It is those thousand little things that can only be marked up to God's grace and favor that truly make our lives successful.(being in the right place at the right time, the unexpected connection, the accidental appointments) May we always remember the key to our success is God and may we never be found pushing down those who are stumbling. Remember difference between those on top and those on bottom is always the grace and favor of God

Incomplete

1 Corinthians 13:12 "All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." this scripture is a good reminder of the fact that none of us have all the answers. Paul the great apostle said "all that I now know is partial and incomplete", none of us have completely arrived. We are all still growing and learning and discovering the truths of God and our own hearts/lives.

It still amazes me when God shows me something in my heart that just moments before I didn't know was there. Pride, jealousy, fear, or insecurity that was hiding below the surface of my own heart and then in a moment God makes known what was unknown. So many times we think we have it all together, that we know all the answers and then life comes at us from an unexpected angle and the hard cold truth of 1 Corinthians 13:12 hits us right between then eyes; I don't have all the answers. But it is at that moment that we realize why we all need Jesus, none of us have arrived and we all need a savior

The Queen

Esther 4
Verse 14 "If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” there are things that we need to notice from this scripture. First we need to recognize that if we refuse to speak up, stand up and live up to the standard that God has for our lives, someone else will and not only will they do what we were supposed to do, but they will enjoy the spoils of the battle. The victory will be theirs and they will stand with Christ celebrating a victory that should have been yours. Second we need to recognize that our lives and circumstances have not been accidental, God orders the steps of the righteous, to position them in strategic places of authority for his Glory and the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. God doesn't position you as queen, just so you can enjoy the luxuries of the palace, he positions you as queen so that you can use your position and authority to save the lives of the helpless and fulfill his purpose on planet earth.

So ask yourself two questions:
Are you taking advantage of the opportunities that you have right where you are, to speak out and stand up for God?

Are you using your position and authority to fulfill the purposes of God for your life and world or have you settled into the throne forgetting those God has called you to serve?

Anger

Esther 2:1 "But after Xerxes’ anger had subsided, he began thinking..." in his anger he banished his wife from his presence forever and passed an irrevocable law. Anger unchecked by the Holy Spirit causes us to say and do things that we normally would not do. The Bible says that after his anger subsided, he began to think, this order for decision making is backward and dangerous. When we get angry we must allow ourselves time to cool down, we must allow ourselves time to think and pray through the issue that made us angry and then we are ready to make a decision. James 1:20 says "the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God" unchecked anger does not bring God glory, it dishonors his name and destroys our lives. I challenge you today to invite the Holy Spirit into your anger and allow him the time to defuse your emotions and refocus your thoughts before you make a decision that may have life long repercussions

The Spirit Behind The Sacrifice

1Corinthians 10:20 "I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons." The spirit behind the sacrifice matters to God and it should matter to us. Paul said that there was nothing wrong with the meat that they were wanting to eat, the problem has not the meat, the problem was that the meat had been offered to idols or demons. It was the spirit behind the sacrifice that made Paul say do not partake, because if you do you are participating with demons. Our world is full of things that are not, bad or sin, but the spirit behind them is demonic. When we made decisions about the music, movies, TV shows and entertainment that we partake in, we need to ask our selves. What is the spirit behind this? Is this music, movie or other form of entertainment being driven by the spirit of God or is it demonic in nature. Remember it is the spirit behind the sacrifice that matters, what are you partaking in?

Love Strengthens

1Corinthians 8:1 "But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church" Love is the key to a healthy church, love embraces, comforts and confronts. Love accepts people for who they are but refuses to leave them that way. Love creates an environment were people can be real, transparent and transformed by the grace and power of God. Religion celebrates knowledge, but God celebrates love; now abides faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is Love.

Distractions

Nehemiah 6:3 "Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?” Demonic distractions are one of satan's greatest weapons, Satan will throw all sorts of things your way as a ploy to get you to stop working. Satan doesn't have to destroy the work of God that you are called to, all he has to do is distract you enough to make you stop working.

Satan doesn't care what it takes to distract you, for some it is tragedy and pain, for others it is prosperity and possessions either way the moment you stop working; doing what God has called to to do, the enemy has won. Guard your heart and life against demonic distractions and learn from Nehemiah, verse 9 says "So I continued the work with even greater determination."

Rubbish

Nehemiah 4:2 "Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap-and charred ones at that?” The world builds on the bright and the beautiful, but God builds on people who are charred and come from the rubbish heaps of sin and despair. The world may have disqualified you, but the fact that you're messed up qualifies you for the grace of God. Jesus came for the sick and not the well, where sin abounds grace does much more abound. God has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak things to conquer the mighty. Nobodies are the somebodies that God uses to change the world, ordinary people doing extraordinary things through the grace, love and power of God. The world may have counted you out, but God in counting on you to be the difference maker in your world.

Total Restoration

August 11, 2010
Nehemiah 1:6-9 “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
 8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’

Three steps to total restoration:

Return to the Lord, which means turning away from the lifestyle of sin and running back to the one that loves you and died that you may have life.

Obey his commandments of confession, repentance, renouncing and receiving.

Live by the principles of God's word, walking out your freedom and positioning yourself to receive the restoration work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
No matter how far you have gotten away from God, if you are willing to do these three things, God Will Bring You Back To Place Of Total Restoration

Celebrate Recovery

I am heading out this morning with Bro. Rick Laster to California, to attend the Celebrate Recovery Summit at Saddleback. Pray for our safety and for God to equip us to take Liberty and CR to the next level.Excited about the journey!

Moving Forward

Ezra4:4-5 "Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans." the enemy never stops, and his weapons of discouragement and fear are still bombarding the body of Christ. Not only did their enemies use discouragement and fear, but they also bribed agents to work against them and frustrate their plans. Satan doesn't have any new tricks, but he does a real good job of working the ones that he does have. As Christian's we need to recognize the works of the enemy, and allow his attacks to become encouragement to us, realizing that if Satan is coming against what we are doing, then it must be of God. To many Christians and churches stop moving forward because them meet resistance, reasoning that "if God was in this it wouldn't be this hard" well I propose that the fact that it is "hard" is proof that it is a God thing, because all hell is breaking loose against it. If you had a word from God that got you moving, let it be a word from God that makes you stop. Don't allow circumstances, resistance, frustration or fear cause you to stop moving toward what God has called you to do.

Do It Afraid

Ezra 3:3 "Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar..." Joyce Meyer says that sometimes "you have to do it afraid", if we are going to live a life of faith, then we are going to have to overcome our fears. And many times the fear remains present until you actually do what God has asked you to do. You can not wait until you feel no fear to do what God has asked, you have to do it afraid and trust God to make a way even when you don't see how it is going to work. After all isn't that what walking by faith is all about, trusting in God, not in what you see or feel. The Israelites were afraid of the local residents but they rebuilt the alter of God, even though they were afraid. They confronted their fear and stepped into the will of God for their lives and we must do the same. Don't allow fear to control your life, step out in faith upon God's Word and you won't be disappointed.

HS Power

1Corinthians 2:4 "And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God."

Paul relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to change people's hearts, minds and lives, his confidence was in the Spirit not in his preaching. What are you relying on, sometimes our greatest strength becomes our greatest weakness, because if we not careful we will begin to rely on our abilities and not the Holy Spirit. The worst thing that can happen to us as individuals is not that we fail without God, but that we succeed without him. Success without God breeds pride and a self sufficient spirit that causes us to rely upon our abilities instead of the Holy Spirit. Nothing drives us to prayer quicker than the realization of our inability and unfortunately nothing keeps us from prayer more than a confidence in our abilities.

Maturity

Proverbs 20:21 "An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end."

Maturity is the key to lasting success. Fame, fortune and power granted to quickly can become a curse instead of a blessing. Our world is full of "child/teen stars" that burned out and burned up in the light of their stardom. But you don't have to be a superstar to feel the sting and pain of immaturity. And I believe that we as parents are unfortunately setting our kids up for destruction. In our desire to bless our kids and give them what we did not have, we have pushed our children into a world that they are not mature enough to handle. Cell phones, laptops, iPods and the Internet are given to our children at earlier and earlier ages and many times without any restraints or boundaries. Through our world of technology children are being introduced and addicted to things at younger and younger ages. Creating problems that will plague them the rest of their lives. I challenge every parent to look at the "inheritance" that you are giving your children and ask yourself are they really mature enough to receive this as a blessing or will it become a thorn in their side. This doesn't mean that we have to total remove the things that we have given them (maybe in some cases) but it does mean that there need to be guidelines or should I say guardrails put in place to keep them out of the ditches of life. Let make sure our blessings are blessings and not traps in disguise

Division

Romans 16:17-18
Verse 17 "Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18 Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests."

Anytime you see someone sowing discord you know that they are not right with God. Division is of the devil and unfortunately many have fallen under the sway of the evil one. Division Paul says comes from people "serving there own personal interest". When your ideas become your God, you are in a dangerous place of self deception. The government of the church is really the safe guard against deception, as long as you are under authority you have a safety net against deception and are free to move forward in confidence knowing that "in a multitude of counselors there is safety".

Join

Romans 15:30 "I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me" When we pray for others we join them in their struggle and by the Spirit bear with them the burden that they are under, lightening their load and strengthening them by the power of the Holy Spirit. Join someone today through prayer and you will find that when you lift their load, your load will be lightened also.