It's been quite a while since I posted on here friends. I apologize for the delay. It has been a crazy couple of months!
Today I want to write about something that I preached on a few months ago. It concerns everyone that I've ever talked to. I'm pretty sure that every person that reads this will be able to relate. If you can't...then either you are in denial or nothing has ever happened to you.
I want to write to you about storms today. There's a story in Mark chapter 4 that I love. It is one of my favorite passages in the new testament. I believe that it is so dear to me because I can relate to it so well. This is both good and bad. You'll understand why later.
'On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the winds and sea obey Him?
Mark 4:35-41
This passage tells us that Jesus gave a command to the disciples and then everyone got onto boats and started to follow what Jesus had said. He told them, "Let us go across to the other side." A simple enough command. After all, most of these men made their livelihoods from the sea before Jesus came and told them to follow Him. So they load up onto the boats and head out. Jesus was worn out from a long day of ministering and coming up with various parables, so He decides that the best thing for Him to do is take a siesta. Well while He is asleep a great tempest rose up and started battering the ship. At first I think that the men on the boats were like, "Heh...a little storm. We can handle this. We've seen worse in our day." Then it started getting stronger. And stronger. And stronger. And soon they could hardly see anything because of how strong the storm is. So then they panic.
It's at this part of the story that I usually find myself relating with what the men are going through. I usually find myself in the middle of a storm (a figurative storm mind you) panicking and completely losing my cool. I don't understand where the storm came from, or why it came. When I set sail there were clear skies and a slight breeze! WHERE DID THIS COME FROM!!!??? Can anyone else relate? So then they come to the next part of the story that sadly I can also relate to. Judgement of Jesus. Teacher! Don't you care that we are dying?!?!?! He wakes up, comes out, tells the storm to shut up, then rebukes them. Do you STILL not have any faith?
When I used to read this passage I had convinced myself that Jesus told them this because He wanted them to rebuke the storm themselves. I don't believe that to be the case any more. I believe now that He told them this because He didn't understand why they lost faith when He was still with them. They had seen Him perform miracles. They believed that He was the Son of God. They were convinced that He was the Messiah...yet they thought He would allow the ship to go down while He was on it? Yeah. That seems pretty retarded from my standpoint now. But I can relate to them. When a crisis hits my life...at first I try to handle it all on my own. I feel like there is no big deal to it. I can make it. But then it gets worse. I start freaking out. Then I start accusing God. You're just gonna let me sink! I can't believe that You would do this! DON'T YOU LOVE ME!?!?!
So, instead of trusting that what God said in Isaiah is true, (For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.) I start to panic and altogether lose my collective marbles. It's like there is an emergency panic button that the devil has control over. He wants us to lose our cool and start freaking out on Jesus. YOU DON'T EVEN CARE THAT WE'RE DYING!!!!
So these disciples of Jesus are crying out and claiming that their Savior and their Messiah was a bad Savior and a bad Messiah. They accused Him of not caring. He came out, calmed the storm, and then rebuked them for not having faith. Sometimes I feel like Jesus is sitting in heaven going, "Really? Are you STILL struggling to get it?" He's with us. When we accept Him into our lives we no longer have to live in fear. He didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and a sound mind. That's 2 Thessalonians 1:7 Any time there is fear, it is coming from the devil. Understand something friends, I am not here to cast stones. We all fall into this trap. We have all fallen short and been confused as to why stuff was going haywire in our lives. Questions are okay. God isn't going to be mad because we question Him. He can handle it. If He couldn't then He wouldn't be God. Ask questions, seek it out, but always remember, He is still seated on His throne. He is the anchor in the midst of the storm.
I've come to find that storms in our lives are usually a time of learning. Baron Batch wrote an incredible blog about this. You can find it here. It really changed the way that I look at storms and what their greater purpose is other than to cause mayhem and destruction.
If you'll notice in the scripture in Mark 4 it says that there were other boats there with them as they were going across the water. I feel like the storm came so that it would give everyone the opportunity to watch Jesus save, and to see His protection. Revelation 12:11 says, "They overcame the evil one by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives even unto death." These storms that we face are not God punishing us. They are not really even the devil trying to take us out. I feel like more times than not it's God trying to show us something. And many times it's God trying to show someone else something. If we are to overcome the evil one, then that means that there has to be opposition. There HAS to be some sort of opponent if we are to overcome them. And the way that we overcome the devil is first by the blood of the Lamb and by the power of the cross. The second is by your testimony. The story that God is weaving through your life. When you overcame depression. When you overcame poverty. When you overcame that death of a close friend or relative. When you overcame the struggle that you have with lust. When you overcame that addiction that you have. Those are all things that are adding to the testimony that you have.
Some of you may be saying, "Yeah. Well that's easy for YOU to say! But you don't understand." You know, maybe I don't understand exactly what you're going through. But I bet I can relate to more of you than you realize. The storm that I am currently facing, I believe is almost over. But it was a terrifying storm nonetheless. My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer last month. He went in for an appointment and they had to give him 2 units of blood so that he could get his hemoglobin levels up. He had a tumor in his colon that was sucking all the iron from his system. A week before Thanksgiving dad went in for surgery. They removed the part of the colon that was infected, and then he spent a couple of days in the hospital recovering. They sent him home and he got sick with pneumonia. He spent the entire week of Thanksgiving in a hospital bed. He is now back home and getting better every day. We are still unsure as to whether he will need chemo or not. I'm praying and believing that they won't have to.
But one thing I well tell you is this. If you are completely sold out and have bought into the life of Jesus, you WILL encounter storms. You WILL encounter troubles. You WILL encounter hard times. BUT, you will be able to face them head on, because you will have the peace of Jesus in your life. Sometimes we face storms so that others can see that it is possible to make it through. Sometimes we face storms so that WE can see that it's possible to make it through. Don't give up hope. Don't give up faith. Don't give up on His promise. He said, "Let us go across to the other side." Will you get in the boat and go?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Priority #1
If I were to ask you what you believed to be the #1 priority of someone coming to Christ, what would your answer be? Most of us (including myself up until about 2 weeks ago) would say forgiveness. While forgiveness is one of the great benefits and aspects to the Spirit life, I do not believe that forgiveness was priority #1 for God sending Jesus into this world. Well if it wasn't forgiveness then what was it? I'm glad you asked! I'm going to use various scriptures to unpack this topic.
Ephesians 2:1-2 says, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now in the sons of disobedience."
So, Paul tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. So what does the word "dead" imply? I think that the word "dead" can be closely associated with the word "death". As in, not alive. So then, we were dead in our trespasses, which implies that while we were sinners, we were dead. Right? Right.
Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
I have been crucified with Christ. What does that mean? Were we literally, physically hanging on the cross with Christ as He was breathing His last breath 2000 years ago? Of course not. That doesn't make any sense. But He says, "I have been crucified with Christ." What does it mean? Our sinful nature. Who we were before we came to Christ, has been crucified with Christ on the cross. Romans 6:6 talks of this. "We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." So this old self that we were was crucified with Christ on the cross. Now, let me ask you a question. What is the purpose for crucifixion? I don't think the Romans were in the business of putting people on the cross to weaken them. Crucifixion was good for one thing and one thing only. Death. So if our old self was crucified with Christ on the cross then what does that mean about the old nature? It be dead!
So when we were walking in the old nature we were walking in a state of spiritual death. We were not dead physically no, but we were most definitely dead spiritually. In the garden God tells Adam and Eve, "Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat from it, you shall SURELY DIE." Did Adam and Eve die physically? No. But they were cut off from God spiritually. So when we were sinners, and we were associated with the old man and his nature, we were dead.
When we come to a knowledge of Christ and an understanding that we are sinners and we are destined for hell if we don't accept His grace gift, we are raised up from the dead and resurrected as a NEW CREATION. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."-2 Corinthians 5:17
If anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation. We are not the old dirty creation re-created and re-formed into a new being of like kind. We are a completely new creation outside of the way we used to be. We are a totally new creature. We are now associated with incorruptible seed and we are sanctified and righteous already because Christ has made us that way! AMEN!
Now, I said all that to say this. Is the #1 priority of a sinner forgiveness? Forgiveness is a great thing and it is part of the package of salvation. Don't get me wrong. Forgiveness is very integral to our beginning in life with Christ. But, when Christ died on the cross, He was dying for every sin committed past, present, and future. He bore the entirety of our sinful nature on the cross. He took care of EVERY sin that has EVER been committed when He said, "It is finished!" So then, if Christ died for all sin, one time, and took care of the penalty, then forgiveness has already been given. For the worst crime ever committed, to you cheating on that test when you were in the 8th grade. All we have to do to receive forgiveness is just that. Receive it. It is there and has already been done.
Let me ask you something. Does a dead man need forgiveness? Does forgiveness do any good to someone who is dead? I can forgive a dead man all day and it does nothing to or for him. Jesus came into this world to restore LIFE to a DEAD world! Our #1 need at salvation was resurrection! We needed life, because we were dead in our trespasses and sins! Christ did not come merely to forgive a fallen world for the sins they had committed against Him. "Thus it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam became a life giving spirit."-1 Corinthians 15:45 When Adam was given breath in the garden he became a living being. He wasn't capable of giving life to anything else. Jesus, the last Adam, became a life giving spirit when He was resurrected from the dead. He is in the giving life business now. He wants to see your life resurrected from the dead! In fact He already HAS resurrected your life from the dead! You just have to receive the life that He has given you!
So, we have resurrection life living inside of us because Jesus is living inside of us by way of the Holy Spirit. So it is our identity to walk through life the way that Jesus walked through life! I will address more of this in my next blog. We will tackle the issue of identity crisis inside of the walk with Christ. Until then, be blessed and spread Jesus' love to someone today!
Ephesians 2:1-2 says, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now in the sons of disobedience."
So, Paul tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. So what does the word "dead" imply? I think that the word "dead" can be closely associated with the word "death". As in, not alive. So then, we were dead in our trespasses, which implies that while we were sinners, we were dead. Right? Right.
Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
I have been crucified with Christ. What does that mean? Were we literally, physically hanging on the cross with Christ as He was breathing His last breath 2000 years ago? Of course not. That doesn't make any sense. But He says, "I have been crucified with Christ." What does it mean? Our sinful nature. Who we were before we came to Christ, has been crucified with Christ on the cross. Romans 6:6 talks of this. "We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." So this old self that we were was crucified with Christ on the cross. Now, let me ask you a question. What is the purpose for crucifixion? I don't think the Romans were in the business of putting people on the cross to weaken them. Crucifixion was good for one thing and one thing only. Death. So if our old self was crucified with Christ on the cross then what does that mean about the old nature? It be dead!
So when we were walking in the old nature we were walking in a state of spiritual death. We were not dead physically no, but we were most definitely dead spiritually. In the garden God tells Adam and Eve, "Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat from it, you shall SURELY DIE." Did Adam and Eve die physically? No. But they were cut off from God spiritually. So when we were sinners, and we were associated with the old man and his nature, we were dead.
When we come to a knowledge of Christ and an understanding that we are sinners and we are destined for hell if we don't accept His grace gift, we are raised up from the dead and resurrected as a NEW CREATION. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."-2 Corinthians 5:17
If anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation. We are not the old dirty creation re-created and re-formed into a new being of like kind. We are a completely new creation outside of the way we used to be. We are a totally new creature. We are now associated with incorruptible seed and we are sanctified and righteous already because Christ has made us that way! AMEN!
Now, I said all that to say this. Is the #1 priority of a sinner forgiveness? Forgiveness is a great thing and it is part of the package of salvation. Don't get me wrong. Forgiveness is very integral to our beginning in life with Christ. But, when Christ died on the cross, He was dying for every sin committed past, present, and future. He bore the entirety of our sinful nature on the cross. He took care of EVERY sin that has EVER been committed when He said, "It is finished!" So then, if Christ died for all sin, one time, and took care of the penalty, then forgiveness has already been given. For the worst crime ever committed, to you cheating on that test when you were in the 8th grade. All we have to do to receive forgiveness is just that. Receive it. It is there and has already been done.
Let me ask you something. Does a dead man need forgiveness? Does forgiveness do any good to someone who is dead? I can forgive a dead man all day and it does nothing to or for him. Jesus came into this world to restore LIFE to a DEAD world! Our #1 need at salvation was resurrection! We needed life, because we were dead in our trespasses and sins! Christ did not come merely to forgive a fallen world for the sins they had committed against Him. "Thus it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam became a life giving spirit."-1 Corinthians 15:45 When Adam was given breath in the garden he became a living being. He wasn't capable of giving life to anything else. Jesus, the last Adam, became a life giving spirit when He was resurrected from the dead. He is in the giving life business now. He wants to see your life resurrected from the dead! In fact He already HAS resurrected your life from the dead! You just have to receive the life that He has given you!
So, we have resurrection life living inside of us because Jesus is living inside of us by way of the Holy Spirit. So it is our identity to walk through life the way that Jesus walked through life! I will address more of this in my next blog. We will tackle the issue of identity crisis inside of the walk with Christ. Until then, be blessed and spread Jesus' love to someone today!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Where the Spirit of the Lord is...
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. That is quoted from 2 Corinthians 3:17. Do you believe it? Do you REALLY believe it? How much of our understanding of "freedom" comes from our limited knowledge based off of our experience? There have been a lot of things in my life that have held me captive. I have been bound by a few different things, and I felt like I would never find this "freedom" that people talk about. I was quantifying freedom with my experience. I may stretch some of you in this blog. I hope I do. I want to see us go deeper and further with God than we ever have.
So freedom. What is it? What does it look like? How do we find it? The dictionary defines freedom as the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. So we can define it. Freedom is basically just the state of being free. Without bondage. Without walls. So, being spiritually free means that we are completely free from the control or bondage of what the enemy wants us to be under. How many of you believe that is your reality currently? Do you truly believe that Christ wants you to be free? I have great news for you today! If you understand what Christ says about who you are, then you will experience freedom in a way you never have before. I know that I want that!
In Acts 2 something happened that had never happened in the history of the world. God sent His Spirit to dwell inside of man forever. That was huge. When the dispensation (pouring out) of the Holy Spirit happened, it was an incredible thing. So much so, that the people believed that the disciples were drunk. They had never seen anything like this before. Sure, there were people all throughout the bible that the Holy Spirit came upON, but never before had the Holy Spirit come to live withIN! This is great news! 1 Corinthians 3:16 says that we ARE the temple of the Holy Spirit. Friend, YOU, if you have said "Yes." to the finished work of the cross and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, YOU are the dwelling place of the Most High! That's shouting ground right there!
A perfect and Holy God chooses to come and dwell inside of us! What does that say about you and me? Can Holiness dwell with unholiness? Can perfection dwell inside of imperfection? Can new wine be poured into old wine skins? NO! You and I ARE holy, we ARE made perfect, and we HAVE BEEN made new! These things that we strive for, long for, fight for, and die for are already ours! They are inside of us already! Victory is not some far off magical thing that only spiritual "Superstars" gain access to. Victory is in our midst. Victory is inside you and it is inside of me.
Once we understand fully who Jesus has made us to be, we will stop struggling to overcome these things that have us so bound! We won't have to fight because the fight has already been won! The nails in the coffin of the enemy were nailed into Jesus' hands and feet! He has made us victorious! He has made us free! He speaks of His destiny when He goes to the temple and opens the scroll of Isaiah and reads Chapter 61. Behold the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Jesus was anointed and purposed to set captives free. So why do we struggle with being free? Why do we continually fight this battle? Because friends, we do not realize who we are!
When we accepted this free gift of grace and came into communion with Christ, did we have to do anything to gain it? No! We came into it because we COULD NOT do anything to earn it! See before Jesus came into this world and changed the game forever, God's people were bound by the law. This thing that was supposed to show them who God was, was something that they absolutely could not accomplish. The law demands personal perpetual perfection. You know what that means? We are ALL disqualified. Then this man, Jesus came into the world and fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law ON OUR BEHALF! We have liberty and freedom through our crucified and risen Lord!
1 John 4:17 tells us that we can stand boldly on the day of judgement...why? Because AS HE IS, SO ARE WE in this world. That is a NOW word. That isn't a verse speaking of some future idea and future identity. If we have accepted the finished work of Christ on the cross, then when God looks at you and me, He doesn't see some dirty, unholy sinner who couldn't hack it. He sees you and me exactly as He sees His boy Jesus!
Friends, when this becomes more than just an idea in our head and we actually start walking like who we truly are...this world can not stay the same. There's a story in Acts about how Peter would walk down the street and his SHADOW would heal people. Are you KIDDING me?!?! His shadow? He didn't even have to say anything? What?!?! You wanna know why? Because Peter finally understood who he was. We can have boldness in the day of judgement, not because of anything that we've done, but because of who Jesus has made us to be. You and I are new creations. The word new is a word that means of a different nature. We aren't the same person remade. We are a completely new being altogether.
So, where the Spirit of the Lord is...there is freedom. Do you believe it? This is the last thing I want to show you. If we are the tabernacle of God, and His Spirit dwells inside of us, then what does that mean? You. Are. Freedom. If the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of you and me, then that same POWER is inside of us! We just have to catch the understanding that we are not just some dirty filthy sinner who has their ticket to heaven punched. We can't place our identity in our weakness and in our struggle, but in the power that is inside of us and the victory that God has already placed in our lives! Friends, you are not defined by who you used to be. You are not defined by what you do or do not do. You are defined by what God did! Jesus said "It is finished." Let's start believing, living, and walking that way. Amen?
So, I understand that this is a lot to take in. I am still trying to understand and figure this whole thing out, but I know that the freedom I am experiencing now is greater than any other time in my life. When we live our lives out of the power that Christ has given us, then life ceases to be a struggle and we can just walk through in peace and rest. Yes, I know that we will still stumble and we will still make mistakes...but those mistakes and struggles do not define us. We need to start allowing Jesus to define us, instead of letting our sins define us. As we put our faith, life, and trust in Jesus, these things that we battle will fall away. To quote the band Audio Adrenaline, "If I keep my eyes on Jesus, I can walk on water." So walk in freedom. Proclaim the freedom and liberty over yourself! Claim the identity that Jesus has given you. You are no longer a slave to sin. You are a slave to righteousness. And You! Are! Free!
So freedom. What is it? What does it look like? How do we find it? The dictionary defines freedom as the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. So we can define it. Freedom is basically just the state of being free. Without bondage. Without walls. So, being spiritually free means that we are completely free from the control or bondage of what the enemy wants us to be under. How many of you believe that is your reality currently? Do you truly believe that Christ wants you to be free? I have great news for you today! If you understand what Christ says about who you are, then you will experience freedom in a way you never have before. I know that I want that!
In Acts 2 something happened that had never happened in the history of the world. God sent His Spirit to dwell inside of man forever. That was huge. When the dispensation (pouring out) of the Holy Spirit happened, it was an incredible thing. So much so, that the people believed that the disciples were drunk. They had never seen anything like this before. Sure, there were people all throughout the bible that the Holy Spirit came upON, but never before had the Holy Spirit come to live withIN! This is great news! 1 Corinthians 3:16 says that we ARE the temple of the Holy Spirit. Friend, YOU, if you have said "Yes." to the finished work of the cross and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, YOU are the dwelling place of the Most High! That's shouting ground right there!
A perfect and Holy God chooses to come and dwell inside of us! What does that say about you and me? Can Holiness dwell with unholiness? Can perfection dwell inside of imperfection? Can new wine be poured into old wine skins? NO! You and I ARE holy, we ARE made perfect, and we HAVE BEEN made new! These things that we strive for, long for, fight for, and die for are already ours! They are inside of us already! Victory is not some far off magical thing that only spiritual "Superstars" gain access to. Victory is in our midst. Victory is inside you and it is inside of me.
Once we understand fully who Jesus has made us to be, we will stop struggling to overcome these things that have us so bound! We won't have to fight because the fight has already been won! The nails in the coffin of the enemy were nailed into Jesus' hands and feet! He has made us victorious! He has made us free! He speaks of His destiny when He goes to the temple and opens the scroll of Isaiah and reads Chapter 61. Behold the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Jesus was anointed and purposed to set captives free. So why do we struggle with being free? Why do we continually fight this battle? Because friends, we do not realize who we are!
When we accepted this free gift of grace and came into communion with Christ, did we have to do anything to gain it? No! We came into it because we COULD NOT do anything to earn it! See before Jesus came into this world and changed the game forever, God's people were bound by the law. This thing that was supposed to show them who God was, was something that they absolutely could not accomplish. The law demands personal perpetual perfection. You know what that means? We are ALL disqualified. Then this man, Jesus came into the world and fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law ON OUR BEHALF! We have liberty and freedom through our crucified and risen Lord!
1 John 4:17 tells us that we can stand boldly on the day of judgement...why? Because AS HE IS, SO ARE WE in this world. That is a NOW word. That isn't a verse speaking of some future idea and future identity. If we have accepted the finished work of Christ on the cross, then when God looks at you and me, He doesn't see some dirty, unholy sinner who couldn't hack it. He sees you and me exactly as He sees His boy Jesus!
Friends, when this becomes more than just an idea in our head and we actually start walking like who we truly are...this world can not stay the same. There's a story in Acts about how Peter would walk down the street and his SHADOW would heal people. Are you KIDDING me?!?! His shadow? He didn't even have to say anything? What?!?! You wanna know why? Because Peter finally understood who he was. We can have boldness in the day of judgement, not because of anything that we've done, but because of who Jesus has made us to be. You and I are new creations. The word new is a word that means of a different nature. We aren't the same person remade. We are a completely new being altogether.
So, where the Spirit of the Lord is...there is freedom. Do you believe it? This is the last thing I want to show you. If we are the tabernacle of God, and His Spirit dwells inside of us, then what does that mean? You. Are. Freedom. If the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of you and me, then that same POWER is inside of us! We just have to catch the understanding that we are not just some dirty filthy sinner who has their ticket to heaven punched. We can't place our identity in our weakness and in our struggle, but in the power that is inside of us and the victory that God has already placed in our lives! Friends, you are not defined by who you used to be. You are not defined by what you do or do not do. You are defined by what God did! Jesus said "It is finished." Let's start believing, living, and walking that way. Amen?
So, I understand that this is a lot to take in. I am still trying to understand and figure this whole thing out, but I know that the freedom I am experiencing now is greater than any other time in my life. When we live our lives out of the power that Christ has given us, then life ceases to be a struggle and we can just walk through in peace and rest. Yes, I know that we will still stumble and we will still make mistakes...but those mistakes and struggles do not define us. We need to start allowing Jesus to define us, instead of letting our sins define us. As we put our faith, life, and trust in Jesus, these things that we battle will fall away. To quote the band Audio Adrenaline, "If I keep my eyes on Jesus, I can walk on water." So walk in freedom. Proclaim the freedom and liberty over yourself! Claim the identity that Jesus has given you. You are no longer a slave to sin. You are a slave to righteousness. And You! Are! Free!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Dry Bones
"And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, You know."-Ezekiel 37:3
What would you do if you were called into a valley full of dry bones? I don't have a clue how I would react. I'm almost positive that I would either A)Need a new pair of pants, or B)Need to find a trash can quickly. That would be bad enough, but then if God asked me "Hey Jeff...do you think that this valley full of skeletons can live?" I would probably say, "Sure don't!" Thank God it happened to Ezekiel and not me!
So Ezekiel is called into this valley full of dry bones. Sounds like a "Tales from the Crypt" story-line. And then God asks him if the dry bones can live. In that moment I think that God was trying to figure out where Ezekiel was. He could have said, "They are all dead. Therefore, I reason in my mind that they cannot live." This would have made Ezekiel 37 much shorter I'm sure. Instead he responds by saying, "O Lord God, You know." And then God says a word that changes the game. Prophesy. For those of you who don't know what 'prophesy' means, in this context it simply means to speak the word of the Lord.
"4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
So Ezekiel goes ahead and he talks to this valley full of dry bones. He tells them what God told him to tell them, and stuff starts happening. There was a rattling and the bones started coming together. Bone to bone. Then tendons and ligaments, and then finally skin. So where there was a multitude of pieces of skeletons scattered and strewn about this valley, now lay people. Fully formed...people. That had to be an amazing sight to behold. Seeing a miracle like that would blow my mind! If it was me in this story it might have ended right there. YEAH GOD! Woohoo! There are PEOPLE! Where there used to be bones...there are...PEOPLE! It's a good think Zeke was the one in this story. He noticed something I probably would have overlooked. Yeah...they were people now...but they were just corpses now. If Ezekiel wouldn't have noticed the crucial element that they were lacking he might have just let it be...walked away...and then the corpses would have deteriorated again and turned back into...dry bones.
What did Ezekiel see that I probably wouldn't have? There was no breath. They weren't breathing. And without breath, there can not be life. They looked better than they used to...but they were still dead. They were still useless. They still couldn't serve a purpose. In Genesis, when God created Adam and formed him out of the dust of the earth, He molded, shaped, and formed his entire body. Yet, it wasn't until God breathed His breath into Adam that Adam actually became Adam. So Ezekiel understood that there has to be breath in order for something to be alive.
Then God tells Zeke to prophesy to the breath. "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So Zeke says what he is supposed to say, and then a great wind comes and fills the lungs of this army of dead people and they come to life. They stand and it says it's an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel witnessed one of the most amazing things in the history of the world. He just saw an entire cemetery full of dead, dry bones become an army that was fully alive and a part of the family of God. That is incredible to say the least.
Friends, I didn't write this just to recap the story of Ezekiel and his encounter with the Living God in a valley full of skeletons. I want to apply this to our lives. I believe that there is great power inside all of us who claim Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit is inside of us, working. The book of Romans tells us that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is working in our mortal bodies. I also know that if we get the understanding and grasp the knowledge of what kind of power we have working in our lives, the enemy has no shot at bringing us into bondage. I'm going to give you a little insight into what satan is going to try and do to you. He will try to keep the understanding of who you are a secret from you. He wants to keep you in bondage and he knows that if you find out who Jesus has made you to be, then he will have no shot at containing you. He will do everything in his power to condemn you, to deceive you, and to take you out of the game.
When Ezekiel stepped into this valley of bones and looked around, it didn't look like a promising situation. Walking into a valley full of death doesn't really seem like a spirit booster to me. Then God started talking. Son of man, can these bones live?
Many of us have areas in our lives that are dead or dying. As believers and followers of Christ, the devil would love for those areas to stay dormant and to stay in a state of death and decay. Maybe there has been a dream or a vision in your life that has died. Maybe someone has spoken words of death over a situation or a circumstance in your life. I am here to stand and believe with you today. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of you. That same Holy Spirit is now living and working in our lives.
I want you to think of that situation, circumstance, relationship, etc. that you feel is dead in your life. Focus in on it. Now I want to ask you...can these dry bones live? If you believe that they can I want you to step out in faith and speak out loud to those dry bones. Prophesy to them and speak life into them. You could say something like this
"Lord, I'm standing on the promise of Your word that says that the same spirit that raised Christ lives inside of me. I believe that it is a resurrection power and a life giving power, and today I speak to this area of my life (speak whatever it is you are needing resurrected) and I say let life arise from the dead bones. Let there be freedom where there is bondage, and let there be peace, rest, and joy, where there is turmoil, bondage, and frustration. I speak these things by the power of the name of Jesus Christ who died and gave Himself for me that I might be free. Amen.
If you said that, continue to speak to it until the life comes. But don't allow the devil to deceive you into thinking that just because it is coming together that it is necessarily complete. There was still a process of the breath of God coming and breathing on those slain that they may live. So continue to speak to the situation and the circumstance and also speak to the breath that it would come and really bring that area back to life!
Friends, I am excited to hear about what happens in your life if you truly grasp this understanding. God doesn't want you to walk through life in a perpetual state of depression, confusion, and bondage. He wants to see you set free, and helping to set others free. His greatest desire is you, and He wants you to be complete spirit, soul, and body!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Judgement Day...or...Maybe Not
Did you guys hear?!?! The world ended yesterday! So...apparently that means that I'm officially writing this blog from heaven. All joking aside, we know that the bible says, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."-Matthew 24:36
Now we know that the church was not raptured out of the earth yesterday. We know that the man who made the prediction had no knowledge of the appointed time that God set in place for the time that He would call His kids heavenward. But what do we also know? We know that our world is dying. We know that our world is being destroyed by the predator of our souls. We know that Jesus is the only answer to any of the problems that this world faces, and that if they are uninformed they will never turn to Him.
I will admit it. Yes. I made a LOT of "rapture" jokes with my friend Justin Ashcraft yesterday. It wasn't poking fun about the rapture as a happening, rather poking fun at the fact that people who actually read the bible were buying in to the fact that someone predicted the time that the rapture would take place. This is not going to be a blog about eschatology or end times study. I'm writing this to ask you to look inward.
I want to ask you a what if question. What if the end of the world was today. Would you be ready? If you were take an inventory of your life and were to truly be honest with yourself...where would you be? Most of us jump immediately to a "Yes! Of course I'd be in heaven!" answer. Are you willing to bet your life on it? I came to a real knowledge of Christ when I was 17 years old. It was August of 2004 and I was baptized by my spiritual daddy, Wayne Kniffen. I caught some flack from some people because when I was 8 years old I made a profession of faith and was baptized by my biological father. I don't want to say that I wasn't saved after that, but I will say this, I did not know the implications of my actions when I was a 2nd grader. I don't know that I actually knew all the implications of my actions when I was leading into my Senior year of High School either, but I understood more of what Jesus had done for me. I understood what I was being saved from, but also what I was being saved into!
Friends, don't gamble on your life. If you have never truly made that commitment, take the time right now, wherever you are and set things straight with Jesus. You may say a prayer similar to the one at the end of this blog. Don't take a chance with your salvation and miss it. Make for sure that your eternal residency is secured! If you are ready to make the commitment to Jesus Christ today, say this prayer in your own words today.
Dear Lord,
I commit my life to You today. I invite you to come and be Lord over my life. I repent of the old sinful ways of my past life, and I commit my life to the new life that You have given me, by the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and by His resurrection from the grave. I make the exchange right now. Your life for my life, Your soul for my soul. From this day forward, I will no longer be known as the old sinful person, but as a new righteous and justified person. I thank You for Your love and Your life.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you said that prayer, then I want to be the first one to welcome you home. Welcome to the family! We are thrilled to have you! Come on in, make yourself at home and join in this community with us! If you joined the family, let me know! I would love to connect with you, and pray with you and for you in anyway that I can! I am excited about your new life, and your new identity! Love you guys, and God bless!
Now we know that the church was not raptured out of the earth yesterday. We know that the man who made the prediction had no knowledge of the appointed time that God set in place for the time that He would call His kids heavenward. But what do we also know? We know that our world is dying. We know that our world is being destroyed by the predator of our souls. We know that Jesus is the only answer to any of the problems that this world faces, and that if they are uninformed they will never turn to Him.
I will admit it. Yes. I made a LOT of "rapture" jokes with my friend Justin Ashcraft yesterday. It wasn't poking fun about the rapture as a happening, rather poking fun at the fact that people who actually read the bible were buying in to the fact that someone predicted the time that the rapture would take place. This is not going to be a blog about eschatology or end times study. I'm writing this to ask you to look inward.
I want to ask you a what if question. What if the end of the world was today. Would you be ready? If you were take an inventory of your life and were to truly be honest with yourself...where would you be? Most of us jump immediately to a "Yes! Of course I'd be in heaven!" answer. Are you willing to bet your life on it? I came to a real knowledge of Christ when I was 17 years old. It was August of 2004 and I was baptized by my spiritual daddy, Wayne Kniffen. I caught some flack from some people because when I was 8 years old I made a profession of faith and was baptized by my biological father. I don't want to say that I wasn't saved after that, but I will say this, I did not know the implications of my actions when I was a 2nd grader. I don't know that I actually knew all the implications of my actions when I was leading into my Senior year of High School either, but I understood more of what Jesus had done for me. I understood what I was being saved from, but also what I was being saved into!
Friends, don't gamble on your life. If you have never truly made that commitment, take the time right now, wherever you are and set things straight with Jesus. You may say a prayer similar to the one at the end of this blog. Don't take a chance with your salvation and miss it. Make for sure that your eternal residency is secured! If you are ready to make the commitment to Jesus Christ today, say this prayer in your own words today.
Dear Lord,
I commit my life to You today. I invite you to come and be Lord over my life. I repent of the old sinful ways of my past life, and I commit my life to the new life that You have given me, by the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and by His resurrection from the grave. I make the exchange right now. Your life for my life, Your soul for my soul. From this day forward, I will no longer be known as the old sinful person, but as a new righteous and justified person. I thank You for Your love and Your life.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you said that prayer, then I want to be the first one to welcome you home. Welcome to the family! We are thrilled to have you! Come on in, make yourself at home and join in this community with us! If you joined the family, let me know! I would love to connect with you, and pray with you and for you in anyway that I can! I am excited about your new life, and your new identity! Love you guys, and God bless!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Walk in the fruit of the Spirit and...
You will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. My accountability group has been going over the book of Galatians for the past few months. I was reading in chapter 5 last night and I got into the difference between the lusts or desires of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit.
The works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
Galatians 5:19-21
I was immediately confronted with something last night. Most people when they hear "works of the flesh" immediately turn towards sexual or physically impure actions. I know that was my initial thought. I was thinking I was doing pretty awesome because I don't go to explicit websites, I'm not engaged in a sexually impure relationship, and God has really done a work with my mindset on lust. I was patting myself on the back. "Good job, Jeff! You're doing so good! You're walking in the fruit of the Spirit!"
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
I was convicted. My attitude and my actions hadn't been lining up with that description of the fruit of the Spirit. I find that we tend to justify the things that we are doing that are bad so that we can feel like we're doing better than we really are. I will admit that there was a time in my life that I battled lust. It was a HUGE struggle in my life and a huge problem that affects most young men. I felt like since I had kicked that habit and that problem that I was all fine and dandy! Once I figured out that there are 15 things listed in the "works of the flesh" and sexual impurity or lust are only dealt with in 4 of them, I realized that the battle was only beginning. Sometimes, the devil will get you to focus on 1 area of your life that you really feel that you struggle in and let you totally disregard the rest of your issues. For me, the devil was bringing lust to the forefront in my mind. He was attacking my thoughts constantly and causing me to focus all of my energy and time on that one issue. While this was going on, I was constantly angry, depressed, and altogether defeated. So yes, I started walking in self control, but where was my joy? Where was my peace, patience, and kindness?
I started asking myself some questions last night. Why does my anger not disgust me like lust did? Why does my jealousy of some and down right hatred of other people not affect me in the same way? Why am I justifying the things that are just as ugly and just as stupid? I've been asking God to continually renew my mind so that I will not view these things as okay. They aren't okay. So if we walk in the fruit of the Spirit then our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control will totally outweigh and block out the desires of the flesh.
I would like to encourage you to look inside yourself. Ask God to reveal those things that are in you that need to be purged. Allow Him to show you the underlying and deeper issues that He may really want to get to and deal with. For me, I know that my attitude has inhaled rather profusely over the past few months. I'm frustrated many times over stuff that shouldn't frustrate me so much. I'm constantly having to battle to stay positive. I'm continually praying that God totally take all that junk away so that I can see Him more clearly and so that my heart can be in tune with His in a stronger and clearer way. Hope this helped you guys. Have a great and blessed week! I love you all!
The works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
Galatians 5:19-21
I was immediately confronted with something last night. Most people when they hear "works of the flesh" immediately turn towards sexual or physically impure actions. I know that was my initial thought. I was thinking I was doing pretty awesome because I don't go to explicit websites, I'm not engaged in a sexually impure relationship, and God has really done a work with my mindset on lust. I was patting myself on the back. "Good job, Jeff! You're doing so good! You're walking in the fruit of the Spirit!"
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
I was convicted. My attitude and my actions hadn't been lining up with that description of the fruit of the Spirit. I find that we tend to justify the things that we are doing that are bad so that we can feel like we're doing better than we really are. I will admit that there was a time in my life that I battled lust. It was a HUGE struggle in my life and a huge problem that affects most young men. I felt like since I had kicked that habit and that problem that I was all fine and dandy! Once I figured out that there are 15 things listed in the "works of the flesh" and sexual impurity or lust are only dealt with in 4 of them, I realized that the battle was only beginning. Sometimes, the devil will get you to focus on 1 area of your life that you really feel that you struggle in and let you totally disregard the rest of your issues. For me, the devil was bringing lust to the forefront in my mind. He was attacking my thoughts constantly and causing me to focus all of my energy and time on that one issue. While this was going on, I was constantly angry, depressed, and altogether defeated. So yes, I started walking in self control, but where was my joy? Where was my peace, patience, and kindness?
I started asking myself some questions last night. Why does my anger not disgust me like lust did? Why does my jealousy of some and down right hatred of other people not affect me in the same way? Why am I justifying the things that are just as ugly and just as stupid? I've been asking God to continually renew my mind so that I will not view these things as okay. They aren't okay. So if we walk in the fruit of the Spirit then our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control will totally outweigh and block out the desires of the flesh.
I would like to encourage you to look inside yourself. Ask God to reveal those things that are in you that need to be purged. Allow Him to show you the underlying and deeper issues that He may really want to get to and deal with. For me, I know that my attitude has inhaled rather profusely over the past few months. I'm frustrated many times over stuff that shouldn't frustrate me so much. I'm constantly having to battle to stay positive. I'm continually praying that God totally take all that junk away so that I can see Him more clearly and so that my heart can be in tune with His in a stronger and clearer way. Hope this helped you guys. Have a great and blessed week! I love you all!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Awakening
"For You and You alone, awake my soul, awake my soul and sing. For the world You love, Your will be done, let Your will be done in me!"-Chris Tomlin: Awakening
I've been listening to this song quite often the past few days. I believe it's one of those songs that will never get old to me. I also feel like there is incredible power in a prayer like that. For You and You alone. Do we really understand that statement? There are hundreds and hundreds of things throughout the day that can draw our attention and stir our affection. Is the main one Jesus? In Luke chapter 6 Jesus is giving His sermon on the Beatitudes and comes to a point where He begins to talk about how "every tree is known by its fruit..." What kind of fruit are you producing? At the end of this section in verse 45 Jesus says, "...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." What are we speaking? Are we speaking the things of God, or are we speaking something else? For a long time I struggled with positive speak. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the power of life and death are in the tongue. Do we really believe that? If we do, are we practicing speaking life, or death? Just speaking in faith the words, "For You and You alone, awake my soul" can have tremendous impact in your life. So that brings me back to my original point. There are many things in this world that are trying to steal our attention and stir our hearts. I believe that the problem lies initially in our noggins. We don't understand that we have the mind of Christ; 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us that.
I believe that satan's biggest place of attack is in mind sets and in thoughts. When we think of something we automatically believe that those thoughts belong to us. What if that thought was planted there by the devil and he is just trying to get you to continue thinking about it until you act upon it? If we are saved, set apart, sanctified, blood bought, and forgiven sons and daughters of God I firmly believe that vulgar, profane, perverted thoughts are not brought on by the mind that Christ gave us. If they were, then He wouldn't be a very good God would He? I believe that the way one thinks and the way one believes is more important than the way one acts. If you can get someone believing right then their actions will follow. Satan wants to fill our minds with clutter. His objective is to get you to think of yourself as a sinner, and to eventually get yourself professing that you are indeed a sinner. Friends, I am here to tell you, you are an over comer! You are worth much more than the world gives you credit for. It's time that we exchange the old mindset and the old way of thinking for the new mind of Christ!
My prayer every day is that God would renew my mind. It says in Romans that we are not to conform to the ways of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds! I feel like many times we are content with living our lives blending in with our surroundings. We are spiritual chameleons. Whoever we are with, that's who we act like. For years I fought that fight. I was whoever I was with. Then I realized how absolutely BORING that life is! There's no adventure to living a life as a copyist. My pastor has started a year long initiative and vision to live life as a risk taker. In order to live as a risk taker we must THINK like risk takers. In order to think like a risk taker we have to allow Christ to come in and do an overhaul. A wise man once said, "Sow a thought, reap a word. Sow a word, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a life style. Sow a life style, reap a destiny." Your destiny will be shaped by the things you think!
I'm so tired of seeing "Christians" live life in the shadows and take the back seat to the world and flow along with the current. We are hypnotized by the rhythm of pop-culture and its schemes. It's time for some risk takers to stand up and decide that THIS ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH! Take a chance! "For You and You alone, awake my soul!"
It's my prayer that God would alter your mind set. It's my desire to see Christians truly pursuing the lover of their souls the way He pursues them! Jesus let there be a spiritual awakening in our lives. Let us see what You see, and let us take a stand. Let us be foolish for You. Let us refuse to follow the crowd. Don't let us be content with coexisting with our enemy the devil. Give us our candle, let us run into the darkness. For You and You alone.
I've been listening to this song quite often the past few days. I believe it's one of those songs that will never get old to me. I also feel like there is incredible power in a prayer like that. For You and You alone. Do we really understand that statement? There are hundreds and hundreds of things throughout the day that can draw our attention and stir our affection. Is the main one Jesus? In Luke chapter 6 Jesus is giving His sermon on the Beatitudes and comes to a point where He begins to talk about how "every tree is known by its fruit..." What kind of fruit are you producing? At the end of this section in verse 45 Jesus says, "...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." What are we speaking? Are we speaking the things of God, or are we speaking something else? For a long time I struggled with positive speak. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the power of life and death are in the tongue. Do we really believe that? If we do, are we practicing speaking life, or death? Just speaking in faith the words, "For You and You alone, awake my soul" can have tremendous impact in your life. So that brings me back to my original point. There are many things in this world that are trying to steal our attention and stir our hearts. I believe that the problem lies initially in our noggins. We don't understand that we have the mind of Christ; 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us that.
I believe that satan's biggest place of attack is in mind sets and in thoughts. When we think of something we automatically believe that those thoughts belong to us. What if that thought was planted there by the devil and he is just trying to get you to continue thinking about it until you act upon it? If we are saved, set apart, sanctified, blood bought, and forgiven sons and daughters of God I firmly believe that vulgar, profane, perverted thoughts are not brought on by the mind that Christ gave us. If they were, then He wouldn't be a very good God would He? I believe that the way one thinks and the way one believes is more important than the way one acts. If you can get someone believing right then their actions will follow. Satan wants to fill our minds with clutter. His objective is to get you to think of yourself as a sinner, and to eventually get yourself professing that you are indeed a sinner. Friends, I am here to tell you, you are an over comer! You are worth much more than the world gives you credit for. It's time that we exchange the old mindset and the old way of thinking for the new mind of Christ!
My prayer every day is that God would renew my mind. It says in Romans that we are not to conform to the ways of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds! I feel like many times we are content with living our lives blending in with our surroundings. We are spiritual chameleons. Whoever we are with, that's who we act like. For years I fought that fight. I was whoever I was with. Then I realized how absolutely BORING that life is! There's no adventure to living a life as a copyist. My pastor has started a year long initiative and vision to live life as a risk taker. In order to live as a risk taker we must THINK like risk takers. In order to think like a risk taker we have to allow Christ to come in and do an overhaul. A wise man once said, "Sow a thought, reap a word. Sow a word, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a life style. Sow a life style, reap a destiny." Your destiny will be shaped by the things you think!
I'm so tired of seeing "Christians" live life in the shadows and take the back seat to the world and flow along with the current. We are hypnotized by the rhythm of pop-culture and its schemes. It's time for some risk takers to stand up and decide that THIS ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH! Take a chance! "For You and You alone, awake my soul!"
It's my prayer that God would alter your mind set. It's my desire to see Christians truly pursuing the lover of their souls the way He pursues them! Jesus let there be a spiritual awakening in our lives. Let us see what You see, and let us take a stand. Let us be foolish for You. Let us refuse to follow the crowd. Don't let us be content with coexisting with our enemy the devil. Give us our candle, let us run into the darkness. For You and You alone.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Who Am I That He Is Mindful Of Me?
I think that King David said it best when he wrote this is the Psalms. Who is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that you care for him?-Psalm 8:4 You see we are created beings that have the opportunity to live in community with the one who created us. Do we ever just take time to think about the fact that God is mindful of us? God...the creator of the universe. The one who stepped into nothing, from nowhere, with nothing, that took nothing out of nothing, hung it on nothing, and told it to stay there...and it did. That God...He wants to have a relationship with you and with me. His words created everything that we see, and His words are sustaining us right now. He thinks about us. He cares about us. He is interested in us. If that doesn't excite you, then I don't know what will!
I'm at the Christ for the Nations Resonate worship conference this week. We were about to have our 11:00AM session yesterday in which Glenn Packiam was going to speak. If you've never heard him speak, find the next time you can go hear him and take advantage of it. I had the privilege of meeting him after the talk and buying a few of his books. He's a really down to earth dude and he definitely hasn't allowed his platform to get to his head. If you want to read any of his blogs then click here. Anyway, the worship before this session was just an acoustic set led by Chris Martin. I believe that he is still a student and CFNI. He's a gifted song writer and musician and if you ever get the chance to be led by him in worship I would suggest you take that opportunity. If you want to see some of his videos and hear some of his acoustic songs you can go here. When Chris was talking before worship he talked about how at these worship conferences he got the opportunity to meet some of the people that he really looks up to and that he really respects. The thing that is amazing though, is that these people are extremely gifted. They are extremely talented and anointed, but we make a bigger deal about meeting with them than we do about our relationship with God.
We as people are bred and made to believe that meeting the creation is much more important than meeting the creator. In our Western culture we have been force fed from the beginning of our lives that there are people that are so important that if we meet them it can be one of those "bucket list" things to cross off as an accomplishment in our lives. I believe that these concepts and ideas are terribly wrong. There are students in my youth group that are so caught up in a particular actor/actress/musician that if they ever met them they would probably say something like, "I can die happy now". Does anyone else see a problem with this? Last time I checked Taylor Lautner and Justin Bieber never died for anyone. Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez never absolved anyone of their sins. Neither did Jon Egan, Joel Houston, Billy Graham, or Jack Hayford. I'm not discrediting the fact that these people are gifted and talented and God has blessed them with extraordinary talents, but they are still just people. Like you and me. They are part of the human race that was created by God to rule and reign on this earth, but that became so consumed in themselves that they decided they wanted to be God.
So yes, I met a guy that I hold in high regard yesterday. I'm a huge fan of Glenn Packiam and his work. He's a gifted and anointed speaker and song writer, but he is still a person just like me. I want to get to a point where nothing in life is more exciting to me than spending time alone with my Savior. Who am I that you are thinking of me? The God of the universe has requested that we be friends with Him. He isn't a distant and far off entity that shows no love to us, but the bible says that He IS love! I don't want to fall into the trap of worshiping the creation instead of the Creator. God has put into our DNA the ability and the desire to worship. It's our decision and our choice what we give that worth to. Satan wants to steal your heart and turn the affection that should go to God away from Him and towards someone He made. God is so good at creating people that we start worshiping the thing that He made instead of the hands that formed it.
When's the last time that you just sat in awe of God and His beauty? When's the last time that you allowed yourself some time to just spend some alone time with God? I think that maybe if we can start taking time out of our busy days and out of our busy lives to do these things, then we will realize that God is the only One who deserves our worship and our praise. You might also just find out that God is madly in love with you, and He wants only good things for your life. He doesn't care what you've done or who you've been...He is still madly in love with you and he has a purpose and a plan for your life!
I'm at the Christ for the Nations Resonate worship conference this week. We were about to have our 11:00AM session yesterday in which Glenn Packiam was going to speak. If you've never heard him speak, find the next time you can go hear him and take advantage of it. I had the privilege of meeting him after the talk and buying a few of his books. He's a really down to earth dude and he definitely hasn't allowed his platform to get to his head. If you want to read any of his blogs then click here. Anyway, the worship before this session was just an acoustic set led by Chris Martin. I believe that he is still a student and CFNI. He's a gifted song writer and musician and if you ever get the chance to be led by him in worship I would suggest you take that opportunity. If you want to see some of his videos and hear some of his acoustic songs you can go here. When Chris was talking before worship he talked about how at these worship conferences he got the opportunity to meet some of the people that he really looks up to and that he really respects. The thing that is amazing though, is that these people are extremely gifted. They are extremely talented and anointed, but we make a bigger deal about meeting with them than we do about our relationship with God.
We as people are bred and made to believe that meeting the creation is much more important than meeting the creator. In our Western culture we have been force fed from the beginning of our lives that there are people that are so important that if we meet them it can be one of those "bucket list" things to cross off as an accomplishment in our lives. I believe that these concepts and ideas are terribly wrong. There are students in my youth group that are so caught up in a particular actor/actress/musician that if they ever met them they would probably say something like, "I can die happy now". Does anyone else see a problem with this? Last time I checked Taylor Lautner and Justin Bieber never died for anyone. Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez never absolved anyone of their sins. Neither did Jon Egan, Joel Houston, Billy Graham, or Jack Hayford. I'm not discrediting the fact that these people are gifted and talented and God has blessed them with extraordinary talents, but they are still just people. Like you and me. They are part of the human race that was created by God to rule and reign on this earth, but that became so consumed in themselves that they decided they wanted to be God.
So yes, I met a guy that I hold in high regard yesterday. I'm a huge fan of Glenn Packiam and his work. He's a gifted and anointed speaker and song writer, but he is still a person just like me. I want to get to a point where nothing in life is more exciting to me than spending time alone with my Savior. Who am I that you are thinking of me? The God of the universe has requested that we be friends with Him. He isn't a distant and far off entity that shows no love to us, but the bible says that He IS love! I don't want to fall into the trap of worshiping the creation instead of the Creator. God has put into our DNA the ability and the desire to worship. It's our decision and our choice what we give that worth to. Satan wants to steal your heart and turn the affection that should go to God away from Him and towards someone He made. God is so good at creating people that we start worshiping the thing that He made instead of the hands that formed it.
When's the last time that you just sat in awe of God and His beauty? When's the last time that you allowed yourself some time to just spend some alone time with God? I think that maybe if we can start taking time out of our busy days and out of our busy lives to do these things, then we will realize that God is the only One who deserves our worship and our praise. You might also just find out that God is madly in love with you, and He wants only good things for your life. He doesn't care what you've done or who you've been...He is still madly in love with you and he has a purpose and a plan for your life!
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