In Genesis 12:2 God tells Abram, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."  So in this blessing He starts by giving to Abram, and then asks for something in return.  He's all "okay, so here's some really great stuff, and here's this, and here's some more, and now, go and be awesomeness to others."  God says to Abram, "You will be a blessing."  It's going to happen.  This is for us too.  You will be a blessing.  God is blessing you, and you’re designed to do some blessing too.  The blessing God gives you has a purpose; it is to be passed along.  Don't reject it.  Don't say, Oh God no, I don't need all this.  He needs to bless you so that you can be a blessing.  Bless someone today, and not just because they sneeze.  Buy someone a cup of coffee at work, pay for a struggling person’s gas and let the Spirit lead you to do exactly what God has asked here, so that we can become a picture of what God does for us.  Tell someone you think they are smart, thank someone, forgive someone who hasn't asked for it, today you be the blessing.

Blessed to be a Blessing

Jesus died for you, and when He died and rose from the dead He accomplished so many things, like redemption from sins, healing, establishing His church, so many things that I couldn’t cover them in a minute.  But listen to this, Galatians 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles.  So according to this the blessing that God gave Abraham is now available to anyone who receives Christ.  So what is that blessing?  Genesis 12:2 (now put your name in here) “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”  God is making us into a powerful people, and he wants to make your name great.  Why?  Because if your name is great, then you have influence to point others to God.  And He will bless you and you will be a blessing.  You see He’s not blessing you just so you can have 40 plasma TVs, He wants you to be a blessing!  Like King David who God blessed with great wealth, and David gave that wealth to help his son build the temple for God.  In I Chronicles 14 it says he gave 3,750 tons of gold to the Lord, that is over 112 billion dollars in gold.  EEEE.  That’s a lot of TVs.  David said “I am seeking wealth for the sake of the House of the Lord.”  It’s never about the money; it’s about becoming a blessing to others.

Hearing the Word of God

Jude 1:20 says “build yourselves up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit” Why build yourself up in faith?  Well it is by faith that we receive the promises of God, starting with that first step you took when you decided to receive Christ.  That was a step of faith, it was believing in a truth that you had not personally seen for yourself.  And it secures for you life forever.  Yeah…. When Jesus disciples were struggling he would tell them to have faith in God.  Hebrews 11:11 explains that it was by faith that Abraham received his son Isaac that had been promised to him by God.  By faith, in Mark 11:24 Jesus says “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”  The believing that you have received it, that is Faith, believing God that His word is true.  So it’s not enough just to pray it, we have to believe it!  The world says that seeing is believing, but God is saying, believe before you see!  Now how do we build ourselves up in faith?  Romans 10:17 says “Faith comes through hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  And just above that it says, “And how can they hear without someone preaching to them.”  So faith comes by hearing the Word of God preached to us.  And where are you going to hear that?  Well daaaa, that’s church.

Working for God

Colossians 3:22 says “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything.  And do it with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”  Well now God doesn’t want us to be slaves, Jesus came to set the captives free!  But he is telling us that we may find our selves in a position we don’t like.  Being required to do something we don’t enjoy.  Joseph started out his incredibly successful life as a slave.  But Joseph didn’t see himself as a slave, he saw himself as someone who works for God.  So what is God saying here?  In everything we do we should do it as though we are working for the Lord.  Joseph worked for God.  So we don’t have to change what we do, but we are changing why we do it.  So whether you find yourself slaving over the stove at In N Out burger, or mopping floors at Wal-Mart, or pitching for the Yankees, or whatever you are doing, make God your reason for doing it.  Our God will promote you to new heights.  If you can be great doing something you don’t enjoy, then you can be great at anything.  Now I’m not saying not to strive to find a better position, or to better yourself through education, I am saying that if you make whatever you are doing about God, He will promote you.  Like Joseph, who went from slave to being second in command of all of Egypt. 

The Most High Does Not Dwell In Houses Made By Men

Acts 7:48 says “However the most high does not live in houses made by men..  Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool, what kind of house will you build for me?”  In the first covenant Moses built a tabernacle and then Solomon a temple for God to live in, but this was not a permanent dwelling.  God needed something that wasn’t man made.  Well if it isn’t man made then it must be something God made.  And so he explains in I Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”  How can God live in man, we are a mess right?  But two important things have taken place that makes you the dwelling of the Lord.  First, you were created by God.   Second, Jesus died and when you choose to believe and receive Christ, your body is washed clean by the blood of Jesus, so God can live in your mess, because your mess is now clean.  Well this is the new covenant, Jesus said In John 15, remain in me and I will remain in you.  Christ is in us, and we are in him, so the relationship is what’s His is ours and what’s ours is his.  We need him, and God wants us.  Why?  Well God put talents and abilities in you to help you change this world and as you step in to becoming a doer in your life He will give you the supernatural God power to help you win.  He’s in you, he’s your partner, but you are partner too, so you gotta get out their and start tearing it up for God.  Yes? 

What'd I Just Say

Mark 11:23 Have you ever said, "I'm gettin the flu?" Well yeah, you may have.

But if you think about how you said that, It's like saying, "I don't have the flu
yet, but I'm going to go get it." “I’m gonna run up to the store, get some milk,
peanut butter, and the flu.” But that doesn't seem right. You shouldn't go get
 the flu, cuz you don't want the flu. You should get rid of the flu. Maybe sell
 it. But who’s going to buy the flu? Mark 11:23 says that if a person "believes
that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever
he saith." Think about it, I will have what I say if I believe it. So I say I'm gettin
the flu, and I do believe it's true, then I can have it. What other kinds of things
are we saying? How about "I'm probably going to lose my job," or "My life is
falling a part." Jesus was teaching his disciples that what we say and believe is
important. In fact our salvation is received by confessing Jesus is Lord and
believing that God raised him from the dead. Today, listen to what you are
saying. Stop describing your problem and start speaking God's solution.

Around Me

So when you receive the Lord Jesus as your personal savior, something

interesting happens. Deep with in your heart God changes your desire. Yeah,

now deep down you want to do right. You may not always do the right thing, but

you know you want to. So then you might say, "It's so hard to live right when

everyone around me is doing wrong." Okay, great point. But when everyone

around you is doing the wrong thing, you probably just need to change who you

are around. And sure, no one is perfect, but there are some who like you who

are trying to do the right thing. And maybe, just maybe, there aren’t a lot of

people trying, so then I might say well, you just really need one good friend.
Then you might be all, “one friend, forget it.” But Proverbs 18:24 “A man of
many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer
than a brother.” Ahha - whose that friend? Where can you find that one? Well
pray and ask God to help you find the right friend. As a Christian we love
everyone, but we don't have to hang around everyone, but you can hang out
with me.

Down In My Heart

What is it that makes you happy? Psalms 19:8 "The words of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart" Now who couldn't use a little more joy in the heart?

Things I don’t want in my heart might be stress or fear. But I like joy, it makes

me, umm, happy. Now lots of us are searching for joy. And in the world we can

get little moments of happiness. Like eating a donut. But that sugary sublime

donut joy isn’t in my heart, Its In my stomach. The world has offers for

happiness. Hey you only live once, let’s party “smoke this and you'll feel so much better...
" Oh yeah, I can’t feel anything actually, and then it just leaves you feeling empty in

your heart. But the bible says that the words of God make things better, they

have the ability to make you smarter, to set you free from, well, whatever, and

they have power. All of creation came from God's words. Make a habit of getting

into the bible, reading God's words, saying them outloud, like He does, and well,

that gets joy in my heart. Then you'll be saying "I've got the joy joy joy joy down

in my heart." "Where?" “Down in my heart.” “Where?” I said it’s in my heart!

But I Don't Like to Suffer

Romans 8:17 teaches us that we should share in Christ's sufferings. So what are

these sufferings? Well, Christ suffered on the cross. Keep in mind that he paid

the price on the cross in full, so that I would not have to suffer. For instance, He

became sin on the cross so that I could be forgiven. Ok, so what suffering does

God want me to share in? Well, he said it clearly in John 15. He told me to lay

down my life for others. You know, stopping what you want in order to help

someone else can feel a little like suffering. He has called me to that kind of

love. This means doing the dishes when you don't want to, letting others have

the best, loving even when you don't feel like it, forgiving when no one has said

they were sorry, and giving even if you haven't received anything. It means

being in a good mood when you have had a bad day. It's a letting go of what

your wants are, and making others needs more important. And Romans 5 tells

me to rejoice in my sufferings. So be happy in your loving others. Because

suffering produces perseverance, and that produces character, and character

hope, and hope doesn't disappoint.

A New Lineage

In Genesis 4 a guy named Lamech is born. As it turns out he is the 5th
generation of Cain. So his great great great great grandfather was Cain,
remember Cain? He was the guy who killed his brother. We like to hear good
things about our grandpas, not bad stories and Lamech, five generations later,
is still talking about Cain, and still letting what Cain had done define who he was.
Now Lamech was free from what Cain had done, but he was still letting
this past create his future. We as well have been given a new beginning. We
are in the family of God, and God himself is our father. But still we can let the
failures and defeats of our fathers determine who we are. We might say "My
grandpa had this or that, my dad had it, I probably will too." Or we decide that we
will just spend our life doing and living what they did or how they lived. But
maybe God has something different for you. Whether you had perfect parents or
none at all, God wants you to define your future with who He is, and who He has
created you to be. Don't be like Lamech, dragging the past into your future. Let
God create your future.

Rules

Society separates all of us into little groups.  The world tries to separate us by color, income bracket, political beliefs, and even the way we dress.  But Paul writes in Galatians “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” Boys rule and girls drool, sure, but in Christ, neither rules nor drools.  And can we stop seeing different colored skin, please?  This generation is the closest man has ever been at being color blind and not seeing one race better than another, but we still have a very long way to go.  You might find yourself putting down the poor saying “well go get a job”, or judging the rich saying “you should’ve sold that and given it to the poor.”  Or thinking that men are better than women… And that goes for everyone thank you very much.  So there is neither black, nor white, nor brown or polka dotted, nor people with tattoos or without tattoos or piercings, or green hair, or homeless but we are all one in Christ.  Division will keep us crippled, but unity will bring us strength, and strength influence, and influence will bring change, and this whole world could use a little changing!  Remember, God looks at the heart, and that is something we cannot see.

Division

Society separates all of us into little groups.  The world tries to separate us by color, income bracket, political beliefs, and even the way we dress.  But Paul writes in Galatians “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” Boys rule and girls drool, sure, but in Christ, neither rules nor drools.  And can we stop seeing different colored skin, please?  This generation is the closest man has ever been at being color blind and not seeing one race better than another, but we still have a very long way to go.  You might find yourself putting down the poor saying “well go get a job”, or judging the rich saying “you should’ve sold that and given it to the poor.”  Or thinking that men are better than women… And that goes for everyone thank you very much.  So there is neither black, nor white, nor brown or polka dotted, nor people with tattoos or without tattoos or piercings, or green hair, or homeless but we are all one in Christ.  Division will keep us crippled, but unity will bring us strength, and strength influence, and influence will bring change, and this whole world could use a little changing!  Remember, God looks at the heart, and that is something we cannot see.

Signal

Paul is on a ship sailing for Rome, and he warns the others with him “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also”.  But the men ignored God’s warning and sure enough a storm blew in and destroyed the ship, and the men escaped with only there lives.  When a storm is in your path of life, listen closely for God’s warning.  God can help you steer clear of storms.  I know sometimes I look back on disaster and say, “Oh ya, I remember when God was trying to steer me around this mess.”  When tragedy strikes, we sometimes say that God is teaching us something.  But maybe it isn’t God teaching you something; maybe you just didn’t hear the warning.  Job’s life got pretty messed up at one point, but when he stopped being angry at God for his mess and spoke the words “My Redeemer lives” his life was restored, and he ended up with twice what he had lost.  Jesus is our Redeemer, and he lives.  He will restore you and if a person runs a red light and hits another car, maybe this wasn’t God’s doing, maybe he just needs to remember to stop next time when he sees the signal. 

Paving the Way

How do I tell others about Christ?  This can be an awkward conversation to get into, so many avoid it.  And randomly yelling at people who walk by to tell them they are going to burn isn’t always effective.  In Acts 22 Paul is arrested, and as he’s being hauled away he talks the commander into letting him address the crowd that had gathered.  And the guard lets him.  When you purpose in your heart to tell the gospel to others, God will make a way, and Paul takes the opportunity to preach, but what does he tell them?  Does he just tell the story of Christ?  No, he tells his story with Christ.  He tells them his personal story of how Christ changed him on the road to Damascus.  Jesus has changed you, what is your story?  People want personal testimony.  They want to know how it worked for you!  Paul told his story well.  He was obviously ready to tell it, so that it would be full of impact.  Your story is a great one, and it’s yours.  You tell stories all the time about stuff that has happened to you!  So be ready to tell others how you came to know Christ, how it felt, and what changed.  God is real, Jesus changed you, and you are real.  Now go get em.

Armor of the Lord

When David was going to take on the giant Goliath they had him try on King Saul’s armor and sword.  But it wasn’t right.  Nothing fit.  David couldn’t use someone else’s armor and sword for his battle.  He needed to find the weapon that would suit him, for his situation.  He used a sling and some rocks, and Goliath took one in the head.  You have giants to fight in your life.  And quite often, someone who means well will attempt to tell you how they would handle it, and they will proceed to try and give you their armor and sword.  But it probably won’t fit quite right.  You need to do like David.  Go to the word, and let God arm you with the armor of the Lord, and the sword of the spirit.  God has the perfect solution.  Then when you trust God and come out victorious, you begin to trust God more, instead of trusting in the advice of man.  There is wisdom in council, and David did at least try on Saul’s armor, but if you find it doesn’t fit, don’t give up.  Go to the bible.  David found out in the word that a man who blasphemes God must be stoned to death,  hence, death by rock.  And Jesus is our Rock.  He can defeat your giant.

God Spoke

Have you heard the saying, it’s a man’s world.  Well I’d like it a whole lot better if we all saw it as God’s.  Sometimes women don’t feel like the world values them and the wisdom God has given them.  Society for many years has presented women as being less then men.  But there’s good news ladies, God don’t feel that way.  In Judges 4 God had a woman running things… the bible says that “Deborah, a prophetess, was leading Israel” And the word of the Lord came to her that all of Israel was to be delivered from the Cannanites.  God spoke through her to the commander of the Israel army. And she instructed him exactly how Israel was to defeat the Cannanites.  She was telling him what to do according to God’s will.  Ladies - God will speak through you.  Paul writes that in Christ there is neither male nor female, meaning that all are equal in Christ.  Now if we could just get the rest of the world to think that way.  Ladies, God has a word for you, he has a plan for your life, and he needs you to help Him.  In the words of God himself, “Wisdom is on her tongue”.  The world should thank God daily for you. 

You Thought Your Creditors Were Rough

In II Kings a woman’s husband dies, and leaves her in a lot of debt.  Unlike today where a person might lose there house or car, she is about to lose her two sons as slaves in order to pay off debt.  Wow, you thought your creditors were rough.  She asks the prophet Elijah for help.  So he says what do you have?  God is looking for you to use whatever you have to the best of your ability.  Well she had a little oil.  Then he said go and get as many jars as you can, ask all your neighbors.  She did this.  Then he said, pour the oil into each jar that you have.  And by a miracle of God the oil kept flowing until every jar was filled.  She sold the oil, and paid the debt.  You may find in your life you sometimes run out.  Run out of whatever?  Ask God to help.  God wants to fill your jars with whatever you need.  But how many jars can you believe God to fill?  It seems to me that in this story God would have filled as many jars as she could’ve gotten her hands on.  She should’ve gotten a gjillion jars.  God wants to fill you up to overflowing.  What do you need?  Peace?  Joy?  Health?  Wealth?  Well go get some jars. 

Send Me

Jonah ran from God’s purpose for his life, and ran into a lot of trouble.  He got himself and those he was traveling with in a tight spot.  A storm blew up on the boat he was on and it nearly drowned all who were around him. He was tossed overboard and got swallowed by a big fish.  Wow, you thought your day was tough.  If life is crashing down all around you, and you find yourself pulling others down with you, or you feel like you’ve been swallowed up by this world, it may be that you have strayed away from God’s path for you or you may be running from what God is calling you to do.  God loves you, and wants what is best for you.  He wants to clothe you better than King Solomon, and bless you like he did Abraham.  Our God is a good and just God,  but when we leave God’s will, like Jonah, life can really blow up like a storm all around us.  In it all Jonah was saved by God when he cried out.  God does the saving, but sometimes we do the straying.  So ask God today about His will for your life.  Say “what would you have me do, hear I am Lord, send someone else”… No send me

Waiting For What?

So what are you waiting for?  A lot of people are planning on getting there life together and really making a decision for Christ and a new lifestyle, but not just yet.  Why is that?  Somewhere along the line the world has gotten the idea that a Christian life is boring and stuffy.  Not mine.  In a world of reaping and sowing, a Christian life is way more fun and fulfilling.  Cuz sowing goodness reaps goodness.  A cheap thrill in the world is just too short to last, and not nearly as thrilling as you thought it might be.  The world’s joy lasts for a moment and must always be topped.  Like when you finally get that car you’ve always wanted, and you thought that would make you happy.  It did, but only for a little while.  Then you’ve gotta have something else.  Don’t get me wrong, God wants to bless you, he wants you to have nice things.  But don’t try and draw your happiness from things.  Draw your happiness from serving God.  God’s joy is complete.  Don’t wait to give yourself to God.  There’s no better time than right now to say to God, “Okay Lord, here is the rest of my life, use me how ever you see fit.”  Then get ready.

Do You Believe

In Matt 10 two blind men kept following Jesus around asking for mercy.  They wanted to be able to see.  So Jesus asks them…  “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  “Yes Lord,” they replied.  Then Jesus touched there eyes and healed them.  There are areas in your life both spiritual and physical that might be in need of a little healing.  Whether it be a disease, a common cold, an addiction, or even a mean hangnail.  We can learn a lot from the story of the two blind men.  First, they had to ask for healing.  So ask.  Next, realize that Jesus is asking you a question.  “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  Well do you?  Jesus died for our sins and our sicknesses.  Remember that Jesus could do very few healings in his own home town because the people there did not believe.  So ask Jesus for your healing, and believe that He is able to heal you, believe that you have received and you will have it.  There are tons of miracles in the Bible, and this same God is our great God, He sent His word and it has healed us.  And remember this, as crowds of people came to Jesus for healing, Jesus never once said NO.

Lead

If we want to lead people to Christ we need to learn how to lead and before we try and lead others, we must first learn to lead ourselves.  Leading yourself is the preparation part of learning to become a great leader.  Preparation takes time.  Jesus started his ministry by not eating for 40 days.  Fasting is a great tool to putting you in charge.  When we don’t eat, we are sending a message to our body that it is not the boss of us.  Your body has lots of different desires, but you need to show it who’s in charge.  Your mind as well likes to think about things it just shouldn’t be thinking about.  Once again, you must remember that you are in charge, and you can tell your mind what to think.  Sometimes your emotions might tell you you’re in a bad mood and that just makes everyone around miserable, but remember, you’re the boss.  Tell your emotions to be submitted to God’s word.  This is learning how to lead yourself.  After Jesus fasted he was tempted, but Jesus was prepared, and he didn’t listen to the devil.  Instead, he quoted the word.  So call in your body, your mind, and your emotions into your office for a meeting, tell them you’re in charge now.  As you follow Christ, then lead!

The Battle

The Israelites have a big battle to fight, and they are greatly outnumbered.  The king, Jehosaphat, sends out his worshippers first.  He tells them to praise and worship God.  Well that seems a bit confusing, sending the musicians ahead of the army.  Who sends the band out ahead of the soldiers?  People must have thought he was crazy, I’ll bet the band was a bit freaked out by it.  But it works, as they begin to worship the Lord, thanking Him for His goodness, the enemy is defeated without the Israelite army having to raise a finger.  You have battles in life.  A key to being a winner is to Praise and Worship God in the midst of trouble.  It’s easy to be thankful to God when everything is great, anyone can do that.  Being thankful when it looks like all is lost, and you’re really freaked out, that’s what I’m talking about.  Praise and Worship doesn’t exist just to start off a church service, or for your musical entertainment, Praise and Worship is there to help you and to have God help you.  Who wouldn’t want help from God.  So the next time you are in a battle, try looking to God and thanking Him, even sing HIM a song, and watch everything clear up, God style.

Jesus Said

Listen, what goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, what comes out of his mouth is what makes him unclean.  What kind of stuff comes out of your mouth?  Do you find yourself saying things like “I hate that guy”, or “did you here what you know who did?”  Or do you sometimes expect the worst with your words, and say things like “OH bad stuff always happens to me” or “I’m a moron”, or “I can’t do it”.  Maybe what comes out of your mouth isn’t the truth, especially when your trying to come up with an excuse to keep you out of trouble.  “Officer, you must be mistaken, I wasn’t speeding” Be careful of what you say.  The word says that out of the abundance of a man’s heart the mouth speaks.  Change your confession, that is, change the way you talk.  You think quite often that you are only describing your circumstances in life, but the truth is, you are creating your circumstances with your words.  Instead of saying “I feel down and depressed”, say, “I’m getting happy.”  If you want things to get better, you start by speaking it.   Say good things about yourself, your situations, your friends, and your God, and watch your life take a turn for the better.

Eating Better

The devil likes to mess with what kind of things you eat.  No really.  Think about the very first temptation.  It was about food.  How about a little tasty fruit?  The devil tempted Eve with the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.  Never eat a piece of fruit that has a name that long.  But Eve fell for it.  And how about when the devil came and tempted Jesus, the first thing he brought up was food.  He told Jesus to turn the rock into bread.  But Jesus wasn’t buying it.  The devil would love it if you wasted your body away on twinkies and soda.  But, you’ve got a lot of stuff to get done here on earth, so you need to take care of your body.  You would never put a bunch of junk in your car gas tank and then expect it to get you where you want to go.  I’m not saying we should eat gas, I’m saying we should eat better.  So stop shoving in whatever is convenient, fast, or tastes good.  If you can control your body enough to eat right, you can probably over come anything.  Can I take your order, yeah give me a number 1 with fries and uhh, hey is that thing still recording, turn it off..

Go and Make Disciples of All Nations

Hmm, what to do today.  What to wear?  What time do I have to get up?  And I have to make disciples of all nations to?  Our lives are way to busy for us to stop and think about making disciples of all nations.  Attempting to change the world, that is a bit overwhelming, might even seem impossible.  Lucky, nothing is impossible to God.  You can change your world, by starting in YOUR world, that is, the people and places you are around.  Start there.  So how do you reach the people in your world?  Start by inviting those people to church.  Which means, of course, you have to have a church.  And begin to pray.  Its very important to Pray for your family members and friends.  God will make Himself just as real to those you know as he has made Himself real to you.  Also, don’t be afraid to tell your story, how did Jesus change you?  We are all concerned about our unsaved family and friends, but it’s not enough to want to share the gospel with others, you’ve gotta do something about it.  I’m inspiring you to come up with a plan of action, and take action.  It shouldn’t just be something you think about in passing, it should be part of your daily focus.

The Devil Just Needs You to Believe One Lie

Genesis 3:  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals –That’s right.  The devil is sneaky.  And he starts talking Eve into eating the fruit that they were not to eat.  And the devil convinces her, saying   “You will not surely die.  For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you be like God, knowing good and evil”  Hmm.  First of all if a snake ever starts talking to you, don’t listen. Adam and Eve were made in God’s likeness and image, so the serpent was using God’s truth and making it into a lie.   To win the Devil just needed Eve to believe this one lie; “You can be like God”.  And that’s what makes the devil so sneaky.  He just needs to get you to believe one lie.  He just wants you to think its okay to get just a little drunk.  Or he might tell you … that hey, the bible doesn’t say not to do meth.  Or he might try and convince you your husband doesn’t love you anymore.  Eve eats the fruit, and gives some to Adam, and it cost mankind 4000 years of bondage.  Remember, if temptation comes, ask yourself, is that crafty devil trying to trap me?  Cause the answer is yes. 

Upon This Rock

So Jesus ascends to the heavens after being raised from the dead, and He leaves His disciples with an assignment. So what did they do, I mean, what did they dedicate the rest of their days on earth doing. And then Paul joins in and helps, but helps with what? What was Peter doing, what was the purpose of the letters, who were they for? What did Paul do? What was John doing? James? They were all doing the same thing, each of them were planting churches, growing churches, writing letters to churches, training up leaders of churches, teaching in the churches, and telling people about Jesus, and as these people were saved they would organize them into a church. This is what Jesus left for them, he said to Peter in Matthew 16, upon this rock I will build my church. These were great men of God carrying out their assignment. You also can carry this torch, we can learn from the early Apostles and gain focus of what to do today and tomorrow, let's grow the local church.  It's the body of Christ, even the bride of Christ. Think today, what you can do to help grow your church, and if you aren't in one, well pray and ask God to help you find one.

Cheery Heart

Proverbs 17:22 says that 'a cheerful heart is good medicine." When do you need medicine? Well, when you aren't feeling good. Headache? Feeling sick. Stuffy nose? I can't stand a stuffy nose. Or how about when your heart is feeling sick, down, or broken. Medicine is a fix for an ailment. Here the scripture doesn't describe what sickness a cheerful heart is good medicine for, So God is saying that it is good medicine for whatever is going on. I guess the difficult part is how to have a cheerful heart when you’re not feeling good. I mean the over all idea of not feeling good is very anti cheerful. God is showing us that a cheerful heart is something you choose,  not because you feel like it, but because you know it's the right thing to do. In fact, ever notice how medicine usually tastes nasty? So it might be the same. What I mean is, when you are down the last thing you want is to take some cheery heart as medicine. So how you feeling? Do you need some medicine, well, put the pepto away, plug your nose, and drink a hot cup of cheery heart. Goes down rough, but you'll be feeling happy in no time.  Now take your medicine!

Light

If you're looking for something at night, what do you need? Well a light. And for searching, the more light the better. According to John 1, Jesus, is the word of God, and light. The Word of God is the bible, and it is described as a lamp unto my feet. Now listen to this: Proverbs 20:27 says "The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man, it searches out his inmost being." For searching we need a lamp, the lamp of the Lord is the bible. Okay, so what is going on in your inmost being? Well I'm not sure, but it would be good to know, since it's you. Now lots of people try and search for themselves, trying to find out who they really are. But who you really are is only going to be revealed by the one who created you. And the tool He has given you is the bible. It is the lamp you need to reveal yourself. What can you do? What are you capable of? What is it you really want, or what are you here to do? What is your purpose? All good questions, but as you search make sure you grab your light, the bible.

Forsaken

2 Jeremiah 2:13 "My people have committed two sins; they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, cisterns that cannot hold water." You know, it isn't a new thing that sometimes even God's people walk away from him. People try and do life on their own, or have a better idea. Or maybe get discouraged, or even decide that the pleasures of this world are more fun. But eventually they find out that without Jesus, the cistern in them runs dry. This may be you. You knew God, but you walked away, for this reason or that. Truth is, your not a bad person, you are in a world that has a lot of wrong thinking, and it can be hard to come out of that. But it is not by accident that you are listening to this today. The well within yourself is running dry, but Jesus has a spring of living water for you. God has called you to come home. Sometimes the people of God forsake God, but remember that God will never forsake you. The blood of Jesus has reconciled you to God; right now you can have a brand new beginning with God. Tell God right now, Lord forgive me, I hear you calling, and I'm coming home.

What Do I Mean By Worldly?

Young people listen up, if you’re gonna get married one day, then you need to know that who you marry is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Let me ask you a question; is the worlds system for marriage working? Well, ok, no it isn't. The world’s ideas for dating and marriage are broken, the system has failed. God's system for marriage works wonderfully. His very first marriage He designed was Adam and Eve, and at that time divorce rate was down to 0%. Marriage lasted. I would guess Adam and Eve were married at least 900 years. That's a long time to make it work. Most Americans can't make it past 15 years. When Jacob was going to go find a wife, His Mom and Dad said "Do not marry a Canaanite woman." OK, so here is who you don't marry. A Canaanite was symbolic of the world, so what he was saying is to NOT marry a worldly girl. That includes the really really pretty fun girls who are worldly. Rats. What do I mean by worldly... ahh, actually you know exactly what I mean by worldly. Pray for your future spouse, and follow God's plan, a woman who fears God, who is strong in moral character, this is a woman who will love you for a lifetime.

Speak the Solution

When Jesus healed he never spoke the problem, He would speak the solution. Eyes open. Lame, get up and walk. Leprosy, be clean. He told the problem what it needed to do, instead of describing the gloom. Remember the storm as it raged on,  Jesus rebuked it and said Peace Be Still. Christ asked us to follow him, so this is an example for us.  When we talk about the problem, it makes us feel worse. Isaiah 8:20 says it like this "If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn, Distressed and hungry they will roam through the land." It goes on to say that all of the stress and hunger will cause them to curse the King and God. Well we don't ever want to be so worked up that we get mad at God. Look at what the word tells us to do; it says to speak according to this word, the word being the bible. Well then what does the bible say. It says you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus; you are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, blessed coming in and blessed going out. Ah, speak that kind of stuff, obey God with your mouth and watch stuff change.

Eyes of Man

Proverbs 27:20 "Death and destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man." What are you looking at? Our eyes are capable of always seeing something we want more than what we have. For this reason, they cannot be satisfied. And when you are not satisfied, well, your not happy. God has a better plan. He tells us to walk by faith, and not by sight. Our faith is satisfied by the Lord. Fulfillment can only come from God, whom we cannot see. Your eyes might try to find someone prettier than who your with, a nicer car than the one you're driving, a better suit, a bigger house, more more more more, me me me me, and if you let your eyes lead, they will take you to death and destruction, to always feeling like you don't have what you want. Instead, what does God want, well, He wants to grow the local church, the body of Christ, to get His word out, He wants for you to give, serve, and love Him and others. It's  Funny but true, your eyes will lie to you, and seeing isn't always believing. Close your eyes, and follow God. Unless your driving right now, then keep your eyes open cuz, you know, your driving.

Let Another Praise You

Whatever you are doing today, be great at it. Let your trying, your perseverance, your ability to not give up be a part of who you are. You are capable of greatness, God created you that way, and then, when your greatness shows up to talk about you, well, instead, talk about God. Say you score that goal, ace that test, or win that contract or you help carry someone’s load, encourage another to win, or buy some shoes for a kid that needs them, well, Let's say you win big, wisdom teaches us in the word to not go advertising your goodness, just be good. Let your actions speak for themselves. Proverbs 27:2 says "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth". Save your words for encouraging and cheering on others, no need to toot your own horn. When you hit the game winning shot, tell everyone it was the team that won, not you. Truth is you are a child of the King; you are going to win big. When you do, send the glory to God, encourage others. Now Wasn't that a great taking a minute today, man I am really on lately, high five for my mad skills... oh wait, uh uh.

Complete the Mission

So Jesus is out teaching and healing and some Pharisees come by and tell him that he better leave or Herod, the leader of that region, was going to have him killed.  So in Luke 13:32 Jesus replies, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today, and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’  Jesus here is immoveable from what He has decided to do, and no threat is going to change that.  He had a goal.  I mean, He had a big goal of dying for the sins of the world, but here we also see that He had set a three day goal.  What is your three day goal this week?  Jesus described His goal as something he was going to reach.  The very idea of reaching something means it may be a stretch. Jesus goal was to help others.  And notice that this interruption from the Pharisees didn’t distract him from His goal.  When we set goals that we have to reach for, goals to help others, we need to remember that obstacles may come our way, distractions, or even mountains may try and stop us.  When a mountain comes your way, well, remember Jesus words, “Go tell that fox that I will reach my goal.”  And you will!

The New You

Transition is the movement from one area to another. It's like moving to another home. Living in one home is fine, living in the next home is fine, the moving part is a lot of work. Transition is usually a short period of time with intense work. And the more baggage you bring through transition, the harder it becomes. A baby moving from being in the womb to being born is the labor of transition. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus comes to some fisher men and says "come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Notice they did not hesitate, and also notice they left their nets behind. That means no going back to that old way of life; they were done with the nets. When we choose to follow Christ we too need to let go of our old way of life, our old nets, our old thinking. The more we try and bring with us, the harder it will become to follow Him.  The old girlfriend may not accept the new you, and your partying habits may not be what’s best for you right now.  If your nets are keeping you in the past, well put em down, make the transition, start brand new today.

Work Work Work

You ever work and work and work and then it just doesn't seem to amount to anything? Well, one of the things that happened when  Adam sinned was that God told Adam that as he worked, the earth would no longer produce for him. Thorns and thistles is all that you get Adam. Psalms 67 teaches us another way though... It says in verse 5 "May the people praise you, Oh God. Then the land will yield it’s harvest." Ah ha, I just had an Ah Ha moment. We want our work to grow into that harvest. We want our work to produce, to make a difference, to be successful.  But the fact is most of us think of praising God after the big blessing comes in, but here God shows us His plan, and it sounds different than our plan. He says that we should praise Him first. Then after the praising the harvest comes in. God wants to be thanked even before we see the blessing, or the victory. And you know why He is giving us this secret today, well, it’s because He's excited to see you win, He's excited for your harvest, He wants you to succeed.  Then when that harvest comes in, well, to be God be the glory. 

Doing What You are Told

Esther 2:10 “But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecia had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.”  Okay, so Esther is doing what the guy who raised her told her to do.  Now not every kid does what Mom or Dad says.  But listen to this, her following this one, kind of strange order, ends up being key to winning, it saves her life, and the life of the entire nation of Israel.  She could’ve said “hey, I don’t have to do what you say,” or “I’m not ashamed of where I came from, I’m not hiding…”  It was a weird rule this guy had given her, but she did it.  Sometimes those older people who tell us what to do, know some things we don’t.  It doesn’t say she totally understood why, it just says she did what he said, as normal.  Like she usually did what he said.  Sometimes the voice of God plays out through the voice of those who are trying to help us, who love us.  If she hadn’t listened, if she had said “well I don’t agree”, well, she might have lost everything.  Okay, so now you have to do what I say… oh well, just kidding.