Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Revival

Psalm 119
Verse 156 "Lord, how great is your mercy; let me be revived by following your regulations."

Revival is a huge word that carries with it a lot ideas. Survey one hundred people and ask them what revival is or what it looks like and you will quite possibly get one hundred different answers. But in today's Psalm, David reveals the light switch of revival in our nation, our churches and in our own personal lives. Revival happens when we obey or follow God's word/regulations. Revival is not the result of a week long service, nor is it the result of the right evangelist preaching the right message. Revival happens when God's people obey God's word.

If you want to see a mighty move of God beyond anything you have ever experienced in your life, then start a revival in your own heart through obedience. Surrender your life to a new level of obedience and watch the revival fires begin to burn. Your heart will be changed, your family will be changed, your church will be changed and your place of employment will be changed. The landscape of your life will be altered by the fires of revival that will flow out of one solitary life, committed to obedience to God. So how about it, Are You Ready For Revival?

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Holy Hunger

1 Peter 2
Verse 2 "Like newborn babies you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation."

The full experience of salvation is the result of a holy hunger. Hunger for God creates holiness in our lives. We are feed according to hunger, many people have pushed away from the spiritual table and as a result they have not received the full experience of salvation. They rejoice in the promise of heaven, but they live defeated, depressed and discouraged lives here on earth. Peter said that we must crave pure spiritual nourishment so that the full experience of salvation would be accomplished in our lives. Without that craving there is a stunting of spiritual growth and victory.

Many Christians are malnourished not because food isn't available, but because their hunger for the world stifles their hunger for God. Many have feed their spiritual cravings with carnal pleasures and they find themselves always looking for more but never being satisfied. There is a rat poison on the market that actually is not poison at all. It is food with no nutritional value. The rats eat it and are filled with this food but at the same time they are being filled, they are being weakened. Until they literally die of malnutrition with full bellies. Unfortunately this is a picture of many Christian, they are filled with the things of the world but die of malnutrition at the same time. Let's feed our hunger with His word, it is milk and meat to our souls. Answer the craving of your soul and let God satisfy your hunger and experience the fullness of your salvation

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Process of Circumcision

Ezekiel 44
Verse 9 "No foreigners, including those who live among the people of Israel, will enter my sanctuary if they have not been circumcised and have not surrendered themselves to the Lord."

Circumcision is surrender, God told the children of Israel that unless a person had been circumcised they could not enter the sanctuary of the Lord. Unless there is a cutting away, there can never be a pressing in. As new testament believers we have been called to a circumcision of the heart, the degree that we are willing to let God work in us, will be directly proportioned to what God can work through us. Circumcision is not optional, it is required. The major difference between circumcision in the old testament and circumcision in the new testament, is that old testament circumcision only happened once, but new testament circumcision is an on going process. So the question is are you willing to stay in the process because the difference between those who go to church and those who do great things for God is determined by staying engaged in the process of circumcision.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Pro-God

Psalm 118
Verse 8 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people."

People are amazing, but they are still people. Humanity at it's best will still fail you and disappoint you, but God is forever faithful. David said it is better to take refuge in the Lord, than to trust in people. He wasn't anti-people but he was pro-God and he understood where his strength and victory came from. People are a resource that God uses in our lives to accomplish his purposes, but God himself is our source.

Frustration and disappointment come as a result of looking to your resource as your source. When you place people as your source instead of a resource, you are setting them and you up for failure. No one can fill the Shoes of God, except God, so take refuge in him today and allow the Lord to be your source for life.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Woody and Buzz

James 1
Verse 18 "And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession."

We are the prized possession of God. If you have ever seen the movie Toy Story, then you get a very simple picture of what God thinks about you. We are Woody and Buzz, God loves us more than all his creation, as a human being created in the likeness of God you are his prize possession, he cherishes you above all things. And like in the movie, God wants you with him everywhere he goes, your his favorite.

Many people however don't see them selves that way; condemnation and shame have caused many people to label themselves as black sheep in Gods family. They feel unwanted, unloved and very alone, like the forgotten toy lost under the bed or behind the dresser. But that is not true, You are Gods most prized possession and he longs to be with you, to love you and wrap his arms around you. The fact that you feel unwanted and unloved, have nothing to do with the reality of God's heart for you. Those feelings come from the lies of the enemy and the condemnation that Satan has placed upon you. Feelings are just a reflection of thought, I feel unloved because I think I am unloved. But those feelings of rejection, shame and condemnation are not from God. He said it in his word over and over again, I Love You, You Are My Prized Possession! So crawl out from under the bed, slip out from behind the dresser and watch what God will do. He will pick you up, dust you off and begin to smother you with his love. Renounce the lies of the enemy and embrace the truth of God's Word, you are his prize possession. Go ahead and say it, out loud; I Am God's Prize Possession, I Am His Favorite

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Praise Test

Proverbs 27
Verse 21 "Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised."

Praise is a test, a test of the very character of souls. Over and over in scripture we see people sidetracked by pride. Rick Warren calls it the popularity test and he says the way you respond to the praise of people, determines the way God responds to you. James 4 says that God resist the proud but gives grace to the humble. The grace of God is the one necessary requirement for true success and humility is the open door for grace.

Thank God for the cheerleaders in our lives, individuals that encourage us and cheer us on. We all need to hear an encouraging word and be patted on the back for a job well done. Because the problem is not in the praise, the problem is in our hearts. Just as fire draws out the impurities of silver and gold, praise draws out pride. Praise doesn't create pride, it reveal our hearts and shows us if there is pride in our lives. Once revealed we have two choices, we can give place to pride and allow our heads to swell and lips to sing our own praises. However this response carries with it the sting of death and destruction. Or we can confess the sin of pride, repent for giving place to it and humble ourselves before God. Acknowledging that he is the source of every good thing in our lives

Monday, November 15, 2010

Unshakable

Hebrews 10
Verse 27 "This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain."

The Bible teaches us that there is coming a day of shaking, a day when all things in heaven and earth will be shaken by God and only the unshakable things will remain. So what are the unshakable things that will remain, they are the eternal works of heaven. So I ask you what are you doing today that is unshakable? Are you laying up treasure in heaven that cannot be shaken or are you spending your life on the temporal things of this world only to suffer the loss of them on that great day of shaking.

Winning Souls, Making Disciples and Destroying the works of Devil are eternal works with eternal rewards; these things produce a lasting reward that is unshakable. Every-time you share the gospel, help a believer grow in his relationship with God or minister freedom to those who are bound; you lay up an unshakable reward that will remain for eternity. Everyday of your life is filled with unshakable moments, moments when you have an opportunity to connect to the eternal and help others who desperately need God. Being consciously alert and spiritual attentive to those unshakable moments means that you will never live another boring day, everyday will have purpose and everyday will produce an eternal harvest as you help others experience the presence, purpose and passion of an unshakable God

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Unwavering Faith

Hebrews 10
Verse 23 "Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."

The power of deception is so great that it causes us to doubt the only one that has never broken a promise. Faith in a God that has never lied, that always fulfills his promises and that is the source of every good thing in our live should be the easiest thing we do. But when it comes to an unwavering hope and faith in God many of us still struggle, why? There is a world of reasons but one reason is the sin of projection. We project human characteristics upon a divine God and we forget that God is not a man that he should lie. We are so accustom to the inconsistency of humanity, that we project that same characteristic upon God. But if we would just stop and think about who he is and what he has done, believing God would be the easiest thing we do. So let me ask you, in what area of your life do you lack an unwavering faith? Because once you identify the area of doubleness you need to ask your self, what human characteristic are you projecting upon God in that area of your life that is causing you to doubt the only one in your life that always keeps his promises. Once identified, ask God to forgive you then forgive the person that disappointed you in that area of your life and receive a spirit of faith to obtain the promise that God has for your life.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Out With The Old

Hebrews 9
Verse 10-13 "For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies-physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God."

Out with the old and in with the new, but a new what? A new system of redemption, reconciliation and restoration. A new system through which we can approach God and appropriate all that God has for us. A system that unlocks the spiritual and takes us into the supernatural works of Jesus Christ. A system established through the blood of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for our sins. A system motivated by faith and not works, a system that purifies our hearts and not just our bodies. A system that is eternal not just temporal. A system that invites us into an intimate relationship with God and empowers us to share with others the wonderful works of God.

But like every system, you must work the system or the system won't work for you. Many Christians are still approaching God through the old system, they believe they are saved by faith but everything else flows through works and they are wrong. Not only are they wrong but they are frustrated and judgmental of everyone that doesn't do what they do.They promise freedom, but they are not free themselves. Their system doesn't work but they refuse to acknowledge it. They spend their time pointing out what others are doing wrong, criticizing the methods of other churches or Christians, all the while their lives are powerless and unfruitful. Beware of critical spirits because they are usually connected to fruitless lives. Jesus said you will know a tree by it's fruit, so ask your self, if I am connected to the right system where is the fruit? Are people being saved, are Christian growing and maturing in the faith and are we destroying the works of the devil. Are marriages being restored, families being made whole and live being eternally changed?

Being unfruitful doesn't mean that a church or a Christian is bad or evil, it simply means that they are operating out of an old system that doesn't work anymore. It may mean that the philosophy of ministry is rooted in tradition, instead of the word of God. It may mean that you are focusing on pruning fruit, instead of dealing with the root issues in peoples lives. Jesus brought a new and a living way, a new system through which the kingdom of God is established in the lives of people. If we will work the system, the system will work for us

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Tender and Responsive

Ezekiel 11
Verse 19-20 "And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God."

A tender and responsive heart is what God has given us through the new birth and isn't that what the Spirit filled life is all about. Being led by the Spirit comes down to us being tender and responsive to the Holy Spirits promptings in our life. Christianity is not so much about us directing our lives as it is us surrendering our lives to the Spirits leading. Your responsiveness to to the Holy Spirit determines whether or not you walk in the will of God for your life. God's word and God's Spirit keep us in alignment with God's will for our lives. When we resist his Word or his Spirit, we resist the will of God for our lives.

Please recognize that we don't have to fall away into horrible sin to miss God, all we have to do is be unresponsive. Just ignore the spirits promptings and you will miss Gods best for your life. And isn't it easy sometimes to just act like we did not hear what he was saying, like our children we play dumb with God. But God knows our hearts and every time we ignore him, his heart breaks. Not because he is offended but because he realizes that we are about to miss his best for our lives. Every-time we ignore his leading we settle for less than his best and we allow our pride or greed or what ever it is that we are holding onto to steal God's best from us.

So I ask you, how tender and responsive is your heart to the Spirit's leading. Below are three ways to stay tender and responsive to the Spirit. Number one, obey quickly; don't even give yourself an easy out. When you feel the spirits leading and you know it is God, just do it. Number two, repent immediately; when you miss it ask God for forgiveness and see if the window of opportunity is still open and if it is jump through it. Number three, sit at the feet of Jesus everyday. Cultivating your relationship with God through prayer and the word keeps your ears open and your heart tender and responsive to his leading in your life

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Covenant

Psalm 105
Verse 8-12 "He always stands by his covenant-the commitment he made to a thousand generations. This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant: I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.” He said this when they were few in number..."

Your size has nothing to do with Gods promise, His promise is not based upon your strength but his power and covenant that he has made with you. Your role in the covenant is obedience, if you will be obedient, God will fulfill his promise even if you are few in number.

Twelve years ago we opened the doors of Liberty Church with three couples and a promise from God, today we are over 500 strong and growing everyday as God continues to fulfill his promise to build North Alabama's Greatest Church. We are far from what I know we will be, but we are in the process and committed through obedience to see the fulfillment of his promise in our lives. Don't look at your present circumstances, focus your heart on the covenant promises of God and his word, because as the psalmist said "he always stands by his covenant

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Destiny

Psalm 104
Verse 34 "May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord."

Pleasing God in your thoughts is the key to pleasing God with your life. Where the mind goes the man follows; your thoughts determine your choices and your choices will determine your actions and your actions will determine your character and your character will determine your destiny. Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ is where the battle for your God Given Destiny is won or lost. If you don't control your thoughts you will lose the destiny of your life.