2 Corinthians 4:15-16 "And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up..."
In this scripture Paul reveals the secret of his persistent faith, the reason he "never gave up" was because he did what he did for the Glory of God. The motivating factor of his life was not a temporal reward. He did not preach, teach, serve, suffer or live for Jesus so that he could obtain power, prestige or position. He did what he did for the Glory of God, so that more and more people would come to faith in Jesus Christ.
If your service to God is motivated by a temporal reward then you can be bought, easily misdirected and discouraged to point that you give up. But if the motivating factor of your life is to Glorify Jesus Christ and to bring more and more people into the faith and fulness of God, then you have found the place of persistent faith and you are strategically position to turn the world up side down for the Glory of God.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Pay Attention
Job 36:15 "But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity."
What an amazing statement, by means of their suffering, God rescues those who suffer. Our God is so great that he is able to take what was meant to destroy us and use it as the pathway through which he rescues and delivers us. How does this work, suffering gets our attention and causes us to cry out to God and that is all it takes for him to come to our rescue.
Understand that the root cause of all suffering is sin, self and Satan, all the suffering in your life can be traced back to one of these roots. And all three of these roots separate us from the life of God and produce the fruit of suffering, heartache and pain. Unfortunately we tend to forget God and turn away from him during times of prosperity and success, it is when we are at our highest heights that most people turn from God and allow the sin of pride to open the door of suffering.
Recognize that pain and suffering are indicator that you have a problem. Sometimes the problem is that you are doing what God wants you to do and Satan is coming against you, if that is the case then keep on keeping on and bind the works of darkness that have come against your life. But many times the problem is the result of our own sin or selfishness, for example if you have mismanaged your money, spent foolishly and now you are suffering because of it. Don't get mad at God and complain that he is not meeting your needs. Repent, ask God to forgive you for foolish spending, turn to him and submit to what he tells you to do. He will take the temporary suffering that you endured and he will show you where you went wrong and give you a path forward to make things right. The end of the story will be prosperity and success if you will stay true to what he has told you. The same is true for relational pain, emotional pain and even physical pain. Suffering and pain are indicators that something is wrong and if we are willing to turn to God in humility, he will take our suffering and use it to rescue us from the pathway of pain and set our feet on the pathway of Godliness that always leads to life. (Proverbs 12:28)
What an amazing statement, by means of their suffering, God rescues those who suffer. Our God is so great that he is able to take what was meant to destroy us and use it as the pathway through which he rescues and delivers us. How does this work, suffering gets our attention and causes us to cry out to God and that is all it takes for him to come to our rescue.
Understand that the root cause of all suffering is sin, self and Satan, all the suffering in your life can be traced back to one of these roots. And all three of these roots separate us from the life of God and produce the fruit of suffering, heartache and pain. Unfortunately we tend to forget God and turn away from him during times of prosperity and success, it is when we are at our highest heights that most people turn from God and allow the sin of pride to open the door of suffering.
Recognize that pain and suffering are indicator that you have a problem. Sometimes the problem is that you are doing what God wants you to do and Satan is coming against you, if that is the case then keep on keeping on and bind the works of darkness that have come against your life. But many times the problem is the result of our own sin or selfishness, for example if you have mismanaged your money, spent foolishly and now you are suffering because of it. Don't get mad at God and complain that he is not meeting your needs. Repent, ask God to forgive you for foolish spending, turn to him and submit to what he tells you to do. He will take the temporary suffering that you endured and he will show you where you went wrong and give you a path forward to make things right. The end of the story will be prosperity and success if you will stay true to what he has told you. The same is true for relational pain, emotional pain and even physical pain. Suffering and pain are indicators that something is wrong and if we are willing to turn to God in humility, he will take our suffering and use it to rescue us from the pathway of pain and set our feet on the pathway of Godliness that always leads to life. (Proverbs 12:28)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Stay in the Battle
1 Corinthians 16:9 "There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me"
An open door does not mean an easy road. Many people have a distorted idea about the will of God. They think that if they are doing what God has called them to do that there will be no opposition, but the opposite is true. Any time you set yourself apart to follow the path that God has laid out for your life, there will be opposition. This world system is under the sway of the demonic influences of Satan and you can be sure that he will resist anything that builds the Kingdom of God.
Many have quit the ministry and abandoned their callings because the road became difficult or it was just to hard. Please hear me when I say this "opposition confirms Gods will for your life". The fact that all hell is breaking loose against you is proof that you are on the path that God has for your life. Refuse to quit, submit to spiritual authority and stay at the feet of Jesus, you can only win the fight if you stay in the battle.
An open door does not mean an easy road. Many people have a distorted idea about the will of God. They think that if they are doing what God has called them to do that there will be no opposition, but the opposite is true. Any time you set yourself apart to follow the path that God has laid out for your life, there will be opposition. This world system is under the sway of the demonic influences of Satan and you can be sure that he will resist anything that builds the Kingdom of God.
Many have quit the ministry and abandoned their callings because the road became difficult or it was just to hard. Please hear me when I say this "opposition confirms Gods will for your life". The fact that all hell is breaking loose against you is proof that you are on the path that God has for your life. Refuse to quit, submit to spiritual authority and stay at the feet of Jesus, you can only win the fight if you stay in the battle.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Follow the Path
Proverbs 21:30 "No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord."
When we have the mind of Christ and the strategy of the Lord we can not fail. The only person that can stop you from fulfilling the will of God for your life is you. Victory is yours when you stay on the path that God has laid out for your life. No demon in hell can steal your victory and no person on the planet can keep you from the will of God.
The ways of the Lord are truth, integrity and righteousness. When we walk in his ways we walk the path of his provision, purpose and power. Our challenge is to stop leaning on our own understanding, acknowledge God and follow the path he lays out for our lives. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the mind of Christ but we still must choose to follow it. Nothing can stand in our way when we follow his path.
When we have the mind of Christ and the strategy of the Lord we can not fail. The only person that can stop you from fulfilling the will of God for your life is you. Victory is yours when you stay on the path that God has laid out for your life. No demon in hell can steal your victory and no person on the planet can keep you from the will of God.
The ways of the Lord are truth, integrity and righteousness. When we walk in his ways we walk the path of his provision, purpose and power. Our challenge is to stop leaning on our own understanding, acknowledge God and follow the path he lays out for our lives. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the mind of Christ but we still must choose to follow it. Nothing can stand in our way when we follow his path.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Four Hearts
Mark 4:13-20 "Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? 14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted"
Jesus describes four hearts in this scripture, the first heart is the hardened heart. The hardened heart is the person that has no place in the heart for the word of God. This person has been hurt and wounded, the enemy has lied to them and they blame God for their pain.
The second heart is the shallow heart, this person has no depth to their life. They follow their emotions and circumstances. When trouble or persecution comes because they are obeying the word of God, they fall away and follow the path of least resistance.
The third heart is the crowded heart, this person is driven by wealth and success, they worry more about their appearance than their integrity. This person is too busy to find time for the things of God.
The fourth heart is the open heart, this person receives and understands the importance of the word of God in their life. This person not only accepts the word but he cultivates the word and continues in it, allowing it time to produce fruit.
Recognize that each person received the same word, the seed doesn't change from person to person, Gods word is the same for all. The only thing that changes is the condition of people's hearts. The condition of your heart determines the size of your harvest. If you are not happy with the fruit of your life, then change your heart.
Jesus describes four hearts in this scripture, the first heart is the hardened heart. The hardened heart is the person that has no place in the heart for the word of God. This person has been hurt and wounded, the enemy has lied to them and they blame God for their pain.
The second heart is the shallow heart, this person has no depth to their life. They follow their emotions and circumstances. When trouble or persecution comes because they are obeying the word of God, they fall away and follow the path of least resistance.
The third heart is the crowded heart, this person is driven by wealth and success, they worry more about their appearance than their integrity. This person is too busy to find time for the things of God.
The fourth heart is the open heart, this person receives and understands the importance of the word of God in their life. This person not only accepts the word but he cultivates the word and continues in it, allowing it time to produce fruit.
Recognize that each person received the same word, the seed doesn't change from person to person, Gods word is the same for all. The only thing that changes is the condition of people's hearts. The condition of your heart determines the size of your harvest. If you are not happy with the fruit of your life, then change your heart.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Pleasing God
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 "I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness."
This scripture gives us an old testament picture of the modern day church. The children of Israel were baptized, following Moses and being feed spiritual food and water but with most of them God was not pleased. Now as a Pastor I believe in the local church and I know that unless you are connected to the body of Christ through the church, you are going to be very limited in what you will be able to do for the Glory of God.
But at the same time, the true measure of your Christianity is determined by how you act and live when you are not at Church. Paul proceeds in this scripture to warn us about some of the things that they were doing that causes God not to be pleased with them. The one that jumped out at me this morning is found in verse ten, it says "don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death." They were grumblers and grippers, they loved to complain about everything. The food, the living conditions, the leadership and even God. In spite of all that God had done for them they still focused on what they did not like or have, instead of being grateful for the amazing things that were happening around them every day.
This is were the comparison between them and us comes together. We are blessed, I mean really blessed. As America believers we have so much to be thankful for, yet so many grumble and grip about everything and I must say that God is not pleased. No matter where you are in your life we all have something to be grateful for, my challenge to you today is to count your blessings not your problems. Focus your attention on what you do have instead of upon what you don't have. Begin today to live with an attitude of gratitude, praise God for what he has done and is doing and allow the joy of gratitude to fill you heart and live a life that pleases God.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Revived to Rebuild
Ezra 9:9 "He revived us so we could rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruins. He has given us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem."
We are revived to rebuild, revival in our hearts, churches and communities is intended to rebuild the work of God in the lives of men. Revival repairs and restores the lives of people for the purpose of fulfilling the work of God. I can not tell you how many people I have meet that have been supernaturally saved, healed or delivered and they will tell you that they know God saved them for a purpose. But many of those same people just sit around doing nothing for the kingdom of God, but I want to challenge everyone to do something to build the kingdom of God.
Here is a simple process that will allow you to take what God has done for you and use it for his Glory. Number one connect to a bible based, spirit led local church, number two submit to the authority of the Church; the pastors, leaders and vision, number three serve where they ask you to serve. These three simple steps enable you to release what God has put in you and build the kingdom of God.
If you have a problem with any of these steps then you have a problem in your heart that needs to be taken to the cross. Each of these steps are biblical and essential for fruitful Christianity. If you are not connected, submitted and serving then ask yourself why? But let me challenge you to refuse to blame anyone else, look inside your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the problem and then ask him to help you deal with it. If you have experienced the work of God in your life, then you have an obligation to fulfill the work of God. So get connected, submitted and serve with all your might, you will be glad that you did.
We are revived to rebuild, revival in our hearts, churches and communities is intended to rebuild the work of God in the lives of men. Revival repairs and restores the lives of people for the purpose of fulfilling the work of God. I can not tell you how many people I have meet that have been supernaturally saved, healed or delivered and they will tell you that they know God saved them for a purpose. But many of those same people just sit around doing nothing for the kingdom of God, but I want to challenge everyone to do something to build the kingdom of God.
Here is a simple process that will allow you to take what God has done for you and use it for his Glory. Number one connect to a bible based, spirit led local church, number two submit to the authority of the Church; the pastors, leaders and vision, number three serve where they ask you to serve. These three simple steps enable you to release what God has put in you and build the kingdom of God.
If you have a problem with any of these steps then you have a problem in your heart that needs to be taken to the cross. Each of these steps are biblical and essential for fruitful Christianity. If you are not connected, submitted and serving then ask yourself why? But let me challenge you to refuse to blame anyone else, look inside your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the problem and then ask him to help you deal with it. If you have experienced the work of God in your life, then you have an obligation to fulfill the work of God. So get connected, submitted and serve with all your might, you will be glad that you did.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Wasting Away From Within
Psalms 31:10 "I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within."
This verse paints a very real picture of many in our world today. Grief, sadness, sin; a life that is wasting away from within. An internal destruction that is destroying the souls of men. If you look at most people from the outside they look great. But if we could look internally we would see a nation of people wasting away from within. The struggles of life, the hurts of the past and the havoc of sin is destroying lives from the inside out.
If we stopped here life would look dim, but the psalmists goes on to declare hope for the soul that is wasting away. In verse 19 he says "How great is the goodness you(God) have stored up for those who fear you.You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world." God has Great Goodness that he desires to lavish on those who fear him and come to him for protection.
The question is not will you experience difficulties in your life, the question is who will you run to when difficulties come. God wants to be your outlet for grief, sadness and sin, he wants to be the one you run to for protection and solutions to the heartaches of life. Many people unfortunately never deal with the pain and it all stays bottled up on the inside. But doesn't stay there forever, it begins to eat away at you from the inside out. Until one day there is an explosion that destroys not only your life but those around you. The good news of the gospel is that you don't have to waste away from the inside, God cares and is will to help you deal with the issues in your life that are eating away at you. Remember that anything buried alive never dies, so run to Jesus and let him lavish his love upon you and bless you before a watching world.
This verse paints a very real picture of many in our world today. Grief, sadness, sin; a life that is wasting away from within. An internal destruction that is destroying the souls of men. If you look at most people from the outside they look great. But if we could look internally we would see a nation of people wasting away from within. The struggles of life, the hurts of the past and the havoc of sin is destroying lives from the inside out.
If we stopped here life would look dim, but the psalmists goes on to declare hope for the soul that is wasting away. In verse 19 he says "How great is the goodness you(God) have stored up for those who fear you.You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world." God has Great Goodness that he desires to lavish on those who fear him and come to him for protection.
The question is not will you experience difficulties in your life, the question is who will you run to when difficulties come. God wants to be your outlet for grief, sadness and sin, he wants to be the one you run to for protection and solutions to the heartaches of life. Many people unfortunately never deal with the pain and it all stays bottled up on the inside. But doesn't stay there forever, it begins to eat away at you from the inside out. Until one day there is an explosion that destroys not only your life but those around you. The good news of the gospel is that you don't have to waste away from the inside, God cares and is will to help you deal with the issues in your life that are eating away at you. Remember that anything buried alive never dies, so run to Jesus and let him lavish his love upon you and bless you before a watching world.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Pathway to Promotion
2 Chronicles 32:20-23 "Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven. 21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword. 22 That is how the Lord rescued Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the others who threatened them. So there was peace throughout the land. 23 From then on King Hezekiah became highly respected among all the surrounding nations, and many gifts for the Lord arrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah, too."
Hezekiah's cried out to the Lord for help and God sent an angel to destroy the enemy. The Bible then tells us that from that moment on Hezekiah became highly respected through the surrounding nations and they would send him gifts. The prayer of promotion is a prayer of desperation. When we humble ourselves before the Lord and cry out of a desperate heart, acknowledging that God is our only hope then things will change. Daniel had a desperate prayer and it also produced a promotion in his life. I wonder if the problems you have been running from is actually the promotion you have been seeking. Stop running and start praying, acknowledging God as your only hope, you may be surprised to see your problem become the pathway to your promotion.
Hezekiah's cried out to the Lord for help and God sent an angel to destroy the enemy. The Bible then tells us that from that moment on Hezekiah became highly respected through the surrounding nations and they would send him gifts. The prayer of promotion is a prayer of desperation. When we humble ourselves before the Lord and cry out of a desperate heart, acknowledging that God is our only hope then things will change. Daniel had a desperate prayer and it also produced a promotion in his life. I wonder if the problems you have been running from is actually the promotion you have been seeking. Stop running and start praying, acknowledging God as your only hope, you may be surprised to see your problem become the pathway to your promotion.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Remember the Turtle
Verse 16 "But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar."
Pride causes us to assume positions and power that doesn't belong to us. King Uzziah had become very powerful but the Bible says he also became proud. There is a old saying that says don't be a sore loser, but I think the greatest challenge is to not be a prideful winner. History is filled with people who obtained great success, but it is also filled with successful people who because of pride lost that success. Pride make a person think that the rules don't apply to them, that because of their power they can do what they want to do. Pride however always leads to destruction, it brings down those who have been lifted up.
One of the most important ingredients for long term success is humility. Humility does not mean that I think less of myself, it means that I don't think less of you. Humility recognizes that all success is a joint effort and that no one gets to the top without a lot of help from others, especially God. A very successful man had a picture in his office of a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, when asked by a reporter about the picture he replied; anytime you see a turtle on the top of a fence post you know that he did not get there by himself.
Pride causes us to assume positions and power that doesn't belong to us. King Uzziah had become very powerful but the Bible says he also became proud. There is a old saying that says don't be a sore loser, but I think the greatest challenge is to not be a prideful winner. History is filled with people who obtained great success, but it is also filled with successful people who because of pride lost that success. Pride make a person think that the rules don't apply to them, that because of their power they can do what they want to do. Pride however always leads to destruction, it brings down those who have been lifted up.
One of the most important ingredients for long term success is humility. Humility does not mean that I think less of myself, it means that I don't think less of you. Humility recognizes that all success is a joint effort and that no one gets to the top without a lot of help from others, especially God. A very successful man had a picture in his office of a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, when asked by a reporter about the picture he replied; anytime you see a turtle on the top of a fence post you know that he did not get there by himself.
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