9/28/2013 Hidden FutureScriptures: Ecclesiastes 8:6-7, Philippians 4:12-13
The future is hidden from our view, so how do we face the future? Jesus instructed us not worry about the future, but He did not tell us to neglect the future. Many verses in the Bible are prophecies which give us a glimpse of the future, so it's clear Jesus wants us to prepare for the future. Jesus is the only one who knows the future: so we know that He can direct our lives towards success. God tells us to do three things to face the future: 1) Set His plan in motion for your life: God has a plan for your life: so get on with the plan! If you follow His plan then He can direct you, this way He is not spending time redirecting you. God's plan will move you towards His promises for your life. If we get sidetracked we slow the process and create our own frustration. 2) Stay in the Word of God: There are ways to stay on the plan God has for your life: read about it, talk about it, think about it and do it! 3) Step out in faith: Faith is not real until it becomes active. Fear can limit your future! How far does God expect you to go before He will do something? The hardest step of faith is the next step. Life is filled with "ifs," but Jesus has defeated sin and has already won our victory! Our future is filled with hope. God's Word has specific plans for your life and its time to set those plans in motion. Read, talk and think about the plan so you stay on plan. Take the next step of faith and please your guide. 9/28/2013 The Pursuit of JoyScriptures: Psalm 16:11, Habakkuk 3:17-19
David wrote that when we pursue joy location is everything: in God's presence we find fullness of joy. Many times we focus more on conditions and not enough on location. If you find the right location your conditions will change! Too many times we believe that joy is based on the conditions of life, but joy is a product of our location! Paul and Silas found themselves in jail and their conditions were horrible. Their conditions dictated feelings of misery, doom and despair. The condition seemed dismal, but the location was right for a miracle! "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." They started to sing and joy took over! When we get the location correct the conditions do not matter: our joy is connected to God's presence. Our pursuit of His presence will determine our level of joy: most times our pursuits can be identified by our checkbook and our calendar. How are you spending your time and money? What do those factor show about what your pursuing? Your location makes a huge difference, because fullness of joy can be found in the presence of Jesus where at His right are pleasures forever more. It's not about your conditions, like career struggles, family issues or health problems, its about changing your location to God's presence. 9/14/2013 Do You Need a Reason to Shout?Scriptures: Psalm 5:11, Psalm 32:11 and Mark 10:47-5
Do you know someone who is a good shouter? There are many different reasons why a person might shout: cheering on a team, trying to get someone's attention or anger which leads to an argument. In the above verses we read about a blind man who shouted for his healing. We see from these verses that God responds to a certain type of shouting: a shout of faith, a shout of determination and a shout of humility. A little shout goes a long way! The blind man shouted just because he heard that Jesus was coming. We need to learn to shout before God makes a move. We need to shout for what God can do: this is a shout of faith! We need to move beyond what people think about us: the blind man shouted even when they told him to be quiet. We need to ignore and shout over the crowd. Shout for what God will do: this is a shout of determination. We need to put action behind our shout. In the midst of our shouting God will call for us. The beggar cast off his garment: taking off his begging clothes. He was no longer begging, but praying for his healing. We need to meet God halfway, which is the shout of humility. We need to shout because we have faith in Jesus: He has done great things. We are not going to let the world drown out our praise: Jesus will hear you over the crowd. There are too many voices telling us to be quiet: its time to shout! The Bible tells us to shout and we must be humble enough to His direction, are you ready to meet Jesus halfway? 9/10/2013 Getting Your Fight BackScriptures: Joshua 18:1-4, Ephesians 1:17-19
Ask yourself the question: "Do I feel cheated?" God's Word is rich with God's promises: promises of blessings! Why are you not taking possession of God's promises? Another question: are you living a self preserving lifestyle? Too many Christians are not willing to fight for what belongs to them. They use up all their energy fighting off God's message. A self-preserving lifestyle is trying to live life without any battle scars, but there are scars of affliction and there are scars of battle. There are the scars that have been put upon us and there are the scars we've received from fighting the good fight! Faith is an action word: faith is not passive! Ask yourself: are you waiting for the enemy to surrender? Did your education just come to you or did you study to learn? Did someone give you a job or did you have to apply for it? Just because God promises you something does not mean the enemy is just going to hand it over to you. God demonstrates His authority through His people! Your enemy knows if you start fighting that you will win, so he talks you out of the fight. We all need a revelation of what belongs to us. It is easier to accept suffering than to challenge our fears. This is why we identify with Paul's thorn in the flesh and not with the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus healed thousands, but we accept the witness of one. Paul prayed three times, while the woman pursued, overcame fear, bigotry and even the crowd to receive her healing. The Hebrews possessed the land, it was not given to the them. Caleb said "Give me that mountain." This was the last stronghold of the giants, once he took the mountain he always had the high ground: the enemy was always beneath him. Anything worth having is worth pursuing and fighting for! Are you tired of feeling cheated? Are you tired of giving up what is yours without a fight? Are you ready to get your fight back? |
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