Who are you hanging out with?

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

"You cannot fly with eagles if you are hanging around turkeys" Jay Strack

If you are are not paying attention to who you are hanging around you can quickly find yourself in a place you do not want to be. If you do not believe me than just ask Micheal Vick. Not to bring it up again but who he hung around led him to do things that were regrettable. Many people believe that they are stronger than their friends and can bring them up instead of being pulled down by them. Although we are called to reach out to our friends we have to be careful that we are not influenced by them.

Most of the time we do not pick people we hang around but we gravitate toward them. We are placed in situations where we have to be around them and so we just start this natural bond with them. Solomon is warning us that who we hang around is important because our friends can lead us to do dumb things. THey may lead us away from our own goals and the dreams that God has given to us. They may lead us to simply not reach the potential God has. If you have dreams and aspirations and someone is trying to keep you from reaching those dreams then they are not a true friend.

Have you ever asked yourself, 'Where is this relationship leading me?" Why not?
Are the people you are hanging around looking out for your best interest? Are they the type of people that want you to help them with their success and never help you with yours?

Jay Strack calls it pushing someones wagon up the hill. They are people that will use you to help them get their wagon up a hill but will never be there when you need help getting your wagon up a hill. What Jay Strack is saying is that you have to be leery of people who are always calling you or using you for their benefit but do not have your best interest in mind. They are people that ask and ask and ask always wanting more but are never willing to lend a hand or to even ask what your needs might be. They are selfish people with only their own goals and agendas in mind. Sometimes those people have no goals or agendas and that is also dangerous.

Proverbs 27:12 The wise see danger and take refuge the simple keep going and suffer harm

Do you have a check in your spirit about who you are around? Is God trying to tell you something about them? You can be simple and keep overlooking their faults but one day you will get caught in the same mess they are in. You can suffer simply by who you hang around. The choice today to stop certain relationships will only pay off in the future. The initial pain and separation can lead to ridicule and judgement. Only in the future will you see that those you had to separate from was for your benefit.

The destination isn't always clear. But when we are given an early warning sign, that's our cue to act. To do something. To take refuge. And there will be awkward moments. There will be decisions that even those closest to you will never fully understand. But in the end their will be relief. In the end you will have avoided unnecessary regret. (Andy Stanley, The Principle of the Path, pg 55)

Ambassador

Ambassador: A diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 14For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I love how the verse starts with being compelled by Christ love. We do crazy things for love. We spend money and hang out to all hours of the night because we love people. If you start with being motivated by Christ love you get a whole different perspective of serving God. When you look at God as a task master you serve because you are scared. When you are compelled by love it is a joyous adventure.

John 20:21 21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Have you ever thought that God wanted to speak to your friends through you? That He wanted to use you in the neighborhood, the ball team, the club, job or school you are at? You are where you are at not by accident but because God has planned for you to be there on His behalf to be a mouth piece for Him. (Acts 17:26-27)

Have you ever been mad at someone you did not even know? The only reason you were mad at them was because of things other people said about them. Have you ever done that and then discover that the person you hated was not that bad of a person? This is how it is with God. People do not like Him or have a misperception of who He is based on bad information they received from others. That is why God calls us Ambassadors. We are to go and speak with people about Him and represent Him.

2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Have you ever been around someone with body odor? I mean you do all you can to not smell their body odor but you can not get away from them. When we do not represent God in the way we should then we are body odor to those around us. As ambassadors our lifestyles should be such that people are drawn to God and not repulsed by the smell we are letting off.

Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Is your life different from those around you? When everyone else is doing wrong are you the one who is doing right? If you are then your life will stick out like a shining star. Not everyone notices that shinning star but some will. When they do notice it will draw them closer to God.

What if you knew one of your friends had 24 hours to live and you had 10 minutes to talk to them. What would you say? Why not say it now?

If you read Mark 2:1-12 you see 4 friends that did all they could to bring their friend to Jesus. What length are you willing to go to for your friends? What is standing in the way of your friend meeting Christ? Whatever it takes just get them to Jesus.

Child of God

2 Corinthians 6:18 I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

The problem that most people have with thinking of God as a Father is that we as fathers have given them the wrong view of God. We always hear that the earthly father is a reflections of the Heavenly Father. I like the way Louie Giglio talks about our Heavenly Father. "God is not a reflection of your earthly father He is the perfection of your earthly father." God is so much more than what any of us as fathers could reflect but satan knows he can use that distortion to turn us from God instead of running to God. If you have a view of God that He does not care, or that He might strike you down or that He left you, then why would you go to Him? So if we are going to be a child of God then there are a few things you have to understand about your relationship with God.

1) Once a Child always a child.

If you have a child that runs away from home does that mean they are no longer your child? Before we go any further just because you think you are a child of God does not mean you are. So before you apply this attribute of who God says you are to your life you need to make sure you are a child of His. But if you are then you can rest in the fact that you cannot be "Dechild" (yes I made that word up)


Romans 8:38-For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I heard a Christian Comedian talk about God like a GPS. If you do not listen to your GPS because you know better and you go somewhere you did not intend to be, the GPS does not jump out of the car it just recauluates. God always takes you where you are to where you need to be. Once you accept the free gift of salvation and you become His child, there is nothing that can take that away.

2) You are adopted not had

Ephesians 1:4-6 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

If you see a woman who is pregnant you ask her "what are you having". (Before asking any woman what she is having it is vitally important that you know for sure she is pregnant. Failure to do so could lead you to experience physical harm.) If you are a child of God then you are adopted. Do you see the difference? One is what are you having? (no choice) One is being adopted. (God picked you) If you are adopted did you know you were chosen by your parents? My mom had me and did not have a choice in what she was getting. God knew what He was getting when He adopted me as His child and He knew all of my faults ahead of time so when I do not do what I know I am supposed to do, He does not kick me out on the street. So if you are adopted into the love of God and become His child, you never have to worry about losing that love or your status as a child.

3) God really likes you
I know it sounds funny using the word like instead of the word love, but God does enjoy being with you. Sometimes we think of God loving us as something He has to do. Going back to our parents they will always love us but they get frustrated with our actions. Because of that we do not always have the view that God really wants to spend time with us as His children.

Zephaniah 3:17The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Do you picture God singing over you? Can you picture God singing? He created singing. He delights in you and He will even sing songs to you to let you know about how much He loves you. Yes God will sing you a love song.

4) Daddy is His name

Jesus really shook things up with this concept of God. The Jews had such a reverence for God that they would not even spell His whole name. Jesus was showing that God wants to be so close to you in a relationship that you will call Him daddy. (The other extreme is a danger if you do not revere God but for now we are focusing on what Jesus said about Him)

Matthew 6:9 This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

Do you start your prayers with Daddy? Jesus did. That is how He said we should pray. If a child brings their daddy a broken toy a loving daddy will take it and try to fix it. The child with tears in their eyes will say "Daddy Broken", as they hold the toy up. The loving daddy will reach down and take the toy and go to work. But you also know that there are times when a loving daddy cannot fix the toy (of course God always could if He chose to) so what does the loving daddy do then? He picks the child up and holds the child and comforts the child.

Do you see God as a God who reaches down and holds you when all of life seems broken?

Matthew 6:25-26 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

As a child you did not worry about your mortgage payment, the electric bill, the car payment or even the amount spent on groceries. You thought of things like playing and cartoons. When we get the view of God as daddy we realize that He will take care of those things. As children we trust our parents to handle all of those things and Jesus is showing us that God as daddy will take care of all of it.

5) God will give spankings

I know spankings are not something that is a popular notion anymore but when I was a child it was, and I deserved everyone I recieved. My parents loved me so much it hurt. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the discipline and training I recieved as a child. I hated it at the time but now I see the results of children who did not recieve discipline as a child.

Hebrews 12:7-11 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

6) God wants you to change your view of Him

In Luke 15 we see the story of the prodigal son. To us this story may not be as big of a deal but in Jesus day He took a common story and changed the ending. In the Jewish tradition the Jewish father would banish the son away from the house and the family as punishment for leaving the family. When Jesus told it he showed the Father running to the son, hugging him while the son was still filthy, and throwing a party for the son. Jesus whole point was to change how people viewed God. If you have the wrong view of God then you will not relate to Him the way you should.

Have you ever had someone talk negative about someone and after you meet that person you do not think they are that bad? Why? You had the wrong view of them until you really got to know them because someone tainted your view of them. People have the wrong view of God because others have given them the wrong view of God. So before you start saying how God acts, how He is and how He operates, you should ask Him for yourself. He has written a whole book about Himself so you can get to know Him. Just like you would not want anyone talking about you who did not know you, we need to go to the source in the Bible to see who God really is.

What view of God do you have that is not who He really is? Have you found yourself over the years changing your view of God? If you are not sure about some things of God then go to the source.

The Direction you are looking will determine your direction

If you are driving and you look to your left or right you tend to start drifting that way. Where your eyes are focused determines which direction you are heading. One of the things we are always told is to "PAY ATTENTION" (yes it seems I always heard it in a screaming voice) But to pay implies that it will cost us something. We have to give up something now to gain something later. If you Pay Attention to your health every day then it will pay off later. You pay now or you pay later but you will always pay. There are always things we should pay less attention to and other things we should pay more attention to. We get sidetracked so easily by things that are less important and by people that we should not even giving any of our attention to.

“There are people and activities that have the potential to lure us away from the things to which we should be paying attention. And if we are honest, the cost of disentangling ourselves from unhealthy relationships and activities seems to high a price to pay.” (Pg 144 Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley)

One of the most difficult things to get rid of in our lives are the unhealthy relationships that we sometimes have. People that our in our lives that take too much attention away from the things we need to be focused on. As parents we always warn our children about who they hang out with and the negative effects those relationships can have on their lives. What about us as adults? Are we around people and places that steal our attention away? Do we have people in our lives that are more of a hindrance to the things we need to be doing? Getting rid of the distractions, or paying attention, will cost you. People will not understand why you no longer hang around them, people will not understand why you did not take that job promotion, people will ask you questions that you will not be able to answer because you do not want to talk badly about the people you need to move away from. People will not understand right away but your concern is to pay attention now to the things God is calling you to do rather than having people who pull you away with things they want you to do.

Deuteronomy 7:12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.

God is warning the children of Israel to not get distracted by the other gods and the other lifestyles of those living in their region. It is so easy for us to get trapped into thinking about the things they have instead of the things of God. We see commercials that show us things that they say we need even though we do not have any need for them.

<strong>Hebrews 2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

You never wind up where you want to be by changing your course a bunch of times or by just drifting along. You have to be intentional about where you are going and how you are going to get there. Who are those people in your life that always try to get you off course by getting you to go somewhere or do something that you know is not going to help you get where you need to go? They are people that are concerned about only themselves and the joy ride they are on. You have to identify them and make sure they do not become a distraction to the course in life you set out.

A Captain will always set his course ahead of time and determine the best way to arrive at the destination. Yes he will have to make course corrections because of storms or even engine trouble but a captain will not allow others to tell them to make extra stops along the journey or to change the course of the boat. Too many people live their lives as if they are in a speed boat rather than on a cruise liner. They whip in an out around others cruising along without a care in the world.They change direction without even having to think about it but at the end of the day one boat goes back to the dock and one boat goes on a journey.

We all like the speed boat moments and it is alright to have those days but remember a cruise liner has fun as well. A cruise liner takes more people on the journey with them than a speed boat could ever think about taking. They have fun on the journey together and they go to places that the speed boat could not go. And when they arrive at their destination they have speed boats moments before leaving for their next journey together. The difference between a speed boat and a cruise liner is the cruise liner takes more thought and more planning to reach its destination. The speed boat just goes along not knowing what the day will hold and where they might go. The speed boat does not have a destination but only a concern for having fun for the day. There is minimal pay for the speed boat and the course can change quickly. The speed boat only takes a few on their day trip because only a few can be a part of someones life that has no direction or destination.


Proverbs 4:25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.


Psalms 119:35-37Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.

What goals do you have? Are you setting a course to reach those goals? People that say they want to be led by the spirit everyday do not realize that goals allow you to do just that. God always has the ability to redirect your course. He will allow storms to come your way so He can guide you where He wants you to be. The spirit guiding hand will be in your planning as well. (see Nehemiah)

Pay the price you need to pay in order to reap the benefits down the road and do not allow others to distract you.

God is our Friend

We have all heard the song about being friend of God but what does that mean? How can we call God friend when He is, well, God?

We must always remember that when Jesus came to earth He was constantly challenging the ideas that people had of God. He wanted to show that God was not a distant God but a God that is relational on every level.

Think about why you like hanging out with your friends. What things do you do together? What things do you have in common? That is how God wants to be viewed. Have you ever started liking a team or a television show because a friend of yours likes them? When we become friends with God we also start liking the same things He likes. We get interested in the things He is interested in. We do things He wants to do and we even enjoy them because we are with our friend who enjoys them.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Immanuel means God with us, not God over us, around us or even near us. God with us is an intimate term.

Read Luke 10:38-41

Martha was more concerned with doing things FOR Jesus and Mary was more concerned with BEING WITH Jesus. Do you see the difference.

Martha viewed the evening as dinner for God
Mary viewed the evening as dinner with God

John 15:13-15 13Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.


Look at what Jesus is saying. If you are a true friend then you will do things for Jesus. Girls are better at this then guys, but when a girl goes to a store and sees something for her friend, she buys it. She can not wait to see her friend so she can say, I was thinking of you when I bought this, or did this. She is not forced to do it, but it is something that comes naturally to her because she loves her friend and just wanted to do something for her. When we think following Jesus becomes a list of do's and dont's then we miss the joy of being with Him. We become a Martha who is trying to please Jesus rather than a Mary who just wants to be with Him.

Think about your true friends for a moment. Do you clean the house before they come over? Do you leave the dishes and the wash out because you know they do not care? Are true friends allowed to stop by whenever they want? People that are guest you have to clean the house, the car, the dog and anything and everything that can be cleaned. When Jesus becomes your friend you just want to spend time with Him and you act in a certain way because you are His friend. Servants serve and friends enjoy.

When you have a bad day do you tell a friend? We call our friends and tell them everything. Jesus says He calls us friends and He wants us to know what He is up to and what He is doing. If you do not see yourself as a friend to God then why not? Would you say you are a Martha or a Mary? God loves you so much and He wants you to have a relationship with Him that you have never experienced before. He wants to be your friend and do things with you and for you. Not for any other reason that He is your friend.

Seeking wisdom from those who have gone before you

One of the first signs of pride is that you have all the answers to every situation in life. When you always have an answer to every situation in life that shows that you are not only a "know it all" but you also think you are the authority on every issue. Since God created us to rely on each other we can not be a "know it all" and we cannot rely on our own knowledge. God created us for each other so that we rely on each other as we seek Him.

In 1 Kings 12:1-15 we see Solomons son take over as king. He is quickly put to the test with his first request from the people to lighten the load his father had put on the people. He makes the first wise decision when he tells the people to come back in three days for him to have time to make a decision. If someone is pressing you to make a decision quickly then you need to find out if this is a decision that can wait. Most decisions can and only in dire situations do decisions need to be made quickly.

He then makes another wise decision by seeking out the elders that had served with his dad. He asked them what he should do and they gave him some great advice. They told him that if he would lighten the peoples load then the people would serve him forever. Unfortunately, like many of us, he decided to go to his buddies and ask them what they think. Like most guys who say dumb stuff when they are together, these guys were no different. If you do not believe me read it for yourself. Statements like "my finger is bigger than my father waist" and "I will whip you with Scorpions" all show that his pride got in the way of him making the best decision.

He started off making the right decision but then when he did not get the advice he wanted he quickly moved on to find someone that agreed with him. That is not seeking advice that is just making sure you have friends that agree with you. Unfortunately because of his decisions he split the kingdom.

If you read about successful people they will tell you that they do not know it all. What they will tell you is they do know people that know about areas they need to know about. They know who to ask and who they can trust that will not just tell them what they want to hear, but what they need to hear.

Proverbs 1:5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance-

Upgrade your GPS

If you want to be wise then you need to seek advice from those who either know or who have traveled the road ahead of you. The problem we sometimes run into is that we inherit bad road maps (advice) along the way. My GPS does not have all the updates that it needs for me to get where I need to go all the time. In fact my own house does not show up on my GPS so when I pull into my driveway my GPS shows that I am in the middle of nowhere. Part of the problem is I am cheap and I refuse to pay the money for the upgrade. Because of that it sometimes takes me a direction that takes more time because it does not have new roads that now exist. With all of us, whether we like it, or want to admit it, we have inherited maps from our parents. It is our way of negotiating through life. Because we have not paid he price to upgraded our system, it tends to cost us time and money in our journey. Yes it is our way of doing things but that does not mean it is the best way to go.

Don't Follow the Herd

Another common mistake is to believe that since so many people are going a certain that it must be the right way to go. Have you ever been following a group of cars somewhere only to find out the guy in the lead has no clue where they are going? That is so frustrating especially if they are the type of person that swears they know where they are going. The issue only gets worse because they are not willing to admit that they are lost and they will not stop and ask for directions. So just because many people are heading a certain way does not mean that it is the right way direction.

Don't be afraid to pull over

If you ever been lost you always have this feeling that it is just around the next turn that your destination awaits. This can be so deceiving and it can lead you to keep going even when you need to stop and get directions. No one likes to admit they are lost but at points in our lives we have to swallow our pride and realize that others can help us get where we need to be, if we would just ask. It may be time for you to stop and ask for directions and seek the advice of others to help you on your journey.

Proverbs 11:4 For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but many advisers make victory sure.
Get a Coach

Does Tiger Woods have a coach? Does Micheal Phelps? These athletes would be good athletes by themselves but they know that if they want to be the best they can be that they need someone who will be willing to tell them the flaws they have in their life. The only way they can get better is to have someone help evaluate their flaws and give them advice on how to improve. We all need people that are not afraid to tell us the hard things in life. Unfortunately, like Rehoboam, we usually only surround ourselves with people that tell us what we want to hear. Sometimes the best people we can have in our lives our those that see things from a different perspective than us. People that are willing to ask us questions and to help us evaluate where we are going. If you do not have a coach ask God to put one in your life. Someone who can help you be better tomorrow than you are today.


Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.

If you do not evaluate where you are going, and seek advice from those who have gone before you, then you will wind up in a place you never intended to be.

You are the Bride of Christ

Why is knowing who you are so important? Because if you think of yourself a certain way then you will act a certain way. Satan knows this so he tries to get you to view yourself as anything other than who you really are.

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.

Yes there is someone who accuses you of being someone you really are not.

Did you know the the Bible never refers to a Christian as a sinner?

So if the Bible never refers to you as a sinner then who is telling you that you are? What if we lived our lives as if we are not sinners instead of saved sinners? Do you see the difference? One is telling you that you are no longer a sinner and the other is saying you are still as sinner who just happens to be saved. It is a lie that Satan uses all the time to trick us into believing something about ourselves that is not true. If he gets you to think that you are someone that has to sin then you will sin. If you believe what the Bible says about you then you know that you no longer have to sin.

Romans 6:6-7 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

We are free from sin. That means we no longer have to sin. Why do we choose to sin? One reason is because we live as if we have not been freed from the sin. As my friend Brent Gambrell says, "when Jesus Christ died on the cross, he did not say, I hope this helps". No He said it is finished.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God has declared us righteous not because of anything we have done or can do but because of what Christ did on the cross. So if God sees you as righteous then how should you see yourself?

We have all been to a wedding and finally that moment comes,(no not the reception with all the great food) when the Bride comes to the door. It is a moment when a different song is usually played, everyone stands in her honor, and all eyes our focused on this woman who has spent hours getting herself ready for this big moment.As recent shows have demonstrated, Brides go to great lengths to make this day the perfect day. The average wedding cost around $20,000 as Brides try to make themselves and the wedding perfect. As someone who has performed weddings I can tell you that when the Bride comes into the room it is also the time that grooms knees begin to shake as they are overwhelmed with the beauty of their bride. It is a great moment and this is the moment that God is referring to when He calls us His bride. (See Ephesians 5:25-32) He says we are loved like a husband loves his wife.

Do you believe that God views you like that?

Do you see yourself the way God sees you as a Bride?

Too many times we listen to the accusations of the one who hates us instead of the one who loves us. We hear that God cannot love someone who has done that, or no other Christian thinks that way, or God cannot even look at you for all you have done. These are all lies and what it does is make us ineffective as followers of Christ.

Isaiah 38:17Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

God literally takes the sins that you have done and He throws them behind His back. He cast them away without a care about them because He knows that they are insignificant because they are no more. So when you hear the accusers voice whispering or screaming in your ear, that you are unworthy to be the Bride of Christ, you can no He longer sees your sin but the righteousness of Christ living in you. (Colossians 3:3)

Like every Bride, she has to accept the invitation from the groom to be married. Brides have to accept the invitation or they are not a Bride. If you want to be joined with Christ then you have to accept the invitation He is giving. If you do not accept that invitation then you will not be found Holy, Righteous or perfect. And if you are not found to be any of those things then you will have no union with God.

If that is not something you have done it is as simple as saying yes to God and allowing Him to have your life. Just like a marriage you will become one with Him and the two will become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24) This means that you will take on the characteristics of God.

You are a Priest

1) What would change about your day if you woke up and you were dressed as a Priest and you could not take the outfit off?

2) If you could be anyone in the world who would it be and why?

3) If you could go anywhere in the world, that you currently could not go now, where would it be?

Several movies have been made with people waking up and they are not who they were. Santa Clause with Tim Allen, Freaky Friday, 13 going on 30 and even the shaggy dog, are all examples of people becoming something they were not before. The reality is this is what happens to you when you become a Christian. You become something you were not and something that God is creating you to be.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Just like any of those movies mentioned above there is an adjustment period as you get used to the person God is now creating inside of your old skin. The problem comes when we do not realize who we are and what God calls us. We need to know the new person that God has created in us because if we do not know who we are then we will not act who we are. If a grown man thinks he is a five year old then we look at them with pity because they cannot see who they really are.

1Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you have received mercy.

Reread that first line in 1 Peter 2. Do you believe that? Do you believe God looked down and chose you? That you are royalty? That you are a Priest? A Holy Nation?

Chosen

Do you remember what it was like in recess when they picked teams? Everyone got to play but you just did not want to be picked last. As soon as you were chosen you were so relieved and happy. The same thing is true with God, He chose to love the World despite how we acted toward Him. We are accepted not based on what we have or have not done but on what Christ did for us on the cross. (Hebrews 10:10)

Royal Priesthood

Do you hear the trumpets blowing when you step into the presence of God? This is not because you earned it but because of what Christ did but the fact remains you are royalty. Does that make you think differently of yourself? What about a Priest? Do you see yourself as a Priest? The image that comes to mind is probably like the one shown above. Although that is our first image the reality is the Priest was able to go where no one else could go. A priest had access to God like no other. Once a year a Priest was chosen to go and meet with God in the Holy of Holies. God would come down and sit on the Ark of the Covenant on a place called the Mercy Seat. Peter now says that you have full access to God just like the Priest had in the Old Testament. The audience of Peters day would have been blown away by such a thought and the notion that a Holy God would meet with a unHoly people could not be fathomed. This is exactly what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross. (Matthew 27:50-51)

Hebrews 10:19-22 So, friends, we can now-without hesitaion- walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place". Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body. So let's do it- full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. (The message)

Have you ever felt that after you have sinned you could not go to God? This is one of satan's tricks. He lures you into a sin and then he accuses you before the Father. He tries to make us inactive as Christians so that others cannot come to know about Jesus Christ. Peter was reminding them that because of Jesus Christ they no longer had to be frozen in their sin but could go back to God in full assurance that they were already forgiven. Jesus took care of all the sins that you have ever committed, and will commit.(Hebrews 9:28)

So if you were to wake up in the morning and realize that you are a Priest, how would your life change? The reality is that if you are a Christian, you are a Priest, so act accordingly.

What's Your Story?

We all tell a story every day about who we are by the decisions we make. Too many times we do not think about the stories that people will tell about our lives, but we all know people do. We know this because we tell stories about others. We think that an individual decision will not cost us our reputation, but it can every time.

King David was in a situation where he had to make a decision in the heat of the moment. Would he make the right one? What was the right decision to make? He had several factors working against him but in the midst of it he was able to see clear enough to make sure he did not have a reputation that he would regret.

It all starts in a cave as David and his men were hiding from Saul and his army. In the midst of King Saul getting focused on killing David, he let his guard down and so did Saul's men. You can read the story in 1 Samuel 24 but the short version is that Saul went into a cave to go to the bathroom and it just happened to be the same cave that David and his men were hiding in. David had an opportunity to kill Saul and end all of his problems and the problems of his followers. He only had a short window of opportunity and a decision had to be made quickly. It seemed like a no brain er but David knew differently.

Looking at the Facts:
1) David was anointed King even though Saul was still King (1 Samuel 16:1)
2) David was hated by King Saul
3) David had to leave his wife and the comfort of his house to run for his life.
4) David had some loyal men who were also running for their lives.
5) Saul walked right into their hands, which seemed to be from the Lord.
6) David's loyal men were urging him to kill Saul.


If we were to look at this situation we would think the Lord had answered our prayer and wanted us to kill King Saul and have David take the throne. But David knew better. David knew that the same God who put King Saul in charge could also take Saul out whenever He wanted. Romans 13 is clear that God establishes those who are in authority to accomplish Gods will. David knew that God established the Kings of the land and decided to not kill King Saul. David did cut off a piece of King Saul's robe to show Saul that he did not have any intent on harming him. Only after Saul left the cave did David reveal to Saul that he had the opportunity to kill him.

David had incredible restraint to not intervene on the situation and change history forever. Instead he submitted to God and allowed God to do what He felt was best no matter how bad David's circumstances had become.

SO WHAT?

If David would have killed Saul, no one would have blamed him but at the same time it would have been a story that was told forever about how David rose to power. Instead the story David chose to be told about himself was that he trusted God with his circumstances no matter if it looked like he had a way out. This story would be passed down forever and because David chose to trust God instead of his own resources, people would admire him even more.

What will people say about you? Will they say you took matters into your own hands? You rose to power by knocking off the person ahead of you? Will they say you trusted God with your circumstances or your own resources? This was not the only time that David could have killed Saul but he knew that to touch the Lord's anointed would be an offense to God.

1 Samuel 26:9 But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?

Who in your life do you need to allow to live and allow God to take care of? Even though you have evidence against them that could destroy them, do you need to allow God to intervene? (Of course I am not referring to matters of law but of personal injustice) If you allow God to handle your situation, then your story will be how you trusted God even though you could have used your own means in dealing with them.

“One never accomplishes the will of God by breaking the law of God, violating the principles of God, or ignoring the wisdom of God.” Andy Stanley

1 Samuel 24:12 May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.

Before you act ask yourself: What story will they tell about me after I make this decision?

Look behind you

Proverbs 29:4 A leader of good judgment gives stability;
an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste. (The Message)

Proverbs 29:4 By justice a king gives a country stability, bot one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.NIV

Will you be able to say that those who came behind you benefited from you? As a parent will your children have stability or a "trail of waste"?

If you want to know the true character of someone then you only have to see the "trail" they have left behind them. Solomon is telling us about Kings who exploit people for their gain or even take bribes. As we know in America, a President is usually shown for what he has done after he has left the White House. It is only after their decisions have been implemented that we suffer or benefit from their leadership. The same is true with our children. What trail will we leave for them to follow? Will they have a trail that forwent good judgement in order to make another dollar? Will they have a trail that determines right or wrong on opinion of the moment? Will they see a trail that tried to take shortcuts that only made the trail longer?

How do we keep from having a trail of waste?

Proverbs 29:5 A flattering neighbor is up to no good;
he's probably planning to take advantage of you. (The Message)

In order for you to have good judgement you have to be careful of those who use persuasive words and flattering speech. Everyone likes to be praised but if you are receiving praise to be influenced in a direction then it is not praise at all. When someone praises you it should be because of what you have done or who you are. If it is any more than that than it is not praise at all.

Proverbs 7:21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.


People will praise you to get you to do what they want. In order for us to not leave a path of destruction behind us we have to be careful that we do not throw away judgement for a manipulative compliment. We can not allow the compliments that come our way to keep us from making wise decisions and causing us to leave a trail of waste. (Read all of Proverbs 7 to see a young man who gave into manipulative praise)

Remember that good judgement will always be seen down the road. The truth will always come out, even though it may take time. If the trail behind you is littered with waste choose today to change and make a difference tomorrow. You can not go back but if you do not change your behavior, then you will continue to leave a "Trail of waste" . Don't make excuses for your past but accept it for what it is, change, and move on.

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs

Danger, Caution, yield, stop, dead end and do not enter, are all signs that we see along the road as we drive. It help us to navigate where we are going and what issues might be ahead. We read those signs and if we ignore them then it could lead us to problems, but if we heed their direction for us then we stay out of trouble. In his book the "Principle of the Path" Andy Stanley talks about how we ignore the signs that God has placed in our lives to keep us out of trouble and danger.

What decisions in your life have you regretted? Where there any signs warning you of the danger? In the moment sometimes we allow ourselves to ignore the signs because we believe we will be the exception to the rule, that somehow those signs do not apply to us.

Every decision we make leads us down a path toward somewhere. Every habit that is formed and where you wind up in life are all because of daily decisions that you make.

Proverbs 27:12 The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

The prudent are the wise, the ones who know that all of life is connected. They realize that every decision they make leads them somewhere and that to head down the wrong path could lead to a dead end or worse, it could be fatal.

The simple are the ones who do not see that every decision they made has placed them where they are in life. They see the same issues as the wise but they ignore the warning signs and keep going. These are the people that wonder how they are where they are and blame everyone else for their circumstances.

What warning signs has God placed in your life? What habits are you forming on a daily basis that will effect your future? What warning signs is God giving you about relationships, or business partnerships or what house to buy, etc? If you are honest, you will see the signs, the warnings from people that really love you,or the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you to stop.

John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

In every area of your life ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Be prepared to walk away from relationships, business partnerships and habits when the Holy Spirit prompts you to do so. Do not make up excuses for why you are doing what you are doing as if you are the exception, but follow the leading of the Spirit. Others may not understand, they may even criticize you for your decision, but over time the truth will come out, and when it does you will thank God that He guided you down a path away from danger.

"It's all there black and white clear as crystal" Willy Wonka

Matthew 5:33-37 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Are you black and white with all of your answers? If not you leave room for the evil one. Don't believe me, reread it yourself. In John 8:44 we know that Satan is the father of lies and we know that those lies have penetrated every area of our society. We allow what we call, "little white lies", "half truths" and "fudging". These are not acceptable for the person who considers themselves a follower of Christ.

God’s absolute, unchanging standard is truth and sincerity in everything. Not only should oaths be totally truthful and dependable, but even the most routine conversations should be truthful in every detail. MacArthur, J. (1989). Matthew (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

Is every part of your conversation truthful? Are you telling the whole story or just the parts that you can tell for your advantage? What scares us about telling the truth? We have been taught in this society to withhold information, manipulate our stories all for our advantages. We are told that this is "the way of doing business", for "gaining the upper hand" and "keeping the ball in our court". All these statements are heard commonly with how people tell you to deal with people. But Jesus has another standard for those who claim to follow Him, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no."

What if your yes meant yes? Would that mean that people might get their feelings hurt? Would it mean that business associates would not be willing to do business with you? Or perhaps it would mean in the long run that people would know you are a person of your word and more importantly, it would show that you are a follower of Christ who is the truth. (John 14:6)

When There Are No More Words

It is amazing how we will turn to prayer when all of our resources and our wisdom are no longer worth anything for the situation we are dealing with. Why is it we do not run to prayer first? Why is it that it takes situations so big that we have no other option but to pray. On top of that, sometimes we are in situations that we do not even know how to pray. Have you ever been in a situation so deep that you do not even know what to ask for God to do?

Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

What a comforting passage. A passage that lets us know when we are out of resources and out of words the Holy Spirit is praying on our behalf for exactly what we need.
Is that where you are today? Are you so overwhelmed by a situation or a problem you do not even know how to pray? Do not worry because the Holy Spirit is praying for you.

Grateful

When dealing with spiritual warfare it is so easy to take for granted the fact that we are saved. We use the word saved so much we hardly know what it means anymore. It means that you are totally helpless and unless someone comes to your rescue you are doomed to die. How grateful would we be if we really understood what it meant to be saved from the destruction that could have been our fate.

On the radio I heard a story about a man who was traveling through Wisconsin on vacation with his family and they were involved in a car accident that set the car on fire. The family was rescued by volunteers who were able to get them out before they were killed by the flames. He was so grateful that he is moving his whole family to Wisconsin. He had no other way to show how grateful he was other than to change his whole lifestyle to be close to those who saved his life. Am I grateful for what Christ has done for me? Does my lifestyle reflect that I am grateful for being rescued?

In Ephesians 6 it tells us to put on the helmet of salvation. This is not for us to be saved but a constant reminder that if we are going to stand up against the devils flaming arrows then we need to remember what we are promised.

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.Have you forgotten what you were before?

Ephesians 2:1 says,"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,"

The reason we need the Helmet of salvation is because Satan knows if he can get you to doubt your right standing with God then he can get you to be ineffective. When you are grateful to God for all that He has done it will change the way you act. A soldier would be hesitant to go into battle without a helmet on and Christians that do not remember how God changed their status from dead to alive, from enemies to children, will also not be as effective in this life.

What's in a name?

What if no one knew my name? What if I never got credit for what I did for God?

Hebrews 11:34b-40 Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

These people were sawed in two, flogged, stoned and worse of all had to wear bad clothes. I'm thinking if I get sawed in two that there should be a building at the church named after me or at least a plaque on the wall telling about my sacrifice. These people suffered for the sake of Christ and they did not have their names even mentioned. Give these people some credit for experiencing things that I can not even imagine walking through. But they weren't mentioned because they did not do it for acknowledgement of those around them.What can be forgotten in the midst of this, acknowledge me world, is the fact that God sees all the things we deal with and He will reward us accordingly.

Matthew 6:17-19 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.


In Matthew chapter 6 God tells us to give in secret, pray in secret and to fast in secret, all with the promise that He will reward us for it. God sees all the times you struggle that no one sees, the times you serve that no one notices, those times you spend praying when it would be easier to go to sleep. The temptation is to think that if it is not visible then it is not important, that if we are not acknowledged on earth, then it is not worth doing. Keep focused on what God has called you to do because although your name may never be mentioned in this life time for what you have done, it will be rewarded in the next.

How Faith Protects you

Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

You ever wonder how faith can keep the assaults from hurting you? When Paul used the language of flaming arrows he was talking about arrows that could hurt you not just if they hit you, but also if they landed near you. The soldiers only defense against flaming arrows was to have a shield that almost covered them from head to toe. This shield could be used to protect the part of the body that was being assaulted at that time. The shield was so important that a Roman soldier would count it a badge of honor to always return with his shield. The soldier knew that although he may lose his sword he still had a fighting chance if he had his shield.

Faith can be that shield for us as we are assaulted everyday by messages that bring fear, doubt and confusion. It is estimated that we receive 60,000 audio and visual messages every day. With that much coming at us it is important that we keep our faith no matter what comes down the information highway.

So how do we keep our faith in the midst of everything else going on around us?

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Some versions say "must believe that He is," I think that is a better translation because we believe in God and that He is who He says He is, He will do what He says He will do. If I really believed that God is, then I would not fret over anything no matter what is happening to me. If you look at all the Christian Martyrs who suffered for believing in Jesus Christ, you have to ask what kept them strong? It was their faith. Hebrews 11 is full of people who trusted God even though they died for what they believed.

Many people say they have faith in God but their actions do not demonstrate it. If you have faith that God is, then you will not be shaken when the flaming arrows of life go flying by and even direct hit your shield of faith. What the enemy knows if he can remove your shield of faith then it will be easier to destroy you.

“Faith is only as reliable and helpful as the trustworthiness of its object.” John MacArthur

You cross a bridge because you trust the object, you trust the chair you sit in because you trust the object. If you trust who God is then you will place all of your faith in Him, because it is Him, not because what He has or has not done. Just like Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

To lean means to place all your weight on Him. Not half way, not testing the strength under pressure, and not bailing when things get where you do not understand. Trusting Him will lead to faith, and it is through faith that He is pleased because by demonstrating faith you are acknowledging who He is. Basically, you are saying, God I trust you no matter what the circumstances because you are trustworthy.

Walking by faith protects you because it keeps you from being scared,discouraged or confused by all the danger because you know you have a shield.

God wants me

We all want to be wanted. What we do not always remember is that we are wanted. We are wanted by an all loving God who has no need for us other than He just wants to love us.

Acts 17:24-25 24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

He did not need us as if He was lacking anything. God did not create us out of a need He had, but out of a love He demonstrated.


Ephesians 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Do you love for no other reason than you have been loved? Do you love only when others have something to offer you or just because the love of God flows through you? If we are going to be "imitators of God" then we have to love just because we choose to, and not based on what others do or do not do.

Walking through the fire with Jesus

In Daniel Chapter 3 we see Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego standing when every one else bowed. Many of us heard this story as children but do we understand the pressure they faced? Too many times we give into people because we do not want to offend them or we just find that it is easier to get along. Sometimes though we are in situations where we have no choice but to take a stand and even suffer for following Christ.

In Daniel 3 we see a King who built an image of himself for everyone to worship and even gave the command to worship the golden image or be killed. (3:6) What I wonder is how many of us would have just given in to the Kings orders instead of standing? Some of our excuses would have been: "I have a family to support", "If I die then who is going to tell these people about God?", or what I believe many Christians would say,"What is the big deal? I do not believe in it so how can it hurt?"

What price am I willing to pay for Christ? What situations am I willing to walk through for Him? Does being a Christ follower have multiple choices and each christian gets to pick and choose what they want to walk through?

Daniel 3:16-18 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Am I willing to follow God even if He does not come through for me? Am I willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. What if they would have used one of the excuses listed above? What if they would have given into the pressure and bowed? As they were being tied up they still had the chance to yell out that they would bow down and escape what looked like certain death. The ongoing desire to give in must have been pressure that ran through their minds over and over again. What kept them strong? What made them Stand? What made them willing to die if that is what they had to do as followers of God?

Daniel 3:24-25 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

How cool was that? They were walking around a hot furnace with Jesus. (How big was this furnace?) I can imagine them talking to Jesus and when they were being called out Jesus told them to go because they probably wanted to stay there with Him.

At the end of the story we see how the whole nation was turned toward God because of these three men who were willing to sacrifice their lives to follow God. (3:28)

What about you? What fires are you walking through that seem too much for you to handle? Are you trying to escape them or walk with Jesus through them? What are your excuses to get out of them? What if God wants to use you to walk through a difficult time in order for others to see Jesus walking with you? What price are you willing to pay to have others claim as Nebuchadnezzar did "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Daniel

When you look at the life of Daniel what do you see? Do you see the brave way he stood up to Kings and to lions? The cool way that God used him to reveal mysteries that no one else could solve? (1:17) What I see is a man who was betrayed over and over again by those who were around him, those who were jealous of him because of the gifts from God he had. You can not read the first 6 chapters of the book of Daniel and not see how over and over again people were jealous of Daniel and his friends. How they looked to seek to trap them and kill them through the Kings they served.(3:8-12,6:6-9)

Daniel was chosen because he was one of the top young men in the land.(1:3-5) He was found to be ten times better (1:20)than all those around him and he did it God's way and not the worlds way.(1:8) What I see in the life of Daniel is a man who not only had the opportunity to destroy those who were around him but a man that also defended them.(Daniel 2:24)Daniel knew that God would be the final judge and that those who were against him would be revealed for who they really were. (6:24)

I want to be like Daniel but how do I do that?

We see the key to this question in chapter 6 verse 10 which tells us "Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before."

Sounds simple doesn't it? Then why is praying so hard for us to do? Why do we run to others for answers instead of to God? If you read about Daniel and all he went through you will see similarities to your own life.

1) He was not in control of his environment. (1:1-2)
We are not either even though we think we are sometimes.
2) He was betrayed by others and falsely accused. (6:12-15,24)
Who are you thinking of right now that has betrayed you or lied about you?

So what made Daniel ten times better? He went to God every day, three times a day. He sought God for the answers not anyone else. He asked his friends to pray to God not sit around and discuss what they should do about the issue they faced. (2:17-18)

So if you want to be like Daniel then you have to Pray. We are not talking about little sentence prayers but prayers throughout the day, (6:10) and sometimes all night prayers.(2:19)

What would our homes look like if we prayed? What would our churches look like if we prayed? What would our businesses look like if we prayed? What would we look like if we prayed? I would think we would look a little more like Daniel and we would trust God with all of our issues.

Peace Out

Ephesians 6:15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

The Peace we can have with God is the most amazing experience and what everyone in this world is looking for. It is easy to take this for granted because it cost Jesus Christ everything and for us we get the inheritance for all eternity. Nothing in this world can lead to lasting peace and so the peace people are looking for is only found in the gospel of peace, which is Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

How many shoes do you have? What are the different purposes your shoes fulfill? If we are getting ready to go to the beach we put on flip flops, if we are going running we put on tennis shoes made for running and if we are dressing up, we put on our dress shoes. We are ready to put on any shoes we need for the function they will serve. But when it comes to dealing with everything we will deal with in a day, do we fit ourselves with shoes that come from the gospel of peace? We would not walk out of the house without getting ready by Taking a shower, getting dressed, brushing our teeth and whatever else you do to get ready. Why then do we not ready ourselves with the gospel of Peace? If we are going to stand against the schemes of the Devil then we have to not forget our shoes.

Can I really have peace no matter what the day holds?

Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 1:12-13 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The reason we can have peace is because no matter what happens in this life we have Peace with God through Jesus Christ. We are His children and nothing can take this away from us. When we care more about our relationship with God than we do our relationship with this world then the peace of God will always guard our hearts and minds. It does not mean life will always be easy but knowing that we are at peace with God is more important than whatever hardship we face in this life. If you do not have peace with God then you are either not a child of His or you have something in your life that is keeping you from having peace with God. God will cause an unrest among His children till they admit their sin and turn back to Him.

Are you ready to face the day with the gospel of peace? Don't just take the time to get physically ready, take time to get spiritually ready as well by remembering you are a child of God. You will experience more peace and those around you need to see the peace that passes all understanding.

I'm gonna puke

Revelation 3:15-18 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

The word for spit really means to vomit or gag uncontrollably because you are sick. If you ever had a stomach virus, or food poisoning, it is the same feeling God has toward those who are luke warm Christians. Does God get violently sick by the fact that I am not giving my all? I mean, something has to be better than nothing, right? Surely, He is pleased by the things I am doing as opposed to the things I am not doing, right?

1 John 2:3-4 3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Matthew 16:24-25 24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

These verses make it sound as if God is not alright with our half hearted attempts at being Christ Followers. It sounds as if Jesus wants us to give every part of our lives to Him and not just portions of it. I guess, just like the rich man, in Luke 18 that Jesus wants us to not just give up almost everything, but all of it.

If I am honest I give up things to God that I want to give up to Him. What if He asked me to give up something I was not really wanting to give up? What if He called me to do something no one else understood including myself? What if me following Christ cost me everything? Is that not what it should cost?

Honestly, I have given as much to Christ as I feel comfortable with.

If we go back to the revelations that John and Isaiah had,(Isaiah 6:2-4 and Revelation 4:7-9) would this indescribable God be worthy of everything? Of course the answer is yes and more, but how easy it is to grow comfortable in our Americanized Christianity. How easy it is to get distracted by the temporary things of life instead of with the awesomeness of God.

What am I not willing to give to Christ?
Who am I willing not to forgive for Christ?
What amount of money will I not spend for Christ?
What am I not willing to do for Christ?

Whatever those answers are shows what I value more than Christ. And whatever those things are,is why God vomits.

Tim Kizziar “ Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that really don’t matter.

So the question is: What does God find as success?
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Am I loving like I should? Am I investing in the things God would invest in? What is God really going to look at when everything is over? How much I had? How many people came to the church I was a part of? If I do not have love then I have nothing and I have invested a lot of time and energy into meaningless and unworthy task that God would not even consider worthy of sacrifice.

Malachi 1:7-8 "You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' "By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. 8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty.

How would seeking after love change everything about me? How I spend my time, money, and energy? Learn to love God and you will love what He loves. Love is what makes your sacrifice acceptable to Him, not the fact you accomplished a task.

What are you succeeding at? Is it worth it in God's eyes? Are you sure?

Who is Influencing You?

Every day we get thousands of messages telling us which way to go, what to buy and how to be happy. In the video series the "The Truth Project" they reported that we receive 60,000 audio and visual messages a day. In his book ReCreate, Ron Luce estimates that by the time that a student reaches 18 years of age they will have 75,600 minutes of school, 224,640 minutes of media and 2,002 minutes with a serious conversation with their parents. That means a parent only spends 3.5 minutes a week in serious conversation with their child while there is 72 hours of media each week received by their child.

1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 (New International Version)
5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

Have we fallen asleep? Have we bought into lies and do not even realize it because we have just bought into what we have been taught as truth? Have we heard the same messages over and over again that are not of God but we have bought into them because we heard them so many times? Knowing what we believe is important but also being alert is just as important. We can no longer sit back and listen to all the media messages without filtering them through the Bible. If we do then we will be lulled to sleep and headed on a collision course without even realizing it.

What happens is we become passengers on this road of life. Since the path is long we fall asleep trusting where we are headed by the one driving. Because the driver does not drive erratically we stay asleep.The driver heads off course just a little bit and before we know it we are not where we intended to be. This is how it is if we do not wake up and look at the things we believe and why we believe them.

What things do you believe that do not match with what the Bible says? What areas in life have you fallen asleep? What course adjustments will you need to make in order to get back on track? The first step is to wake up and realize you are being influenced.

Don't Go Breaking my heart

Some of us are old enough remember the hit song from the 70's that Elton John sang with Kiki Dee "Don't go breakin my heart". There have been numerous songs written about the heart and it being broken by others or actions people did. As you read this some of the songs about the heart might be coming into your mind.(Achy breaky heart, Listen to your heart) One of the things we hear from people is that their hearts have been broken by others. Every time a girl breaks up with a guy they say "He broke my heart" We all know what that means and many if not all of us have experienced the pain of a broken heart. The Bible gives us some advice for us to keep our hearts from breaking or being broken.

Ephesians 6:10-17 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

The Bible makes it clear that the thing that protects your heart is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Righteousness has such a negative sound to it because our first thought is this is how God wants us to act whether we like it or not.

First of all Righteousness is not attained by us, but through Christ and what He did on the cross.We would never be able to be in right standing with God because of our actions and so Christ became our righteousness for us. He made us appear righteous in God's sight.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

Secondly, Righteousness is not a negative because it will protect us from hurt and pain. So many have not followed what God has laid out for them to do and they have had their hearts broken and or pierced. If we followed what God tells us to do then Paul tells us that it is like wearing the Breastplate a Roman soldier would wear to protect themselves from harm.

How many times have we had our hearts broken because we went into the world and thought, "This one sin, this one time will not hurt me?" A Roman soldier would have never gone into battle and thought, "this breastplate is heavy and uncomfortable I think I will not wear it this time." If we are honest with ourselves, there are many times we say that righteous living is just a little to heavy and uncomfortable for us. Because we think this way, we leave the armor at home, or at church. The result is that we all know people whose lives, families and careers have been ruined because they chose not to walk in righteousness. One of the problems is we have gone out many times before and fought battles without the breastplate of righteousness and we did not see the damage or the damage was minimul. Our thoughts become relaxed toward righteousness and we think,"what harm is there? It only takes one time and your life is over or damaged, with a long recovery process, if recovery is possible. Yes, God will forgive your sin because of Jesus Christ, but why not avoid the destructive lifestyle and unncecessary pain in your life by listening to what He says in the first place?

Andy Stanley said in one of His messages "If you were God and you saw all the destruction to families, communities, and people, that sin was causing, what would you instruct people to do?" "Do you think if you were God you would tell people to say no to certain behaviors?" Stop looking at righteousness as a negative and see it as a positive in a world that can pierce and break your heart.

If you do not want your heart broken then know that God has a solution, and that solution is Righteousness. First found in Christ and secondly in our lives as we allow the Holy Spirit to grow and flourish inside of us. (Galatians 5:22-23)

When God Says No

Too many times we base our faith in God on the answers we receive from Him. What if His answer is no? What if He sees fit for your prayer not to be answered?

Hebrews 11:32-39 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

This is a story of two groups of people who had faith, but in our worldly eyes one of the group's story did not end well. Too many times in our churches we say we do not believe a health and wealth gospel, but our actions would tell us otherwise. I have heard that if you follow Jesus that you will be on the "path of blessing." I agree we will be, but that blessing does not mean you get healed or that all your financial problems go away. God has blessed me so much, but what if He didn't? Would I still follow Him? Jesus was on the "Path of Blessing" and He died. The path God chooses for us is not about us, but it is about Him. God wants all people to come to a saving knowledge of Him. What if He chooses for you to suffer just so others can spend eternity with Christ? Is that not was Jesus did for us? Hebrews 2:8-10 says He tasted death for us. Jesus was on the "Path of Blessing" but the blessing was for others and not for ourselves.

In worship service we had a man who lost his arm to cancer give his testimony. One of the things that struck me was that he admitted that if it were not for the cancer that he would not be the person he is today. He also said that he felt like he was smiling before his surgery because he experienced the presence of the Lord with him as never before. Only eternity will tell the impact that God used this man for in the lives of others, but by faith he still walked through it. Did he have too little of faith? Some would say yes, of course, then they have to explain the last verses in Hebrews 11.

Am I more worried about my convenience or allowing my Savior to use me how He wants? Why did some followers get earthly blessings while others suffered? These questions may never be answered in this life other than God chose to use them each differently for His purposes (Acts 2:23, 13:36). Does God have the right to use me how He wants? Is this not what a Christ follower is? Even when you are asking for the cup to be passed from you, you do His will? Matthew 26:42

Jesus called me fat.

How many lies do we believe every day? We think about things over and over again and they are just not true. If you are looking in the mirror and you are thinking you are ugly, fat, stupid or whatever, where do you think that is coming from? Is it coming from Jesus? Can you picture Jesus calling you fat? Maybe your are but would He say it that way? If Jesus would not talk to you that way then who is?

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

One of the things that Satan traps us in is having these thoughts go through our minds that are not true. You can catch these lies by listening to your "Self Talk". Your "Self Talk" is when you hold these elaborate conversations in your head that sound so logical. Do you notice in your "Self Talk" that it is your own voice that gives the best advice?If in your "Self Talk" you are hearing yourself say, "I bet they are going to say this" or "I bet this is going to happen" that means that you are worried about things to come and not what is really going to happen.We can not know the future so why play out the scenario in our minds?

Philippians 4:6-7 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Of course part of planning is walking through scenarios and trying to think through details of what is going to happen so you can plan properly. A wise man counts the cost before he builds.What I am addressing is all the "Self Talk" that does not lead to the peace of God in your life. So ask yourself, is your mind at peace by what you are thinking about? If your "Self Talk" is not leading you to trusting Christ and leading your mind to peace then I would say it is not from God. Satan is whispering in your ear things that he knows will make you worry. When we worry about things we can not control then our focus is off of the things we should be doing.

Guard your "Self Talk" and make sure that it is from God and not from Satan. The simplest way to know is by a question you can always ask yourself. "Is it true?" Based on Philippians 4:8 if it is not True then you know it is from Satan because he only knows how to speak lies.

"How many nights will we go home dry eyed, while the rest of the world cries themselves to sleep?" Jay Strack

How many people do we run into that are looking for the Hope that we have found in Jesus Christ, yet we remain silent about who He is and how they can know Him?
Have you ever thought that the people you run into are in front of you because God placed them there?

Acts 17:26-27 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

When you have to take your car into the shop for the fifth time, do you look at that as an inconvenience or an opportunity? Have you ever been stuck in a cell phone store for several hours dealing with cell phone issues? Have you ever thought that God did that on purpose? Do you look at those daily life problems as frustrations or opportunities? Would you walk up to a tow truck driver out of the blue and strike up a conversation? Would you walk up to a mechanic and hold a conversation with them for no reason? Would you walk into a cell phone store and sit for a couple of hours with someone and talk to them about their life? Although these might happen, if you are honest, it is not something you planned on doing that day.

Acts tells us that God puts us in exact places. God did not say He put you in comfortable places or even beneficial places to us, but exact places. God has you placed right where He wants you for the reasons He has for you,and He puts you with people He wants you to meet. Yes God is that big that He will use what we would consider interruptions in our day, as opportunities for someone to hear that Jesus loves them. Next time you are in a situation that seems like a frustration, look and see if God has you there for someone who needs the hope of Christ. Look at interuptions as opportunities and who knows, maybe if you would go ahead and share Jesus with your mechanic your car might just stop breaking down. (no guareentees)

"I guess God did not see that coming" Vince Manna

Psalm 102:12
12 But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.
Think about eternity for a second. No start no end. Just forever. This is very difficult or really impossible to understand. We exist in time and God does not. He created time and so He is not affected by it. We on the other hand, are ruled by time. So many things to do, places to go and so forth.

It can be frustrating to try and figure out God. We try and wrap our brains around who He is and many debates and discussions ensue about who He is and how He acts. Although these are great discussions, and I agree we should have them, the main thing we should experience is comfort. Who wants a God who can be controlled by circumstances? or weaknesses? or any limitations? My friend Vince Manna, said to me one time,“I guess God did not see that coming” when something happened that frustrated me. His words ring in my ears every time I get upset about something that happens. God did you see what just happened? God is this going to turn out alright? Life is never out of control for God. It may seem like it is out of control, with our emotions or limited understanding, but He is a God that knows everything.

Revelation 13:8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

What a great passage that is also comforting. This passage tells us that God was not shocked by our sin and already had a plan in place before it even happened. WOW. How can we ever understand such a great God? I am not sure this side of heaven we will be able to. Us being able to understand God is like us going to the ocean and taking a cup and scooping up some of the water and describing God as what is in the cup. We might get part of it right but it does not even come close to understanding what a great God we have.

Next time you worry about something remember God saw it coming. He already has a plan and is not freaked out about it. You can remember Ecclesiastes 8:17 then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.


Just because we do not get what is going on, God does.

Jesus is Coming. Do I really care?

Matthew 24:36-42 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

Matthew 25:13 "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Do I really live my life as if Jesus could stop by at any moment? What would He catch me doing? What would He catch me not doing? What would He see me focusing on?

How much time and energy do I give to things that will not matter once Jesus returns? How much stress do I have about things that Jesus does not even want me thinking about, not to mention stressing about? It seems that we focus so much of our time and energy on the wrong things, that when Jesus shows up will not matter. The focus seems to be on this world and what it has to offer instead of the world to come and the Savior we will be with for eternity.

I am alert just not for Jesus coming again. I am alert when someone does something wrong to me, when I do not get my way, and when any of my selfish wants are not met.If I could be as alert for Jesus coming back as I am for my selfish wants not getting met, I would be a totally different person.

Matthew 25:34-40 34"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink;I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me;I was in prison, and you came to Me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'40"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you,to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

These people that Jesus is talking about, served faithfully not realizing that Jesus was going to say that it was if they were serving Him personally. In fact they just served out of obedience. What about when I serve do I see those I am serving, as if I am serving Jesus? They were serving when Jesus came back, what will I be doing? Watching Sports? Deadliest Catch? Dirtiest Jobs? (Basically TLC and any sports channel)

So Jesus is coming, does that change your life? Your priorities? Actions speak louder than words, and what my life reflects speaks louder than my mouth. (Yes even louder than my mouth) How am I serving the Savior? Am I so in tune with the spirit of God that I do not even realize I am serving faithfully? Can I be like the people in Matthew 25 that just served and it became so much of who they were that they did not even notice they were doing it for Jesus. Those people were ready for Jesus to come back. I want to be a faithful servant, that no matter what the situation or circumstances, I am faithfully serving as if I am serving Jesus Himself.

On the other hand, Jesus gives some harsh words to those who are not ready. Read all of Matthew 24 and 25 for the whole story about what Jesus says when He comes back.