Never Think You Know...

It's been a while since I have written a blog. Not because anything was wrong, but simply because I have been in a constant state of change since around June. God has been moving very powerfully in my life over these past several months. Some of that has been through opening doors, and some of that has been through closing doors. And He has shown me that each, the closed and the opened doors, are a blessing. Just since June I have gone from single, to married. I have gone from living in one state, to moving to another. I have gone from owning a home, to selling a home. From living with my in-laws while trusting God for the next perfect house, to finding that perfect house....and each step of the way I have trusted and thanked God!

I've talked about my trust in God many many times in the blogs that I have written, and I once again can't express enough how important it is to truly trust Him. It is not enough to say you trust Him, you have to live out that trust. And that means that even when you are in a place that doesn't make sense, you don't doubt, you trust. When things are going well, you don't forget that you have to trust. The enemy wants you to forget that when things are good. He wants you to let your guard down and forget that it is because of God that your life is good...do not become self righteous, it is always because of God. And when the enemy does attack, and he will....you look for God's goodness and trust even more. Despair has no place in the heart or mind of a believer. Our hope is in God...not in the world, and not in the things around us...but in God!

So why did I title this "Never Think You know"? Because I believe one of the most dangerous things we can do as a follower of Christ is think we know what God is up to. Yes, we may think we know the direction He is taking us, but don't think you know so much that you get ahead of Him. There are 2 scriptures that God pointed out to me as He was pouring these words into me. One was Isaiah 55:8, and the other was Jeremiah 29:11. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord."...and Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Please note that both of these scriptures are words declared by the Lord! I know these are probably scriptures you have heard or read dozens of times, but this is what God was saying to me through these...He said,"You are not Me(God), so trust me, don't question me. Let me lead you, don't run ahead. Don't try to outthink me, because you don't see all I see. And don't think for one moment that I don't have you...because I do. I have plans, I have a purpose, I have safety, I am your hope, I have love for you, I have forgiveness, I have grace and I have mercy....Do not forget all of the things that I have for you!" 

Never think you know all there is to know about God. He is not a God you can wrap your mind around. If He were that simple, we would have outgrown Him a long time ago. And for some, that is the lie that satan has gotten them to believe. Pride, arrogance and ignorance are things the enemy will put in us to move us away from God, but we have to see with our spiritual eyes, and we have to hear with our spiritual ears what the enemy is up to. If you don't think that is possible, then I would challenge you to go deeper with the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to really lead you. God's plans are always at work. It is the enemy who can never figure out what God is up to, not God who can't figure out the enemy. Never forget that. 

I would not be where I am today...not spiritually, and not physically...if it were not for me surrendering my whole self to God, and asking Him to lead me...and then actually following Him with my full trust. If this isn't a place you live at with God, then please believe me when I tell you that you are missing out. God has more in store for you than you can possibly imagine....so never think you know! He is always up to more than you know. And if you want to see what all He can do in your life, then ask Him what your first step is, and then take it. Do not let fear be a factor, and do not let doubt have a place. There really is life and death in the words you speak out over your situation, yourself, and your faith. So speak life giving words, trust like your life depends on it (because it really does), and then brag on Him to everyone you can. Because the entire point of anything He does in our life is to bring glory to His name, and build up His kingdom.

It is my prayer that God gave me these words for someone tonight. I pray that you will step out, go deeper, trust more, allow Him to lead you...and most of all, find out what all He really has in store for you!

God, thank You that we really are who You say we are. And right now I rebuke anything the enemy has tried to put on us to make us think otherwise. I speak out to each person who reads this in the name of Jesus and declare an end of knowledge and a beginning of faith. Take us to a place we can't even imagine as we surrender our whole selves to You. And use our lives God to point others to You. In Jesus name, Amen!

Trust In Him...

"Trust in God",
Words often used,
But are they actions,
That you choose?

Trust in Him
And His ways,
Every moment
Of every day.

Trust in Him
Despite what you see,
Knowing He
Holds all the keys.

Trust in Him
That the sun will rise,
And just as surely
He's by your side.

Trust in Him
That His Word is true,
And He's watching over
All you do.

Trust in Him
To guide your ways,
And find His purpose
With each new day.

Trust in Him
Heart, mind and soul,
Hold nothing back,
Let your faith grow.

Trust in Him
And you will see,
The more you do,
The more you're free.

So invest your trust,
In the One above,
For His plans for you
Are wrapped in love.

And allow the world
To watch and see,
As your trust in Him
Changes everything!

The Power Of A Great Example

This morning God was pressing on my heart the word "example". I think partly it was because of some kids we came in contact with yesterday while doing some urban mountain bike riding around our city. We found some spots to ride that we hadn't been before, and one of those happened to be a very low income apartment complex. As we rode, small kids started to gather around and a handful went and got their own bikes. And when I say small kids, I mean probably between the ages of 5 and 9. No parents around at all, just these little kids all running around on their own. They seemed very intrigued by the things we were doing on our bikes and at first it just seemed like just fun. But then after just a few minutes I began to hear the language these kids were using. And I must say it was quite shocking to hear kids so young cussing so bad. It was clear that this was a learned way of life for them and they were simply mimicking the words (and actions) they had heard all of their lives so far. One little guy really talking to us a lot about our bikes and was asking questions, so I had the chance to say to him, "you know, we don't cuss". The look on his face was like he had never heard someone say this in his life, and that made sense, because he probably hadn't. And the only thing he could think to say back to me was, "really, cause I do". That boy was no older than 6 years old...
The reason I felt like God is pressing the word example on my heart so much is because whether we realize it or not, we are an example to someone in our life. Someone is always looking up to you, or at you, to see how you respond to situations, act in certain situations, the things you like or dislike, the things you hold value to....and most importantly, how genuine are you? In 1 Timothy 4:12 Timothy says these words, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity". It's a teaching that goes out to us all. If you're young then it let's you know you CAN still make a difference, but I think it really goes out to us all. "Set an example" it says..."in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity". As I read that verse again and again I couldn't think of any areas of life it didn't hit on with just those few words. Do I hope we left an impact on those kids yesterday, absolutely. I hope they remember some guys came in and did some neat stuff on bikes, but most of all I hope they remember that we didn't act or talk like the people I see on a daily basis, that we were different.
I plan on going back to that place again, and this time I plan on telling them why we don't cuss. I want them to know that Jesus was different than the rest of the world too, and they don't have to be like everyone else they hear and see. I want them to know how much he loves them and me...and that's why I live differently, and they can too. That living in a way that pleases God is just one way of showing Him love back.  It doesn't hurt to explain to people why you make the choices you do, but most of all....be an example that reflects Christ!
God, thank You for the opportunities You give us to be an example for You. Please help us remember that the lives we live reflect You....or they should. Help us to always be pointing people to You, not away from You. We should do this in our speech, our conduct, our love, our faith and our purity. Help those who have not seen the importance in this realize it today. And help them to be an example to a world who needs what we have....You! In Jesus name, Amen

Avoiding Sin...

Have you ever looked out over a lake that didn't have one wave yet, or at least seen pictures like this. The water looks like glass, and it just seems so peaceful. The idea of there being any danger associated with that water probably doesn't even cross your mind. Now compare that to the thought of a rushing river. One where the water has the appearance of being white because the current is so strong and it is moving down stream so fast. The idea of even putting one foot in this water could seem scary. You know just by looking at it that you could be swept away and drown. But the reality is, you can drown in both of these bodies of water, one just has the appearance of being safe.
This is very much how the enemy comes at us with sin. There are certain sins that have danger written all over them, and so it is quite obvious to stay clear of them. However, what about the ones that don't? Isn't that the ones that satan gets us to be the most attracted to? For example, "the little white lie"told to "protect", or the "compliment" to that man or woman, even though your married. Or how about this one, when satan lies and tells you the "thing" you want to do doesn't have an impact on anyone but you, so just do it. Satan can disguise sins to seem harmless, but they never really are. It's his goal to make them look attractive enough to distract you in that moment and at least get you to consider it. He knows if he can get you to this place long enough, then eventually you will do it. Now go back to the 2 different kinds of water I mentioned earlier....do you know the best way to make sure you never drown in either? You just don't go near that water! That's right, you can't drown in water you never got in to begin with. And sin is the same way. You will never find someone who got in over their head by walking away from the temptation, or telling the truth instead of flirting with the lie. The best way to avoid getting in trouble with sin is to avoid the sin all together.
I'm writing this today because I just felt God was speaking to me about how too many times we (Christians) are ok with sin when it doesn't "look bad" on the outside. But I want you to know that those are the sins that satan uses to desensitize you. He wants you to become too confident that you have power over this sin, it doesn't have power over you. He wants you to continue down that "harmless" path. Let me give you an example.....Let's say a new person starts in the office. You immediately recognize they are attractive, but think nothing of it. Then a "hi" gets said in passing, then a compliment is passed back and forth, and before you know it your talking on a pretty regular basis, but you'eve never mentioned this to your spouse. Now you find out there is a company event coming up and spouses are invited. The fear that goes over you is "what if that person comes up and talks to me in front of my spouse? How will I explain this?" And it's all because you started by putting one foot in the water, when really you should have kept your distance. I know that example may be a bit extreme to some, but I hope the point came across. The enemy will make something look so innocent, and then he will turn the tables on you. He doesn't care about you, so he wants to see you go down. And he knows if he just leads you down the path with temptation, and you follow, then eventually he will get you to fall. But not if you avoid it all together!
It doesn't matter what the sin is, what matters is why are you entertaining it? If it isn't drawing you closer to God, then there is a good chance it's getting in the way of God. And that's a problem! We, as Christians, need to look at what we have become ok with. Whether you think so or not, the rest of the world is looking at what we think is ok, and when we accept it, what are we saying to them? Ask God to help you take a look at the things you are entertaining, the way you talk, the things you are ok with in this world...and then let Him show you the places where you simply got to close to the water, orthe time you jumped right in. Don't wait until your drowning to realize there's a problem.
God, thank You for the Holy Spirit. Your Word says You sent Him as a helper, so it's my prayer today that we would let His voice be louder than satan's in our lives. Give us spiritual eyes to see the danger of things BEFORE we let them have a place in our life. And give us the strength to walk away from sin, not because one looks worse than another, but simply because none of it is pleasing to You. And remind us that when we claim Your name, we are saying to a lost world "I stand for what God stands for"....and let us KNOW the seriousness of that. In Jesus name, Amen

You Are Gifted And Talented...

Have you ever looked at someone who was extremely gifted and talented, but did not live their life for God, and wonder why they were so blessed with this talent? I don't mean that you look at them with envy or jealousy, but more like you look at them and ask yourself why God would make someone so talented if He knew they were never going to give Him the glory?
I love to mountain bike. It is the one thing my son and I love to do together. And with time we have become better at what we can do and what we are willing to try. However, I have a young friend who is good...I mean like extremely good. He actually travels and competes, and wins a lot. He has been good on anything that had wheels since he was a little kid. It's just a talent he has. The other day I was speaking to him about how his racing season has been going and as we spoke I found my myself saying to God (like God didn't already know this...), "wow, if this kid was sold out for you he could be making such an impact in the kingdom by giving you all the glory for his talent". As my day went by I came back to that thought again and again. I wasn't really questioning God as to why this kid was so talented, but I was wondering why people get blessed with a talent if they will never give God the glory for it. And later that night I felt that God had answered that question for me. I was alone when I felt like God said "let me tell you something...", and so I just sat and listened. And this is what I felt God said to me. "When people are born I bless them with a gift or a talent. I do not wait until they find more or give their life over to me, I bless them before they have even taken their first breath. It is who I have made them to be. Some discover it, and some never do. I don't take the talent away if they never give me the glory, but it does break my heart. From birth they have a choice, to either honor me with the talent and see how much more I can bless it, or use the talent just as I have given it to them and receive all the glory themselves. I do it out of love! It is my hope that they will see me in their gifts and talents....but not everyone does. But I give anyway." As I thought about this I literally pondered what I had heard from God for days. It just wowed me to think we serve a God who gives so much, even if we never give back. But then it also broke my heart for all of the talent floating around out there in this world that He has never received the glory for. And I don't mean the 5 seconds after a win when someone says "oh yeah, I want to thank God...". Even though that is always great to hear, I love it when I see a life that is being lived for Him, not just some words in a speech. And I strongly believe He loves it too!
All that we are and all that is in us is because God has blessed us with gifts and talents. We have 2 jobs, one is to tap into them and discover them, and the other is to honor Him with them and make sure He gets the glory. In Jeremiah 1:5 God spoke, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations". This verse doesn't just go to Jeremiah, it goes to us all. God knew us and set us apart before we were even born. What we do with the things He has put in us to set us apart can either bring Him glory, or just bring us attention. He is a good God, and even if it is hard for us to understand, He does not take away a gift because it was used to serve self or the world. Romans 11:29 says "for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable", and even though that doesn't fit into our minds sometimes, it is not for us to understand. We will stand before Him and give an account for what we did with what we had (Romans 11:12 and 2 Corinthians 5:10). So think about your gifts...think about how you use them, and who is getting ALL of the glory for them. And then take the time to thank God for trusting you with such gifts and talents even before you showed Him how you would use them. He gave because He loves you...
God, thank You for so many gifted and talented people in this world. It is my prayer today that not only would I discover all that You have put in me and glorify you with it, but also that others would discover just where their talents have come from. How different would this world be if we each glorified You with what we have been given. Holy Spirit help us ALL see God in our gifts and talents and make sure honor is given where it is due. In Jesus name, Amen

Offering Hope...Offering Jesus

With the power of Jesus we can overcome so many things in life. And for some of us there are some things in our life that used to hold us a slave to them. What is it that you have been set free from? How often do you remember that, and thank God for it? How often do you ask God to use you to help set someone else get free?
A lot of times I write about what God can do for you, ways He can change you. But today I would like to take a little different perspective. Today I would like to ask you to think about what it is that He has done for you. I'm not trying to get anyone to think of a very ugly or painful past, please understand that's not my point. But I do feel it's very important to remember where we came from. It strengthens our faith to remind ourselves how faithful God has already been to us. And it can also help keep us humble, because we have to remember where we could still be if it wasn't for God's grace and mercy. The other reason why our past plays such an important role in our relationship with God is because He may want to use it. As I've stated before, I don't think it is wise to think we can go back into something right after God has rescued us from it and try to pull others out of the same mess. There needs to be time for healing and for God to give you strength to fulling overcome that thing. Remember, there was a time when you were once held captive by it. But once we have been restored and we know God has broken those chains, we need to begin to ask the question "how can you use my past to help others". Our story never needs to stop by saying "we were healed" or "we were set free". Instead, this need to be the end of one thing and the beginning of another.
I woke up today with the lyrics "I'm no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God" running through my head. And it made me think back to the days when I was a slave to fear. I was a slave to fear and sin and doubt and so much more. But today I hear God saying the words "no longer". And because I am "no longer", I have the ability to help others be "no longer". I have something to offer them because of my experiences...and it's called hope. And that hope can only be found in Jesus. If you are no longer a slave to something, then you also have a calling on you. Jesus came to set the captives free (Luke 4:18), and today He uses people like you and me to do that. Yes, His Spirit still moves and does what only it can do, but we are the hands and feet of Jesus. So who better to use to help those that are in deep over their head in sin then a bunch of people who were once in deep over their heads too.
There is a saying to reads "experience trumps knowledge" and it some areas this is so true. You can read how to do something, or you can know how to do it because you've had to do it. For example, you can learn how to survive in the woods if you ever got lost by reading about it, or you can know how to survive because you once had to. What is your testimony? What are the words you can share that will help someone because you've been there? Who would God have you reach out to? These are all questions that I encourage you to pray about. You may be on the best walk with God now, but it doesn't mean it's always been that way. And He has someone out there that only you can relate to. Help them no longer be a slave to whatever has it's grips on them....
God, thank You for rescuing us from the endless list of things that You have, but don't let our stories end there. Help us to be Your hands and feet. Put a burning desire in us to not just be satisfied by our own redemption story, but put a passion in us to help other create their own redemption story. Help us to love those who are still entrapped by sin, and find a way, through Your love, to reach out to them. Holy Spirit, guide our steps, our words and our actions, and protect us as we reach back into what was once our mess to help a brother or sister in need. In Jesus name, Amen

Power To Raise The Dead To Life

Today I just want to encourage someone to be who God has called you to be! Don't let fear of who you were stop you. Don't let fear of your lack of capabilities stop you. The same God that raised Jesus from the dead is in you. Think about that...Jesus was transformed from a physically dead being to one that that was fully alive. Don't ever allow doubt to creep in that He can't transform you. When you come to Him you are a dead man (or woman), and He will breath new life into you. Having that done in the spirit world is just as powerful as Jesus walking out of the tomb in the physical world.
Unqualified, incapable, unworthy, lacking knowledge, without courage, shameful past, scared, not strong enough.....the list goes on and on. These are the things that run through our minds when God asks us to step up to the plate for Him. And I might shock you when I say this, but they are not always lies from the enemy when you hear these things about yourself. Sometimes they are reminders of why you need God so much. Why you need to stay humble. Why you can't accomplish anything without His help and His power flowing through you.
I would rather remind myself of who I am not sometimes, and let God remind me of who I am. He reminds me that I should never feel like "I can do this on my own", because that is exactly why He had to come rescue me to begin with. I've seen what I can do on my own....no thank you. But He reminds me what I can do when I am hearing from Him, following Him, being guided by Him, and drawing from Him. He will make you qualified, capable, worthy, knowledgeable, courageous, cleansed, brave and strong...and when you remember that ONLY He can do this, then now you have become usable.
So let me encourage you and remind you with Paul's words in Ephesians 3:8, when he says "Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ". Once Saul came to Jesus, he died, and Paul was born. From that moment on the only point of Paul's past what to remind him who to never be again. But God did not hold it against him, he used it to humble him. And Paul stood before people saying "I was less than all of you...in fact, less than the least of you....but it didn't stop God from using me". Powerful powerful words to remind us today that God still wants to use us!
Whatever excuse you have held onto for too long, whatever lies you have allowed stop you, whatever things cause you fear....lay them down, allow God to flow through you, and find out what He has called you to do. I promise you will not regret it. Paul spoke boldly, and Paul spoke truth...because Paul spoke with a passion from the personal experience he had with God.
God, thank You again for Your grace, mercy and forgiveness. It is my prayer today that people would walk in it in a whole new way. Not with pride, not with arrogance, but with a confidence that they are only living a changed life because of YOU! Please let that create a desire in us to spread your word boldly as Paul did. At let nothing the enemy puts in our way take away the focus that we speak with the power that You put in us...power to raise the dead to life....physically and spiritually. In Jesus name, Amen

Maintenance Required

Have you ever been going along in your car and you get a warning on the dashboard that either says the words "maintenance due", "maintenance required", or some symbol lights up to let you know that something needs done? Have you ever pushed your body to hard and woke up the next day sore from what you did. In both of these cases you may not say something is "broken", but you know that if you just continue throughout your day and ignore these warnings things could definitely get much worse. Our Christian life is very much the same way. Unfortunately we don't get something so vivid as a warning light, but if you know the voice  of the Holy Spirit, then you know He will let you know when an area of your life is getting into the danger zone and may need some maintenance.
Learning to ignore warning signs is one of the worst habits you can ever develop. Putting something off for "one more day" can lead to some very big problems, and this does not just stand true for man made things. As Christ followers we can be going along through life with the best of intentions, but we start to let things that are important in keeping us close to God slip little by little. And that nudge from the Holy Spirit that you feel deep down inside is God's early warning system to us. Letting our quiet time with God become less and less. Allowing ourselves to watch shows or movies that we know send a bad message. And turning on the radio just to "have noise in the background", but not caring about the lyrics that are being fed into your minds. All of these are things that the enemy wants to sneak into your life as he hopes you get too busy, too tired or just to ignorant to realize that you are slipping back a little in your walk with God. And these are just a few. The friends that we keep in our life, and the things that we either stay ok with, or become ok with, are also big indicators that our Christian life may need some maintenance. All of these things can easily become the things that are pulling you away from God if you choose to ignore their impact on your life.
There are companies out there that exist for the sole purpose of offering maintenance to you before you actually need it. The term is called preventative maintenance, and the point of it is to stay on top of things before they need fixed. An oil change for your car. Getting your tires rotated and your breaks changed. These are all things that will cause a breakdown on the road one day if you don't take care of them. And again, our walk with Jesus is very much like this. Asking God to search your heart, and point out areas of your life that need some preventative maintenance is one of the wisest things you can choose to do to show the enemy that you will not become blind to these areas in your life. Show him you will not be one that just lets things slip. And you will protect the relationship you have with Jesus. The Holy Spirit will search you and speak to you about your life, but it doesn't just have to stop there. Having an accountability partner is another thing that you can put in place to keep yourself walking in the truth. And if you have struggled with certain sins in your past life, then having filters in place to make sure those things don't tempt you again is another wise thing to apply to your life. The bottom line is this, satan isn't going to take a break from trying to distract you or get you to step out of God's will, so it would be foolish to think you can just set things on cruise control and just forget about them. Be diligent in how you live for God. 2 Timothy 2:15 says " Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth".
Don't be the guy or gal that is sitting on the side of the road with a busted engine because you ignored a $30 oil change....and don't be the one who sits and wonders "how did I get here" in your walk with Jesus, when you remember how good it used to be. Be purposeful, be mindful, be careful...and most of all, but open to God's correction. These are the things that can help you keep up with the maintenance in your Christian life and not end up broken and beat down by the enemy.
God, thank You for the words of wisdom in Your Word. Help us to apply them to our lives so that we are doing things to stay close to You. Help us to be humble enough to see and admit when we have allowed things to slip, and help us to do the necessary things to get back where we need to be. Always doing what needs to be done so that You get the glory...In Jesus name, Amen

Be An Encourager!

Let me start today's blog off with a question....Are you an encourager? Now let me explain what I mean by that, and then ask you this question again. Are you the type of person who would tell someone that God has no limits, and neither should their faith? Or are you the type of person who has to bring everything down to a realistic, and sometimes discouraging level? When or if someone brings something to you that they are trusting God to do in their life, are you one of the first people who will say "absolutely, let me join you in praying for that"? ....Are you an encourager?
God's Word tells us that we are to encourage one another, but it doesn't just stop there. It also tells us not to do the opposite. We are NOT to tear each other down. Ephesians 4: 29 tell us "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs...". And then it goes on it verses 31-32 to say "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." You see God knew that as Christians we would need each other. We would need our brothers and sisters in Christ to lift each other up. He knew we would face rejection from the world, and sometimes even those that are close to us. So He expects us to lift each other up...to encourage one another. But He also knew that if we allow the things in verse 31 to settle into our hearts, then there is no way we can be the encourager that He wants us to be.
Envy is one of the tools that satan uses the most to stop us from encouraging someone else. I mean, if we pray for that person and their faith is strengthened and their blessing comes before ours, the how will that affect us. Well, it should affect us by being happy for them. We should be so full of joy that they are drawing close to God and seeing the evidence of that in their life. But this is often when the enemy begins to speak the lies into our mind that prevent us from truly being joyful for them, or towards them. And if you want to know what God thinks of envy, then just do a word search on it and see all the scriptures that come back. Bottom line is, God expects us to be happy for one another. Be encouraging to one another. And NOT to compare our lives, our blessings, and our walk to one another. He knows when we can get past those things, then our hearts can be the at place He needs them to be. And with that He can build us up to be encouragers!
When you choose to walk with Jesus you will already have enough people not understand "the new you" that God transforms you into. And some of them may not want to accept who God is changing you into, or have anything encouraging to say about it. So let's take the time and the effort to lift each other up. Find someone today that needs to hear that God loves them, God hears their prayers, God sees their struggles....but most of all...God cares, and so do you! And if you are that person that needs to hear a word of encouragement, then let me end with this. God loves you enough to never quit on you, so don't quit on Him. Keep praying about that thing. Keep praying for that friend or family member. Keep letting Him correct you and direct you. And keep drawing closer to Him. And on the days when this just seems harder, keep drawing from His strength. You are not alone, You have Him and millions of brothers and sisters who stand with you.
God, thank You for the love You have for us. Help us to take Your love and Your joy and spread it! Help us to step out of ourselves and encourage others. Holy Spirit, teach us how to be encouragers and show us how much it can change and impact our way of thinking and the condition of our heart when we truly show encouragement for one another. In Jesus name, Amen

Despair Must Go!

Despair means "the complete loss or absence of hope". Some think despair is a feeling. Some may even say it's a season you are in. But I want to challenge you today to think of despair as one of satan's demonic spirits that was sent to you during a time of trouble, to strip you of hope. To get you to believe that your particular situation IS hopeless, and that God has forgotten about you.
If despair is a place you have come to in a situation you are in, then I want to encourage you today to think of it as something that you have the power to tell to go away. I'm not talking a power because you dug down deep within and "found your inner strength" like we hear from the world so often. But I am talking about a power that you can find in your weakness where you cry out to the One that can completely change your situation. I want to encourage you today to dig into God's word if the enemy is trying to speak despair over your situation or your life. Read Psalms 30 and see how David chose to deal with a time in his life when the enemy wanted him to think things were hopeless. He chose to do things that are the opposite of the way the world thinks. He chose to praise God. He chose to cry out to God. And he chose to have the attitude of "this is for now, but this is not forever". (verse 5)
Today I simply wanted to challenge you and encourage you to look at your situation differently. Change your mindset from "this situation I'm in has me", to "God has me while I'm in this situation". Instead of feeling hopeless, know that your hope is in God. And when it feels like there is no way out, ask God to open your spiritual eyes, open your heart to be obedient to Him, and then open doors for you. If you don't get your mind and your heart "reconditioned" first, then you may not even see the doors that God opens up for you...or you may be stubborn or untrusting to walk through them. Trust is the key to allowing God to move in your life. Trust that there is a way out. Trust that He sees what you cannot. And trust that if you stay faithful in the rough times, then He will carry you through, and that faith will be increased.
Please know that I speak from experience when I say this....As God moves in your life and makes changes to your situation, not only will He help you, but He will make a way for you to help others. So as your cry out to Him about where you are and how badly you need Him, also cry out that He would use you to reach those who have lost their hope. Be like a pitcher that gets filled up only to be poured out, and then filled up again. May people see that your situation may not have changed yet, but something in you has. And then be ready to tell them what that something is...or better yet, who it is.

God, I know there are people who will read this today that are feeling hopeless and scared. Please God send Your peace to them today. I pray they would cry out to You in the midst of their situation, and I pray You would move on their behalf. Bring back the hope that is missing and help them to hear Your voice in the chaos that the enemy is trying to bombard them with. I thank You God that I have experienced Your help and Your healing when I cried out, and I can testify to Your greatness. So it is my cry out today that satan would be crushed and more testimonies would be created right now...today...and YOU would receive ALL of the glory for it. In Jesus name, Amen.

Afraid Of What You're Missing

As I was seeking God on what He wanted me to write about today, He brought me back to something my kids used to do when they were little. And as I remembered this I also remembered that it wasn't just my kids that did this....it's a lot of kids.
Do you remember as a kid not wanting to take naps? Or if you have children, them not wanting to take a nap? Or how about the reaction you would get when you would say those dreaded words to them at the end of the night, "it's time for bed". Oh man, sometimes you might as well just delivered the worst news ever to them if you said the words "nap" or "bedtime". And why was this? Was it because kids hate the idea of sleeping or resting? Not really. In fact, I remember specifically asking one of my children one time "what is it you hate about taking a nap or going to bed", and their answer to me was one I didn't expect. They said, "I hate what I'm missing when I'm asleep and you guys are awake". Hmmm, I had never thought about this before. He said "sometimes I can hear you guys still up doing stuff and it sounds fun, but I missing out on it"....And this is exactly what God reminded me of today as I was asking Him what I was to write about. We can't be afraid of what we are missing out on when we step out of the world and closer to God.
The other day when some of us were praying with someone in our deliverance ministry I had told this person we were praying with "be careful not to flirt with temptation". The topic that brought this up was God saying in Revelation 3, "...because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth". And we were discussing how tempting it is to keep one foot in the world and one foot with God. This is not a place of hot or cold, and will cause "lukewarm" Christians that are being mentioned in this verse. Most of the time when someone lives this life it is not because they "want" to sin, or keep sin in their life. But instead it is because, just like my child, they are still afraid what they will miss out on if they truly walk away from the ways of the world. Flirting with sin, or flirting with temptation, will never get you to a good place with God. It is like saying to Him, "I know You have a lot to offer me, but it still doesn't look quite as attractive as what the world offers". And sadly enough that is because you are still buying into the lies of the enemy. What the world has to offer you will eventually end up getting you hurt if you continue to flirt with it. It is not about what you are missing out on when you choose to step out of the world's ways, but about all that you gain with God. It is not about living a restricted life, but one of freedom. It is not about rules, but about love. God knows the world is full of pain, and that is why He desires for you to quit walking that middle ground and draw close to Him.
It's not often the I reference The Message translation of scripture, but sometimes it just says it in a way that hits you right in the face. So today I want to us it to show you what is said in 2 Timothy 2:20-22. It says "In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing. Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God."
Today I am calling people to stop worrying about what you will miss out on if you truly step away from the middle ground, and instead focus on all that God can do for and with you when you draw closer to Him. It is not the rest or the sleep that a child hates, but it's the idea of stepping away from all the things they can hear that "sound fun" during their time of rest. But every good parent knows that the rest is what they need. God is our good parent, and He calls us away from stuff because He knows it is what we need. Don't accept things in your life simply because the rest of the world does, but instead realize, just like it says in The Message, some container are used to serve fine meals and other to take out the garbage. Don't let the world tell you what kind of container you are, let God show you!
God, thank You for the warnings that You present to us in Your Word. Help us to not overlook them. Holy Spirit guide people away from the things they have been hanging on to and show them it's not about what they will be missing when they fully come to you, but it's about ALL that they gain. Create in us hearts that love what you love and hate what you hate to keep us in full alignment with Your will for us. In Jesus name, Amen

Reaching Even One...

How much different would today look to you if you knew that you only had today to tell someone about Jesus? If we literally started our day by saying to God, "I know that you have someone for me to reach today, and today may be my only chance I get to do it...so lead me to them." Would that make today have a completely different feel to you than any other day this week? But better yet, let me ask you this...why aren't we thinking that way?
Every decision we make today could lead us to someone that God wants us to witness to, or away from them. I don't say that to lay some huge pressure on your shoulders. But I do say it to bring a little bit of reality into the picture. Sometimes we can become so consumed by our own world, our own goals, even our own issues, that we forget that God put us here to tell others about what He has done for us in our own lives. And the reason we may only have today to do it isn't necessarily because we may not have tomorrow on this earth (even though that is a realistic possibility), but it might because either they won't, or God lined up this encounter because you are never going to have an audience in front of this person again. Yep, that might actually mean that God would have us witness to, or reach out to, a perfect stranger. I mean, if God could use Moses to set an entire nation free, then yeah He might just use you today to set one person free.
If you know even the smallest thing about the bible, then you know that one of things we are told to do is "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation..."(the great commission). But please don't buy into the lie that this is a "job" for everyone else. This is not just for the pastors or the leaders of the church. This was for you and me! This was Jesus telling us to make this a part of our daily lives...a part of who we are. One day at a time, one person at a time....but go reach people!
The other day a pastor I love to listen to was talking about getting outside of ourselves. And I guess my word today goes right along with that. I want to encourage you to ask God to help you actually see past yourself today and think, "who is the one person that I only have today to reach?" And then ask Him to prepare your mind, your heart and even your words for that encounter. Because if there is one thing I can promise you about God, it's this....If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. That phrase has a lot packed into it, but part of  Him bringing you through it is because you have spent the time with Him allowing Him to prepare you for "it"....mentally, spiritually and even physically preparing you for whatever He has for you to do. Just like I have quoted before in past blogs....on an airline they will always tell you, "in the event of an accident, put on your oxygen mask first before you help someone else". Why is this? Because you can ONLY help them, when you yourself are prepared to offer help. So be prepared...and the go help someone today!
God, please prepare us today to be able to offer help to others. Fill us up emotionally and spiritually to be able to give away what has been given to us...the hope, the love, and the chance to live forgiven and free for the trap of sin. Holy Spirit help us step outside of ourselves today and look for the opportunities You have for us to witness to someone....then give us the strength, wisdom and courage to do so. Help us to have the mindset that reaching even one person today IS going out into the world to preach Your good news. In Jesus name, Amen

Living Too Close To The Problem

In the town I live in there is a company that manufactures paper. The company has been around about as long as anyone can remember...and so has the smell that it produces. During the production of paper wood is turned to pulp and that pulp is turned to paper. (I realize I just simplified a process that is probably way more complex than that...but just go with me) And during this transformation an odor is create that is quite pungent. The only thing I can relate it to on certain days is a very strong sulfur smell, at least to me that is how it comes across. And because the company has been around so long, and offered some of the best paying jobs in our town, people often refer to the odor as the smell of money. Now the interesting thing about all of this is that once you have been in our town long enough you almost don't smell it anymore. I say almost because some days are definitely worse than others. But for the most part you really do forget the odor is even there. However, you let a visitor come in from out of town and this will be the first thing they ask you about our town.."What is that awful smell?" And a lot of the time we laugh and explain it....
This morning God was speaking to me about our natural and spiritual lives. How we can tend to put up with things in our life that He does not want there. And one of the reasons this happens is because we become desensitized to whatever that thing is. We can even become very comfortable with it. Whether it be sin, something that has too high of a priority in our life, or just something that is taking up to much of our time...it can become almost impossible for us to see because we are to close to the problem. Just like the odor in our town, we don't smell it most days because we are too close to it and we're so used to it being there. This is not a good thing. Becoming desensitized (or too comfortable) with an issue in our life is exactly what the enemy would love for us to do. It's much like living with a pain for too long. Just because you have become used to the pain doesn't mean something isn't really wrong. The pain is the indicator and just because you have learned to ignore it does not mean that problem has gone away...or isn't getting worse. For this reason it is SO important to be in God's word daily, be in a time a prayer with Him, and allow Him to put people in your life that can speak openly and honestly to you about your life. People who are themselves at a great spiritual place with God. People on the outside can a lot of times see things that you can't. They aren't living with the problem, or so close to the problem that they have become blind to it. So it stands out to them.
God will also give you spiritual eyes if you ask Him, and let Him. But like I have said many times, out of His great love for you He will not force Himself upon you. However, I can tell you this from my own experience....if you claim His name, and you claim to be a follower of Christ, but you hold tight to certain sins and a destructive lifestyle, He will only tolerate that for so long. Sometimes He will allow you to get into situations that blow the doors off of your secret sin, or He may send someone along to completely call you out on it. When this happens you really have a few options. One, you could ignore it all and continue to live so close to the issues that you stay blind and desensitized by them. Two, you can become angry at God or the person who is tying to love you and help you. Or three, you can see God in the situation and fall on your face before Him and see that is out of pure love that He is trying so hard to rescue you from this destructive life you have become so used to. I realize that when this happens pride HAS TO take a back seat and you must allow humility to take it's proper place. Your flesh will hate this feeling, but this is where God heals and restores the most. Don't fight it!
God really is a God of love...more love than we can wrap our heads around. Sometimes that love is gentle, and sometimes, like a good parent, it may feel like tough love. But we must not forget that nobody else in our life has died, or sent their son to die, just to show us love and give us the choice to show love back. If God is nudging you about a "smell" in your life that He can't stand, don't just continue to live with it. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you cleanse your life of ANYTHING that is not pleasing to God. He can help you get out of situations, get out of relationships, fight off desires, see the truth and most importantly...receive forgiveness for whatever it is...IF you don't reject Him!
God, It is my prayer today that people would become aware of their surroundings. Please open their eyes, minds and hearts to Your truth. Holy Spirit bring forth awareness to anything we have become comfortable with in our life that is not pleasing to God. Then give us the courage, wisdom and strength to remove it from our life. Your word says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do ALL THINGS through Christ....help us to believe that and live that out today. In Jesus name, Amen

Just Show Up

What does it take to be used by God? If you have had God use you in a powerful way before, then you may know the answer to this. If you have not, then I hope today's blog opens your eyes, your mind, and your heart.
So many times people long to be used by God, and then they wonder why they aren't. And I am not suggesting by today's blog that they are doing something "wrong", but I am suggesting that it may be time to do something different. I think the number one thing that God needs from us to be used by Him is just a willingness to "show up". So many times we sit back and wait for God to drop something in our laps before we go out to do anything for Him. But I firmly believe that if you show up for Him, then you will be surprised at what happens. So you may be asking yourself right about now "what does He mean by show up?". I'm at church, I'm in a bible study or small group, and I'm praying before I got to bed... All of these things are great, and they definitely should help you grow, but be careful that they have not just become a part of your routine, or more social times in your week. By showing up for God I really do mean setting aside time when you would normally, or could be, doing something else. Even sleeping. Maybe God is looking for something that requires more discipline on your part before He lays and assignment on your heart. Maybe He has more to tell you or teach you, and He is asking for some quiet time with you before He can do that. For each of us the "showing up" part can look different. But I can promise you with certainty that when we show up for God, He shows up for us!
That other thing that might be required is some "change". I know that can be most people's least favorite thing to hear, but it's true. The reason change may be required before God starts to use you is because God sees something that not everyone else sees, He sees inside of us. And He sees that whether we like it or not. But there is a big difference between God looking inside of you, and you inviting God to look in side of you, and do some searching and pointing out. God knows the things about us that even we have a hard time being honest with ourselves about. He knows if we have a pride issue, He knows if deep down inside we are trustworthy, He knows if we are insecure.....He knows. And He knows that that list can go on and on. But the beauty is, He doesn't need you to be 100% changed before you can be used, because a lot of that change will happen while you are being used. But what He does need is again that willingness. He needs to see that our hearts have changed enough that we are willing to let Him teach us and change us, even as He uses us. He needs to see that we are willing to let Him put us in circumstances that will change us. Over the last 2 years I have been in several situations where I thought "I' showed up to help someone, only to find out that in the end, I was the one who received so much. God is funny like that. He will let you think one thing, and then in the end you will stand in awe of what He really did. But again, the reason He is able to do this is because He saw the willingness of your heart, and you showed up.
Sometimes when I write what God puts on my heart it is because of some of my own experiences that He has brought back to me, and then sometimes it's just because He tells me what to write. I never worry about IF someone will get something from what I write today....I just show up and let Him do the rest. Please let me encourage you to do the same. He will use you to change lives....and your own life will be one of those that get changed in the process. YOU are usable by God! If the enemy has been telling you otherwise, then rebuke that lie now and ask God what you can do to show up for Him today. Let Him search you, and be willing to let Him change you....then be ready for an amazing adventure as He begins to use you.
2 Corinthians 8:11-12 "Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have."
God, I don't know how You do it, but You find a way to use us. We are such a flawed and messed up people, but You use us to do Your work. Thank You for that! Thank You for constantly showing us we are more than we realize when we let the power of Jesus Christ flow through us. Holy Spirit, please speak into lives today and let them know what they need to do to be used by God, and then use them to change lives. In Jesus name, Amen

Let God's Grace Be Contagious

How many times have you gone to God with the same question that Peter had in Matthew 18...."God, how many times do I have to forgive someone?" Except most of the time we probably already have a face or a name when we go to God with that question. The thing I love about the way Peter asked this is that it truly is the way we go to God a lot of the time, not just with the question, but also with the answer. Peter says "how often should I forgive my brother who has sinned against me? Up to seven times?" Don't we do that exact same thing? We almost hope that if we make the suggestion to God, then He will just agree with us. But rarely, if ever, does this work. God doesn't think like us, respond like us, or let us off the hook that easy. Jesus replies with a number, but not because it was supposed to be the exact answer. I think it was more for the shock value to the question. As if to say "oh you think seven is enough...well how about multiply that by 70!" I really don't think Jesus was saying "after they have wronged you 490 times you don't have to forgiven them anymore", I think he was just saying that you just keep forgiving.
Matthew 18 has always been one of my favorite and least favorite passages because of the story that gets told. That was just me being very real with that statement right there because it is a reminder to me of exactly how we can be as humans most of the time. We seek grace from God, but we forget to give it to others. We seek forgiveness from God, but we feel entitled to hold grudges towards people. We long for God's mercy, but please don't expect if from us. The story in Matthew 18 is the one where Jesus tells them that the Kingdom of heaven is like a King who was settling accounts with his servants. He had a servant who owned him a lot...and I am sure in those times it was a LOT. The bible says it was ten thousand talents. And just as the master was about to have the man, his family and all that he had, sold to repay the dept, the man begs for the master to have patience and promises to pay it all back. The master, moved by compassion, does decide to forgive this man of the whole dept, and sets him free. Then it goes on in 28-34 to say "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him."
This story is not just a reminder of how we should be, but it is also a reminder of how important it is to God that that we show the same kind of compassion on others that He shows to us. Often we hear this story without the last verse of Matthew 18, which says "“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Not sure how much more blunt Jesus could have been, but to me He is saying that we will receive from God what we give to others. And again in Mark 11:25 Jesus said "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." I don't take this as a suggestion, I take it as a commandment. One that we, as Christ followers, must take more serious. God is a God of love, grace, mercy, patience and forgiveness. If we are to show the world who God is, then what a better way to start then to be these things toward others when they least expect it. Let God's grace be contagious in your life....
God, thank You for Your unending forgiveness toward us. It is so hard to wrap our minds around...to think of the grace and mercy You show us even on a daily basis. Please help us to offer this to others. Help us to be as much like You as we can be in this area of our life so people who may not know you, can experience You through our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Overcoming The Flesh, Satisfied By God

Yesterday during worship time at church I felt God begin to speak a message to me. Some of it came during the song that we were singing, and some of it was Him bringing the words to a devotional I had done earlier that week back to me. And I stood there in awe as the creator of the universe began to knit these two things together to give me this message...
The song we were singing was 'Reign Over Me" by Dustin Smith. And in part of that song we sang the words "You're all that I want, All that I've ever needed. You satisfy every longing in me". As we sang this I felt God pressing the question (to all of us), "Do I really satisfy your every longing?". I felt like He was saying that we can sing those words when we are standing before Him on Sunday morning and truly "want" to mean it, but then Monday comes... In fact, then Monday thru Saturday comes, and sometimes it even happens as soon as we get out of church on Sunday. What I mean by that is it doesn't take long before something starts to pull at our flesh and create desires in us that are not looking toward God to be satisfied. And those desires don't necessarily have to be sinful, they just have to get in the way of what God wants. Please don't get me wrong, I believe we server a God who wants us to enjoy life. I fully believe He delights in our joy. But I don't think we delights in us chasing "things" that make us happy. Especially when those things either begin to fill a longing in us, or get in the way of our time with Him. For example, you might have a favorite show or activity in the evening, but God might be calling you to spend that time with Him. Would you need to take into consideration that you would have to give that "thing" up if that was the exact time He wanted with you, or would you just go spend that time with Him? When our spirit begins to line up with His spirit, then our longings begin to line up for His purpose for us. However, our flesh is always going to try to fight that. It is in those times that have the opportunity to show God that we are not driven by our fleshly desires, and we really do want to let Him satisfy out every longing.
The thing I read earlier last week that God had brought back to me was about gold. When gold is found it is not where you might expect it. It is in the dirt, among other rocks and sand. It is not found in a pretty place and it not instantly perfect gold when it's found. It is full of impurities because of the environment it has been in. It is not until the goldsmith works with that gold and begins to refine it that it starts to really have it's value. You see gold is full of impurities and the only way to get rid of those it to heat it up to a very high temperature and let those impurities rise to the top. The goldsmith will then scrape the "stuff" that has risen to the top off, leaving the left over gold more pure. However, this is not a "one and done" process. This may have to be done several times in order for this gold to be fully purified. Each time the heat is applied, more impurities will rise to the top and can be scraped away. And each time the gold is made more pure.....God works with us in a very similar fashion. He finds us and He pulls us out of the world we are living in. He sees our worth even when we (or anyone else) can't yet. But God wants to put us through a process of purification, just like the gold. But we have to allow this process to take place. Unfortunately we tend to bail out to soon when the heat begins to get turned up around us, and the process doesn't get to do exactly what God wanted it to. He will allow situations to happen that bring our impurities to the top...even those fleshly desires. Then He will scrape them away, if we let Him. And each time we allow Him to work in us and on us like this, He leaves us better than He found us. Closer to Him, and noticeably changed! With desires that line up with Him...
If you know you struggle to allow God to "satisfy your every longing", then maybe He wants to refine you and allow some of those impurities to rise to the top so HE can get rid of them. Don't let this process create fear in you, it is always God's desire to leave us better than He found us, and to draw us closer to Him. And trust me when I say this world has nothing to offer that even comes close to comparing to what God has for you. So spend some time with Him, get honest and very real with Him, and let Him search you fully and get honest and real back with you. I promise you won't regret it.
God, thank You for finding us and pulling us up out of the places that You do. Thank You that you want to refine us, You want to be the reason our souls feel satisfied, You want relationship with us. Please Holy Spirit help us to put our fleshly desires in their proper place and seek You above anything and everything in our lives. And let the changes that God does in us speak louder than our words so people will see the difference, and want what we have with You God. In Jesus name, Amen.

Justifiable Sin

One of the things that the enemy used to do, was to keep me blind to what I would to call the "justifiable sin" in my life. At that time in my life, because I was not walking with guidance of the Holy Spirit, it was very easy for him to do this to me. The tactics he uses such as selfishness, ignorance, fear and pride are just some of the ways he accomplishes this. But the saddest part about it is that he does this right under your own nose, with your full cooperation. Let me explain....
A few weeks ago I was praying with a couple, and right before we began to walk through some prayers of forgiveness towards others and towards themselves, God put this message in my heart. At that time I thought it was just for them, but ever since that night God has not stopped burning this message in my heart, and I knew it was supposed to be a blog.
The message was this.....Sin has corrupted this world we live in, and we know from the bible that it started all the way back when man was in the garden and fell to the first sin. We know that satan was the reason sin came into man's life, and we know he has never stopped trying to get us to sin since then. However, the thing that God showed me that day was this......Before you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, sin has one place in your life, and that is to send you to hell. Without asking Jesus into your heart, and allowing the life He gave to cover your sins through God's amazing grace and mercy, hell is exactly where sin will get you. And the last thing the enemy wants you to understand when you are living in a life of sin is God's grace and mercy. He does not want you to know about, come to grips with or accept all that Jesus did for you so that you could have a life free of the trap sin puts you in. However, once you find Jesus and start a relationship with Him, your sins are forgiven, your heart is cleansed. And that sin that could once send you to hell, no longer holds that power over you because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. But sin doesn't just go away, right? So what role does sin play now, because it still does cause damage. The place that sin has in your life now is that it causes distance between you and God. Every time we sin, and we let that sin just sit there without repentance, it causes space between us and God, and it prevents us from walking in the fullness that God has for us. It may have lost it's power to send you to hell because of the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, but it is still causing damage. And that same enemy that did not want you to understand God's grace and mercy, well that same enemy now wants you to fully understand it. In fact, he wants you to understand it so much that you take it for granted. He wants you to fall into a way of thinking that says "oh, if I mess up God's grace will cover that"...and he wants that to become a new pattern in your life. Not to strive to do better, but to know that if you keep messing up, well God's grace and mercy will cover you. But listen.....that is a lie from the enemy. This is not why Jesus died for you, just so you could fall under a new trap of lies from the enemy. God's grace was never intended to be a "fail safe" or a reason to keep "justifiable sin" in your life. God's grace and mercy is there to cover us because God knows we are not always going to get it right. We will mess up sometimes, but those times should not be intentional. His grace is not a crutch to keep the sinful things in your life that you just don't want to let go of. The bible says you are a NEW creation, and that the OLD has passed away, and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) So let God help you get rid of the old sinful nature once and for all!
The same week that God gave me this message I was reading a devotional. And the author of the devotional gave this example...He said, if I told you that if you would give something up for the next year, then I could guarantee you first place in the Olympics next year. Yes, that's right. Not harder training, just giving something up. Like don't drink soda for the next year, or cut out fast food. If you could do something like that and be guaranteed to go straight to the top and win the Olympics, then wouldn't you do it....then why aren't we living like that for Jesus. If I told you that cutting out this one sinful thing in your life could take you to a whole new level with God, would you do it? We all have something that we could rid our lives of that could and would bring us closer to Him. Not work harder to get closer or used more by Him, but just removal of something that stands between you and Him.
Today I'm asking you to examine your life, and ask God to search your heart...and be ready for Him to reveal things to you. Let Him show you the things that the enemy has convinced you are "ok" to keep around...the justifiable sins that are stopping you from walking in the fullness that God has for you. Don't buy into satan's lies about God's grace and mercy. God's grace brings freedom from the entrapment of sin.....it is not a reason to keep sin around.
God, thank You for Your gift of grace and mercy. Please forgive us for the times we have taken advantage of it, or taken it for granted. Please search the hearts of Your people God and reveal the things that are keeping distance between us and You, and Holy Spirit help us have the strength to lay them down and walk away from them for good...and for God! In Jesus name, Amen

Putting Yourself In Check

There are a lot of things we can walk away from when we find Jesus, but I have found, and seen in others, that one of the hardest things to walk away from is our own selfish desires. Even if we go back to the garden in Genesis, it was our human selfish desires that caused the first sin. When we read what happened we can see that it didn't take much for satan to convince Eve that gong with her own desires was the best thing to do. He simply said "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil", and that was all it took. Eve's selfish desires for "more" took over and a sin was committed. Despite ALL that God had blessed them with, their flesh still said "it's not enough".
How many times has your flesh screamed that in the face of God? I know for me it has been too many times in my life. Too many times I let my selfish desires tell God that what He does for me is not enough. And that is a shame I have to remind myself that Jesus died to take away from me. If not then the guilt alone is too much to bare. It really breaks my heart today to see people give up so much with God, just to get so little from the world in return. People will chase things that destroy their ministry, destroy their marriage, destroy their family, destroy the job God blessed them with...and most of all, destroy their personal relationship with God. The only reason I say it that way is because a lot of times we run from Him due to the guilt and shame put on us by the enemy, and we allow a lot of time and distance to come between us and God. And the only way back from something like that is to remind yourself that God already knows about our selfishness and the damage it can cause, that's why He sent Jesus. It would be like waking up today and looking at your spouse, sibling or close friend and saying to them, "I know what you are going to do to me today. It's going to hurt, and I really wish you wouldn't...but know that I have already forgiven you before you even do it". Wow...could you imagine? No matter what selfish and hurtful thing they did to you, you have already not only forgiven them, but you stand there with your arms held out to receive them in love. That's God! That's the way He has dealt with us since the beginning of time.Yet despite that, our selfish flesh still wins so many of the battles.
I want to tell  you today that it doesn't have to be that way. Sin, your human selfish side (and we all have one) and your flesh don't have to win, or pull you away from God. He sent the Holy Spirit to help you in this area, give you strength we you need it most, and remind you of who you are in God's eyes. We were created by Him to do great things for Him. That's why the enemy cringes at the very idea of us getting this. When we realize that surrender to Him equals freedom from this word, which also equals glorifying Him in all we do..well, then we have stepped on the neck of our enemy and he knows his time with us is done. When we realize these things, everything in our lives can become a powerful tool to display God to others. Tough situations arise, we show the world how we trust God. God brings you a spouse, you show the world what a God centered marriage looks like. You succeed at your job, you show the world what it means to be blessed by God. When you choose to live like this, and you give Him ALL the credit for ALL that you have, then you will put your selfish desires in check. You will learn how to make your flesh submit to it's creator. And you will be a light that demonstrates Him to everyone you see.
Today, if you are sick of the battle within, then give up! Give up the fight and give it over to God. Admit your shortcomings, your mistakes, your inner pride, your guilt and shame, and your stubbornness. Then ask Him to replace all of these things for the things that He created to be inside of you...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (fruit of the spirit Galatians 5:22-23). These are the things that keep our flesh at one with God!
God, thank You for opening our eyes. I personally thank You for opening mine so I could see the destruction of my selfish desires. Thank You for restoration of our soul, and our relationship with You. Please do a work in us to make us who YOU desire for us to be. Allowing us, through the Holy Spirit, to overcome the things of this world. Let us be a light that shines for you in ALL areas of our life so we can point others to the freedom that we live in. In Jesus name, Amen

Come and Get it

I know that God speaks to each of us a little differently. Some hear him, some have dreams, some have visions and so on. And some have a nice mixture of all of these things. I personally have not been a "dreamer". Oh I have had a few dreams that I know had deep meaning, but only just a few that I can recall. However, I do have a vision every once in a while. And most of the time they happen when I am deep into the presence of God. Some are like a dream, but I am awake with my eyes closed, and some are as if something is happening right in front of me and I'm watching it play out. Why do I share all of this with you? Because I want you to know God speaks, and as followers we should hear Him in one way or another. And don't ever be afraid to say you have!
So having said all of this, I want to share something God showed me during worship at church yesterday. It was like any other worship, eyes closed, hands raised, praising God, feeling His presence and just expressing my deep love for Him. However, I noticed that every time I would open my eyes they would go directly to the bottle of water that the worship leader has sitting by his mic stand. After this happened a few times I asked God what He was trying to tell me..And this is what I got....
I saw myself standing before a large crowd, holding this bottle of water. And I heard God say to them "it's as easy as taking a drink from this bottle". Too many times we make coming to God too hard. We fight the Holy Spirit telling us what to lay down, and for that matter, what to pick up for God. We say things like "I'm just waiting on The Lord"...but are you? Or is God just waiting on you? Are you going to stare at what He has for you (the bottle of water in this case), but not go after it? Not go after Him? What is God waiting on from you? As I saw myself speaking and holding this bottle of water, I heard myself say to the crowd "Who wants a drink? Then what are you waiting for? If you were dying of thirst and I sat this bottle at the edge of the stage then what could possibly stop you from coming to get it? Nothing, right? I could try to put all kinds of obstacles in front of this stage, but if you were dying of thirst you would find a way to get to this water, right? People, we are dying of thirst! And trust me when I say that one drink is not enough. God does not what us to show up just for a drink! For me personally, I want to swim in His water. I want it to overtake me. I want more than I can handle, so I will just have to trust Him more." And as I saw myself saying these things to the crowd I saw me open the bottle and literally pour the water over myself...as if to say, I don't care what the world thinks about this..this is how much I want more of You God.
Why am I sharing this in my blog today? Because I know God gave me a message yesterday, and I don't think a group of 100 people is all it was intended for. We are not waiting for God, He is waiting for us. Let me be clear in what I mean by that. Yes, there are things you are waiting on God for in your life, things that will happen in His perfect timing, but more of Him is not one of those things. He has more of Himself for you any time you want it! He is waiting on you to come, pick up the water and either take a drink, or take a swim. But it all comes down to how much of Him do you want? You can never, ever have too much! You can never be satisfied with "enough" of Him. Our pursuit of Him should go until the day we stand before Him. There is no such thing as "I have all I need" when it comes to God....because He always has more for you!
John 4:14 says "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life". Today, if you find your spirit dry or thirsty, don't allow the enemy to make you think you are not worthy, or this is as good as it gets. Chase after God with all of your guts and learn what it means to truly drink from HIS water.
God, thank You for yet another word. Please let this reach the people it was intended for. Holy Spirit create a thirst in us that is only satisfied by You, and do not let us be tempted by the fake things this world tries to quench our thirst with. Fill us to overflowing, and teach us what if feels like to fully trust you for all we need. In Jesus name, Amen

Purpose In Your Life

Have you every stopped and asked yourself, "Is this where God had in mind for me to be at this time in my life"? When God was planning your life, and my life, He had something in mind for us each step of the way. He had a learning process that He wanted us to go through. He had a time of application that He wanted us to go through. He had a time of helping others the He wanted us to go through. And He had a time of blessing that He wanted us to go through. Now I'm not saying each of these times are cleanly divided by lines and we just move from one, to the next, and the next. In fact, there are times when we can clearly see that God is teaching us, and we start to apply what He is teaching us to our lives, but He can see we still don't have it...so he takes us back to the learning stage again. This is not because God expects perfection, but instead, it's because God is not a God who sets us up to fail. (And He will be teaching us our entire life) So many times we have an attitude of "ok God, I get it. Let's move forward now". You know, that American mentality of "we want it and we want it now". But God's ways are different than our ways, and His way of thinking is "I will move you forward when I know your ready for what I have for you next". That's tough for us to accept sometimes. We want to go from learning to blessings like a car goes from 0 to 60. We "think" we are ready and sometimes we even move ahead of God. We can even create our own blessings sometimes and say they came from God. When in fact they just came from the works of our own hands, and because of that we will have to work our tails off to maintain them. That's not God. God wants to teach us so much as we walk with Him, and one of those things is patience. He wants us to take a step when He directs us, and wait for His leading on the next one. But sometimes we hear Him clearly on the first step, but we forget to listen for what's next, so we just take off in that direction. I can tell you in my own life that God has led me certain ways not for my own sake, but because He has something else for me to do along the way. Maybe He needed me to reach out to someone, and that was going to be a long process. I have found that He will take us on detours sometime..and we have to be willing to go. When I think about following God's lead I think about John 8:12. In it Jesus says "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life". That verse says enough for me to want to wait on Him. I don't want to step outside of His plans or His will. I don't want to walk in darkness. I want His light to light the way for me. And I've experienced what both of those ways feel like....so I'll take the light!
We need to be very careful on the things we build our lives upon as well. Test them, see if they are from God, and don't put your faith in things that are not from Him. In Luke 6:46-49 Jesus tells a story about the foundation on which we build out lives upon. He said "But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” When we listen for God, we will hear Him. When we hear Him, we must obey. When we do, we are building our foundation upon Him (His rock). That is the place God wants you, and that is the place God can use you. If you know the foundation upon which you are living is a little to "earthy", then today I pray you would take step back and ask Him "where did I take control?". If you allow Him to show you, and you get your feet back on the path He had laid out for you, then you can rest assured that an abundant, meaningful, purpose driven life will be waiting for you. Not one that satisfies the flesh, but one that satisfies the spirit. And one that puts a smile on the face of God!
God, thank You that You do have plans laid out for our lives. Holy Spirit help us to fight the urge to move ahead and to do things in our own power. But instead, to wait upon You Lord and know that we are living a life that not only pleases You, but will glorify You and lead other to You. That is the purpose of this life....help us to always remember that. In Jesus name, Amen.

Love...

Love...

Love is faithful
Love is blind
Love's around us
All the time

Love is patient
Love is true
Love inside of
Me and You

Love is peaceful
Love is real
Love's the thing
We're made to feel

Love is sacrifice
Love is grace
Love from God
For our human race

Love forgives
Love let's go
That's the love
God does show

Love's creator
Knows it best
That's why in Him
We find our rest

God is love
He showed us all
Sent His Son
To take our fall

God's love heals
God's love reigns
His perfect love
It does sustain

A perfect love
From Him to us
A perfect Father
In Whom we trust

His love awaits
And His love calls
Not just to one
His love's for all

Seek and find
His word is true
Find the love
He has for you

Led By The Spirit

Most of my life I have been in church. That is not to say that most of my life I was following Jesus with my life, but just that I was attending church somewhere. Some of those years were more active than other and some of those years I really did try hard to live a life that was pleasing to God. The problem was, it wasn't until recently (the last 2 years) that I really understood my personal relationship with Jesus...and how it doesn't stop with just Him.
All of my life I heard mention of the Holy Spirit, but that was really about it. I knew what The Spirit was and I knew how the people in the bible had experienced The Spirit when it came down on them (Acts 2), but again, that was about it. Just some head knowledge and nothing in my life or heart to show that I was connected to the Holy Spirit. That is until a few years ago.
Exactly 2 years ago in Feb. of 2014 I was at a service desperately crying out to God. I was at what I would consider my rock bottom at this point in my life. It wasn't because of drugs or alcohol or anything like that, but it was because of sin. And it was because of how much I had taken God for granted and lived to serve my flesh. I was at a place where I was really disgusted with my life and what it was producing....bad fruit. And it was in the very time of crying out...a time when I would have expected God to also be disgusted with me too...that He met me where I was. And He didn't just meet me, but He picked me up, He loved on me, He showed me how I looked through His eyes, He forgave me, He cleansed me and He set me free. And all of that was way way more than I expected considering the way that I had been "serving Him". But the beauty in my story is that I also received something else for the first time that night. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Now I know to some people those sound like very "religious" words, but I'm here to tell you that what I experienced that night was far from just a "religious experience". What happened to me that night was very personal, very special, very eye opening and filled my heart in a way I had never felt before. It was like God reached down with His own hand and touched me....literally touched me. And I knew in that very moment that nothing would ever be the same again.
As much as that experience was absolutely amazing, I don't want anyone to get caught up in just the story of the experience. What I do want you to get caught up in is how much my life changed after that. Being led by The Spirit is not just an expression, it's real! And when you are being led by the spirit there is a peace, a joy, a sense of purpose to your life that was not there before. I would notice that my circumstances couldn't change how I felt on the inside anymore. I would notice that doors in my life were opening and closing so much easier. I would notice that God was putting it in me to serve others in ways I never had before. And He was showing me that I had gifts on the inside of myself that I had never tapped into. Gifts He put there. I would pray and see things happen. I would lay my hands on someone in the name of Jesus and see them get set free. I would ask for help and instantly receive it. And the main reason for this is because I was not alone anymore. I had invited The Spirit to come and live inside of me and now He was. He was with me all the time. He would help me with the smallest and the biggest things. I had a helper. (John 14:26) And at a time when the enemy wanted me to feel so alone because of what was going on in my personal life, I did not. In fact, I felt the opposite. I felt like I was never alone. I could hear God's voice clearly and I had begun to pray more clearly, especially when the Holy Spirit would pray through me. (Romans 8:26). And this friend, this helper, this guide, that God has touched me with that night in Feb. 2014, and put inside of me, has never left my side.
I know to some my story is going to sound a bit strange. Why, because the church doesn't talk about the Holy Spirit like they used to, or need to. But to others, who have been touched like this by God, you will smile as you read this. But what I want everyone to know that reads this, is that the Holy Spirit is for EVERYONE. God gave us this helper until Jesus returns and the only reason you might be without is because you have not asked or allowed God to baptize you with the Holy Spirit. If you want to experience God more intimately, passionately, and feel His presence with you ALL the time, then I suggest that you talk to someone about what I am writing about today. Someone who can lead you to this place of prayer. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God, and being led by The Spirit will bring new life into your life.
God, Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for what You have done in my life, and it is my prayer today that others will experience what You have for them. Lead hearts into a place of desire with You God and touch them just like I felt Your touch. And let the light that You place inside of them be seen by all so they too can tell their Holy Spirit story to those who need to hear it. In Jesus name, Amen.

You Have A Choice

You know what the number one thing I am TIRED of satan convincing people of? That they don't have a choice! I'm tired of finding person after person who is so blinded by their situation, or their upbringing, or their past, or their present, or their mistakes, or their life style, or the things that have been done to them....or even their own sin, that they cannot see past IT. I capitalized "it" because that is exactly what satan does. He gets us to not be able to see past "IT". "IT" can be something different for each of us too. IT can seem like a mountain to you when it is magnified by the enemy. IT can seem impossible to you when he gets you to put all of your focus on IT. IT can seem like the biggest thing you have ever faced...UNTIL....See, "it" can seem impossible until you give "it" to God. Then you will see the truth of how small "it" was in the all powerful eyes of God.
There is a great truth out there that we have all heard at one time or another in our life. It's a catchy little phrase that the enemy has turned into something cute that people say when life gets hard for someone and you don't know what else to say to them. It has become as common as the phrase on our money which states "in God we trust". Yes, it says it on our money, but that doesn't mean that we trust God one bit. And the phrase that I'm referring to is another one that we say, but that doesn't mean we believe it. And that is "NOTHING is too big for God". We will tell people that, and then we will face something in our own life and forget those words ever came out of our mouth. Along with that is "nothing is impossible for God", or "I can do all things through Christ....". We know those phrases, we use those phrases, but are those phrases etched onto the inside of your heart? Are those the phrases you say to satan when he tries to show you the circumstances around you? Whatever your "it" is today that he has convinced you is "too big"....have you reminded him how big your God is?
That lie....that sickening, entrapping lie that satan loves to use against us can be shut down by us realizing and living like NOTHING is too big for God. And when we realize that...really realize it, then we will realize "I had a choice this whole time and I couldn't even see it".
The enemy will try to get us to stay in our mistakes, our troubles, our hardships...actually anything that holds us back from the fullness that God has for us, because he knows the moment we realize the power of God over our situations, we will break free from "it". Yes, sometimes that means some undoing of things you have done to get yourself where you are, but again, that's a choice. No matter what the enemy has convinced you that you are stuck in, don't believe it. You are not his slave and you are not a slave to any situation, circumstance or sin that has ever entered into your life!
Romans 8:12 - 17 says this....
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

I don't know about you, but when I read a passage like that I cannot just read it once. So I invite you to go back and read that again...and again...and again if necessary so it will sink deep into your mind, and your heart. Every lie the enemy has ever told you about who you are, whose you are, how you are, what you are, what makes you the way you are, and his personal favorite....how you will never change.....All of those lies are blown away by this passage in Romans. You have no obligation to sin, or it's urges. And if you choose to allow it to control you and give into sin, it brings death. But when you realize the power that God has put in you, the power of the Holy Spirit, you WILL say "I am an overcomer!". I am adopted by God. I am just as much His as Jesus was. I am not above suffering because of that, but I am above being trapped by the things that cause me to suffer. 

Yes, Jesus came to pay a price for our lives to make a way for us to be in relationship with God, but please let's not forget that He also came to show us HOW to live. Let His life be an example of how to make the right choices, live in a way that pleases God, and show the enemy that he has no more control over you than he did Jesus...and he never will!

God, Thank You for Your TRUTH! May it pierce the hearts and minds of people today who feel trapped by the enemy. Let them see that they DO have a choice, and YOU God are that choice. I pray lives will be changed and set free....and that YOU God will receive ALL the glory and honor for it. In Jesus name, Amen.

Limitless Trust

Which is harder for you to accept when you think about God...limitless love, or limitless trust? It can be hard to wrap our heads around sometimes. That God loves us despite....well, despite ourselves. Despite our sin, despite how many times we went directly against Him, despite how many times we repented, and then turned around and did that very thing again. Yet He loves us...with limitless love. And because of that, this God who loves us beyond compare would only want the absolute best for us, right? Then why is our limitless trust in Him so difficult?
As humans we are used to putting our trust in things with a condition. If something looks study enough, we might walk out on it. If something seems safe enough, we might try it. If someone is a very very close friend to us, we may place our trust in them. But with each one of those examples there is always an "if". But with God there cannot be an "if". The trust we have in God is "because", not "if". Because God is faithful, because God is true, because of God's love.....because of all of these things, He IS trustworthy.
Fear is the number one thing that stops us from trusting. Fear causes doubt to set in, and doubt causes us to "be careful". In some physical scenarios in life God gave us those instincts to keep us wise, but those instincts were never meant to be used against God Himself. We should not reason if we should trust God in a situation, we just should trust Him. Any time I have written about trust I have referenced Proverbs 3:5. To me it is virtually impossible to explain the kind of trust we should have in God without using it. It says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding". It is one simple sentence the tells us exactly what God wants, and what He expects. It is His way of saying to us, "when you come to Me about anything, you leave your own understanding outside of the conversation". And to explain why this must be, we look to Isaiah 55:8, which is God telling us "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways". And this is exactly why when we describe trust in God it has to be limitless. No matter what the situation is, when we go to Him and lay it down at His feet and surrender it to Him, we can trust that IF we do as He asks of us, then He will do things in a way that are best for you, and bring honor to Him. We sometimes forget about that last part too....actually we forget about most of that. He is going to give us correction and direction when we ask for His help, and He is going to expect us to listen and obey. Then He is going to do things that are good for you, even if you don't get it in the moment. Then He is going to want you to make sure He gets the glory and the honor for it. All of these things are key in trusting God. We cannot go to Him with a selfish trust. By that I mean, you can't tell Him what the outcome needs to look like, you can't say things like "oh God if you do this I will.....", and you can't only praise Him when it's starting to look good for you. You praise Him all the way through because doing that IS a form of trust. When you can say "God, I can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel in this situation, but I know it's there, and I know you are leading me to it, and therefore I praise Your name", then He can see your heart is in the right place.
I don't know what the situation might be in your life that God is trying to show you He can be trusted with, but I do know you really can trust Him. So today I am encouraging you to lay it down at His feet, and tell yourself that is where it stays until He's sees you through it. Don't put conditions on it, don't put time frames on it, and don't only praise Him when it looks good. Praise Him, trust Him and rebuke all thoughts of doubt that try to creep in. Then allow Him to show you just how limitless both His love and His trust truly is.
God, thank You for both Your limitless love and trust. Thank You that nothing in this world compares to what You have to offer us. I pray today that someone will give their trust over to You, and experience Your amazing faithfulness and goodness. Give us spiritual eyes Lord, and wisdom to see past any fear of our human understanding, and just trust Your ways. In Jesus name, Amen