Joshua 1:5 says, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
I really felt the Lord pressing on my heart these two words……”Take Courage.” As I was praying I was reminded of three people whom God told this too. Let’s look at them:
Joshua:
Joshua 1:6,7, 9, and 18, Be strong and courageous, Be strong and very courageous, Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go, Only be strong and courageous!
Why did God repeat himself here? Well Joshua was told to take the Israelites’ into the promised land and did not know he had to defeat 31 kings prior to doing that. God was encouraging him.
Peter:
Before Peter walked on the water, it says the disciples were terrified when they first saw Jesus on the water and He said to them in Matthew 14:27, “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”
Peter ended up being hung on the cross later in his life and had it done upside down.
Paul:
Acts 23:11 says, “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."
Why did he tell Paul this? Check this out in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28;
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
My encouragement to you today is to Take Courage, don’t allow the enemy to take any of your courage away. Don’t be easily discouraged, don’t be afraid, and don’t show any lack of faith so God can do inside you and through you what you are purposed to do.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Right On Time
Lately God has really been working on me in my area of patience and waiting on Him. God is never early or never late he is always right on time!
Recently we had had some issues with our AC unit. We have 2 units and our old one that cools our living room and the children’s room went out. I had a close friend who does A/C work for a living and put in our other unit several years ago check it out. He said it is shot and in order to purchase a new one it was going to be in the thousands of dollars.
Well let’s just say that at the same time God is working on my patience He is also working on the discipline in our finances. God usually is working on multiple things at a time on me We were having to depend on God to pull through for us. We heard Him keep telling us to be patient; I am going to take care of this. We had the kids sleeping in the dining room since it was still cool. We were prepared to shut down half of the house just because we wanted to be disciplined with our finances and save up for the new unit if it would come to that and pay cash for the new AC.
I wanted to take matters in my own hands several times and just get it fixed. God kept telling Stacey and I that He was taking care of it. My close friend had an old unit and we were not really sure it was even going to work, but he was a man of God and prayed about it. God told him to put the unit in and it will work and to donate the unit to us.
Needless to say, God was at work. The unit is working like a charm and had no expense to us. Thank you Lord for great friends and for providing all our needs according to your riches and glory.
Recently we had had some issues with our AC unit. We have 2 units and our old one that cools our living room and the children’s room went out. I had a close friend who does A/C work for a living and put in our other unit several years ago check it out. He said it is shot and in order to purchase a new one it was going to be in the thousands of dollars.
Well let’s just say that at the same time God is working on my patience He is also working on the discipline in our finances. God usually is working on multiple things at a time on me We were having to depend on God to pull through for us. We heard Him keep telling us to be patient; I am going to take care of this. We had the kids sleeping in the dining room since it was still cool. We were prepared to shut down half of the house just because we wanted to be disciplined with our finances and save up for the new unit if it would come to that and pay cash for the new AC.
I wanted to take matters in my own hands several times and just get it fixed. God kept telling Stacey and I that He was taking care of it. My close friend had an old unit and we were not really sure it was even going to work, but he was a man of God and prayed about it. God told him to put the unit in and it will work and to donate the unit to us.
Needless to say, God was at work. The unit is working like a charm and had no expense to us. Thank you Lord for great friends and for providing all our needs according to your riches and glory.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Power Made Perfect In Weakness
Paul was pleading with God in 2 Corinthians 6:8-10 and God answered him with this;
“He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We can plead with God everyday to make something happen (promotions, business success, growth in business), to take something away (pride, depression, laziness), or to remove barriers in our life that might hold us back (strongholds, insufficiencies, lack of money or intelligence). But it is His strength that will be made perfect in our weakness, in our insults, in our hardships, persecutions and difficulties.
He will give us the strength to do everything through Christ who strengthens us, He has made us more than a conqueror, He is for us and not against us; however the moment we try to take the success into our own hands is the moment we fail. You see it is in our weaknesses that God gets the glory. It is in our lack that God gets the glory for the success that we had.
God has challenged me and I want to challenge you today to do something so big that you can’t take the glory for it; it has to come from God. Do something so big that it will cause Satan to tremble and God to be glorified. Create a movement inside yourself so you can make a difference in the lives of others and yourself.
“He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We can plead with God everyday to make something happen (promotions, business success, growth in business), to take something away (pride, depression, laziness), or to remove barriers in our life that might hold us back (strongholds, insufficiencies, lack of money or intelligence). But it is His strength that will be made perfect in our weakness, in our insults, in our hardships, persecutions and difficulties.
He will give us the strength to do everything through Christ who strengthens us, He has made us more than a conqueror, He is for us and not against us; however the moment we try to take the success into our own hands is the moment we fail. You see it is in our weaknesses that God gets the glory. It is in our lack that God gets the glory for the success that we had.
God has challenged me and I want to challenge you today to do something so big that you can’t take the glory for it; it has to come from God. Do something so big that it will cause Satan to tremble and God to be glorified. Create a movement inside yourself so you can make a difference in the lives of others and yourself.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Why did you...
I wanted to share a parenting method I learned recently from "Shepherding A Childs Heart" by Tedd Tripp.
The "Why did you..." line of questioning never works with children and rarely with adults. Here are some alternative and more productive questions for the children:
1. "What were you feeling when you hit your sister?"
2. "What did your sister do to make you mad?"
3. "Help me understand how hitting her seemed to make things better?"
4. "What was the problem with what she was doing to you?" (You need not deny the fact your child has been sinned against. Of course, he was sinned against. Let him tell you about it.)
5. "In what other ways could you have responded?"
6. "How do you think your response reflected trust or lack trust in God's ability to provide for you?'
The "Why did you..." line of questioning never works with children and rarely with adults. Here are some alternative and more productive questions for the children:
1. "What were you feeling when you hit your sister?"
2. "What did your sister do to make you mad?"
3. "Help me understand how hitting her seemed to make things better?"
4. "What was the problem with what she was doing to you?" (You need not deny the fact your child has been sinned against. Of course, he was sinned against. Let him tell you about it.)
5. "In what other ways could you have responded?"
6. "How do you think your response reflected trust or lack trust in God's ability to provide for you?'
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Spirit Is Willing
Every day is a new day, rejoice, take joy, be happy that you have been given a brand new day. If you have a roof over your head, electricity, food and the means to get the things you need then you are blessed. Every day you should wake up with joy in your heart and have the energy spiritually first to seek God then get the energy mentally and physically to do the things God has called you to do. So many times we can get it backwards…..mentally, physically and then spiritually. You have to turn that around to the spiritually first and then the mental and physical will follow.
Mark 14:38 says, “The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” (NIV), and the NCV says, “The spirit wants to do what is right but the body is weak.” And the message says, “Part is eager, ready for anything in God, but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”
Matthew 6:13 and Luke 11:4 says, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Psalm 51:10-12 (Purity Prayer) Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Our fallen human nature wars against the work of God. We need to remember to have that steadfast spirit of faithfulness and a willing spirit of service.
Mark 14:38 says, “The spirit is willing but the body is weak.” (NIV), and the NCV says, “The spirit wants to do what is right but the body is weak.” And the message says, “Part is eager, ready for anything in God, but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”
Matthew 6:13 and Luke 11:4 says, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Psalm 51:10-12 (Purity Prayer) Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Our fallen human nature wars against the work of God. We need to remember to have that steadfast spirit of faithfulness and a willing spirit of service.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Simply Becoming
I wanted to encourage you with a teaching I got from Ed Young Sr. during our C3 conference this past year.
What can I inside my giftedness become so I can increase and build up the church in the 21st century?
The genius is not doing the genius is becoming
Lets take a look at Paul’s life----went to Arabia after becoming Christian for 3 years where he memorized the old testament. When he preached and no one was saved, he then became wanted dead and then goes to Taursus to live with his mom for 13 years. He did not just go out and start preaching and teaching, God had to mold him and develop him into the man and instrument he was called to be. Sometime we might be too proud or not willing to step up and help because we feel like we can add more and do more. But sometimes we have to just start somewhere doing something before God can use us for our complete calling and use our potential.
Then a revival broke out in Antioch and the disciples did not know how to communicate to the gentiles and Romans so they called on Paul. That is when he started his ministry 16 years after his conversion.
Now please don’t take this as to you need to wait 16 years before you get involved in a church, start serving and giving of your time, talents and treasures. I am simply saying we need to become before we can do.
Start somewhere by doing something, get involved so you can start becoming the man or woman God has called you to become.
What can I inside my giftedness become so I can increase and build up the church in the 21st century?
The genius is not doing the genius is becoming
Lets take a look at Paul’s life----went to Arabia after becoming Christian for 3 years where he memorized the old testament. When he preached and no one was saved, he then became wanted dead and then goes to Taursus to live with his mom for 13 years. He did not just go out and start preaching and teaching, God had to mold him and develop him into the man and instrument he was called to be. Sometime we might be too proud or not willing to step up and help because we feel like we can add more and do more. But sometimes we have to just start somewhere doing something before God can use us for our complete calling and use our potential.
Then a revival broke out in Antioch and the disciples did not know how to communicate to the gentiles and Romans so they called on Paul. That is when he started his ministry 16 years after his conversion.
Now please don’t take this as to you need to wait 16 years before you get involved in a church, start serving and giving of your time, talents and treasures. I am simply saying we need to become before we can do.
Start somewhere by doing something, get involved so you can start becoming the man or woman God has called you to become.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Assimilation
I wanted to share our assimilation process at Turning Point Church and fill you in on our constantly evolving process. We first started out with making calls each week and had a strenuous 4-5 week follow up plan. We also for a season tried to do visitations. Both showed very little fruit. We are constantly evaluating our process, but I wanted to share some of the new ways we have implemented in church assimilation to potentially help you in your ministry.
Our assimilation starts at the parking lot. We have implemented an amazing Welcome Team to make people feel welcomed. We have an amazing team of Parking guys who are giving direction and waving. We also have front door greeters, childrens check in and sanctuary greeters who all have been trained to welcome all who come in. We have ushers who show people to their seats and have a coffee bar for those who need the coffee. We have posted everything online also to show new visitors what to expect from how to dress to how to park. You can check that out Here if you want.
We ask in the welcome to have visitors fill out the communication cards which are given out at the door inside the bulletins. We also ask our members with any prayer requests to do the same. We pick those up at the end of the service and have them placed in the offering baskets. The next steps are usually handled by me. I get the cards and usually within 24 hours I will send them an email thanking them for coming. I also attempt to find them on facebook or twitter—if they checked the box (we have this as a question on the communication card). I befriend them and sent them a thanks. We then have a admin team who usually will send out a welcome letter. I do not make any calls unless they ask for one. We call it our no hassle-life giving process.
The next step for them is always being communicated. Come out to our Growth Track—Church 101 is always on the first Sunday of the month, 201, 2nd, 301 is the 3rd and 401 is the 4th Sunday always. Check more about that here. We make it easy, obvious and strategic. If anyone wants to get connected and into the life of the church—we invite them to the growth track. We also have small groups to connect to as well. I will explain what we do with our small groups is another blog.
Again, we are constantly evaluating our process and the effectiveness of it. We have shown consistent growth through this process and are continuing if for now.
Our assimilation starts at the parking lot. We have implemented an amazing Welcome Team to make people feel welcomed. We have an amazing team of Parking guys who are giving direction and waving. We also have front door greeters, childrens check in and sanctuary greeters who all have been trained to welcome all who come in. We have ushers who show people to their seats and have a coffee bar for those who need the coffee. We have posted everything online also to show new visitors what to expect from how to dress to how to park. You can check that out Here if you want.
We ask in the welcome to have visitors fill out the communication cards which are given out at the door inside the bulletins. We also ask our members with any prayer requests to do the same. We pick those up at the end of the service and have them placed in the offering baskets. The next steps are usually handled by me. I get the cards and usually within 24 hours I will send them an email thanking them for coming. I also attempt to find them on facebook or twitter—if they checked the box (we have this as a question on the communication card). I befriend them and sent them a thanks. We then have a admin team who usually will send out a welcome letter. I do not make any calls unless they ask for one. We call it our no hassle-life giving process.
The next step for them is always being communicated. Come out to our Growth Track—Church 101 is always on the first Sunday of the month, 201, 2nd, 301 is the 3rd and 401 is the 4th Sunday always. Check more about that here. We make it easy, obvious and strategic. If anyone wants to get connected and into the life of the church—we invite them to the growth track. We also have small groups to connect to as well. I will explain what we do with our small groups is another blog.
Again, we are constantly evaluating our process and the effectiveness of it. We have shown consistent growth through this process and are continuing if for now.
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