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Little rules that keep churches little

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Rule #1: No Coffee in the Sanctuary

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There are different reasons why churches come up with this kind of rule. Maybe they are concern that the carpet or seats will get ruined by spilled coffee. Maybe it’s the false notion that eating or drinking in God’s house is irreverent. Maybe it’s the excuse that it is distracting to see others drink a cup of coffee in the house of God.

Whatever the reason, in my opinion – it is completely ridiculous. Would you feel the same if I brought a bottle of water into the sanctuary? Would you really be distracted if I took a sip of water from my water battle? I don’t really think so.

I am sure some of these folks mean well. They don’t want spills, distractions, irreverence etc…  Like the 89-year-old woman in my congregation who consistently asks visitors and church members to take their coffee out of the sanctuary. Unfortunately, well-meaning people always act out of a misinformed, zeal without knowledge, religious spirit with no basis in the gospel.

Quite frankly, if you read the Bible well, you will see that our faith is a breaking bread kind of faith. It is a grab a cup of coffee, sit down, let’s listen to the master, kind of faith. It is a wait for the others, pass the bread and the cup and lets fellowship one with another.

Imagine a first time visitor being told, “you can’t take a cup of coffee into the sanctuary.” Or imagine him/her being asked to go out of the sanctuary to drink his/her cup of coffee? I would never return to that church, if that happens to me. That’s why little churches remain little.

It is time for churches to get rid of that rule and allow each person the freedom and personal conviction to make such a decision.

Thanks for reading. I am sure you have an opinion, so please leave a comment or join the conversation.

 

Praying the Word: Parent Edition

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Effective praying is precision praying. Prayer is most effective when it has as its backbone reliable substance in the word of God. The Bible says that when God sends forth the rain, He aims for a precise result. The same is with the word of God, after it is sent forth, it does not return to God void. It accomplishes exactly what it was sent forth to accomplish. Scripture even assures us that God watches over his word to perform with razor precision what He intended.

It is therefore imperative that when we pray, we pray with precision. When we pray we must pray God’s word. In this series, I would like to take us on a journey, an adventure to discover the power of precision praying.

I will seek to show you examples of how to pray for various aspects of our lives. So today, I would like for us to begin with the privilege of parenting. Recently my status as a father was upgraded to father of not one, but two teenagers – both of whom are girls.

It is an absolute joy raising my girls together with my wife who is incredibly phenomenal with them. But I have come under an acute awareness that I need to adjust my prayer strategy to something more than – “just bless them Lord!” I need to become a bit more precise as the kind of blessing I want God to release in their lives.

In The Spiritual Warrior’s Prayer Guide, Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, describe how we can take the word of God and apply it to “every area of life, whether in illness, financial trouble, depression, concern for wayward loved ones, unemployment, or spiritual confusion.”

Take a look at what they outline in their book about how exactly parents can pray for their children:

  • That Jesus Christ be formed in our children (see Galatians 4:19);
  • That our children—the seed of the righteous—will be delivered from the evil one (see Proverbs 11:21, KJV; Matthew 6:13);
  • That our children will be taught of the Lord and their peace will be great (see Isaiah 54:13);
  • That they will train themselves to discern good from evil and have a good conscience toward God (see Hebrews 5:14; 1 Peter 3:21);
  • That God’s laws will be in their minds and on their hearts (see Hebrews 8:10);
  • That they will choose companions who are wise—not fools, nor sexually immoral, nor drunkards, nor idolaters, nor slanderers, nor swindlers (see Proverbs 13:20; 1 Corinthians 5:11);
  • That they will remain sexually pure and keep themselves only for their spouse, asking God for His grace to keep such a commitment (see Ephesians 5:3,31-33);
  • That they will honor their parents (see Ephesians 6:1-3).

In short, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” and we are going to pray for our children, we must pray the word.  Usually this phrase (word of God) in Hebrews refers to the message of salvation, but here the “word” is pictured as God’s personal utterance. It is living and active. When we speak God’s personal utterance over our children in prayer, that word comes alive – it actively pierces and provokes their innermost thoughts and intentions. When we expose our children to the word of God, and bathe that word in precision prayer, the results are dynamic and powerful. So I encourage you not only teach them the word of God, use that word with precision in prayer.

 

Isaiah 55:11

Hebrews 4:12

Whispers 

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If I were to give you a list of lies that we, the devil and our culture tell us, I’m afraid I will not have enough space in this post to sufficiently name every one. I don’t know if you and I can even go a day or a minute without hearing some lie – something, someone, lurking in secret places is whispering.

The Psalmist says, “For I hear the whispering of many – terror on every side!”

Maybe all you’ve heard all your life or all you’re hearing now are as follows:

  • God is so mad at you…
  • You are damaged goods – you’re ugly and nobody likes you…
  • You will never be a part of us. To fit in, to be accepted – you have to be this size or that color.
  • You need to listen to that voice on the inside that is telling you that you are something other than who God made you biologically.
  • The other shoe is about to drop… everybody is out to get you… the devil is behind every bush…
  • You’ve got to give it to him to prove that you love him… that way you get a shot at a marriage proposal.
  • A little pot won’t hurt… a little party won’t kill… one time click or a second look won’t destroy… flirting is just innocent fun – you’re not doing anything bad…

The lists, the whispers could go on forever.

One of the greatest battles you will ever fight – is the battle between truth and lies. Too many of us lose that battle everyday to the “father of all lies – Satan the devil.” He tells us lies about our heavenly father, about sin, about ourselves and about the world.

I can say with utmost certainty that each one of us have, at some point, believed a lie from either our culture about our sexuality, about money, about politics, or even how to raise a family.

One reason why the enemy is so successful and why we fall for his lies, is because of the very nature of the lies. Scripture says that the devil is tricky, sly, cunning and manipulative. He deals in deception – always casting doubt in our minds about what God said or didn’t say.

I believe in order to defeat him we must fight him with the very truth he tries to undermine. Jesus said in John 8:32, “if you know the truth, the truth shall set you free.”

The way we know the truth is, one, by knowing the one who is truth, and two, by allowing the word of truth to saturate our being.

That’s why it is important to not only to read the word of God, it is also important to meditate upon it. We must not only meditate upon the word, we must also hide the word in our hearts by way of memorization.

Memorizing scripture helps us:

  • Resist temptations (Psalm 119:11).
  • It helps us make wise decisions (Psalm 119:105).
  • It helps us identify and extinguish every lie of the enemy (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), and wage effective spiritual warfare (Isaiah 54:17).

Allow me to point out two verses here in Psalm 31 that describe how to deal with falsehood, lies and negative voices:

Psalm 31:5 says, “Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”

Psalm 31:18 says, “Let the lying lips be mute…”

1/. You must commit your spirit to the Lord of truth. In other words, you must know Him and avail you heart and mind to His complete control. His word must dwell within you richly. His Spirit must have unrestrained access.

2/. As the word of God and the Spirit of truth rule your heart and mind, you will be able to not only discern falsehood but your will also be equipped to silence the lies of the enemy.

So, the question to us is – what lies, falsehood or negative voices need to be silenced today?

The way to continued and sustained victory is clear… take those steps today and stay free.

Habitation vs Visitation

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Have you ever heard someone pray for God’s visitation? “Visit us, Lord!” Have you ever prayed that prayer? I have prayed the prayer before, and one of my all time, old school worship song is entitled, “Visit Us.” So, I am not trying to scold anyone for praying for God to come near to where they are.

Depending on what one may actually be praying for, I think it important to pray for habitation instead of His visitation. For several reasons, I will explain. But for starters, what does the bible have to say about God’s visitation?

Visitation carries a biblical idea of God coming to deliver us from captivity, bondage, slavery, darkness or sin. Also, the Lord visits us to show us acts of kindness, care, and love. (Exodus 3:16; 4:31; Jeremiah 27:22; 29:10; Luke 1:68, 78, 79; Ruth 1:6; Job 10:12; Luke 19:44). It also carries the biblical idea of an investigation, a probing and consequently a reckoning or judgment for sin or rebellion. (Isaiah 10:3; Jeremiah 8:12; Hosea 9:7).

Visitation is twofold when it comes to God’s acts of salvation. One is a temporal earthly visitation that yields blessings, salvation, redemption. In other words, when you believe and receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, Romans 8:23 says, you receive a deposit – the first fruit of His Spirit. This is a foretaste of glory divine or the first installment of our eternal salvation. The fullness of this salvation will come on that day when Jesus comes back for His church. But, for others, this will be an eschatological visit of judgment on the final day.

I believe, however, when it comes to God’s visitation in revival, renewal, and times of refreshing and manifestations of His Spirit, a visit is always meant to awaken us to His desire for habitation.

God wants His Spirit to remain on us and grow in increasing measures – from glory to glory. John 1:32 says, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. John also goes on to say, “For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34).

God’s visitation is an invitation for us to build for Him, a habitation.

  • When God comes in His power
  • When God comes in His glory
  • When God comes with resurrection life
  • When God releases His anointing
  • When He pours out His rivers of living waters upon me
  • When He brings revival and spiritual awakening

I don’t want Him to pack the house and leave. I want His to stay. Not for one week or two weeks – I want Him to stay.

Revival is not just a sudden move of God, but a decisive, broken and constant surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His mighty power.

  • I am looking forward to the day when we will not only call people to revival meetings and encounters with God, but also teach and mentor people how to maintain the fire so that it doesn’t go out, keep the glory so that it doesn’t fade.
  • I am looking forward to the day when we can actually become hosts, dwelling places for God’s spirit.
  • I am looking forward to the day when we can become carriers of His presence everywhere we go, instead of just seeking for it everywhere.
  • I acknowledge that there are repeated times in the book of Acts where the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 4:8, 31; 6:3; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 52). This is not to say that they had let the Spirit’s fire die, that they need him to awaken them again. These Holy Spirit encounters were for special occasions when they had a task ahead of them, a challenge they faced or a holy boldness even when threatened with death.

Revival isn’t seasonal, it’s a lifestyle.

God’s desire is that we receive and welcome His Holy Spirit in our lives and create an atmosphere for Him to feel comfortable in. There is a repeated call to “not grieve the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 4:32). In 1 Thessalonians 5:19 it says, do not “put out the Spirit’s fire.” In short, God intends for His Spirit to dwell within us in increasing measures. Here are three ways to make that happen:

Make yourself a House for His habitation

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, Do you not know that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit within you? We were made to host God’s presence. Whether we realize it or not, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God wants to dwell there. We are called to make our house a home for Him.

Clean your House for His habitation

Ephesians 5:18 says, Therefore, do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. (The present tense of this verse says, “keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit). Our bodies need to now become a suitable place for God to dwell by His Spirit. It is our responsibility to cooperate with Him to keep a clean house.

Behold the glory in the face of Jesus for a daily increase

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18. People who are serious about habitation and sparking revival everywhere they go, want to know how to grow from glory to glory. The answer is simple – behold the glory in the face of Jesus on a daily basis and you will grow from glory to glory.

Pray for habitation rather than visitation

Ephesians 2:22 says, “In him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” We should desire more than just a hair standing on my skin or goosebump experience. We should desire an ever-deepening and growing relationship with the presence of God in our lives. We must pray for habitation, not just visitation.

 

Culture is not Expensive to Create

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I spoke this morning at a Youth With A Mission Base in Northern California to a small group of hungry, looking for revival, kingdom builders. I shared a bit about myself, my mission and my church.

It was a very cold morning, but together, we enjoyed what we felt was a unique opportunity to partner with local churches to see a new move of God in their communities.

Various people from that group spoke up to confirm what we were feeling through unique and timely testimonies of what the Lord was saying to them, and showing them. The conversation actually brought into a clear understanding of how we should strategically pray.

At the end of our time together, a young woman from Jamaica walked over to me and asked a very simple, yet poignant question: “What’s the culture of prayer in your church?” I took a few minutes to share how prayer is an integral part of our ministry. At the heart of that question is a certain intentionality.

At the heart of her question was a certain level of intentionality. So allow me to write about that.

Intentionality is the act of being deliberate or purposive.

I believe changing cultures or shifting atmospheres is the simplest, least expensive thing to accomplish. Too many people have great visions, great dreams, great desires to bring about change, but many know how to take those first steps to make it happen.

The one thing that sets visionaries and great leaders apart is that they don’t only know where they are going, they know exactly how to get there. Usually, getting there is just taking the first step on purpose.

If you want to see change – be the change.

If you want to move people to action – take the first step.

If you want to change the world – start right where you are.

If you want a great prayer life – make time for it.

If you want to share your faith – walk across the room.

If you want to grow in your faith – fall deeper with Jesus.

If you want to stop wasting your time – develop a game plan.

Whatever the goal, small, daily investments can bring big results.
― Michael Hyatt

It is that simple. No matter how small those steps are, over time they translate into big things. As much as following Jesus involves counting the cost, picking up our cross and following Him on a daily basis, so it is with accomplishing our life’s goals – we have to act with intentionality.

Share with me/us instances where you started something small and that one thing over time became a culture/habit.

 

Sorry, Honey, I’m Busy Right Now

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There will be time set aside for research. Moments are purposefully chosen for writing. I have outside responsibilities needing attention. And, I too, need breaks to simply breathe and refresh the soul. But, my family needs to know they come first. My family needs to know I am never too busy to meet their needs, or merely enjoy their company.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:15-17

thehomeschoolmomblog's avatarA Homeschool Mom

Sorry_HoneyKeys clicked away as my eyes glued to the screen in front of me, my little girl playing near my feet. Before I knew it an hour had gone by, and my husband was walking in the room asking what was keeping me so busy. Without blinking, I replied with a calm, “Researching ways to spend time with our daughter.”

Looking back, I laugh at my silliness. Instead of researching ways to spend time with my daughter, I should have been spending time with my daughter. A funny story, tis true, but a lesson which needed to be learned. How often am I putting off spending time with my children, preparing future opportunities, when I should be making the most of time we have now?

Our daughter has grown quite a bit since then, and three siblings have joined the fun. This lesson remains true, no matter their age or numbers…

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The Day God listened to a man

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Joshua 10:12-14

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.  There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

I believe in a God of Miracles. There is nothing He can’t do. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If you don’t believe that, the only thing I can tell you is that I have experienced His wonder working power in my Life.

I understand it is hard to wrap one’s brain around things of the supernatural or the miraculous. We were never meant to understand everything just by way of reasoning. That’s because we or not just rational beings, we are spiritual beings as well.  For some, their spiritual self is dead. Others have had theirs regenerated, awakened by the miraculous power of Almighty God.

That happened for me twenty-six years ago when I experience the supernatural, all-encompassing love and healing of Jesus Christ. I didn’t go out seeking to know truth or find Jesus, rather, He revealed himself to me in a powerful and indescribable way. In short, I became aware of His love for me; his forgiving of my sins; his overwhelming peace in my soul; the powerful flow of His Holy Spirit; and the physical healing He brought to my body.

This is how I know He can cause the Sun to Stand Still – because it stood still for me on that day He willingly lay down His life to be crucified for my sins. The bible says, “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.””

His life, death and miraculous resurrection opened the door for me to experience His unconditional love and supernatural favor. I testify, that since that day my life has not been the same. I have come to know Him as the God of miracles.

I would like to share 7 thoughts from the above passage in Joshua about this God of Miracles:

God is no respecter of persons… “Joshua was a man just as we are – he prayed”

If God worked a miracle for Joshua, and for me, He can work a miracle for anyone. James 5:17 says, God worked a miracle for Elijah as well: “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” If God can work miracles for others, He can for you. If He made the rain to stop and to fall again for Elijah; if he made the sun to stand still for Joshua, He can do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or imagine. All we have to do is ask and God will honor your prayer.

The Sun doesn’t have to go down on you dream… “the sun stopped in the middle of the sky”

Seeing Gods miraculous hand in action, Joshua was moved with boldness to ask for an even more stupendous miracle – to keep the day going, to keep the sun from setting, so that Israel had time to accomplish a complete victory before darkness fell. If you feel like the sun is setting on your dreams, maybe this is a prayer you can pray. A bold , audacious prayer. One that is not necessarily concerned about theologically correctness. The sun may be setting on your desire to see your children and grandchildren come to the saving knowledge of Christ. It may be going down on you desire for a happily ever after. Things don’t really have to go down hill. The simple reason is God can do anything – He is the God of miracles.

With Him all things are possible… “so the sun stood still.”

God specializes in the impossible. He calls things that are not even as though they are. He speaks and things come into being. Things that are difficult for us to do is totally easy for God to do. Even as Easter approaches, let us be reminded that we are talking about a God who makes the dead live again.

He never leaves us in our mess… “Joshua failed to seek God first”

The problem that Joshua and the house of Israel had on their hand was one brought upon them by their own doing. Chapter 9 tells the story of how the Gibionites tricked the Israelites into entering a covenant relationship with them. Unfortunate for the elders of Israel, they failed to seek the Lord about the decision to enter into that covenant. So they inherited all their mess. But the beauty of this story is that God does not abandon us in the mess we create by our own mistakes. He always rescues us from our mess.

God listens to and answers prayers… and sometimes those prayers have to be audacious, bold. “sun stand still”

Sometimes our prayers are just too safe. We worry “too much” about whether our prayers are in the will of God. Don’t get me wrong, we need to pray God centered prayers, but our uncertainty of what God wills often weakens our prayers. We need to pray not only God centered prayers, but God-sized prayers. The bedrock of our prayers should be, “I know whom I believe.” Bold prayers are offered by faith in a big God.

We fight from the place of victory… “I have given them into your hand”  

The battles we often fight are usually not ours to fight. Those battles belong to the Lord. However, He often uses our own hands to  break the power of the enemy. God does His work, but He draws us into working with Him. Often God waits to see our initiative, our willingness to be partners with Him, before He does what only He can do. We notice that Joshua didn’t wait around for the hail to come. He was busy doing what he could do in partnership with God, and God did what only God could do.

God always gets the glory… “surely the Lord was fighting”

It is critically important to recognize where our help comes from. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. Without Him we can do nothing. He alone gives us the power and ability to succeed, prosper, win and conquer our enemies. We must be careful, at the end of the day, to give Him all the honor and praise. He works the miracles!

Conclusion:

Do you feel like the sun is going down on your dreams?

Do you find yourself in a mess of your own making?

Do you feel like your prayers are not audacious enough?

Do you feel like you’re fighting a losing battle?

How often do you recognize His mighty hands fighting on your behalf?

Let me remind you – we serve a miracle working God. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. If you would allow Him by faith, He will come and do for you the thing you know is impossible. All things are possible for those who truly believe in the God of miracles.

 

 

Did Deeper: Numbers 31:2; Deuteronomy 1:30; Judges 5:2; 16:28; Esther 8:13; Luke 18:7; Revelation 6:10; Numbers 21:14; 2 Samuel 1:18; Psalms 19:4; 74:16,17; 136:7-9; 148:3; Isaiah 24:23; 38:8; Joel 2:10,31; 3:15; Zechariah 4:6,7; Matthew 21:21,22; Mark 11:22-24; Luke 17:6; Matthew 5:45; 24:29; Acts 2:20; Revelation 6:12; 8:12; 16:8,9; Revelation 21:23

 

 

What does it mean to Gain Christ?

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“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8

When my oldest daughter was about three years old, I would pick her up from preschool and bring her back to the office every week day. We had a little play area at work for kids to hang out until parents were done working. So she would just play in that space until it was time to go home.

One day, as she played and I sat in my office putting finishing touches on my weekend message, I kept hearing this noise coming from the play area. It sounded like someone was tapping on a table with a hard object. So took a little peek to see what she was doing.

Well, she was playing with one of those educational toys that help children learn different shapes. I noticed that she was forcefully trying to put a triangle shape piece in a spot that only a circle piece could fit into. But it wasn’t going. So she kept trying to jam it in but it wouldn’t. So I walk over to her and told her what she had in her hand was a triangle, and it would only fit into the exact space cut out for it.

In the same way, when God created us, He created us with a God shape vacuum that only He alone could fill. God alone can satisfy our deepest longing and desires. Too often we try to force other things into that space, but they either do not fit or they just can’t satisfy completely.

Today is the day to wake up from the stupefying effects of the things of this world. Those things that promise a lot, but fail over and over to satisfy completely. It is the day to count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

Suffering the loss of all things; and counting it all as garbage is how we gain
Christ. But what does it mean to actually gain Christ?

Gaining Christ:

We gain Eternal Life

John 17:3
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

We gain the Unending, uncompromising Love of God

Romans 8:39
“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We gain the Whole Measure of the Fullness of Christ

Ephesians 4:13
“Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

We gain the Honor to be called Servants

Philippians 1:1
“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.”

We gain the Same Power that Raised Christ from the dead live within us

Philippians 3:10
“I want to know Christ–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

We gain a Fiery, Relentless, Passionate Pursuit

Philippians 3:12
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

We gain Grace and Peace

2 Peter 1:2
“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

We gain everything we need for life and godliness

2 Peter 1:3
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

We gain the ability to increase, be effective, and productive in everything we do

2 Peter 1:8
“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We gain Life that is sufficient in quantity and superior in quality

John 10:10

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

We gain the incomparable Glories of Heaven

Romans 8:18

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Conclude:

It starts with a realization that He satisfies completely

Psalm 73:25
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”

Also, understanding that nothing compares to who He is and what He offers

Jeremiah 9:23
“This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches.”

Also nothing compares to the surpassing worth of knowing Him as Lord and Savior

Philippians 3:8

“”I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

It Ends with an everyday “This ONE THING” attitude

Philippians 3:13

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead”

 

Gain Christ Playlist

Seven-fold Blessing of Delight

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Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who fears (reveres and worships) the Lord, is the man who delights greatly in His commandments.

Delight

Psalm 1:1, 2 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

The power of delight occurs approximately 110 times in Scripture in various forms. Less than fifteen occurrences are found in the New Testament. The word “please” which is related to delight occurs about 350 times, about seventy-five of these occurrences in the New Testament.

The Old Testament however, has two of the most common Hebrew terms for delight which means “to bend towards, or to be inclined towards an object or person” and “to delight or take pleasure in.”

A reverent respect mixed with love and hope and a holy bend or inclination toward God and all He is and stands for is an invitation to walk into extraordinary favor. From the top two passages (proverbs 1:7; Psalm 112) we can outline 7 extraordinary blessings from our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 112:1 – Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!

1. Children blessed of the Lord

“His offspring will be mighty in the land” (psalm 112:2)

How well our children do in this life, in part, depends on how well we live our lives. God has promised to lift our children to the highest heights if we are willing and obedient. May we be able to say like David said, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”

2. Prosperity

“Wealth and riches are in his house” (psalm 112:3)

I agree there are some things money cannot buy. For “it is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich.” So I definitely want those things: joy, hope, health, faith, peace, healthy marriage, children that love the Lord etc… But I also want to put my children through college, pay my bills and put food on the table. Whatever He has in mind here, what I really want is to be dependent on God in my riches and faithful to him in my lack.

 3. Clarity

“Light dawns in the darkness” (psalm 112:4)

Have you ever met anyone who just knew what to do in every circumstance? They are never alarmed by anything. They are confident, calm and decisive even in the most trying times. This is the kind of blessing the God releases in the life of the obedient and willing. And I want some of that!

4. God’s Faithfulness

“He will never be forgotten” (psalm 112:6)

Sometimes we go through stuff and we think He’s forgotten us, forgotten His promise. But nothing can be so further from the truth. Here’s the deal. You’re reading this because He wants to remind you that you’re still on His mind. “Your times are in His hands.”

5. Assurance

“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm” (psalm 112:7)

I believe God wants to bring us to a place where we are no longer moved by fear. I believe He wants to bring us to a place where bad news only moves us to praise and adoration rather than fear and depression. Fear of the Lord and delight in the Lord releases that assurance that He is in control and everything will be alright in our lives.

6. Determination

“His heart is steady until he looks in triumph on his adversaries” (psalm 112:8)

Victory is certain for those who fear the Lord and delight in Him. It doesn’t matter how impossible the situation looks. The Lord gives those who fear and delight in Him a certain level of determination. It is like seeing the end before you see the beginning. We always win in the end no matter what. Somebody said, “we fight from victory not for it!”

7. A Heart like the Father’s

“He is a generous lender” (psalm 112:9)

God always blesses us because He always has others in mind. We are indeed blessed so that we can be a blessing. We’ve experienced His generosity – now we get to live a generous lifestyle. The fear and delight of the Lord leads us into this lifestyle:

Freely receive – freely give!

The cool thing about becoming generous is summed up in Proverbs 11:25: “the world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.”

Dig Deeper

Job 28:28 ; Psalms 19:9; Deuteronomy 32:6; Hosea 11:1; Isaiah 1:2 ; 63:16; 64:8; Genesis 31:42; Genesis 31:53; Matthew 10:28; 2 co 5:11; 7:1; Phil 2:12; Ephesians 5:21; Hebrews 12:28; Hebrews 12:29.

Dictionary: Bible Study Tools

Where do you feel the closest to God?

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I met with a friend a few days ago. He took me out for some Mexican Food at a place call Sol Mexican Grill. The food is amazing there. At the end of of our wonderful time together, I asked him the following question: “My church is not growing, what else do I need to do?

He looked at me and said, “I don’t know! I don’t know! What kind of answer is that? I thought to myself.

“There is a lot of stuff you need to do, and all of them are equally important. But, there is one thing I would focus on the most,” He added.

At this time he proceeded to tell me a story about a friend:

“My friend went to Italy for vacation and he came back very excited about his visit. So I asked him what excited him the most on his trip. He said, it was a visit to one of the historic Cathedrals in Rome that blew his mind. He told me he had never felt that closed to God in his entire life. It was so intense, his first visit, that he came back to that same spot every day for the two weeks of his stay in Rome. He told me he spent hours, sometimes all day hanging around the Cathedral.”

With a, “you get it” kind of look on his face, mixed with excitement and urgency, he shouted the following question: “If that Cathedral was the church in which you did ministry every week, where do you think my friend would be going to church?

I answered, “my church!”

To that he said, “than do everything, working with God to create an atmosphere, a place where people feel the closest to God. You do that, and when families wake up on Sunday mornings, that’s the place they will wake up thinking about and that’s the place they’ll call home.”

I went home and thought about that conversation and these thoughts began to form in my mind:

  •  Allow God to infuse your Worship with His presence – and that’s the place people would want to come.
  • Allow God to be the center of your small groups – and that’s the place people would want to come.
  • Allow friendships to reflect the character, life and example of Jesus – and that’s the place people would bring their families.
  • Allow the passion, compassion and love of God to move your people to serve the poor and disenfranchised – and that’s the kind of purpose driven life people will be attracted to.
  • Communicate truth like God would. Do not be silent, communicate hard truth powerfully and uncompromisingly and with lots of love. That draws people.
  • Do not water it down, even as you seek to remove unnecessary cultural barriers.

People are attracted to whatever God is, whatever He’s in and whatever He’s into.

People feel the closest to God when He is at the center of it all.

People feel the closest to God when He is in everything you do.

Please take a moment to share your experience by answering this question: Where do you feel the closest to God? Singing in the shower? Walking or Hiking? Serving? Worshiping with a large group or just by yourself driving to work?

Stay blessed and connected to Him!