- Here we are at the end of a week long mission trip with youth.
- We have helped clean up after a Tornado and we have helped a missionary move out of his home and move into a new one.
- This week has been all about serving!
- This scripture says that we are called to live in Freedom.
- This is our calling!
- Christ has called you out of the world, and has given you a new identity.
- He has given you a new way to live.
- A new opportunity.
- His way leads to freedom, true freedom.
- A life not trapped by striving to be accepted by the world.
- A Life not founded on performance.
- life not based on self centered living.
- A life not focused on having what everyone else has.
- In this verse, the apostle Paul says, use it to serve.
- The freedom he is talking about is freedom from the law.
- You can use the freedom you have, one of two ways: To serve yourself or to serve others.
- To do what is best for you or do what's best for others.
- To do what's easiest or do what's difficult.
- Today, begin thinking "Others First"
- Ask yourself: How do my actions affect my family, school mates, co-workers, friends?
- What impact do my words have on those around me?
- Do I build up or do I tear down?Am I an encourager or a complainer?
- Is the life I am living leading someone closer to Christ or drawing them away.
- 1 Peter 2:1 says, "Get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech."
- Get rid of it all for the purpose of fulfilling your calling - Others First Living!
- Use the freedom you have been given for the positive!
- Lay down your life for the sake of others.
- Remember - actions speak louder than words!
- James 1: 22 says, "Don't just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves."
- So don't be a fool!
- Don't just say you love - show you love.
- What are your words and actions saying today?
- Take every opportunity you have, today, to use your freedom to serve!
- Have a great Weekend!
"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13 NLT)
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"I am with you, says the LORD!” (Haggai 1:13 NLT)
- Short but powerful! - The children of Israel had experiences ruin, exile, destruction and drought because they had ignored God and walked away from Him. - Now a remnant of people had returned to the land and they began to obey to Lord. - Then God sends them a word through the prophet Haggai. - v. 13 says, "Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave the people this message from the LORD: “I am with you, says the LORD!” - No matter where you are or what you have gone through, the Lords message is the same. - When you turn to Him, He says, "I Am With You!" - In Your loneliest times "I am with You" - In Your darkest days, "I am with You!" - Through Your biggest struggles, "I am with You!" - As you face your greatest fears, "I am with You!" - Psalm 138: 7 says, "Though I am surrounded by troubles...You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me. The LORD will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever." - Today claim this promise - "The Lord will work out his plan for your life.” -If you surrender your life to him and let Him lead, then He says that He will work out His plan. - It's because He loves you! - His faithful love endures Forever. - His power will sustain you! - Grab ahold of this short but powerful fact - The Lord is with you! - You are not alone! - Whatever you face, you face with Him! - Rom. 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" - Don't look at what you don't have... Look at what you do have! - If all you have is God, then that is everything! - You've got the edge... You've got the advantage! - Remember today, all throughout your day, no matter what you face or go through, "God is with you!" - Have a great Thursday! "...Let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." (1John 3:18 NLT)
"May he equip you with all (ALL) you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every (EVERY) good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen." (Hebrews 13: 21) - What is your need this morning? - Whatever it is, He has the equipment to meet that need and supply above and beyond. - To Equip means to dress; to make ready; prepare. - In Him, you are dressed for success! - Philippians 4:19 says, "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." - In both of these verses he uses the word "ALL". - All of your needs are provided for in Christ Jesus. - You are complete in Him. - You need to see yourself, right now, as complete in Him and fully prepared to succeed and overcome any obstacle. - In Heb. 13:20 it says, "Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood. - When you think of God meeting a need, don't just think of the possible...begin to pray for the impossible. IMPOSSIBLE - He is a God who brings dead things to life! - What are your dead dreams, the ones you have given up on. - What are the struggles that you have been dealing with for years? - What are the impossible situations that you face? - What problem, difficulty or challenge have you already "Stamped" the final outcome on. - It's not over until God says its over. - Begin to put a different Stamp on it...begin to see a different outcome. - 2 Cor. 2:17 says, "thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ..." - ALWAYS leads us in triumph! - What need have you declared "Dead" that God says is "Alive" - Don't put a Final stamp on it yet... - Is it a sickness? - dead / broken relationships... - Dead dreams... - dead job... - dead emotions... - Don't speak death to something when you have the Life-giver living within you. - Begin to dream again! - Begin to believe again! - Begin To have Hope again! - Be revived in Him! - Have you identified your need? - Now see the outcome as different! - Come Alive in Him this morning! - Have a great Tuesday! "This I know: God is on my side!"(Psalm 56:9 NLT)
- Do you know? - Do you really know... - That God is on your side! - He is for you! - The Psalmist David is speaking out of true experience - not just "book knowledge." - You've got to have that type of experience...that true knowledge as you face any situation! - David is speaking about when he was in Gath and his enemy, the Philistines, had seized him. - He had every natural reason to give up. - Every reason to quit - Every reason to complain - But out of his Spirit - from deep down within Him rises up these words, "God is on my side!" - They are not just words, It is Hope! - It is Strength - It is a Game changing phrase! - He is saying, I may be down but don't count me out! - "I have the game changing card, which I am about to reveal...and here it comes... God is on my side! - The same is true for you - No matter what you are facing - No matter how impossible your situation seems to be - And no matter how long it has gone on... - Know this, today... - God cares - God hears - God sees, and - He is for you! - He is on your side! - The Creator, The Sustainer of All Things, He is on your side! - And out of this knowledge, David says, in vs. 3 & 4, "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" - Get that in you today! - There is nothing to Big or To Small for God! - There is nothing to Fear! - He is Bigger, He is more Knowledgeable, He is Wiser, He is more Powerful! - And This God is on your side! - That's all you need to know... - It's the Game Changer! - Get it in you, and live in that knowledge! - Have a great Weekend! "Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.". (Psalm 145:3, 4 NLT)
- You have a message to tell this morning! - To proclaim His Great power and praise God's name. - verse 4 says, "Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts". In other words, it's up to you! - You have a job to do - to praise His name so loud that everyone knows about Gods greatness, power and love. - To pass it on to this generation and the next so that they can carry the same great message. - Proclaim Him with your voice, through your actions and how you live. - Don't let there be any doubt who you live for and what you live for. - v. 2 says, "I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever." - Every day is a new opportunity for you to show your God to the world! - Don't ever let your circumstances or situation bring you down, because you have a God who reigns! - He reigns above and beyond! - He is greater than any problem. - He is mightier than any difficulty! - He is more powerful than any obstacle! - Verse 5 says, "I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles." - To meditate means to focus on and dwell on! - When you focus on Him and His greatness, it makes your problems shrink in comparison. - His miracles from the past and present are wonderful - They are "Full of Wonder!" - His splendor is Majestic - He gives you Hope! - When you dwell on Him and focus on Him it changes the way you think and how you perceive every situation. - It gives you a new attitude and great expectations! - In Him is an abundant life and a full life! (John 10:10) - Psalm 145:6 says, "Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness." - Be filled with Awe this morning! - May those awe- inspiring deeds be on your tongue! - Proclaim Him! - Have a great Thursday! "What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" Romans 8:31 NLT
"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it." (Psalms 139:14 NLT)
This week I am going to use some of the verses that our kids are using in VBS. Today's verse, Psalm 139:14, comes from Day 1. - Have you thanked God for how marvelous He made you? - Yes, you! - Not someone else, but YOU! - It's easy for us to think about how great and important someone else is and then pick ourselves apart. - It's easy to think of all of our flaws and weaknesses and how we don't measure up. - But God doesn't want you to think of yourself like that. - He doesn't want you to measure your value and worth against someone else. - When He made you, He created an Original Masterpiece! - He didn't make you to be like anybody else. - It's actually offensive to Him when you carry around a bad self image and measure your worth against somebody else. - He is your designer and creator. - He created you Good...very Good! - Don't ever let someone tell you that you are not important or valuable. - Don't let thoughts come into your mind that you are insignificant or that you don't matter! - You are extremely valuable to God. - He put great detail into every part of you. - Psalm 139:13 says, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb." - Look at what He thinks about you... - Psalm 139:17 says, "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!" - When God thinks about you, He sees someone who is created in His image. - Let Him speak value and worth into you today. - When He looks at you, He sees how incredibly Amazing you are. - He says, "You are accepted and Loved." - He created your uniqueness and your individuality. - Instead of thinking of your differences and quirks as something bad or a mistake, think of it as God’s extra love and design in not making you like everybody else. - Remember to thank God for making "YOU" - His is Proud of you! - He is in Love with You! - He sees the best in you! - Today, thank God for His creativity in creating you. - Make sure that you gain your value and acceptance based on what God sees. - Hold your head high and live as if you are irreplaceable, because you are! - Throw off all rejection and replace it with your Heavenly Fathers acceptance. - Have a great Tuesday! "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." (Psalm 130:5)
- Waiting... - The word waiting is filled with so much expectancy. - Expectancy and anticipation for what is at the end of the wait. - This weekend I travel to NC to performing the wedding ceremony of Zachary Carll and Kandace Callais. - Their love has led them to the point of total commitment. - Everyone loves the moment of waiting before the bride comes out. - The groom is at the front of the church waiting. - and waiting... - So much excitement and anticipation in that moment. - And then the bride appears and their eyes meet! - He sees his bride! - She sees her groom! - wow... It's worth the wait! - What if our time with The Lord was filled with that much expectancy? - What if we were filled with such anticipation to see Him and hear from Him? - If we waited on Him like that, it would change everything! - Wait on him this morning as if you can't live without Him! - One Word He speaks to your heart can change everything! - Don't become impatient and get tired of the wait. - Remember, you are the bride of Christ. - Put all of your hope in His Word. - Wait patiently on Him... - It's worth the wait. - Have a great Monday! "I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! (Revelation 3:1, 2 NLT)
- Wake up! - Don't ever let your hard work for God replace your walk with God! - Don't sacrifice your relationship with Jesus in order to impress others with all your hard work. - It's so easy to get busy "Doing" and forget about "Being". - Slow down and stop the "doing" if it has gotten in the way of "Being" with Him...Simply, Hanging out with Him. - Jesus gives a message to seven churches in the Book of Revelation. - His message here to the church of Sardis is simple, "Wake Up!" - They had a reputation for being alive—but were dead. - In other words they looked really good on the outside. - People looked at them and saw them as having it all together. - They were doing all the right things without His Presence. - Their appearances was of being full but they were empty. - He says, "I know all the things you do." - They were busy and got caught up in all the business and how they looked to others. - They forgot about what matters most and Who matters most. - In Revelation 3:3, Jesus' instructions are, "Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again." - That word "Again" stands out to me. - They had something that they lost. - In order to come back to what you have lost, you must Go Back to what you HEARD and BELIEVED at first. - Evaluate your relationship with Christ today. - Are you as close as you once were? - Return to the passion you had when you First became a Christian. - Return to what you Hear and Believed! - Return to the fire in your gut! - Return to the Zeal! - Remember when you believed anything is possible as long as you had Jesus by your side? - It still is! - Fall in love with Him all over again! - In Zechariah 1:3, The Lord says to His people, "Return to me, and I will return to you..." - In James 4:8 it says, "Come close to God, and God will come close to you." - He will not make you or force you. - He says, make the move, the first step, and I will be right there! - Make the move this morning! - He is waiting... - He will be there! - Have a great Weekend! |
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January 2019
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