Psalm 125:1 "Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever."
What a powerful promise, those who trust or put their faith and hope in the Lord, will be secure and will not be defeated. Our victory does not come from our strength but from our faith. Who you are trusting in, determines weather or not you will win the battle.
As Christians we should be confident in our ability to do what God has called us to do, but our faith to win the battle should be firmly rooted not in our abilities but in our Great God
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Freedom
Psalms 124:7 "We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!"
Praise God for the cross of Jesus Christ, through the cross the trap of sin was destroyed and we are free. Free to live, free to love and free to serve God with all of our hearts and lives. This blog goes out to all those who went through the encounter this weekend. We are rejoicing with you in the freedom of Jesus Christ. The trap is broken and we are FREE!
Praise God for the cross of Jesus Christ, through the cross the trap of sin was destroyed and we are free. Free to live, free to love and free to serve God with all of our hearts and lives. This blog goes out to all those who went through the encounter this weekend. We are rejoicing with you in the freedom of Jesus Christ. The trap is broken and we are FREE!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Attitude and Atmosphere
2 Samuel 19:5-7 "Then Joab went to the king’s room and said to him, “We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, and your wives and concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed of ourselves. 6 You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased. 7 Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than ever before.”
David's actions and attitude caused his men to grieve instead of rejoice. They had just won a great victory but David's attitude created an atmosphere of defeat. And isn't that what our attitudes do? Attitudes create atmospheres; let one of your family members come home with a bad attitude and the atmosphere changes in your home. The greater your authority the greater the change of atmosphere is. Mom and Dad's attitude has a greater influence over the atmosphere than the children do. In the Church the attitude of those leading sets the atmosphere of those following. When the atmosphere in a church is negative, discouraged or grieved it can be traced to someone in leadership and ultimately the atmosphere is set by the pastor.
Our job as leaders should be to create an atmosphere of expectancy where the presence, power and purpose of God is manifested in the lives of his people. That atmosphere begins with an attitude of expectation in the heart of the pastor or leader. If you as the leader come expecting God to show up and show out in the lives of his people, then the atmosphere is set for people's lives to be changed.
Now back to the story, David's attitude went south because he had just found out that his son had been killed. Even though Absalom was leading the army fighting David, he was still David's son.
So how does a leader deal with personal grief and difficulty without bringing his people down. We have to recognize that what is happening to us, doesn't change who God is. Our lives might stink, but God doesn't. We may be going through a very difficult season in our personal lives, but God is still Good, Holy, Righteous and Worthy of Praise.
One of the defining marks of a leader, is the leaders ability to say positive when his personal life is filled with the negative heart aches and heart breaks of life. If as a leader you can stay focused during the difficult times of life, not only will you lead your people well, but you will shorten the season of difficulty and bless your family in the process. Every thing works better in an atmosphere of faith and expectancy
David's actions and attitude caused his men to grieve instead of rejoice. They had just won a great victory but David's attitude created an atmosphere of defeat. And isn't that what our attitudes do? Attitudes create atmospheres; let one of your family members come home with a bad attitude and the atmosphere changes in your home. The greater your authority the greater the change of atmosphere is. Mom and Dad's attitude has a greater influence over the atmosphere than the children do. In the Church the attitude of those leading sets the atmosphere of those following. When the atmosphere in a church is negative, discouraged or grieved it can be traced to someone in leadership and ultimately the atmosphere is set by the pastor.
Our job as leaders should be to create an atmosphere of expectancy where the presence, power and purpose of God is manifested in the lives of his people. That atmosphere begins with an attitude of expectation in the heart of the pastor or leader. If you as the leader come expecting God to show up and show out in the lives of his people, then the atmosphere is set for people's lives to be changed.
Now back to the story, David's attitude went south because he had just found out that his son had been killed. Even though Absalom was leading the army fighting David, he was still David's son.
So how does a leader deal with personal grief and difficulty without bringing his people down. We have to recognize that what is happening to us, doesn't change who God is. Our lives might stink, but God doesn't. We may be going through a very difficult season in our personal lives, but God is still Good, Holy, Righteous and Worthy of Praise.
One of the defining marks of a leader, is the leaders ability to say positive when his personal life is filled with the negative heart aches and heart breaks of life. If as a leader you can stay focused during the difficult times of life, not only will you lead your people well, but you will shorten the season of difficulty and bless your family in the process. Every thing works better in an atmosphere of faith and expectancy
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Devotion
Psalms 119:45 "I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments."
The word works if we will work the word. The psalmists said "I will walk in freedom, because I have devoted myself to your word". The more devoted you are to the word of God, the more freedom you will walk in. There are two levels of devotion that are required to produce the freedom of Christ in your life.
The first level of devotion is to know the word. If you are not devoted to spending time in the word of God on a daily bases then your freedom will be short lived. This devotion includes studying the word, listening to the preached or taught word and memorizing the word. All three areas are key to a devoted life in the word of God, and all three are key to keeping you growing in the revelation and understanding of who God is and what he wants to do in your life.
The second level of devotion is to live the word, to do what the word says to do. If you never transition to this level of devotion, then you will become religious because you know the word, but you will still be unrighteous because you are not doing what it says.
James1:22 says that if you are a hearer of the word and not a doer of the word, you are deceived. The power and freedom of the word is activated in your life when you do what the word says to do. It is this level of devotion to the word, that causes us to make decisions based upon what the word says we should do. When we operate at this level of devotion, we also operate on a new level of freedom.
The word of God, creates boundaries like the banks of a river. These banks keep the river moving, focused and life giving. When you remove the banks of the river you get a swamp, a place filled with stagnant water and death. Devotion to the word keeps the banks of our river in place and allows us to experience the freedom of Christ, keep moving forward, stay focused on God's will for our lives and causes us to be a life giving believer that carries the life of God every where that we go.
The word works if we will work the word. The psalmists said "I will walk in freedom, because I have devoted myself to your word". The more devoted you are to the word of God, the more freedom you will walk in. There are two levels of devotion that are required to produce the freedom of Christ in your life.
The first level of devotion is to know the word. If you are not devoted to spending time in the word of God on a daily bases then your freedom will be short lived. This devotion includes studying the word, listening to the preached or taught word and memorizing the word. All three areas are key to a devoted life in the word of God, and all three are key to keeping you growing in the revelation and understanding of who God is and what he wants to do in your life.
The second level of devotion is to live the word, to do what the word says to do. If you never transition to this level of devotion, then you will become religious because you know the word, but you will still be unrighteous because you are not doing what it says.
James1:22 says that if you are a hearer of the word and not a doer of the word, you are deceived. The power and freedom of the word is activated in your life when you do what the word says to do. It is this level of devotion to the word, that causes us to make decisions based upon what the word says we should do. When we operate at this level of devotion, we also operate on a new level of freedom.
The word of God, creates boundaries like the banks of a river. These banks keep the river moving, focused and life giving. When you remove the banks of the river you get a swamp, a place filled with stagnant water and death. Devotion to the word keeps the banks of our river in place and allows us to experience the freedom of Christ, keep moving forward, stay focused on God's will for our lives and causes us to be a life giving believer that carries the life of God every where that we go.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Angry With God
2 Samuel 6:3&8 "They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart as it left the house... David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today"
David got angry with God, but it wasn't God fault. Uzzah's death was the result of David's sin. God had given the children of Israel specific instructions on how to transport the ark of the covenant. But David refused to do it God's way and choose to carry it upon a cart.
Our world is full of people who are angry with God, but it is not his fault. We are blaming God for things that God had nothing to do with. One of the greatest revelations you can ever get is that the source of all sorrow, pain and heart ache is rooted in sin, self and Satan. Every time you have suffered, your suffering can be traced to sin, self or Satan. Sometimes it's your sin that causes you to suffer, sometimes it is someone else's sin that causes you to suffer and sometimes it is the curse of sin upon our lives and this planet that causes you to suffer, but it is not God. He is for you and not against you.
In order to truly understand God plan for humanity you have to go back to the beginning. In the beginning there was no sin and there was no suffering, pain or death. God's original plan for your life was love, joy and peace, but in Genesis 3:1-7 we see the demonic trinity of sin, self and Satan come together and from that moment on our world and our lives have been marked and scarred by suffering, sorrow and pain. And from that time we see God covering our sin and making a way through his Son for us to once again experience life and life abundant.
Understand that God is big enough to handle your anger, and he doesn't step back from your life because your angry with him. But please hear me, you are not big enough or strong enough to handle life and eternity without God. As long as you are angry with God, you are trapped in deception and Satan has you in a prison, because your anger has caused you to separate yourself from God. Who is your only hope of recovery and life. My prayer for you is that you will see the truth and understand that the source of your pain is sin, self and Satan. God loves you and has been fighting for you through all of your heart aches and trials. Reach out to him and you will be amazed at how quickly he will wrap you in his arms.
David got angry with God, but it wasn't God fault. Uzzah's death was the result of David's sin. God had given the children of Israel specific instructions on how to transport the ark of the covenant. But David refused to do it God's way and choose to carry it upon a cart.
Our world is full of people who are angry with God, but it is not his fault. We are blaming God for things that God had nothing to do with. One of the greatest revelations you can ever get is that the source of all sorrow, pain and heart ache is rooted in sin, self and Satan. Every time you have suffered, your suffering can be traced to sin, self or Satan. Sometimes it's your sin that causes you to suffer, sometimes it is someone else's sin that causes you to suffer and sometimes it is the curse of sin upon our lives and this planet that causes you to suffer, but it is not God. He is for you and not against you.
In order to truly understand God plan for humanity you have to go back to the beginning. In the beginning there was no sin and there was no suffering, pain or death. God's original plan for your life was love, joy and peace, but in Genesis 3:1-7 we see the demonic trinity of sin, self and Satan come together and from that moment on our world and our lives have been marked and scarred by suffering, sorrow and pain. And from that time we see God covering our sin and making a way through his Son for us to once again experience life and life abundant.
Understand that God is big enough to handle your anger, and he doesn't step back from your life because your angry with him. But please hear me, you are not big enough or strong enough to handle life and eternity without God. As long as you are angry with God, you are trapped in deception and Satan has you in a prison, because your anger has caused you to separate yourself from God. Who is your only hope of recovery and life. My prayer for you is that you will see the truth and understand that the source of your pain is sin, self and Satan. God loves you and has been fighting for you through all of your heart aches and trials. Reach out to him and you will be amazed at how quickly he will wrap you in his arms.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Comparison Trap
Psalms 119:6 "Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands."
The only accurate way to measure our lives is by God's word. The psalmists said I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. God's word is the standard of life and living. The Bible says that it is not wise to compare yourself with others, why? Because they are not the standard, God's word and his Son, Jesus Christ are the standards by which we are to measure our lives.
When you start comparing your self to others you get caught in the comparison trap and that trap is deadly. When we make others the standard, then we are always able to justify our actions, because I can always find someone who is not doing as good as I am. So I must be ok, because I'm living a better life than so and so. It has been said that being better than someone else should never be our goal, our goal should be to be the best that we can be and that only happens when we have the right standard of measurement. Jesus Christ and the word of God sets the standard and creates a level playing field for all.
Living by God's standard is the only way to say as the psalmists did, I will not be ashamed. What is the standard in your life, if it's not God's standard than reestablish his standard as the standard for your life and experience the freedom that comes when you get out of the comparison trap.
The only accurate way to measure our lives is by God's word. The psalmists said I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. God's word is the standard of life and living. The Bible says that it is not wise to compare yourself with others, why? Because they are not the standard, God's word and his Son, Jesus Christ are the standards by which we are to measure our lives.
When you start comparing your self to others you get caught in the comparison trap and that trap is deadly. When we make others the standard, then we are always able to justify our actions, because I can always find someone who is not doing as good as I am. So I must be ok, because I'm living a better life than so and so. It has been said that being better than someone else should never be our goal, our goal should be to be the best that we can be and that only happens when we have the right standard of measurement. Jesus Christ and the word of God sets the standard and creates a level playing field for all.
Living by God's standard is the only way to say as the psalmists did, I will not be ashamed. What is the standard in your life, if it's not God's standard than reestablish his standard as the standard for your life and experience the freedom that comes when you get out of the comparison trap.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Childlike Faith
Psalms 116:6 "The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me."
Childlike faith, a total confidence in God and his word. My daddy said me could, those were the words of my son when he was 2-3 years old. My words were law and if I said he could do something then he believed with all his heart that he could do it.
Childlike faith operates off of the truth of God's word not the facts of the world. The fact is that I don't have enough money to meet the needs of my family, but the truth is that "my God will supply all my needs according to his riches in Glory" Childlike faith doesn't deny the reality of facts, it just doesn't build it's life upon them. Instead childlike faith builds it's life upon the truth of God's word, which is an unshakable foundation
Childlike faith, a total confidence in God and his word. My daddy said me could, those were the words of my son when he was 2-3 years old. My words were law and if I said he could do something then he believed with all his heart that he could do it.
Childlike faith operates off of the truth of God's word not the facts of the world. The fact is that I don't have enough money to meet the needs of my family, but the truth is that "my God will supply all my needs according to his riches in Glory" Childlike faith doesn't deny the reality of facts, it just doesn't build it's life upon them. Instead childlike faith builds it's life upon the truth of God's word, which is an unshakable foundation
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