Mark 9: 28-29 James 5:16 12/27/2016

"After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”

This is a critical truth to begin a new year...  To be powerful, you must learn to pray.

The Disciples had been casting out demons and healing people successfully, until they met this boy. Then they learned that some demons are harder to deal with than others... there are degrees of maliciousness to sin.

They encountered a demon that had been with the boy for a very long time.  It controlled him, endangered him, it even tried to kill him .... and those who loved him, could do nothing. 

That situation sounds familiar to all of us.  We have all had circumstances like this in our lives, and the lives of those we love.  Jesus was clear...learn to pray!

But when Jesus says pray, He is not referring to the "now I lay me down to sleep" type prayer,  He is referring to the  "in the garden of Gethsemane, bleeding because of the intensity" type prayer.  He is talking about falling in front of God in faith, and calling out for His help, with no intention of stopping until something happens.  It is powerful, exhilarating, and exhausting.

When Christians kneel we are going to DEFCON 1... we are putting in the nuclear codes, and there is no plan for retreat.  There is no plan B. When all else fails, even what has worked in the past...when it seems you have no hope for the fight ahead.... remember these words... “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”...so commit to prayer.

When we get to Heaven the names of those who changed the world will not be those we expect.
It will be the grandmothers, and grandfathers...the solitary people with calluses on their knees that swayed the battles here on earth. These are the quiet soldiers whose prayers broke the chains of countless prisoners. Enlist ... become a prayer warrior and help those you love go free.

This year can be different if we learn to pray.

"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
- God
James 5:16

John 19:30 12/20/2016*9*

 “…Jesus said “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit.”

We discussed this verse last Easter, but it deserves consideration at Christmas. 
What was finished at Calvary, began 33 years earlier in Jerusalem. What Christ finished on the Cross, God had begun in a manger.  

In November of 1992 my first child was born.  That December was the first time I understood Christmas.  It was the first time I got an inkling of what we celebrate.  Holding my son in my arms made God's gift seem incomprehensible, and I began to see Christmas in a new light. There was no joy in Heaven that first Christmas…That was the deployment of a rescue mission ...the joy came at Easter when it was finished. 

This Christmas season we need to consider the agonizing, choice an all-knowing God made for us.

Beginning the process of redemption, knowing full well, it would end at the Cross is an act of unequaled love.  Joy to the world, was heartbreak to the Father...if you ever questioned your value in God's eyes, Christmas is His answer.

This holiday season, fall to your knees and worship a God who on that first Christmas, knowing the cost, chose to give His only begotten son … whom He loves…so you and I would not perish but live with Him forever.  What an amazing God…what amazing grace.

That was the “good news of great joy” the angels proclaimed
… and it is the only Christmas gift that matters.

"The difference between Christianity and other religions. Is the difference between Works and Grace, or Do and Done."
Rick Warren

Luke 5:18-20 12/13/2016

"Just then, some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus, but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus."

Do you have friends like that?...more importantly, are you that kind of friend?  

Are you willing to damage property, interrupt a meeting, and risk public ridicule, to get your friend in front of Jesus? ... We can't carry people to Jesus on a mat today,  but we can put them there by getting on our knees.  Are your prayers placing your friends "in front of Jesus"?

Scripture doesn't record it, but when they lowered their buddy, I bet Jesus looked up at their faces staring down from the hole in the ceiling, and smiled and gave them a wink.  I believe that, because the next verse says "When Jesus saw their faith, He said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'” ... "   Did you notice it said "THEIR faith", not only the paralyzed man's faith, but that of his friends as well. 

That elevates the importance of friendship to a new level.   Social media has minimized the word "friend" but these verses makes being a friend serious business.  It means if you have friends who are struggling with physical, spiritual, or emotional paralysis ... your faith can play a part in Jesus telling them to get up and walk.

It will impact you as well...the paralytic was not the only one whose life was changed that day. 

This holiday season more people need friends than gifts. And if you're going to be a friend, be one like these guys.  

Be the friend that says "Hey, what if we dug a hole in the roof ? ..." Be the friend willing to do whatever it takes.  Be a prayer warrior for your buddies.  Let the people you love, know they are more important than your schedule, your reputation, or your list of things to do today.

True friends are life altering ...  Love big, pray hard, and do something extravagant for someone ... it will change their life, and it will also change yours. 

"Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Matthew 13:7 Matthew 13:22 12/6/2016

Matthew 13:7 - "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants."

Since Jesus is teaching about the impact the Word of God has in our lives, we should ask what He means by thorns that render it ineffective.

The Apostles had the same question, so a few verses later Jesus explains.  "The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22 ) 

So the obvious question is, what thorns do you allow in your garden?...Apparently they fall into two categories....worries about problems...and confidence that your wealth can solve those problems. Both distract from God, and choke the work you are doing for His Kingdom.

Both of these types of thorns destroy by stealing nutrients, and they share a common trait... they take the focus off of God and put it squarely on you.  Lack of confidence, and over confidence, are two sides of the same coin called self-centeredness.  Whether you are wrapped up in your ability, or your inability to control your life  -  the results are  the same.

The problem with thorns and weeds is that they multiply if they are not removed. 

This week evaluate your garden.  What is taking your focus off of God?  What is stealing nutrients from your walk with Christ?  Is there anything you tolerate in your heart that moves the spotlight from Jesus, to you?...If there is - rip it out by the roots. 

Be intentional about what is planted in your heart, and militant about what you allow to grow there.  If it doesn't put your eyes on Christ, it is a "thorn".  It is choking the power of your faith and making it ineffective...eliminate it.

"Satan is not fighting churches; he is joining them. He does more harm by sowing tares than by pulling up wheat.". - Vance Havner

2 Corinthians 3:3 11/29/2016

2 Corinthians 3:3  "Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This letter is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts."

Where are your people?...Who is your letter?

If you can't answer that question you have some work to do. 

The great commission says to make disciples, and that takes action.  You have to do that on purpose. It may be one, or it may be one million,  but you should have people you pray for, counsel with, and minister to, in order to facilitate God writing on their hearts.  

You can start today.  

There are hospitals, retirement homes, and shelters full of hearts ready to be written on...God may have people in your home, neighborhood, at your office, or in your social circle, that have hearts in need of a letter from Christ...but it won't happen by accident. You have to love them, and love means action.

This holiday season look around as you give gifts ....make sure you find people to whom you can pass on the greatest gift ever given.  Let the result of your ministry be hearts that are changed by the grace, forgiveness, and joy that Christ gave when he redeemed us from sin.

That is the reason you are here.....Let God use you to change the world...one heart at a time
...that should be the result of your ministry, so get busy. 

“Strategy without execution is hallucination.”
― Mike Roach

1 Samuel 17:34 11/22/2016

1 Samuel 17:34-35  - "But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth."

This is seldom the verse we start with when we are discussing David's encounter with Goliath, but this is where the story begins.

As a young man David spent countless hours, by himself in the wilderness watching his fathers sheep. This lonely job was without status, or glamour, and yet God used it to prepare David for one of the greatest military victories ever recorded.

Unbeknownst to David his solitary hours of practice with a slingshot would one day be used to set in motion events that would transform him from a shepherd boy to a King.

What boring, mundane job is God using to prepare you for service in His Kingdom?....Like David, you don't know.  What you consider incidental may be the very thing God uses to bring glory to Himself.

Live your life aware that it is in bigger hands than yours.  Understand that there are no accidents, and no minor projects.  If God brings a job to you, do it with all your might.  Never question its worth or importance.  You have no idea what God may be planning to do with it.    The job you can't stand, or the nucense project you are so frustrated with, may be the thing God uses to change the very trajectory of your life.

Just do it well, and trust God with the results.

"Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation."
Robert H. Schuller

Philippians 2:14-15 11/15/2016

Philippians 2:14-15 ^"Do everything without grumbling or arguing,  so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky" 

What an important verse for us today.

Sometimes as Christians, we get on our high horse, and start loudly pointing out the unfairness, and filth in our culture.

The problem is, we are never heard...why would we be heard among all the grumbling and complaining from every other sector of society?

This verse tells us to be different.   This verse says that if we will stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and start reflecting the calm, confidence of our Father, the world will take notice.

What would happen if today your eliminated anything that could be considered negative from your conversations.  What if instead of being cynical and edgy, you were positive and uplifting. What if you did EVERYTHING without grumbling or arguing?

According to this scripture people would notice.  This verse says that you would shine like a beautiful star in a cold, dark, winters night.

You will never lead someone to a saving faith in Christ by bludgeoning them with your self-righteousness. They will not hear a single word until you show them you are different....so be different.

Remove grumbling and arguing from your repertoire, and replace it with a purity and blamelessness. That will make you different, and allow you to cut through the darkness and shine a light on the Cross.

"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
- Marcus Aurelius

Phil 3:13-14 11/8/2016

Phil 3:13-14  "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus"

God says we should have a short memory.  Our energy should be focused on what's in front of us.

Whether you just dropped the ball, or caught the touchdown...forget it.
It doesn't define you either way, and what lies behind is not your focus.

Many of us waste precious time hashing over the mistakes we have made in life.  Yet the best soldiers come from the most terrible battles. God says He "comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled,..."(2 Cor 1:4)  Those mistakes you made that the enemy wanted to destroy you with,  have been turned into tools.  You can use them to pull your fallen brother up, as you were pulled up. Failures only give us empathy for others, and deep appreciation for amazing grace.

The other side of the coin is true as well. If you have been blessed enough recently to succeed...forget it.  The enemy is still prowling around like a lion waiting to steal, kill, and destroy. The landscape is littered with ministries that were "taken out" in their prime. You stay focused.  You lean into the tape...You strain toward the goal.

Forget what lies behind. As Christians we are to be forward thinkers.  We don't have time to worry about the past, when our God has plans to give us a "future and a hope" Jer. 29:11.

Your goal this week is to focus on that future. Your goal is to live out that hope.  There will be many distractions but you press on toward the goal...nothing matters but what God has for you to do today...get it done with a heart that directs the world to Christ.

"The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future."
Oscar Wilde

Matthew 9:36 11/1/2016

Matthew 9:36 "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

The crowds that came to see Jesus were comprised of various types of people.  Some who supported Him, some who didn't.  Some were apathetic and some were hostile towards Him.  Yet His heart hurt for them all because He knew they were harassed and helpless.

Are we that confident and perceptive?  Do we have compassion on the crowds because we know they are lost?  Or do we have contempt for them because they oppose us?   

Jesus' view came from a position of strength.  He was not threatened or intimidated by their opposition because He was confident in the truth.  Are we?  Are we secure enough in our faith to be more concerned about someones eternity, than our reputation?  Does our heart break for the things that break God's heart? Or do we become angry and defensive when we are disrespected?

Are we reacting to people, or responding to God?

As Christians we sometimes feel the need to "protect" our faith, when in reality it can defend itself. Your faith is like a pet lion...if you let it out of it's cage, it will have no need of protection.

Jesus was able to focus on the needs of others without fear because He was confident in the Love of His Father.

The Crowd will always be like a Chihuahua barking at a doberman... trying to give the impression that they are brave and secure...when in reality, like the little dog, they are scared to death. Have compassion on them. They are harassed and helpless, and you have the only truth powerful enough to set them free.

"Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world."
Francis Schaeffer

Galatians 5:22-23 10/26/2016

Galatians 5:22  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."

When we accept Christ,  we receive the Holy Spirit of God and become His children. This is what rescues us from the "body of death" Paul refers to in Romans, and it is what changes us
.... in this verse God defines what that change should look like.

This is your spiritual thermometer.  It doesn't matter how much you give to the church, how often you attend, or how hard you work...these attributes are what is expected and what gives your life power.

So let's take our temperature.  Let's assume we are all eager to attain  love, joy and peace, but what about the last seven?

Patience?  We are a society of instant gratification with little to no attention span.

Kindness?  Mention the political candidate your voting for and see how that goes.

Goodness? We can't even define it, as there is no accepted moral code.

Faithfulness?  that has been "missing in action"  from the boardroom to the bedroom for years.

And if you want to see the opposite of gentleness and self-control - try merging onto the freeway.

That's the bad news ... The good news is  - a price was paid to make this fruit available to you. You can live differently than the world .. You have been GIVEN the ability to live out the fruit of the Spirit in your life.

I dare you to access that ability for one week.

Start today with Patience.  Set your phone to remind you  throughout the day to deliberately work on being patient with your family, friends, and co-workers. Tomorrow is Kindness, won't that surprise a few people?  Next is goodness...and continue through the week.

If you will  intentionally pursue the fruit of the Spirit each day for just one week.  I assure you, you will never be satisfied with a small, powerless, self centered life again.

"The fruit of the Spirit is not push, drive, climb, grasp and trample. Life is more than a climb to the top of the heap."
- Richard Foster