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Sowing Power!

If you sow a thought, you will reap a feeling.  Sow a feeling and you will reap an act.  Sow an act and you will reap a habit.  Sow a habit and you will reap character.  Sow character and you will reap destiny.

From the beginning God taught us the importance of sowing and reaping.  He Himself sowed the Word of Creation and our universe was born.

He sowed His son Jesus into the earth and is still reaping a harvest of souls which no one can number.

Today Jesus continually sows the seed of the Word of His Kingdom into our hearts so that we can understand and live by His laws.

His purpose in sowing His Word into our hearts is to recreate the Garden of Eden within us.

The concept of His abundance is found everywhere in His creation.

A spiritual Garden of Eden within will cause us to live life from His principles within rather than living life in the external senses.

In order to accomplish this, our faith and worship life cannot be just another compartment of our highly compartmentalized life.

There is absolute abundance in the Kingdom of God.  It is possible to have total favor with the Ruler of that abundance.

God is never diminished by circumstances.  He can cause our plans to succeed. He can cause people to like us.  He can cause us to be preferred and chosen above others of equal talent.  He can protect us and guard us.  He gives His angels charge concerning us.

When His Word is spoken into our hearts, we can then speak that Word into a situation and it will perform His purpose.

Living a Life of Purpose

C.S. Lewis said, “The command ‘be you perfect as I am perfect’ is not impossible for us to accomplish.  God is going to make us into creatures who can obey that command.  If we let Him, if we choose, He will make the filthiest and feeblest of us into a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating throughout with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly His own boundless power, delight and goodness.  The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for.  Nothing less.  He meant what He said.”

When we come to know intimately Jesus Christ, as new creations, there are no limits to what we may become.

The amazing thing about God in His relationship with us is that He gives what He commands.

God has indeed called us to live a life of holiness – you shall be holy for I am holy.

Spurgeon said that “holiness is the architectural plan upon which God builds up His living temple.”

It is His command and His plan that we be holy.  Our English word “holiness” comes from a root word which means whole, complete, health, sound, perfect in potentiality.

The power to grow and become like God is implanted in us at the beginning of our lives.  A seed of spiritual excellence is buried within just waiting on light and fire to come to life.

Ephesians 5:1:  Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].  Not only do we possess an innate capability of becoming like God, but the self-same energy that makes God holy dwells in us and blends itself with our life.

Since His life is within us, no limit can be put on our spiritual development.

Fueling the Spiritual Fire

In America, one out of every four fires is caused by arson, accounting for some half a million fires and $3 billion in direct property damage each year.  

When people intentionally set fires, lives are lost and property is destroyed.  When God ignites spiritual fires, hearts are filled with love and lives are saved.

In Exodus 3:2-3, The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush.  Moses was fascinated because although the bush was clearly on fire, it wasn’t damaged and it didn’t burn up.

Whenever a person or a congregation is truly on fire with God’s love people will come from miles around just to watch them “burn.”

When God sets the fires of evangelism loose in His people, these fires will bring more light, more hope, and more resources through the door than we ever dreamed possible.

Though God’s fires don’t burn people out, they do need spiritual fuel.

Fuelish attitudes are ways of thinking that ignite ordinary people in the church with a passion for introducing their family, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers into
life-changing relationships with Jesus.

The Fuel of Kindness:  Colossians 3:12 says we are to clothe ourselves with kindness…That means wrapping ourselves up in God’s love for anyone in need.

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Taking the focus off of ourselves and putting it on God and the needs of others
is amazingly fuelish.    The Fuel of Fun.  The Fuel of Prayer and Worship.

People whom God loves and we love are lost in the darkness of sin.  Each of us has
a part to play in their rescue.

Are You Ready for Your Kingdom Moment?

Have you ever earnestly longed for, prayed for, believed for something so fervently that every fiber of your being waited in anticipation for it to happen, and then, suddenly – it happened – and things began moving so fast you could hardly keep up?

All those long years of waiting, praying, believing and then it happens!  Your time, your day, your hour has finally arrived.

Then as the reality sets in and you are staring in the face this huge open door of opportunity, the questions flood your mind.  Am I ready for this?  Can I handle this kind of responsibility? Am I spiritually mature enough to deal with all that goes with this kind of position?

Of course, God-opportunities never come to us unless He believes we are ready.

If you wait until you think you’re “ready enough” for your “kingdom moment” you will most likely not accomplish anything great for Christ because you’ll probably never really “feel” like you are ready.

After all you are not the best judge of your “kingdom readiness” – He is.

1 Corinthians 4:3:  Paul says, “I do not judge mine own self.”

We should judge ourselves in matters of discipline, but never judge ourselves “ready” or “not ready” for a great kingdom assignment.  If you let your emotions dictate your “readiness,” you will probably never achieve anything worthwhile in life.

Most likely, you won’t feel good enough, prepared enough, or mature enough to handle a great new assignment.  But when God thinks you are ready for a tremendous new leap of faith, He will provide the grace, power and miracles to make you ready.  He will mature you and equip you for the task.

One thing is sure – You are more than you have become and you can accomplish more than you have accomplished. 

God is a master at taking insignificant lives and making them significant.  When He calls us to do something, He also equips, provides, sustains, and empowers us to do more than we think or even imagine we can do.

God is always calling us to push beyond the limits of our lives into bigger and broader dreams and adventures.  You and I stand in the midst of a “kingdom moment” that will touch and change lives the world over.

“I Love You!” Love, God

Romans 8:39
Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Some things in life simply defy definition.  Love is one of those things.

Love is easy to recognize by the way it acts. Love is the basic principle of spiritual and relational health.

It is the creator of character and the revealer of truth.  It is the solution of all difficulties and the cure of all evils. It is the secret of vitality and the essence of true life.

Love elevates every aspect of our lives.  By loving others we elevate them to a higher plane of living.

The prime fundamental to Christian living is love.  When we say “God is love” we speak of “descending love” and “ascending love.”

Humanity’s condition was not the motivating force behind Jesus coming into this world.  God’s divine love for humanity was the impelling power of the incarnation of Jesus.

With the coming of Jesus, God declared “I love you” and demonstrated His willingness to reveal that love to us.

The heavens declare the glory of God, His actions reveal His grace, nature shows His handiwork, but in Jesus we meet God’s demonstrated love.

His love lifts us from our sin-scarred, life wounded, battered image higher and higher until the image that was lost in Adam is restored in us in Jesus.

Love found us where we were, but lifted us to where God is. Love reached us as we were, but transformed our nature into His nature.

Love looked upon us in our shame but caused us to look upon God in His splendor.

How different is His love from the emotion that we call love. Our love is caused by something in the object of our love, something that meets an inherent need.

We love because we need.  God needs because He loves.

If you missed this weekend at TheChurch on Strayer …

Stepping OUT!

Everyone has a comfort zone, a certain way of life in which we feel at ease. All too often, we become comfortable, satisfied with the security of our status quo. To live life as God designed it, we must break out of the monotony of comfort zone living & take some risks.

Some people simply accept their place of pain and struggle as if that is their lot in life.  Jabez refused to remain in the misery of a life of pain and discomfort by crying out to God for His help. 

When you determine to know God intimately you will discover who you really are.

To change your life, you must know who God created you to be. You must begin where you are with what you have.  Now is always the best time to start.

Here is a Biblical Formula for living life:    Ready, Fire, Aim!  The natural formula says “Ready, Aim, Fire.”

With the natural formula, you are taking no risks, no chances.

Life is not certain; we don’t always know what to do.  Life is uncertain.  There are really “no guarantees,” & no “sure things.”    To use “Ready, Fire, Aim” formula, you must cure your fear with action.  There is no shame in a bad aim- at least you are firing.  Begin where you are and with what you have.

Join us next week for  Take Action:  Stepping Beyond!

The Gratitude Attitude

Gratitude is the world’s best attitude.  Gratitude is the world’s best medicine.  Gratitude causes us to focus on what we have – not on what we lack.  Gratitude is the expression of the heart’s memory.

We are never more fully alive than when we are grateful for our blessings.

In the midst of these challenging times we are faced with a critical spiritual choice –   Will we live by fear or by faith?  Will we choose His truth or the world’s lies?

Who do we believe is in charge – God or man?

Often we are tempted to be discouraged, despondent, to focus on what is not right in our lives, to complain of our circumstances, our lack.

Often our mouths are filled with criticism, bitterness, resentment, disrespect, sarcasm, and flippant, trivial speech.

But God has given us a remedy – ThanksLiving.

Philippians 4:6-7 - ⁶Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

⁷And God’s peace [shall be yours…] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have.

Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t do.

Focus on what is right in your life, not on what is wrong.

Focus on who you are, not on who you are not.

Focus on what you can make happen for others, not on what you want them to make happen for you.

We must do four things to achieve a ThanksLiving lifestyle.

          1) Walk in Him.
          2) Become rooted in Him.
          3) Be built up in Him.
          4) Be established in the faith.

This daily walk is done in gratitude for all Jesus has given to us.

While circumstance may change, Jesus never does.  Walk in the beauty, the fruit, the treasures, the liberty of Christ. Be Thank-FULL for Him today.

If you missed this weekend at TheChurch on Strayer 11.28.11

…Stepping Through

Finishing well doesn’t happen by accident.  It takes effort.  It takes courage and perseverance.

In life, many have a good beginning; few have a good ending.

What ultimately matters is taking action to step through whatever challenges, obstacles, hindrances that get placed in our path of life.

Your success in life is determined more by what you finish than by what you start.  Ability has more to do with finishing than it does with attempting.

God is the original finisher.  He always finishes what He starts – not necessarily what we start.

Commitment is only experienced when you step through your circumstance, your trial, your difficulty.

Paul gives us a three-fold formula for success in stepping through our challenges and finishing strong.

          I have fought a good fight – Discipline.

          I have finished the race – Direction.

          I have kept the faith – Determination.

I Corinthians 9:25 in the Living Bible says – To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best.

Sometimes you must fight with yourself in order to accomplish it. To step through, you must keep fighting. To step through, you must keep running.

Even when you are weak, keep running.

It is not how you start or how fast you run, how high you climb – it is whether or not you keep the faith and finish strong.

Jesus Chose You

Robert Frost wrote a short poem with a powerful message about “choice”:

 “There is a choice you have to make, in everything you do.  And you must always keep in mind, the choice you make makes you.”

No one can ever make your choices for you.  The choices you make are yours alone.  Your choices are as much a part of you as your every breath.

Man’s greatest freedom is the freedom of choice.  How you manage your choices determines how you manage your life.

Big choices set our direction – small choices get us to the destination.

Far more than our abilities, talents, gifts, circumstances, and challenges, our choices reveal who we really are.

No one can choose for me unless I choose what they choose.

God only holds us accountable for our own choices.

Choosing is central to humanity.  Choices are all around us.  We are a choice – driven people, society, culture –– obsessed with and addicted to choices.

Life’s greatest gift is our free will or choice.

Choice is the ability to select one course of action from a set of alternatives to achieve a goal.  Choice is the chisel by which we sculpt our lives.  The price of choice is responsibility.

Choice is power.  Choice is at the heart, the center of our life.  Choice is the creative power of life.

The single greatest choice in the history of man’s destiny on earth occurred when Jesus said,

John 15:16 – You have not chosen me but I have chosen you…

Perfectly Designed For Your Purpose

You are perfectly designed for your purpose.

The word “purpose” as used in the Bible refers to counsel, wisdom, plans, passion, focus, intent.

There is no life without purpose.  Every created thing must have a purpose to fulfill.

Life is designed for and functions by purpose.

Without purpose, life is nothing more than the existence we have between birth and death.  It is the boring monotony of the routine.

Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you are going to get.”

Author F. Scott Peck said, “Life is difficult.”

The truth is life is not found in pleasure, performance, possessions, position, power, or pursuits.  It is only found in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

The whole purpose of His mission in the world was to deposit within each of us “life more abundant.”  (John 10:10)

When you discover “who” (identity) you are and you experience “why” (purpose) you are, you become invincible.

Purpose is individual.  Our purpose determines how we function, which establishes how we were designed, which is related to our potential, which is connected to our natural abilities.

The journey toward discovering your purpose begins with this question –

What does God want and how does God want to use me to make a difference in the world?

It is only as we merge our lives into His life that we can find the purpose for life that we seek and a rhythm of life that is renewing instead of exhausting.

God is always allowing into your life that which makes a demand on your purpose.  Only when you live His purpose for you will you prevail.