Worship for Life

Worship and Relationship

2012-02-02T12:10:00.010-05:00

Today I was thinking about the reality of what we as a team of worship leaders do in the body of Christ, and it struck me like it never has before. We help to build relationship - first with God and then with each other. As we come before the Father each and every time, it's to express our love using our music and other artistic giftings, and to call others to do the same. This is an incredible opportunity to be an example of what Jesus said were the two great commandments in Matthew 22: to love the Lord with all of your heart, soul and strength and then to love your neighbor as yourself. As we come to the Father in corporate worship to pour out our love for Him with authenticity and accuracy, we bring a display of worship that He loves to inhabit (Psalm 22:3). At the same time, we simultaneously are calling our brothers and sisters to do the same. Through this act, we show our love for our 'neighbors' by not leaving them out as we express a sincere desire for them to attain one of God's heart cries for us: unbroken fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ. What we are saying as we lead others in worship, is 'you are important enough to God and us, that we want you to join us in fulfilling one of the great purposes of our lives: glorifying the God of all creation.'

So the next time you step up to lead worship, whether you sing, play or dance, bear in mind that you should be declaring your undying love and commitment to our Father, as well as your love and concern for your fellow brothers and sisters. Let's passionately keep worship and relationship intimately tied as we express our love for the Father and call others to do the same.

Give Like God

2011-12-22T02:38:00.002-05:00

From the beginning of time God has been a giver. When it would benefit Him in no way other than to have relationship with us, He created mankind and the world we live in. When it was time for us to begin this life and take care of the earth He made, he gave us everything we would ever need. And above all else, when our sin separated us from Him, He gave His only son to bring us back (John 3:16).

Giving is not just something that Father God does, but it serves to help define who He is. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that by His divine power we have been given everything that pertains to life and godliness. In the garden He gave life, blessing and purpose. Through the years that man wandered, He never stopped giving provision. Through the prophets of the Old Testament He gave correction and direction. And finally, through Jesus Christ, He gives us eternal life. Truly the attribute of giving marks Him as one who is loving, kind, merciful and compassionate, and so it must mark us. If we serve the God of the universe, in whose image we were created, then our lives must display the gift of giving.

Our time, talents and treasure are not our own, but are entrusted to us by God to live this life while blessing those around us. In so doing we further solidify our role as his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and as His children (John 1:12). So as we're right in the middle of celebrating the birth of Jesus during this Christmas season, remember that we're not only blessed to receive, but also to give like God.

Created for Relationship

2011-12-01T13:43:00.003-05:00

After celebrating another birthday last week I am really thankful for relationships. I received such an outpouring of cards, gifts, texts, letters, Facebook messages and e-mails that it is overwhelming. The love and gratitude expressed by my friends and family was huge and my response in thankfulness was just as great because I begun to realize that it is only through valuing and committing to relationships that we reap the benefits. By embracing everything, including the tough times, we have the opportunity to enjoy all of the benefits and blessings. In Genesis right before He created man, God said, 'it is not good for man to be alone' (Genesis 1:18). In this, God not only spoke of marriage, but of all relationships because there was no other human but Adam up to that point. God's desire was that in the same way He created man and wanted fellowship with him, He wanted Adam (and all of future mankind) to have the opportunity to fellowship with others who were like him.

Just as the two great commandments referenced by Jesus in Matthew 22 state - love the lord with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself - we were created to love God and love each other. Regardless of whether it's easy, or filled with challenges, we are called to live this life in relationship: with God and others. So cherish it, enjoy it, work at it and succeed in it because truly, we were created for relationship.

The Power of Agreement

2011-10-19T10:57:00.010-04:00

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:19). Unity is a powerful thing and is highly valued by our Heavenly Father. After man was created, the first thing God said of him was that it was not good for man to be alone. This was not only a statement of the need for creating the institution of marriage, but about the need for humans created in God's image to come to a place of unity with others concerning their purpose. As humanity, we have been designed by God for His glory and for relationship with Him, but we've also been designed for relationship with one another. In the context of that relationship, the necessity for purpose by design of God is undeniable. We are created for good works as Ephesians 2:10 states, and that purpose is fulfilled as we come together with one mind and heart for God's glory. As Psalm 133 tells us, God sees it as 'good and pleasant' when we dwell together in unity because in that place God knows that as we walk in relationship with Him and one another, we are able to fulfill what He has desired for us from the beginning: loving Him, and loving one another. With this is mind, remember what we've been exhorted to do in Hebrews 10:24-25:

²⁴And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Coming together for community and mission is key to fulfilling our purpose in Christ. He has made a place for us because He knows that if we will 'agree on earth about anything', He is able to work it out in and through us according to His will. Realize that this is why the enemy so desperately tries to sell us a bill of goods to unify under ungodly causes that directly contradict God's word. Our response to that must always be to rally under the banner of God's word and Spirit in Jesus' name so that we will do what He's called us to do and be what He's called us to be. So whether it is a particular mission, Bible study, family time, fellowship or corporate worship, never forget to embrace the power of agreement.

Full of Faith

2011-09-29T10:54:00.018-04:00

Approaching God has always been a subject that has produced different responses from many groups of people and religions across the world. Some think they can come on their own terms and according to their own 'truth', while others think that God could never accept them because of all that they've done and all that they've been through. The reality is that we have a clear directive from God's word that tells us how to approach Him and it's stated in a simple yet profound way in Hebrews 11:6: ... But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The Message Bible makes it even more descriptive and compelling in everyday language:

It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

What an amazing picture of how simple it is to come to Him, while still holding true to how deeply we must believe in and commit to Him. God has set us up to succeed in that He tells us to come and seek Him by faith and that He actually 'cares enough to respond to those who seek Him.' He cares so much so that He provided His only son so that we could be reconciled through the forgiveness of our sins, provides the ability for us to do what He sets before us, remains unchanging in the way He relates to us throughout time, and loves us unconditionally through it all. If anyone was ever deserving of our faith, it is Him.

Whether you're going through something difficult or all seems well, remember that He is unfailing in His promises and love toward those who seek Him (Psalm 119:89-90; Psalm 103:17-18). He has shown Himself to be trustworthy, always working things out for our good (Romans 8:28). He is the one who knows the beginning from the end, and no matter what you see with your natural eyes, you can always have faith in God, knowing that He has your best in mind. He has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you' (Hebrews 13:5) so you can trust in Him with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). He truly is the rewarder of those who seek Him diligently, with a heart that's full of faith.

Let's Celebrate!

2011-09-01T09:46:00.006-04:00

Celebration in the context of scripture can sometimes be downplayed in light of other 'bigger issues', but it is definitely an important part of who God has created us to be. It's no coincidence that we have special ceremonies and occasions at different times in life. We all are accustomed to parties related to birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, starting of a business or other organization, and a host of other things that we could list. As we consider this topic, let's look at some examples from the Bible to see how this all plays out from God's perspective.

Psalm 98 gives us a great general view as to why celebrating is a Godly and fruitful activity. We are called in this scripture to '... sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things...' (v.1). God's works are incredible in their display of His power, mercy and goodness toward us and we should celebrate and give Him thanks accordingly. Throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy we see the feasts that the people of God were called to which were steeped in celebration and thanksgiving. In addition, we all remember the call that is set before us in Psalm 100 to '... enter his gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise' (v.4).

So whether it's a birthday, wedding, anniversary, graduation, or some other special occasion, remember that God's faithfulness and mercy are ever-present in our lives and need to be acknowledged. Just remember to keep Him at the forefront of our minds and in every opportunity we have to reflect on His goodness, let's celebrate!

Not Our Own

2011-08-03T14:42:00.010-04:00

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the Apostle Paul makes a strong statement of direction to those of the Corinthian church. He began it with respect to sexual purity but as you read it you realize that this becomes an encouragement and reminder for all of life.

... do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

By the work of the cross we were redeemed by Jesus Christ in order to know, love and serve Him in all that we do. As you look at Paul's encouragement, you see that we are called to glorify God in our bodies and our spirits (v.20). Through his statement, he didn't focus exclusively on what we do with our physical bodies, but also on what our hearts (spirits) pursue. The effect of this powerful declaration is that nothing in our lives becomes irrelevant to Father God and no stone is left unturned. We were bought with the price of Jesus' life and as a result, our only reasonable response is to give Him all of who we are. So whether it's a song, a monetary offering, service to someone else, our performance at work, the way we run our business, or the way we treat others, everything is our gift back to Him. With that in mind, we must stay in close contact with Him by His word and Spirit in order to love what He loves, hate what He hates and live our lives accordingly.

So the next time you prepare for the day, have a thought cross your mind, or find yourself pondering the course of your life, remember that all we are and all that we do is for His glory. We truly are not our own.

Partnered for Purpose

2011-06-30T15:39:00.006-04:00

Since the beginning of time God has desired that we would join forces with Him in order for His will to be done through us. In the garden when He simply could have created robots who would do His bidding, he opted instead to create Adam and Eve with their own free will so that they could choose to partner with Him to fulfill the purpose He had established for all mankind. Throughout the Old Testament when the people of God continued to stray, He never made them do His will but simply gave them the opportunity to return to Him over and over, experiencing His never-ending mercy and grace. When Jesus came to redeem us from our sinful condition, even He had the opportunity to choose to partner with Father God for His purpose when He came to the crossroads in the Garden of Gethsemane. And now when it comes to you and I, let's never forget that the Father always gives us the chance to choose His will and do our part in the process. He never makes you do anything, but He gives you the choice and provides the grace to fulfill whatever He's calling you to do.

Recently, a close friend shared an insight from Jentzen Franklin with me that ties in with this topic. He said that when Peter was being miraculously freed from prison by the angels of God (Acts 12), a peculiar thing happened. Despite chains falling off of his hands, walking through walls and a secure iron gate opening on it's own (with the help of the Holy Spirt :-)), the angel asked Peter to 'put on [his] garments and follow [him]' (v.8). Why with so much miraculous occurrence was there a need for Peter to do the simplest of things: putting on his robe and shoes? The reason that Jentzen Franklin shared is profound. Despite all of the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit, there was still a requirement of the step of faith by doing his part for Peter. Even in His working of the miraculous, the Father still wants us to partner through our obedience to Him. It's why Jesus had to come to the crossroads at Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-45) and why Peter had to step out of the boat to walk on water in Matthew 14. It's also why you and I must find out what God requires of us in partnering with Him for what we're called to do.

So today and everyday, I encourage you to do whatever Father God is requiring of you to remain partnered with Him, for your purpose in Him.

Your Great Name

2011-06-16T11:33:00.010-04:00

Please take a few minutes to watch the the powerful story behind the song, 'Your Great Name.' Humble worshippers declaring the name of our awesome God. Just click on the video titled

'Your Great Name - Song Story' which is on the right side of this page. Enjoy!!

Follow the Cloud, Not the Crowd

2011-06-02T09:34:00.011-04:00

As I was reading the most exciting book in the Bible this week: Numbers, insert sarcasm :-). I saw something in a whole new light. In Numbers 9, Moses and the children of Israel are commanded to follow the cloud - a tangible representation of God's presence - wherever it led them. Now of course we all know that's what happened throughout the sojourning of the children of Israel: the cloud led them by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). The key point which I had overlooked for so long in this passage was in verses 21-23. In it they were given specific instructions:

21 So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. 23 At the command of the LORD they remained encamped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

This passage shows clearly that they didn't simply pack their things and start moving because it was a new day and then wrap it all up and stop because it was night time. They moved when He said to move and they stayed when He said to stay. Our lives are the same. We are truly not our own and we must remain in a posture that is humbly submitted to God's leading and direction by the Holy Spirit. Whatever season of life you're in, whoever you're called to care for or minister to, whatever your job is, whatever task or project you must take on, etc., know where you are called right now and be about following His will for your life. Just as the children of Israel, we need to follow the direction of the Father regardless of how we feel. Whether it's convenient or not, He knows the beginning from the end and has our best in mind. That means we need to stay when He says to stay and move when He says to move.

No matter what those around you are doing, it's imperative that you know who you are called to be, and what you are called to do as the Lord directs your steps (Proverbs 16:9). His ways and thoughts are higher than ours and He graces us to rise to the occasion (Isaiah 55:9). So in each day and in every season, always remember: follow the cloud, and not the crowd.

Good Friday Prayer

2011-04-21T11:08:00.005-04:00

This was originally posted on the Blue Letter Bible Blog (http://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/).

O LORD, my God and Savior,

Mockery was a great ingredient to your woes.
Judas mocked You in the Garden;
the chief priests and scribes laughed you to scorn;
Herod set you at nought;
the servants and the soldiers jeered and harassed you with brutal insults;
Pilate and his guards ridiculed Your royalty, even though it was truth;
and on Your cross—where you bled through your hands, your feet, your brow—all sorts of horrid jests and hideous taunts were hurled at You.

Such ridicule is always hard to bear, but all the more when we are in intense agony.
And all the more when it is so heartless, so cruel, that it cuts us to the quick.

As I picture you hanging on Your cross, my great God and Savior crucified, I cannot bear the thought. Your frail and beaten Self was racked with anguish far beyond all mortal guess. A motley mob wagged their heads and thrusted out the lip in bitterest contempt and insult toward you, a suffering victim. So humble a Savior!

O Jesus, “despised and rejected of men,” “acquainted with grief and sorrow,” how could You die for men who treated You so ill, so poorly, so horridly? How? Herein is love so amazing, love divine, yes, love beyond degree! We, too, have despised You in the days of our own unregenerate state, and even since our new birth we have set the world on high in our hearts, and yet You bled to heal our wounds and died to give us life.

Oh, that we could set You on a glorious high throne in all men’s hearts! We would ring out Your praises over land and sea till men should as universally adore as once they did unanimously reject.

Your creatures wrong You, Oh sovereign LORD! And yet, Your grace comes down to us like a river from that Cross. You died and rose again that we might do the same. So we run to you, from the foot of that cross to the foot of Your throne, hearts bursting forth with thanksgiving and praise, “Oh God, take me! Like You there is no other! My life is purchased and Yours!”

(adapted from Charles H. Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening devotional)nd Evening devotional)

He Never Changes

2011-04-14T09:31:00.007-04:00

Jesus. The name above all names. Healer, redeemer, restorer, savior, shepherd, friend and Lord of all. Today and everyday, Jesus is unchanging. He is the word of God, manifested to us in His time on earth, and continually manifested in us by the work of the word and the Spirit. No matter what you think based on what you can see, He is forever steadfast and immovable. He was present at the foundation of the world, at the fall of man, and clearly seen by all during the redemptive work of the cross. This same Jesus is here for us today. Accessible to the one who is yet to believe, and walking faithfully with the one who already believes by the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 13:8 says it well: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We are afforded an incredible opportunity today to know the One who was, is, and will always be, who is more than able to work in our lives to will and to do for His glory (Philippians 2:13). Come what may, good or bad, remember that you can always trust Him. He truly never changes.

Look Up

2011-04-06T17:26:00.006-04:00

My encouragement for you today is simple: look up. In Hebrews 12:1-2 we are encouraged to run the race of life faithfully as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus:

¹ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Day to day we are often distracted by things around us, but we can always receive renewed vision and strength in knowing that we can look to Jesus in every situation. He's been where we are as he put on flesh to bear our sin and make a way of salvation for us, and he is always with us by the Holy Spirit. Never forget as you go through your walk of faith that He really does perfect that which concerns us (Psalm 138:8). So the next time you get distracted and discouraged by what you see, remember to look up: Jesus will always be there.

Who Does He Say I Am?

2011-03-24T08:24:00.014-04:00

The affirmation of a father is unlike any other. So many of us have a difficulty relating to this concept because of sub par experiences with natural fathers. Whether you've had a positive or a negative experience with your natural father, our Father in Heaven is always one who loves us, affirms us, speaks encouraging words over us, and has given it all so that we could be with Him. No matter what you have believed about yourself, remember that His thoughts toward you are good. His love is unconditional and He always has your best in mind, no matter what things look like in the natural. Let's take a look at what He says about YOU:

He has given you the right to become a child of God - John 1:12.

You were brought near by the blood of Christ - Ephesians 2:13.

You are a new creation in Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

He directs your steps - Psalm 37:23.

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength - Philippians 4:13.

All things are added to your life when you seek His Kingdom first - Matthew 6:33.

He leads you to victory - 2 Corinthians 2:14.

He has good thoughts toward you - Jeremiah 29:11.

He has created you for good works - Ephesians 2:10.

He works out all things for your good - Romans 8:28.

You have peace, given to you by Jesus - John 14:28.

You have been given power, love and a sound mind - 2 Timothy 1:7.

God's goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life - Psalm 23:6.

Obviously, I could go all day with statements of encouragement from God's word, but I won't. Instead, my proposition for you is to spend everyday tuning your ears in to what He says about you and those around you. The words you receive will be the door to fulfilling the two great commandments that Jesus declared - loving the Lord and loving your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40). We serve a great Father and YOU have been created in His likeness. Receive every word of life He has for you and remember that no matter what you or others say about you, you can always go back to this question: Who does He say I am? The answer will undoubtedly be one full of Father God's affirmation, life and purpose.

Fighting Words

2011-03-12T11:21:00.003-05:00

My writing today is inspired by an excerpt from 'The Power of Praise and Worship' by Terry Law and Jim Gilbert. In the early chapters of this book, Terry does a masterful job of describing the nature of strongholds that have plagued mankind for generations. Most of the negative issues we face - greed, lust, fear, anger, timidity, murder, etc. - have their roots in the spiritual realm; being established in the minds of people to eventually be acted out in our material world. It's when we realize how these things are coming against us, and in turn arm ourselves accordingly, that we can experience real change and victory in our lives. The biggest key to accessing this victory is to realize that the word of God - planted in our hearts and minds and released by our own declaration - is our most potent weapon.

Here's how Terry explains it:

Jesus has granted us "power of attorney" to use the Word of God in His name. It is His voice satan hears when we invoke this power against the strongholds that bind us. We counterattack the devil's thoughts - they were his before we bought into them - and they lose their grip on our minds.
(The Power of Praise and Worship, pg. 97)

What an incredible reality! Jesus has given us full "power of attorney" with respect to the Word of God. We don't have to conjure up some solution on our own or buy into the latest greatest teaching from some "spiritual guru", but we get to find our solutions, strength and the keys to victory in God's word. Let's be mindful of this in all situations whether we're at church singing songs of worship, transacting business, doing homework, raising our kids, playing sports or enjoying times of rest and leisure. In all places and at all times, the power of God's word is well able to work on our behalf to defeat the enemy. As we resist the lies of satan and his demonic forces and declare the word of God there is certain victory, not in our strength, but in His.

Just as it says in Psalm 138:2, God really has exalted above all things His name and His word. That same word is powerful, true and unchanging (Psalm 119:160; Heb. 1:1-3). It is able to bring light into the darkest of places (Psalm 119:130) and lead us in the right direction (Psalm 119:105). It really is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Take heart today in knowing that for every battle you face, God's words truly are fighting words, a.k.a. your best weapon.

Dyin' to Live

2011-02-17T15:20:00.014-05:00

Today's topic: dying. I know, not the most fun thing to consider in the world, but one that is absolutely essential if you want to follow Christ. The reality of Jesus' life was that he left the eternal to become temporal in order to redeem us, but after His death and burial, He was resurrected to new life. Our call is no different, we must die to ourselves in order to be raised to new life which comes by knowing the Father. As John 17:3 tells us: this is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Coming into relationship with God is what opens the door of eternal life for all of us. That is why natural death, though sad and a loss for those who remain, should never be feared by the follower of Christ because in knowing Him, we've already entered into eternal life.

The question then is how do we die to ourselves? The key is repentance. Jesus began His ministry by preaching: repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). How do we access the Kingdom? By repenting of all that is not of God and turning to Him through accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Now you may be saying, "sure I know this. I've already done that." Whether you have or not, the truth is, unless we continually repent (turn away) from all of those things that are not pleasing to God and turn to Him, we are fooling ourselves with religious actions. Our fruit must be of those who continually repent and die to ourselves that we may continually experience life in Him. How do you speak to your spouse, children and co-workers or classmates? How do you drive :-)? What do you watch on television? What do you listen to? What are your thoughts like toward others and about yourself? How do you spend your money? All of these things, and so many others, testify as to whether or not we're continually dying to ourselves in order to live to Him. Keep Jesus in focus and we'll keep what He loves in focus. Nothing else will shed light into all areas of life like He will (Psalm 119:130). He is the word of God (John 1:1-2) and will truly lead us into all truth by His Spirit. Jesus called us to take up our cross daily to follow Him (Luke 9:23-25) signifying a continual death to self. Our response to Jesus' command should be as the Apostle Paul who declared: I die daily (1 Corinthians 15:31). By doing this, he realized he would walk in the totality of all that Christ had for him. We have the opportunity everyday to do just the same.

So today, remember that if we're in Christ, we are new creations. Old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Let's allow everything that doesn't please him to die so that we may experience His life at work in us and truly say, "I'm dyin' to live."

Worship

2011-01-27T11:33:00.006-05:00

Here's a powerful post written by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church regarding worship. It really reminded me of a word I shared last year: http://4worship.blogspot.com/2009/07/worship-unrestricted.html except on a much deeper level. His insightfulness regarding what worship truly is, is powerful. Here is the link:

Bring it to Life

2011-01-20T15:41:00.015-05:00

My encouragement for you today comes from a simple yet profound statement made regarding the advent of Jesus' time here on earth as recorded in John 1. 'And the word became flesh and dwelt among us...' (v.14). This statement signifies much more than just a quick glossing over the fact that God sent His son to earth. It's a statement, due to it's depth, that requires us to look at what was done by God and then what we must do in light of that. The fact is that we are called to be the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and today, the word must still become flesh and dwell among us.

When Jesus redeems us by His blood, we become restored children of God according to His will, meaning that we now become not only partakers of His divine favor and grace, but also ambassadors who represent His character to the world (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). In a very real sense, Jesus not only came as the messiah, but also as the forerunner for us in allowing God's word to be realized in our lives and in the lives of those around us. When Jesus was manifested in the flesh, the reality was that all of who He was in God as 'the Word' became a reality that we could tangibly witness and interact with. I would dare say that we are called to represent Him in the same way, allowing the word to become a reality in us that people can witness and interact with, thus being drawn to the Father. Remember that prior to His ascension, Jesus prayed for those who would believe in Him because of our [although spoken to the original disciples this statement is directed to all disciples] word. He was literally installing us as those who would do what He did, not as messiahs in our own right, but as His representatives. So the responsibility rests on us to allow God's word, written and spoken, to become a reality in us as we submit to it. As we do this, God will be glorified in us and His Kingdom will continue to advance because it won't be about us, but about Him. Obstacles, won't be seen as hindrances, but stepping stones to greater places He's called us to. Temptations won't be snares for us, but opportunities to show the power of the Word and the Spirit. Darkness will be dispelled and light will prevail as we continue in His word as true disciples (John 8:31-32) who are changing and becoming what He wills.

Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So let's allow the word to become flesh in our lives and in turn see God's greatness displayed. Remember today, and everyday, to receive the word and allow the Holy Spirit to bring it to life in you.

Remember the Little Things

2011-01-13T15:46:00.007-05:00

In light of last week's post, I'd like to refer you to a post I wrote in September 2010 entitled 'The Little Things'. I believe it definitely expresses a key component in fulfilling what God has called each of us to do.

Here's the link: http://4worship.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-things.html

Enjoy!

It's Time to Rest

2011-01-06T08:40:00.013-05:00

Amidst the business of life, there is always a deeper call. One that most of us recognize to some degree, but often put aside not realizing the full importance thereof. It's the call to deeper things in the Father. And more often than not, those deeper things are only attained through laying aside our works to take up His. Many times when we look at this topic we only go as far as the weekly sabbath which God has provided as a time of rest, reflection and recharging to continue walking in all that He has for us. I would like to take it a step further today and talk about the sabbath rest in our lives that comes when we stop pursuing those things that we're not called to, and start moving full steam ahead in the things that we are called to.

Upon salvation, we enter a new kingdom: the Kingdom of God. In so doing, we have changed affiliation, citizenship, teams, families, and any other analogy that you could come up with to represent this revolutionary change. It's obvious to us that once we're saved we now are called to be children of God, but in every house the kids have different personalities, giftings and callings. The question today is what is yours? Are you walking in the calling the Father has for you and living each day toward that, or are you simply living life with the hope of Jesus' return because you're not sure what you should do other than pray, read your Bible, go to church and not sin? Understand, there are basic tenets of faith that we're all called to, but what is it that He is calling you to do specifically? Leave the door open for Holy Spirit to direct you, as the word says, 'into all truth' (John 16:13). With this posture, you'll be able to proceed knowing that each day when you lay your head on the pillow, you've done the things that He's purposed for you to do, and fulfilled another day of your calling. Whether it be simple or more vast than you can imagine right now, tune in to God's station to hear His message for you. Take the time to turn everything else off that would be a distraction so that what He says can ring loud and clear.

The bottom line, let's focus ourselves on being fruitful in our calling this year and not just being busy about life. Only you will know where and what He is calling you to do so keep your spiritual eyes and ears open so you're ready for the message. He loves us and has so much for us, but business and blurred vision can be major detractors from these things. Let's only be busy about the things He has for us to do. Let us realize the power of His word and Spirit and the rest that is to be received in His presence by ceasing from our works (what we want) and taking up His works (what He wants) - (Hebrews 4; esp. v.9-12).

So today, seek to know His purpose for this season of your life if you already haven't. Put down your works and take up His. Fulfill your calling and not what you think are obligations. Allow any blurred vision to become clear and remember, it's time to rest in Him.

'Tis the Season

2010-12-02T10:59:00.006-05:00

Well here we are again at Christmas time: schedules full, budget stretched, rushing here, rushing there. Amidst all of the business of the season I want you all to remember these things: Jesus is Lord and we're celebrating His coming to save us, this is a great season to be thankful in all things, and that our hearts should be as His toward others - loving, giving and serving.

So often as we reach this time in the year we find ourselves so overcome by the commercialism and the self-inflicted business and turmoil that we lose sight of giving thanks to the Father and loving others. My challenge to us all, as it has been freshly presented to me by the Holy Spirit, is to keep those things clearly in view so we can fully enjoy this time and fulfill God's purpose. Remember the fact that in his infinite mercy, Father God chose to send Jesus to rescue us from sin (Romans 5:8) and that we have a great opportunity to express our gratitude for and to Jesus, while drawing others to know Him and do the same. So as we open up this Christmas season, let's truly realize that it is a great time to highlight for the entire world what we hold dear all year long: the divinity of Jesus and His work on our behalf, cherishing the relationships that God has blessed us with, and calling the lost of this world to know their purpose in the one true God.

May your Christmas season be blessed as you give thanks to God and express who He is to the entire world (Psalm 100:4; Matthew 5:13-16).

Overcoming in Him

2010-10-28T09:08:00.008-04:00

Last Sunday I had the privilege of hearing a powerful message from my senior pastor, Apostle George Brantley, out of 1 John 5. The core of his message dealt with the fact that keeping God's word is not a burden (v.3). This point can easily be passed over, but we have to take a deeper look when we hear a statement like that. How often do we actually approach obeying the word of God as something we have to do rather than our privilege as His children? I know that I personally have done it many times. In some situations we can come across like the child who says, 'okay Dad, whatever you say', when we'd rather do something else. Now, don't get me wrong, there's a place for us of dying to our will to obey His, but there should come a point in our lives when the keeping of His word is not a burden, but a joy because He has graced us to do it. Not only are we given the task, but the strength and resources to do it by our everlasting, loving, merciful and gracious Father.

As we believe in Jesus and keep his word, we become His children who overcome the world, victorious in Christ (1 John 5:1-5). His love never fails, and when we realize that He loves us and graces us to do His will, our approach to keeping His words becomes much brighter, hopeful, directed and full of purpose. How great is the grace that He has lavished upon us in order for the mystery of His will to be know and done by us (Ephesians 1:7-10). It's a great day when you know that regardless of what you face, in Him you overcome the world.

The Little Things

2010-09-16T10:03:00.008-04:00

Today, like so many other days, our time is often filled with the seemingly mundane tasks of life that consume so much of what we do that it's easy to become frustrated. Our cry can sometimes sound like, "God, wasn't I created for more than this?" I have visited this place many times in my life when the days turn into weeks, months and eventually years. We work, we pay bills, we take care of the kids, we file our taxes, we cut the grass, do homework, do the laundry, go to a rehearsal, and another rehearsal, and another rehearsal :-), all the while thinking that the "big things" we'd rather do are more important. I'm here to encourage you today in two areas: no matter what you do, consider it worship, doing it as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23) and that when we are faithful in these "little" things, we are also faithful with much (Luke 16:10).

As believers, we can sometimes view the day to day "unspiritual" activities of life as little or insignificant. The reality is that they are all part of the process God is walking us through. When we will view these things - though they may often be the small things as the aforementioned scripture states - with value and seriousness as part of Father God's plan, we will literally be prepared to be faithful in the greater things. For some of us, depending on the call of God, the greater things may be a whole lot more of what we saw as the little things. For all of us though, the greater things are in whatever area He's called us to represent Him. Business, education, music, dance, world missions, etc. Everything was created that His name would be glorified and people would worship Him. Realize that whatever you perform, it should be done to honor God and trust that His greater purpose will be accomplished in that activity or through it. Even in difficult situations, you are guaranteed one of two things: God will deliver you out of it or God will grace you to walk through it. His purpose is accomplished within or as a result of everything that comes into the life of the believer, according to His plan.

So today, remember that all things work together for your good (Romans 8:28) and that the little things are to be done with diligence, expectation and faith, realizing that in everything God is working out His purpose. He perfects that which concerns you (Psalm 138:8) and He will complete the work He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6). Open your eyes today and you might just find the little things to be big things in God's purpose for your life.

Chance of Rain - 100% by Allyson Faulkner

2010-08-19T12:44:00.006-04:00

Recently, I was thanking God for not withholding things from me, such as His love, mercy, healing, power, strength, etc... All these wonderful things that we are so thankful for are poured over us and given to us from His hand - only we have to be open to receive them, right?

As I was thinking about it, in my mind I could see all these things "raining" down over us and we were standing with open arms (and hearts) to receive them. Then I thought of how, in the natural, when it's raining we automatically want to grab our umbrellas because we don't want to get wet. However, in the spiritual, who wants an umbrella or other barrier up when God is raining down all these wonderful gifts on us? We want to be completely saturated by those things and by His Spirit!
We sing the song "Rain Down" and ask God to open up the heavens and rain down on us. And in reply He says, "Look up! I already have! Receive the blessings I've given you!"

Are you standing under an umbrella waiting for God's blessings? Or are you standing in the deluge, soaking up every drop?

All You Need

2010-07-29T09:18:00.008-04:00

Today I wanted to bring a short and simple encouragement for anyone who reads this. Amidst the many obstacles and challenges that we all face, one thing remains constant: our Father in Heaven. He never fails, grows weary or leaves us (Deuteronomy 31:8). He is above all, through all and in us all (Ephesians 4:4-6). His love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). By our faith him, we overcome the world
(1 John 5:3-4). His mercy and love are forever (Psalm 103:17-18). And we enjoy all of this because we are His children (John 1:12).

Realize today that you have a great opportunity to know God and give Him praise in this generation because by His divine power He has already given you all you need (2 Peter 1:3).

Kari Jobe's 1st Music Video - Awesome!

2010-07-15T10:14:00.004-04:00

I found this on YouTube today. I love the heart of worship that she leads with. Enjoy!

The Greatest Privilege

2010-06-03T16:13:00.005-04:00

Have you ever thought of what a privilege it is to worship the Father? We could be among the scores of people who don’t know Him, but instead we are His children. We could be lost, but we’re found. We could be on the outside looking in, but instead we are members of the household of faith. We could be condemned by sin, but instead we’re forgiven and reconciled. It’s a great honor and opportunity each day to live and serve the Creator of the universe who is above all, our Father. Ephesians 2:13 says it quite well: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. We were once estranged but are now amongst the beloved of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; what an awesome opportunity and blessing that is! To know Him is to love Him and to worship Him is the greatest privilege one will ever experience. Consider these things and always have a heart of thanksgiving and worship in all things.

Grace to the Humble

2010-03-04T10:12:00.010-05:00

Humility (hyōō-mĭl'ĭ-tē) - the quality or condition of being Humble (Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful..).

This characteristic is not very common in our society, but it's a precious attribute in the Kingdom of God. Not valued among many famous, wealthy or noteworthy, but it's what produces fame and exaltation according to God's standard. In James 4:6 (KJV) we are reminded that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We can often be tempted to find justifications for areas of pride in our lives, but the reality is that any measure of pride, puts us at odds with our Father in Heaven. Our aim should be to always walk in a posture of humility in order to remain in right relationship with Him.

It's essential to realize that humility is an integral part of our lives as believers. We are restored to Him by the sacrifice that Christ made, through humility. We approach Him with humility. We continue to commune with Him and have relationship with a posture of humility. And we continue to bow before Him in worship with a heart of humility. Yes, the point is quite clear that if we want to remain close to the Father and in His will, humility is paramount. It's of such great importance that in 1 Peter 5:5 we are encouraged to be 'clothed in humility.' The lack of this priceless characteristic was the very thing that got Lucifer thrown out of Heaven. Though rebellion was the outward action, as is often the case for us as humans, pridefulness is what solidifies that rebellion leading to death; wherever pride resides, humility is not at home. In Lucifer's case, rather than being humble, he chose to position himself to say, 'I know better than God.' This is exactly what he deceived Adam and Eve into and exactly what he tries to tempt us with today. When we knowingly choose another way than the way of the Lord in any area, we effectively say, 'I know better than God' and we then take the position of pride that causes us to be at odds with the Father. Thankfully, in His infinite grace and mercy, He promises in His word that He will correct us as a Father does to the son whom he loves (Proverbs 3:11-12). We can therefore take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit will always be there to guide us into all truth just as Jesus promised (John 16:13).

It's not always a fun posture, but bowing to the Lord in humility is key to continuing in Him. It's in that place that we die to ourselves and live to Him. It's in that place of humbly surrendering to Him that we live out the reality that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). In essence we say, 'You are greater than me, You know better than me, and I only have significance in You.' As true worshippers let us always remember that although God resists the proud, He gives grace to the humble.

What Do I Have to Offer?

2010-01-21T08:27:00.010-05:00

What do I have to offer? This is a question we all face at some point in our lives. The way that we answer this question is important, but often times our response is problematic. You see, the average person, who has a humble heart, views what they have to offer in any situation from a deficit, especially concerning offerings to Father God.

First of all, I have to say that offerings can be much more than money, but I will use the example of money to approach the specific area of worship in just a moment. Whether you're talking about playing a guitar, singing, running a business, or giving some type of service, all of these can be offerings to God, not in replace of being faithful to give finances, but as an extension of our opportunities to give to the Father through what we do in our world. The value of our offerings is never determined by the amount, it is determined by the posture of our hearts regardless of whether the offerings are financial, artistic, or otherwise.

Imagine with me for a moment two faithful church members, one with an income of $20,000 annually and one with an income of $20,000,000 annually. Obviously these two individuals have a sizable difference in income, but the reality of the financial obligation to God and then their opportunity and responsibility to give above and beyond that initial obligation (the tithe) still remains. How would we view the person who had the twenty-thousand dollar income if he or she chose to say, 'my income pales in comparison to my brother the millionaire so I think I'll just keep mine and not give.' Of course we would realize that person's gross error according to the word of God. You need only to look at God's instructions in Malachi 3 (v.10-12) as well as many other areas regarding the tithe to find fault in this situation. In addition, you could look to the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) to see that God does not condone the withholding of what He has entrusted us with. He has called us to give and 'put to work' what He's given us. And lastly, in passages like 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, we realize that God desires for us to be cheerful givers.

Now with all of that in mind, why do we see it differently when people withhold the offering of themselves, particularly in corporate worship. How many times have you or someone you know regarded their lack of singing ability or rhythm, reserved personality, etc. as an excuse for not giving their all in worship to our Father? We can separate the two concepts if we want, but they're one in the same when it comes to our hearts. The offering Father God desires most is us coming to Him with humble hearts (Psalm 34:18; 51:17). Whether we're singing, dancing, working, serving, teaching, well you get the point, whatever we do, it's an offering to Him. So with regard to the area of lifting our hearts and voices in worship, let's never be guilty of being the individual I mentioned earlier with the lesser income, but let's offer everything we have, realizing that whatever He has given us, is valuable, because it's of Him, by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16-17; 3:23).

So the next time you ask yourself the question 'What do I have to offer?' remember that it's often much more than you think, so give it wholeheartedly to honor the Lord because He's worthy of it all.

Another Word from Spurgeon

2010-01-14T13:25:00.010-05:00

Although Spurgeon was used for last week's post, when I read today's daily help, I had to share; I will save my post for next week although I did put some comments at the end of this short reading. Enjoy:

The great King, immortal, invisible, the Divine person, called the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit: it is he that quickens the soul, or else it would lie dead for ever; it is he that makes it tender, or else it would never feel; it is he that imparts efficacy to the Word preached, or else it could never reach further than the ear; it is he who breaks the heart, it is he who makes it whole. There dwells upon this earth a mysterious Being, whose office is to renew the fallen and restore the wandering. We cannot see Him, or hear Him, yet He dwells in some of us as Lord of our nature. His chosen residence is a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Sent from the Daily Help Devotional.

I am so impacted by what Charles Spurgeon said here. The Holy Spirit is truly at liberty in our lives when we take the place of being contrite and broken (Psalm 51:17). We can never fully understand the power of humility, brokenness and sincerity, but they are what our Father in Heaven is after. Our fulfillment of His will depends on us continuing to be broken and contrite in all things. It's then that we humble ourselves to truly worship Him and obey His words.

Have a great day walking with our Heavenly Father!

A Word from Charles Spurgeon

2010-01-07T15:07:00.004-05:00

Today when I was preparing to write a blog post I read the 'Daily Help' from Charles Spurgeon and found it to be a great encouragement and something that would help all of us especially as we start a new year. Enjoy:

Suppose you see a lake, and there are twenty or thirty streamlets running from it: why, there will not be one strong river in the whole country; there will be a number of little brooks which will be dried up in the summer, and will be temporary torrents in the winter. They will every one of them be useless for any great purpose, because there is not water enough in the lake to feed more than one great stream. Now, a man's heart has only enough life in it to pursue one object fully. Ye must not give half your love to Christ, and the other half to the world. No man can serve God and mammon. Sent from the Daily Help Devotional. For devotionals like this one for your iPhone, visit us at 43rdElement.com

Be encouraged and have a great day!

Hold Fast

2009-11-05T10:08:00.008-05:00

As I was thinking about what I might share to encourage everyone who reads this post today, two words came to mind: hold fast. These words come from one of my favorite passages of scripture, Hebrews Chapter 10; to be more specific, in this case, verse 23 which reads: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. As I considered this word usage, I thought about the fact that our language has changed since the translation of the Bible so I said to myself, 'I wonder if there's another phrase that would state the point more clearly.' As I spent some time on the vast sea of information that Google provides us, I began to realize that this was absolutely the best phrase that could be used. The direct definition of hold fast is, 'to stick to firmly.' That says exactly what is needed regarding the way that we are to hold firmly the confession of faith and commitment that we have to our Lord and His word.

Looking for further solidification on this subject, I continued down the road of research and found out that there is a tool that is sometimes used in carpentry called a hold fast (in the picture above). This tool is used to fix a piece of wood on top of a workbench while it is being worked on. WOW!! The reality that these words describe the tool that keeps an item being crafted in place, while the master carpenter works was such a beautiful prophetic picture of our being fixed on Father God's workbench, so to speak. All the while, through holding fast, we are firmly held in place as He completes the necessary work in our lives - remember, He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). As this truth came to light I was reminded of the cry of the psalmist in Psalm 138:8 - The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. The Psalmist reminds us here as he cries out to the Lord, that the Father will perfect the work of His hands and not forsake us. Our responsibility is to hold fast our confession and commitment to Him WITHOUT WAVERING. Just like the work of a hold fast, our holding firmly to our commitment to Him will keep us securely in place where He wants us. No matter what struggles or temptations you may face, there is a hope which remains sure in our Father. 'He who promised is faithful' and never wavers. So my encouragement today is to stay on 'the workbench' and hold fast.

No Higher Calling

2009-10-08T16:31:00.010-04:00

In this post I want to encourage anyone who leads worship in any way, to maintain your focus and realize the significance of our ministry. Whether you sing, play an instrument, dance, or do all of the above, we must all realize the value of what we do in the body of Christ, not because we're great, but because He is great. Each time we gather for corporate worship, we literally help people prepare the way of the Lord and bring them into a deeper communion with Him. At the end of the day, the responsibility of true worship is on the individual, but we help establish that atmosphere through the posture of our hearts and the way that we lead those around us to do the same. Never take it lightly and realize the privilege that we have. There is truly great value in sitting at His feet (Luke 10:38-42).

I'd like to share with you the words of a powerful song from years ago written by Lenny Leblanc that says it all:

No Higher Calling

Down at Your feet Oh Lord

Is the most high place

In Your presence Lord

We (I) seek Your face

There is no higher calling

No greater honor

Than to bow and kneel before Your throne

I'm amazed at Your glory

Embraced by Your mercy

O Lord, I live to worship You

Remember the high call that it is to worship Him and lead others to do likewise. Real communion and fellowship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords can never be replaced by anything else. Truly, in the life of all believers, when it comes to worshipping our Father, there is no higher calling.

Think on These Things

2009-09-10T09:19:00.007-04:00

Today as I was considering all of the things that we're facing as individuals, as families, as a church and as a nation, I was reminded of the words of Paul in Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things [are] noble, whatever things [are] just, whatever things [are] pure, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things [are]

of good report, if [there is] any virtue and if [there is] anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

There are so many things that we face each day that can cause us to lose our focus, steal our joy or just bring us to a place of disillusionment concerning our faith. Through this post, I want to encourage you all today with what I have freshly received from the Father in this area. He is always able, He is always faithful and He is above all things. So whenever the opportunity arises to be thankful or complain, choose thankfulness. When the opportunity arises to worry or be at peace, be at peace. When the opportunity arises to be critical, choose to build up and encourage in truth. When the opportunity arises to walk in fear, choose to walk in faith. Just as Paul encouraged the Philippians in verses 6 & 7 of the same chapter, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

When we choose to believe Him and meditate on the true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous & praiseworthy things that are of a good report, we demonstrate our trust in Him and His ability and not our own. Negative thinking is done away with and faith arises. Things look much more like a bright hope and future and not like doom and gloom. We see with His eyes and not our own. So today, I exhort and encourage you to remember the things that He says are good and 'think on these things.'

History Makers

2009-08-06T15:25:00.006-04:00

As we go about the day to day, I want to encourage you to realize the divine nature of our very existence. You might be going through it on the 9-5, facing some stressful situations, or even getting tired of what seems to be ‘the same old, same old.’ Regardless of where you are, realize that we are still ‘a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…’ Never forget that he called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light so that we could show forth His praises (1 Peter 2:9-10). Jake Hamilton from Jesus Culture said it well in his one of his songs: because of who we are, we will 'shape history.' Our responsiblity is to continue in His word and become who He’s called us to be through the work of Holy Spirit. Allow each day to be extraordinary simply because of who God has made you; you are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). With all of this considered, today and everyday, choose to be a history maker for the Kingdom of God.

Worship Unrestricted

2009-07-09T10:22:00.005-04:00

Lately I've been considering the subject of worship a little more than normal; go figure right. What I've come to realize is that we often restrict our worship to music or even to just music on Sunday mornings/church gatherings. The reality is that Jesus called us to much more when he said that the true worshippers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Truth encompasses all of who God is and who he's called us to be and the work of the Holy Spirit reaches every area of our lives as we submit to Him. This means that everything we do must be worship. Our very being cries out to worship in all that we do. That's why so many people pursue money, fame, sports, entertainment, relationships, etc. with such passion in an effort to fill the void of worshipping our Heavenly Father.

My encouragement to you today is to not let anything restrict the way that you honor the Lord, but to do whatever you do as unto Him (Colossians 3:23). So whether it's business, family, entertainment, exercise, teaching or music, let's offer everything we do and everything we are as a sacrifice of praise to our God as we make our worship unrestricted.

Do Your Part

2009-06-23T17:46:00.016-04:00

'But God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.' (1 Cor.12:18) This scripture can sometimes be one that 'preaches easier than it lives' if you know what I mean. As people we have a tendency sometimes to desire what someone else has, even in a good way. We often look at someone else's gifts and desire that those were ours. Why can't I prophesy like him? Why can't I sing like that? I would love to dance like her. How come I don't have a healing ministry? Why can't I teach like that? The reality is that God through His great wisdom placed each of us right where we need to be in the body of Christ. Although some gifts are desireable to all of us, it's not promised that all of us would operate in them. Verses 27-31 of 1 Corinthians 12 explain this beautifully:

1Cr 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
1Cr 12:28
And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers,

after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
1Cr 12:29
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
1Cr 12:30
Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
1Cr 12:31
But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Immediately after this, Paul goes into the famous 'love chapter' of the Bible (1 Cor. 13) where we are encouraged that above all things we should walk in love. This shows so clearly that Father God is concerned with us loving Him and loving others and that He would be the one to distribute gifts as He sees fit. Jesus even said that the two great commandments were loving God and loving your neighbor (Matt. 22:35-40). Consider this and never let yourself feel like you are less than someone else who seems more gifted; you are loved and complete in Christ (Col. 2:9-10). He has called you, He has established you, and He has placed you right where He wants you so long as you obey His word. Trust in Him to fulfill your purpose and release every gift and talent that He has ordained for you to walk in.

So the next time you're tempted to desire to be who someone else is, remember, He's simply called you to do your part.

Let the Word Dwell in You

2009-06-04T09:47:00.005-04:00

In Colossians Chapter 3:16-17 we receive a great challenge from the Apostle Paul. As he gives some of the framework for how we should live as believers he inserts the 'meat and potatoes', so to speak, of how we live victoriously and advance God's Kingdom: 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom ...' Simply stated yet profound in it's significance. We are called as believers not to simply know some of God's word here and there. Not to just know our favorite verse or 'bless me' scripture. Not to look to the word of God only when it's convenient. We are called to be so intimately tied to it that it dwells in us richly. One of the dictionary definitions of richly is 'in full measure.' What a beautiful way to describe our call to the word of God. It must be in us in full measure. Not in part, but in it's totality. Christ doesn't just come into our lives to hang out a little, but to abide in us always as we abide in Him. He doesn't come in part, He brings all of who He is and if we are to receive all of who He is, we must receive His word. When this happens there will be great wisdom, knowledge, understanding and whatever pertains to life and godliness flowing in and through us (2 Pet. 1:3). We will teach one another, encourage one another, worship the Father in unity and do all that we do in the name of Jesus so that God would be glorified (Col. 3:16-17).

So as time passes and distractions come. As you have good days and bad. As you press forward in what God has called you to do and to be, remember that we must allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly.

Stir it Up

2009-05-14T16:26:00.003-04:00

I wanted to take a little time to share a recap of what we talked about on Tuesday night's devotion regarding stirring up love and good works toward one another. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us as members of God's family that we ought to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works and not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. In a day when so many people take their friends and family for granted, we as God's ambassadors should be doing the opposite. When the world often looks to relationships for what they can get, we should look for what we can give. When the world loves if it's convenient, we should love unconditionally. When the world says, "someone should serve me", we should say, "who can I serve." These are just a few examples of the way in which we as children of God, saved by grace, redeemed unto greatness and called according to His purpose should conduct ourselves. Not as the world, but as Christ. Let's look at our times together as times of serving and loving one another and not as another thing to check off of the busy list. Let's realize that God has set us in family and appreciate and cherish it.

So I encourage you today to stir up the gifts of love and service one to another and never take for granted when we come together. It is truly a great time where God orders His blessing (Psalm 133) as we walk in the unity of the faith.

Faith and Patience

2009-04-23T10:06:00.012-04:00

This is a short message of encouragement to all of you in your walk with God to never lose heart and trust Him with every area of life. As we've just completed another powerful season of seed sowing in our house, I believe it's an appropriate time to encourage one another in the areas of faith and patience. Sometimes we can be so overwhelmed by the curve balls that life continually hurls at us and the unexpected turns that await us on our journey, but rest assured that no curve ball or turn ever catches God off guard. He is faithful and just to fulfill every promise in His timing. Our responsibility in every situation is to 'respond well' (to quote Pastor Francis Anfuso). As we await the fulfillment of every promise of our infallible, ever-faithful Father in Heaven, we must catch the revelation of walking in faith and patience. Faith because we believe that He who promised is faithful, and patience because the promise often takes longer than we would like for it to be manifested (Hebrews 6:11-15). What we need to realize is that God is not bound by our circumstances or our perceived limitations, He is well-able to do what He said He would. We simply need to walk in patience as we put our faith in Him, knowing that His word does not return void, but it will accomplish what He sent it to do (Isaiah 55:10-11).

As you look for harvest on your seed, trust God for the salvation of a lost loved one, believe for provision, stand for healing, or whatever it is, always know that He does not waver concerning His promises, and will always come through; He is trustworthy. With that settled in our minds, we can stand firm on His word as we continually walk in faith and patience.

Free to Worship

2009-04-16T15:09:00.005-04:00

As we complete the week following Easter, it's always an interesting time. Most churches across the nation have experienced one of the most well-attended services of the year, arts ministries are taking a little break from putting on some of their most extensive performances of the year and people who wouldn't otherwise attend a church service are now wondering, 'Should I go back this week?' With all of these things to consider, I would like to propose to us that we don't get caught in the event mentality that so many others do. We have been set free by the Truth (John 8:31-32) and are not bound to seek Him at only a certain date and time, but as Hebrews 10 says, '... having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...' (v.19 & 22 - read the whole chapter if you get a chance).

So in keeping with this, let's draw near everyday, every moment, at every gathering, at every opportunity with the full assurance that by the blood of the covenant, we are welcomed in as we submit ourselves to Him. He is worthy of everything we have, all praise and all honor. Never forget how great He is and how privileged we are to worship Him at all times and not just on a particular day of the year. We most certainly are, free to worship.

Groundskeeping

2009-03-12T08:44:00.006-04:00

Everyone generally knows about the Parable of the Sower that Jesus told in Matthew 13 and Luke 8. In this story, Jesus tells us of someone sowing seed and this seed falling on four types of ground: ground that didn't receive seed at all, stony/hard ground, ground overgrown with weeds and thorns, and lastly, good ground. Each of these is representative of the ways in which people receive the "seed" of God's word, but there is a key element to this entire progression that needs to be considered: each type of ground is in the condition it is in due to the preparation, or a lack thereof. This leads us to take a deeper look at our duty in this process.

As we ponder this topic, it's quite easy to look at this parable from the perspective that says that the ground is just the way it is by default. This viewpoint springs up so naturally given the absence of personal responsibility which has become so characteristic of our society. The reality though is that the ground gets into the condition it is in due to a host of factors: attention, care, neglect, the elements, etc. What we must realize is that these factors translate into human terms as well because the ground which Jesus was really concerned with was that of the hearts of mankind. We too can become ground upon which seed will only fall by the wayside if we don't have a heart to receive it. If we have a heart which is hardened, rigid and stuck in our way of doing things or we simply choose not receive all of what God's word has to say, we will be just like the stony ground upon which seed springs up quickly, but abruptly dies out due to a lack of depth. When we allow the cares of life to come in, whether they seem good or bad to us, they will choke out the growth of God's "good seed" in our hearts. Finally though, the desire of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for us is that we are good ground which has been prepared to receive, so that when the seed is planted it bears a good harvest which remains.

The question today is, are you keeping the ground of your heart or are you allowing it to fall into disrepair? The parable of the sower undoubtedly gives us an illustration that shows the significance of the posture of our hearts as we receive the word of God. His word is always good seed, therefore the burden lies upon the one who is charged with keeping the ground to have it prepared and ready to receive the seed. With this in mind, make the choice to position yourself and deal with the issues of life in such a way that your heart is always ready to take in the good seed of God's word with a "noble and good heart" (Luke 8:15) and in turn bear fruit that remains. Keep the ground well so that the good fruit you bear will be evident and those around you will be pointed to Father God, the ultimate seed sower.

Presence before Production

2009-03-05T09:08:00.009-05:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to hear a very powerful message from a fellow worship leader and musician. Of the many profound statements he made, the one that stood out to me the most was that we must be presence-driven and not production-driven. The presence that he was referring to of course was the presence of God. Being a director of a worship and arts ministry, this particular statement resounded loudly in my heart and mind and caused me to take a deeper look at how we approach the place of corporate worship.

So many times in our results-driven, instant-gratification society, we want to see things happen. Not only that, but we want to see things happen right now. That mindset has caused us to often times judge the place of corporate worship from a wrong perspective. If the music is played perfectly, if the singers are right on, if the songs are good, if everyone is really energetic, THEN worship was good. Our thought many times is, 'Did everything go well?' and not, 'Were we in His presence?' This is not the attitude which should accompany worship offered to the Ruler of all Creation.

As we look into the word of God, a great example of the type of attitude we should have toward worship is found in Exodus 33. God called Moses to lead the children of Israel into the land He was giving them, but their prior disobedience in creating the golden calf upon which to focus their worship caused God to respond with the following in verse 3 "... for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people." They had desired to SEE something - a product/result - so they created an idol upon which to focus their worship. We too can make this mistake if we focus our worship on the 'products' of the day: good songs, flawless music, great crowd response, good lighting, etc. Instead, let us choose the heart Moses expressed in verse 15: , "If Your Presence does not go [with us], do not bring us up from here." In the midst of an intense discussion with the Lord, Moses' cry was not, "Will you do it Lord? Will You help us get there?" He was in total opposition to being production-oriented. His simple plea was that if the children of Israel would not be privileged to have the accompaniment of Father God's holy presence, then there was no purpose in even taking the journey. No sense in having what would seem to others to be wonderful benefits, without the giver of those benefits. No point in having a 'flawless' worship service, if the presence of the Lord is not there.

Upon repenting of our sin to follow the ways of Father God, our immediate response should be worship - which is truly summed up as a recognition of who He is, His authority and subsequently realizing that our obedience to Him is what's required. That is the place of truly abiding in His presence. The power of corporate worship is in a group of people recognizing the aforementioned points, declaring them, and most importantly living them. Our enjoyment or use of good music is only a part of this equation when we realize that in light of His holiness, we offer ALL that we are to honor Him (Romans 12:1). We must be focused on what it is to abide in His presence and not just have a good production - whatever that may entail.

Today and everyday, our desire must be to never get so overwhelmed with producing good results that we leave God's presence behind. Now certainly, we must prepare and be competent so that what we do is excellent and not a distraction to ourselves and others, but never to the point that our preparation and competence become our golden calf so to speak. We must be stripped of any desire to put anything above the Father so that He has the place He deserves in our lives: #1. In that place, our preparation and competence become acts of worship as we abide in His presence. Day by day, let us press on to embrace a life where His presence is far above anything else. Production is good in many areas, but let's never let it supersede the powerful principle of abiding in Him. Simply stated: let's always keep presence before production.

Sitting at His Feet

2009-01-29T09:30:00.021-05:00

Although I'm on a brief blogging hiatus, I decided to share this devotion since we didn't get to it on Tuesday night:
After rehearsal this week I was immediately convicted about not sharing this devotion with you all. Interestingly enough, the very fact that I didn't make time to share this devotion was an example of exactly what this passage talks about. It's familiar to all of us, but I trust that you'll hear it with new ears today as you read:

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus'[fn11] feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell to help me." And Jesus[fn12] answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42 NKJV)

As you read through this passage I'm sure you are freshly convicted as I am to make the focus of our lives worship and not service. The encouragement I have for you today in addition to that is to not limit worship to sitting at His feet by way of what we consider contemporary worship - the singing of songs, playing of instruments, dancing, etc. Let us take our definition to that of an entire lifestyle surrendered to Christ and a firm adherence to His truth. Sitting at His feet is not only about adoring Him, but about hearing His words. Look at what the passage says of Mary: she "sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word." Jesus knew that if Mary would come and hear his words and truly receive them, that she would live and give everything in life to honor Him. He knew that her focus would not be on the works themselves, but that the works would come out of His word which was deposited in her spirit to produce good fruit. That should be our primary goal in sitting at His feet: hearing His word. Sharing our heart for him and acknowledging His greatness is necessary, but let us not stop at that. We must choose to continue to the place of hearing and receiving the words of life, because that's what will truly change us and cause us to do His will.

Remember that we can prepare all that we want to for 'good works', but without sitting at His feet to hear His word we may totally miss the mark. Even as the scripture says of Martha, "she was DISTRACTED with much serving." We can become oblivious to what God is saying through our own endeavors. He might be telling you to lay something down in order to pick something else up. He may be moving us in a new direction that will cause us to walk in a greater measure of faith. Whatever truth He speaks to us, the unwavering assurance we can have is that He will not only tell us what the truth is, but will also teach us how to walk in that truth. He is faithful to guide and direct our steps as we are promised in Psalm 37:23 & Proverbs 16:9. So today and everyday, especially as we prepare all of the many facets of our ministry, let's not forget what Jesus said, '...one thing is needed...' - to sit at His feet and hear His word.

Hiatus Time

2009-01-22T10:20:00.002-05:00

I will be taking a brief hiatus from posting for just a couple of weeks. It's always good to step back, reflect and rest in Father God in order to not become mundane and full of empty religion in anything we do. With that said, look for some new posts in a few weeks.

Have a great day!

PS. This would be a great time to look through some of the older posts if you missed any of them. As the author I'm a little biased, but they are pretty encouraging :-).

Faith by Works

2009-01-08T09:48:00.014-05:00

As I write to you today, my desire is to encourage us to strengthen our resolve to walk in God's word. As the church we've often regarded our role in God's Kingdom to simply keep a right heart with little regard to our actual fruit. The mantra of many of us in the church today is, 'we just need to have a right heart.' Although one of the reasons that Jesus came was to recapture the hearts of mankind, His imminent goal was to redeem us through our submission to His truth with a right heart, not one or the other. Although both of these are important in our lives, they should work in tandem and not with one above the other.

Whether you refer to having the right motives as purity of heart, having pure motives, good intentions or any other title of choice, to focus solely on having a right heart is to depart from obedience to God's word. This was of course what got us in this mess (the fall of man) to begin with; not obeying God's word. Now obviously I don't attempt to say that the condition of your heart is unimportant, but what I will say is that it is not the end. The coming of Christ to the Earth in order to redeem mankind was an ushering in of a renewed opportunity to commune with God by obeying his word through a heart that was turned to Him. To receive the lordship of Jesus Christ is to surrender to His authority. And who is Jesus? The word of God (John 1:14). By viewing our present situations in life through this lense opens up our responsibility in this wonderful process of the redemption of mankind. The truth (Jesus) came, and it was then/now that the ball was in the court of mankind to respond to that truth with worship/obedience (John 4:21-24). Our response to God's truth is what is paramount today. Your heart must be right in receiving that truth, but it's your response to it that will determine the results. It's the outworking of that heart that tell us whether we truly have faith in Him.

Imagine a man who spent his entire marriage refusing to disciple his wife and children in the word of God. Breaking promise after promise to his family. Living in such a way that he frivolously wasted any inheritance that could have been set aside for his family. And putting every other area of his life above his family. Now with all of that considered, imagine that he justified his life to his family, friends and God by saying: 'I wanted to do good' or 'I had good intentions' or 'Look at all of my other accomplishments.' Would we call this man faithful? Would this man have fulfilled his God-given responsibilities? Would we say he accomplished his God-given purpose? I don't even need to ask for your response because I can hear all of you yelling NO at your computer screens. The problem is, this is how we've often viewed our walk with Christ. We often fall short and do not fulfill what God has required of us as His children, and then our redeeming statement is that God knows our heart or that we had a heart to do right. I would say to this that I believe God is looking at us and saying: Yes I do know your heart which is why I sent the Way the Truth and the Life so you could walk in My heart for you. So you could not just have good intentions, but bear fruit worthy of repentance (John 14:6 & Matthew 3:1-12; Matthew 4:17 - NKJV).

As we have a fresh start on the calendar this year, let us choose each day to be diligent to show our faith by our works. A right heart is a start, but it is not what completes the race. Jesus declared to us that those who endure to the end would be saved, not those who have the purest of motives and intentions. He said to us that those who did the the will of His Father would enter the Kingdom of Heaven, not just those who had a desire and said: Lord, Lord, have we not done all of these things in your name? (Matthew 7:21-27) It's not just about a right heart or about good works, it's about the will of God. Let's take the challenge to be true to the word and the spirit and not ourselves (as the world would have us believe). Our allegiance is to the Father and His will and not the feelings that we have within our heart. Let's hear truth and respond to it and do whatver is necessary in order to apprehend and fulfill the plans of God for our lives. Let's begin with what He expects of all of us from His written word and then allow Him to paint the individual pictures for each of our lives in that context. Let your works speak of what is in your heart, confirming that you have responded appropriately to truth. The grace has been given to us by God to be saved, but then for us also to go forth and do good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 is a passage that highlights this beautifully:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of

God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared

beforehand that we should walk in them.

We have been saved by grace through faith and not of ourselves, it is God's gift. Thank God for His mercy, but we then must go on to verse 10 in which Paul tells us that we are the Father's workmanship. In that, we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God HIMSELF prepared for us to walk in. This is great news as well as a great responsibility. Thankfully, Father God has poured out an ample supply of grace for us to complete every task which He has prepared for us to do. He has given us great and precious promises as we're reminded of in 2 Peter 1:2-10. Everything that pertains to life and godliness is ours by His divine power. Therefore, I encourage you today not to stop at having a right heart, but to go on to respond to the Father's truth in such a way that we show our faith by our works.

It's a New Day

2008-12-31T11:30:00.009-05:00

Here we are at the close of another year with so many things which have happened. I'm sure we all can go over a laundry list of the highs and the lows. Some really fond memories, and others which we would gladly lay to rest, never to remember. Regardless of what your year has been like, the truth of who our Father in Heaven is, remains unchanged. His mercy, grace, faithfulness, power, love, kindness, and the fullness of His character continues without ceasing year after year, generation after generation. Realizing this, what we ought to strive for as we close the chapter of one year to begin yet another is to walk faithful as our Father does each day.

If this year has been great as far as personal goals and accomplishment or whether you fell short in these areas, your main goal should still be to emulate the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. The writer of Hebrews encourages us in chapter 4 that 'Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts' (Heb. 4:7; Psalm 95:7-8 - NKJV). There is a fresh opportunity each day to either continue in faithfulness or repent and get on the road of faithfulness. Yahweh our God is the epitome of a Father, in that He desires what is best for us and will provide us with every resource we need to succeed in His plan (not our plan). In Him we live and move and have our being and His divine nature has already been deposited in us by the Holy Spirit (Acts 17:28-29 - NKJV). Considering this, let's embrace the ability that God has given us to become more and more like Him in all we do. Don't limit yourself to the calendar year as a new beginning in these things, but realize that each day the mercy and grace of God is new. Remember the word declares 'now is the day of salvation' (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). Everyday is a new and fresh opportunity to walk in the fullness of God's purpose for us as individuals and the corporate destiny that He has established for His church.

Entering into a new year is a great and wonderful experience, but never feel as if you're limited to what you can accomplish within a calendar year, but realize that every day is a fresh opportunity to know the Father, obey His word and accomplish His plan. So as we wrap of 2008, let's make the decision to not limit God's plans for us to the calendar year of 2009, but let's allow His purpose to consume us every day of our lives and not just during a certain time period. Set goals and have aspirations for 2009, but let those pale in comparison to the way in which you embrace the wisdom and instruction of the Lord and live by every word that proceeds from His mouth each day (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4). Make it your aim to live every moment realizing that truly, it's a new day!

Continue in His Word

2008-12-11T15:14:00.010-05:00

I would like to encourage you with something that was freshly brought to my attention by our guide, the Holy Spirit. The reminder came from Jesus' words in John 8: ...If ye continue in my word, ye are my disciples indeed (John 8:31 - KJV). I specifically used the King James in quoting this verse because of the power of saying that we must 'continue' in His word. With that stated, I must reference the the verse that follows, which is the one most people know: ...Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:32).

Now, I'll be candid and say that verse 31 is often not quoted with the subsequent verse (which generally gets all the attention and lots of amens if you're speaking to a group). In fact, many times, people can quote 'the truth will make you free', but we don't see any of the responsibility that rests on us to obey the word of God which brings liberation. The very core of what it means to be one of Jesus' disciples is to keep His word, but funny enough, we don't quote this nearly as often as we quote the verse about freedom, even though the qualifier of being a true disciple and walking in freedom is 'continuing' in His word. Much of that stems from our society's desire to have the good fruit without having to plant the seeds and tend the crops. In short, we enjoy receiving benefits without having to put in time and effort. This is why freedom often seems to elude us in certain areas of our lives.

It would be nice to shout freedom and confess it with our friends during church, in our homes, or even in the streets, but what Jesus said would make us true disciples and in turn make us free was not confessing, but continuing. Continuing in what? His word. That is the end all be all for freedom entering into the life of the true disciple. By repentance and confession of Christ we are able to enter the Kingdom, but our continuance in His infallible word is that which will keep us there, and keep us living in freedom. That revelation must be a foundational stone in our life of faith. One that is not only to be acknowledged, but to be built upon continually. It is only then that we will see the true power of His word unleashed in our lives. It is only then that we will know the truth, and that truth which we know will make us free.

Life might be busy, tough, tiring and a host of other adjectives that we could conjure up with enough time and maybe a friend (or spouse like I have) that was an English major. Regardless of this reality, there is a greater reality which is that of God's Kingdom. And with that in mind, true discipleship and freedom are ours if we will be faithful to 'continue' in His word.

Thank You

2008-11-25T11:46:00.013-05:00

This post in very simple and is quite literally summed up in the title, 'Thank You.' So much to worry about, so much to consider, so many things going wrong, but as so much is seemingly falling apart, let's remember the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. Paul gave us a simple and straightforward answer for the temptation to be ungrateful in Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things

[are] noble, whatever things [are] just, whatever things [are]

pure, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things

[are] of good report, if [there is] any virtue and if [there is] anything praiseworthy--

meditate on these things. (NKJV)

Thanksgiving is not about everything being alright, because most times at least a few things are not. Thanksgiving is about knowing that regardless of what's going on, God's kingdom is advancing and we get to be a part of it. It's about looking for the noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy things that are of a good report. It's about seeing the record of our God's power and faithfulness in all things, especially in our lives. It's about knowing that He is always worthy of all thanks and praise to Him for every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).

So this thanksgiving, and every day you live, have an attitude of gratitude, a grateful heart, and always be ready to bless the name of our Lord for his faithfulness and mighty acts toward us as His children. With that in mind, let the praise that comes from your mouth always be filled with those two special words: Thank You.

All Things Work Together for Our Good

2008-11-20T10:30:00.006-05:00

Sometimes as we look at life's circumstances, trials, situations and challenges, Romans 8:28 can seem like not much more than wishful thinking. When crises and tough situations meet us in this life, it truly is a time when whatever can be shaken, is shaken. Our finite minds can only comprehend or see a part of the big picture that Father God is painting so flawlessly and beautifully. There is no doubt that the challenges we often face in life can seem so difficult and insurmountable, but remember the promise of the Word as Jesus told us in Matthew 19:26, 'with God all things are possible.' This one short statement is colossal in it's impact upon our lives, primarily in our faith and how we live according to that faith.

If we confess and believe that God is the creator of the universe, the sovereign ruler of all things, the giver and sustainer and life, the source of every good and perfect gift, then we must conclude that he is infallible and all-powerful. When we come into a realization of who He is, suddenly, any circumstance or situation becomes incredibly small and insignificant in light of His grace, mercy and eternal power. When the Apostle Paul declared, that all things work together for our good, he had to realize that in light of tough situations and circumstances, believing this statement was a tall order. The great thing about Paul is that he was certain of the greatness and power of Father God which would eclipse anything that we would ever face. So much so that he would go on in that very same chapter (Romans 8:29-39) to declare that NOTHING could separate us from the love of God.

It may seem like a tough road sometimes, because it is. It may see like it's a losing battle in the natural, because it is. It may seem as if there is nothing you can do, because you can't, but it's in that place that the true revelation of who He is in your life will come. When you're at the end of yourself and you've done all you can do, that is point at which you'll realize that His grace is sufficient for you because his strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). No matter how it looks in the natural, remember, trust in the Lord and know that all things work together for our good.

Let the Church Rise

2008-11-07T00:20:00.003-05:00

In the current political landscape and the economic turmoil that is brewing in our nation, it can be a bit discouraging to look at what is taking place in the public arena (politically speaking). If we have anything within us that trusts man above Father God, the temptation to give in to fears, frustrations and false pretences can quickly become the course of action we choose. The mantra of many in our society, sadly including much of the church, is that if we fix civil government that all our problems will be dissolved, we will all be provided for and that the world will be a wonderful place to live in. I will be candid by saying that I don't believe that fixing civil government will remedy man's problems. The government that needs to be fixed is that of the individual, the family and the church. When the church rises as Jesus commanded us to - filled with individuals and families governed by God's word - that will be the hope and change that is necessary for our nation and the world at large.

Jesus told us that "you are the salt of the earth" and "you are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:13-16). The hope of the world rests in His church, not the civil authorities. It has been our error to allow the current state of affairs that exalts civil government above God's authority. The great news in this is that God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy (Psalm 103:8). He has not only provided mercy for us to be forgiven, but grace to walk out every purpose and plan that has been ordained for His people. Now is as good a time as any for us to take our place, not as the lamp under a bushel, or the salt that's lost it's flavor, but as the shining beacon of salvation for the nations, pointing to our mighty savior. As the house that has submitted itself to be judged by the word so that we can fulfill the command to baptise and disciple the nations according to His truth. The house of true hope and change that would bring about repentance from dead works to turn toward the way the truth and the life. The culture that will be involved in, and impact every area of life, including the political arena.

Let us rise up and take our place not just by being vocal during the election season, but by being the voice that speaks loudly even when we don't say a word. As Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us we must trust in the lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding, acknowledge Him in all our ways and HE WILL DIRECT OUR PATHS. Now is the time and the season for the true Church of Jesus Christ to arise in spirit and truth to reflect His glory and disciple the nations. Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and causes His word to be diffused through us in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Now is the time, now is the season to let the Church rise!

Keepers of His Word

2008-10-30T09:10:00.009-04:00

As I was reading some passages from Psalm 119 this week, I came across a verse I had read many times that never before spoke to me in the way it did on this particular day. In verse 101, the psalmist makes an incredibly profound statement that I have missed for many years. In the midst of declaring an endearing love and adherence to the word of God, a steadfast commitment to the truth of God, many statements about the benefits of keeping the statutes and judgments of the Lord, the psalmist says, 'I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.' (Psalm 119:101 - NKJV) A seemingly simple statement that has eluded me in it's depth for quite some time. The purity of what the psalmist writes here in not just that he would turn away from actions that are sinful, but that he would 'keep' the word of god. The action of restraining his feet from evil was in order that he would 'keep' the word of God. Often we stop at not sinning as the final accomplishment in keeping His word, but the truth is that keeping the word of God is much more than just a statement of not sinning or turning from a wicked path. It is allowing the seed of the word to grow within us, producing His purpose. Keeping speaks of: holding as one's own; continuing in; maintaining; adhering to; to have the care, charge, or custody of (these are just a few of the definitions for this word). When the psalmist said that he would 'keep' the word of God it was much more than a simple following of do's and don'ts, it was reaching a place of holding the word of God as something dear that we had been entrusted with in order that we would accomplish it by the grace of God. The result of this type of mindset is that there will always be a tangible manifestation of the inward workings of the Father's word and His Spirit. This takes us far beyond not having sin in our lives as the final goal, to the place of the realization of God's destiny for us. The cry of this verse is not just one of, I'll remain pure at all costs, or I'll not go in the way of unbelievers, but the deeper cry is, I will remain pure and set apart to the end that your word will produce in me what it was sent to do; believing that the very utterances of God will prosper in what they were sent to do (Isaiah 55:10-11). Not just keeping us from sinning, but releasing us to establish His kingdom in every area of our lives and in our world at large.

Today, keep your heart with all diligence (Prov. 4:23), be holy as he is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), renew your mind (Romans 12:1-2), but remember to do these things not just for the sake of remaining pure or sin-free, but for the sake of his purpose, plan and promise being established in and through our lives as we keep His word.

Worship Defined

2008-10-23T08:53:00.010-04:00

Someone sent me this video yesterday and I believe it eclipses anything that I had to say to you for today. This is certainly one of the most powerful video presentations I have seen to date.

Be challenged, encouraged and impacted as you watch.

Harvest is Coming

2008-10-16T09:40:00.008-04:00

As we've just enjoyed another time of sowing seed financially in our house, I wanted to delve into this topic a bit and stir our faith. My desire is that we would realize to the fullest extent that what was spoken by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:7 was the absolute truth: "God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." The power of this statement uttered by Paul is that it holds true whether we're dealing with positive or negative actions. Acts of kindness, giving money, loving someone, forgiving others and serving others are all excellent opportunities to declare our faith and love for our God and others. These acts will produce a great harvest of the same, and even more, back into our lives. In contrast, sinful actions, disobedience, unkindness, selfishness and unforgiveness are certain to produce a harvest as well. Even though we sometimes wish that only positive actions produced a harvest, the reality is that everything we do is a seed sown which will inevitably have its day of being harvested. Just like the farmers bringing in the stalks of corn, bales of wheat and other crops, we will undoubtedly "reap in due season if we don't lose heart. (Galatians 6:9)

As I bring this short post to a close, my desire for us all is that we take seriously the reality of seedtime and harvest. In our service to one another, in our examination of our lives, in our obedience to the word of the Father, in our giving, in all things let us sow good seed, not lose faith and expect the harvest (a.k.a. return on our investments) to come in the timing that God establishes.

Excuse Me

2008-10-08T15:41:00.009-04:00

Lately I have been more stirred to eliminate any form of excuse from my life due to the climate of our nation. It seems that more and more people, Christians and non-Christians alike are willing to shift blame for their circumstance, their socioeconomic status, spiritual growth or lack thereof (this list could go on and on for days, but I won't do that to you) onto someone else. With busy schedules, responsibilities and unexpected difficulties we face, it can become incredibly easy to buy into the thought process that says, "It's not my fault" or "I couldn't help it" or "With everything I have going on, I just couldn't do it." We seem to have excuses for everything that we don't accomplish or things that we simply choose not to do. With all of these thing considered, I have been freshly stirred by my friend Jim McKenzie to examine myself in the area of personal responsibility. [Take a look at this post if you have some time, it's a great read, full of fun satire: http://revolutionaryparenting.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-was-going-to-write-my-blog-but-i.html]

In light of personal responsibility, the fundamental question I believe we need to ask ourselves before we ever make an excuse for something is: Was there any way I could have positively affected this situation? It could be about being on time, being debt free, avoiding a temptation that the enemy places in front of you, helping someone, finishing a book, studying your Bible, praying for someone, encouraging someone, spending time with a friend or loved one, or a host of other situations. Regardless of what is, we must be willing to allow the responsibility for something we could have avoided or changed to fall squarely in our lap. By doing this we become those who truly take dominion as God called us to in Genesis 1:28. Until we have that mindset, excuses will plague us throughout life and lead us into a place of mediocrity. Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean living in a place of continual defeat and discouragement because we beat ourselves up about all of the things we've failed in. Instead, we take the 'high road' as a certain smiling preacher from Texas often says. Rather than succumbing to mediocrity, we strive for excellence and the extraordinary. We can be like Paul as he spoke in Hebrews 6 when he said, "...we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation..." We must be confident of better things concerning ourselves and those around us and take responsibility to apply the word of God to our lives by the leading of His Spirit in order to see them fulfilled.

The great thing about living in God's Kingdom is that there is no question about God's heart for us. In Jeremiah 29:11 he tells us that his plans and thoughts for us are good. To give us a hope and a future. We also know that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). Therefore, I humbly submit to you that excuses should not be a part of how we live. God has not only called us to great things, but graced us to accomplish them. Excuses aside, be all that He's called and graced you to be so that you can honor and glorify Him with every part of your life.

What are You Looking At?

2008-10-02T15:23:00.004-04:00

Today's blog title is often posed as a negative question. We'll hear this statement uttered when a person feels as if they're being singled out or potentially mocked because someone is looking at them in a funny or strange way. I, however would like to take a different approach to this question and pose it as a point of life introspection. In your daily life, in your work, in your ministry, in all you do, the question is: What are you looking at? Do you look at circumstances? Examples from the world? Goals that society tells you are worthwhile? A negative image of yourself? A limitation of what you can accomplish? My proposition for you today is today is to look away from all of these things and to look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2 - NKJV).

So much of our lives can be driven by what we see, which often leaves us falsely secure, misled and eventually discouraged just to name a few. Rather than taking the course of being visually driven by the world around us, we must embrace the challenge to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. The reality of that statement is that all of what we look to Jesus for will be found in the word of God. Those words, both written and spoken, will set us apart from those who are driven by the imagery they take in with their natural eyes. Father God spoke to us in Deuteronomy 8:3 saying that "... man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. That statement was also echoed by Jesus in Matthew 4 when He was tempted by Satan. Even Jesus, in a moment of temptation, due to what he saw with His eyes, declared that the source of life does not come from what we see and partake of, but the words of life that we receive. The true manifestation of looking to Jesus is not about what we see with our natural eyes, but the word we hear and obey.

Regardless of what we see with our eyes, we must be willing to take a deeper look at life through the lens of scripture and the discernment by the Holy Spirit within us. This will always ensure that we are embracing what Father God has to say so we can be certain that we are walking in His ways and not a worldly counterfeit. As the old hymn says:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace (Helen H. Lemmel)

Remember, Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith so who better to look to for guidance and direction in all things.

Remain Steadfast

2008-09-25T09:15:00.008-04:00

Here we are in a day when so many people are quitting. It's sometimes difficult to look around and be encouraged as a believer because the order of the day for so many is to quit what they once held dear. Whether it be walking in purity, being faithful to the House of God, studying the Bible diligently, praying passionately or simply believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, the enemy has effectively caused many believers to drop their hands and give up the fight. The scary thing for many people is that they don't even know they've given up the fight, they just have a list of justifications as to why they stopped doing what was once so important. My simple encouragement for you this week is to never stop, never quit and to remain steadfast in the things that God has called you to do. Whether it's one of the things I listed earlier, or something more specific such as a ministry you know that He's called you to, don't quit. Father God has never quit anything and we are made in His image so let's be like our Daddy and stay the course in all we do. There will be days when it's not as exciting, it looks more fun to do something other than what you're destined to do, it's painful and difficult, or you simply don't want to. It's in those moments where I remember what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 15. He encouraged them about the victory over death that had been given to us as believers through the work of Jesus Christ, and then he went on to drop the Holy Ghost bomb on them in the final verse of the chapter:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor. 15:58 - NKJV)

What an incredibly summative statement on how we should walk out our lives in faith and purpose. Be immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, being certain that YOUR labor is NOT in vain! We serve such an awesome Father and Creator that our response should be to emulate Him by being consistent, unwavering, unchanging and faithful to what He has called and enabled us to do.

I'll leave you with the words of my middle school track coach, James Calvin Moore, who was a faithful man of God who went on to Heaven a few years ago. One day at a practice when we were all tired and not in the mood to work out, he looked us all in the eye and said words that I will never forget: "If you only work hard on the days you feel good, you'll never make any progress." Those words have been with me throughout my life as a prophetic reminder to remain committed to the things that God sets before me to do. In light of that, I pass those words on to you today in the hopes that you too will lay hold of the grace of God to remain steadfast in Him.

Have a great, prosperous and blessed week in all you do!

Thankfulness

2008-09-11T08:25:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe that seven years have gone by since our nation was devastated by the 9/11 attacks, but it's true. It seems like yesterday when you consider the images of destruction, crying loved ones, grieving friends and a nation brought to it's knees by tragedy. So much happened so quickly and so many people were gone from this life in a matter of moments. In light of that reality, I just wanted to take some time to remind us all to be thankful.

It can be so easy to get caught up in the cares of life and the difficulties that we all face, but nothing can make you stop and think about what you have to be thankful for like the reality that you could be gone from this earth in an instant. Many of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack of 2001 didn't have a chance to look at their lives and be thankful that they had family, freedom, a well-paying job, an opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ in a free nation, and so many other things. In just a few short moments, it was all gone. Let's be people who don't need tragedy to cause us to fall to our knees and thank God or cry out to Him. Let's remain in that place continually.

Remember what King David said in Psalm 34:1 - 'I will bless the lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.' So whether it's good or bad, let's bless His name. Whether we're happy or sad, let's bless His name. Whether we're rich or poor, let's bless His name. Whether the day went well or it was just plain horrible, let's bless His name. He is our unchanging and faithful Father who never leaves us, or forsakes us. He causes His face to shine on us and when others might turn away from you, He never will; any turning away is always on our part. So in light of these things, let's never let a moment go by that we're not thankful for who Father God is, what He's done, and what He's going to continue to do in your life.

Until next time, have a day full of thankfulness to our Heavenly Daddy!!

Be at Rest

2008-08-28T15:24:00.006-04:00

So many things going on. So much to do. So many responsibilities. An event here, an event there. Taking care of kids, studying, working, planning. The list goes on and on and so often we can be caught up in the laundry list of tasks, opportunities, events and responsibilities that life throws at us. What I want to remind us all of this week is that in the midst of the storm, there is always the peace of God.

In Matthew 8, when Jesus spoke to his disciples in the midst of the storm, he wasn't frantically trying to muster up faith within them or calm them down. Interestingly enough, he really wasn't even interested in stopping the storm; if you'll recall, he was asleep. Asleep! In the middle of massive storm! How?! Plain and simple, he knew in whom His trust was placed: the Father. Jesus gave us a clear example of having peace in the midst of the storm, but we also see in his life that the priority was already set for Him to be at peace when the storm came. In the midst of everything he continued to pray, seek the Father, and know His will. That's the challenge that lies before us as 21st century, believers in the American church. We must learn to put aside the distractions and look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

As you go about the task and responsibilities and even the fun things in life, don't lose your focus. By maintaining your focus the promise of the word is that the peace of God would guard our hearts and minds. Why? Because we rest in knowing who He is and who we are in Him. That scripture (Philippians 4:6-7) begins by telling us that if we would '... by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make our requests known to God...', then the peace that passes understanding would guard our hearts and minds by Christ Jesus. Making our requests known to God with thanksgiving in this verse shows that we realize that all we have need of is in Him and that if we're in Him, we'll ask the right questions, desire the right things and line up whatever in our lives is out of step with His will, according to His word.

In the midst of any storm that comes, whether it seems to be good or bad, be at rest. Not because you sit down to do nothing, but because you cease from your works to lay hold of His. In so doing, the peace of God will truly guard your heart and mind.

Preparing for Worship (by Debra Walters)

2008-08-21T15:59:00.007-04:00

In order to be adequately prepared to worship, we must look at praise and worship as a lifestyle, not as a genre. We worship in many ways: through relationships, through our giving, at work, and through our actions. Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

The praise that emerges from our actions should match, if not exceed, the praise that comes out of our lips. Our lives should continuously be a song of praise. That song of praise is a reflection of a heart of gratitude; gratitude for life, forgiveness, and for each new thing that God does daily in our lives. (Matt. 12:34b “Out of the Overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”) By reminding ourselves daily of the goodness of God, our hearts will be filled with gratitude and ready to worship at any time. Focusing on Him, instead of on ourselves, helps us achieve that heart

We must make a conscious choice to worship, understanding that we have a big God who wants our worship. We have to recognize that praise does not depend on how we feel (which changes), but on who He is (which does not change). Therefore, our praise should always be great because He is always great.

What are some reasons to worship? You are alive and you know Him. That is reason enough. As I see others navigating life confused and unable to understand God, I am thankful that I know him. Last night, as we were taking a drive, Eric and I were discussing our family’s events of the past year (the birth of our son and loss of an income). At one point I asked him, “Can you imagine going through this without God?” NO WAY! God is the only reason we stand. (Psalm 103 “Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits.”)

Should preparing our hearts to worship take three days of soul searching and reflecting? No. Is it an uber (super or ultra) spiritual experience? No. We should live in such a way that at any time we can go on and on about the faithfulness of our Daddy. Let’s live a life so simple and distraction-free that we can remain aware of who God is, being ready and willing to humble ourselves and pour out our lives in praise. Understanding where we could be and who we would be if it were not for His grace. That is reason enough to shout, cry, jump, and just all-out express ourselves!

Let’s prepare our hearts not just for Sunday worship, but for continuous worship. What we do publicly on Sundays is just a small spec of the life of worship, not the epitome. If we learn to live a life of worship, our job on Sunday will be as natural as breathing.

Self-Discipline

2008-08-14T08:24:00.011-04:00

The topic of self-discipline is not high on the priority list for most of us as believers, but it's one of the keys to fulfilling the purpose of God. Often times we hear that topic mentioned and most of us immediately think of an army drill sergeant, a combat soldier, a world class weightlifter or gymnast, etc. Our thoughts are correct that these are people with great self-discipline, but we need to receive that same spirit when it comes to the Kingdom of God. The reality about most of us is that when we choose not to walk in self-discipline, we are left to be disciplined from an outside source.

Consider a child who disobeys. Due to immaturity and the sin nature a child needs to be disciplined and corrected on very basic issues that we all would agree on: respect others, obey God, obey those in authority, don't steal, don't write on the wall with crayons :-), etc. Without this external discipline, children won't get to the point of self-discipline in these areas. Over time our expectation is that through external discipline, children will come to self-discipline. Come on, how many of you really expect a co-worker to throw a tantrum with the boss, take a highlighter and start writing notes on the wall or show up to work an hour late because they were enjoying a TV show and some really good cereal. Clearly, self-discipline is much more than a 5am workout, boot camp, a weightlifting regiment or being obcessive compulsive about everything. It encompasses every area of life and includes things like making the decision to do the right thing, accomplishing necessary tasks, remaining faithful to the commitments you've made, and most of all obeying the word of God. Jesus made a powerful statement in John 8:31-32:
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed.
32"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (NKJV)

By calling the 12 disciples what he did - DISCIPLES, and then saying in Matthew 28:18-20 that they were to go and make disciples (you and I), discipline was forever established as a characteristic that followers of Jesus Christ should have. Jesus knew that He was going to pour out the Holy Spirt which would empower us to do all that he had called us to do, so when He spoke those powerful words in John 8:31-32, He didn't ask us to do an impossible thing. What he was calling us to do was to bring our flesh under subjection so that we could abide (continue) in His word in order to be true disciples and then come to know the truth and it would make us free. Free to do what? I dare say that the 'what' is His will.

Realize today that God's purpose is there in each of our lives, but the step of self-discipline must be taken to fulfill it. Never allow yourself to be one who needs a lot of outside maintenance. Choose to be low-maintenance and high impact. God has given us his Spirit to guide us and direct us in all things and thankfully if we ever get off track, we have the family of God to help keep us on the straight and narrow. Rejoice that God can provide outside forces such as brothers, sisters, leaders, pastors, etc. in order to help you maintain discipline, but always look to be self-disciplined by the power of Holy Spirit. Greater fruit always comes when we choose the path of obedience and discipline without having to be nudged back onto the path by others. We accomplish more when we don't have to spend a lot of time being corrected. Better to hear the word and obey the first time than to walk in error and waste time that can never be recaptured.

My word in short: embrace the grace to be self-disciplined.

Returning Soon

2008-08-09T18:28:00.001-04:00

Sorry I didn't put out any fresh material this week; I was on vacation with my family in south Florida. Look for more encouraging and challenging words next week.

Have a great day!

Grace and Truth - Keep the Balance

2008-07-31T12:16:00.009-04:00

So there I was on Monday after a late dinner, trying to stay awake to avoid heartburn and indigestion from eating at 11pm so I decided to turn on some Christian television. Hopefully I could not only stem the onslaught of indigestion, but also be encouraged and challenged at the same time. Much to my surprise, Pastor Brian Houston from Hillsong Church in Australia was on. Since I rarely catch him on TV, I was interested to hear what he was speaking about. The series he was teaching was called 'An Empowering Culture'. The specific segment he was speaking on dealt with the balance between grace and forgiveness & challenge and truth. This is a subject that is always near the top of my list so he immediately had my attention. As I begun to hear his teaching on the subject he spoke about how we can never allow ourselves to create an environment as leaders or in our individual lives that is out of balance in this area. We should never walk in all grace and forgiveness or all challenge and truth, but in a balance of the two. Now that sound like a tough balancing act, but it is exactly what Jesus walked in. With that in mind, let's take a closer look.

When John speaks of Jesus' coming to Earth, he says that the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17 - NKJV). This does not discount God's law because clearly Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-19). What that shows us is that the truth would be brought to light through Him and that He would provide us the grace to walk in that truth. We must never come to the place of 'greasy grace' as a certain pastor I know often says, but we must also not be in the place of hellfire and condemnation for all either. Just as Jesus did, we dispense mercy, grace and forgiveness, but at the same time walk in an uncompromising standard of truth.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, it is essential to apply this not only to those we come in contact with, but in our own lives first. We must be able to receive grace and forgiveness to not be condemned, but at the same time walk in the uncompromised truth. So many in our society and even in the church today get the two areas out of balance. They want to have the freshly kindled fires of hell waiting for all of the trespassers or they want to say 'it's alright, God understands', never holding up a standard of truth. Imbalance in these two areas is not God's desire for us. He wants us to follow the example given to us by Jesus Christ. An incredible picture of this came when Jesus encountered the woman who was caught in adultery (John 8:1-11 - NKJV). As He stood up for this woman with grace and forgiveness, he was able to turn away her accusers and save her life, but I'm always intrigued by what he said to her as they parted ways: 'go and sin no more.' Funny that he didn't say, 'it's okay, I know you're going to sin again', 'do whatever feels right to you', 'do what your inner sense tells you' or any other type of statement that would justify her sin and wrong-doing. Instead, Jesus does what in our natural minds is unthinkable, he raises the banner of truth uncompromisingly during a time when many of us would think it was insensitive. I could hear the voices of today's society and political arena saying, 'can't you show some kindness', 'you don't know what she's been through', 'don't judge her', but the reality is, Jesus understand the balance between grace and forgiveness & challenge and truth. He knew that if he didn't challenge this woman to break the cycle, nothing would change. He knew she would be in the same broken, condemned, outcast state again if she didn't follow a new path. Her future was bright through his grace and forgiveness, but to receive it she needed to embrace the challenge to walk in truth. So that's just what Jesus did, dispensed grace and mercy freely while continuing to champion the cause of truth. This is what will bring true, lasting, world-changing fruit in our lives.

With our eyes fixed on Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith, let's embrace the grace and forgiveness that He's given us, but let's also receive the challenge that the truth of God's word brings into our lives so we can become all that we're called to be.

Welcome!!

2008-07-23T09:20:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Worship for Life blog. I hope this will be a great resource for encouragement, study, strenthening in the Word and Spirit, and equipping for what God has called us to do. Look out for this week's word tomorrow. See you soon.